Lianne, Amra, and Faolin rode as fast as they could, to get further away from the scavenger's fire. They kept their capes covering their mouths and noses, to shelter them from the stench that still lingered in the air.

When the dark thick smoke was left far behind on the horizon, and the air was easier to breathe, everyone uncovered their faces. They all took in deep breaths, glad to be able to fill their lungs full.

"Feels so good!" Amra yelled at Lianne with a delighted sigh.

Lianne wasn't listening to what Amra was saying. She took in deep breaths, her chest heaving heavily and her gaze firmly ahead. Her lips were pursed and she had a deep frown on her face.

"Wait!" Lianne suddenly yelled while pulling the reins harshly, making Luna neigh and eventually stop.

"Something wrong?" Amra asked, stopping her horse quickly. "Are you feeling sick?"

Faolin also stopped his horse, trotting further before turning around. "What is the matter?" he asked while coming back to them.

"We have to do something," Lianne said, her eyes firmly gazing on the horizon, even if she wasn't really looking at anything particular.

Amra and Faolin both looked at Lianne puzzled.

"What do you mean?" Amra asked.

"If Yugtrass didn't kill those people. If they just died like that, then we need to do something," Lianne said with heavy breaths.

"Do something about what? The corpses?" Amra asked thoroughly baffled.

"No, Amra. Do you remember what those people said to us about the Shadows?" Lianne asked, turning to Amra, her eyes unfocused.

"Yes," Amra nodded hesitantly.

"I assume that they never got to them. Instead, they died," Lianne elaborated her thoughts.

"Yeah, so?"

"They claimed that I was like them. Some of my hair has already changed, similar to theirs. I'm changing too, right?" Lianne asked, looking at Amra with a hesitant gaze as if she didn't want to be right.

Amra stayed silent for a moment before speaking. "You mean to one of the Shadows?"

"Maybe. Or not. I don't know," Lianne rambled, trying to sort out her thoughts at the same time. She took another deep breath, to calm herself down before sighing. Her thoughts were all over the place.

"We don't even know what those Shadows are," Amra said silently.

"Well, my point is that all of these are connected. I might be changing too. If those people died like that, then does it mean that I will also die if I can't stop my changing?" Lianne asked, her voice weak. She was trying to put everything together, but her thoughts were just fleeting hunches of something she did not yet understand.

"You don't even know if you're changing," Amra said to Lianne, squinting her eyes.

"Amra, look at my hair!" Lianne raised her voice, wanting to get through to her. She took a hold of her hair and lifted it up to make a point.

Amra averted her gaze, her whole body tense. "That doesn't mean..." she started saying when Lianne interrupted her.

"Amra, stop avoiding it!" Lianne yelled so loud that it made Luna neigh and pace nervously.

"But it doesn't..." Amra still tried saying when Lianne stopped her again.

"Amra, please! You can't protect me forever!" Lianne yelled, her voice hoarse, looking at Amra with a fearful gaze.

Amra quietened down. She kept staring at the mane of her horse while fiddling her fingers nervously. Then she squeezed her hands into tight fists. "I..." she said but immediately stopped herself.

Lianne looked at Amra, feeling her eyes getting moist. "Amra, you can't protect me forever," she repeated silently. She was trying to stay strong but her feelings were taking over.

Amra let out a frustrated sigh while loosening up her hands and lifting her gaze. "What are you saying then?"

"We have traveled without actually knowing where to go. We must change that," Lianne said, looking firmly back at Amra, swallowing back the tears that tried to surface.

"We never had an exact destination to go to," Amra said while frowning.

"I don't think we have searched hard enough. We've enjoyed our travel together. I think we got lost in that. You and me, together on a journey," Lianne explained her thoughts.

Amra got silent again. Her eyes were so sad and desperate that Lianne felt a tight clench in her throat. Amra must have realized the same. They loved traveling together, and that had overshadowed everything else.

Lianne looked at her best friend. She loved Amra with all her heart, but she had been relying on her so much that she had forgotten how to stand up for herself. It hurt Lianne even thinking about it, but she had to be honest. Without it, she would just fool herself until she was entirely gone.

Lianne took another deep breath, trying to calm herself down, to be more rational. "All I'm trying to say is that I can't wait to become something similar to that woman. What happened with Yugtrass might be just the beginning, and I sure don't want to know how that ends," Lianne said surely, finally getting herself together.

"What do you suggest then?" Amra asked, her voice still silent.

"I'm not exactly sure. I don't know where Clandmere is. We have no decent leads, but we have to do something. We can't wait for the place to drop into our laps," Lianne explained.

Amra cleared her throat. "If Clandmere and Yugtrass are connected, maybe one of them could lead to the other one?" she asked vaguely while pursing her lips. "It still doesn't help us with finding them though," she added with a tired shrug.

"I think you are onto something," Faolin said. He had been silent until then, giving Lianne and Amra the time to talk it through. Now he trotted closer, looking at them with a firm gaze. "I do not think connecting the two is impossible."

"What should we do?" Amra asked, finally relaxing her tense body.

"I cannot say that I know anything about Clandmere, but I do not think either of you is a fool. I do not think you would have traveled across the country to find something that is not there," Faolin said without hesitation.

"Clandmere might have all the answers we need, but getting there is the tough part. All we still have are the mountains," Amra said while shrugging.

"Then we have to go through Yugtrass to find it," Lianne said surely before raising her eyebrows questioningly. "Right?"

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"Hey!" Amra suddenly gasped. "Should we try to lure him in? With another one of his servants?" she asked, looking at the other two.

"I don't know if that would work. I mean, what about Faolin? He has the mark," Lianne pondered while turning to Faolin. "Why hasn't he come after you?"

"He has no interest in me," Faolin just replied before averting his gaze and going silent, shifting his posture on top of his horse. Myrin took a couple of restless steps in place, emphasizing Faolin's uncomfortable silence.

Lianne inspected Faolin's demeanor. "Luring him in might not work," she said while turning back to Amra. "But what else can we do? I really don't want to end up like that woman."

"So, we're back to square one?" Amra asked defeated.

Lianne shrugged. "I guess so," she said before falling silent, thinking. There had to be a way to find Clandmere and Yugtrass. She had already met the man, and he wasn't an illusion. It couldn't be an impossible task to find him again.

Lianne swung her other leg over her horse and jumped down. She took the map from Amra's backpack that was tied to Sol. She opened the map with a big gesture, laid it down, and just slumped on the dusty ground with a thud.

Lianne started to inspect the map. She looked through the towns, details, rivers, and different landmarks, trying to figure out where they were and where they had to go. But after looking at the map for a moment, she quickly remembered that she had never been that good at reading a map. Amra had always been better at it.

Lianne lifted her gaze and looked at Amra with a wide grin on her face. "I'm not good at reading the map," she said amused. After all the grand talking and big gestures while laying the map down, she ended up just being embarrassed.

Lianne's words broke the tension. Amra laughed as she jumped off her horse. "You're so silly," she said while kneeling next to Lianne. "Let me look at it."

Faolin also got off his horse and sat next to them on the ground, crossing his legs while looking at the map. "Oh, look at that," he sighed in admiration.

Lianne and Amra glanced at each other with tender looks in their eyes when hearing Faolin's amazed reaction. Lianne had really started to like this side of Faolin which was in awe of everything, almost as if he was experiencing all of the things for the first time.

"Alright, let's see," Amra said while looking at the map, first pointing her finger on Windermore, and sliding it along the map to the northwest. "This is where we encountered the elves and the servants."

"Faolin, do you know where Yugtrass or his servants might be found?" Lianne asked Faolin who was looking at the map intently.

"They move around frequently. I know some places they have been in, but if I knew where they were now, then I would not need you," he answered bluntly.

Lianne frowned. That was the truth, but she still felt a stinging sensation in her heart. It was as if a small hole had appeared inside her. "Do you have any ideas where they could have gone?" she asked, disregarding that feeling.

Faolin just stared at the map before clearing his throat. "I have gone by instinct. I am sorry that I am no help on this one," he replied apologetically.

Lianne shook her head. "No, don't be," she said while focusing on the map again. "So, they move around..." she mumbled to herself while thinking. She furrowed her brows as she wracked her brains for any ideas. But whatever she tried to think, all the thoughts escaped her. Her mind was suddenly empty and nothing seemed to make sense.

Lianne let out a deep sigh. How were they ever going to find Yugtrass or Clandmere? They had no idea where to look for them. Even if they desperately wanted to find them, they had no idea where to start. For now, they had been going north, looking for mountains just because a couple of seers had instructed them to.

Lianne lowered her head in disappointment. She had enjoyed traveling with Amra, but they had kept on going without a real destination. She had been fooling herself. She had thought that everything would turn out alright, but Clandmere wouldn't be found by purely wishing. They hadn't really gotten anywhere, and that made her feel weak and useless.

Lianne lifted her gaze and looked at Amra and Faolin. "I'm really sorry. I have no idea what to do. I really appreciate all you've done for me, and I'm really sorry..." she said, her voice getting weak. Her shoulders slouched low as if she had given up. After that grand talking about new determination and finding the place, she still ended up feeling totally defeated.

Amra immediately threw her arms around Lianne, hugging her. "Don't be, silly," she said, her voice shivering. "We can figure this out together. It's not just you."

"But I have no idea what to do..." Lianne whispered to Amra.

"We'll figure it out together," Amra repeated, tightening the hold she had on her.

Lianne closed her eyes, enjoying Amra's tight hug. She took in a deep breath, trying to get rid of all that self-blame and desperation she suddenly felt. She had Amra, and even if she relied on her too much, she was grateful for everything she did. They would somehow get to the end.

"Thank you, Amra," Lianne said while squeezing Amra's arm gently, wanting to convey how much she appreciated her.

Faolin cleared his throat awkwardly. "I do not know if I am supposed to say anything, but do know that I am here to help," he said with a silent voice.

Lianne opened her eyes and glanced at Faolin. His expression was perplexed as if he really didn't know how he was supposed to act at that moment. But when their eyes met, he showed her a gentle smile, making Lianne's heartbeat a bit faster and stronger. She had the support of those two amazing people.

"Thank you, Faolin," Lianne smiled back at him, feeling a sweet tingling sensation in her stomach. Something that she hadn't felt that often.

Amra once more squeezed Lianne tightly before letting go. "The scavenger told about the roadside inn. We should head there and plan our next steps," she suggested.

Lianne thought for a moment, still collecting herself and her thoughts. "That sounds good," she nodded and smiled. "Our first clear destination."

Amra got up. "I'll go ask the scavengers for directions. I'll be right back," she said, quickly hopping on her horse. She clicked her tongue twice to get Sol to move and started to ride back to the scavenger's fire, covering her face with her cape again.

When Amra was gone, Lianne and Faolin were left alone and silence fell upon them. Faolin was curiously inspecting the map, moving his finger from one point to another. He didn't seem to mind the silence at all, but Lianne's mind was racing.

Lianne was looking at Faolin. His dark brown eyes scanned through the details of the map, and his hair swayed in the wind. He was entirely enthralled by what he was seeing and that made Lianne feel strange. She was grateful for his support, but she still felt as if something was stopping her from fully enjoying his company.

"Hey, Faolin," Lianne said, getting his attention. "What are you going to do when you break the bond?"

Faolin didn't lift his gaze from the map. "I will figure it out when the time comes."

"I know you're only with us so you can break the bond, but I'm still glad you're here," she said, trying to put her feelings into words.

"Of course," Faolin quickly commented.

"I just want to make sure you know that you have helped us. I'm grateful for that," Lianne said again, wanting him to focus on her and not the map.

"I have found myself enjoying the time we travel together," Faolin just replied nonchalantly, still keeping his eyes on the map.

"Really?" Lianne asked, her lips unintentionally curving into a smile.

Faolin finally lifted his gaze from the map. He focused his eyes on Lianne. "Do you think I would lie about that?"

"No, I don't think that. It's just that...you confuse me," she said, feeling herself getting embarrassed.

"I think you are fascinating. Why would I not enjoy the time we travel. I am not in the habit of lying," Faolin replied surely, making Lianne immediately silent.

Lianne didn't know how to respond. She looked at Faolin's eyes and her every thought just vanished. "Thanks," she silently said while averting her gaze. She tried to focus on the map, but the only thing she could really concentrate on was her loudly thrumming heart and the smile she tried to hide. She found it strange how Faolin made her feel like that.

When the sound of an approaching horse was heard from the distance, Lianne lifted her gaze from the map. She was relieved that Amra was coming back since she wouldn't have to stand the silence between herself and Faolin any longer.

Amra rode back to them and pulled the cape off her face, taking in deep breaths of the fresh air again. "I don't know why I volunteered to go back there," she said, her chest heaving heavily.

Lianne laughed, her whole body relaxing again now that Amra was there. "We have to get a bath soon to get rid of that stink," she said while grinning at Amra and starting to roll the map back.

Faolin got up from the ground and dusted his clothes carefully before getting back to Myrin and hopping on agilely. "Where to?" he asked casually.

Amra took out her compass and looked at it, determining the clear direction. Then she pointed northwest of them. "Two days travel that way," she said as she put the compass away. "Let's head then."

Lianne stuffed the map back to Amra's backpack before getting on her horse. They all urged their horses to move again, heading to their new destination, a roadside inn.