“Don’t think twice,” Alessia said in a sharp but calm voice. She moved her cloak around to make sure the edges covered her whole body. Raizel grunted briefly as the typical trade wagon jerked close to Arcas’ gates. He had a firm grip on the reins. Behind him, Kael’thar sat stiffly with his jaw set. Anyone could see the slave band around his wrist against his skin. Kael’thar said, “I don’t like this plan,” but Raizel was the only one who could hear him. “You don‘t have to like it,” Raizel said in a sharp voice. “You just have to make it work.” Alessia sat quietly in the carriage, and no one could read her face. On the other side of her, Sirena fixed her scarf. To avoid drawing attention to herself, she hid half of her aqua-blue hair. The rough path made the hardwood floor below them shake a little, but Alessia’s eyes stayed in her bag, which was always reminding her of her job as it grew. “You’re too quiet,” Sirena said in a worried-sounding whisper. Alessia looked up. Her fa
"What do you have planned, Lady?" His voice was low and piercing, and his eyes bore into Alessia's. Alessia fixed her attention on him and didn't move. It felt as if their wills were fighting in an invisible battle. Raizel and Sirena waited nearby in silence, cautious but fascinated. Alessia replied forcefully, "I'll tell you. But first, let go of my friends." Kael'thar looked at her for a long time before gesturing to one of his comrades. "Let them go." The door to the wooden cage swung open, causing a noise. Raizel and Sirena stepped out, their bodies strained. The two looked at Alessia and wondered aloud what she was planning, but they obeyed her orders without saying anything. They soon found themselves seated at a handcrafted wooden table. The chimeralys skillfully carved the rough surface. Kael'thar's gaze never left Alessia when he sat across from her. "Talk," he said, his tone stern but full of curiosity. Alessia placed her palms together on the table, appearing frigid
"Why don't they believe us that we won't hurt them?" Alessia spoke up as she saw Kael'thar and his group pass by their cage. Their faces bore the weight of grief. "Maybe they think we'll burn them to ashes as soon as we get out," Raizel groaned, leaning against the far corner of the cage. Even though he was being snarky, he was clearly angry. Alessia ignored him, her attention fixed on the rabbit-eared child sitting outside their cage. The five-year-old girl was playing with a tiny wooden toy. Her silky, brown, fur-covered tail twitched as she giggled, clearly amused by Alessia's attempts to replicate her movements through the bars. "What is her name?" When Alessia requested in a hushed voice, a chimeralys stood guard nearby. The woman, whose face looked like a fox's, paused for a moment before responding. "Lirra." "Lirra," Alessia said, her voice gentle. "What a lovely name." As she delivered the toy to Alessia through the bars, the youngster smiled and her eyes brightened.
"Toran, you're moving too slowly a while ago," Kael'thar yelled, his voice loud and angry. As he talked to his friends gathering around the campfire, the yellow flames flashed in his eyes. Kael'thar clenched his teeth. A young chimeralys with bird-like features said, "We are doing our best, Kael. Our weapons are powerless against their swords and luminous abilities." His voice was tired. "But without more strength, we'll never get them back." Alessia moved slowly in her seat, and her head bowed as if she were asleep. Raizel and Sirena had already succumbed to exhaustion from their earlier feeding. When Kael'thar forced Raizel to eat like an animal in front of her watchful gaze, Raizel became furious. However, Alessia's only response was a silent, sarcastic smirk and an eye roll. The only sound in the camp was the chimeralys talking quickly, which made Alessia very interested. Even though it wasn't in her to listen, the weight in Kael'thar's voice drew her in. The old words
"Are you even listening to me, Sia?" In the tense quiet, Raizel's voice broke through. His tone was sharp and angry. Alessia leaned back against the wooden bars of their cage. She looked calm, but there was a hint of boredom in her face. Raizel's words hung in the air because she didn't answer right away. "I'm talking to you!" Raizel snapped at her, and his brown eyes narrowed as he glared at her. Alessia gave him a lazy shrug and raised an eyebrow. "I heard you, Raizel," she said in a low voice. "And you're just keep on repeating yourself." Raizel sighed in frustration and ran his hand through his messy hair. "Do you not get it? We wouldn't be here tied up like animals if you hadn't stopped us earlier!" Alessia crossed her arms and said, "Yes, I know." Her carefree attitude seemed to make Raizel even angrier. Raizel mumbled, "You're unbelievable," and his voice was dripping with anger. Sirena, who was sitting still, looked back and forth between them. Her aqua-blue eyes were
"Move carefully, Alessia," Sirena said quietly, her voice cutting with a mix of anxiety and desperation. Alessia's eyelids blinked open, her vision clouded. The first sensation she had was anguish, a dull, throbbing ache that swept throughout her body. She attempted to stretch, but the movement caused additional anguish in her arms and legs, and she winced. The sight of her wrists shackled with harsh ropes biting into her skin nearly stopped her heart. A small rustling sound beside her caused her to turn. Silena was beside her and aquamarine hair was tangled, her face pallid, yet her eyes were bright. "Sirena..." Alessia's voice croaked. She attempted to sit up, but her muscles refused, and she grimaced. "We're tied up," Sirena said gently, attempting not to draw attention to herself. "Don't move too much. You'll only hurt yourself more." Raizel's voice ripped through the air, harsh and full of wrath. "This is what happens when you let your emotions get the better of you, Sia.
"Did you even sleep last night, Sia?" Raizel's loud tone interrupted the morning silence, his gaze locked on Alessia's exhausted, disoriented face. Alessia blinked, trying to focus. "I... tried," she muttered. She clenched the edge of the table in their little room at The Dusty Oasis inn, her knuckles white. Sirena, who sat next to her, sighed heavily. "She didn't. She was restless throughout the night, and I can attest that it is not an easy task to sleep next to someone who is as restless as a puppy." Raizel crossed his arms. "You're worried about them, aren't you?" Alessia did not need to ask who he was referring to. The unsettling pictures of imprisoned Chimeralys she'd seen the day before returned to her mind—half-human, half-creature beings tied in chains, caged, or dragged across the marketplace like commodities. Their desperate eyes and broken spirits had gnawed at her heart all night. "How can I not be?" Alessia muttered, her voice shaking. "They are hurting. Animal-l
Raizel muttered, "Keep your head down, Alessia," as their horses slowed at the grand iron gates of Arcas. His tone was firm but soft, just enough for her to hear over the clamor of the busy entrance. "Remember, you're Sia Larkstone here." "I know," Alessia said, her voice firm despite the unease building inside her. She adjusted her cloak, the cloth brushing across her face, as if to provide comfort. Sirena said from her side, "And don't react to anything you see. The city thrives on fear and power. We know how reckless you are. Openly expressing compassion could endanger us all." The guards at the gate were equally terrifying as Sirena's warning. They wore black armor with elaborate crimson patterns and featured a snarling wolf carved in silver, something Alessia had never seen before. Their piercing eyes searched the crowd as they approached. "State your names and purpose," yelled one of the soldiers, his penetrating eyes lingering on Alessia for a moment too long. Raizel too
"This is it," Alessia whispered softly, standing in front of the Pathweaver, which was shimmering faintly in the meadow's dawn light. Raizel and Sirena stood a few feet behind her, silent yet alert. "I suppose this is goodbye." The Pathweaver turned its head, its iridescent appearance changing like sunshine over water. "Goodbyes are just pauses in the flow of life, Alessia. We may meet again, but perhaps not in the way you think." Alessia smiled slightly. "I still want to thank you. Thank you for guiding us, for your knowledge, and for... everything. I'm not sure how to convey it correctly, but I'm glad." The pathweaver's glowing eyes softened. "Gratitude is a unique and beautiful gift that requires no embellishments. I accept it, Alessia." Curiosity flared in her sight. "I wish I could call you by a name, but... you don't have one, do you?" Alessia asked. "No," the Pathweaver answered kindly. "We, the Guardians of Luminary, do not have names. Our identities are based on ou