“You weren’t kidding about the Grove,” Ember said a little breathlessly, turning about in place.

They were standing in the centre of the Grove now, staring up at the glittering starlight worms above.

“It’s a place of safety for nature, me and my friends, above all else,” Zalia explained.

“It definitely seems like it. This feeling… is it healing us?”

“It is, it also helps protect everyone inside against harm.”

“And there is… something else here. Another aura maybe? I can’t quite tell,” Ember said, looking about curiously.

“It is a living ritual that helps protect and hide the Grove. It is something I figured out how to do separately, a way of using the natural aura of all living things to a certain effect,” Zalia explained, pointing to a few of the plants around that were components of the ritual.

“How did you figure out how to do that?” Ember asked, turning to her.

“I learnt a great many things in Cormaine, not much other choice really,” Zalia said, shrugging.

“Well, we’ll definitely be better off because of it.”

“I hope so. Oh, hey, I purged some kind of demon nest further up the hill two days ago, should I have told Faian or someone about that?” Zalia asked.

“Ah no need, they pop up all over the place. Another will find its way somewhere else in these hills before long. They’re all across Endaria now, it will take a long time to remove them all once this war is over,” Ember assured her.

“That’s horrific.”

“Yeah, it is,” Ember agreed. Then she frowned, “how did you and Boreal manage to purge one of those nests by yourselves? I usually have to find a few others to help.”

“I pulled it off mostly by myself,” Zalia replied, a little distracted by a light that was trying to land on her face.

“You did what?”

“Yeah, Nature’s wrath has become quite a um, how do you say, powerful ability,” Zalia explained.

“You did it with a single ability!?” Ember asked, her expression becoming even further shocked.

“Well no, it was a mixture of that plus a Herbal magic ritual to light the fire. Though, I guess I could have started a fire without the ritual.”

Ember stared at her.

“What?” Zalia asked.

“I’m glad you're back!” Ember said with a chuckle, “anything else I should know about that you picked up while you were there?”

Ember looked pointedly at the decidedly plant-like artifact attached to Zalia’s hand.

“Oh yeah. Well, Boreal got her own set of heirloom armour, as did I, along with this heirloom storage device. It kind of merged with one of my abilities and also has the properties of the Grove, as well as being able to store a good amount of things.”

Ember looked down at her own ordinary plate armour with a slight clank, then looked back up at her.

“Your cat has heirloom armour,” she stated.

“Yes.”

Ember looked down at her armour again.

“Can I have the next set?” she asked, looking back up.

Zalia laughed.

“Sure, sure. Next one is yours, if I find one. Want to check mine out?” Zalia asked.

“Absolutely!” Ember agreed excitedly.

Zalia summoned her armour onto her body and stood still as Ember did a circle about her, inspecting it.

“Very, very cool. What does it do?” Ember asked.

“Well, it gives me incorporeality, suppresses my aura so people can’t see my rank or find me through it, silences my movement entirely aaand lets me step through a plant to a nearby similar plant. Pretty good overall,” Zalia explained.

Ember gave a whistle.

“Daaaamn, that is something else. I’m quite jealous,” Ember said.

“You’ll get your own one day,” Zalia assured her, giving her a silent pat on the back.

“The absolute silence is a little unnerving,” Ember muttered.

“Imagine how unsettling it would be if I was trying to kill you!” Zalia exclaimed.

“Thanks for the mental image,” Ember said, sounding a little bummed out.

“Hey look, if you want to go through a month or two in the realm of the dead, as Indis put it, and all you get out of it is bad memories, dead friends and a few cool trinkets, be my guest,” Zalia offered.

Ember raised her hands in a surrendering gesture.

“Woah woah, wasn’t getting on your case about it. You have been through a lot for the things you’ve gotten, I know. Don’t need to come out the gate on the offensive like that,” Ember said.

“Sorry, just had a little bit of a bout with Indis earlier on a similar topic,” Zalia apologised.

“You? And Indis? Having a bout? Nahhh, wouldn’t have guessed it. I’ve had my own gripes with the woman recently as well,” Ember said.

Zalia snorted a laugh.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

“Yeah I heard. I also heard you were against her martyring me, which I appreciate greatly.”

“It was wrong of her to do that.”

Zalia sighed.

“Yeah, maybe so. I don’t mind it that much if it helps the soldiers fight harder. Did they have to build a statue though? I mean come on,” she complained.

“Of course! A great big statue for the great big hero of Endaria, Zalia! Stopper of rituals! Killer of demons! Tamer of Boreal’s!” Ember announced, waving her hand like she was revealing a grand sight.

“Please stop that,” Zalia groaned.

“Alright, alright. I should probably catch some sleep. See you in the morning?”

“Yeah, see you in the morning.”

“Oh hey, do you even need to sleep anymore?” Ember asked as she was backing away towards the stairs of one of the trees.

“Not really,” Zalia said.

“Huh, cool. Enjoy your free time then I guess,” Ember said with a wave, “goodnight!”

Zalia waved goodnight as well, then went to find where Boreal had gotten off to. She found her with the guardian feline, the two of them cleaning each other.

She gave them a smile and a wave before walking off to the cave behind the waterfall, where the temple to Ro-ak was situated.

She opened up her vault and pulled out a few little shiny trinkets that were sitting in one of the closest vault slots and put them on top of the altar. It was a coin, a shiny pebble, a piece of tin foil and a shiny damaged spoon. The little sparkly bits and pieces that Ro-ak had brought her before he had awakened to his form of Nateysta once more.

“I’ve not forgotten you my friend, I will find you once more, one day,” Zalia said under her breath, kneeling at the altar with her eyes closed.

She felt like she could almost feel his presence beside her, the little crow with his gravelly voice and shiny trinkets.

“Stay safe, keep fighting.”

⪼ ⪢ ℋ 𝒶𝓃𝒹 ℋ ⪡ ⪻

Zalia woke up, blinking at the sun just rising above the horizon. She had fallen asleep lying on the grass within the Grove, more comfortable beneath the stars than she was inside. She yawned and stretched luxuriously, feeling relaxed. Boreal, who was acting as her pillow at that moment, made a complaintative growl.

“Oh I know, the others will be up and disturbing us soon anyways,” Zalia mumbled.

Boreal rolled out from under her and Zalia's head dropped to smack the ground with a dull thud.

“That was cruel,” she complained.

Boreal let out her own complaint at the world before standing up, looking down at Zalia’s face.

“Do I have to get up too? Maybe you could just scare them all away from me while I lay here for a bit longer?” Zalia suggested.

Boreal started licking her forehead with a raspy, sandpaper tongue. Fighting away the skin-shearing weapon of destruction, Zalia managed to make her way to her own feet.

“I’m up, I’m up.”

Boreal gave a big, long stretch before looking up towards the treehouses.

“Want to go wake up Ember as well? It’s been a while since we got to do that,” Zalia suggested.

Boreal bounded forward with glee, making her way up the stairs at a significantly faster pace than Zalia cared to manage.

She arrived just in time to see Ember under assault, blankets flying and the sounds of battle resounding. She ended up lying on the floor, plate armour was strewn about and her blanket essentially tying her up as Boreal was flopped on her chest, holding her down.

“Good morning Ember,” Zalia greeted.

“Ge thih fuffy deah sirit off e,” Ember complained, her voice muffled by the ton of fur burying her.

“What was that?” Zalia asked innocently.

Ember spat out some fur before replying.

“Get this fluffy death spirit off me please,” she repeated.

“Boreal get off her please,” Zalia said.

Boreal pretended not to hear.

“I’m sorry Ember but you must have slain the beast in your battle. We need to work together to move the corpse,” Zalia informed her.

Ember groaned.

Zalia stepped over Ember’s breastplate and put her hands under Boreal. Together, the two of them managed to shove Boreal off of Ember and she stood up.

“Such a shame for such a majestic creature to die such a painful death,” Zalia said mournfully, shaking her head.

“You two are ridiculous,” Ember stated.

“I don’t know what you me-”

Zalia was interrupted as Boreal leapt from the ground in a sneak attack, hitting Zalia and throwing both of them out the door, off the walkway and all the way down to the ground below. Zalia managed to get off the Zephyr ritual halfway down which slowed their descent enough that she wasn’t crushed under Boreal’s weight.

“Boreal,” Zalia said as Boreal jumped up and started running away.

She stopped and slunk back.

“Gotta be careful playing so rough you know, not everyone can survive being thrown from that height,” Zalia reminded her.

“Zalia strong!” Boreal reminded Zalia.

Zalia rolled her eyes.

“Yes, yes, but you have to be more careful with, say, Aylie. Alright?” Zalia said.

“Aylie cute, no throwing,” Boreal scolded Zalia.

“I wasn’t saying to throw her!” Zalia said indignantly.

Boreal gave Zalia a judgemental look and Zalia stared back at her.

“You little rascal,” Zalia said in a playful growl.

“Big rascal!” Boreal announced, before sprinting off.

Zalia watched her go with a shake of her head. She was just the same as she had been growing up. She had been a little more serious in Cormaine but it seemed like being back in her natural world was having a relaxing effect on Boreal too.

Zalia was drawn from her thoughts as Ember jumped the last few steps down from the treehouse and rushed over.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“It’ll take more than a surprise attack from Boreal to take me out,” Zalia assured her.

“She is a menace, no surprise with you raising her,” Ember said.

“What’s that meant to mean!?” Zalia asked.

Ember gave her a look like, “Seriously?”

“Alright, fair, I take your point. She’s a fun menace though,” Zalia countered.

“That she is,” Ember agreed with a laugh.

“Should we start getting ready to leave?” Zalia asked.

“Hmm, maybe. Thinking it over last night I believe we should take Aylie with us,” Ember said.

“What? Why?” Zalia asked, her humour vanishing to sobriety.

“I actually talked to her last night, she looks up to you a lot. She even told me the story of how you saved her life. I don’t think she’d be very happy being left behind,” Ember said.

“You managed to get her to talk?” Zalia asked, surprised.

“Yeah, a bit. She’s been through a lot but… well, so had I when I was that young. I feel a bit of a kindred spirit in her,” Ember explained.

Zalia mulled that over for a minute.

“I don’t think we should take her out into the world though. It’s damn dangerous out there. The Grove is safe. Besides, Faian said she would find a home for her,” Zalia objected.

“Phh, she’s going nowhere. I don’t think you’ll be able to be rid of her,” Ember said.

“Well- I- Ember I can’t raise a child!”

“I don’t think you’ll have to. She’s already had a strong pull into reality, I think she’s already significantly more mature than Boreal. Though, saying that…” Ember said, drifting off as she looked over Zalia’s shoulder.

Zalia turned around to see Boreal running in circles with Aylie firmly attached to her tail, being dragged around in the grass.

Zalia sighed, closing her eyes and settling her thoughts. It didn’t seem like she would be handing off Aylie to a family after all and she didn't know if that made her happy or not.