“Attractiveness gets you places.”

—Fashion Model Tora Tobad

The next morning Zaina woke up refreshed but still uncertain about her path forward on this mission. Was there even a way to help the enclave? Neither side seemed interested in finding another course of action. War seemed inevitable.

Zaina put aside her worries long enough to make a cup of instant gamba, and after taking her first sip she wished she’d taken the time to heat the water. The bitter taste was fine, but lukewarm gamba wasn’t her thing. She nibbled on a dried berry cracker and considered her next move.

She knew she’d get more information working the dig-site, but she’d be more of an asset protecting the enclave—and she imagined some of the warriors had to be in the know on things, too. Then again, what did information matter? If Sivanya was being honest about her intentions Zaina already had all the information she was going to get.

After slogging through her disappointing cup of gamba Zaina walked outside and raised her arms above her head to stretch. To her surprise, Sivanya was waiting.

“Good morning,” she greeted Zaina. “I hope you slept well.”

She has to be suspicious of something, right? I mean, I doubt every single person inducted into the enclave gets this sort of attention.

“I did, thank you very much. You weren’t waiting for me to wake up, were you?”

Sivanya chuckled. “You’re a new marked. I figured you’d sleep for about eight hours. I attended to some business, and then I came back.”

“Well, thank you,” Zaina said. “I appreciate you looking out for me.”

“It’s no problem at all. Every single person who comes here deserves a chance to become a contributor—someone who helps their fellow marked. That’s what I think, anyway.”

Zaina nodded. “To be honest, I still haven’t made up my mind.”

“Understandable. It’s a lot to take in all at once. That’s why I’ve arranged something special for us today.”

Zaina perked up, both curious and anxious. “What’s that?”

“We’ll be joining Rasmus and his troupe on forest patrol,” she said with a coy grin. “You can see what it takes to defend our home—and then, tomorrow, we’ll work the excavation.”

“We?” Zaina asked.

“Yes. I’ll be accompanying you on both days. Truth be told, I’ve missed patrol duty. I’ve spent most of my time lately on the dig site.”

Zaina frowned. “Is there any other reason you want to come with?”

Sivanya’s smile faded. “I do want to keep an eye on you, Zaina Quin. Your mark is born of the Eldritch—if it takes control back, it could endanger the entire enclave.”

Somehow, that felt worse than being suspected of siding with the unmarked. “But—”

Sivanya raised a hand. “I believe in innocence until proven otherwise. I will not condemn you for what you run from—and if your intentions are honest, I believe you’ll be able to live a life of peace here. So cheer up—you’ve said all the right things so far.”

Unsure of what to say, Zaina let a nod suffice.

“Come, now,” Sivanya said. “Rasmus awaits us.”

Zaina walked alongside the enclave’s leader as she led them back toward the dig-site. A thin fog clung to the forest floor, and sunlight danced through the leaves.

Sivanya said as they went, “Now, Rasmus can be quite eccentric. I doubt he’ll make a good first impression, but give him a chance and he might grow on you.”

“Eccentric?”

“Let’s say Rasmus and the troupe very much enjoy all of each other’s company very often and leave it at that.”

Zaina blinked a few times, registering what she’d heard. “Ah.”

What the hell am I walking into?

The dig-site was in view when Sivanya took a sharp turn away from it. They seemed to be going in the direction of Zaina’s crashed ship while the sound of mining hummed and faded in the distance.

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“Now,” Sivanya said, “there are a few rules on patrol. Whispering only—you want to avoid detection at all costs. Next, always have a partner nearby. You don’t want to be engaging the unmarked alone. I’ll be your partner for the day.”

Zaina glanced at Sivanya’s leg, which appeared to be giving her trouble. It was squeaking a little more than she remembered from last time.

Sivanya caught on and smiled. “It’s all right if you want to ask, you know.”

“Huh? I—uh, no, I, uh—”

“Tell you what,” Sivanya said, gesturing toward Zaina’s arm. “Tell me yours, and I’ll tell you mine.”

Zaina’s heart skipped a beat. The Order of Riiva gave her this arm, but Sivanya couldn’t know that. Her gut told her being vague might be the answer—seeming like she didn’t want to talk about it. She sighed and then said, “I lost it in a fight with one of the Eldritch’s disciples.”

Sivanya nodded. “Thank you for sharing. You lost your world and your arm—I can’t imagine what that must have been like. I assume you stole that one, then?”

“Yeah,” Zaina said, staring at the metal arm and praying to any god who was listening that her next words were believable. “I got it on Otmonzas. Found the arm on a dead body in an alley. And then I found someone who could do the surgery, but there was a cost. I had to help them with a mission.”

“And you did?”

Zaina gave a nod. “Barely escaped with my life afterward. And now, here I am.”

Sivanya’s eyebrow shot up. “What was the mission, if you don’t mind me asking?”

This part didn’t have to be a lie, giving Zaina some reprieve. “A heist for some stupid crystal. They got what they wanted, but they left me behind.”

“Figures,” Sivanya said, her voice tinged with bitterness. “You can never trust an unmarked enough to show your back.”

A wave of sadness brushed over Zaina—there was so much anger within Sivanya, but its source was pain. The entire world of Vyzria seemed to be in pain or afraid. Maybe that was fueling the poisonous hatred infecting seemingly everything.

“Well,” Sivanya said, a half-grin forming on her face, “mine isn’t as exciting as that, I’m afraid. I lost my leg when I was a little girl. I was attacked by a myrune.”

Zaina shuddered. Myrunes, four-legged, hairless beasts with jaws and gaping mouths with rows of jagged teeth, were not creatures she ever hoped to meet in person.

Sivanya continued, “By the time my father heard my screams and got there, it had savaged my leg. He scared it off, thankfully, or I wouldn’t be here today.”

“Well, I’m glad he scared it off, then,” Zaina said.

“Thank you,” she replied with a warm smile. “I am too. It was too late to do anything for the leg—it got a good few bites in. Judging by your face, you know what their jaws look like. The bones in my leg were shattered—the doctors said it was a miracle they were able to stabilize me after all the blood I lost.”

“That sounds horrifying. How old were you when this happened?”

“I think four,” Sivanya said, “but it might have been five. I’m honestly not sure. It’s been so long since this happened.”

Zaina was a bit puzzled by this. Sivanya didn’t look a day older than forty. A personal question occurred to her, one in which Zaina had a vested interest. “Are you still close with your parents, even after getting the mark?”

Sivanya’s eyebrows scrunched up she tilted her head to the side. “Oh, my. Heavens, no. They’ve been dead for over a thousand years at this point.”

Zaina was taken aback. “A thousand years? What—is that how old you are?”

“A little rude to ask, but yes, roughly,” Sivanya said. “I often get told I carry the years well.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Zaina said. Back home on Demelia, Beni had told her something about immortality—maybe he wasn’t kidding.

Not that it would’ve changed my answer.

“What about your parents?” Sivanya asked.

Zaina sighed. “I’m not sure. I never talked to them after the accident.”

“Ah,” Sivanya said. “I am sorry to hear that.”

They continued in silence for a short time. The trees became more plentiful as they ventured further into the forest, and space between them grew narrower. Eventually, they came to a small clearing with chopped tree trunks at the edges; in the center was a large, dome-shaped tent painted to match the forest. This tent was at least thirty feet in diameter and appeared capable of fitting a few dozen people.

Sivanya stopped at the door. “They’re usually waking up and getting ready at about this time. I imagine if we give them a few minutes we’ll be good to go.”

“Sounds good to me,” Zaina said. “Why do they all stay together?”

Sivanya loosed a heavy sigh, as if she didn’t want to say what she was about to. “Rasmus has inspired quite a bit of loyalty in the girls. They’re fiercely dedicated to him.”

“I see,” Zaina said. “If I do join the patrols, I won’t have to stay here, right?”

“Oh, heavens, no,” Sivanya said, stifling a chuckle. “Only if you want to. Most of them don’t—we’ll be meeting up with the rest of the patrol group at a designated rendezvous point once Captain Rasmus is ready.”

Thank the gods. I don’t know if I’m ready for that type of infiltration.

“You look relieved,” Sivanya observed with a coy grin. “Perhaps when you see Rasmus you’ll understand why the girls admire him so. Look—here he comes now.”

A man stepped out of the tent—he was tall, nearly seven feet, and human with tan skin and messy black hair. His green eyes were the color of ripe Demelian olives, and muscles rippled everywhere on his body they could. He wore a simple leather top with a torn strap and slacks with holes in them. Scars covered what skin he showed, except for the mark on his forehead. She supposed he was what other girls would consider handsome, but he didn’t do anything for Zaina.

He laid eyes on Sivanya and smiled. “My lady. I was told you’d be joining us today with a new face.”

Sivanya returned the smile. “I’m glad Deni wasn’t too distracted to deliver the message.”

“You know the rules,” he said. “No distractions ‘til after the work’s done.”

Sivanya nodded and gestured toward Zaina. “This is Zaina Quin. She’s new to the enclave, and has some combat experience.”

“Well met,” Rasmus said, extending a hand. Zaina took it and held on as he shook it vigorously. His grip was like iron—she tried to match it. He smiled.

“Nice hold you got there,” he said. “Well, Zaina Quin, my name is Rasmus. The girls are finishing up getting ready in there, but they’ll be along shortly. I do hope you’re considering joining the patrols—we need all the help we can get here.”

“Considering it,” she said. “I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

A serious expression came over his face. “You’ll know after today—trust me. It’s the kind of thing you either can’t get away from or can’t get far enough away from.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant, so she nodded and went with it.