“That’s enough. Get out of here!” Galen’s sharp voice reverberated off the rocky walls, giving it a deeper undertone.

The youths had found the first of the two caves easily enough. Unfortunately, a large stream flew down inside, leaving no practicable walkway. The antechamber was full of water. It didn’t look too deep, so Artem and Celeste had waded inside to explore. Galen followed carefully, disapproving brother’s decision, and Emilio and Jarek had lagged behind them.

The lack of light, the uneven ground, and the slippery rocks unseen under the water were dangerous enough. However, the water got deeper quickly, and Galen didn’t want anyone to swim to get to the olms. The dampness and the darkness were sharpening the bite of the cold. Stubbornly trying to explore this cave would only make them sick.

The five youths retreated and switched directions to find the second cave. It was more accessible, but when Artem and Celeste went in to scout it first, they reported numerous chambers and corridors.

Since it was too late to pursue any exploration, the students exited the cave to discuss where to camp. The weather had worsened all day, low gray clouds darkening the sky. Rather than getting rained on during the night, the youths decided to spend the night in the cave’s first antechamber.

Artem ordered Emilio to build the camp and told the others to rest.

Emilio stood dumbfounded. Surely, he had misheard. However, as the brown-haired boy saw his supposed teammates sit down against the cave walls, his temper got the better of him. Were they just going to watch him work? Like hell!

“You rotten sons of tyrannical bastards! Because you’re from a Family, you think you can do anything you want? What? Abusing your power, humiliating us, does it give you some sick pleasure?”

Artem hated it when his Family’s honor was questioned, so despite his better judgment, he answered Emilio. “You disobeyed your officer’s order earlier today. You are being punished.”

“You’re no more my officer than you are my superior! You’re just my classmate. Stop putting on air!”

“Think what you want, but do it on your own time.” Like Artem thought, speaking with Emilio was just a waste of time. The boy had proven since the beginning of their collaboration to be too stubborn to listen.

“I know you don’t care what I say or think!” Emilio spat viciously. “You made it obvious by ignoring me when I said we shouldn’t wait to explore the cave! I need to score well this week. Not everyone has their future laid out for them, and it’s not like I can bribe our teachers like you! If you’re satisfied with only purifying one beast, what the hell are you even doing here?”

Galen and Artem listened to Emilio ranting. It was fascinating in a morbid way how he was able to turn everything that had happened on their trip into slights and insults toward him.

The twins did care about their results. They needed to prove themselves and grasp any advantages they could. Moreover, both of them sincerely wanted to help the olms. It felt right for their path as a Beast Healer and a Beast Warden. However, their health and security were more important.

Hiding his distaste, Artem threatened Emilio once more to force him to submit. The brown-haired boy set up the camp sullenly. Setting up in the cave made the process more laborious, so Artem expected poor results. Indeed, the firepit was insufficiently protected, there were no dug-up latrines, and the bedrolls were casually thrown on the ground. It didn’t mean Artem would let Emilio get away with it: the boy had deliberately botched the work.

Artem stood up with a blank face and dismantled the camp, leaving it in a mess. Then, he ordered Emilio to set it up properly again. Of course, the brown-haired boy complained and refused, forcing Artem to resort to physical coercion. The young beast tamer hated acting this way, especially because it wasn’t a good solution for taming Emilio. It only reinforced his belief that Artem was bullying him.

Artem knew how to hurt someone without leaving any traces or permanent damage, but he never thought he would end up using it like that. His guilty feelings were worsened by Jarek’s attitude.

When Artem had threatened Emilio for the second time, Jarek had suggested letting him do it. The blond-haired boy’s smile was disturbing. His comment that he knew other techniques and needed to train them sent shivers down the twins’ backs. “Since the twerp is volunteering as a guinea pig, I should oblige.”

Galen hid his reaction and refused Jarek’s help. “Let the NCO do his job. Meantime, come over here so I can check your hand.” The young pharmacist had planned to heal Jarek’s fracture since the blond-haired boy hadn’t been too obnoxious during the day. However, if Lucia hadn’t needed to grab any opportunity to train, Galen would have reconsidered. “Then, if you want to contribute, we’ll discuss tomorrow’s tasks and strategies.”

Jarek sauntered to Galen, but his gaze stayed on Emilio. Showing that he feared Jarek more than Artem, Emilio went to work properly. It didn’t stop him from muttering and cursing, even when the others joined him to do their share of the other chores.

However, the twins still felt disgusted. They feared their act was going too far and wondered where it would stop. It wasn’t how they imagined things would go down with Emilio. They believed the boy to be a coward. As such, intimidation and threats should have been enough to control him. Artem had thought the only one he would need to roughen physically was Jarek. With the example of how Artem was daring enough to act on his word with the delinquent, further actions shouldn’t have been needed toward the other two.

Seeing how much they had misjudged Emilio and his reactions was a harsh lesson to swallow. It showed that despite their upbringing, they still lacked experience.

Lyra stayed silent during her hosts’ exchange apart from delivering their messages. She didn’t know how to comfort the twins and wasn’t sure she should. Instead, she told them both to sleep that night and to leave their watch rotations to the fairies and her. She insisted, and while she didn’t convince the twins at the end, she managed to distract them with the heated argument.

They were right that her suggestion hadn’t taken into consideration the Beast Rangers surveying them. Leaving the watch rotation to the fairies would raise questions, at best about the twins’ laziness, and at worst about the feature allowing their pets to stand guard in their place.

During the night, Lyra observed Emilio, Jarek, and Celeste while pushing her awareness far around the camp. Her usual mirth was nowhere to be seen. These three had brought only problems to her hosts. Lyra had thought their pettiness and unruliness to be harmless. She was slowly coming to the realization that she couldn’t use her common sense to judge the people around her when her world was so different now.

Her dark musing was interrupted by the sounds of a Solitary Grey Lynx. She couldn’t see it, but she concentrated on her hearing to assuage her suspicions. From the knowledge she had picked up by listening to Galen, lynxes didn’t share their territory with other predators, so it should be the same beast as the night before.

However, why would it be near their camp again? It wasn’t how a wild beast would act, even one with the wit of the rare rank. Lyra liked to give the impression of being an airhead, but she wasn’t stupid. She didn’t believe the lynx was here to find a tamer.

Another suspicious point was that it was around midnight. Weren’t lynxes beasts active during dusk and dawn? Or was she mistaken? Lyra was frustrated by her lack of knowledge, and she didn’t want to wake up Galen or Artem to ask them.

If the lynx wasn’t wild, its tamer was spying on her hosts. Thinking of possible explanations, the Beast Rangers monitoring the students was the most probable. That was a reassuring thought, but Lyra wasn’t convinced.

Shouldn’t a pet trained by a Beast Ranger be undetectable? Artem had seen the lynx the day before, so Lyra was doubtful. Moreover, despite the usual spies using insects, nothing guaranteed they would always use the same means. Lyra imprinted the Solitary Grey Lynx’s breathing pattern to her memory, promising herself to do her utmost to help her hosts.

***

On Tuesday morning, the five students worked together in silence. The twins didn’t try to lighten the mood, feeling it was useless. They concentrated on their tasks for the day.

Once the camp was dismantled, and the cave entrance was put back into its original state, Galen announced his plan. Their first goal was to scout the numerous tunnels to find the olms. To that purpose, the youths separated their members into two groups to explore the cave more quickly. Galen gave them a timeline to respect before they gathered back to the entrance.

Artem decided to trust Celeste and Jarek to protect Galen while he took charge of Emilio. In order to cover each other weaknesses, Ayden went with Galen while Lucia went with Artem.

Both fairies were proud that their tamers assigned such an important duty to them. Using her hands, Ayden grandly swore to fulfill her mission perfectly. The Fire Fairy promised to scout any danger so well that nothing would go near Galen. As for Lucia, she placidly flew in front of Galen to bow. Without her needing to express herself, the young pharmacist knew the Light Fairy would not let Artem be hurt, using her shield to protect him and, if that failed, she would heal him perfectly.

The twins ignored Jarek’s mocking glance and Emilio’s scornful face at the fairies’ antics. They thanked their pets, their mood lighter than before.

What did these people matter? Their fairies were the important ones on their path to becoming beast tamers.

***

The exploration went without too much trouble. Galen made several profitable discoveries, finding glowing mushrooms and some unusual fungi. True to her words, Ayden explored every cranny, squeezing through narrow spaces to access offshoot paths.

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After passing through a large chamber hosting thin waterfalls and sinuous streams due to a porous ceiling, Galen found a vein of calcite shining in pale blues, pale yellows, and dull whites. A careful examination of the rocky walls and grounds revealed it was a vein of spirit stones. It didn’t look to be of high quality, the purity being too low for that. Nevertheless, the young pharmacist was still upset to be unable to mine it: it could have been another source of income despite not being precious spirit stones.

In a relatively lighter mood thanks to the productive exploration, Galen led Jarek and Celeste back to the entrance to join the others. His group hadn’t found the olms, but Lyra had kept the young pharmacist updated on his brother’s progress, so Galen knew Artem had found their target.

Since Galen didn’t want to use Lucia’s [flash] again, judging it too hurtful to the olms, the youths searched for another strategy. Galen kept quiet at first, listening to the others debating. The young beast tamer looked up at Lucia. She was such a diligent pet, surely...

“Sir,” Artem suddenly said, “I know you want to use it, but it’s not ready yet. As things stand, it’s too risky.”

As usual, Artem had guessed Galen’s thoughts even before Galen was fully aware of them. The twins had prepared several trump cards for this field trip, some more well-rounded than others. Artem could have used Lyra to warn Galen, but he wanted the others to know that the twins had other resources. It was never a good idea for a leader to appear lacking.

Galen was slightly disappointed. Despite the risks, he would have liked to know how his ideas hold up on the field. However, Galen had also stayed quiet because he didn’t want to depend on his teammates’ help. Indeed, the only other strategy he could think of required one of their help. Resigned, Galen spoke up. “Dolezal, show me your darts.”

Putting a sleeping potion on Jarek’s darts was a good way to avoid hurting the olms’ delicate skin while still weakening them. The salamander’s skin was actually so thin that it was transparent rather than pink.

While using ailments instead of a light attack was a solution, Galen still needed to find a way to keep the potion from dissolving once it went underwater. Jarek’s darts were of high quality and forged to be combined with poison. As such, any liquid poured on it would stick to it, but it wouldn’t be long before water dilute it. Galen’s other concern was messing up the purifying potion. While the risk was low, the two potions could still interfere with each other in the olms’ bodies. That fear explained why Galen hadn’t used the sleeping potion at first.

Without many choices left, Galen would have to trust his own skills and knowledge. The young pharmacist did his best to reduce any possible interference between the two potions by modifying and fine-tuning their composition. Once the olms were asleep or groggy from Jarek’s darts, Artem and Emilio would use the net to capture them.

After several back and forths to perfect the new strategy and determine precisely everybody’s role, the whole group went back inside. They followed Artem’s lead, Celeste guarding their rear like she would for the rest of the operation.

This time, their plan went smoothly enough, if one were to ignore Jarek’s jabs and Emilio’s grumbling. The youths managed to capture four olms, although only one was corrupted.

Galen purified the beast without any complication, and they released it like they had done with the other ones. Artem was satisfied, and since they didn’t have any more time to dwindle into this cave, they left in the direction of the FOB.

***

It was raining again, obscuring the path under a wet, foggy veil. The low, gray clouds and the tall canopy prevented any sun rays from reaching the ground. It gave the forest a gloomy, ethereal atmosphere. The firs, spruces, and beeches – so colorful on their first day – now looked darker with undertones of dull browns and greens.

The rain was light and sparse at first, but as it became heavier, the youths looked for shelter. They spent several hours huddled in caves, marching when the weather calmed down and otherwise finding safe places to wait for the worst of the weather to pass. This delay made it impossible to check the last cave that might harbor olms.

On the bright side, Galen harvested plenty of mushrooms and fungi and even obtained several spirit pods of seeds. Lucia and Ayden brought back several to him from their exploration of the caves. Even though those found by Ayden weren’t spirit plants, Galen rewarded the fairies and complimented them.

Unexpectedly, Lucia had found a seed pod from a peony. These flowers grew their pods in August or September, so Galen believed some beasts or animals had brought the pod back into the caves. If Galen identified it right, it was one species of peonies blooming in Spring, found in mountain gorges, with white petals and a yellow heart.

The best discovery was a delphinium pod. It was wet, so Galen would need to treat it before sowing it. The only species of delphinium growing into the Lush Steps Lake was a dark purple one with high toxicity. It had low chances of working, nevertheless, Galen hoped to use crossbreeding to produce a breed approaching the dreamy blue-dawn delphinium he needed.

The other seeds were some orchids and a rare comfrey. His harvest somehow lifted Galen’s mood after all the disappointments.

As their team was advancing toward the FOB during a break from the rain, Lyra alerted them about a human presence around them. It wasn’t the first time. During their trek, Lyra had mentioned glimpses of other groups searching for their target or taking shelter from the rain. Lyra’s warning allowed them to subtly avoid other groups, leading them on different paths without alerting Emilio, Jarek, or Celeste.

“It’s Daniyal and his monkey.” Lyra concentrated on her talent to get more information. “He’s alone, surely scouting for his team.”

Galen pondered on their course. Artem was reluctant to meet other students after Jarek’s reaction to Caleb on their first day. The twins didn’t want to tempt fate again. However, they would need to make a long detour to avoid Daniyal. Since the boy was alone, they decided to act as if they hadn’t seen him.

Daniyal froze as they approached, hidden in a tree. His monkey curiously followed them for a short while, but none of the twins’ teammates noticed them to the twins’ relief.

However, their peace didn’t last long. They were engaged in a narrow pass when Lyra alerted them to another team at the end of the path.

“It’s the Jamra buffoons. They weren’t on our path. They deliberately maneuvered to cross paths with you.”

“Can we avoid them?” Galen asked, reluctant to bear Amir’s attitude.

“I don’t think so. I’m sorry that I haven’t noticed it before. Shahin’s falcon is circling high above you. I wasn’t focusing on the sky, so I didn’t hear it soon enough.”

“Do you suspect them of looking for us?” Artem asked next, thinking of what it would mean for the rest of their trip.

“Why else would the falcon be above you?”

“It’s not like we have any choices now that we’re engaged in the pass.” Galen sighed. He just wanted this trip to be over.

Resigned, the twins advanced. They warned their teammates to keep their calm, Artem emphasizing the order to Jarek. The blond-haired boy responded with a cheerful “Sure, Sarge!”, leaving Artem unable to pursue the matter.

When they finally saw the other team, Amir’s tall and slender figure was easily recognizable at the front. His dark, short, curly hair was still meticulously groomed, making him look unruffled by the trip. His brown eyes were half closed as he looked at the twins. His Black Sand Fennec was sitting at his feet, its tail curled around its pawns, and his cousins stood a step behind him.

With their dark hair and brown skin, their family resemblance was striking. Shahin and Basic were enacting Amir’s casual attitude. Shahin looked at ease, holding out his arm for his Red Falcon to land on his fist. Then, he ignored the twins’ group to take care of his pet. Basic had his arms crossed, and he was leaning against his camel.

Nasir, despite looking perfectly like a member of the Jamra Family, stood out because of his ridiculously proud stance. His chin was raised, he had his hands on his hips, and he was glaring at the twins. His beetle, surely sensing his tamer’s excitation, was scuttling around his feet.

“Well, if they wanted to impress us with this pose, they should have excluded the hothead. He wouldn’t know the meaning of dignity if you spell it to him!”

However, the Jamra boys’ attitude was enough to separate them from the mundanes following them. Their clothes were soiled, and their heads were lowered, but the twins still noticed the dark circles under their eyes. The five boys looked subdued. It made the twins uncomfortable, so they ignored the mundane students to concentrate on the real threat: Amir and his lackeys.

The twins came to a stop slowly, Artem at the front. They kept silent. The silence became awkward, as Amir examined them, his gaze stopping a long time on each of them. Galen wondered if he should greet Amir first. He knew Amir was trying for a power play, but the young pharmacist didn’t have the patience for any political game.

“So, you’re not dead,” Amir finally said, as if he was casually commenting on the unexpected weather. “When Shahin told me what his falcon had found, I didn’t believe him. With such trash as your teammates, I thought the wild would do us a favor and kill you. Are you cockroaches?”

Galen audibly sighed and Artem raised an eyebrow. They felt it was enough to answer Amir’s insult and to convey their boredom with Amir’s jabs. However, they heard Lyra swearing in their minds, insulting the Jamra boys.

Galen tried to calm her, telling her not to fall for their provocation. “Why don’t you keep an ear out for our surroundings, Lyra?” Galen added, trying to shift the girl’s focus. “We’re in the wild: Amir could have planned something nasty.”

“Or he’s just here to gloat! What else does he know to do?” Lyra grumbled. However, she still scanned her surroundings. As usual, Emilio was muttering, but Lyra ignored him. The CSI didn’t notice anything else, so she snorted when Nasir eagerly spoke to Amir.

“Let me take care of them, young master!”

“You?” Amir scornfully looked at his cousin. “What can you do against them? They’re trash beneath our notice, but at least their results during the exam weren’t as shameful as yours.”

Nasir flushed in shame, clenching his fists in anger. “It was an accident, young master. Let me prove it to you.”

Amir paused, looking fixedly at Nasir. Before he could come to a decision, Galen changed the subject.

“Don’t you have better things to do, Amir?” Galen was sure Amir was bluffing. Who would try to kill them when Beast Rangers were monitoring the location? Moreover, heirs had to uphold the name of their Family. Galen wasn’t naive enough to believe all Families to be clean, but they wouldn’t be so obviously breaking the law. “Surely with so many minions, you can’t afford to come back with only one or two purified beasts on your record. Or do you like playing with trash?”

Amir just smiled widely, amused by Galen’s indirect admission of being trash. Shahin and Basic, following their young master’s lead, didn’t comment. However, Nasir acted as if Galen had mortally insulted Amir and insisted noisily on being permitted to teach the twins a lesson.

“Whatever. It’s not like you’ve been useful until now for our mission.” Amir looked at Nasir and sighed. “Just don’t bring us trouble. Do you understand what I mean, Nasir?”

Nasir eagerly nodded. “You can trust me, young master.”

Nasir bore the jabs from his young master without comments. He would take his anger out at the twins and their teammates. While he understood that he couldn’t kill the Eos twins, he could maim them during a fight. Beast tamers fought all the time, especially young beast tamers looking to prove and test themselves. Nasir had trained so hard for the last month. He was proud of his progress and was sure he could prove his worth to the Family despite his mother’s skepticism.

“There are five of them,” Amir mused. He pointed at three mundane fighters successively. “You, you, and you. Stay and help him. Basic? If you will.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him, young master.” Basic stepped forward, his White Camel behind him.

Amir nodded indifferently and ignored Nasir’s protest, claiming he didn’t need a minder. Amir turned to Shahin. “Any news of the rare Broad Rock Crayfish we were searching for?”

Shahin had spent the time whispering to his Red Falcon, his pet nodding or fluttering his wings in answers. At Amir’s inquiry, the boy showed a direction confidently.

“Perfect, led the way. We still have time to purify at least two crayfish. It wouldn’t do to disappoint our classmates’ expectations,” Amir mockingly said. Amir and Shahin left leisurely, two of the mundanes following them. One was a fighter acting as a servant, and the other was the pharmacist.

“Lyra, keep an ear out for them, to ensure they don’t double back on us,” Artem ordered.

The CSI easily agreed: she trusted the Jamra boys as far as she could throw them, and without a body, that meant none at all.