“I’m guessing by the looks on your faces, something isn’t right?” Kealy asked, frowning at seeing the expressions on Rex, Kiri and Smarluuten’s faces.“What is it?” Venya asked, her face paling slightly when she noticed the serious tone in the air.“How many doorways are there?” Cassius asked Smarluuten, going into defensive mode.“Three. The one you came through, the servant's entrance through there,” Smarluuten said, pointing with a claw toward an archway-shaped set of fern fronds, “The last is through there, but that entrance is barred. The only other way in would be through the roof.”“Judging by the sound we heard, someone seems to be taking that route,” Kiri said.“Well seeing as our party has been interrupted earlier than the schedule,” Cassius began, “I think we should move Karinna away from here. I would be a much better combatant knowing she was safe.”“I think Kealy, Venya and Grub should go with her,” Dilo said, raising his hand to interrupt Grub’s incoming protest, “Even

Once Kiri rejoined them, Rex pulled her aside.“What did you do with Carey?” he asked, looking around Kiri as if expecting him to be restrained and following her.“I did what was necessary to gain information,” she replied, looking to the spot Rex had seen her earlier, the only thing left now was a large pool of blood.“Well, I hope it was a fruitful endeavour?”“I got enough from him before he lost his life, I planned on sharing what I learnt when we returned to camp,” Kiri replied, smiling wanly. Rex could see something was haunting Kiri which he thought strange for her, he had started to consider her emotions near on impregnable besides her said declarations when it came to himself.Nodding, Rex turned back to the calamity inside Smarluuten’s garden. He was in two minds about offering to help them clean up the mess around them, but the Drakken got in before he could make up his mind.“After a night like tonight,” He hissed, appearing beside Rex, forgetting his arm was missing once

Once the meals were distributed between everyone in Rex’s group, plus the addition of Damen, the topics of conversation were light and unimportant.After an hour, Damen rose, thanked Kiri, Kealy and Venya for the amazing meal and then turned to Rex, “Can you walk me out?”Nodding and rising from his seat, Rex turned to the three women who had prepared the meal, “Amazing as usual.” He had just turned to follow Damen when a hand grabbed his wrist. Looking down at who had stopped him, his head tilted slightly seeing Dilo’s scowl toward Damen’s back.“I think he has recognised me, please be careful,” Dilo growled in a low voice, her tone more worried than usual.“If he has, I think he would be able to see how different you are compared to who you were, like we all have,” Rex smiled reassuringly, patting her white knuckles that were gripping his wrist with his free hand.Grunting her response, Dilo inhaled a deep breath and exhaled loudly, turned and walked over to where Kiri had begun to

Rex whistled in surprise at the sight that beheld them when they followed Smarluuten to the town stables. Five freshly groomed and saddled horses stood ready, all tied by their reigns to a post, the three largest of the five had medium-sized saddlebags over their rumps. “Not to talk bad about a gift as extravagant as this,” Rex said hesitantly, counting the horses, then his companions, “But we seem to be one beast short?” “I have realised Kiri will travel in the locket you have,” Smarluuten hissed, waving to Rex’s neck, “But for you, I have something more worthy of your higher blood station.” Rex’s head cocked slightly, then went to confused as Smarluuten’s massive maw split into a broad grin, showing off his many rows of teeth. He was about to say something to the drakken when Smarluuten’s throat bulged out, and then a strange hissing, an almost wheezing sound emanated through vertical slits running down his neck. “That almost sounded like a call,” Kiri said, scrunching her nose

With the improved speed of the mounts, Rex and his companions covered much more ground, reaching a town called Ghordan, which Kiri said was only half a day’s trip away from the capital. Stopping the group just as the sun had touched the horizon, Rex turned to his group, “I think we can camp out of town for the night, we have a good elevation to see what is around us in all directions, guards close by with the town and a stream within easy reach for clean water.” “I like the sound of that,” Kealy groaned, not wasting any more time in dismounting, and stretching her legs, “This bloody beastly thing rocks back and forth so much I don’t think I’ll have any more skin left on the inside of my thighs when we arrive.” Her complaining earned her a glare and snort of hot air mixed with spray to the face from her horse. “I think he has grown to like you,” Venya said, stretching her own legs, coming up next to Kealy and bumping her playfully, she leaned in close and whispered something to her t