Echa took the pack and immediately pulled out her blanket, laying it over the still shivering Tryst. She crawled under with him, wrapping her arms around his chest from behind to still his shaking. Anwen lay down back to back with her mother.

Jayln set out her bedroll and turned to a ripping sound. Fenrin had torn the sleeves off his shirt. He rummaged behind a log and then crouched in front of Jayln. "Let me see your arms."

She warily held them out. Gently, he slid his sleeves over them. He had lined them with cool moss and she gasped as the heat of her burn lessened.

"If they swell up overnight, we'll have to cut them off. Goodnight."

Fenrin turned and sat on the log, back to her, scanning the surrounding area in the light of the setting sun. She watched him for a moment, once more desperately curious to know what he was thinking. Eventually, sleep caught up with her and she dozed off.

He was still keeping watch when she awoke to a burning sensation. She sucked her breath in as pain radiated up her arms forcing her to sit up. Fenrin turned.

"Good, you're up. Watch things while I find some water." He took a pot from Echa's bag and walked out of sight between the trees.

Jayln peeled off the makeshift bandages on her arm, wincing as it irritated her burns. Tryst still lay close to the fire, but Echa had rolled away during the night, now cradling Anwen. The former pirate was still very pale and his lips were blue.

Concerned, Jayln scooched over and checked his pulse. It was slow but present. His skin was cold, strangely so considering how close he was to the fire which Fenrin had kept blazing through the night. Jayln wondered if Fenrin had slept at all. Probably not.

Without noticing she was doing it, Jayln rotated her arm, laying her burn on Tryst's cool forehead. His eyes opened. "Can't keep your hands o-o-off me, eh?" he muttered through clenched teeth.

Jayln removed her arm, rolling her eyes as Tryst sat up, pulling the blanket closer around him. He stuck his face as close to the fire as he could without catching. "Gods, I'm so c-c-cold."

"I wonder why," Jayln mused absently, poking at the logs with a half charred stick.

"It was the demon, I'm sure."

Jayln looked back to Tryst, startled. He was staring into the flames. "I could feel it coming and I swear I felt something touch my back before I got out. I wonder if I'm cursed worse than the captain."

Jayln shuddered. "I just want to get out of here."

"Good, because we're leaving." Fenrin reappeared, setting down a pot of water. "Get everyone moving. Jayln, come here."

She walked over and Fenrin retrieved the abandoned sleeves. After dumping the dried moss, he poured the fetched water over them, squeezing the excess before tossing them back to Jayln who gratefully put the sodden sleeves on. The cool morning air chilled the moist cloth.

Fenrin filled the waterskins and put the fire out. He glanced around to make sure everyone was ready to go. Echa was putting Anwen's pack on her, the girl still blinking sleep out of her eyes. Tryst had two shirts on and glanced at the doused fire wistfully.

"Let's move," Fenrin ordered, "I want to get over the mountain by the end of the day."

It was a grueling hike and Fenrin charged ahead with a fierce passion, irritated when he had to slow to let his companions catch up. As they marched on, color began to return to Tyrst's face.

Jayln found herself in the middle of the pack, awkwardly trying to hold together the line between Fenrin and the others. She found herself constantly glancing from them to Fenrin's back.

And the mountain! The mountain just kept rising. She'd never been on a mountain before and she couldn't help but fear there were more Brimstones behind the dense trees or cold stone. As they rose farther and farther, Jayln felt lost and very far from home. She watched Fenrin angrily hack at some bushes blocking a craggy pass and asked herself why she was there.

Did she really think this man could help her village?

Fenrin had changed. Not in a "seen the light" kind of way, more subtle, like the smallest press of a rudder changes a ship's path. The ferocious wolf of a man she had first captured had been driven by want of entertainment, challenge, and blood lust. The man in front of her now...he was more focused, more driven. Although he hadn't said the words, he was searching for a home, a place to be happy—which was a motive Jayln respected.

The world was wider than she had imagined and infinitely more dangerous. Expanding kingdoms, bandit coups, and even demons. Her village had lost so many people over the years, fighting intruders she now realized were no doubt ousted by the Bear's expanding empire.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

They had been first, but how long until the Solis Empire or even Valhym reached them? Her village was near the border and should the decades old but thinning treaty between the two largest countries fail...Jayln frowned. Her people were strong but so few. They would not survive a large invasion force. They would be conscripted by the empire. She shuddered.

Her dark thoughts broke into a smile as Fenrin grunted triumphantly after he managed to hack through the scraggy underbrush to a wider path. She suddenly felt as Fenrin did, a desperate ache to escape those who would try to control her.

Maybe that was why she was still following him. He was cruel and short tempered, eager to hurt others and had a horde of childhood issues, but he was not one to back down. She could see Fenrin challenging the empire and winning, could see him prowling this mountain clearing it of cultists and other dangers.

Fenrin bounded up the path and disappeared for a moment before calling out, "Jayln, come look!"

She huffed her way up the rocky path and around a boulder and gasped. Fenrin grinned at her as she gazed over the pass and down into the valley.

The ring of mountains was visible all around and a small thin river snaked from the other end to a small lake. Dark green trees filled most of the valley like a carpet, rolling in the wind like the sea. There was only one sign of civilization, a huge fort. Tiny from their height, but wide and grey, clearly carved from the same stone that surrounded it.

Fenrin pointed at it. "Looks imperial, but I don't see a flag. Might just be too far out to see, though. If it is imperials then we'll give them the boot."

His grumpy attitude was gone and he stared at the valley hungrily like a kid on his birthday ready to open presents. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down a bit further where he examined a tree, rubbing its leaves in between his fingers. "Trees here are pretty dry, but they’re not pine and that river on the far side has promise. You and I will leave Tryst and the girls here and go investigate the fort."

"I'm not sure they'll be fine here by themselves," Jayln said, glancing back at the narrow pass.

Fenrin shrugged. "They chose to come. Not my problem."

Jayln rolled her eyes but he had a point. He had made it pretty clear they were expected to handle themselves. She sighed and scrambled back up through the pass and down to Tryst. The man looked much better, his shaking had stopped and although he was still pale, his cheeks had touches of color and he was walking without Echa's support.

"The pass to the valley is right up there. There's a big imperial fort Fenrin and I are going to investigate. Will you three be alright to wait at the pass without us?"

Tryst gave her a sideways smile. "I'm feeling ship-shape with this exercise and a bit of distance between the hole and meself. I think me and Echa'll manage."

Echa held her daughter’s shoulders protectively. "I don't like the idea of staying in one place for too long with those...monsters about."

Tryst stared up at the pass. "Hmmm, I'm sure the captain won't be too long and Jayln isn't one for abandoning us." The woman nodded gravely and looked to Jayln for reassurance.

"I promise I'll be back as soon as we know what the situation is. If we don’t return in three or four days, make your way to the lake. Where there's water, there's people," Jayln said and the three nodded and Jayln led them through the pass.

Tryst whistled at the valley. "Quite the sight, Captain."

"Aye." Fenrin turned. "Jayln, let's go." He started down the side of the mountain and Jayln followed but not before waving good-bye.

They wove their way through the trees, Jayln a bit disoriented as the elevation dropped and leveled but Fenrin seemed to know exactly where he was going.

"Fenrin, how many Soli do you think would be stationed in a fort that size?"

He thought for a moment. "Hm. Depends on the season and how many wars are going on. At least five hundred, up to maybe four thousand."

"Four thousand?!"

Fenrin grinned. "I don't think we'll be that unlucky. I doubt this valley is that important but in times of war, soldiers can really fill a space. Once me and Lyra made the mistake of trying to raid a fort about a quarter that size. A few battalions had met up and it turned out every room was a barrack and they poured out like ants whose hill we'd kicked. If it weren't for a conveniently placed giant camp, we'd have been dead."

"How long ago was that? Was it in Valhym?"

"Southern. The soldiers were on their way to the coast to join the fight against the Duskar. About...hmm...four year ago." He grimaced. "Lyra wouldn't let me hear the end of it for weeks. Kept going on about attention to military movements and spies. Gods, she always had to have her thievin' fingers on the pulse of Valhym. Course her spies did their jobs well."

Jayln was surprised he was talking so openly about his sister. He seemed much more relaxed than he'd been in weeks...even happy. She stared at him seriously and he caught her, grinning when she glanced down embarrassed. She quickly asked, "You said there was no flag. Who else might be there?"

Fenrin cracked his neck. "Could be abandoned. That'd be a sure sign."

"Sign of what?"

His grin dropped to an odd smile. "Sign that this is the right place. Like a gift from the gods."

"And what gods are lining up to give you a free castle, pray tell?" Jayln laughed.

"Fair point. Though perhaps some goddess has fallen for me and awaits in mortal form for me to rest on her ample bosom."

He laughed and his pace quickened forcing Jayln to speed up her own stride. His laugh stopped suddenly and she nearly ran into him. "Fenrin? What—"

Spinning around in a flash of motion, Fenrin reached out and covered her mouth, his eyes darting around the trees. She stiffened and he slowly removed his hand and she too watched her surroundings carefully. Fenrin bent and picked up something from among the leaves. It was a piece of black cloth. He sniffed it and grimaced.

“Brimstones,” He mouthed and Jayln flexed her fingers nervously. She’s hoped the cultists outside the valley had been the only ones.

They continued forward but silent and on edge. The sun was going down and Fenrin scrambled up to the lower branch of a large tree, reaching down to help Jayln up. They rose up through the thick green leaves a bit higher and when Fenrin reached a wide branch he stopped and leaned back against it. He pointed at himself and then from his eyes to the view of the forest their height allowed. I'll take first watch.