It would only be a few more days before the group would reach Hollis. The air was already starting to change; crisp in the morning, warming throughout the day only to drop drastically at night. It was even becoming thinner the higher in elevation they trekked. The towns and villages they passed through got smaller and smaller, the distance between them growing, and there would be no more cities on the way with people preferring the more consistent temperatures that the areas further south had to offer. The land would change, the soil becoming rockier, the rivers’ wilder, the trees taller. There were more stars in the night sky, shining even brighter.

Ivy listened to Ren’s whistling tune. It hadn’t taken long for her song to end before he picked it up after her, carrying it down the path they traveled. She felt Zero’s hand in hers, always so warm against her skin. She watched Sakura walking in front of her towards the village before them, the woman always plowing headfirst into everything she did.

The girl still hadn’t expressed her desire to stay in Hollis. She knew that sooner or later she would have to bring it up, and she promised herself that she would after Sistern.

Then the next town.

The next village.

The words never finding their way out of her mouth.

They would come though.

At some point.

They would have to.

This village was larger than the last and had a few shops, one where they could replenish some of their supplies. Ivy spotted three horses that were tied up outside of the shop they were going to, their hair shiny and their manes thick and long. She stopped in front of the painted mare and ran her free hand down the smooth bridge of its nose, its soft, amber eyes watching her closely.

“Do you like horses?” she asked the boy as she admired the creature.

Zero shrugged, never having thought much about it before. “I don’t mind them.”

“I love them,” she confessed softly and raised her hand, the horse pushing against it, asking for more of the fae’s affection. “They’re so beautiful and intelligent and gentle.”

“They’re also not yours,” Sakura reprimanded as she stood holding the door to the shop open for the pair to follow. “Leave them be.”

The girl sighed and quickly kissed the horse’s nose before making her way into the shop, knowing that arguing would be futile.

Ivy had always wanted a horse. She had seen plenty of travelers and farmers ride them or use them to pull their wagons. They were so large and strong and could get you where you wanted so much faster and carry so much more. It would have made traveling more convenient, and the additional adorable company would have been most enjoyable for the girl.

But even if they had had the coin for one, Sakura would never get one. The woman liked them well enough but regarded them with careful respect. She had told the girl to always pay attention to them, all their movements, big and small. That even though horses could be trained and used to do what someone may want, that they could never be controlled and could be unpredictable. That it wasn’t uncommon for even the best-behaved horses to cause permanent damage towards their rider or unsuspecting passerby.

Ivy wandered through the shop before choosing some apples and carrots for her bag. They would travel well, and if she was sneaky, she could give some to the horses as they were leaving. However, just as quickly as she could concoct a plan, did she feel eyes peering over her shoulder.

“You’re planning on feeding those horses, aren’t you?” the woman accused as she poked the girl’s cheek, well aware of the game she was intending to play.

“No,” her voice rushed and unable to sound very convincing.

“Well, if you were, you’ve lost the chance. Hard to feed what’s no longer there,” Sakura informed as she wandered to the other end of the shop.

The girl pouted. Maybe another time.

She took her food to the counter and waited for Ren to pay as the woman came to stand with her. The girl watched her ears flick, and her head turn towards the door, a small, exasperated grunt coming from the demon’s throat before turning back, her lips pressed in a thin, unimpressed line.

“What’s wrong?” Ivy asked.

“Don’t worry about it.” Sakura waved the fae’s concerns off. “It has nothing to do with us. It’s not our problem.”

Though she wanted to press further, she chose to keep her curiosity to herself. If the vixen had wanted her to know, she would have already told her.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

They left the shop, and Ivy looked to where the horses had been, but they were no longer in that spot. They were now a short ways down the road, one man on horseback, holding the reins to the other horses while the two other men knelt on the ground.

The girl now didn’t need to know what had caught the woman’s attention, and without a word, she made her way to the group of men.

“There’s no healer here, but we can check the next village before we make the ride to the closest town,” a man with short blonde hair was telling the other man with ram horns who sat on the ground cradling his arm. “You think you can ride on your own?”

“I’m gonna have to,” his voice strained, sweat beading on his face.

“Excuse me,” Ivy asked softly as she looked down at the two men on the ground. “If you don’t mind, can I take a look?”

The three men looked at her, unsure of how such a tiny thing could be of any real help.

But then again…

She sure was pretty.

So where was the harm?

“Sure,” the ram demon agreed. “Go ahead.”

Ivy crouched in front of him and examined the crooked forearm. “It didn’t break the skin so that’s good, but the radius and ulna are obviously both broken, and they’ll need to be set. I can do that if you’re okay with it.”

“If you can do it, then please do.”

“I have enough bandages to wrap it, but I need something to splint it with.” She turned to her companions. “Could you find something flat and straight?” Ren silently volunteered and went back to the shop as Ivy dug around her bag. “What happened?”

“Kid ran out in front of me.” The man nodded towards where the child had been. “Spooked my horse, and I fell when she reared up. Kids lucky he kept running and didn’t stop and get trampled. I don’t even think he noticed.”

Ivy found the analgesic she’d made in the den and a spoon and poured a small amount in it. “If you take this it’ll help with the pain. It won’t hurt when I set it. You actually shouldn’t be able to feel anything for a while, so you’ll have to be careful not to re-injure your arm because you won’t notice if you do until later.” She offered it to him, and he took it without question. She returned the bottle and spoon and pulled out the bandages. Ren returned shortly afterwards with two straight planks from a crate. The girl set them next to her and took the demon man’s arm. “Are you ready?”

He nodded and the girl gently pulled and pushed, her nimble fingers guiding the bones back into place before putting the boards on the top and bottom of his arm and wrapping it. “You might want to get it set in plaster, but this will do for now. You can use an extra shirt for a sling, and keep it elevated.”

The man and his companions thanked the girl and offered her compensation which she refused before both groups went their separate ways.

“Where did you learn how to do that?” Sakura asked, amazed that the sensitive girl had been able to handle the situation so well. It was a side of her that she had never seen, and she was impressed with the new discovery.

“At Marisol’s while you were still unconscious,” Ivy informed cheerfully. “Except that man fell from a ladder. Marisol guided me while I set it. That one was harder though because he didn’t have anything to help with the pain. Zero had to hold him down. I much prefer doing it with the analgesic.”

The woman smiled at her, her heart swelling with pride at the little girl who wasn’t so little anymore. “You did good. I’m proud of you.”

The girl smiled back, and they continued on their way.

She had promised herself that she would say something after this village, and now it was out of sight. The girl knew she couldn’t avoid it forever.

“Does Hollis have a healer?” Ivy blurted over the angel’s whistling.

Ren stopped his tune and looked at the girl with amusement, knowing where she was going with her sudden inquiry. “Not exactly. Okag knows a bit and helps when she can, but she’s not a healer. Most people go to town to the healer there, but that’s a ways off.”

Ivy nodded and looked down at her feet, squeezing Zero’s hand and receiving one in return.

She just had to do it.

What was the worst that could happen?

The girl’s head whipped towards the fox, and she mustered all her courage. “I don’t want to travel anymore. I want to stay in Hollis.”

Sakura seemed as if she didn’t hear, her face unchanged, her pace still steady. She didn’t acknowledge the girl, just continued forward. Ivy wondered if she should say it again.

“It’s colder up there,” the woman stated before the fae could repeat herself. “The summers aren’t bad, but winters can be hell.”

A small curve formed on the girl’s lips, what she had always wanted finally in her grasp. “I know how to start a fire, and I can get thicker dresses and taller boots.”

“There’s nothing to do up there like there is in the cities.”

“That’s a silly reason,” Ivy pointed out. “We never do any of those things anyways.”

Sakura turned and gazed down at her, emeralds filled with a sad longing. “You’ll never find your family.”

Violet shined brightly, the same way they did the first time they saw the woman, as she released the boy and wrapped herself around the vixen’s arm. “You are my family.” Her voice fell to almost silent. “My mother.”

The demon hesitated before continuing gently. “We’ve talked about you calling me that.” She smiled softly at the fae’s pout. “I am your family though, and I always will be, no matter what. I love you, and you’re everything to me. But you’ll never know where you came from. Who they are. Why you were left here.”

“I don’t care.” She never did. “It doesn’t matter who they are or why they left me. I’m glad they did. It was the best thing they could have ever done.”

Sakura sighed, knowing the girl’s answer and accepting that it wouldn’t change. “Are you sure? Because once Ren gets settled and comfortable, it’s hard to get him moving again. If you change your mind, you’re gonna have to be the one to convince him to get off his ass and come along with us.”

“I am sure, and I won’t change my mind!”

“Alright. We’ll do what you want. We’ll stay.”

Ivy’s eyes went wide, and she squealed as she clamped herself around the woman. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

Sakura smoothed the girl’s hair down. “Yeah, yeah. I don’t want to hear any complaints about how boring it is up there after a week.”

“I won’t! I promise!”

Why would she complain?

She was finally going home.