When next I wake, Jenny is there, food in hand. I sniff, and Jenny laughs softly.

“I knew I could count on food to wake you. Come now, dear, let’s get you fed.”

She helps me prop up, stuffing pillows behind my back.

“How is everyone?” I ask faintly, wincing and trying to wiggle to find a place that hurts less. Spoiler alert, nothing helps.

“They survived. Most of the knights under Hans explicitly declared they would come to help. They didn’t give him a choice, and now I’m glad. You all needed them.”

“How many did we lose?” I choke out.

Her blue eyes grow dark with sorrow and compassion. “Fifteen. You have the knights who volunteered to thank for that low of a number. Many barely made it out alive, yourself especially.”

Expunging a breath, I lean back. I look up at the canopy, eyes sightless and unseeing the soft golden glow from the windows making the canopy turn a soft yellow. I don’t see Jenny turn to speak with someone.

All I see is blood and gore that made up that monster's army. All I see is the many lives I stole. All I see are the sightless eyes who will never hold a loved one or kiss their family again.

I shake myself from such spiraling thoughts, knowing that the path forward will be tough, but at least now the danger of the monster holding my family is—gone. A weight I didn’t know was there lifts from my chest, and a single tear drips from the corner of my eye.

“They’re safe,” I whisper.

“Yes, Guardian, they are safe.” Sir Hans walks up to my bedside and meets my eyes with frank sternness. “What will you do now?”

I recoil from that gaze that pierces deeper than I would wish. “What do you mean?”

“What will you do now?”

I let out a breath. And then I sense more. “Oh.”

Sir Hans has the gall to chuckle. “Yes, 'Oh' is correct.” He looks down, then back up to gaze at me with eyes that are not quite stern, nor curious, but strangely imploring. “The prince still needs you. Risia still needs you.”

I close my eyes. “Would they not be better without?”

“Without you, Risia would be in the hands of the enemy.” I narrow my eyes at him. "What, you think we could have done all this without you?"

I stare at him. When he doesn't seem to want to continue, I open my mouth. "Hans, you would've found out. You would've known. You would've been fine without me. I only—"

"Helped us find the hub, killed a Bamshee, and single-handedly sent the leader packing? Of course, we would have been perfectly fine without you."

Jenny laughs. I glare. She hides her smile under her hand, composing herself. "He has a point, dear," she says, blue eyes still twinkling with laughter.

I roll my eyes, but can't help the smile pulling at my lips.

"And besides, once you think on it for a while, you’ll know it's only stubbornness keeping you from seeing just how much you mean to this land," he says. "We need you. Risia needs her Guardian."

Jenny slaps his shoulder. Hard, I might add. “Hans...” She starts in a warning. Uh, oh. Last name treatment.

He flinches at her tone. "You know we do, my love."

She gives him The Look.

They hardly glance at me. Jenny is too busy glaring. Sir Hans is too interested in the floor. It is nice and beautiful carpet I suppose. It’s not quite that elegant, though.

“Were I to realize you would merely come in and interrogate her before she has even dined, I would never have let you in! She needs rest. She needs to recover before even thinking about what can come next,” she says, crossing her legs. Lips pursed, she continues in a mostly pleasant tone, "We need to have her best interest at heart... not what she can do for Risia. Do you truly not see she's been through enough?" Her voice is deathly quiet.

He looks at me then, eyes cataloging the many bandages and bruises. “Forgive me, Aria. I was out of line. I’ll behave, my love.”

He gives me a bow, kisses his wife's brow, then steps back.

“Good.” With a nod, she turns back into a mothering hen. “Aria, get some broth down, and we’ll go from there. Sound good?”

I nod meekly. Don’t want that bear coming back, after all.

I eat the meat stock without hardly tasting it. My brain goes in circles, wondering at Sir Hans’ words.

“You’re right,” pops out my mouth before I consciously decide to say it.

“Hmm?” Jenny asks, hardly glancing up as she gathers a few pastries for dessert.

“You’re right.” I look at Sir Hans, and find him looking at me oddly, a look I’m uncomfortable with. It's as if he sees right through me, knows I will welcome the challenge of whatever comes next. As if he knows I need something, anything, to fight to keep my mind from going in circles. I look away. “It’s not over. Those who supported that monster won't stop. The coil is still deeply imbedded into the nobility. The assassin will come back in time. My job isn’t finished—not yet.”

Sir Hans walks over, sitting softly in a chair at my bedside as Jenny looks on with worry in her gaze. I give her a small smile, hoping she’ll know I’m alright speaking of this. Her face softens.

Hans takes a breath. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that, minx. I’ve received news. Those we rescued, they—” He scrubs a hand at his forehead, as if trying to rub away a headache. "They were some of the highest echelons of society. And we never knew they were missing."

I hiss out a breath as his eyes pin me to the bed. That means—

"They were never missing. I saw Duke Ferand three days ago, all while the real Duke was rotting underground for weeks. If they had continued..." he trails off, looking out the window and rubbing his beard.

"That would've been catastrophic. What happened to the doppelgangers?"

He shakes his head. "We don't know. They disappeared when you did your Blessing thing and Darshius made his promise. A woman said her husband was eating breakfast when a black circle appeared behind him. The portal sucked him in. There one moment, gone the next. Seems Darshius well and truly kept his promise... for now."

I sigh. "Good. So Risia is safe."

“True. Does not change the fact they have magic. I do not know who in the royalty is Gifted... the only one who knows the entire Gifted within Risia is the General and the king. Yet I highly doubt many will get off their padded hind ends to save their nation. We have very few Gifted knights powerful enough to stand against such, with one exception.” He looks pointedly at me.

I give a sad smile. “That’s just it—I’m not sure I will have that Gift for much longer.”

I get the undivided, bug-eyed attention of two nobles in fine dress and normally composed faces.

I pick at the fringe on the pristine white covers, avoiding their gazes. “I can feel Rose... the Spark. She's pulling against me like a dog on a leash, ready to go home. Their captor is now dead, so they’re free. Rose can return to her fairy.”

“But—what?” Hans says, his voice softer than I've ever heard.

I look up and meet his worried gaze dead on. “I may not have Rose much longer, but it does not change that I will still do everything in my power to protect Risia. They will have to go through my dead body. And I will also get the sprites to keep an eye out, and hopefully they won’t be too opposed to helping us guard the prince as well, since he seems to be the focal point—” Hans slowly grins, and I narrow my eyes at him. "What?" I ask warily.

"Nothing. Continue."

I humph out a breath, but continue as asked, "They can watch what we cannot and I will still be able to follow emotions... just not quite as well without Rose."

A bittersweet melancholy overcomes me. Just as we were becoming friends, I'm going to lose her.

We will always be friends, Aria. Our time together was precious and I will not forget you, Rose says softly, gently wrapping my heart in the warmth of friendship and trust.

I smile, trying to send her back the same feelings, plus a bit of sisterly love. I'll miss you.

So will I you, surprisingly, she replies.

Grand. Happy to know you thought that much of me.

She laughs, a twinkling sound I feel because I sure don't hear it.

I’m thankful for her. Even if she did try to kill me multiple times.

Rider, Ran chides.

She almost gave me a heart attack when she first spoke to me! I didn’t even know she could talk.

Ran cuts me off from the bond. Seems she has no reply to that. I turn my eyes back to Jenny and Hans, who watch me knowingly.

“How’s our favorite wolf?” Jenny asks, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

“Just grand. Where is she, anyway?” I ask.

“Went out into town a while back, seemed to be on a mission.” Hans looks out into the city.

I roll my eyes.

Where’d ya go?

Needed to see something. The harbors… they aren’t the same. There is something in the waters that stinks of death. Tales of entire boats missing. What you saw in his memory is true. Something is out there, and it’s hungry.

My stomach curdles. Ran… do you know what this leviathan might be?

A pause. Rider, whatever it is, it’s not good.

I want to bang my head against a wooden wall. Just another problem to add to my ever growing list. But then I think of something and smile.

I might have a growing list… but now I have an army through Hans and magical fairies who owe me a few more favors once I return Rose to them.

I’m not alone, and it’s time to start acting like it.