“So, what will you do now?” Cid asked Cyneswith as she held her son, the two bounty hunters already mounted on two horses, the third one reserved for Cyneswith.

“We’ll be going over to Devatrix and see about starting anew there,” Cyneswith said.

“I hope things go well for you all there,” Leonidas said.

“Thank you,” Cyneswith said, “and thank you for everything. I don’t know how to repay you all.”

Cid held up the palm of his hand to her. “Think nothing of it, this was the least we could do.”

Cyneswith infant son reached out to Jeanne, his small opening and closing as he did so. “Aw, he wants to say goodbye,” Cyneswith said to Jeanne.

Jeanne looked to the others with a confused look. Cid nudged his head forward. “Go on, they don’t bite,” he said to her.

She turned to Leonidas who said, “I mean they usually don’t.”

Jeanne cautiously stepped forward and gingerly took the child into her arms. Jeanne then turned back to the others, “Am I doing this right?” she asked them.

As the others began snickering, Leonidas said, “Does the baby look happy?”

Jeanne turned back to the child who was looking up at her and smiling happily. Without thinking, Jeanne let out an awe before turning to Cyneswith, “What’s his name?”

“I wasn’t allowed to name him before,” she said, “But I think I was going to name him after my father, Denin.”

Jeanne looked at the baby before giving Cyneswith a smile. “I think Denin is an excellent name,” she said before handing the child back to his mother.

Cyneswith took her child and gave him a loving kiss on his head. “Well, I should be off,” she said.

“Try and be safe while you’re out there,” Cid said.

“We will,” Cyneswith said, “it seems the war is mostly avoiding Devatrix altogether, so it should be a good place raise little Denin.”

“Perhaps we’ll come to visit when this is all over,” Kveldulf said.

“I’d love that,” Cyneswith replied. “But I shouldn’t keep them waiting, Shepherd guide you!” she said before handing the infant to one of the bounty hunters to mount her horse.

“Same with you,” Cid said as he and the rest of The Wolves waved all three off.

Watching the group ride down the southern road and out of sight, Jeanne felt a slight sensation of pressure in her chest. Once they were gone Jeanne looked down and let out long sigh. “I hope they make it there safe,” she said.

“The roads should be safer,” Benkin said, “one less Kolville and that region seems to have more control of the roads.”

“Still,” said Silvius, “I’ll feel better when we know they’ve arrived safe.”

“Same here,” said Maeryn, “many things can lurk in the shadows of the most watched over roads.”

“Well, we’ll see how things are then,” said Cid, “come, we should plan are move now that we have the last of the duo on the run.”

“Should we head to the inn then?” Hypatia asked.

Cid shook his head, “No, not while that reeve still have weight to pull. I’d be certain she’s looking to pay us back for this setback.”

“I’d be surprised if she wasn’t looking for a moment to strike,” Benkin said. “The woman has the look of venom in her.”

“I’d seen more cheer from someone at a wake,” Silvius followed.

“Even gave me an ill feeling,” Hypatia said.

“You want to head to that manor again,” Kveldulf asked, “since it’s cleared out and all?”

“That’s not the worst idea, doubt anyone will want to claim it immediately, and we’ll be long gone when they do decide to arrive,” Cid said. “But I think the sooner we make our scarce in this place, the better it will be for all parties involved.”

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Once they had arrived to the manor, Maeryn and Benkin were posted by the doorway on first watch as the others began rest and collect their thoughts. Jeanne rested in the room they had barricaded themselves in during their first visit. She pulled the boots off her feet after some effort and leaned in her chair, stretching her legs out completely.

Jeanne looked up at the wooden squares situated on the ceiling above her. The wood was dark, almost as if it was night itself. She wondered what tastes brought this manner of decoration here? Was the former owner one who longed to watch the night skies while under the protection of such eloquent shelters. It was not difficult for her to assume this was a place with a long and possibly storied history behind it, but was this attached to the family living here when the Kolvilles arrived?

Did whoever call these walls home hold claim to this domain since before the Great Invasion of the Rolluon swept through the lands and laid claim to the realms here? Did they resist and try to hold what was left of the old ways? Did they join the invaders for an easy peace to make the transition easier for their kin? Did they wish to spend their wintered years here and bequeath this to their inheritors unsullied?

Jeanne let out a long sigh as she pondered these thoughts, with no answers coming to her. She stretched her neck, feeling the cracks and hearing the short and muffled cracks inside. She barely moved her arms and the muscle felt as if she was trying to make them lift a great weight. Her feet flinched as she moved and curled her toes. Her back felt as if entire sections of the area were solid and unable to move and curve at her command.

The number of days they had been hunting since leaving Teeg-Upon-Avon had begun to meld into another. Had it been weeks, months, years? No, she thought to herself, it definitely hadn’t been years. Feels like it though. She remembered being on campaign and keeping the year into two seasons: campaign and winter. If the weather wasn’t trying to freeze you to death, you were expected to be on the march.

She remembered the long dreary hours marching along roads, stuck at camp with nothing to do, finding the smallest of chances to break the monotony with a practical joke here or there. One came to her mind, causing her to smile and chuckle softly at it contently.

“Something you’d like to share?” she heard Kveldulf asked as he entered the room.

“Just a fond memory,” she said, leaning forward, rubbing a knot on her back.

“Oh what? Don’t leave me in suspense here.”

“Do you remember the lieutenant who replaced Sharpe?”

“Who Gregor? Yeah I remember him, why?”

“You know that pair of boots he loved to show off whenever he could?”

“Oh gods, yes,” Kveldulf said with disgust. “Damned fool spent more time cleaning them than anything else.”

“So, after that skirmish we had near Mullenberg, and he was absent from the line because of his darling boots,” she looked stopped to look around before speaking again, “I took the boots and used them as the footwear for the captain’s horse!”

“That was you!” Kveldulf exclaimed.

Jeanne waved her hands, shushing him.

“Oh we’re not in with ‘em anymore. I doubt anyone would give a damn anyway.”

“You know what Cid would do if he found out,” Jeanne said as they heard a sharp pop and thud of a cork.

They turned to find Cid, with three goblets in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. “A toast to one of the finest sorriest excuses of a soldier I’d ever seen,” Cid said.

“Oh you heard everything didn’t you?” Jeanne said as Cid pulled a chair to them.

“Course I did,” Cid replied cheerfully, handing Kveldulf a goblet and then Jeanne. “But I thought that was one of the greatest gifts I had ever been given that year.”

“I thought you liked the man,” Jeanne said, confused.

Cid gave her a firm look. “No, I knew how to keep my rank, but that bastard could eat a seven course meal of fresh meadow muffins for all I care.”

“Sorry you missed the show,” Kveldulf said as Cid poured his goblet with wine.

“Oh, I had the next best thing. I was there when Gregor saw his boots all caked in mud, excrement and who knows what else. He had the look on his face like a kinsman had died.”

Jeanne and Kveldulf looked at each other before turning back to Cid. “Those weren’t heirlooms were they?” Kveldulf asked.

“Not at all,” Cid said plainly. “He just got them to show off how much he could spend in his position in the company.”

Jeanne and Kveldulf let out a sigh of relief. “I feel a lot better then,” Jeanne said.

“Honestly, I don’t think it would’ve bothered me much if they were,” Cid said.

“Don’t hold back, Cid,’ Kveldulf replied.

“He shined those boots when our best soldiers were off dying, he can go fuck a dead stump,” Cid said bluntly before holding his goblet to the other two. “Cheers!”

Kel and Jeanne touched their goblets to Cid’s and took a sip of the wine. “So … what’s the plan now?” Jeanne asked.

“My guess is Guthrem will be heading down the road here. We’ll see about getting Maer and Gab to catch and scent and then see where that leads.

“You think he’d head down this road?” Kveldulf asked.

“We won’t know until we head that way. Especially if he’s hurt, he’ll probably have more of a potent scent than his departed brother.”

“I’d like to suggest we keep some people here as a base and see about searching for camps,” Jeanne said.

“I think a couple here while the rest go out isn’t a horrible idea,” said Kveldulf.

“Agreed,” Cid said, “I doubt the brother would be so bold to try anything rash now that he’s all alone.”

“At least not against someone he’d have to struggle with,” said Jeanne.

Cid let out a short grunt. “You’re not wrong,” he said, “cowards tend to have that type of courage.”

“You think he’s going to attack a village like before?” Kveldulf asked.

“It’s possible, but I think he may stick with smaller locations, farms, huts, maybe a minute encampment. Though we won’t know until we find some more clues.”

Jeanne took a long drink from her wine. “It could also push him to more drastic measures.”

“I’ve been thinking about that as well,” Cid said. “And I shudder to think what he could do.”

The three turned as they heard someone coming up to the room. Maeryn peered her head inside and said, “Hate to interrupt, but we have a visitor.”

“Someone we know?” Cid asked the archer.

Maeryn shook her head. “No one I recognize. But he wanted to speak with the leader of our outfit.”

“Right,” Cid said, getting to his feet. “Let’s see who this one is.”