“She seemed like she’d been through a lot, she had the eyes, ya know? Like she was looking right through me. She seemed confused, as well, kept saying strange things. And she was covered in blood but refused to go be treated. It was all I could do to make her rest.”

The man massaged his temples. “It figures. I don’t know the details, but she’s the closest thing to a friend I’ve seen Her Highness have since I met her. I’ll talk to her when I can.”

“Thanks. I hope she listens. She said she had something to tell us, as well, I don’t know what.”

…

The smell of cooking drifted through the rows of tents as Idelle walked between them. It smelled delicious on some intellectual level, rich with flavors and spices that she couldn’t quite differentiate, but she didn’t feel hungry despite that. She wasn’t sure if it was due to having fed magically the night before, or just good old-fashioned nerves. She did know that her heart was beating fast, her heartbeat and pulse were easily perceptible to her even over the background noise of the camp.

Her thumb rubbed across the hilt of her sword, the texture of the leather rough against her skin. She’d noticed a few looks from other soldiers, the oversized blade over her shoulder unique enough to draw attention when she was in the midst of the well-defended camp, but she didn’t care. Many of her other comrades were openly wearing smaller weapons at their hips, something that would have been a novelty even just the day before.

And even if they hadn’t been, Idelle didn’t want to be unarmed. Just in case.

She tried not to dwell on which case that might be.

Adrian’s canopy loomed against the trees, highlighted by a bright torch. He was seated, this time, his back slightly bent. Had he slept since the attack last night? Idelle didn’t think he had, from the look of him. She wondered if his lack of rest might not be a good thing for her — he would be that more likely to brush over any minor inconsistencies that might come up.

The lieutenant was talking with another soldier, and she caught the tail end of their conversation as she warily stepped closer.

“...move back into the barracks, tomorrow. The fires have mostly died out. As far as the outer walls, they’re almost undamaged. Between the firebreak and the stone, there was nothing really to burn.”

“Good, we’ll plan on that. It’s more important than ever the city remain manned.” Adrian’s voice betrayed none of the weariness visible in his posture. “Pass the word on that we’ll be maintaining these camps tonight, and beginning the reclamation process in the morning.”

The soldier nodded, saluted, and turned away. Idelle quickly stepped out of the way as they purposefully strode past her. Her gaze followed the unfamiliar soldier for a moment, then she looked back at the temporary command tent only to meet Adrian’s eyes. His expression was inscrutable, and she took a moment to collect herself in response before stepping forward.

She didn’t bother with a salute, unsure of the correct form even if she had wanted to show him the extra courtesy. “Lieutenant. I have something you should know about.”

He gestured to continue. “Cateline spoke with me earlier and mentioned as much.” Anything else Cateline had mentioned was left unsaid, and Idelle wasn’t about to ask for clarification. Even if she regretted speaking up about Cecilia’s betrayal, that ship had already sailed. So be it, she’d lost much of her appetite for secrets over the last twenty four hours.

The flame of the torch lighting up the canopy flickered, reflected in her eyes as she spoke. “Actually, Ce — Her Highness might have already told you. I have a unique ability.”

Was it her imagination, or had Adrian’s eyes imperceptibly narrowed? “She did not, in fact, inform me. Elaborate.”

Idelle paused, choosing her words carefully before she slowly spoke. “You’re aware that I’m stronger and faster than seems normal, yes? This is why. I have the ability to slowly strengthen myself — by hunting — and killing — magic beasts.”

Adrian considered her, his face still expressionless. “That would… explain some things. You say that Princess Cecilia knew?”

Idelle nodded, trying to keep her expression equally impassive as Adrian continued. “Inconvenient, then, that Her Highness has been kidnapped.”

She stared back at him, forcing herself to meet his gaze without flinching. “That’s why I felt I should bring it up now, instead of later. It’s no huge secret, after all.”

He shrugged. “Why bring it up at all, then?”

Idelle hesitated again. The man’s lack of a bigger response unnerved her. Did he already know about her powers? What about the soldier she’d — how much had Cecilia trusted him with? She couldn’t rule out the possibility that he was working with the princess, as part of some larger scheme. “I was hoping to get permission to hunt, on my own. And ideally access to monster lures —”

“Denied.” Adrian’s face had settled into a slight frown.

“Wait — denied? Why?” Idelle’s composure finally slipped, a sudden burst of annoyance flooding her at his blunt refusal. Denied? Just like that?

Adrian sat up straighter and leaned forward slightly, meeting her scowl head-on. “Miss Idelle. I understand that you have a… unique relationship with Her Highness. But she has been kidnapped, the duke is dead, along with nearly all of the upper echelons of the main garrison and half of the troops stationed here, and the city is nearly destroyed on top of that.”

His voice rose slightly as he continued. “As such, it has fallen to me to deal with this disaster, and make sure that, dragons forbid, we don’t find ourselves dealing with a beast wave or worse. I do not have the time, the manpower, or frankly the patience to babysit some girl who wants to go off on her own to fight monsters like some hero of old.”

Idelle’s fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword. “Hey. Don’t call me a child. And I’m not asking you to babysit me, I’m asking for permission to help. The magic beasts need to be culled regardless of the situation, no?”

He gave her an extremely pointed look. “And when Her Highness is rescued and asks where you are, who do you think it will be who has to explain that you ran out and got eaten by a griffin while trying to play hero?”

Idelle glared at him, face flushed. “I can take care of myself. I’ve done it before.”

Adrian sighed, falling back against his chair. “I’m sure you have. Nonetheless, the answer is no. You’re a soldier, aren’t you? Act like one. You can speak with Sergeant Cateline about your ability, and using it in group hunts, if you want. I’ve never heard of such a power before, but if Her Highness thought it was worth cultivating, there must be something to it.”

Idelle opened her mouth to retort, then closed it again. Why was she losing her temper over nothing? She took a deep breath, forcing herself to respond calmly. “You’re right, I’m sorry. The stress must be getting to me.”

The look he gave seemed genuinely sympathetic, and that rankled Idelle more than anything. “I think it’s getting to all of us. Go rest. You aren’t the only one worried about the princess, but the kingdom won’t take this lying down. Stronger warriors than you and I will be involved before long. Leave it to them, and keep yourself safe until they can rescue her.”

Idelle nodded, stony-faced. “I’ll do that. Goodnight, lieutenant.”

She forced herself to wait for his farewell to finish before she turned and strode away. Deep breaths, she reminded herself. But despite her best efforts, she found herself smoldering with frustration. How dare he be so patronizing? What did he think she was, a child who was afraid because her friend had been kidnapped? He didn’t understand a thing —

She clamped down on her anger. Her left hand had curled into a fist, nails digging into her palm, and she forced it back open. Seriously, what was wrong with her today? She really must be stressed.

If she thought about it rationally, the conversation had gone well, as far as she was concerned. Either Adrian was a great actor, or he knew nothing about either Cecilia’s treachery or Idelle’s own past failure, and was assuming that the weirdness in her behavior was due purely to stress and youth. And he seemed to think nothing major of her power, on top of that. Wasn’t that basically the best possible outcome for her?

Sure, she might not have the ability to freely feed, but she hadn’t had it before now either. She could probably figure something out, maybe even just sneaking out to hunt. It wasn’t like Adrian could realistically spare the soldiers to keep her guarded, or something.

No, wait. Something wasn’t adding up. She turned back and stared at Adrian’s temporary office with narrowed eyes. Why hadn’t he asked her about what she’d told Cateline? He’d said that Cateline had talked to him about her, Idelle reminded herself. Why ignore the elephant in the room? She must still be missing something.

She thought back to their conversation. Had he been being intentionally patronizing? Trying to upset her, to provoke her into letting something slip? That must be it. He must have been trying to get her to reveal something. But what, and what did he know that led him to suspect her?

Try as she might, Idelle didn’t come to any answers. Adrian had been too inscrutable throughout the conversation, the only emotions she’d recognized in him were a hint of annoyance and his eventual pity. She let out a frustrated hiss of air. He’d just been mocking her, hadn’t he. Maybe he’d known about Cecilia’s treachery all along, for some reason.

A barely perceptible noise disturbed her thoughts, and she snapped her head around. Her eyes landed on a soldier with a spear, standing amongst the trees. He turned away as she stared, but he’d definitely been looking at her. He was just part of the normal watch for the camp, right? Like the one she’d spoken with earlier that day at the merchant camp.

Idelle looked at him a moment longer, then quickly turned and walked further into the camp. She couldn’t be too careful, she reminded herself. Cecilia had basically taken her out alone, and there were hundreds of soldiers in potentially every direction right now. If Adrian decided to capture or kill her, she would have no chance to escape unless she realized ahead of time and acted first.

Maybe it would be best to leave Wyrlet behind and strike out on her own again.

She shook her head. She didn’t want to settle back into her old, impulsive habits. If she left, she needed to do it with a plan and a destination, somewhere that could help her accomplish her goals…

She paused between steps, considering. Actually, maybe she did have a possible destination or two. Clovis had mentioned them. It’d been the last time they spoke, she remembered, with a twisting feeling in her gut.

The royal academies. Cecilia had mentioned one of them once, as well. The magic academy, in a city called Hudbria. If there was any place she’d be able to learn advanced magic, it would be there. And it would be safe as well, no one there would know her. It’d be hard to find anything to hunt, maybe, but that was already the case for her.

She grimaced. Too bad she had almost no idea where the city was. Somewhere to the south, maybe? Seemingly neither she nor the people she had… Well, one way or another, she didn’t know.

Still, it was the start of something. She would see what she could figure out, Idelle thought to herself.