Suvau watched from the doorway as Yolana frantically bundled clothing out of the chests in their room, her mad packing a symptom of her distressed soul. Without a word he grasped her hand. She yanked back from him, shaking her head but he pulled her into his embrace and she sobbed against his chest.

  “I nearly lost both of you…” She wept.

  “Forgive me, my love,” he whispered, “forgive me.”

  Caste was passing by the door when he heard Suvau’s words. He lowered his gaze and went to the room he, Judd and Giordi had shared. The other two were in there, stuffing clothes into their packs, wanting to get their own belongings out of the way so they could help Suvau.

  “Damn brave thing you did, Caste,” Judd said as he picked his way across the cluttered floor and began to tuck books into his pack, “standing up for Emeri.”

  “Didn’t feel brave.” Caste winced, touching his forehead where there was swelling and bruising.

  “You ought to let Aalis have another look at that.”

  “We don’t have the time.” Caste grunted, packing then paused. “I need to get something from the library.”

  “You’re not going on your own.” Judd ordered. “Give me a minute and I’ll come with you.”

  “I’ll be in the kitchen.” Caste heaved his pack onto his shoulder and hauled it to the kitchen. Aalis was in there, taking cooking pans and dishes from the cupboards, laying them onto the table.

  “How is your head?” She asked.

  “Aches.” He said honestly.

  “Can I see?” Aalis pushed back his red fringe and peered at the gash. “Thankfully it was not any more serious than a concussion and some blood.” She took out the paste she had made earlier and, using a small paddle, applied it as gently as she could. Caste winced and withdrew. “Sorry, I know it stings…”

  “Your hand…”

  Aalis looked down at her fingers that had captured his attention. The nails on her left hand were darkening to green. She yanked her hand behind her back and looked at Caste, suddenly terrified.

  Caste gazed at her, equally frightened.

  “Aalis, do you need any help…” Verne paused on the threshold, seeing Aalis turn away from the cleric. “Are you two…alright?”

  Aalis leaned on the counter, trembling.

  “We’re fine.” Caste said in a hollow voice.

  Neither Aalis or Verne were convinced.

  With all of them rallying together, they had any personal belongings packed up in the house well before sunset. Suvau’s sledge was piled with the contents of their life, their bodies cloaked in travelling capes as they took to the slope that led them to the village. The people of Maul gathered to watch them go. They had been working to scrape the damage from their homes and businesses but they paused to form a kind of guard of honour to see Suvau, Yolana and Emeri out of Fort Omra.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Emeri’s face was downcast, ensconced between her father and mother as they walked stoically, Suvau shaking hands with numerous people and Yolana, embracing those she could. They were a well liked and respected family and their presence would be grievously missed in Fort Omra. Some even offered their hands to Judd who shook them but he noticed, for the most part, they were avoided.

  “I can’t tell if we did more damage than good.” He whispered to Verne.

  “Caste’s speech about Maul contamination was pretty damning,” Verne whispered in return, glancing around, “I’ve been waiting for someone to start the vegetable throwing frenzy.”

  “Surely they must know,” Judd frowned, “Caste only said all that stuff to frighten the Terras enough that they would stop abusing the Mauls like that.”

  “Are you sure?” Verne lowered his head. “I do wonder just how serious he was…”

  Judd couldn’t deny he thought the same thing. Caste was surrounded by them, his shorter height helping hide him but his dark red cappa clausa was somewhat distinctive. Judd and Verne, in an unspoken agreement, closed in on either side of the cleric as they reached the gates. There wasn’t much left of them. Just charred beams and twisted metal. The soldiers stationed there, now needing to do the job of allowing passage to and from without the gates in place, saluted Judd as he left.

  “Hail the hydra slayer.” He heard one of them declare.

  On the other side of the gates, crossing the bridge over the moat, they made their way to the stables. Thankfully they were undamaged and Quell and Zeke, though understandably shaken by the tumultuous start to the day, were placid enough in temperament not to baulk when their owners collected them. Ersha helped strap their packs on, pulling the belts tight.

  “Take care of Sheal now,” Aalis said warmly, “and your babies…” Her words faded as Ersha took a step back from her, fear in his eyes. Aalis stared at him then saw his eyes drop to her left hand. Aalis bit her bottom lip and turned away, wondering just how many people had seen the change in her nails. She busied herself with pretending to adjust the packs on Zeke’s back, her eyes stinging, old fears nipping at her mind.

  “Miss…” She heard him say softly and peered at him fearfully.

  Ersha held out an old pair of leather gloves. He wouldn’t get any closer than to lay them in her outstretch palm, withdrawing immediately. Aalis nodded.

  “Thank you.” She breathed, pulling them on, covering her hands.

  “Are we ready?” Judd asked as Zeke was led out to join Quell who harnessed to Suvau’s sledge.

  Suvau looked at Yolana and Emeri and smiled reassuringly. “Ready.” He nodded.

  “Then let’s head out.”

  They wound their way up the slope, heading north and away from the wall. It took an hour before they were at the edge of Fort Omra land but when Judd sensed they were at the threshold, he turned and beheld it. The giant wall against a backdrop of grey, the scorched fields and broken village, the body of the hydra with its many heads and finally the fort on the plateau shelf of the mountain.

  “Saying goodbye?” Suvau asked.

  “You have more reason to than I.” Judd replied softly.

  “Judd, if not for you and your companions, my beloved daughter would have been grievously violated and I would be dead after breaking Jerom’s neck.” Suvau put his hand on Judd’s shoulder. “Thanks to you, I am leaving that place with all that I care about in the world.”

  “Where will you go?”

  Suvau blinked. “Go?”

  Judd nodded. “You can go wherever you want now.”

  “The terms of my release are to be your servant.”

  Judd snorted. “You don’t really think I’m going to hold you to that?” He was surprised when Suvau clapped both his hands on Judd’s shoulders and looked down into his brown eyes, deadly serious.

  “I’m holding me to that.” He said so deeply Judd’s spine quaked. “Where you go, I go. I make this vow, to see you knighted…so that you can go on doing good in this world.”

  Judd closed his eyes and ran his hand through his brown curls. “I just wish I could change it for the better…all of it…”

  “You did, you changed our world.” Suvau gestured to his family who spoke with Aalis and Giordi, safe and away from the threat of retribution. “Never belittle your compassion, LaMogre…it is a trait too little seen in this world.”

  Judd nodded and cleared his throat, squaring his shoulders. “Right…well…what was next on the list, Caste?”

  “A unicorn.”

  “Any ideas?” Judd looked at Suvau.

  “Roaming nomads who are wild horse capturers and tamers visit Fort Omra sporadically to sell their mounts…and they’ve told stories of unicorns to the northeast, through the foothills of the range known as the steppelands.”

  “Then northeast it is!”