"Could you pick up the pace?" I let my hand slide along the horse's mane.
The animal whinnied and closed the gap toward Elend, who kept his silence. I shifted my gaze to the red dirt road narrowing between the trees, the canopy breaking the sky into uneven patches of light, the sun slipping through the branches in long, pale blades.
"So... exactly how long are you planning to pretend I'm not here?"
He turned his head slowly, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth, then looked back at the road.
"I'm not pretending. I'm just... enjoying the quiet."
"Ah. A man who likes peace and quiet." I spurred my horse forward until I was riding beside him. "Strange taste for a red cape."
He laughed—short, genuine.
"You, of all people, should know that fighters value peace, Lady Zara."
"Fair enough," I said, letting the sarcasm bleed through. "At least the southern continent is quieter, even with those endless family wars."
Elend nodded, and we moved side by side, with nothing but the sound of horseshoes in the mud marking our progress. Silence was a rare luxury in this part of the world, and I'd learned long ago not to waste it on pointless conversation—but also not to trust anyone who used silence as armor.
"What I don't understand is why a member of the imperial guard would come to this region in person." My eyes wandered to the bromeliads clinging to the tree trunks. "Couldn't you have sent one of the yellow capes? Isn't the Imperial Port unstable because of the Bastard War?"
"That conflict ended two months ago."
"Two months?" I raised my eyebrows. "So we have a new emperor?"
"We do. And since then, the empire has been stable—at least until the Erythar start another war," Elend said. "Hadn't the news reached this region?"
I shook my head.
"Stable enough to send a red cape riding northeast after a werewolf?" I let the irony color every syllable. "That doesn't sound like work meant for a nobleman."
"I'm not a nobleman."
"But you are a red cape." I looked him over. "Your posture, the way you carry yourself, the way you speak—everything about you screams noble."
Elend adjusted the reins with one hand, his eyes still fixed on the road.
"My life is a bit complicated, Lady Zara."
"Tharion's life was complicated too," I said. "He spent years as a nomad before finding out he was the true heir to the throne. So I wouldn't say yours is more complicated than his."
"You knew Sir Tharion?"
"He was just a kid back then, dreaming of becoming a knight." I paused. "I never thought he'd become the symbol every knight measures himself against. Even Alaric would light up whenever I told stories about him."
"Do you think Sir Tharion would be glad to know we're finally living in a time of peace?" Elend asked.
"Like war, peace never lasts—he knew that better than anyone." I shrugged. "But you still haven't answered me. Isn't your main mission to protect the emperor in Imperial Port?"
"The new emperor left with the imperial entourage. They went north."
"North?" I frowned. "As far as I remember, the imperial family has avoided the Great Forest for at least ninety years."
"You have an excellent memory, Lady Zara." He finally turned to look at me. "Would it be rude of me to ask how old you are?"
"Old enough not to be impressed by regime changes." I shrugged again. "But what does the new emperor want in the Great Forest?"
Elend bit his lower lip, his jaw visibly tightening for a moment.
"I'm not entirely sure..." he murmured. "But there seems to be a compelling reason for him to go there so soon after taking the Fire Throne."
"There are only two reasons an emperor would go to that region." I pulled the reins to steer around a root crossing the road. "Either he wants to launch an expedition to reclaim the northern continent, or The Unborn have returned to ours."
Elend stayed quiet, watching the road. I smiled to myself and let a sound—something between a laugh and a breath—escape through my nose.
"It's fine, Elend. You're a loyal knight—I get it." I looked at him. "Your superiors trust you to keep the palace's secrets. I won't put your neck on the line."
"It's not about trust, milady." He slowed his horse. "The truth is, I don't know the details of what's happening either."
I turned toward him without taking my eyes off the road. That was probably true—or at least the version of the truth he believed.
"With the emperor gone, wouldn't it make more sense to keep the red capes in Imperial Port?" I held our pace, one eyebrow raised. "The city falls apart whenever the imperial family is away. I've seen it happen more than once."
"Imperial Port is secure, Lady Zara."
He gestured ahead with his chin, and I followed it. Oakhaven was emerging slowly through the afternoon mist, the town revealing itself piece by piece.
The single-story houses came first, lined up along the cobblestone road. Some were mud brick, though most were wood, darkened by constant humidity. The shutters were all closed—every last one of them—and that seemed strange in a way that was hard to ignore, considering it was still late afternoon.
Further in, a few two-story buildings appeared. The upper floors clearly served as residences, while the ground floors housed shops, but the curious part was that no window showed any sign of life, the same as every house we'd passed. Maybe the townspeople were frightened by the recent werewolf attacks. Or maybe it was something else—something I hadn't pinpointed yet.
Further ahead, visible from the town's entrance, a church tower dominated the highest point, its face turned toward the fountain at the center of the square.
That was when the clock struck five. The sound rolled through the empty streets as the sun dropped behind the rooftops, and even so, we kept moving forward.
"On a serious note, Elend." I leaned toward him in the saddle and lowered my voice. "If you're hiding something that's going to get us killed, I will go all the way to hell just to kill you again."
"If you go to hell on my account—" A slow smile spread across that perfectly carved face. "I'd hope it wasn't only to kill me. It'd be a waste of your beauty, Lady Zara."
I pressed my lips together before a laugh could get out. Syllee appeared out of nowhere and settled on my shoulder, stretching both arms in a long, lazy arc.
"That took a while, didn't it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.
"The road was rough, and a lot has changed since the last time I came through. Two, maybe three hundred new trees along the way that I definitely don't remember." I glanced at her. "Good nap?"
"Wonderful." She yawned. "This town seems a lot more... lively than it used to be, doesn't it?"
I let out something close to a laugh—her irony wasn't lost on me.
"Very lively. Really getting into the spirit of the Aurora Festival." I kept her same dry tone. "Are you picking up any fluctuations in the mana?"
Syllee narrowed her eyes, tilting her head, then nodded.
"Not much," she said, adjusting her position on my shoulder. "But something's definitely off. I just haven't found the source yet."
I urged my horse forward. When we reached the square, I spotted a line of refugees filling the space around the fountain—a huddle of elderly people, children, and women being tended to by a small group moving back and forth.
At the center of it all, a blond woman stood out. The deep blue dress caught the eye as she worked in front of a steaming pot.
She held a wooden spoon, stirring slowly. But something about her didn't match the task. A noblewoman, clearly—one far more accustomed to being served than to serving. I filed that away.
"Are these people refugees?" Elend asked.
"Your war may have ended in the south, Elend." My gaze settled on the line. "But for them, up here in the northeast, it's still going."
The blond woman said something to whoever stood beside her, wiped her hand on her apron, and walked toward us. Her left foot touched the ground carefully, while her right took on the effort of moving forward. I watched the uneven rhythm for a moment and tucked it into memory. She was limping.
At the same moment, I felt a faint ripple in the mana—subtle, but enough to press a small ache behind my temple. I glanced sideways at Syllee, who was already frowning.
"Welcome to Oakhaven. May the blessing of the goddess Aurora guide you," said the stranger, stopping in front of us.
"May the blessing of the goddess Aurora protect her," Elend replied, bringing his hand to his chest.
The woman's blue eyes landed on me. For a brief moment, her gaze drifted to my shoulder—as if she could see Syllee there—and she seemed to process something before moving on. Then her attention shifted to Elend.
"How can I help you, noble red cape?" the stranger asked, lifting the edges of her skirt in a curtsy. "We don't often receive visits from the Crown without notice."
"We're on an official mission." Elend reached into the saddlebag and produced a paper, handing the envelope to the woman. "This is the document authorizing an investigation into the disappearance of several adventurers and a mage."
The stranger opened the envelope, read through it, and blinked twice before nodding.
"So that's what this is about..." She held Elend's gaze. "I'm Alice Avás. When I saw you approach, I was wondering what would bring one of you all the way out to a region like this."
I dismounted and took hold of the reins to keep the horse at my side.
"Are you Dante Avás's daughter?" I let the nostalgia slip into my voice.
"He was my grandfather," Alice answered after a brief pause.
I exhaled through my nose, almost laughing.
"That kid used to beg me to let him be my squire. Guess someone out there had the patience to put up with him."
Alice studied me for a moment, and something passed through her eyes—recognition, maybe. Relief, possibly. That tripped a faint alarm somewhere in the back of my mind.
"You're Lady Zara?" Alice asked, her smile warm. "My grandfather told a lot of stories about you."
I turned my gaze toward the town and let the silence settle between us.
"How is he?" I asked.
"He passed away ten years ago... at the start of the war." The smile disappeared.
"I'm sorry to hear that. He was a good man." I turned away and closed my eyes for a moment.
Ten years. For her, enough time for grief to scar over. For me, not much more than yesterday. After a slow breath, I looked out over the town, scanning the buildings for crests or marks of affiliation.
"Which side were you on? And if it's not too much to ask—did your father go to war as well?"
Alice held my gaze and nodded.
"We stood with Sykes Erythar," she said. "And... unfortunately, my father died alongside my grandfather."
"Then you're the current governor of Oakhaven?"
"Yes, milady."
"Well, Alice—we're going to need your help with the investigation." I gestured toward Elend, who was dismounting. "He's the one leading it. I'm just here for support, so if you can help us out the way a proper Avás would, I'd be grateful."
"In that case, would you be willing to stay at my home during your time here?" Alice made a small curtsy.
"Not this time, Alice. I'll take the inn." I kept my tone easy. "On jobs like this, mobility matters. Coming and going without formality cuts down on delays. You understand."
Syllee let out a huff on my shoulder.
"That said, I do appreciate the offer," I added.
"As you wish, Lady Zara."
"Lady Alice, could you walk us through the recent disappearances?" Elend stepped up beside me. "Were there other cases beyond the adventurers?"
Alice drew a slow breath and nodded.
"Since my father and grandfather left for the war, a lot of people have died in this region," she said, her voice heavy. "Some from the scaly plague, others from attacks by magical beasts or other sicknesses."
I started toward the inn and let her lead the way. Elend shortened his stride to match mine, which made me glance down at his feet, though I let it go—there was something more pressing to deal with: a smell drifting through the alley we were cutting through, something trying to pass itself off as oil that didn't fool me for a second. I caught Syllee's eye; she was already wrinkling her nose.
"Were any of those cases werewolf attacks?" I kept my voice light.
Alice gestured with a small, discreet movement as we turned a corner. Her left foot favored itself again.
"My daughter was one of the... victims." Her voice broke slightly. "It happened about a year ago."
I stopped. There was something in the air of that alley—a subtle pressure building behind my eyes, like the start of a migraine. I tried to extend my senses outward, but what I found was a mass of mana so dense it smothered everything, like a heavy blanket thrown over any kind of reading.
I couldn't even pick up Alice's heartbeat. I looked at her—saw her clearly, standing right in front of me—and felt almost nothing of her presence. Then I looked at Elend, and from him I caught everything, down to the exact rhythm of his pulse.
"Are you all right, Lady Zara?" Alice turned back, her expression soft.
"I'm fine." I resumed walking. "How old was your daughter?"
"Seventeen." Her voice dropped to just above a whisper. "She was attacked before she could travel to meet her fiancé—the fourth son of Lord Sacabotte."
Alice pulled a photograph from her apron pocket and held it out to me. The image showed a young woman with light hair and her mother's eyes, smiling without a hint of self-consciousness. I looked at it for a moment, then handed it back without comment.
"Are you certain it was a werewolf?" Elend asked.
"Yes." Alice's jaw tightened visibly. "The claw marks and the destruction we found at the site of the attack made it clear. No one witnessed the massacre—only what was left behind."
"When did the attacks start up again?" I asked.
"About two weeks ago," Alice said, composing herself as she walked.
I exchanged a look with Elend. A full year with no attacks, and now the beast was active again? There was only one plausible explanation for that pattern, and none of the options were simple to deal with.
I tried to sharpen my hearing. The town seemed full enough—people in the streets, movement around us—but something didn't add up. I could barely hear anything, not even the sound of children playing.
"In that year of silence, no other werewolf attacks were reported?"
"No... The attacks only came back two weeks ago, when our soldiers rode out to a settlement east of town and found the village empty."
"How many people lived there?"
"Five families. Six or seven members each."
"Around thirty-five people gone, then?" Elend said.
"Missing, actually."
"Missing?" I brought my eyebrows together.
"Yes," Alice said. "Since the bodies weren't on the premises, we don't know for certain whether they were killed."
We stopped in front of the inn—a two-story building on the corner of the block, its windows lined above a wide double door that ran the length of the sidewalk.
"And how do you know it was a werewolf?" I frowned. "Was there anything that ruled out a regular wolf or another magical beast?"
"Because we heard a howl the night before," Alice said. "We got worried, and I sent soldiers out to every nearby village. They came back saying the eastern settlement was empty. What I can't explain is why the houses looked abandoned rather than attacked."
Alice opened the door and stepped inside. I followed, letting my eyes adjust to the dimmer light.
We walked through a short hallway until we stopped at the entrance to the restaurant. The dining room was empty. An exhausted ceiling fan turned overhead, pushing the air from one side to the other without doing much about the heat.
I dragged my hand across my forehead, wiping the sweat. The place looked set up to receive people. Yet there was no one—no voices, no footsteps, no floorboards creaking under any weight but ours.
Syllee left my shoulder and began circling above my head. A low sound came out of her—somewhere between a growl and a hiss. That was enough. She was irritated.
"What did this howl sound like?" I asked.
Alice paused, her eyes closing for a second.
"Like a wolf's howl, except..." She answered slowly, opening her eyes to meet mine. "Higher. Much higher. Like something in my bones could feel it—like my own chest was vibrating with the sound."
I looked at Syllee, who wore the same expression of unmistakable disapproval, then brought my attention back to Alice.
"You're sure it was higher-pitched?"
"Yes, Lady Zara. Definitely higher."
"Alice—have you injured yourself recently?" I let my gaze drop to her leg.
"Just a silly twist. I got distracted, tripped on the stairs, and turned my ankle." Alice's body drew back slightly. "It's nothing serious."
"Are you sure?" I pressed. "I can use the goddess's blessing to heal it."
"Please don't worry, Lady Zara. I would never ask for something so pure to be spent on something so trivial." She looked away. "I'm dramatic when I'm in pain, and it probably looks worse than it is."
My lips pressed together. Nobody refuses a blessing from the goddess without a reason—unless accepting it hurts more than the wound itself. I raised my eyes to Syllee, who looked more unsettled by the second.
"Are you certain?" I repeated. "I may not look it, but I'm a high-ranking cleric of the goddess Aurora."
Alice met my gaze directly, and there was something in her eyes—not guilt, but something close to it.
"It's not necessary," she said, her voice steadier now. "Thank you for the kindness, Lady Zara."
She took a step back and smoothed her dress with both hands.
"I have to go," she continued, already turning toward the door. "If you need me, I'll be in the central square until close to midnight. Some bones were sent to the cleric, if you'd like to take a look."
Alice quickened her pace. A moment later, the door opened and swung shut behind her.
"She didn't seem to be lying," Syllee said, settling back onto my shoulder.
"But she didn't seem to be telling the full truth either," I finished.
Syllee nodded and drifted lower, hovering near my face.
"So what was true and what was a lie?" Elend asked. "Did you pick up anything specific, Lady Syllee?"
"No..." Syllee answered, her wings drawing in slightly. "I just felt like the air around Alice wasn't entirely honest. She said a lot of true things, but others... it was hard to tell."
"The reason she's limping is almost certainly a lie," I said. "But the howl—that was true. So either she's a very skilled liar, or she believes what she said even when it isn't accurate. We can't rule out the possibility that she's frightened enough to distort her own memory of what happened. What I do know is that refusing a blessing from the goddess tells me something very specific about what's going on in this town."
Syllee brought the tips of her fingers to her chin, her gaze drifting toward the inn window.
"Syl," I called. "I need you to go to the town hall and check two things. First—whether any family in the region had seven daughters and an eighth child who was a son. Second—whether that family is local or not."
She took a moment to process it, then nodded.
"Be right back," she said. "But I want two pounds of meat for this."
"Depending on what you find, I'll think about whether you've earned it."
Syllee smiled and walked straight through the wall like it wasn't there. Elend moved closer and stopped beside me.
"Why that specific information, Lady Zara?"
"I need to know if we're dealing with a young werewolf or a stige," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Alice said the howl was very high-pitched, and werewolves don't howl like that—their sound is deeper, heavier, more aggressive. A howl that sharp points to a creature corrupted by northern mana, which makes this look a lot more like a stige than a werewolf."
"So we might be dealing with a servant of the Demons?" Elend asked.
I nodded and couldn't quite keep the grimace off my face.
"I'm afraid this mission just got considerably more dangerous, Mr. Elend."
