Nobody spoke.

We were huddled in the dark, unwilling to risk a fire. The warmth would've been welcome, but we knew it wasn't a good idea. The smoke and light were too easy to spot as the evening faded to night, and we didn't have a clue who was out there watching.

Andrin glanced between Lylisia and me, wringing his hands, while I fidgeted back and forth on my bedroll. Koren's tapping was starting to sound like it was on the inside of my skull.

Tap tap tap tap.

"So... Sed noticed something weird about the soldiers' armor."

When she got no answer, Lylisia rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, let's move on. What happened, happened."

Andrin looked at Koren, who raised an eyebrow, then stopped his tapping.

"Agreed."

I bit my lip. "Fine." I still hadn't made up my mind how I felt about it all. But she's right, let's move on with it.

"So the armor? What did you see? New forging?" The words came tumbling out of Andrin's mouth.

I sighed. "Can we have a little light at least? I need to see you guys." With the help of my Animaré senses I could see them in the dim light, so I wasn't quite sure what I meant. Maybe I just wanted to look in Koren's eyes, remember that he had some feeling under that cold exterior.

Koren's palm blossomed into ghostly green flame, the sudden glow reflecting in his eyes. The Torch nestled comfortably in his palm, an effortless light source for magic wielders of his strength. When he spoke, it was almost a whisper, as if the emerald blaze softened his tone.

"Something new?"

I couldn't quite place it, but something tempered the hard edge of my own mood. "Yes, something new... not in a good way. Their armor was made of some metal I've never seen before. Gray mixed with brown, and not shiny, almost like it was carved straight from stone. Ever heard of anything like that in Corvelen?"

Andrin's gray skin grew a shade paler. "Baldük metal?"

"Since when does Baldük-kre dole out resources to Corvelen?" said Lylisia.

"Only when—"

"—the Ska'al are involved." Koren calmly finished Andrin's shaky sentence. "This is not good news."

The Ska'al. Elite warriors of Baldük-kre, the fiercest fighters, ruthless, devoted to their cause until death. "Ska'al" was the name whispered in the dark by Corvel children, feared and respected at once by all. They were designated "Keepers of the Peace" in Baldük-kre and were heavily trained in combat. If the Ska'al wanted to find you, there was no escaping them.

"They can't be looking for us, right? What did we ever do? How do they even know about us!"

"They can't be after us Andrin, I don't think that's what Koren means."

"No... but I don't know what it means yet."

"The guards were equipped to fight Animaré, but didn't have an ounce of training to do it. Why outfit them without giving them a clue what to do?" Lylisia spun her knife point down in the log she was sitting on. I could practically see the cogs turning in her mind.

Koren was already shaking his head. "They couldn't have been after Animaré, let alone expecting to find anyone in this forest. Reill must think something is about to happen, or someone. And that brings us to the Ska'al."

"The Ska'al won't give up until they've found their prey." Andrin had shrunk to half his usual height, hunched over a mixing bowl. He almost automatically began to grind Lithis root. "I don't know what they'd even want with us."

"The Ska'al aren't after us, Andrin. Nobody knew we were out here until today."

Thanks for the reminder Lill.

"I've never even heard of the Ska'al teaming up with the Corvel like this though. Is that weird Andrin?"

"Yes, it's very weird, it's very, very weird." He drove his pestle furiously into the already pulverized root. "It's an anomaly in history weird, the kind the scholars mark down as a landmark event after the Baldük War, the first time Corvelen and Baldük-kre worked together in centuries!"

"All for what though? There's only one reason the Corvelen would be desperate enough to ask the Ska'al for help, one thing the Corvel fear more than the Ska'al—a Solace."

Dead silence followed Koren's declaration.

"That—that's not possible, there aren't any... of those in Corvelen anymore." I hoped against hope I was right. My mind conjured up an image before I could stop it—a disfigured shape, cowled, dead eyes staring blankly from a from sunken sockets. I could almost feel the ground slide sideways as the currents twisted inside out. I'd never seen a Solace, barely even heard of them, but I knew enough.

"It's not a Solace," said Lylisia. "It's just not. Animaré die with our Bonds, we don't live on as those earthly nightmares, we don't inherit broken magic. Not anymore, not here, outside of Baldük-kre, where our souls are strong and healthy. Animaré aren't so disconnected as to survive our Bonds dying."

Koren shrugged. "I think it's still a possibility to consider. A Solace loose in Corvelen would cause Aelridia enough panic to enlist the help of the greatest killers we know of, even if they are Baldük."

Andrin wrung his hands in the absence of more herbs to obliterate. "So maybe the Corvel could be desperate enough, but the Ska'al? There'd have to be something in it for them. They wouldn't just find a Solace for the fun of it..."

"What else though?" Koren said. "Animaré? Corvelen has never had a problem with Animaré, unless of course they're criminals. But the Corvel Guard has its own Animaré unit, why bring in Ska'al for what Corvelen's own Animaré could do?"

"Maybe they're looking for a group of Animar...?" Lylisia bit her lip and everybody went quiet again, even Koren.

"In Baldük-kre, Ska'al are supposed to be guardians of justice." Andrin's voice was small but steady. "We only ever do what we have to to survive."

"Let's hope—let's hope they see it that way," Lylisia said after a while.

Andrin nodded and stowed his things. Then he gathered his cloak about him and laid down a few feet outside the circle of light. He was asleep within minutes.

"I can take the first watch." Lylisia didn't need anything more than a whisper to be heard. "My head is still spinning from everything today anyway."

I mumbled something in agreement and laid back on my bedroll, sighing at the treetops above. I didn't know what to think either. What could I have done any better? I wanted to protect my friends—my family, really—but did it have to come to killing defenseless men? They could've had families themselves. Lylisia didn't seem to have trouble making up her mind, but in truth, I couldn't see any right answer. And before I could even think about it, the chance was snatched away by... The shadow.

A chill raced down my spine.

I didn't want to think about it, but it clung to my mind like grimy nails had dug in deep. It can't be 'nothing', not anymore, not after today. I'd never felt a thing in the world like it—like I was drowning on dry land, like my eyes were failing in broad daylight, like—like it wanted me.

Lylisia laid a hand on my arm. Of course she could sense my agitation.

"Something's out there Lill."

"I know."

"I don't know what we're gonna do."

"Same as we always do. Push through it. You and me."

"This is different. Are we strong enough?" I thought about the shadow again.

"You know that I'm glad you're all I've ever known? I've wondered, sometimes, why we can't remember our lives before we were Bonded. I'd kill to know who I was, who my parents were, how I found you. But maybe it's better this way. This magic, binding us, as long as it's here, you're here with me, and I'm here with you. I'd kill to know who I was, but I'd die to save all of you."

I blinked back a rogue tear and had to laugh at myself. "Dang Lill how do you do it, what's wrong with me."

She leaned her head against my shoulder and patted my arm.

"Where to begin..."

I snorted and shrugged her off. "Yeah yeah... I guess I'll make up for it and take that first watch."

Lylisia snatched the amulet from her bedroll before I could reach it. "You don't think I know you? You've been going too hard for too long, I don't need to be Bonded to you to see it. Rest."

I opened my mouth to object and caught her glare. A lock of silver hair had escaped her braid and hung at her temple. I decided to shut my mouth, hoping to shut my mind off too.

"Fine, I'll try to sleep," I said. Then, "but if I'm well rested tomorrow, it'll be entirely your fault."

She laughed a little. "On my head."

* * *

"Sedris."

I opened my eyes—a lot of good that did me. The night was pitch black, and I had to blink to make sure my eyes were actually open.

"Sedris!" the voice hissed again. "Get up now... they're coming!"

I bolted upright, recognizing Koren's urgency. That can't be good. I checked my belt quickly for each small pouch—three in all—and tried to stand as Koren quietly woke Lylisia and Andrin. Low hanging branches tangled in my hair, and I ducked as one poked my scalp. Swearing under my breath, I stepped towards Koren's low voice.

"Time to change the watch already? What's happening?" Andrin asked with a yawn.

"What's happening," Koren said, "is that a lot of Corvel are heading straight toward us. And I'm going to bet that after our little meeting yesterday, they're aren't happy."

My heart sunk and a feeling of cold dread settled in. That soldier made it home. I reached out into the currents, feeling for Lylisia. Between the two shining souls of Andrin and Koren, Lylisia's glowed on the ground, just beginning to stir. Still in the pitch black, I stepped carefully between Koren and Andrin and crouched down.

"What's going on Sed?" her groggy voice whispered. My hand touched her forearm and I quickly found her hand.

"We're leaving, now," I whispered, pulling her to her feet. "How many are there Koren?" I stretched out my senses into the currents as far as I could, sifting through animals and bugs, from bigger pulses to minute, dim ones.

Koren answered right as I felt them. "I can't tell. Ten. Thirty?" His voice sounded from right beside me, and just then a green flame jumped into his hand. The eerie glow illuminated our pale faces.

"How far away?"

"Not sure, but if they've got any Animaré, they're going to know about us very soon," came the dry response. "Andrin, Lylisia, are you ready?"

Andrin slung his small cooking pot onto his back and Lylisia's cloak rustled. That was enough for Koren.

"Let's move."

Koren held the light in front of us to light the path. We all strained our senses, using magic to enhance our eyesight, but, from my position in the rear, all I could make out were the dimmest outlines of the biggest trees.

The path twisted left and right, and with each turn it got tighter. I was already running into branches, wading through the grass, and brushing past thorns as they reached out to grab my ankles. The trees began pressing in on us, forcing us in single file. With Koren at the front with the Torch, the yawning darkness chased right at my heels.

An ugly thought reared its head from some corner of my mind. It was too rational to ignore.

"Andrin." Right in front of me, he was the only one I could see.

"Something wrong?"

"No, just keep your voice down."

"Got it," he replied, catching on to my tone.

The path took a sharp turn to the right, the left again, and I held my breath for each corner; we truly had no idea what lay waiting in the forest.

"Andrin," I started again, "we know that the Corvel are looking for someone or something right?"

"I don't know Sed, maybe they were before, maybe they're looking for us now..."

"But what if they're looking for someone else? Something else? If they are—"

Andrin almost stopped and turned around, but a poke in the back nudged him forward again. "Great great, now there's something else out here with us? Corvel, a crazy magic shadow, and some other monster now?"

"Andrin I think—"

Just then Koren stopped abruptly. Ahead of me, Koren held up the Torch as high as he could reach. I peered around Andrin—he was too tall to see above—straining to see what Koren was looking at.

"What's going on Koren?" I whispered hoarsely.

No reply came from the front, but I heard Lylisia and Koren whispering to each other.

"Dead end..." Andrin muttered to me.

I furrowed my brow. I had been in this forest enough to know that wasn't common, nor was it good. I still had the uneasy presence of the Corvel at my back, far enough away to hide their numbers. There could be five Corvel following us, or there could be fifty. Until they caught up we couldn't tell. Now as we sat still, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck slowly rising.

"Andrin... they're getting closer."

Andrin's silhouette nodded briefly and conveyed the information to Koren. The light briefly went out, plunging the forest into utter darkness, then it quickly flared to life again. I looked quizzically at Andrin—not that he could see it—but held back my questions. Again the light flashed out, then back into existence. Andrin turned to me, the brilliant green flame cradled in his palm.

"We need to turn around, there's just no way we can fight through this brush," he said, keeping his voice low. "You're leader now." He held the Torch out for me to take.

Cold, smooth stone grazed my fingertips—I closed my fist around it.

A spark.

It welled up deep within, an arc of light that raced through my chest and into my shoulder, tracing every vein to my wrist. I breathed in and pushed, all of it, to the little stone. It drank the magic from my palm, pulling from every millimeter of bare skin, until the swirling cloud broke its walls and struck out like lightning, fire bursting into life.

And then all at once, it steadied. The currents drifted through my heart to my hand, a gentle flow to keep the green light alive, its flame leaping through my closed fist. I could almost feel the Torch's heartbeat.

The darkness yawned ahead of me, impenetrable, the overgrown branches reaching to pull me closer, but I held the Torch's emerald glow high.

The current rippled behind me: three Animaré simultaneously charged their own perceptions to hyper-sensitivity. Lylisia's bright soul shone out and hummed with mine in my chest. I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

We have magic, together. Together we have magic. Together we're strong.

I reached deep into the currents—and then it was back. The shadow, whatever was out there, that monster, I felt it heavier than the cloak around my shoulders, thicker than the air in my lungs.

No no no, not again, not here, not now. I glanced around wildly, the Torch sputtering in my hand as my grip on the currents slipped. The darkness was going darker, the air almost thick, the peaceful currents churning. Suddenly the wave hit me, almost knocking the breath from my lungs—I managed to take a deep gulp before another wave hit me, even stronger than before. I was ready for it this time, and tried to steel myself as the waves of disturbance crashed over my senses.

This was the third time.

I hadn't gotten used to it.

My muscles were trying to seize up. I forced them awake and slowly turned to Andrin, each movement excruciating. His face was frozen in horror, tall frame stiff. His lips parted soundlessly and I jerked my head. Save it.

Lylisia stumbled past Andrin and took my arm to remain standing. Her knuckles were white against my sleeve. "We're getting out of here Sedris, we're getting them out." She twitched and sucked in a breath through her teeth. "Help me, now!"

Without a moment lost she slung Koren's arm her shoulders. He was fighting to stay upright, the veins in his neck bulging. Lylisia lurched to catch up, forcing Koren's legs to move, half his frame draped around her thin shoulders. She grabbed the sputtering Torch from my limp grasp.

Through the haze in my mind and the splitting pain in my temples, I scooped Andrin's arm around my own shoulders. "I got you, I got you, let's go, stay on your feet." I wished I could strengthen him with magic, but that only worked between bonded Animaré—I could only strengthen Lylisia. Andrin was not easy to support, he was so tall. It took every ounce of strength in my legs to keep us both on our feet and moving.

He took a deep, shaky breath, one leg falling out from under him. "I-it's everywhere... I can't—breathe."

"Stay with me Andrin, stay with... me." I dragged him again. Andrin was by far taking it the hardest.

Lylisia surged ahead unsteadily, stringing steps together one at a time. The Torch blazed bright for a few minutes, but I could feel the toll it was taking on her as we backtracked out of the dead end.

We were going back toward it.

Now it was getting closer, and the frayed edges of the currents were unraveling violently, stretched to breaking and tearing. I didn't know what would happen when they did.

A fresh wave crashed over us and Lylisia stumbled. For one horrifying moment, the Torch went out, and my heart dropped into my stomach. I could hear every blade of grass and crumpled leaf under Lylisia's wild hands as she frantically searched the ground where the little stone had dropped. A flash of green and she snatched it up and tried to stand, only to go down again.

"Sed..."

I knelt beside her. My bones ached.

"Sed I can't... t-take it..."

The shadow was so close, it was wave after wave of blinding pain.

"Lill we... we have to. We will." We have to.

Now.

I screamed through my teeth and pushed up, wringing my soul dry for magic, shoving some at the Torch that Lylisia slipped into my palm, the rest right back to her.

We staggered forward, me practically dragging Andrin's limp body, Lylisia following with Koren as if on an invisible lead. I didn't know where the magic was coming from, but I didn't care, I pushed it all straight through our Bond, right to her soul, and kept on going.

Yes! A fork off the main path, away, away from the darkness, the chaos, the crashing currents. We could make it.

Rounding the corner, I waited for Lylisia to catch up and forced her down the path to salvation.

I froze for one agonizing second, without any clue why, and looked over my shoulder, into the currents—I had to see it.

The currents felt like a thrashing body had been thrown into a still lake, my Animaré senses riding each ripple—except each ripple was a tsunami, and every crashing wave was pain. I only caught a glimpse through the maelstrom, but that's all it took.

The... thing... was a soul, not shining or bright, but shredded and tattered and... bloodied?

I couldn't work out how a soul could be bloodied, and didn't have another chance to try.

The image was seared on my mind like the sun had burned my retinas—it's all I could take before I was gone, gone down the trail after Lylisia's dark form stumbling blindly through the night. I blocked out the currents, closed my eyes to them, forced us on.

She needs me. It has to be me.