Breathing room or not, I could not stay still. I needed to keep it going, so keep moving I did. Day after day I marched, teleported, and even made a few more sleds, to gain as much room as I could. I was not going back, and they weren't making me. It worked too, a week after I'd led my attack on the hunters I stood on a low mountain slope, looking out onto the horizon.

There was smoke, lots of smoke. If I had to guess it was perhaps a day's travel away, but I could see the clouds drifting up. I decided to take a chance on something that I'd been thinking about for the last several says, and brought my hands up before me. The space bent, not to teleport, but for another purpose, a new purpose.

The lens began to form, the zoom was... poor, but it was something. I could see it, buried in a valley beyond some hills it stood. I could even see a couple of roofs poking up here and there. Civilization! I was saved!

Even if I could now see where I was going it would still take me at least a day, perhaps two to get there. From this side there were no roads, but that mattered little, I just needed to make it to the compound.

It only took a few moments to check my gear and begin my descent. I was still pretty well off, getting low on meat, and that I had was... getting a bit iffy, but that was something easy to fix. All I needed was an inn, or a tavern, or really anything, any public place and I could regroup and get some new gear.

There was no time to waste, so soon as I was ready I hurried, renewed by hope and the joy of things that might come.

Marco

I looked up upon the mountain so far above, exhausted.

"Which way?" The gruff voice behind asked.

"Right," I replied, letting the hounds take us to the girl's path.

There were only four of us now, and a few of the hounds. My friends and kinfolk had died screaming, and now it was just me, just me, and I was going to die, that much I knew. There were rope marks on my hands, and scars where burns had been quickly mended.

A few hours more and we stopped for lunch.

"How far behind are we?" Asked Rooke, his voice cold.

"A day, maybe two."

"Good, then we're catching up. Remember what I told you."

"I remember," I said, tired. "You'll spare them then?"

"I swore to it didn't I? You're family, and those of the other traitors will be spared, but only if we return with Alana." I could still hear the anger as he said it, still furious at our betrayal.

"Right after you cut my head off,"

"You'll get one last chance to see your kin, and I'll get another good example for those who think they want to do foolish things in the past. If you tell the people how foolish you were, I might even give them a bit of food."

I wanted to curse, to spit, to wipe the look of contempt he had right off the bastard's face. He thought this was right, to come here, to force us to help him, to drag hardworking men out on this stupid mission, and why? Because he was a 'noble' a mage, what a whore-son. My men and I had never wanted to do anything other than live our lives in peace, and then this man, and his people had come and stepped all over it. They could all go freeze to death for all I cared.

But I did care about my wife, and the children, and the wives and children of all the others. I was going to die, but if I caught this girl perhaps they wouldn't. Perhaps I could do one last thing and save them, at least some of them.

Then again I almost hoped that this Alana girl killed all of us in another avalanche or something. I'd die a thousand deaths to see these men suffer, and if none of us returned home, well, there was no chance they'd go after my family, or the others now was there?

Durin

I looked down at my desk, tired. This last few weeks had been nearly as tiring as when I'd taken over. The assault on our portal team, still unsolved, several city-states who clearly needed putting in their place, and finally, my son was sick. It was to the point that even my dear Sophia had stayed behind to keep an eye on him.

I looked up from my desk to see her now, holding our infant boy swaddled against her chest. I couldn't see it, but I knew waves of healing mana were being gently pushed into the small body there, aiding as best she could his recovery.

"He's asleep," she said, her eyes meeting mine.

"That's good, how is he otherwise?"

"You know, and you know what the priests said. It's one of the noble illnesses, it will come again."

I sighed, there was little else to be said. Both of us had been born to high ranking families, so this wasn't completely unexpected. People of our status almost only ever married people of similar status, and there were so few, so very few. The priests understood why this was bad, sometimes disastrous for bloodlines, but it still happened. We'd been told that our son, and potentially other children, should we have any, would suffer this.

The worst part of it all was that there was no cure, not in the normal way. Normal disease was simple, a bard or priest could fix it in moments, even if some of the symptoms lasted a few days more. Those were only a threat to the poor, who couldn't afford the treatment, or were last in line when things spread too quickly.

This though was in the blood. It couldn't be taken from him, for it was as much part of him as his hands, or feet. They could, and of course would, treat the symptoms, but there was no end, he would suffer, again and again. I knew this, understood it, but screamed inside because I knew there was nothing I could do.

"When it's safe we'll take him to Linden. There are stories of some of the elder priests fixing even these maladies, and they will for us my love." I rose and moved beside her wrapping one arm around her shoulders.

"I know, I know. Though I hate the idea of my son around those child-snatchers."

I smiled indulgently, knowing my dear's opinion on how the Orders claimed every child who showed priest abilities. Our son hadn't, but he clearly had an aura of some kind, so it was a worry they might want him to join them should his power manifest in that way. Not that she'd have any of it.

"They won't take him." I kissed her cheek. "Sadly, I must go back to work."

The schedule from my desk showed all the places I had to be over the next ten-day. An appearance in the capitol, another in Lithere, there was also a team going out to setup a portal at a site they'd found, a forward base and vacationing spot. The last one seemed silly, but I did want to get a look at what they were thinking. After that I needed to inspect the army being sent East.

One of those city-states had taken my people, and all of them would suffer for the insult of attacking my diplomats. This couldn't be allowed to slide, not only was a certain general enraged, but letting them get away with this would only teach others that was acceptable. I would crush them, and retrieve my people, and nobody else would dare take such actions again.

Alana

The ground had flown beneath me, and though I'd avoided teleporting too much I'd still made excellent time. In just a few hours I'd be there, safe and sound. My feet thumped hard against the snow covered ground as I made my way to the valley lip, step by step until I finally reached the top and got a look at my destination.

I laughed, and laughed, falling to my knees with tears streaming down my face. Tears that continued even after the laughing stopped. This had to be some kind of sick joke.