"There! I think I see them!" Haldeena shouted from atop Volk's shoulders.

The captain smiled. "Your father will be ecstatic for your safe return, Ms. Ashton."

"He argued to stay and have the rest of the guards accompany us to find his wife and daughter," I commented.

Volk dropped his smile. "And my men would ignore his demands. I am glad that a tragedy will not devastate the Ashton house."

You should be worried about your own safety there. The nobles weren't the only ones kidnapped.

Neyenna was stone-faced, but her hands shook behind the folds of her skirt.

Devon ignored the emotional air and casually strolled onto the road, stopping in the middle of the path. It certainly looked menacing, and all the more when you realize he probably had enough strength to stop the carriage with his bare hands.

The first wagon driver let out a loud whistle and began to slow long before they exited the pass.

His eyes widened into saucer plates as he saw Devon.

"Halt!"

The thundering of hooves echoed across the air, and two mounted guards, Merrick and Jezzra, appeared from both sides of the wagon. Merrick came to a stop, but Jezzra continued. Devon stood still, and while I couldn't see his face, I knew it was a blank mask that gave nothing away.

Jezzra didn't seem to care and turned away from the road to race toward Volk, who gently lowered Haldeena off his shoulders.

"Captain!" he shouted as his horse began to slow. He didn't wait for the horse to come to a stop before he jumped off and bowed low, a near forty-five-degree angle before Volk. "I beg for your forgiveness, sir! I have failed my duties and allowed harm to befall the Ashton house and this company!"

"At ease, Jezzra. Raise your head and meet my eyes," Volk ordered.

Jezzra complied and saluted with a fist to his chest.

"You are forgiven. Now, please escort Lady and Ms. Ashton to their cabin. I believe the lady does not wish to wait."

"No, I do not," Neyenna said with a shaky voice.

"Right away, sir!" Jezzra called out.

He loaded Haldeena up onto the horse and got on behind her while offering a hand to help up Neyenna. Once on, they rocketed back toward the caravan, which began to move closer once it was clear that there was no danger.

Together, we joined Devon in approaching the caravan, where a dozen guards fanned out in all directions, sweeping the area. They continuously glanced our way, but even more than before, they kept their eyes averted and their heads down.

I wonder when Volk will address the traitor situation...

One guardsman I recognized, Crolus, looked ready to flee out of his skin as Devon walked by him.

I guess they all got to see what kind of monster lies underneath. Don't blame him.

Yadalee had the strangest reaction; when she saw us a look of relief crossed her face, and her shoulders slumped forward as one hand released its grip on the reins.

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"Yadalee?" I asked.

"You're safe. I-I was worried. I'm glad," she stammered.

Smiling, I approached the horses and held up a hand. It bent its head toward my palm, and I rubbed its snout.

"We are. Crazy night, but we're back. Are we making camp?

"Yes. The horses are exhausted. If we don't, we risk them collapsing and I doubt the Captain would be happy about continuing the rest of the journey on foot."

I pulled away and flung off the sweat from my hand. The beast was nearly steaming in the early morning chill.

"I'll help you untie them."

"Thank you," she said more quietly. "We'll park next to that tree right there. If you don't mind can you grab one of the water barrels? We need to set up a trough."

"No problem."

For the next hour, the caravan was a maelstrom of activity. Campfires were made, and rotation was set as the horses were unhitched and tended to. The caravan drivers were actually given a break as different guards helped brush and set up feeding troughs for water and food. Yadalee herself collapsed in her seat, and I quickly hopped inside to grab a blanket from one of the crates to lay over her. With her covered up and taken care of, I moved away from the wagons and joined Alice and Devon sitting beside their own campfire.

After sitting down, I spread out my legs and casually ran my fingers through the flames. "Where's Odenn?"

"The Ashtons invited her into their cabin. Neyenna made sure that another female guard safely escorted her," Alice answered.

"I'm glad they're being considerate. Hopefully, we can stop near a river soon. A good bath does a lot to ease the mind."

"Especially if they heat it like they do for the Ashtons."

I turned to Devon, who met my eyes and then looked away. "Okay, once was weird enough. What's the issue, Devon? Why are you avoiding me?"

He didn't answer for a long time, and the crackle of firewood filled the space he left absent. Eventually, he threw up his hood and met my eyes, keeping them fixed on mine. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks, but it wasn't like there was much of a choice. Alice could gotten hurt and the kid would have been killed if you didn't get them out of there. And besides, it worked out in the end. I even gained something from the whole ordeal."

His eyes shifted crimson and then returned to normal. It took another small pause, but he lowered his head and watched the flames. Silence filled the air and I almost started to say something before he sighed.

"It's more than that. I should have saved you. Danger, risk, death: they are good tools to sharpen a blade, to train the pup into a proper hunter. But in that situation, I should have saved you. In that regard, I failed. So I am sorry."

I wasn't sure how to feel. Anger? Sadness? Brush it off like it was nothing? Except the last one would have been a lie. At the time, it felt so natural to assume that he would ensure Alice's safety first; that was a no-brainer. And the truth was, I made the decision to jump in front of the orb. That was my choice, not his.

But does that mean I'm fine with him valuing my life less?

No. I wasn't okay with that at all.

The world brightened, and the flames exploded with vibrancy. To the side, Alice gripped her cloak, her fists balled, but I turned away and ignored it.

"Honestly? You're right," Again, his eyes shifted but faded away as if losing steam. "I… It's insane that I've been conditioned so quickly to accept that it's natural for me to nearly die every time. Sure, whatever, we're hunters; I chose this life. You're still my mentor, the one in charge of keeping me alive, preparing me for… Whatever it is you are preparing me for. But screw you."

Alice looked at the fire, not raising her head, while I glared at Devon.

"I'm… Sorry," he muttered.

The vibrancy faded away, and I felt hollow in my chest. Freki peeked out from my shadow and rose around me, wrapping his long body behind me and placing his massive head into my lap. I placed my hand on his head and idly rubbed behind his ears, letting the dichotic feeling of chill and heat brush my fingers.

"It's. Not fine. But whatever. Devon, when we return, I don't care what's happening; I want a break. I deserve some time to myself away from all this. There's still a glaring hole in my head where my memories used to be. I'm sure Astra can help me with that. If not, there has to be something that can help--I just need time."

He clawed at the dirt and displayed his canines. But instead of speaking, he stood up and walked off. It was impossible to miss the anger on his face.

I opened and then shut my jaw. Alice sighed heavily, and I turned to glare, but she shrugged.

"Don't ask me," she replied.

Shutting my eyes, I inhaled the woodsmoke and lowered my chin to Freki's head, who tilted up to push me with his ice-cold nose.

"Sorry."

"Accepted. Can I see the scroll? I want to practice the barrier."

Adjusting so I could pull the scroll out without disturbing Freki, I opened my satchel and tossed the scroll her way.

"Thank you," she said.

"No problem. Though, if you achieve the spell before I do, I think I'll scream."

She smiled and unfurled the vellum, leaving me to rest my face between Freki's fur.

“Wulf!”

Thanks, Freki.