"This will be fast!" called Dart as he dismounted. He sprinted into the trees, untied his horse, leapt into the saddle, and pushed her into a canter until he exited the forest. "Let's go!"

Without another word, the three horses galloped north along the road. The moons were high overhead, shedding their light along their path, for which Dart was grateful. Every few minutes, he'd cast glances behind him to see whether the guards were in pursuit, and each time, he spotted tiny dots of glowing torches far in the distance. For several hours, they rode, pushing their horses to their limits. Even when Dart's eyes drooped and he found himself almost nodding off, he pressed the horse forward. They did not stop until those twinkling lights were no longer visible.

When at last they slowed, Dart instinctively led them into the forest and the shelter of its trees. In the calm of the night, the three dismounted, each of them sore from the hours of jostling. Dart passed around his waterskin as they each settled onto the forest floor, eager for a moment of rest, and Dart began tending to his wounds.

"I haven't had good water in weeks," breathed Lavitz, eyes closed as his head leaned against a tree. "That might be the best water I've ever had."

"Let me help you with that," said Shana.

She grabbed a cloth from Dart's pack and poured precious water onto it before wiping off several cuts on his arms and one on his leg. Then she focused most of her attention on the still-oozing wound on his arm. He winced as she cleaned it as best she could, and then she wrapped the cloth tightly around it.

"You learned first aid," he observed proudly.

"I learned a lot while you were gone," she returned with a small smile. "You never know when someone is going to come back to town injured. I have some herbs that I can use once we get there. Hopefully it doesn't get infected before then."

Her face fell as she remembered something, and there was a moment of weighted silence before she spoke again.

"Thank you for coming for me," she said. "I was beginning to think I'd never get out."

"I suppose I owe you some thanks as well," added Lavitz, offering Dart a small smile.

"It was nothing," assured Dart.

"Getting us out of Hellena Prison is definitely something," encouraged Lavitz. "That place befits its name."

A grim silence came over Lavitz and Shana, and Dart glanced between them with concern.

"How long were you there?" he asked.

"Seventeen days," replied Lavitz.

"You kept track?"

Lavitz nodded. "I had to. I had to know what day it is."

"Why?"

"That's right… We haven't had time for a proper introduction. I'm a knight in service to King Albert. My knighthood was ambushed a few weeks ago, surprised by overwhelming numbers and… Well, it didn't go well. They took me captive and killed the rest."

"I'm sorry," muttered Dart.

"There's been a lot of death going around, I'm afraid," replied Lavitz grimly. "But that was why I kept track. I needed to know how many days ago all those men died, so that I can tell their families later."

"You were on the same floor," remarked Dart. "Were you there when Shana was brought in?"

"Yes, I was."

"He talked to me," smiled Shana weakly. "When the guards left."

"Yes, we had several wonderful conversations over those two days. When I met you, Dart, I was trying to find the key to her cell so that I could get her and take her to safety. It's a good thing that you came along when you did. After that guard tripped the alarm, I don't suppose we could have made it out without you."

Dart nodded slowly as his attention turned to Shana, whose eyes had closed as she rested her chin on her knees. For a moment, he thought she might have been asleep, but the coo of an owl elicited a small smile, and he realized that she was merely listening.

He could remember many times that the two of them had delved into the forest surrounding Seles when they were merely children. It had been their favorite place to play. Perhaps now, the trees were serving as a sanctuary for her, as they had for him over so many years.

And still, he could not wrap his mind around the fact that it had been five years. Shana was now an adult, and so different from how she'd been when he'd left. He wondered how much of the change was thanks to time and how much could be attributed to her days in Hellena Prison. As far as he could tell, she had only been there for two days. But two days was two days too long.

"Are you going to go back to Seles?" asked Lavitz.

At this, Shana opened her eyes and peered at them, waiting for Dart's answer.

"Isn't that the first place they would look for us?" asked Dart.

"Yes, but if we don't go back, the guards will go there anyway," said Shana.

"We could return and wait for the guards," offered Lavitz. "We could protect the people."

"I suppose we don't have much of a choice," replied Dart, remembering the sad state of the village.

"Are there any survivors?" asked Shana with a small voice.

"Yes," nodded Dart. "Both our parents are alive, and many others. They've all moved into the forest for shelter."

"How many died?"

Dart paused. Shana's eyes were wide, shining in the dim moonbeams that pierced the leafy canopy. For a moment, he considered keeping it from her. And then he remembered that she was no longer thirteen.

"I'm not sure, but… Hikari said they'd found two hundred when I was there. Another hundred were still missing."

Shana nodded slowly, and Dart thought he saw her eyes now shining with tears.

"I think… I'll get some sleep now," she whispered before lying down on the leaf-strewn earth and facing away.

"I wonder if King Albert has heard about this," said Lavitz quietly.

"Will you head back to him in the morning?" asked Dart.

"No, I'll stay with you in Seles. At least until I can be assured that the people are safe."

"Thank you."

"Of course," smiled Lavitz. "Now you get some sleep, too. Don't think I can't tell that you're exhausted. I'll keep watch for now."

Nodding, Dart resigned himself and lay down. Within a few minutes, he was fast asleep.

Long before his desire, Dart was rustled to consciousness by Lavitz.

"Time to get moving," he whispered, and Dart slowly sat up. The barest of sunlight illuminated the world around him, and the sky was still dark enough to let twinkling stars shine through. A coating of dew had left the forest floor soggy and cold. Dart yawned and rubbed his eyes before standing, though he had to stabilize himself with a tree at first.

"You want to do the honors?" asked Lavitz with a grin as he indicated Shana, who was still sleeping. "Also, I raided your pack for food." He held up a small strip of cured meat. "Hope you don't mind."

Dart shook his head and knelt by Shana before nudging her slightly on the shoulder.

"Shana," he said.

Suddenly, she gasped and rolled away from him. Her frightened eyes turned to face him, and then once she realized where she was, her body relaxed, and she took several deep breaths.

"Sorry," muttered Dart.

"It's not your fault," she replied as she pushed herself off the ground.

"We'd best be on our way," said Lavitz, handing pieces of meat to each of them. "Eat up and saddle up."

Nodding their thanks, Dart and Shana took the food and ate quickly, and a minute later, they were traveling north once again.

Once they reached the top of the next hill, Dart paused and turned south, straining to see anything in the distance. Just on the edge of his vision, he thought he could make out dark shapes, but the number was remarkably few. He estimated that no more than a dozen Hellena wardens were giving chase. With his spirits lifted, he turned about and urged them forward.

They kept a good pace as the morning progressed into an unusually warm day for the early spring season. Despite the wind of their movement, each of them was glistening with sweat by an hour past noon, and the strength of the sun only worsened as the day wore on. Still, they could do nothing but press forward, as the ever-present reminder of their danger lagged along behind them on the far horizon.

Again, they traveled many hours into the night, and Dart marveled to see Lavitz doing so well with so little sleep. As far as he was aware, Lavitz had not slept at all the night before, and while he seemed tired, he exuded none of the exhaustion that was evident in Dart and Shana. He'd only yawned twice by the time they finally made camp in the line of trees several hours after sundown.

Not daring to light a fire for the second night in a row, the trio sat, grateful for the uncommon heat, as they settled into an area much like the site of the previous night. Dart felt even worse than he had then, with nearly every part of his body sore from the guards' attacks, and Shana wasted no time getting comfortable for more sleep. As much as Dart wanted to join her, Lavitz had now yawned six times since they'd sat down, and Dart knew that Lavitz needed rest even more than he did.

"Go ahead and sleep," urged Dart. "I'll take watch tonight."

"No, I got it," protested Lavitz as he yawned once more.

"You didn't sleep last night, did you?"

"I was a scout once. I've been trained to survive on no sleep when necessary."

"'When necessary,'" repeated Dart. "It's not necessary right now."

Lavitz blinked so slowly that Dart feared that he'd nodded off. But Lavitz opened his eyes and muttered a weak agreement before lying down and drifting off within seconds.

For several hours, Dart remained awake, fighting to remain so. Every few minutes, he felt like he might doze off, but then he would shake himself awake, reminding himself that the Hellena guards could discover them at any moment. After several hours, he forced himself to stand and meander around the perimeter of their meager camp, and after a while, he wandered past the trees into the plains. A rough wind blew here beyond the stalling force of the trees, and Dart breathed deeply of the scent of distant rain. Looking to the south, he saw the flickering lights of the Hellena guards, slightly closer than they'd been the night before, but almost as disturbing were the distant flashes of lightning far in the distance, past the southeastern shore.

He paused and watched the amazing display for several moments while simultaneously dreading the repercussions that they would have to face the next day. Many a storm had been known to bluster up from the southern ocean and batter Seles in the days of his youth, and he knew from experience that they could be quite dangerous on occasion. He could only hope that this was one of the tamer tempests.

Still, his reservations about their journey tomorrow did not stop him from enjoying the weather. For another hour, he sat amid the swaying grasses and watched the storm as it strengthened over the open sea. He wondered if the Hellena guards had seen it, and if so, whether they would be turned away because of it. It seemed a feeble hope, but he enjoyed entertaining such an idea for some time before he tired of it.

At long last, small frames of light began to peek over the eastern horizon, and Dart waited another half hour before he finally returned to the camp. The sunlight was quickly swallowed by the dark clouds, and Dart wanted to move as quickly as they could. Perhaps they could reach Seles before any torrential downpours.

This proved to be a futile escapade, as the rain swept over them only two hours after they'd broken camp. With it came gusty winds, bold lightning, and booming thunder, and their journey soured into a miserable experience. At times, they could barely see a few feet ahead of them, and all they could do was continue in a straight line and hope that they hadn't gotten turned around. Then the rain would let up, and they would reorient themselves. It seemed that every time they regained sight, the Hellena guards were closer.

As noon approached, the storm at last shifted far enough north that the rain stilled to a slow, dripping sprinkle. At this, the three urged their horses forward once again, eager for shelter.

Not long after, they encountered the split in the road, and they turned east and accelerated to a gallop in their excitement for the end of their journey. An hour later, they reached the crumbled, muddy remains of Seles.

"This is worse than I thought," commented Lavitz with a grim expression as he took in the sight.

Shana couldn't help but stare at the burnt frames that had formed the homes of Seles only a week ago, but she said nothing.

"I doubt anyone is in town right now," said Dart. "We should head for the woods. They would have taken shelter there."

He took the lead, guiding them northwest of town until they followed the soggy path heading into the ramshackle lodgings in the forest. As they entered the trees, they dismounted and tied the horses, and mere moments later, their names were being shouted by at least fifteen people.

"Shana!" cried Ilea as she ran up and embraced her daughter.

All at once, Shana began to weep, and she held her mother for nearly a minute even as others pushed forward to greet her. Her father Willard appeared, and Dart noticed a sizable cut on his forehead as he threw his arms around his family.

"Dart, you brought her home!" called someone.

"Thank you for rescuing Shana!" said another.

Dart nodded politely and hugged whoever asked until Shana finally extricated herself and began greeting the rest of the villagers.

"I don't think Shana needs this right now," muttered Lavitz from behind Dart. "She needs solitude and time with her family."

"Not to mention, the guards could show up at any moment."

"Agreed. We need to get back to town and be ready. Is there anyone else who can fight?"

"My father has some experience with weapons," nodded Dart. "And Shana's is a hunter. Maybe they can help."

"Let's go ask. We can have time for introductions later."

Lavitz clapped him on the shoulder and gave him an encouraging nod, and Dart plunged into the gathering mass of people, searching until he found Hikari. Dismissing pleasantries, Dart whispered the situation to him, and Hikari nodded solemnly.

"We'll be ready," he said. "We can go get Willard, too."

"That's what I was thinking."

Pushing their way back to Shana, they found Willard clinging closely to her and trying to guide her and Ilea away from the endless stream of well-wishers. Once they'd gathered his attention, Dart explained once again, and Willard's eyes grew wide.

"Let me go," said Shana quietly.

"Shana—" began Willard.

"I can shoot a bow as well as you can," she insisted. "Let me do this. I want to do this."

Willard looked to Hikari, who nodded his approval.

"We'll protect her," said Hikari.

"How many are coming?" asked Willard.

"A dozen, maybe more," replied Dart.

"We should easily overpower them with five, especially with archers behind," added Lavitz, who then received odd looks from both men.

"Very well," said Hikari after a glance to Dart. "Gather your weapons and we'll meet at the front of town."

Shana turned aside with her father, and Dart reached out to her, brushing her arm. She paused and turned back to him.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked carefully. "It's dangerous."

"I'm not a child anymore," she replied firmly. "I can fight, too."

Hesitating, Dart at last nodded his consent before turning back and leading Lavitz back to Seles.

A few minutes later, Dart and Lavitz stood together, gazing west down the road. Their view was hazy as a gentle mist still fell from the trailing clouds, and Dart felt that the world was reflecting his own mood. He thought that he should be happy to have made it back to Seles, but here he stood ready to fight to defend it, putting Shana and others in danger.

"Your father seems like an interesting person," remarked Lavitz, and Dart was reminded of his off-putting questions during their escapade in Hellena Prison.

"He's not my father," replied Dart. "Not my real father, anyway. I was adopted."

"Ah. That explains why you don't look like him." Lavitz chuckled.

"Do I look that different?"

"He's from the east, isn't he?" asked Lavitz.

"Yeah, I guess he doesn't look very Serdian," admitted Dart.

"And where were you born?"

Dart sighed. "A long way from here."

Just then, Hikari, Willard, and Shana came jogging up to meet them, each of them now armed. Hikari carried a spear, and Willard and Shana wielded hunting bows with quivers slung over their backs.

"Can you see them?" asked Willard.

"Not yet," replied Dart. "Too hazy."

"How long will it be?" asked Hikari.

"We lost sight of them in the rain," said Lavitz. "But they could be anywhere between minutes and hours away."

"Do you really think they'll come here?"

"Yes. Shana and I were both high-value prisoners."

"You were a prisoner, too?" asked a dumbfounded Willard.

"Lavitz and I were on the same cell block," nodded Shana.

"I've been meaning to ask about that, actually," said Dart. "That merchant told me that more valuable prisoners were kept higher in the tower. Why were you both so high up?"

For a moment, Lavitz sighed and worked his jaw slightly, as if debating on whether he should answer.

"I'm not just a knight," he said finally. "I'm the head of the First Knighthood and a close friend of King Albert's. I've known him since childhood, and our families have worked together for a century. Capturing me was a direct assault on the king himself, and they undoubtedly tried to use my life as leverage to get something from him."

All at once, Dart's view of Lavitz shifted. As he stood there, hair and clothes soaked through, arms crossed while he recounted his tale, Dart could see signs confirming his story. He was clearly strong, and Dart got the idea that he'd exercised for every one of the seventeen days that he'd been trapped in Hellena. And dotted across his exposed arms were multiple scars, most of them well healed and fading into his skin. This man had a long and decorated past, and suddenly Dart marveled that their paths had crossed at all.

"What about Shana?" asked Willard, clearly not as impressed as Dart.

"What do you mean?"

"She was important enough to be placed next to you? What does Shana have to offer them? She is no friend of the king or a high-ranking military member. She's just a girl from a small town."

"I… don't know," confessed Lavitz, and all eyes turned to Shana.

For a moment, she returned their stares, but then she looked down. Clearly, she did not know the answer, either.

"Say, do you have another one of those?" asked Lavitz, nodding toward Hikari's weapon.

"Uh, no, I'm afraid not," replied Hikari. "There might be others around, but I don't know where they would be."

"Too bad," mourned Lavitz with a smile. "I've always been a lance man, myself. But as far as I know, mine is on the other side of the Serdian Mountains. Think we could make it there and back before the guards get here?"

"Maybe if we could fly," laughed Dart.

"That'll be the day."

Their conversation shifted to less important matters with Lavitz leading their topics from one to another. He asked about Seles and the attack, then proceeded to request a general layout of the town. He asked where Shana's and Dart's houses had been, and then he shifted to telling stories of his own childhood in Bale, the capital of Basil. However, Dart was quick to perceive that Lavitz never spoke of the king, despite his earlier comment that they'd known each other at a young age. It appeared that his time as a prisoner had not diminished his sense of duty.

After over an hour of conversation, Hikari drew their attention to the road. They tensed as they looked into the distance, their visibility having increased as the rain had at last drifted off to the north, and there along the road, they could see several dark shapes moving steadily closer.

"Looks like it's time," said Lavitz as he drew his crude sword and shifted closer to the enemy. Dart and Hikari stood on either side, and Willard and Shana readied their bows from behind.

For several agonizing minutes, they waited as the men drew closer. Finally, they stood before them: fourteen armed guards on horses. They appeared as bedraggled and soaked as Dart felt after their long journey, and he hoped that would be to their advantage. He shifted as one in the back withdrew a bow and readied an arrow, but the sound of stretching twine behind him assured him that their archers were also prepared.

"Give us the girl," said one of the soldiers. "And we'll leave without incident."

"I find that hard to believe," replied Lavitz with a steely gaze.

"Five against fourteen," observed the guard. "You think you can defeat us with so few?"

"Only one way to find out," grinned Dart, and Lavitz chuckled.

The guard sneered at them, but an arrow came whistling over Dart's head and struck the guard just by his nose, and he fell off his horse dead. The other guards took a moment to realize what had happened, and just as the bowyer raised his weapon, another arrow sailed over and nestled into his neck, removing the threat of archers.

Dart, Lavitz, and Hikari were already moving forward, and Dart was pleased to have caught at least one guard by surprise as he yanked him from his horse and thrust his sword through the guard's chest. The horse began shuffling uneasily, and Dart slapped its rump so that it fled the situation through the remains of Seles.

At that moment, three guards rushed at Dart, and he fought them with what felt like a practiced hand. Three seemed nothing next to the twelve he had fought in Hellena. Indeed, without flailing about so much, he was able to dispose of two within a few short seconds, and the third fell a few moments later. He watched Hikari throw his spear into a guard's side who was still sitting on his horse, and two more arrows ushered in the downfall of two guards in the back. Four soldiers surrounded Lavitz, and Dart leapt forward to aid him.

Having killed one, Dart was then assaulted by a guard on his left, but an arrow pierced the guard's knee and he collapsed to the ground, where Dart cut his throat. Then he and Hikari rounded on the last of the guards attacking Lavitz, and a few seconds later, they stood alive and victorious amid the charred ruins.

As the fury of battle faded, Dart began to feel the sting of his earlier injuries, as well as a new one across the back of his left calf. Hikari nursed a deep cut on his right side while blood ran down his leg, and Lavitz was bleeding from several spots on his chest and back.

"Well done, everyone," praised Lavitz despite the pain in his face.

"Let's get you all somewhere that I can patch you up," urged Shana, slinging her bow over her back and rushing forward to Hikari. "Father, are any of my supplies still here?"

"I'm not sure," replied Willard. "But there might be some herbs near the house that weren't completely burned. That patch out back…"

"Thank you. You all go back, and I'll try to find them."

"I'll go with you," volunteered Dart.

"I might as well tag along, too," said Lavitz.

Hikari nodded. "We'll send someone to recover the bodies," he said.

Willard threw a hand around Hikari's waist to help him back to the camp as Dart, Lavitz, and Shana turned toward the village. Dart and Lavitz exchanged glances as Shana began a slow walk forward.

For several minutes, they walked in silence as Shana took in the landscape, occasionally sniffing and wiping her face. Dart couldn't bring himself to focus on each building the way she did, and he spent most of their quiet journey studying the earth beneath him. The downpour had left water pooling all around town, and more than once, they had to splash through a small river to reach the next patch of dry ground. Still, it affected them little, as none of them had managed to dry off since the rain had let up. Still, Dart's armor had been chafing against his skin through his wet tunic, and he could imagine nothing more pleasant than putting on warm, dry clothes and sitting around a fire.

In time, they reached Shana's house and came to a standstill. With uneven breaths, Shana stood and gazed at the remains of her home, and Lavitz placed a hand on her shoulder while Dart stood with his head bowed. He couldn't help but think what could have happened had he come back just two days sooner.

"I'm sorry," whispered Lavitz.

Shaking her head, Shana offered a smile and tapped Lavitz's arm in thanks. Then she walked to the left and moved around the house as the pair followed. There, within a hundred feet of the house, was a small bed of herbs that appeared mostly untouched. Shana approached and knelt by the bed before systematically plucking off stems of sage, garlic, chamomile, and oregano. Then she stood, nodded to them, and they walked together back to the forest.