"I assume everyone knows what to do?" Ward asked, his tone holding a clear threat. "Or better yet, what not to do out here in these woods?"

Grunts of agreement came from around the wagon. Everyone understood, except the wagon driver - the young workhand, Tate.

“What’re we not supposed to do, boss?” he whispered to my so-called master, sitting right beside him.

“Seriously, I swear...!”

“Arlo, something wrong?” Ward asked, obviously catching their low exchange. With all the sigils he and his people had, it wasn’t exactly surprising.

"N-No, Mr. Ward. I just forgot that this boy is..."

"Then you'd better rectify that. And you, Harcon," Ward said, making my breath hitch. 'Did he find out?'

"You better make sure your silencing magic is up all the time."

"Hasn't it been so far?"

"Not what I meant to imply. It would just be very unfortunate to have those three making trouble. I’d be left with no choice but to shut them down another way."

I would have to be stupid not to understand that the last sentence wasn't so much meant for Harcon as it was for Vara, Elira, and me. Given that he had bothered to haul those two all the way here, I was pretty sure he wouldn't have them killed. There were, however, plenty of other ways he could have made good on his threat. From gags and shackles to cursed slave collars and sleeping potions - none of which we needed right now.

"Got it," Harcon said, keeping his cool. Honestly, I had to hand it to the guy. If I were in his shoes, I would be a bundle of nerves. Hell, they would have realized something was amiss with me long ago.

"Good. Then let's go," Ward said, urging his scalehoof forward.

"Boss, what were we not allowed to do in the forest?" Workhand whispered again, slamming the reins. The wagon lurched forward.

"For the love of Traiana, just keep your head down, your mouth shut, and drive."

"Ah, yes. I can do that, Boss."

While the nights on Eleaden at this time of year - honestly, I had no idea if this planet even went through any seasons at all - were just warm enough to avoid wearing long pants and a sweater, as soon as the Esulmor treetops closed in above us, the air turned noticeably colder. The damp air and the scent of rotting leaves and moss coming through the cracks and mixing with the stale stench of piss lingering in the cage under the tarp almost confirmed it. Add to that the nightly hum of the forest dwellers, that sounded like a sleeping beast, and I was sure.

'I'm back!'

It wasn’t really the memories of this place that gave me chills. Come to think of it, I didn’t have that terrible of a time here. Sure, I was running around naked, starving, thirsty, and completely lost. I fought off squirrels and even stared down a mossbear. But this was also where I met Mr. Scoresby. Thanks to him, I found the guts to connect with people instead of becoming just another wild beast in this forest.

'Was that it? The thing that actually gave me chills? I guess so.'

There was no denying it. This place reminded me too much of what I could become by now. Not to mention that somewhere around here, I was supposed to meet that mind bitch again. A growl escaped my throat at the memory of her, and the arrogance with which she talked in my head about making me her pet and letting me lick her boots.

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Killing people made me sick to my bones, but with her, I was ready to make an exception.

'That fucking - stupid, mind bitch!'

I hated her so much. Back on Earth, it was unimaginable for me to even entertain the thought of such a thing. Sure, like everyone else I had people I hated and wished the worst on - but never death, let alone me being the one to kill someone, be the one to sink my claws and fangs into them. Because of her, though...

'She wasn't giving me much choice.'

It was to give in to my beastly urges just this once, or turn into a full-blown one and get treated like one for the rest of my days.

Almost as if everyone had the same thoughts haunting them, neither Vara and Elira nor those outside the cage said so much as a word the whole way through the forest. A few of them even seemed to forget how to breathe, and I couldn’t blame them - I myself found it difficult at times, too. The same could not be said of the scalehoofs. They were the only ones who weren’t completely shy about sharing their disapproval. Their soft, uneasy neighs showed just how much they hated the whole thing.

»Humans stupid to go here.«

»Stinks of beasts.«

Surprisingly enough, for all the scalehoofs here, not one was as jumpy as Scoresby's mare, Lyl'ra. A few were even calming the others down, trusting in the strength of the humans who rode on their backs. From the way they talked, though, none could really be called a warhorse. Some just had more experience, having ridden through places like this all over Eleaden. Listening to them was actually interesting, and weirdly calming.

'How many such forests were there on Eleaden? Was it just forests? Caves, maybe? What about lakes?'

As terrifying as those questions were, they only served to distract my mind. All that changed when one of the scalehoofs let out a sharp neigh: »Old human buildings.«

My heart stopped dead. 'Esulmor Edge Inn. I'm really back.' And the worst part? We weren’t just passing through.

"Seems like we're the first ones here," Ward said, to my horror. "Draven, Rhea, secure the area. Report to me as soon as you see anyone."

Shadow Thief and Swordstress slipped off without a sound, leaving Ward stuck with my so-called master's sorry lot - what was left of them, anyway. Aside from Harcon, there was only the fighter and that hulking bruiser, Branwen. Tate, the workhand, didn't seem like someone to worry about, same as his the bastard he called boss. And from the looks of it, I wasn’t the only one who’d figured that out.

"Come on, El. Tell him," Vara whispered, nudging her friend to use the Union Ring and get in touch with Harcon. "Now is the best time."

And Elira did, her face growing paler with every shaky breath. "That stupid, dumb idiot," she hissed, barely keeping herself from taking off the ring and throwing it away. I was too choked up to speak, but Vara wasn’t. "I knew it. That spineless piece of shit screwed us over, didn’t he?"

"No, he didn't," Elira blurted out, clearly fumbling for the right words as she surprisingly rushed to Harcon's defense. "He... he doesn't want to waste his life for a couple of thugs and Ward."

'Huh? What does that mean?'

"He can make all the excuses he wants, but it doesn't change anything...he's a coward that..."

"N-No, Vara. He might be an idiot doing this, but not a coward."

"What? How can you defend him?"

Elira hissed, keeping her voice low. "I hate this as much as you do. But he knows if he follows through, he's not getting out. Tits, none of us are."

"What the...?!"

“Even you had to put it together, Vara. If he attracts the mossbears, our chances aren't great. Anyway, as such, he’s dead set on bringing down as many Shadowbreakers as he can, especially the mind mage,” Elira said, locking her blue eyes on mine. “And he wants to make sure you’re telling the truth.”

Honestly, I was torn between crying and laughing. Of course, he didn’t believe me - it was dumb to think otherwise. But after talking to him, I thought he was smarter than to confront the mind bitch directly.

'Is he that confident that she won't get inside his head? I sure as hell wasn't.'

Actually, if I wasn’t stuck under that damn tarp blocking my senses, I would bite the bullet and unleash my might. Unfortunately, chances were it would have blocked it, or at least dampened it as well. So all I could do was hug Sage tightly, hide in my wings, and wait, terrified.