The gift of concurring magic is one inherited by blood. Therefore, the chance of a child to be born with an ability is high when its parents held magic as well. However, it is noteworthy that ancestry does not dictate the kind of magic a child will develop. Rather, it is speculated that the type of magic is linked to one’s nature.

This supposition has given rise to a quasi-scientific pursuit known as "fate reading" through magical attributes. A preposterous concept that claims that individuals born with particular magical abilities are fated for exceptional destinies compared to their counterparts.

Though ludicrous, such beliefs are based on a very true hierarchy perceived within magic society. Enhanced physical abilities are seen as the lowest ranked, followed by practitioners of most elemental magics, with the exception of light and dark magic due to their affinity for advanced spells. They are seen as part of the higher magicians, together with abilities like telepathy, healing, or astral projection.

Yet, there exists a form of magic which is both coveted and dreaded in equal measure. The power of time.

Children born with this rare gift possess the ability to glimpse into the future and even alter past events. But such unfathomable power comes at the great cost of a limited life span. The magic is simply too great to be controlled and drains away their life force, causing them to die in early childhood.

This kind of magic user, known as a Ziener, has seen but one known individual who surpassed the age of infancy. Her name was Relisha Naheem, who met her fate at the tender age of seven.

The extent to which their abilities might develop if nurtured and permitted to reach maturity, remains a subject of speculation. But, for the delicate equilibrium of our world, it is perhaps for the better that such a prospect seems impossible.

~ The History and People of Magic by Sir Rainaldus Gale

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“Hold your ground! Don’t be intimidated, Cedric!”

Standing from the side, Lidea looked on as the smaller man listened to her advice and blocked the incoming attack instead of evading it as he had been doing. She was still amazed at the growth he had experienced since her arrival at the shelter. If they weren’t in their current situation, she would have advised him to try out for the royal army. After all, he was already better than the average recruit they accepted within their ranks. Sadly that wasn’t an option for a magician like him.

Cedric grunted as he struggled underneath his opponent's longsword, but before she had to advise him again, he kicked against the man’s ankle. His opponent crumbled to the ground and Cedric took the opportunity to hold him at his sword end until he was declared the victor.

“Well done.”

At her words, Cedric broke out into a wide grin.

“I got our prickly princess to finally give me a compliment!”

The men all around them started laughing as Lidea glared before throwing her glove at his head with utmost precision.

“Seems like you want your ass kicked. Again.”

“No, no, no. Sorry Lidea!”

The laughter grew louder, and Lidea shook her head at his behavior but inside she was glad that it had brought some levity to the group. Her number of trainees had grown substantially, with the many civilians joining their ranks. Though some were angered by the King’s actions and wanted to help, she suspected most just wanted to become better fighters. To help them defend themselves, as well as open up other roads of employment in their uncertain future.

No matter their reasons, every person helping was a blessing. It also turned out to be a great way of strengthening the group as a whole. With just under half of the shelter’s inhabitants joining in, a bond had been created between those who had already lived here and the new additions. Something that had concerned her, as the resistance consisted of mages whom the civilians had been told to hate for years.

“I will forgive you just this once.”

Lidea smiled as she looked over the group. Though greater in number than before, she was missing some of her original party. Firon had been send with the scouting group to help find them a settlement in Udrän. It had taken them around a week to send news back, but since then they had been sending a group of around twenty together with two members of the resistance every day. Although she missed the men who had quickly become her comrades, she couldn’t help but feel relieved as the shelter started to empty out. With every day she grew more nervous about a potential attack and it was nerve-wracking that she could do nothing but wait.

Movement on her left caught her attention and she saw Taylor walking her way. A rug sack slung over his shoulder and his sword bound to his hip. Ready to depart with the following group.

“Training dismissed everyone.”

She doubted most heard her as they had already started to pack up and chat with one another. A habit that just wouldn’t die, no matter how often she admonished them. However, this time she didn’t waste her breath as she approached Taylor who smiled sheepishly at her. Cedric wasn’t the only one who had grown, though, in Taylor’s case, it was in a more literal sense. His figure now resembling more that of his seasoned warrior brother and having lost some of his boyish charm.

“All ready to go?”

Taylor smiled shyly as he nodded at her question.

“I just wanted to thank you for all the help. And, well...I just...Be careful, alright?”

He blushed furiously and she smiled as his concern touched her.

“Don’t worry that pretty head of yours. I will be fine. You better be careful, and make sure that your group arrives safely. Until you reach Udrän, they are your responsibility. Understood?”

“Yes, my Lady.”

Lidea narrowed her eyes causing him to look confused and fidget before she could see something click in his mind.

“Yes, Lidea.”

“Better.”

She chuckled before becoming serious as she grabbed something from her bag. A rolled-up letter, one that was discolored due to the dirt it had collected in all those days that she had failed to give it to him.

“I should have given it to you sooner…”

She stared at her feet as he accepted the letter and opened it. He didn’t finish reading before he looked back at her.

“You did not need to ask for my forgiveness … I never blamed you for his death. But thank you. I’m happy that he was led by someone who cared for him and didn’t see him as a tool.”

He suddenly hugged her tight, taking Lidea by surprise but she didn’t fight it.

A wolf whistle broke their intimate moment and Lidea scowled, looking for the culprit as Taylor released her.

“Leave them be. Finding out who you fancy is like their only form of entertainment.”

“Should I be amused by that?”

Lidea raised an eyebrow as she grinned, not as bothered by it as she tried to suggest. Though Taylor didn’t seem to catch her sarcasm as he stiffened.

“Of course not, My Lady... I mean, Lidea!”

With a laugh, she waved away his backtracking. Though he had gained more confidence and skill, he seemed to never lose his awkwardness and she wondered if he ever would.

“It is fine Taylor. Now go, don’t let them wait for you. Give my regards to the guys. Tell them that I want the place to be running smoothly when I arrive.”

“Your wish is our command! See you soon.”

“Take care, Taylor.”

With a wide grin, he walked away, a definitive spring in his step caused by a mixture of excitement and nerves, if she were to guess. She could empathize. Leaving the cave after just a few months already felt daunting to her, and he had been here for years.

Watch over him, Damian.

She wished silently, only leaving when he had finally disappeared from view.

Walking up to the highest level, she tried to ignore the rising tension within the cavern. With each departure, those remaining grew increasingly restless, harboring resentment towards her decision to spread out the evacuation. They seemed oblivious to the fact that moving a group of around three hundred people discreetly through the countryside, was near impossible. Even a group of twenty stood out, especially as multiple groups were using roughly the same road. It was undeniably risky, but so was staying here longer than absolutely necessary.

With no idea of when or if the enemy would attack, she didn’t have the luxury of letting them go gradually in small well-crafted groups. They just had to get to Udrän as quickly as possible.

To help placate those remaining, she had made them practice emergency drills and moved most into houses at the far-off side of the cavern. Getting them closer to the exit.

Only the original resistance group as well as those who wanted to fight, still stayed here.

Walking up the stone steps that lead into the infirmary, she attempted to brush off the dirt that she had inevitably tracked from the training fields. Though she took longer than needed, using the moment to steel her heart before stepping inside.

The hall was eerily quiet despite it being full of people. Unmoving patients were laid out on either beds or piles of bedding on the ground. Most seemed to be sleeping, but for a handful that sat awake. Their eyes stared unseeing. As if their souls had long left their still-living bodies.

The reason for their current state stood on a table not far from the door. A bottle of incense smoked into a sickly sweet aroma that burned Lidea’s nose. Crystal used the herbs within to keep her patients asleep, to ensure they didn’t have to suffer through their recovery.

To prevent herself from being influenced, Lidea grabbed one of the masks that the healer provided to protect those visiting. With the thin cloth covering her mouth and nose, the scent disappeared and she felt her mind clear. It was scary how subtle the medicine worked, as Lidea had only noticed its impact once it was gone.

Looking around, she noticed the healer's absence but the door to her room stood open and Lidea could hear mumbling coming from inside.

Following the sound, she found the healer kneeling on the floor. A book laid open in front of her, its pages filled with nonsensical scratchy symbols. The fact that it was barely bound together and the paper itself looked yellowish and dirty, made Lidea question just how long it had been in the healer's possession.

Crystal hadn’t noticed her, as she continued to sway while muttering in a language that sounded harsh to Lidea.

Something about the scene made her feel unsettled, and her hand moved to the demon steel sword on her hip. Only to move away as Lidea became aware of the ridiculous action.

Is she praying?

Considering how long the half-demoness had lived, Lidea wouldn’t have expected her to be the superstitious type. Shouldn’t she know better?

Not wanting to disturb such a private moment, Lidea was about to leave when she noticed a bag lying on Crystal's bed. It was the medicine pouch she normally carried, which had been unfolded completely to show all of its separate compartments. A variety of herbs and flasks had been stored inside, as well as a set of medical tools that Lidea had only seen in books before. Next to the bag, four daggers were placed in order of size. They were of a plain design, with no decorations and a sober steel blade. Seeing the contents, Lidea couldn’t help but wonder just how well she knew the healer.

“Are you here to torment yourself again?”

Lidea almost screamed as she turned just to see Crystal pass her by and grab the daggers from the bed, placing them back onto her belt.

“I’m not tormenting myself.”

She answered as she watched the healer place the book upon the unfolded piece of cloth, giving her a glimpse of its pale leather casing, before she folded the pouch back to its original form.

Only once it was safely stored, did Crystal turn to stare at Lidea with her piercing, jewel-like gaze. They both knew it was guilt that drove Lidea to visit daily since her choice to evacuate. A decision she stood by despite knowing that these people were unable to leave. Even if they could transport them out of the shelter, they still wouldn’t survive a fast-paced journey to Udrän.

Lidea had considered leaving a small group to take care of them, but she hadn’t found any volunteers to do so and she didn’t expect to find any soon. The stark reality was that no matter if there was an attack or not, these people would be left behind.

“It won’t make them feel better.”

The healer sighed deeply but Lidea avoided her gaze and looked toward the treatment room with its sleeping inhabitants.

“Maybe not. But, they deserve to be remembered by the one who failed them.”

Her reply made Crystal snort as she aggressively started emptying the bedpans. Giving Lidea another reason to be glad she was wearing a mask.

“In that case, we all failed them. Life isn’t fair Lidea, and in a war, there will be casualties. I thought you knew that.”

Of course, Lidea knew, but she also understood that it was something she could never accept.

“You are right, but the moment that I start treating human lives no different to a sword or horse is the moment I lost. Then I became the same as Morto. So I will remember their names and faces, even if it is just to drive myself to do better.”

There was an odd feeling of acceptance within her. A knowing that she would no longer let the guilt overpower her while respecting its presence. Ever since she had lost her mind within that cave, she had slept soundlessly with no nightmares or memories to haunt her. As if through that confrontation, her soul had finally made peace with her past.

Crystal stilled her movements, her expression shifting from frustration to one of contemplation as she regarded Lidea. After a moment, she chuckled softly, a hint of respect showing in her eyes.

“It seems that I haven’t grown too old to learn yet. You are wise beyond your years, did anyone tell you that?”

Lidea hadn’t expected the healer to accept her reasoning so easily and found herself staring without answering.

“I suppose not.”

Grinning Crystal walked away to concentrate fully on another patient whose heavy burns needed cleaning. Leaving Lidea to stand aimlessly until she had recovered her wits and started walking over to the first patient she saw. As she had done for days, she told them about what was happening within the shelter. For some, she talked about their loved ones, while for others she talked about her day. She was unsure if they could understand a word of what she was saying, but it felt right to at least try and make them aware of the situation.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

A sudden wailing sound started from outside, causing Crystal and her to share a look of confusion before they ran out of the door.

Looking over the cavern, the haunting melody seemed to come from all around them, as if emanated by the cavern walls themselves. The sound reminded Lidea of the laments sung at funerals, although this one sounded more ominous than sorrowful.

Instinctively she grabbed her blade from its scabbard, knowing that something must have happened, and having a good guess as to what. Her hunch was confirmed when voices started ringing from the main entrance and one of the guards came running out.

“They are here! We are being attacked!”

Valerian hadn’t lied.

Looking over at Crystal, she found that the healer had already vanished and not a moment later, the sound of a horn joined the cavern’s wail. The emergency sound they had agreed upon and which should notify everyone to go to their positions.

Lidea ran towards the main entrance, joining the guards that had retreated to just outside of the tunnel's end. As Warchief had offered before, they stood the best chance to defend themselves there and buy as much time as possible for the rest of the group to make it out.

“Where are they?”

She looked at the middle-aged man standing beside her, whose hands were shaking in fright. One of her newly added recruits if she remembered correctly.

“They are trying to get through the barrier, but it wasn’t bending for them.”

Lidea nodded, glad for the barrier's strength. Hopefully, it would keep holding on and they could leave before anyone even came in.

An increase in temperature made her aware that Warchief had come to stand beside her, and with him, many others started to assemble around the entrance. All waiting for the enemy to come out. Lidea just wished she had an idea of how outnumbered they were.

“Remember everyone, if the signal is called, we are falling back as fast as we can. We are not trying to win from them here, but to stall for time.”

She could see some of them nod and hoped all listened thoroughly, but she knew that once the battle started, it would become chaos. Looking over her shoulder, she could see people moving on the other side of the cavern. She just prayed their commotion would die down before the army managed to break through. That way the location of the exit would be hidden until their retreat.

The wailing sound turned into a shrill shriek before it dissipated, and Lidea could hear footsteps coming from the tunnel

“Be ready!”

She tried to sound confident but wasn’t sure if she had managed, as she took her position at the front line along with Warchief and some of their most advanced fighters. Others formed a second row behind them, brandishing spears to create a barrier for any opponent to cross. The rest was left to wait and catch those that passed these first two lines of defense, or to fill in for any on their side who had fallen. Even outnumbered, this setup should gain them the time they so desperately needed. Especially as their enemy was expecting this attack to be a surprise.

Anxiously she looked for torchlight to appear, but it didn’t. Instead, she caught sight of their enemy as the bluish light of the cavern reached them. They marched unhurried in neat lines of four wide. Each dressed in a uniform of black leather armor, including a gaiter which covered the lower half of their face. Only their eyes were exposed, and Lidea grew more tense as she saw their impassive, even bored, expressions. She had never heard of the Ligerian people or their army, and the purple crest stitched upon their chest was unfamiliar to her. But one thing was clear.

These were professional fighters.

“Brace yourselves.”

Fear tainted her whispered warning and she was glad that none but Warchief seemed to have heard. The man glanced her way and nodded in understanding before he grinned wickedly. As if he was looking forward to the challenge, and not thinking of the many lives that were at stake.

Then it started.

To Lidea’s horror, the soldier who had stood beside her crumpled in an instant as a sword cleaved through him. His measly attempt to parry, broken through by his opponent's brutish force. His attacker did not spare a glance and just continued, not hesitating to pierce himself onto the spear behind and attack the second row.

It was all Lidea could see as she crossed blows with another. Though her adversary looked light, his sword’s power was making her buckle and she quickly changed tactics. Turning her sword, she made his attack bounce off her, before stepping out of the way and striking his exposed side. Only for the man to grab the blade of her sword. A baffling mistake as it caused her sword’s edge to slice right through his glove and fingers. A quick hint of disbelief flickered through his otherwise blank eyes, but there was no pain and he didn’t hesitate to attack her again. His lack of reaction scared her, and she made sure to avoid his blows altogether. Knowing that she couldn’t match him in strength.

Calm yourself. If pain doesn’t stop him, then you find another way!

Seeing his heavily bleeding hand, she decided to strike at the wrist of his sword hand. Her precious blade cut through the leather and his flesh as butter but wasn’t able to slice through the bone underneath where it got stuck. The both of them seemed to notice this at the same time, and as she desperately tried to pull it free, the man turned toward her and curled his free arm around her throat. With her back now towards him and her sword still stuck, she could do nothing but struggle, kick, and bite his arm as she started to feel lightheaded. The soldier didn’t react and just continued strangling her, but her wild movements managed to dislodge her sword and she immediately pointed it over her shoulder, attacking blindly. It hit something malleable and the man groaned softly before his strength left him.

Lidea gasped for air as she pulled her blade out of the man’s eye, her stomach turning at the sight.

Another soldier approached her, heaving his sword high to kill her in one blow if it wasn’t for the dagger that hit him in his neck. He gurgled on his blood as the weight of his sword made him fall backward

“You fools! We have to move, now! Why try and stand your ground when they have broken through already!”

Crystal almost growled as she grabbed the dagger from the man she just killed. She had shed her white dress for her skin-tight black suit, which looked rather brown as it was stained by a mixture of fresh and dried blood.

“Warchief! Leave them and let’s go!”

As Lidea regained her senses, she became aware of the bloodbath that surrounded them. All around her lay bodies with familiar faces that stared at her with empty gazes. Ligerians were freely passing them by to follow the few fleeing survivors. The only one standing was Warchief, who still held his position at what was once their front line. He was holding off two soldiers at once, but Lidea could see that he was struggling. Keeping one off with his blades, as he used his fire at the other.

Lidea wasn’t sure if he had heard Crystal, but even if he did. There was just no way for him to shake off the both of them.

Grabbing her sword she ran toward him and used Warchief’s fire as cover to pierce one soldier through the throat.

“We have to run!”

Lidea urged him. Seeing that the healer had forsaken her position at the exit, meant that the Ligerians had already made it there.

“More will come through!”

Warchief objected but Crystal hit him in the back of the head before throwing a ball of cloth at the Ligerians coming in.

“You can’t hold them all Warchief! Now, go!”

His eyes widened as purple smoke came from the ball and he no longer protested. Grabbing Lidea’s hand, he started to run and Crystal followed suit as she grabbed hold of Lidea’s other hand. There was no time to ask what they were doing, as they both gained speed until her feet could do nothing but try and keep up. They flashed by the streets, passing by several Ligerians who had no chance at keeping up with the two non-humans.

As they neared the exit, Lidea could see another big cloud of purple smoke. Some Ligerians lay motionless on the ground before it, while others were coughing violently as they still tried to push through to the other side.

“Hold your breath and close your eyes!”

Lidea quickly followed Crystal's demand as they entered the smoke. Around her, she could hear more people coughing and gasping for air, and Lidea felt as if her lungs would burst as they continued deeper into the tunnel.

Crystal let go of her hand and Lidea ignored the impulse to see where she had gone. Squeezing her eyes tighter as she stumbled over the uneven flooring. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and gulped in the air. She was rewarded by an awful itching within her lungs that made her cough.

“Stay here!”

Warchief’s hand let go of her as he ran off and she could hear the distinct squealing of two blades crossing one another.

“You can open your eyes now. The coughing should subside soon, we were far enough away.”

Opening her eyes, she could see Crystal looking over her with concern. She held the tread in her hand which had once guided their way out. Lidea surmised that she had cut it loose as they ran through the first passage. If anyone was left alive in the cavern, they would now be stuck. Although seeing the corpses all around them, she wondered if they had ever stood a chance in the first place.

Noticing what had drawn Lidea’s attention, Crystal uttered a response coated in sadness.

“We can’t let more of them follow us up…”

Lidea wanted to tell her she understood but was distracted by a grunt. The Ligerian soldier Warchief had been fighting, collapsed, and convulsed on the ground until he finally stopped moving.

“They are a tenacious bunch. I haven’t seen anyone fight like that after being hit with malefah poison.”

Warchief almost seemed in awe and Lidea wondered just what kind of poison Crystal had used, and if she had any more.

“This isn’t the moment to admire our enemy, Warchief. As long as there is poison within the first passage, we should have nobody new joining us, but I have no idea how many already made it through.”

Putting away his swords, he stretched his arms as he walked towards the ladder that had replaced Lidea’s original rope. She could see how it was coated with spatters of blood. The soldiers who had made their way up would have had no problem with picking off the people climbing.

“In other words, let’s start climbing so we can help out.”

Swallowing the last of her coughing fits, Lidea straightened herself out as she looked up the near-vertical shaft.

“That, and we should close the tunnel behind us.”

As a safekeep, they had placed explosive powder all around the rim of the tunnel. It had been meant as a last resort, as they didn’t know how stable the rest of the tunnel was. It could be that it would collapse completely, killing anyone inside. But it was a risk they would have to take.

Neither retorted against the idea, as Warchief rubbed the sweat off his hands before starting to go up the ladder. Crystal looked expectantly at her to go next but Lidea shook her head.

“I’m slower than either of you. Don’t wait for me and get up there as fast as you can.”

She could see that the healer disagreed but something in Lidea’s face must have told her that arguing would not make a difference, as she shrugged before following Warchief up.

After giving her body a shake, she quickly pursued them. Wondering just what would wait for them up there.

“Do you have an idea how many soldiers might be there?”

Lidea asked as she reached the shaft’s ledge, mindful to not disturb any of the explosive powder as she started scrambling.

“I threw the poison as soon as I noticed that the defense had fallen. As you can see though, they are unrelenting. Many tried to run through despite the poison. Before that? I have no idea, perhaps twenty?”

Crystal sounded apologetic though it was Lidea who felt like she should apologize. Despite all of the training she had put them through, the guys had fallen immediately. Leaving Crystal with the impossible task of defending the group on her own.

“Too many… Dammit, how could they be so strong? It was as if they felt no pain.”

Lidea muttered to herself, knowing full well that they wouldn’t be able to win against those monsters with just the three of them.

They continued to climb in silence as Lidea was looking for the mark that signed the safe distance for setting off the explosives. A loud crash from above made her look up and she could see a big piece of rock falling down

“Watch out!”

She screamed as it fell towards them, almost knocking Warchief off his feet as he grunted in pain. Seeing him hang off the wall with only one hand made her hold her breath, only releasing it when he managed to swing back and find a foothold. Before she could ask him if he was alright, Crystal looked down at her and started yelling.

“This is far enough. Warchief, light the explosions!”

Her panic made them all look down, but Lidea saw nothing but darkness, however Warchief cursed as he sent a fireball down. As the light traveled, she could see Ligerian soldiers standing beneath the shaft as they were about to start climbing the ladder.

Knowing they hadn’t reached the safe distance yet, she pressed herself flush against the rock and held on for dear life. An ear-deafening boom sounded as the explosives went off, and everything around them trembled. Just as she was convinced that they would be buried alive within the rock, everything quieted down but for the ringing in her ears.

Looking back down, Lidea could only see darkness once again.

“It worked.”

The relief in Crystal’s words made the tension ebb from her body. They had stopped them for now. That left them to deal with whatever was going on up there.

There was another crash high above them, though it didn’t send any rubble down this time, and Lidea could hear the distant sounds of yelling.

“We have to hurry out of here before whoever is up there makes everything collapse.”

Lidea stated the obvious, as Warchief was already speeding up his climbing with Crystal following closely. Initially, she attempted to keep up with them but soon found herself lagging behind. Her body tired and hurting more than she would like to admit.

She resisted the urge to push herself too hard, knowing that haste would lead to careless mistakes. Still, the sight of seeing them effortlessly outpace her was frustrating.

It stirred up familiar feelings of inferiority. When as a child she had longed to be a man because being strong seemed to come so easy to them compared to the limits of her own body. Her wish had dissipated when she had learned to fight faster and smarter. As now she was on equal footing to many of the men she would have once considered impossible to defeat.

However, was it even possible to overcome the difference in power between a human and an inhuman body? Between those with magic and those without?

She would never consider the Pleberien cause righteous, but she could understand why so many adhered to it.

Another booming noise caused rubble to rain down on them. Luckily none were big enough to knock Lidea off, but one of the bigger pieces hit her in the shoulder and from the impact, she knew it would leave a nasty bruise. Looking up to make sure the others were fine, she saw that both of them were gone, giving her a view of the tunnel's end. Bright light flashing above it.

As she neared, she could smell burning flesh as well as an unusual scent that reminded her of a summer storm. It confused her until she pulled herself up into the following passage. Unlike what she had expected, no living Ligerians were waiting for them, as she was surrounded by scorched bodies. Instead, a heavily injured Cedric stood toward the exit, his hands in his hair as lightning crackled over his body.

“Calm down Cedric, control it!”

Warchief stood with Crystal at a safe distance from him as he spoke sternly, but Lidea could see the anxiety on Cedric’s face. Seeing the amount of wounds on his body, she guessed his magic must have gone out of control to try and protect him. At least no one else seemed to be here, and with a glance deeper in the cave she could see the notable absence of the supplies they had stored there.

Those who had made it here must have made it out.

“I’m trying!”

Cedric yelled out in frustration, the electricity only lighting up more.

Remembering the effects magic use had on Warchief, she grew concerned. After they had stopped his bleeding, he would need all the energy he could muster to get out of there.

“You need to. Breathe slowly.”

Warchief tried softening his tone, but it seemed to only agitate Cedric more.

“I TRIED! What don’t you understand about that!”

His voice cracked and his fear pulled on Lidea’s heartstrings. No longer able to just sit and watch, she stood up and walked towards them. They were so distracted by Cedric’s condition that none seemed to notice her presence until she was almost next to him. That was when Warchief saw her, and his expression turned horrified.

“Lidea!? What are you doing? Get away from there!”

He sounded desperate as he moved to get her, but he was stopped by Crystal who simply shook her head. She whispered something but Lidea couldn’t hear what through the crackling sound of lightning.

“Stay away! Please!”

Cedric backed away from her with shuffling steps, making her suspect he had injured one of his legs at least. He trembled and Lidea could barely believe this was the same smug man that challenged her at every training. Taking a couple of quick steps, she put her hand on his shoulder. Trusting he wouldn’t hurt her, and hoping that physical contact could help ground him.

“The enemy is gone. You did well, but we have to get out of here now. Are the others safe?”

Like she expected the lightning avoided her hand and as Cedric noticed this too, he started to breathe easier.

“I send them off with Taylor…”

As he relaxed, his lightning dispersed and he started to shiver brutally. Seeing he was about to collapse, she wanted to catch him but Crystal was already there and lowered him to the ground gently.

“Let’s see if we can fix you up, little hero.”

The healer grinned as she took her medicine pouch and started by putting something in his mouth before moving to start tackling his multiple stab wounds. Lidea kneeled to his other side, grabbing some bandages to clean and treat his minor injuries.

“A hero indeed, you did a number on those soldiers.”

Warchief spoke as he sat down next to her, his gaze first going over Lidea before he looked at Cedric.

Cedric smiled timidly, as if uncomfortable with all the praise he was getting.

“And then I almost killed my allies too.”

His response caused Lidea to poke him in the cheek.

“We don’t die that easily. Now accept the compliments like a good boy.”

Cedric stared at her for a moment before he smiled, though it quickly turned into a grimace as Crystal set about bandaging his ankle.

“Thank you.”

He bit the words out through his pain and Lidea moved to help Crystal with his leg. She was happy that he was alright, and in her mind, she was already busy planning their journey to Udrän.

With Crystal and her in their party, they didn’t have the luxury of possible anonymity like the others had. Their appearances were just too noticeable for that. So they would have to keep to the countryside and avoid people at all costs.

“We should try and find ourselves some horses, it will be better to move fast and his ankle seems to be sprained.”

Warchief echoed her thinking, though she hated even the thought of having to ride a horse. Still, she answered helpfully.

“There is a village not far from here. If you can buy them, we will be out of here in no time.”