I raised my hand toward the sky, turning it this way and that to admire the freshly-inked mark. Sure, the skin was still red and puffy, but that always faded quickly with aura flowing through the tattoo. It was just a tiny little whorl cropping off the diamond hunter-mark on the back of my hand. Barely noticeable, really—but it was the most expensive mark I’d ever received.

“Myra’s mercy, lad,” I heard Avira chuckle, and looked over. She was shaking her head, striding on alongside me. We’d left the imbuer behind a few minutes before, and thankfully, it wasn’t far between them and our quarters.

Avira grinned at me when she saw me looking, though, reaching up to tug my hand level again. “It won’t go anywhere,” she said. “So let’s leave the playing for later and focus on the work now, aye?” She raised her own hand, eyeing the marks along her finger, then turned away from me. “Let’s see how it works.”

She flicked her fingers to the side, her marks starting to glow the icy white of her aura. I felt my bonding band prickle, and glanced down. My own mark was glowing in response—and a notification appeared in my sight.

Mark Activated: Lens of the Lost

Confirm? Y/N

Huh. I’d never seen a mark do something like that before. Hesitating a moment, I reached toward my own mark, feeding a thread of aura into the ink. Moving on instinct, I dragged my hand to the side. To my shock, a line of light hovered in midair behind it, and as I gaped, the line exploded out into a oblong, mirror-like shape.

Lens of the Lost: Activated

“Wow,” I mumbled, taking a step back. The mirror followed me. And on the other side-

Avira grinned, leaning forward until one yellow eye all but filled the lens. “Well, now. Isn’t that something?” Her voice rang out in tandem, blasting from the mirror just as clearly as from her throat.

“I can see you,” I said, starting to grin. Okay. I hadn’t been entirely sold on this mark—but this was pretty handy. If I’d had something like this, I would’t have had to ping Avira from halfway across the city. I could’ve just explained it to her face.

Granted, I didn’t know if that would be worth the aura spend to the average hunter. But, if I was sailing to Talmarn… I nodded, settling again. “This will be useful,” I said.

“Aye,” Avira said, sitting back on her heels. With a flick of her fingers, she cut her aura off, snapping the window closed. My own mirror fizzled in response, going blank before vanishing.

Lens of the Lost: Deactivated

“Do you think it’s going to work?” I said, though, looking back to her and letting my hand fall. “Across the ocean, and all that. It’s a really long way.”

Avira nodded, pursing her lips. “That’s the question. I wish I could answer you straight, Trellin. It’s a coin flip, I’d say. But…” She looked up, her expression softening as a flicker of emotion washed over it. “In my experience, a bonding band carries farther than the imbuers think. I’ve seen that with my own eyes.”

“With Enryn,” I said. Avira’s guide, and the guildmaster before Verrick—a guildmaster who’d wound up slain on Deldynne, dead to an assassin’s blade. “You felt him, right?”

Bringing Enryn up was…less than ideal. Even if it’d been a decade, the wound was still fresh for her. But the last month or two had been good for Avira, too, and she’d made a lot of strides so far as her old mentor was concerned.

Sure enough, she merely smiled, her eyes dark but not pained. “Aye,” she said. “The imbuers didn’t think that was possible, either. If it doesn’t work, well, it doesn’t work. But we have to try.”

“Makes sense,” I said, cradling my hand to my chest. “Then-”

“You’re to use it as soon as you arrive in Talmarn, do you understand?” Avira said, reaching out to take my shoulder. The guild hall loomed over us, but she seemed totally unconcerned with whoever else might be watching.

“I understand,” I said.

“And every night afterward,” Avira said. She frowned, releasing me. “Ah, Myra smile down on us. I shouldn’t even be sending you afar like this. You’re capable, but too young for a proper expedition. I wish there was another way.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said, following behind her as she started drifting toward the headquarters again. “And I’ll lens you. Not a problem.” I snorted, shaking my head. “I’m pretty sure I’ll want your input on a few things.”

Avira made a face, her expression still unhappy. “Aye. I’ll help you all I can. Now…” She glanced up at me again, then jerked her chin toward the hallway leading to our quarters. “You should get your things. Evening will be upon us soon. The ship will want to ride the tide out.”

“Got it,” I said. The words were more wistful than I bargained on. The time of our departure was impending, now. I understood the need, and I had no reservations about going—but suddenly, standing there in the courtyard, I realized that it’d be months before I saw Avira again. I’d have the lens, yes, assuming it worked, but…it just wasn’t the same.

I was going to miss her.

She chuckled, as though recognizing the emotions brewing in my eyes, and reached up to ruffle my hair. “Worry not,” she murmured. “You will do just fine, lad. Now jump to it.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, giving her a wink. Before she could protest, I scampered off, trotting back to my quarters.

Her tolerant chuckle filled the hallway behind me as I went.

—-------------------------------------------

I didn’t have much left to pack. With how much hunting I’d been doing lately, everything was mostly together—my whetstone, and my pouch of potions, freshly-refilled, and the kit for my aerial unit I’d picked up from the artificers. My clothes sat in stacks, ready to tuck into my pack once I’d confirmed I had everything I’d need. My sword and shield, I’d get from the gate before we left. I winced. I’d have to convince them to let me carry them through the city. They’d have a system, surely. I couldn’t be the only hunter who departed for distant lands through Linead’s north-shore port.

Nella jumped up onto my bed, lifting her wings at the sight of all my clothes piled here. Her eyes gleamed.

“No, sweetling,” I said, lunging over to grab her as she leapt toward them. “Those aren’t your bed. I need to pack those.”

She wriggled in my arms, twisting to face me, and puffed a ring of smoke directly into my face. The look on her little fiend face was utterly reproachful. I smothered a laugh, running my thumb across her eyebrow ridge instead. Sure enough, she melted into my arms, closing her eyes, and let out a low, deep coo.

That trick had proven invaluable. I stared down at Nella, though, suddenly uneasy. We were going to be on a ship for a month. A wooden ship. Wood was flammable—and even if Nella wasn’t on her mother’s level, I’d caught her singing the leggit she caught before devouring them. She could make fire. More pressingly, Nella didn’t like being told no. The little brat had an attitude, which could bode poorly for us.

“You’ll be good, won’t you?” I said, letting my aura suffuse the bonding band we shared. “You’ll listen to what I say?”

She stretched her wings again, the matching marks tattooed on her wing membranes glowing faintly. A wave of contentment radiated outward—tinged with what felt like agreement, this time. And love. My face swam up through the connection.

“Yes, I love you too,” I mumbled, my cheeks warming. At least I was alone. The emotions Nella sent through the band were becoming more complex. Nuanced. She wasn’t a baby anymore, I was coming to realize—or, at least, not a newborn. She was developing, and it felt a lot like she was getting a personality all her own.

“How intelligent are you, really?” I murmured, still stroking at her delicate, thumbnail-sized scales. “How smart are krytir? Is this just…what you are, or is it because of the band?” I wasn’t sure which answer scared me more. If the krytir were developed enough to have this level of emotional intelligence, it opened a whole lot of uncomfortable questions we’d have to sort through eventually. And if it was because of her exposure to my mostly-human mind through the bonding band, then was this replicable? Nella had an aura of her own through the matriarch, but…what about other fiends?

If I asked any of these questions out loud, Kevin would have an absolute field day investigating them, and the world just wasn’t ready for that. Leaning down, I kissed her forehead, then plopped her into the padded bed I’d had the tailors whip up for her—a bed I had to remember to take along. It wasn’t that big, and it’d fold down. Nella deserved to be comfortable too.

Besides. With her expanding day by day, she might well have outgrown it by the time we got back.

Someone knocked on the door.

I leaned over, peering out into the cloistered living area Avira and I shared. The door to the hallway beyond stayed shut—but after another moment, I heard the knock come again.

“Hello?” Kevin called.

Oh. I strode into the living area, undoing the latch before he could knock for a third time. Sure enough, when I pulled the door open, the researcher stood in the threshold, his hand in midair. “Trellin,” he said, cracking a smile at the sight of me. “I was looking for, uh. Avira?” He made a face, scratching at his hair. “Well. Myles, more.”

“So you finished the tracker?” I said. My chest ached a little at the words. I…really didn’t like this. Myles wasn’t a bad guy, and I didn’t think he was playing games with us. But Avira was the guildmaster, and whatever made her comfortable was what we’d do. I…could at least see where she was coming from, with it.

Kevin nodded. “Y-Yeah. Made it.” He laughed nervously, rubbing at his eyes. “Narrowly, but, yeah.”

“I think we’ll be out of here before too long,” I said. “So, uh…are you ready to-”

“I’m packed,” Kevin said, nodding furiously. “Yeah.”

“Then let’s go,” I said, heading back into my room. All the clothes I’d stacked up, I grabbed, shoving into my pack. Nella’s bed went on top, with a squawk of protest as I dumped her unceremoniously out. I grunted a little as the bag’s weight hit my shoulder, but nodded to Kevin.

“Where are we going?” Kevin said, sounding decidedly more unsure as he looked from the pack to me.

“Where else?” I said, holding a hand out to Nella. She leapt to my arm, skittering across to settle around my neck like a scarf. It was less comfortable than it would sound, at least on my part. “You’re looking for Avira, or you’re looking for Myles.” I chuckled, turning for the door. “It doesn’t really matter. Avira is at Myles’ place. And from there, we should head to the docks.” I shook my head, my smile twisting. “Even if Avira was joking, if I miss the boat a second time…” I grimaced. “I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“O-Oh,” Kevin said—and then nodded, rubbing at one red-rimmed eye. “Y-Yeah. That makes sense. Okay. Then- I’ll meet you there?” He jerked a thumb for the door, taking a step back. “I need my bag.”

“See you there,” I said, grinning after him as he bolted. Poor bastard looked absolutely run down. “Take your time. We won’t leave without you.” The sentiment wasn’t entirely good-natured, I was forced to admit. If we couldn’t get some research done on Nella, fast, we were in some real trouble.

Soon. We would be off soon, and safe on our ship, and we could get a moment’s quiet to sort all of this out. I grimaced, my smile fading as the reality of our situation sank back in.

We’d make it work. That was all there was to it.

Setting my sights for the restricted district, I trudged onward.