“Reud! Where are you!” Lilia shouted, quickly pressing a strip of cloth back over her mouth to fend off the smoke filling the streets.

All around her the village was ablaze. They had barely managed to escape through the northern gate before a towering explosion of blue fire had washed through the village, igniting anything even remotely flammable. Mere minutes later, the entire place was on fire.

Luckily, the Seeker’s thoroughness in gathering the entire population of the village in the square had meant that there was no one left within that needed rescuing.

Well, except Reud.

When he didn’t emerge, Lilia had rushed back in. The danger didn’t bother her - there was no way she was going to leave him to burn.

“Reud!” Lilia risked another shout, her efforts sending her into a fit of coughing. The smoke wafting off the buildings stung her eyes, forcing her to squint to see where she was going. Sweat poured down her face from the heat, making her clothing stick to her skin.

Blazing bodies filled the village square, or at least what she assumed used to be bodies. All they were now were mishappen lumps of burning matter, with the odd arm, leg, and head the only indicator of their once humanoid nature. The remains seemed to be concentrated in a ring just beside the burning remains of the platform, the bodies seeming to have melted together there to form a single formless mass.

Lilia scanned around, looking for Reud’s pale form. There was no way he could have died, no way the Seekers could have taken him away from her. She wouldn’t believe it.

She couldn’t.

Then, on the far side of the square, a twisted figure caught her eye. A pale, unblemished arm stood out in stark contrast to the burnt remains surrounding it. Not the bloodless corpse-pale of the dead, but a paleness that seemed to be because the very colour had been leached from the skin. There was only one person who looked like that.

That must be Reud.

With renewed vigour, she rushed across the square, circling around the intense heat of the burning platform. As she approached, her mad dash slowed, horror rising within her. Now that she was closer, she could see the full extent of the damage he’d suffered. The arm she’d spotted was unblemished, true, but the rest of him…

That had fared far less well.

His body was… melted. The skin had cracked, and the flesh underneath was seared to blackness. Lilia dropped to her knees, feeling sick. She’d thought herself desensitized to scenes like this, after all she’d seen far worse during the war. But this time, with the knowledge that it was Reud suffering these horrors, it made it sickeningly real. Her Reud.

Then a wet sound came from the corpse.

Lilia snapped her head up, watching in horrified fascination as the body twitched. The skin began to reform itself, the blackened cracks vanishing, replaced by sickly pale flesh. Hair burst out on its head, bone white and curly.

Then, with a gasp, Reud bolted upright.

“Argh!” He screamed, clutching at his face. After a moment, he seemed to relax. With care, he inspected his arms, flexing his fingers, murmuring to himself.

“Gods, that hurt like a bitch.”

Lilia knelt on the ground, her mouth hanging open in shock. What had she just witnessed, full body restoration? Magic like that… it was the kind reserved for the very best biomancers. How was he… How did he…

Apparently oblivious to her internal stupefaction, Reud raised a bare arm and gave her a little wave. Before she realized what she was doing, she was on him, wrapping him in a tight embrace.

“Lilia… too… tight.” He wheezed out, tapping her shoulder. She shook her head, squeezing him tighter, tears rolling down her cheeks. His arms wrapped around her in return, and for a moment they just held each other.

Lilia released Reud as a racking cough shook his body. Holding him at arm's length, she looked him over. There wasn’t a single wound on him. There also wasn’t a single scrap of clothing on him, she couldn’t help but notice. Shrugging off her cloak, she wrapped it around him as he got his breathing under control.

“How are you…” She started, trying to gather all the questions bouncing around her head.

“How did you…” No, that wasn’t right either.

“Are you okay?” She finally settled on.

Reud nodded. “Perfectly fine, how about you? Did you get out of the village in time?”

“Everyone's safe, we were outside the walls when that explosion happened.” Lilia helped Reud to his feet. “What happened with the Seekers?”

“All dead, though I’m not sure about the leader. Sar I think his name was? He crushed some sort of amulet that transported him away.” A frown creased his face. “It was magic far beyond what Lightire ever managed in the past. Frankly, it was impressive, even to me. I was watching it go off and some of the ideas… Well, I’ll definitely be stealing them.”

“Were you… were you studying the magic, instead of getting to cover?” Lilia asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

“Um.” Reud avoided her gaze. “It was interesting!”

“Damn it, Reud, you need to look after yourself!” Lilia said, tightening her grip on his shoulders in frustration. “You could have died!”

Reud waved a hand. “It’s fine. I don’t stay dead for long.”

Lilia wanted to argue, but honestly she was just so happy he was alive that she couldn’t muster the energy. Instead, she just pulled him back into a hug, burying her face in his neck.

A crash came from a nearby house as the roof collapsed inwards, the flames weakening its walls. A surge of embers billowed out, filling the air with a fresh cloud of choking smoke and scorching heat.

Lilia pulled away from Reud, helping him to his feet. “Come, we need to get out of here. It isn’t safe to stay any longer.”

—

Rachel broke away from the crowd of villagers huddled outside the gate, running towards Lilia and Reud the moment they emerged from the village.

"My father, did you find my father?" She pleaded, her eyes puffy from crying.

Lilia avoided her gaze, unable to do anything for the desperate intensity that filled her eyes.

Reud broke the silence, his voice hoarse from coughing. "I'm sorry, Rachel. He's gone."

"No…" Rachel fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands. Lilia crouched beside her, pulling her student into a hug. The young woman collapsed against her, sobs racking her body as she cried.

People stood around in small groups, shock on their faces as they stared at their homes, their lives, going up in smoke. These people had been gruff, closed off, but now their emotions were exposed raw on their faces.

Despair.

Anger.

Hopelessness.

Without the protective walls of the village, they were easy pickings for the chimeras that hunted in the night, and every one of them knew it. The other villages were already overcrowded, and a sudden swarm of refugees would likely be turned away at the gate.

No, their only hope of survival in this hostile land was their village.

And it was burning to the ground.

A collective gasp ran through the crowd as movement came from inside the village. A figure strode through the billowing smoke and flickering flames, shimmering in the heat haze. A skeletal figure.

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Tel.

In silence, the skeleton strode out of the village, walking towards Reud before stopping beside him. Bo too jerked into motion, finally moving from where he'd been standing motionless against a wall, and joined the other skeleton behind his master.

The people closest to them shuffled away, murmuring between themselves. One man, however, shoved his way through the crowd towards them. His face was set in a scowl, his cheeks flushed with anger.

The innkeeper.

"You! This is your fault!" He shouted, jabbing an accusing finger towards Reud, spittle flying from his lips. "This is all because you killed Lord Telac!"

He turned to the crowd. "I told you! I told you all that it was bad news, letting them stay here. Now look at what's happened! Just, look!"

Many of the people in the crowd looked at one another, nodding in agreement.

The man continued. "We should have banished them immediately! Then the Seekers never would have come here! Would have never done this! Everything we have is gone, because of them!"

Rachel pushed away from Lilia, her face twisted in anger.

"Shut up Lanlar. Just shut up!" She shouted at the innkeeper, making the man step back in surprise. "How dare you pin this on them! They protected me, more than I can say for you!"

She stood, turning to face the crowd. "All this, it's all the Seekers! They burnt our home, they… my father…"

She broke out into sobbing once again. Lilia stepped forward, pulling the young woman back into a hug.

Reud walked up behind her, speaking in a low voice that only Lilia and Rachel could hear.

"Lilia, we need to go. Night isn't far off, and a beacon like this will draw every chimera for leagues around. I'd like to be safe back in Srinaber before then."

"Why not another village?" Lilia asked.

"Srinaber is closer, and…" Reud gestured at the golden sky. "We don't have long. Besides, if the village we pick turns us away, or worse has Seekers inside, we will be easy targets. The woods aren't safe at night, not yet."

Lilia frowned. "But that… The villagers, isn't it the same for them?"

Reud shrugged. "I mean, they could come to Srinaber too, but…"

"But what?"

"Don't they hate us? You've heard how they've been talking, I doubt anyone would even want to go."

"We owe it to them to try. They accepted us, worked with us. Didn't report us, even after the whole thing with Telac. I want to help them, if I can. Don't you?"

Reud thought for a moment.

"If it makes any difference, I hope you help them too." Rachel said quietly from inside Lilia's arms. "Please."

"You don't want to try another village?" Reud asked her.

Rachel shook her head. "No, without my father, I'm nobody. My life if I tried somewhere else… I don't really want to think about it. I'd like to stay with you both instead, if you'll have me."

"You're always welcome." Lilia said, giving her a squeeze. Turning to Reud, she gave him a wide-eyed, pleading look, a look that always made him give in.

It didn't fail her now.

Finally, Reud nodded. "Okay, let's at least give them the option. If they don't want to take it, that's up to them."

"Let's hope they pick right, then." Lilia said with a faint smile.

Stepping away from Rachel, Lilia faced the crowd.

"Excuse me." She called. The closest people spared her a glance, but then went back to ignoring her. Clearing her throat, she took in a deep breath.

"EXCUSE ME!" She bellowed.

That time, she got everyone's attention.

"My husband and I are going to travel north to shelter in Srinaber. Anyone who wants to come with us, can. You are all welcome, and we will protect you. We can reach Srinaber by nightfall, we will be safe there."

"Srinaber is full of demons!" A voice yelled from somewhere in the crowd. "It's death going there!"

Lilia shook her head. "No, that's just a rumour, nothing more. It's no more dangerous than anywhere else in this forest. Besides, we wouldn't go there if it was a risk, right?"

The voice shouted again. "And why should we trust you? You're both free mages, the Seekers said so! You're demons that are just as bad as the chimeras, you'll kill us all in our sleep!"

Murmurs of agreement and anger rumbled through the crowd, people shifting nervously as they looked to their neighbours for support.

Lilia looked over them, studying the fear in their eyes. These people, they needed something to hold on to, some semblance of safety. And she knew that Reud could provide that, if they gave him a chance.

She just had to make them see that.

Raising her voice once more, she called out in as strong of a voice as she could. "We are not demons! We have lived with you for weeks, you know me, you know my husband. Have we ever given you a reason to doubt us?"

She stepped over beside Reud, giving his hand a quick squeeze, before turning back to the crowd.

"You, Harsan, I helped you with your ox when she was giving birth, did I not?" She pointed at a man, the crowd turning with her finger to look at him. The man looked embarrassed, but nodded.

"Aye, you did that." He said in a gruff voice.

Lilia pointed at a young girl clutching the hand of a stern looking woman. "Selsie, I helped you find your dog when it ran off into the forest." The girl quickly nodded her head at Lilia, before shyly trying to hide behind the woman as the crowd turned to stare at her.

Lilia pointed at a man. "Darren, the chimera that was killing your flock, that injured you. Who was the only one who stepped forth to slay it?"

The man looked around at the crowd, before grunting out. "It was Lord Reud. He slayed the stag chimera. Saved my herd. Destroyed my barn, though."

Lilia threw her arms wide and addressed the crowd as a whole again. "We have lived with you, helped you. Are those the actions of demons?"

A voice called out from the crowd again. "But the Seekers say-"

The crowd parted with cries of protest as a man shoved the caller to the ground. He stepped up and shouted out himself. "Damn the Seekers! They burned our village! I'll take Lilia and Reud over them any day."

Arguments broke out in the crowd as people shouted their agreement for one side or the other. Some others had already broken off, walking hurriedly away to the south or west, evidently choosing to try their luck at reaching another village before nightfall.

Lilia stood beside Reud, waiting for the crowd to settle. She'd said her part, it was up to them to decide what they wanted to do now. One by one, the remaining dissenters were forced out of the crowd, slipping away faster and faster as they became outnumbered more and more.

When the arguments finally died down, barely half the villagers were left. Those that remained shuffled nervously, looking to one another for support.

Lilia gave Reud a nudge, keeping her voice low. "Your turn. These people need some assurance that we can protect them."

Reud looked at her, the expression of abject horror on his face almost making her laugh. He could face down agonizing death, stand toe to toe with an entire army of Seekers, accomplish the most incredible feats of magic she'd ever seen. All without breaking a sweat.

But speaking to a crowd filled his eyes with fear.

He really was adorable.

Moving closer to him, she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, nudging him ever so slightly forward. That final encouragement seemed to be enough.

Reud stepped forward, drawing the group's attention. "Have you all decided to come with us to Srinaber?" He said, his voice cracking slightly at the start, before firming up.

Muted murmurs of agreement came from the crowd.

“I know some of you have been brought up on rumours, stories about the horrors that lurk in the north. I tell you, these are false. Nothing more than idle speculation by people who have not been there. Srinaber is a ruin, yes, but once it was a mighty city. The greatest in Rudase!”

Lilia looked over the crowd with a small smile. They were enthralled.

“Enough of the city remains for us to sheltered in for the night. Tomorrow, when it is safe to travel once more, you can decide where you want to go. But for this night, I will keep you safe. We will keep you safe. I promise it.”

He gestured and the skeletons behind him stepped forth. "Besides my wife and I, these two will protect you, so just shout if you see anything they need to deal with. Any questions?"

The crowd was dead silent.

Reud looked towards Lilia, and she gave him a quick nod in return.

"Right then, follow me." He said, turning and leading off north into the forest. Lilia hurried along to stand by his side, Rachel and the crowd following along behind.

Lilia leaded into Reud and whispered, so only he could hear. "You did the right thing, my love, I know it."