A vargr, a massive wolf-like monster, leaped into the air and came crashing down on Tanzik. He held up his halberd to block its massive jaws. Its teeth dug into the shaft as it clawed at him and the wood began to splinter and strain under the pressure. He yelled with effort as he tried to push it back, but its claws were long enough to scratch him, so he gave up ground to avoid them.

Lura loosed an arrow at the vargr running toward her and Allena, which struck the beast in its shoulder. Not slowing down, the vargr bared its teeth as it rushed in to bite her. Allena swung her hammer and hit it in the jaw. It yelped and jumped back, getting down into an aggressive position to strike again, blood mixed with saliva dripping from its teeth.

Tanzik’s halberd broke underneath the vargr’s jaws. He swung the bladed half and slashed it over the ear as it clawed at him. The claw cut across his chainmail and a sharp pain shot through his chest. His armor protected him from the worst of it, but he still felt it tear his skin. He swung the remnant of his weapon with precision, slashing and stabbing defensively as the beast tried to kill him.

Lura fired another arrow, this time hitting her enemy in the chest as it jumped at her. Allena grabbed her arm and pulled her back to protect her. Lura screamed in pain as it cut a large gash in her arm. Allena had protected her from a potentially fatal hit, but with her arm cut open, she didn’t have the strength to shoot again. She threw the bow aside and took out her knife and backed up, arm throbbing as blood flowed freely from the wound.

The two varger backed off and regrouped together on the side of the chasm that led back to Violet Shoals. “Any chance we can outrun them?” Tanzik asked.

“No,” Allena said. “A horse could, but not with us and our gear on them.”

Tanzik dropped his broken halberd and picked up Lura’s bow. He grabbed a couple arrows from her quiver and aimed one. The varger studied them intently to look for any weaknesses. Tanzik aimed at the one on the right that Lura had already shot. “Okay, here’s how we play this. I’ll shoot right, you two take the left. Allena, try to expose its throat. Lura, go in for the kill.”

He glanced over at them. Allena nodded and adjusted her grip on her hammer. Lura took a deep breath. There were tears in her eyes and she looked pale and shaky. Tanzik hoped they were strong enough to finish the fight. Allena’s heart pounded in her chest. She hoped she hadn’t traded one gruesome death for another. Lura tried to calm herself, but she was starting to panic and her thoughts began to spin out of control.

“Now!” Tanzik fired the bow and the arrow found its mark in the vargr’s eye. The second charged and Allena swiped up with her hammer, which caught it under the chin and knocked its head up. Lura used the opportunity to thrust her knife in the exposed throat. She tried to drag it to the side to cut its throat open, but she stumbled, not able to finish. Allena quickly slammed down with her hammer and crushed its skull. Tanzik shot another arrow that pierced the remaining beast’s heart and it dropped to the ground twitching.

Allena helped Lura up. She coughed and looked down at her bleeding arm. “We need to go,” she said, speech slurred. “Vargr hunt in pads. Pracks. Ugh.” She leaned on Allena. “They’ll smell me a legway. League… away…” She slumped and Tanzik rushed over to catch her.

“We need to get her out of here,” he said.

“Tanzik… you heard her, they’ll smell her. And we can’t outrun them.”

“We can’t leave her.”

She looked up at him pleadingly. “Can’t we? Look, I—”

“No,” Tanzik said. His vision blurred as tears began to well. He had seen enough death in Orbrozan and wasn’t going to let anyone else die if he could help it. “I’ll patch her up.”

“Tanzik.” They heard a howl in the distance. “We. Do not. Have time. We have to go.”

“Allena, please…” He looked at her and grabbed her hand. Her heart skipped a beat and she looked up at him. Tears falling from grey eyes, like storm clouds. Her jaw tightened.

“Our mission is more important. Who is she to you?”

“I don’t care if you trust her or not. She’s a person, and no mission is more important than the people it serves. People aren’t tools to use up or discard for a cause. I… had to learn that the hard way. I’m not letting her die. Not while I can do something about it. You can go ahead if you need to, but I’m not leaving her like this.”

Allena felt a warmth inching through her heart. She had always seen that when a person’s life was on the line, they protected that at all cost. Few people would be willing to put their life on the line for someone like this.

She sighed. “Move.”

“No, I’m not—”

“Tanzik, get out of my way and let me work.”

“You’re going to help?”

She offered a smile and brushed her hair back. “Go calm the horses and get them ready.”

Tanzik hesitated but nodded and walked away. As soon as he did, Allena positioned herself so he couldn’t see Lura if he looked back. She put one hand on Lura’s wound and with her other hand she took out a small key on a necklace from her shirt. She closed her eyes and began to whisper a prayer.

“Uthix, lady of light and mercy, grant healing to this woman. Olorun, lord of magic and dreams, forgive me this trespass.” A pale golden light shone from her hands. Slowly, the wound began to close and Lura’s flesh began to mend itself under the glow of magic. She took some cloth from Lura’s pocket to wrap around her arm. When she did, an iron coin fell out with the cloth. She saw a symbol that she recognized on one side. She covered her mouth and looked at Lura with disbelief.

The howls became louder. Allena quickly put the coin in her own pocket as Tanzik ran back to her. “Here, I’ll pick her up and put her on Forn with me.”

“I’ll send my horse back to lighten our load. Vargr are cannibals too, so they might eat their dead instead of chasing.”

Allena grabbed the saddle bags from her horse. “Go home, girl.” She slapped her hindquarters and she bolted back toward Violet Shoals. She set the bags on Blossom. They rode east as fast as they could, and the sounds of howling grew quieter as they fled the gorge into the canyon.

***

Lura’s stomach churned as she eased back into consciousness a couple hours later. A pang of fear jolted through her heart as she felt herself moving. She gasped and tried to scream, but the noise wouldn’t come out.

“Easy, easy!” She heard Tanzik say. “It’s just us.”

“Stop the horse, stop,” she said weakly. The horse stopped and the change in motion in movement made her dizzy. She fell over the edge and threw up immediately after landing on the ground.

Tanzik dismounted quickly and ran to her. “You okay?”

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“Gods above, no. Why would you even ask that?” She coughed and wiped her mouth. Tanzik handed her a flask of water and she drank some.

“You passed out from the wound and we had to run.”

“Yeah, I uh… I don’t do blood. Makes me uh, well yeah, you saw it. And the horse bouncing and…” She took another drink. “Ah, that’s lovely. Help me up.”

Tanzik helped her to her feet. “You got cut pretty bad. How does it feel?”

“It…” She realized she didn’t feel any pain. She quickly took off the bandages and scoffed with disbelief when she saw there was no wound, just dried blood. “What?”

Tanzik frowned. “I don’t even see a cut.”

“There’s not, it’s gone. What happened? I’m not imagining things, right? I really got hit?”

“Yeah, it was a nasty wound. Allena patched it up.”

Lura looked up at Allena, who was quietly sitting atop Blossom. She stormed up to her. “Who are you?”

Allena blinked. “I’m… Allena Alva.”

“Stop lying! Väskr didn’t send you, did he?”

Allena turned red and she got off her horse to meet Lura eye to eye. “Of course he did,” she said firmly.

“What’s her name?”

“What are you—”

“The horse you came to us on, what’s her name?”

“It’s… I don’t know, he didn’t say.”

Lura got in her face. “No, he didn’t. Because you didn’t ask. I knew him less than five minutes and I could see how much he loved horses. If he gave you permission, he would’ve given you a name for which horse to take. You stole her.”

Allena froze. Tanzik walked up to them. “Allena, is this true?”

“I saved your life, and you’re going to come at me like this?”

“How did you save my life? What are you?” Her voice rose.

“What’s this?” Allena’s anger got the better of her and she took the iron coin from her pocket. Lura froze. “You’re going to call me a liar, but you won’t even tell us why you’re here. So save your self righteous attitude and leave me alone.”

“Give it back.”

“What is it?”

“Allena, give it back.”

“You don’t even know, do you?”

Lura reached for her knife, but Tanzik grabbed her wrist. “Stop! Both of you. If we’re going to travel together, we can’t be at each other’s throats. Allena, is she right about the horse?”

Allena’s heart pounded and she felt sweat creeping down her back. “Yes,” she whispered.

“I knew it,” Lura said. “I knew there was something wrong with you. Give back my coin.”

“Not until you tell me what it is.”

“Allena, give her what’s hers,” Tanzik said. “Why did you do this?”

Her heart raced. “Violet Shoals will fall and the people will die. I can’t lose another home. I couldn’t be there when it happens.”

“What makes you think it will?” Tanzik said.

“I don’t know. I just had a bad feeling.”

“You coward,” Lura said.

“I saved your life.”

“How?”

“Lura…”

“How?” She shouted.

“I think that’s enough,” Tanzik said. “Allena, keep your secrets, but give Lura’s coin back and go home.”

“I can’t go back.”

“And we can’t trust you,” Lura said.

“What if I tell you the truth? Can I stay?”

“No,” Lura said.

“Yes,” Tanzik said at the same time. They looked at each other and Lura scoffed. “I like to think I can read people pretty well, and I still think you have a good heart, Allena. If you tell us the truth, you can stay.”

She wringed her hands nervously. “I uh…” She cleared her throat and spoke softly. “I used magic.”

“Magic?” Tanzik asked incredulously.

“Mhm.”

“Look, if you can’t be honest,” Lura said.

Allena walked over to Tanzik and held her hand up. “May I?” She said, pointing to the wound on his chest.

He sighed and reluctantly took off his cloak, chainmail, and shirt. “I’m trusting you, here. It’s freezing.” She gently placed a hand on his chest and held the key around her neck. She whispered under her breath, and he felt immediate relief from the stinging sensation that had been bothering him. He looked down and saw the wound healing itself before his eyes. He looked up at her in wonder. She put the key back under her shirt and cleared her throat again, looking away awkwardly. Tanzik put his clothes back on, holding his cloak close as he shivered.

“You’re a mage,” Lura said. “That’s impossible. I mean, it’s not. Clearly. I guess? I just saw it. But how?”

Allena held out her hand to offer the coin back to her. She timidly took it from her. “I don’t bite, Lura.”

“Oh, I’m so, so sorry for being skittish. I just found out that magic is real and the person I trust least in the world can use it!”

“This is a lot,” Tanzik said as he sat down on the ground.

“I don’t expect your gratitude,” Allena said. “And I don’t need it. I know I acted out of fear. But I hope you can trust me now.”

“You still stole from Väskr and me,” Lura said.

“I sent Väskr’s horse back to him and I was going to give your coin back. I just had to ask what it was.”

“It’s none of your business, mage.”

Allena shifted her weight and looked away, frustrated that she couldn’t get any answers, at least for now.

“If you can use magic,” Tanzik said, “why were you afraid of Violet Shoals being overrun?”

“I… have my limits. I really don’t even like using magic, it’s… a long story. But I only use it as a last resort. I definitely couldn’t stop an army with it.”

“How many other people could’ve been healed by this?” Lura said.

“I’m not debating magical ethics with someone who just learned it exists. Sun’s going down, we should find somewhere to spend the night.”

“How am I going to sleep?” Lura said as she rubbed her temples.

“I could—”

“Oh no, I’ll find a way. You just keep your distance.”

Allena’s knew Lura was posturing, at least in part, to take heat off of herself for the iron coin.

“Look, I know things are tense,” Tanzik said, “but let’s remember why we’re here. We need to warn King Hárkast about an act of Imperial aggression. Once we let him know, we can all go our separate ways. We don’t have to trust or like each other, but we have to work together for now, okay?”

Allena nodded but kept quiet. Lura stood next to him. “I’m with you. Once we reach Stormhall, I’m leaving to find a job and a place to stay. But I’ll play nice with her until then.” She shot Allena a look, but she was looking down at her feet with her arms crossed. “How much farther?”

Tanzik pulled out a map. “This is, uh… Kalksten Canyon right? That puts us around two days out. I say we push to the end of the canyon and set up camp past the tree line here.” He tapped the map.

“Sounds good to me.” She mounted Blossom and rode a few yards away before stopping to wait for Tanzik and Allena. She took the moment to catch her breath, thumbing the iron coin in one hand while staring absentmindedly at her healed arm, head spinning from the revelation.

Tanzik put a hand on Allena’s shoulder. “You going to be okay?”

“No. I feel terrible.”

“Don’t. You saved Lura’s life. And mine, probably. I’m not sure the two of us alone could’ve made it. I’m not happy about being lied to, nor do I like the reason, but everyone makes mistakes. I’ve made plenty of my own.”

“I’m sorry.”

He nodded. “We’re good. I lost a home too. That kind of hurt changes a person. We can talk later if you want, but for now, let’s go. We still have some ground to cover.”

Allena nodded and Tanzik mounted Forn, lending a hand to help her up.

***

The next two days were uneventful, and the rocky and wooded terrain around the canyon gave way to lush, verdant fields and valleys with hot springs. Eventually they reached the city of Stormhall. It was a large city surrounded by a tall wall made of a dark and heavy stone mined from the mountains to the southeast. A wide reinforced wooden gate stretched from two guard towers occupied by several archers and arbalists.

“Security is pretty heavy,” Tanzik remarked.

“That can’t be good,” Allena said.

“Why’s that?”

“Stormhall is always open. Something must be wrong.”

“Only one way to find out.” He dismounted and approached the gates with his hands up. He heard the clicking of a mechanism and immediately stepped back as a crossbow bolt pierced the dirt in front of his feet.

“First shot’s a warning!” Shouted the voice from the tower on the right. “City’s closed by order of the Queen!”

Lura and Allena exchanged a look. They knew that Hárkast’s wife died several years ago and he ruled alone. There was no queen who could give such an order. Tanzik was an outlander, so didn’t give the statement much thought, figuring that the king ruled alongside a queen who had simply issued the order herself.

“We are messengers from Violet Shoals, a fishing village to the west. We have grave news and must report to King Hárkast immediately.”

Lura felt uneasy. The guards in the tower talked to themselves quietly. She couldn’t see their expressions, but judging by their body language they didn’t seem pleased to hear what Tanzik said. But the guard held up his hand and they heard the gate being unbarred from the other side. It opened a few feet and a guard on the other side waved them through.

“I don’t like this,” Lura said.

“Why are they letting us in?” Allena asked.

They dismounted and followed Tanzik, who boldly walked through the gate, not suspecting anything. As soon as they were through, he felt a hard, dull pressure on the back of his head and collapsed to the ground. Lura instinctively whipped out her knife but dropped it and held her hands up when she saw they were surrounded by several guards with weapons pointed at them.

“Arrest the loyalists,” one said. “Throw them in the dungeon. Her majesty Queen Furstin will decide what to do with them.”

Allena froze in place. She felt rough hands around her wrists that bent her arms behind her back to place shackles on them. Lura and Tanzik were shackled as well.

“Do something!” Lura whispered.

Allena shook her head. There wasn’t any easy way out of this. Furstin was the daughter of King Hárkast, his only child and heir to the throne in the event of his death or abdication. And since the guard had called them loyalists, that could only mean one thing.

They had stumbled into the end of a coup. And they had just announced they supported the losing side.