Even while surrounded by a void bubble of time and space, Leta’s screams echoed on. For a moment, it felt as if they were being pulled into a void, causing their bodies to become weightless. The group felt an intense cold that penetrated their bones while shrieking winds battered them from every side, as if trying to snatch them away.

Following a brief pause, gravity decided on the correct orientation and they found themselves stumbling onto a rough floor.

Leta’s scream morphed into a choked sob, her fingers gripping cobblestones that were still warm from the sun, her throat raw from wailing.

Each breath caused her intense pain as her lungs burned and anguished noises escaped her.

The sound of footsteps grabbed her attention, but she was too physically drained to even raise her head.

Surrounded by a columned courtyard, Leta observed cream-colored stucco walls, red-tiled roofs, and wooden doors. Jasmine and an unfamiliar flowering vine clung to the walls, while a few wall scones and pendant lights offered some illumination in the arches.

Amidst her tears, she spotted a young woman wearing a headscarf rushing towards Afra from a side entrance. In a hushed tone, the nurse uttered something while her broken arm was tended to by the woman. The striking similarity in their faces made Leta certain that they were related.

The woman with the head covering was closely trailed by General Atreus, with a hulking man in his fifties, his once-ginger hair and beard now peppered with gray.

The most colossal black wolf Leta had ever seen walked alongside the giant, breaking away to nuzzle Koa’s side.

“Hey, girl.” Koa breathed, his fingers tangling with the animal’s thick fur, as he gave her a gentle pat.

Leta’s father groaned at her side and she turned as he began to list to the side, his face pale as both hands clutched at his mangled leg.

“Dad!” She reached over to grab a hold of his jacket so he didn’t end up face first on the cobblestones.

“Al, go get the others. We need the muscle.”

“Aye.” The ginger giant nodded and turned to head back inside, the General facing Dr. Kudela with a stern frown. “Where’s Adjany

The elderly woman lowered her head. “Gargoyle.”

His lips pressed together, but he nodded, kneeling down on Theodore’s other side as he looked over his wound.

“Loupgarou?”

“Yes.” Leta exhaled, her lips trembling. Her fight for survival, once driven by rage and anger, now dissolved into a deep sorrow, urging her to close her eyes and escape into the void. Despite her desire to pass out, she had to stay awake. To ensure her father’s safety, she had to push forward a little more.

Atreus let out a breath. “Your father’s in bad shape. We need to get him to our infirmary.” He looked up just as the giant, Al, returned with two women and a man she recognized as Dr. De Mar.

Her father’s face, covered in sweat, twisted in confusion as he groaned, “Simon?”

“Oh gods, Theodore!” Dr. De Mar rushed to her side, taking one look at her father’s wound and cursing. Before supporting Theodore with one arm, he took a moment to compose himself. “Don’t worry, my friend, we’ll get you checked out. Where’s Naomi?”

“She…” Theodore started but couldn’t finish, his eyes squeezing tight as a sob robbed him of speech.

Dr. De Mar gazed at Leta, who could only shake her head and wipe away her tears. The realization hit him hard, causing his eyebrows to knit together and his heart to sink.

He had to swallow before speaking in a low, soothing tone. “Right now, let’s concentrate on the two of you.”

“Where….” Leta started, but Dr. Kudela put her hand on her shoulder.

“The Sect has the best medical technology in the country.” She soothed, “You’re both in good hands.”

Afra was effortlessly lifted in a princess carry by a short, stocky middle-aged woman with dark hair and dressed in a traditional Indian sari. The Hearth Maiden hissed when the action put pressure on her broken arm, to which the woman holding her rolled her eyes and huffed, “Suck it up, child.”

The woman who caught Leta’s attention was a tall brunette with doe-like brown eyes. She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties and was dressed in a blue bandeau and loose-fitting linen overalls.

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The woman gave Leta a sympathetic smile.

“Are you injured? Can you stand?” She asked with a noticeable Russian accent.

Leta made an effort to get up but stumbled, her legs experiencing a jelly-like weakness and incapable of carrying her.

“Leta! Dear, don’t strain yourself.” Dr. Kudela gasped as she and the young woman managed to catch her before she hit the dirt.

“My dad…”

“Dear, listen to me. You and your father are both safe here. I solemnly swear by all the gods. I can’t even comprehend how you managed to do what you did tonight, but I can see that you’re worn out from magic fatigue. What you need is rest and I mean immediately. Not in a minute, not after you go to the bathroom, I mean right now. The more time our kind spends awake and outside of a mediated state, the greater the strain on our bodies and minds, leading to potential harm.

Leta was certain she was telling the truth.

Her exhaustion went beyond normal limits, as if she had been running on empty for an extended period. With the painful echoes of her use of Command, it’s a wonder she hadn’t fallen into a coma.

Her vision blurred as she turned to Dr. Kudela, speaking slowly to ensure her voice didn’t slur, “You’ll take care of my dad?”

She sensed the older woman’s kind smile more than she saw it. “Yes, dear. I’ll handle it personally. You just need to rest.”

Leta allowed herself to succumb to unconsciousness, hoping the emptiness would lessen her heartache.

***

The shadows provided an ease to her burden, but the void would not let her escape her pain.

The sting of fangs just about to pierce her throat.

The smell of burned flesh.

The taste of blood on her tongue.

The sound of her father’s scream as she was attacked.

As she found solace in the void, something would appear, wriggling like worms before disappearing again.

At times, the worms would adopt forms that appeared to be taunting her.

From the shadows, a Loupgarou emerged with powerful shoulders and a fierce head, its golden eyes glaring at her, revealing sharp teeth as its jaw opened wide. However, instead of a roar, Adjany's terrified scream filled the air as she fell to her demise. Suddenly, it vanished, plunging into the darkness and leaving her unsettled and by herself.

Another form appeared, but it was in the form of her mother, her eyes wide as she pleaded for Leta to take her hand and pull her to safety. From the abyss, talons resembling those of a bird emerged and gripped her mother’s shoulders, causing her to be pulled back into the darkness as she desperately reached out for assistance before being consumed by the void.

“No!”

Leta abruptly awakened, her heart pounding and her breathing erratic, overwhelmed by the lingering echoes of emptiness in her thoughts.

In a state of panic, she scanned her surroundings, vaguely registering the light brown walls and empty bookcase nearby, but her true focus was on finding the demons that haunted her.

After a brief pause, she recognized that she was by herself and took a deep breath to calm down.

As she looked around the bedroom she had awakened in, the scent of old books and jasmine filled her lungs. It was small but spacious enough for one, with stucco and wooden beams lining the ceiling and the antique wooden window on one side of the room. A bookcase and writing desk took up most of the wall next to her, where a small candelabra sat with its nub of a candlestick that had burned itself out. Peering out of the window, she glimpsed hillside farms and what appeared to be a city in the distance, with fluffy clouds drifting across the sky above.

Leta had been resting on a single sized bed and still wearing her hospital gown, but someone must have cleaned her up while she’d been passed out because the blood that had covered her was nearly completely gone.

A small dresser and chair were tucked away in the corner of the room. On the dresser sat a folded set of clothes, a basin, and a pitcher filled with water. Just below an antique mercury mirror, the items were neatly arranged.

A person lightly tapped on the wooden door three times. “Your Majesty?”

The voice was deep with a Scottish drawl that Leta recognized as the giant Al from earlier.

Leta cleared her throat. “Uh, hello?”

The iron door knob rattled before the man ducked his head slightly to get through the threshold. He looked just as huge as she recalled, wearing linen pants and a shirt in earthy tones, with rolled-up sleeves exposing strong arms that could inadvertently snap her in two.

He shut the door and proceeded to give her a respectful bow. “Good morn’, your Majesty. My name is Allister Douglas, Hunter for the Athens Sect. How do you fare? Do you need anything?”

Leta took a moment to process everything before shaking her head. “What happened to my dad?”

The giant’s gaze shifted downward to the floor. “Your Da was seriously hurt. Loupgarou bites are, well. They’re bad news for Mundane. Thanks to Erienne and Afra’s efforts, he is now stable and resting. He’s likely to sleep for the rest of the day, I’d say. And before you ask,” he held up a finger at the hopeful look in her eye, Erienne's currently running tests to make sure he’s stabilized. I’d advise to give her and your Da some peace and quiet for a moment for her to focus.”

Leta released a sigh of relief. Her muscles started to relax and the ball of nerves inside her began to unwind.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” Al insisted.

“Um…” She tucked a bit of hair behind her ear and winced at the sensation of it. The person who attempted to tidy her did their best with her hair, but it desperately needed washing.

“Is there any way I can get a bath? A proper bath - not a sponge bath.” She sheepishly asked, tucking some hair behind her ear.

There was a twinkle of humor in the giant’s eyes at her words. “Aye, your majesty. Regrettably, the absence of running water in the rooms is a consequence of this building’s history as a monastery. Nevertheless, there is a lower level with showers and a restroom. If you give us a moment, I’ll see to it that the water is runnin’ for you.”

“That would be amazing.” Leta’s sigh was full of anticipation, the simple idea of being clean giving her something to look forward to.

“Excuse me a moment, your Majesty.” He bowed again and stuck his upper half out the door to whisper something to someone outside. That done, he closed the door behind him and turned back to her. “Yelena will go prepare the bathing chamber ahead of us. If you’d please follow me.”

Leta got out of bed and took hold of the clothes on the chair, clutching them tightly while Allister offered her a wool blanket. “May I offer you a blanket, your Highness? I don’t think I would find it comfortable to walk around in that outfit.”

She blushed, realizing that she may have unintentionally revealed her backside to everyone during their ordeal yesterday before clearing her throat. “That’s, um, very kind. Thank you.”