After Doc had fallen asleep, Clairvoyant quickly followed suit. Corpsebinder and Shadowwalker had asked Killua for a bit of privacy and cast themselves in a silencing ward. Sitting in the back alone looking at their silent but animated lips had been weird, so Killua moved up to the front with Melody and Breeder.

He crouched on the seat behind them, still under cover, one hand on the shaft for balance, steadying himself against the motion. The dogs towed the carriage effortlessly and were running freely over the smooth landscape, not a single obstacle to hinder their course. The wind was cool and damp with rain. Killua pulled his hair back with his fingers to prevent it flying in his eyes.

"Got a muncher?" he asked. "I'm starved."

"Hey, greenie," said Breeder, while Melody brought up a loaf of bread and a canteen for him. He free his hand to take the bread.

He took the bread with his free hand.

"Claws," he said through a mouthful. The bread was thick and heavy but easy to swallow. Killua vaguely remembered Feathers telling him the Hunters' bread was always handmade, not a trace of magic used. He could taste it now.

"Hah, you'll be called greenie until someone else joins. Those are the rules," Breeder laughed.

"You're bullshitting me. He's bullshitting me, right? I worked hard for this name," he said with an exaggerated disbelief, turning to Melody in all good humor.

"Some people will call you Tenderfoot," she said, playing along.

"Goddamn."

"And those guys are our new clients?" asked Breeder, jerking his head to the back.

"Seems so," said Killua.

"They look pretty powerful," said Melody.

"That's true."

"Any clue to what they're going to ask us to do?" asked Breeder.

"None at all," said Killua, deciding it would be better to withhold the information until it relayed en masse to the Hunters. Melody looked at him skeptically, somehow catching his lie, and he hastily changed the subject. "What happened back at the camp? Cap mentioned some sort of attack."

"Some of our guys were attacked, but not at camp. They were fooling around at some tavern in town and the damn place blew up."

"Just like in Opal?"

"Just like in Opal."

"Looks like someone's got major beef in for you. What'd you guys even do?"

"Nothing recent that should warrant this," said Melody worriedly.

"Yeah, few months back we were hired to replenish the defense wards around Opal and that took a long ass time. This," he let one hand go of the reigns to gesture helplessly. "This doesn't make a lick of sense."

"Anyone hurt?"

"Funny enough, we got lucky. Everyone there had strong enough contingency spells, so no, nothing major to worry about. Would be cool though if Doc could make some salve for the guys when we get back." He glanced back towards the wagon again.

"Nah, don't think that'll be happening anytime soon," said Killua. "They were working for six hours straight, no rest."

"Six hours non-stop?" He trailed off with a look of awe. "Holy shit."

"They aren't the Zodiacs for nothing," said Melody. She sounded proud.

Around them the landscape changed as they moved further and further from the tombs, from worn-down earth to wild grassland dotted with trees. Where previously they had been making a beeline across the dogs had to swerve to avoid collision. They moved fluidly under the Breeder's command the carriage didn't jolt at all.

"Those are big dogs," said Killua, for lack of anything else to comment on.

"Like 'em? They're called Mammoth-toes and Forest-fur. They're my best of the lot."

Killua whistled. "Two part names, huh? They must be pretty special."

"That's right!" Breeder grinned, and went off on the tangent. Killua didn't mind listening. It was honestly refreshing to hear the man's genuine enthusiasm for his dogs. Eventually he had to focus on steering the carriage, letting Killua make small talk with Melody. From the moment she spoke Killua decided he liked her. She was a small woman, though certainly not petite, and spoke with a calming, mellifluous voice that passed like a flute song in his ear. Her face held a rare, underappreciated tenderness that was welcoming.

Behind them, Chains was waking up. Killua excused himself from Melody and twisted his body back around to face the inside of the carriage. The Taken had shifted themselves so Clairvoyant was laying her head on Shadow's lap, him stroking her hair. Corpse was staring at the receding scenery, back turned to the rest of them. They were talking amongst themselves in muted tones.

"I honestly still can't believe this," Chains whispered to him in a scratchy voice.

"Neither can I, "Killua whispered back. He handed him the canteen, which Chains only sipped from meagerly. "So you're from the Scarlet Eye Clan?"

Chains jolted just the slightest, and it definitely wasn't because of the carriage. "So you saw them then?" He looked past Killua to share a look with Melody.

"Yeah, back in the cavern. I'm sorry, were you trying to keep them a secret?"

"Not at all. I'm surprised you know about us, considering we work very hard to stay off the radar." Then his tired expression switched to one of unease. "None of us were your previous clients or targets, were we?" he said hurriedly.

"Nope. Before my sister began her Healing training she did a lot of research about it. She was really enthusiastic about it and at some point she came across the Legend of the Scarlet Eyes. I honestly thought it was a myth, but well, you're here."

Killua's mind flashed back to those long days in the library; those towering shelves, the floating books, and the mahogany desks where Star poured herself into medical tomes that probably weighed more than her. Killua had never had the attention span for books, but she loved them, they had been her only companion for a long time. She had still been afraid of their family showing up so he had stayed with her, and she would recite what she learned to him, no matter how much he told her that he didn't understand the jargon.

"It's a learning tactic!" she'd insisted.

The Scarlet Clan, she'd told him, was said to be a family of the world's most gifted Healers, who hid themselves deep in the mountainsides of coastal Apharika. Their abilities supposedly came from a potency hidden in the minute cells of their eyes, which glowed the most beautiful shades of ruby red when invoked. Seeing it first-hand had been simply breath-taking, like the eyes had a life of their own and burned with their own fervor.

"Usually apostasy is forbidden," Chains said, misinterpreting his words. "- but I had no talent in Healing. I thought I'd do better travelling the world. That's when I joined the Hunters. Turns out I was right." He looked enraptured. Killua could actually feel happy for him.

"You miss your family?" he asked.

"I keep regular correspondence with them," Chains said. "And yourself, if I may ask, when did you lose your parents?"

Killua raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'm an orphan?"

"Last night when Fisher asked about your family, you only mentioned your sister. I assumed…"

"Nah. My family's still up and kicking. Up in Oseniya. I've disowned them, and most likely they've disowned me back."

If Chains discerned the 'me' and not 'us', he didn't comment. Killua was grateful. What he said next was still surprising though.

"Let me guess, the Zaoldyeck family?"

It was funny, really. Most prominent families kept their surnames contingent by mixing the surnames of a married couple, ensuring their children had a different name than them, in the chance that one was a wizard. Killua's great-grandfather had been Maha Zaoldyeck, and he had been the one to spread the family's notoriety as assassins. Two generations later the name had somehow looped back to Zoldyck.

"Yeah, that's right. What gave it away?"

"It was a guess honestly."

"No, really. Tell me."

Chains twitched a shoulder, probably in an enervate shrug. "Just any assassin off the street wouldn't be able to do it as neatly as you did. And you still look young so you were probably trained from childhood. You mentioning Oseniya just now supported my hypothesis."

Killua was impressed. Within the few, short conversations they had held in the past few days Chains had managed to gleam off as much and penetrated through whatever shielding Killua kept around his identity.

The dogs stopped and the carriage came to a lurching halt, briefly moving on its own inertia.

"We're here," announced Breeder. "Better wake up the other two."

Chains reached over Fisher and slapped Doc repeatedly on the cheeks. His eyes startled open and he flailed his arms wildly.

"Ga'ah! Okay, I'm awake. Geez."

His voice was enough to wake up Fisher and he blinked back into consciousness sluggishly.

One by one, they climbed out of the carriage. The new encampment made home on rich, green grass that fringed seasonal woodland, and the air smelt lightly of freshly peeled bark and animal piss. The rain clouds from earlier had not been able to catch up with them, and they loomed non-threateningly on the horizon, leaving the evening sky graduated with violet and orange. In the near distance, the lights of a small town flickered on.

Dollface was already waiting, an oddly unfitting smile on her face. When Fisher neared her, she grabbed his arm and pulled his ear to her level. Killua was close enough to hear her whisper "Magician's back" before she let him go. He nodded back and scampered off to the where the tents were huddled together. She trained the smile back to the Taken.

"Ma'am, Sirs. If you would please follow me. We have refreshments ready for you. Chains, Doc, although this is a Zodiac's meeting, I'm letting you off for tonight."

"How magnanimous," muttered Doc, and he watched the Taken follow Dollface to the largest tent that stood a little off from the others.

"We made a tent for you," Melody said to Chains. He thanked her, and he and Doc lumbered over to the tent she indicated.

"Claws!"

Killua spun around to see Feathers running up to him, and bent before him, hand on his knees and panting.

"Ah, the first reporter of the night. Did you just sprint all the way here to see me?" Killua asked, a scornful smile already easing onto his face.

Feathers ignored the jab. "Tell me all about it," he said, looking up, eyes shining with curiosity. Feathers was a tan, brown haired teen who had latched onto Killua back on the ships after trying to fight him over the last remaining sweet cakes on board. He was one of the very few novices who had been allowed to join the Hunters, under approval from the previous captain. It was easy to see why. Feathers was zealous and ambitious, and under his plain gray coveralls he carried the stance of well-practiced fighter.

"Let's get something to eat first."