The ground started to change from rich topsoil to more limestone. The trees began to appear shorter. The Adasions kept watch at night. Juliana offered, but they explained that her hearing wasn’t good enough for that role. At first, she was disappointed, but she understood. Juliana helped camp in other ways. Collecting dry kindling and starting the fire with a flamestone, helping dress animals Oynoiz caught. The Sonata Clan laughed most nights. Somedays they were serious with the realization of what they left.

  Id’rit started to cheer as they crossed more rocky ground.

  “We’re near Lysara! See this limestone? It’s what makes most of their coasts. We’re going to make such a profit! We’ll be set for our new start. And of course, we’ll get goods from them to transport to Gongre.”

  A voice came from nearby, “And we’ll be happy to lighten your load for you!”

  Several Adasions stepped from behind the trees. They were a mix of Re and Mi rank. They sneered as they approached with curved blades. Colors of orange, green, and red gathered. The orange haired ones began to transform. The Re developed animal ears, feet, and claws. The Mi changed into Adasion-sized predators. The red Adasions glowed before charging.

  “Bandits!” Id’rit yelled and took a defensive position.

  “Keep to the strategy!” Oynoiz yelled as they charged forwards.

  Fionn kept close to Juilana, “Use the bow, Juliana!”

  “Right!” She’d been practicing. She may not be the best shot, but maybe she could warn them from approaching any closer. Pulling the bow taunt, she released. The arrow flew high. The next fell short.

  Fionn pressed a wave of fear at the attackers. They hesitated.

  She set an arrow against the string. It flew past the body of the bandit and struck a tree. “Damn it!” At least there was some improvement.

  Id’rit strained. Suddenly, the bandits were crushed on the ground.

  “I’ll finish them off!” Oynoiz called.

  “Can’t we reason with them?” Juliana asked.

  “No. Not them. Not ever,” Oynoiz struck the center back of one’s chest. They reached out to the next.

  Cruel laughter came from the left of them, “A woman! This keeps getting better and better. Hand her over and maybe we’ll let you go.”

  Vines shot out and held Oynoiz.

  “Why can’t they null those vines?” Juliana asked.

  As one orange Re tried to grab Fionn, they answered between punches, “They only can cancel powers before they activate. If they produce fire, ice, plants, those are already out in nature. If they spread their range of nullification, then they’ll block Id’rit or my mana. Now, stay still!” They knocked out the partially transformed Re.

  Id’rit moved their left arm towards the approaching threat. A few struggled to stay upright. Fionn ran at them, pushed fear, and started hitting them. They were pushed back by a red haired Adasion. It was no contest. The red, even as a Re, was stronger than Fionn.

  An orange tackled Id’rit and slashed their shoulder. Screaming, they lost focus with the pain.

  Their attackers got up and started attacking Juliana’s clan.

  Oynoiz slashed at the thick vines, and was finally able to free their self, “Juliana, run!”

  She hesitated. She couldn’t abandon her new family. She looked back and forth at the three.

  “Run!” They all shouted with such force it jolted her.

  Pumping her legs she ran down the stones. One of the greens tried to raise the ground unevenly.    She stumbled as a vine wrapped once around her ankle.

  Grabbing her wrist, the green tugged her. She slashed their face before cutting the vine. She kicked them and ran harder.

  She slid down a bright leaf strewn hill. Water splashes came from nearby. A brook!

  If only she could make it there. She might find a way to lose the green.

  Reaching the stream, she turned around. The green was almost on her.

  Another vine lashed out and grabbed her waist. Frustrated, she screamed. She didn’t want to “belong” to the bandits, or worse, sold off to a shady clan from the black markets. With the Asan moratorium on women collected by the other nations, she could almost imagine how much she would be worth by the other clans. She shouldn’t have insisted they leave the Asa Dominion. She put them all at risk! She was so stupid. She waded into the stream before slipping on the slippery rocks beneath. Her red blood dyed the water as she scraped her knees and palms.

  “Stop you—!” Stepping after her into the blue, the green hollered before a gurgle came. They were sucked into a bubble of water.

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  Juliana gasped and looked around.

  What happened? If they had been pulled beneath the stream’s flow, it could have been Id’rit. But this? There was no blue Adasion in the clan.

  A beautiful song came to her ears. She swayed with the music.

  “We’ve been following you, strange one. We know you from the abandoned village. We thought you were lost when the city-dwellers took you.”

  Two grey skinned Adasions wearing animal furs stalked her. One was yellow haired. The other blue. The blue one reached down and sang a strange tune. They weren’t with the bandit group. They gestured to her with long, sharp, dirty nails.

  “Do not be afraid. I will not harm you. I am not a predator to you.”

  “Who are you?” She asked.

  “How? The strange one speaks our language! You saw how they came from the stars. They are meant to our clan.”

  “Heal them.” The blue haired one sung. The yellow haired Adasion flowed mana and Juliana felt better.

  “How is it their blood is red, but their hair is brown? Poor Adasion must have no mana and was meant to be a powerful red. Their egg was so large too! I was hoping they are our first Sol.”

  The blue answered, “But they are not from here. Maybe Adasion has gave them other talents,” the blue one reached out to Juliana, “Take my hand.”

  She reached out to them, but before they could grab their hand a voice spoke next to their ear, “Don’t you dare.”

  The air shimmered. The grey elves suddenly found themselves surrounded by hissing monsters. Large, boldly spotted, they had huge tusks. The beasts sang warnings to leave the woman. That she was not their clan. One used its head to push back the grey-skinned elf. The creatures positioned themselves in between the grey elves and Juliana.

  “A woman? Is that what this strange one is called? A purple is nearby. They are too strong for us. Nest-mate, we need to go.” The yellow said before they sprinted off, glancing back before moving past the treeline.

  After a pause, the monsters disappeared as if they’d never existed.

  Zarvik appeared before Juliana and dusted their deep violet-blue robes.

  With a flick of their robes, they bowed deeply before her, “My lady.”    “Ambassador Zarvik?” Juliana yelled in shock.

  Clan Sonata ran over the hill and wore shocked expressions when they saw Zarvik speaking comfortably next to Juliana. Oynoiz, limping, immediately stood on guard.

  Zarvik frowned, “You’re late. If you were any tardier, those Wild Adasions would have completed their claim and taken her away.”

  Panting, Oynoiz sucked in air. The fight was harder than they’d anticipated. “Wilders? They cannot be this far south! This is not the Wild Woods. What do they want with Juliana?”

  “Apparently, the translation magic also works for their strange dialect.”

  “They said they recognized me from the abandoned village,” Juliana shared.

  “Those ruins!” Oynoiz then cursed.

  “Excuse me, but who in Adasion are you?” Id’rit stomped to Zarvik and pointed their finger at their chest.

  They slightly bowed with their hand over their chest. “Ambassador Zarvik of Lysara, the country you are heading to, I believe.”

  “So you are the one who’s following us,” Fionn glared.

  “And the wild elves.” Zarvik added, drawing out their words.

  “You knew someone was following us? Why didn’t you tell me?” Juliana put her hands on her hips as anger flashed through her eyes.

  “I didn’t want to worry you.”

  “Never do that again. I may not have mana powers, but I am qualified to lead thousands of people in case of a crisis. I can help you all think!” She waved her arms.

  From their taller height, Zarvik looked down at Juliana, “Juliana, you will take me in your clan.”

  “What?!” Id’rit hollered, “Listen here you—”

  “You will take me into your clan. You cannot be protected with just these fools alone,” they paused, “Well, the null did alright. But the white needs work. Let’s not even mention how poor pinks do in direct combat.”

  “How dare you—” Id’rit started again before they were cut off.

  A wave of images flowed around them. They were killed in the last battle. Their bodies left to rot. They fought a Gindatron beast over forty feet high in the hills and were crushed underfoot. They were silently assassinated by Wild Elves before Juliana was dragged away by her wrists. With each scene, they were able to see, hear, and smell those dreadful possible futures.     Id’rit paled and shook.

  “I’m not even using my ability for touch illusion. That’s what I used with the blue earlier. My lady, you will have me as your clan.” Zarvik stared down at Juliana.

  Id’rit tsked. Fionn hung their head in shame. Oynoiz looked at the purple in awe. They knew, alone, they had no chance against a real threat.

  After a beat, Juliana nodded. “It’s not as though you’re a stranger, Ambassador Zarvik. But are you sure you wish to be in my clan? The road will be long until we all agree on a permanent place to live. We will explore the continent first. You’ll need to cut your ties.”

  “Not necessarily. In Lysara, I will introduce you to my child. They are my inheritor and will take over the clan. We should keep the paths of communication open in Lysara and not block any roads. At the very least, we will be guaranteed a place to stay.”

  “And your work?” She prompted.

  “Again, my child will take it over.”

  “Your child? That’s an odd way of saying your clan successor,” Fionn said.

  “That’s what Miss Rachel called them. Valinor was hatched through a mana transfer two hundred years ago. I was blessed to have met her. Unfortunately, she was killed by a Drutoi plant.”

  “How horrible!” Id’rit exclaimed.

  Juliana learned of them in the Welcome Center. Unassuming, the plant’s thorns had a deadly poison to humans that could be fatal if not treated on time.

  “Do you miss her?” She asked.

  They were silent for a moment. “I prefer not talking about her. Someday. Not today.”

  She studied the thin streaks of brown hair on their head, the sign that they were past their midlife. Would they be able to keep up later? How will they take their power fading in time? She’d heard it was a worse shock for the higher notes. Even if it was rude, she had to ask.

  “Would you feel out of place with a younger clan?”

  “Ha! I won’t die from old age for several centuries yet! Fa live a long time. Don’t worry. Let’s move along before the sun and day moon set. I’ll go ahead.” With that they camouflaged themselves and vanished within a few feet.

  “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” Juliana said.

  “Do you think they’re still here?” Id’rit whispered.

  They paused. Only the rustling of foliage sounded around them. Oynoiz’s ears twitched.

  “Yes,” they led the group forwards.

  “Impressive, Gongre." The words whispered on the air.