Zalia only needed to sleep for a short time, just a few hours, before she woke up feeling refreshed. Her Survivalist skill had really cut down on the amount of hours she needed to sleep each day and she was sure it wouldn't be long until she could go days without. At this point she rarely needed to eat anymore, though she still could eat as much as normal if she so wished.

Boreal audibly protested as Zalia got up and began her usual waking routine, practicing sword work, then throwing dagger practice followed by archery practice, a new addition now that her other skills were catching up, and finally finishing with a long run through the woods. Returning from her run she practiced each of her weapon proficiencies once more before she was ready for the day. She poked and prodded Boreal until the small feline woke up and started moving around. She noticed that Boreal wasn't looking so small anymore, having grown a good amount since Zalia had found her. She wasn't anywhere near what Zalia thought fully grown was but was still definitely looking more like a larger predator than a house cat with too large paws. She tried training Boreal a little but the feline wasn't interested in the cured meat Zalia was using as motivation. Zalia sighed before searching the immediate area for some smaller tracks, hoping to find something that Boreal could hunt. She quickly found the tracks she knew to be from the small reptilian creature she had often hunted in the woods and got Boreal’s attention before pointing to the tracks. The feline looked confusedly at Zalia for a moment before seeming to understand and leaning down to sniff where she had pointed.

Hunting seemed more like a natural instinct to Boreal than something that needed to be learnt but still Zalia had to stop her and point Boreal in the right direction once more. Zalia was a little surprised that Boreal had caught on to what she was trying to do so quickly but knew from the past few weeks that the feline was actually significantly more intelligent than she expected. Eventually, Boreal found the creature they were looking for and stealthily moved towards it. It appeared that she was much more motivated by a hunt and a fresh kill than she was by cured meat that had been sitting in Zalia’s backpack for a few days. Boreal crept up before pouncing on the reptilian creature, a wave of icy magic spreading through it before Boreal struggled with the half frozen creature for a bit. The struggle came to an end when Boreal latched onto it's neck, securing the kill. With the level of her low light vision passive Zalia barely had any trouble seeing by the light of the stars anymore and it definitely seemed to her that Boreal had a natural ability to see in the darkness as well.

Boreal walked up to Zalia and dropped the fresh kill at her feet, surprising Zalia once more with her intelligence. She considered trying to train Boreal some more with the fresh kill but felt a little weird about teaching such an intelligent creature like it was a dog. She felt that if she treated Boreal more like a companion than a pet, she would get further towards mutual understanding. As such, Zalia simply used preparation on the creature, slicing it into nicely sized sections for Boreal. Her companion hastily ate up the fresh kill, Zalia standing nearby lost in thought as she waited.

The sun was close to coming up at this point and Zalia decided to make her way into the city. She arrived at the gates and noticed a group of five well armed people leaving the city. As she got closer she recognised one of them as Larel, the Silver turned Gold ranker who had led the expedition to the mine. She assumed the other people in the group were most likely Gold rank as well, though her ability didn't inform her on any of their ranks besides Larel's. She gave the woman a nod as they passed each other, Larel nodding back, before scooping up Boreal and entering the city proper, making her way towards the keep. It seemed like Hidey was acting quite quickly in sending out a group of higher rank people to take care of the existing ritual sites. Although now that she thought about it those people were most likely fully fledged members of the Morning’s shade and had decided along with the others how, when and who would be going to complete this particular objective. She walked around in the city for a while before deciding to go and take up guard duty if she could, just to get it out of the way for the day. It felt like she had so much more time within a day when she only needed to sleep for a few hours and realistically thinking, she did.

Zalia was quite sure that Zen at least would want to stay for this day as well and so decided that it was best she find Ember once more, after guard duty. She completed her guard duty, Boreal wrapped around her neck like a scarf for half of it, before heading off to find Ember. She wasn't quite sure where Ember stayed but the sun was now up and morning had definitively begun. Ember was the one to usually wake up the earliest, except for Zalia of course, so she felt she had a good chance of finding the woman walking around somewhere. It took a half hour but Zalia eventually found Ember eating in one of the food halls within the spires.

“Morning,” Zalia said in greeting.

“Sure is,” Ember replied as Zalia sat down across from her.

“Want to go on a town tour again soon? I think we should find the others tonight and leave tomorrow morning so that leaves most of the day,” Zalia asked.

“Sounds good to me,” Ember replied.

Zalia sat in silence for a while, petting Boreal as Ember finished off her breakfast.

“Let’s go,” Ember said, standing and moving to leave the room.

Zalia followed and the three of them left the city once more. Majority of the day passed the same as it had the previous with Ember, Boreal and Zalia running through the lands healing people as they went. Zalia actually joined in with her own healing abilities this time, the two of them taking turns as they travelled. It was an oddly cathartic experience, a very simple activity, passing through various places as they healed any in need for the simple fact they were in need. After a time, they found themselves back at Endelbyrn once more and returned to the keep. It was getting late in the day so they started sparring near the gate to the spires, keeping an eye out for Indis and Zen. The two days of running through the wilds and towns nearby Endelbyrn had actually gotten Zalia two levels in Mobility and three in Healing presence.

They sparred for a little while before Indis showed up. They pulled her aside as they noticed her and waited for Zen to appear, the man walking through the gate about forty five minutes later. They organised to meet there the next morning and then each went off about their own business. Zalia once more found herself with nothing to do but train, so train she did.

The next morning they met as organised and all moved off into the wilderness once more, making their way in the direction of Juniper’s farm. During the travel to the farm they fell into their now familiar patterns as they hunted, trained and travelled, often talking into the night over a campfire easily tended by Zalia’s skills. Before long they were travelling along the road past Juniper's farm, Zalia telling the others to continue on while she quickly ran up a side path to talk to Juniper. She had asked the others if it was ok that she talk to Juniper alone this time. She found the woman quietly gardening in the small patch near the house, a sad expression on her face. She quickly walked up and greeted the old woman with a light hug before delivering the news that Hidey had asked her to deliver about Darren. The news seemed to bring some weight off the woman's shoulders and the sad expression faded just a little.

“Hey before I go, I’ve been wondering. Why is it that our mutual friend and shade keeps his real name hidden?” Zalia asked, once the news was delivered.

“It is not something many know though it isn’t necessarily a secret but a shade can be controlled if the wrong person knows their true name. As far as I know only Zayes ever knew his true name, it partly being the reason he was able to bring sentience to our dear friend,” Juniper explained.

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Zalia frowned, a theory and concern shaping in her mind,

“What happened to Zayes, Juniper?” Zalia asked.

“I… I don't know. He had this home built for us, he wanted to retire and never really wanted to live in prosperity and fame. This was meant to be our retreat from the wider world and for a time it was. One day he told me he needed to finish off one last piece of business before he was done with the Morning’s shade for good and… and he never came back. I asked everyone I could about what they knew but nobody seemed to know what had happened to him. I’ve lived without closure ever since, though Darren has brought me much joy,” Juniper said, the sad expression returning in full to her face.

“I’m sorry for what you’ve been through and I hope the news I have brought can bring you some comfort. Hopefully the war will soon end as it seems the king is trying to do and you can have your son back,” Zalia said, trying her best to console the older woman.

“It does bring me a measure of comfort dear and I do appreciate your help. Now go, I see you are in a rush so don't let an old lady hold you up any longer,” Juniper said, giving Zalia a light but weak smile.

She returned the smile before turning and running back down the path to catch up to her team.

It wasn't long before Zalia caught back up with the others as they trod down the path.

“Is all well?” Indis asked.

“Maybe. I need to think a bit longer about it,” Zalia said.

“Alright,” Indis replied, inspecting Zalia a bit before turning back to the road.

Zalia thought about what Juniper had told her. The manner in which Hidey had always hidden his real name from her had struck her as odd but now she realised there was a deeper motive behind it. It also meant that it was possible someone was able to control Hidey's actions and that scared her a little. The shade had always seemed trustworthy to her but if someone else was able to control him then she was not sure he could be fully trusted. Juniper seemed sure that the only person to ever know Hidey’s true name had been Zayes but she also didn't know what had happened to her husband in the final days of his life, if he was even dead and gone. She considered telling the others right then and there but decided against it, wanting to let the full meaning of what she had just learnt sink in before she acted.

⪼ ⪢ ℋ 𝒶𝓃𝒹 ℋ ⪡ ⪻

They travelled for a few more days and Zalia was more and more sure that she should tell the others what she had learnt. Just before they reached the little town that they had last met the spy in, Zalia spoke up,

“Hey guys?” Zalia said, still a little unsure.

“Yeah?” Ember said questioningly.

She explained what she had learnt and knew about the whole situation involving Hidey, his name and what it could mean. The others listened intently and as she finished, Indis let out a deep sigh,

“Oh damn, that complicates things. Best case scenario?” Indis asked.

“Best case, Hidey doesn't tell anyone about this weakness because he doesn't want people searching for his true name and he also doesn't want people distrusting him like we are doing right now,” Zalia said.

“Worst case?” Indis asked.

“Worst case he is being controlled by somebody, might have something to do with all these rituals and could be under the control of whoever is orchestrating the entire thing,” Zalia said worriedly.

“Alright,” Indis said.

“What do we do?” Zen asked, voice filled with concern.

“What do we do?” Zalia echoed questioningly, looking at the others.

“I don't know,” Ember said.

Indis took a deep breath,

“Simple, we prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I believe we should still learn what we can from the rebels but we should treat anything we have learnt from Hidey… the Hidden as possibly untruthful or misleading,” Indis said.

“Simple,” Zen muttered.

“Alright, we can do that. Sure as hell makes this even more complicated,” Zalia said.

“What is hell?” Zen asked.

“It's kind of like… just don't worry about it,” Zalia tried to explain, giving up.

“Bloody people,” she added in a mutter.

They walked in silence to the town, each of them deep in their own thoughts and worries, considering what to do. Zalia wasn't really sure what it meant or if she was just totally overreacting but the others seemed to be in agreement. Had what the shade told her about Cormaine and the purpose of the rituals even been the truth? Questions floated around her mind as she went over each and every conversation she had ever had with the shade, picking at everything he had said. The conversations she remembered at least.

They arrived at the town, still in silence before realising that they hadn’t even talked about what to do once they did arrive.

“Should we just go to the tavern?” Zalia asked.

“Seems like a good place to start,” Indis said.

They went to the tavern they had been at last time and entered, taking a seat near one of the walls. Looking around the room Zalia couldn't see the man but they decided to wait for some time anyways. It was midday after all and the man must have other responsibilities other than sitting in a tavern listening to the locals.

They waited for a few hours before the man finally entered. He immediately saw them and rather than being concerned actually walked over to them all on his own. The man seemed to be significantly more confident and less scared then the last time they had met him.

“Well, what a wonderful day!” he said enthusiastically.

Zalia gave him an odd look.

“We have been sent to… learn a little bit from you and your people,” Indis said, ignoring social niceties, something Zalia found to be very unlike her.

The spy gave a short nod, looking around the table.

“I'm not entirely sure I can trust you lot, especially after you mentioned you were working for the kingdom last time,” he finally said.

“It's hard to argue with that,” Zalia said, giving a glare to Zen who was looking a little sheepish.

“But, and this information comes free, we do happen to be struggling a little in the war and the help of the Morning’s shade would definitely turn the tides. Take that as a token of our goodwill,” the man said.

“Though you could be lying about that in an effort to plant the idea that the rebellion is weaker than it actually is,” Indis pointed out.

The man just smiled. Zalia was quite confused with how he was acting, it was as if he was a completely different man to who he had been the last time they were here.

“And I suppose we need to provide a token of our goodwill,” Indis continued after the spy didn't speak.

“I'm glad you asked,” he said, smiling brightly.

“You have something in mind?” Zalia asked.

“Indeed I do, a little problem that I could really use your help with,” he said.

“Go on,” Zalia said, narrowing her eyes a little.

“This is getting more and more suspicious by the second,” she thought.