As Varian and Shay climbed a hill near the bridge, they kept low and ducked carefully behind a mulberry shrub. The dark fruit hung heavy and low, almost overripe, which didn't stop Rudiger from snatching one and staining his whiskers. Varian tugged off his goggles; he didn't want the sun off the glass to attract attention as he cautiously peeked out over the leaves. He could see the path leading to the bridge, and the smoke had cleared enough that he could see the damage. It wasn't pretty.

"What do you see?" Shay whispered.

Varian's eyes narrowed to blue slits. "Looks like there was a wagon shipment that ignited. It was probably going to Newbarth or Vardaros. One of the wheels is still spinning. The columns are still intact, but the deck is completely uncrossable. That's at least half a ton of brickwork, years of hard labor, gone."

Shay crept up just enough to see, her red eye searching through her hair. "There's another wagon on the other side of the river."

Varian couldn't see through the smoke. "I can't tell from here. How many people?"

"Three," Shay answered. "One of them is a woman."

A woman? Varian frowned. "What does she look like?"

"She has dark hair, auburn. Not very tall. There's a tattoo on her arm."

Varian cursed out loud. "Sounds like Lady Caine." He clarified when Shay gave him a confused look. "Caine with an E. She's a pirate with a grudge against the crown. You see, it wasn't just mages the king went after. He rounded up almost every criminal he could find. Lady Caine's dad was one of them. He died in prison…in the same cell I was in, if she was telling the truth."

Shay's face went pallid. "Oh. So, you've met?"

"I don't know if 'meet' is the word I would use." Varian could hear them now; the lady was shouting at the other two, something about incompetence and muscles for brains. A breeze cleared the smoke enough for him to see her stomping around, gesturing wildly. "She was escorted past my cell once. I'd say we know of each other, but that's as far as I would ever care to associate with her."

"It looks like she's upset about the bridge." Shay gnawed her lip. "Does that mean it was an accident?"

"Isn't it obvious?" A high-pitched voice hissed behind them. They jumped and whirled about to see two girls crouching there, their faces streaked with red paint and their clothes stained with dirt and soot. The girl who had spoken was dark-haired, with a scarlet bandanna tied around her neck. The other girl had a head of red locks, with a vivid blue flower tucked behind her ear. She looked shy and timid, while the first girl looked angry and frustrated. She held a small, silver knife in one hand, the sharp tip aimed squarely in Varian's direction. "Lady Caine is upset because we're better thieves than her."

The red-haired girl refused to meet anyone's eyes, and she stood uncertainly, as if ready to run. She gasped, startled by Killy as the hare darted towards her, pawing playfully at her leg. "Killy!" Shay made as if to reach forward, but she froze when the dark-haired girl swept the knife at her instead.

"Listen, tuts," the girl with the knife sneered. "I don't know how aware you are that you're travelling with a wanted criminal who tried to kill the princess, who happens to be our personal friend, thank you very much!" Varian branched his arm out in front of Shay, fixing the little girl with an icy glare as she turned the blade towards him once more. "Did you know there's a very generous bounty on your head?"

Varian decided it wouldn't hurt to play dumb. "What makes you think I'm the guy?"

The girl scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Please. Never trust the details on a wanted poster. We have inside intel. The blue hair streak and the sound of glass vials in your bag –" She gave his rucksack a lightning-fast kick, producing a tinkling sound "–are all obvious giveaways. Seriously, haven't you heard of dye?"

"Haven't you heard of manners?" Varian wrenched his bag away, then froze when the girl's knife drew dangerously close again. "And since when did you think it was a good idea to blow up the Saison Bridge? It was an achievement of architectural genius, considering the way the –"

"We didn't do it on purpose, okay?" The girl sighed sharply. "Look, it doesn't matter anyway, because we're heading south, and that's that. And since you…" She glanced at her companion and saw that the red-headed girl was petting Killy's head. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry," the other girl whispered, pulling her hand away from the hare's soft ears. "It's cute."

"Don't get distracted," the first girl snapped.

"Are you always this angry?" Varian observed. He glanced at Shay. "I'm calling her Angry."

Angry gave a hopeless shrug. "Why does everyone always call me that?"

"Killy," Shay beckoned to the hare. He sniffed his way back to her side. She glanced hesitantly at Varian. "What do we do?"

"Well," Varian answered with an exasperated sigh, "apparently we're going to do whatever Angry and…Red? Red. We're at their disposal now, for however long it lasts."

"Oh, it'll last." Angry gestured to Red. "On top of what we managed to snag from Lady Caine…" Her face suddenly wrinkled with confusion. "Wait. Where is it?"

Red's green eyes widened slowly. "I-I thought you had it."

"I thought you did!" The girls exchanged a silent look of panic. "So then, she still has it?!" Angry groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. Subconsciously, she lowered the knife in her other hand. Varian moved faster than he thought he could; he snatched the blade from her unsuspecting fingers and flung it out towards the river. "Hey!"

"Relax," Varian crouched back down. "No one's going to get hurt. I just don't like sharp things being pointed at me. Now, what is it you girls are trying to steal, exactly?"

"We're not about to tell you, you murdering murderer!"

"Oh, for Heaven's sake, I didn't murder anybody!"

"No, but you were going to," Angry sneered at him.

"I'm reformed!"

"More like deformed!"

As they continued to argue, Red looked shyly at Shay. "It's a gold relic," she answered quietly, "from the Demanitus Age."

"Demanitus?" Shay blinked curiously. "I didn't think any of his relics had survived in Corona."

"We think Lady Caine stole it from the king's vault," Red explained. "We're not sure how she did it, though."

"There are ways," Varian told her, holding Angry away at arm's length. The little girl's fists were swinging through the open air, too short to reach his face. "I've done it before."

"Yeah, right!" Angry switched tactics and launched a kick into his chest, forcing him to lurch back into the mulberry bush. "And just how did you do that? Break open the doors with one of your killer metalheads?"

"It's called an automaton," Varian coughed out, scrambling out of the thorns. "And no, actually –"

"Hey!" They heard a female voice bark out across the river. Lady Caine could be seen clearly, now that the smoke had finally drifted away. Varian and the others peeked out to see her standing on the river bank, her hands on her hips as she fixed a cruel glare across the churning waters. "Little girls! I got to say, I'm impressed that you had the gumption to blow up such an important bridge. But you don't want some dusty old relic, anyway, especially when I can offer you something far more valuable!"

Red and Angry looked surprised. "She thinks we have it," Angry grinned. "Hold on a second." She poked her head out from around the bush. "Oh, please! If we wanted money, we would have stolen that from you instead!"

"Oh, I see," Lady Caine nodded knowingly. "You want to return it to the king. Maybe then he'll absolve you of your criminal past. I can't say I blame you. But let me tell you something, experienced thief-to-thief. The king has no good graces for the likes of us."

Varian stiffened.

The Lady produced a bag from her belt and shook it. Across the distance, they could just make out the sound of jangling coins. "Prosperity, on the other hand, is right within your reach. One hundred gold is no amount to sniff at."

The girls glanced at each other. Red's timid face hardened, and she shook her head. Angry seemed to think about it for a moment. Then she made a doubtful grunt. "Why should I believe you have that much to offer?" she called.

"Because the king's certainly not going to fork over that much," the Lady explained. "I will, and for that relic, I'm more than willing to pay it! But of course, we can't exactly make such a trade when we're separated by several leagues of river. I have a solution, but only if you cooperate."

"What sort of solution?"

Lady Caine pointed west, along the bank. "The river narrows further down, about two miles from here. I know for a fact that there's a fallen tree that spans it. It's too narrow for someone like me and my men to cross, but it would be no trouble for you young ones. Unless you'd prefer to stay here and deal with the authorities when they come to investigate your…mess."

"She's right," Varian murmured. "None of us will want to be here, come nightfall when the patrol comes. But that tree's probably gone by now." He pressed his fingers to the damp ground. "This area was flooded after all that rain."

"How would you know about that tree?" Angry speculated.

"Because I crossed it myself when I came this way," Varian explained stiffly. "I'm betting there's no way across unless the river magically freezes overnight." He suddenly perked up, and he glanced over at Shay. "Unless the river magically freezes overnight," he repeated, raising his eyebrows. "Can you do it?"

Shay looked uncertain. "I don't know, Varian. I'm terrible at cold magic. If I had a catalyst, maybe, like a block of ice or something. But it's a big river."

Varian frowned, thinking to himself. "I have nitroglycerin, but only an ounce of it. It's too dangerous to carry around in bulk. I don't know if it'll freeze enough." He chewed his lip. "What if you had more magic?"

"More magic? I don't understand, where would we get more magic?"

"I'll explain later," Varian assured her. He turned to the other girls, who were both giving them strange looks. "Alright. I know I can't convince you girls we mean well, but if you want your relic – and the Lady's money – you're going to need our help."

Angry crossed her arms. "Oh, really? I don't know what all this talk is about magic, but…" She stopped when she felt Red tug at her arm. "What? You think we should work with him?"

Red shrugged.

Angry sighed sharply. "Fine. But just so you know, no matter how this pans out, we're still going to try and turn you in for the bounty."

Varian smirked. "You can try."

"Alright, Lady!" Angry shouted out, her dark eyes glinting with determination. "We'll meet you downriver at nightfall! Be there, or we keep the relic!"

"Oh, I'll be there, little ones!" Varian heard the Lady chuckle. "The question is whether you'll show. Because if you don't, I won't be happy. And when I'm not happy…well, you're children. I'm sure you have good imaginations."

Angry gestured for the others to sneak back down into the trees, away from Lady Caine's sight. "Stay in front of us and there won't be any trouble. You'd better not try anything funny, alchemist," she spat as they started making their way west through ferns and shrubs. "We may not look it, but we can hogtie you in five seconds." A small, proud smile turned the corners of her shrewd mouth. "We hold the record."

Varian made a condescending smirk. "I'm sure you do."

"So, what's this talk about magic?" she continued. "I thought you were supposed to be an alchemist. Isn't that your schtick?"

"Yeah, it is," Varian sniffed. "What's your deal, then? This relic you guys are after. The king listed a reward for its return, didn't he?"

Angry's eyes widened. "Yeah, actually. How did you –"

"Basic logic," Varian answered. "You said you didn't want to sell it, and the Lady's claim for your reasoning lines up with your actions. If you were only in it for the money, you'd take her bargain." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his smirk returning. "But you don't intend to do that, do you? I'm sure you also intend to play nice with us only until you get what you want. Fine by me," he continued before she could speak. "I have no personal interest in your ambitions." He stopped in his tracks and bent over until his face was in front of hers. "Just as long as you don't get involved in mine."

Angry snapped her fingers under Varian's nose, causing him to flinch. "You sure like to flap your lips, don't you? I hear you like picking on girls, too. Well, guess what, alchemist?" She grabbed the front of his coat with a small, vice-like hand. "I'm not as nice as the princess." She pressed a fresh, new knife under his jaw. "You keep tempting me, and I'll gut you like the no-good bottom-feeder you are."

Varian felt a hand on his shoulder, and he saw Red place her fingers on her friend. Angry slowly let him go, and he stood upright again as Shay tugged him back. "That's enough," she said in her quiet voice. She gave Varian a terse look out of the corner of her orange eye. "Both of you."

"What?" Varian raised his shoulders. "I didn't –"

"You did," she grumbled. "I'm sorry," she apologized to the girls. "We really don't want any trouble. We just want to get across the river."

Angry scoffed, tucking the knife away. "And you expect me to trust you more than him? I don't think so, tuts."

Varian felt Shay's grip on his shoulder twitch once, and he heard her take a sharp breath. "My name is Shay," she introduced herself, "not 'tuts.'" She forced a smile on her face. "Can't we all just get along until we find a way out of this…situation?"

"No, tuts," Angry snarled. "We can't, especially when you're in cahoots with a filthy, no-good, degenerate piece of crap!" Varian gave a shrug; he'd been called worse. "I mean, do you have any idea what this guy has done?!"

"I do," Shay answered quietly.

"Then…" Angry shook her head. "Then why are you working with him?"

Shay said nothing, and Varian felt her move away. She started walking down the unbeaten path once more, Killy following in her footsteps. A scuffling overhead gave away Rudiger's position as the racoon scampered through the shady treetops. "Shay," Varian sighed as he jogged to catch up, ignoring the thieves as they silently pursued. "Shay, come on, don't be like that." He managed to catch her arm. "Listen," he said, his voice low. "They're just a couple of brats. Don't let them get to you."

Shay turned to look at him. "It doesn't help when you're trying to pick a fight with them," she said softly.

"Pick a fi…" Varian donned a look of disbelief. "They're threatening to shank me, and they blew up a bridge we really needed to cross!"

She sighed.

"There, see? We can let it go, now." Varian let her go and started walking forward again.

"Varian," he heard her say. "Have you thought about what happens after all of this?"

Varian stopped. He worked his jaw a bit. "Why do you, uh…Why do you ask?"

"It's just…" She suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I don't know."

"No?" Varian stepped closer to her. There was something tired in his eyes, something distant and detached. "You do know. You just don't want to say it. It's really finally starting to sink in for you – that I'm an outlaw, on the run, no place to call home. You're wondering if things will stay that way when this is all over, when our parents are free. Does that sound about right?" Before she could answer, he continued, "well, it may surprise you when I say yes, actually, I have thought about it. The question is, have you?"

Shay froze. "I…" Her face went completely red, and she looked away.

Varian glanced behind her, at the girls coming nearer. He tapped Shay's chin with the crook of his finger. "Let's not talk about this here. We'll worry about what happens after our work is done. In the meantime, I'll try to play nice. Alright?"

Shay nodded; shame still tinged her nose, but at least she wasn't so upset anymore. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but Angry beat her to it. "I hate to break up this little scene," the girl interrupted, "but could we please get a move on? We're burning daylight here."

"Yeah, yeah," Varian sniffed, then turned to continue down the way. To himself, he muttered, "It's only a matter of time."

"Feel free to sit down, captain," the king offered a seat in his study.

The captain stiffened where he stood before the rose-tinted window. "I would prefer to stand, your Majesty."

"Well, then I hope you don't mind if I sit," The king sighed, sinking into the chair at his desk. "It's alright," he assured the captain when he looked panicked. "The whole 'always be lower than the king' is a bit overplayed, I think. Here, we are confidants. There is no need for such formality." He ran a hand over his salt-and-pepper beard, gazing out at the morning sun. "Now, then. This issue has been weighing on your mind, it seems."

The captain cleared his throat. He said nothing, but the answer was clear. He had removed his helmet, making it easier to see the sleepless, dark circles underneath his somber eyes. "I would not ask this of you if I did not think it relevant to our current investigation."

"No," King Frederick shook his head. "No, this is something that should have been brought to your attention long ago, when I first appointed you as captain." The king massaged his temple with his index and middle fingers. "That being said, I trust that you will not repeat what I am about to tell you to anyone. Understood?"

"Clearly, your Majesty."

The king stopped massaging, his hand falling slowly away from his grim face. There was nearly an entire minute of silence before he began. "It was almost twenty years ago, now. That is how old Rapunzel will be turning soon, yes. The queen was ill, soon to die. I had explored all other options personally. Eventually, I was left with nothing but a rumor to follow, a recommendation from an old friend. I sent the captain before you, Captain Cain, to investigate the Haderon Forest with his men in search of a witch known as the Crimson Caster. I wasn't really expecting anything to turn up, but it was the only thing we hadn't tried."

"You turned to magic?"

The king actually shrugged. "When you've exhausted everything else, you'd be surprised how appealing magic suddenly becomes. This witch was known among more private circles in the south as a woman of great power, someone who knew a great deal about the land. She found Captain Cain in the forest, and he managed to convince her to come to the palace. It was she who told us where to find the Sundrop flower."

The captain felt memories press at the back of his mind. "I remember when we were sent to search. I was just a scout at the time."

"Of course, the flower worked," the king continued, "but then the princess was stolen by a hooded figure in the night, someone who could have snuck in only by magic. I believed the Crimson Caster was responsible. At the time, we had no other suspect. It was a…delicate situation. I knew it had to be handled discreetly. I informed the public that we were doing everything we could to find the princess, and I instructed the soldiers to sweep the entire kingdom. Meanwhile, I proposed a more secret operation to Captain Cain. I asked him to find and select a few of his best men to find and apprehend all magic users in the kingdom. Their main focus, however, was the Crimson Caster. Among the names he gave me, Cain's was the first on the list. His brother, Caius, was also appointed."

The captain's hands had clenched into tight fists at his sides, but he managed to keep a straight face. "What happened?"

King Frederick pursed his lips. "According to the reports I was given, Captain Cain was bewitched by the Crimson Caster. Instead of bringing her to justice, he helped her escape it. Only his brother returned. He was understandably upset, so much so that the other witch hunters claimed he was…obsessed. One day, he disappeared, never to be seen again, just like the captain and the witch who'd enchanted him. None of the other mages we found were able to tell us anything about her, and none of them confessed to taking my daughter. After five years of searching, I disbanded the witch hunters and minimized our search assets." He felt something empty echo in his chest, as if his heart had hollowed. "I had given up hope, but at least with the lantern festival, we were able to keep the people's hopes alive." His somber eyes flickered up to the captain's face. "At the end of the day, the people are what matter most."

"I understand, your Majesty."

But the king shook his head. "No, captain. You don't. I pray you never will." A light returned to his gaze. "What I do hope you understand is the implications of Quirin's son searching the Haderon Forest, now that you know what terrible creature may still live there. If that boy has somehow managed to enlist a witch to serve his ambitions…Heaven help us."