Arriving at a pair of huts on stilts that raised the floor a few feet from the ground, Ean and Rector both climbed the bamboo ladder and fell forward, both panting heavily, soaked to the bone from the storm that was currently raging outside, “I was speaking about the storm currently on top of us,” the huntress announced, entering the hut after them, stepping over their bodies simultaneously reaching into her satchel bag, producing a crystal that glowed a faded shade of gold, shaking it quickly and as it glowed brighter she opened her hand and it raised a few inches over her palm. “Thank you for the obvious call,” Ean shot back, rolling onto his back, groaning loudly as his damaged body protested performing any action. “I haven’t struggled to move this much in many, many years,” Rector sighed, using his elbow to roll himself onto his back, sitting up slowly, raising an eyebrow at what the huntress was doing, “So I know you will not tell us your true name because we are outsiders, but

“Worst f**kin words ever Rex,” Kealy swore quietly through gritted teeth when they had dodged the tenth pitfall trap while crossing the flats, Rex had just caught her by the back of her shirt to prevent her falling into one he had missed, he was busy scanning the few scattered lights around the camp they were approaching for people.“Hey, I caught you, didn’t I?” he replied, not doing anything to cover his smugness.“Yeah. Thanks, you’re too kind your princeness,” she replied, adding in exaggeration by calling Rex a prince. Feeling a breeze on her upper extremities when there shouldn’t be made her look down, her face went a slight tinge of pink when she noticed the upper buttons on her top had popped off under the strain of Rex’s catch and her body weight and it was staying open, “Swap shirts with me. Quickly.”“Why? What’s wrong with yours?” Rex asked while still smiling, peeling his eyes away from the camp to look at Kealy’s back.“It’s torn, in an inconvenient place.”“A simple tea

“Huh?” Ean asked, his brain still a little cloudy from being woken abruptly from sleep. “Your brother,” Kita whispered, looking toward the door, “He speaks to himself.” “He has…” Ean started to say, deciding to choose his words carefully, “A familiar. I think he is checking to see if they can still commune while in this place, if so, his familiar will be extremely helpful getting us through the Donréal forest without incident. I will go and check on him.” “You know of the Donréal forest?” Kita asked, raising an eyebrow. “Yes. I also know what stalks the grasslands and trees in that particular forest too, I doubt the predators have changed even in the time it has been since I last walked the trails,” Ean answered with a smirk, slowly getting to his feet, groaning as he stretched his aching muscles and joints. Kita opened her mouth as if to say something but thought twice and instead closed it and answered with a thoughtful frown and nod. Coming to sit next to Rector, Ean said in a

“What? Do you want to return to Dracoterrum with us? Why?” Ean asked, a little taken aback by Kita’s question.“Oh, that’s an easy one. My family was removed from royalty and is now shunned,” Kita replied in a flat, matter-of-fact tone.“Hang on. Your mother was the patriarch but was then removed by Kygel, that was her name? And now your family is shunned?” Ean asked, “But it should still leave yourself and your family with a little respect from the elders that favoured them, yeah?”“No. If you truly knew our ways like you both claim, you should know strength dictates the level of respect given and the right to rule. None of my family was strong enough to challenge Kygel, so my mother accepted instead of using a champion and lost in fair combat,” Kita replied, her eyes going distant as she spoke.“Ah, so your mother was demoted to serve under Kygel instead?”“No. My mother serves Purkhan now,” Kita replied, shaking her head.“That name sounds familiar. I know it’s a deity of some kind

“Rex!” Kealy hissed when they were a few paces from the forest, “We need to hide. They are here.”Nodding in acknowledgement, Rex dashed forward to gain a short distance between himself and the women, and after entering the forest, he placed his second hand on the sword pommel to ready for an attack, darting his eyes as quickly as his brain would register the new environment as possible.Slowing down once he was twenty paces into the forest, Rex took his time to get his bearings. He could see a few snarling teeth and yellow eyes slinking away into the darkness in the far distance, a few what must have been herbivores scurrying away from his domineering presence, some finding holes in the earth, some darting for gaps under felled, old wooden tree trunks. Taking a deep breath in, he noticed something that seemed familiar like he had been in a similar situation before, feeling the certainty of unseen eyes on him. His scanning and thoughts were interrupted by Venya grabbing him by the bic