Rava woke with a start, her ears twitg as her eyes snapped open.

  There’s something in here with me.

  The thought cut through the fog of sleep like a bde. Her breaths quied as she sat up abruptly, muscles tense, sing the room. The darkness felt oppressive, heavier than it should have been, ging to every er like an unwele presence.

  Her cws instinctively flexed, ready for a fight.

  "Go back to sleep," came a familiar, sultry voice, low ay, cutting through the stillness.

  Rava’s hackles rose even as she reised it. “Vivienne,” she hissed, her voice sharp but quiet. “What are you doing in my room?”

  The darkness shifted subtly, almost imperceptibly, as if it had drawn closer, but Vivienne remained unseen. Her voice came from somewhere he foot of the cot, smooth and unbothered. “Keeping watch,” she said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  Rava groaned, flopping bato the cot with exaggerated frustration. “I don’t need you to keep watch. Especially not here. This is my home. I’m safe.”

  “Go back to sleep,” Viviened, her tone unwavering, carrying a hint of eerie calm. “I will keep watch.”

  Rava propped herself up on an elbow, narrowing her eyes into the darkness. “You ’t seriously mean to stay here all night.”

  “Yes.” Vivienne said, her voice g the teasing tone she usually spoke with.

  Rava let herself fall back agaiail flig with agitation. “Fine,” she muttered. “But you’re not staying in the shadows all night, looming like some rown bat.”

  “Then where would you like me?” Vivienne asked, the words carrying a mischievous edge.

  “Anywhere but here,” Rava shot back, though there was no real heat in her words. Exhaustion weighed heavy in her voice. She rolled onto her side, pulling the b higher over her shoulder. “Just... don’t do anything weird.”

  “Define weird,” Vivienne murmured, but the silehat followed signalled Rava’s refusal to engage further.

  Vivieayed where she was for a moment, watg the rise and fall of Rava’s breathing. When she finally shifted, the movement was soundless, the darkness returning to its natural stillness.

  But she didn’t leave. Instead, Vivietled into a er of the room, a silery, her presence barely more than a whisper in the night.

  When Rava woke the m, the soft light of dawn filtered through the cracks in the wooden shutters, painting faint streaks across the room. She stretched, her muscles stiff but grateful for the uninterrupted sleep. The cot creaked beh her as she sat up, gng around.

  Vivienne was o be seen.

  Rava frowned, her ears twitg as she sed the room for any lingering sign of the shadowy figure from the night before. Had it been a dream? The idea wasn’t impossible; she’d been exhausted and proo vivid imaginings wheired. But the memory felt too real—the voice, the teasing, the way the darkness had seemed to breathe with her.

  Shaking her head, Rava rose, dressing quickly in a pin tunid trousers. She stepped out into the hallway, the st of roasted game and fresh bread wafting through the air, mingling with the faint tang of m dew. The sounds of the stirring to life reached her ears—ughter, muffled versations, and the rhythmic thud of boots on stone.

  Turning a er, she nearly collided with a figure.

  “Good m, sleepyhead,” Vivienne drawled, her sharp grin unmistakable as she leaned casually against the wall. Her shadowy form was more solid in the light, her inky features shimmering faintly, as though resisting the sun’s touch.

  Rava blinked, startled. “So it wasn’t a dream.”

  Vivienne’s grin widened, an almost predatlint in her dark eyes. “Dream of me often, do you?”

  Rava’s ears fttened as she scowled, brushing past Vivienne and muttering, “I don’t have the energy for your nonsehis early.”

  “You’re wele, by the way,” Vivienne called after her, falling into step with effortless grace. “I kept the nightmares away.”

  Rava shot her a sideways ghere was only one nightmare I o worry about.”

  Vivienne only chuckled, the sound low and amused.

  As they ehe tral hall, Korriva stood at the far end, already deep in versation with her advisors. She gnced up as the pair approached, her golden eyes sharp and anding.

  “Good,” Korriva said, dismissing the others with a flick of her hand. “You’re both here. We have much to discuss.”

  Rava straightehe weight of responsibility settling on her shoulders. Beside her, Vivieilted her head, her sharp grin softening into something more ral but no less unreadable.

  “Let’s get this over with,” Rava muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

  “So.” Korriva’s voice was steady, but there was a weight to it that made Rava’s ears twitch. “How did your mission go?”

  Rava shifted unfortably, her tail flig in agitation. “A failure, High Fang,” she admitted, her voice low but resolute. “I was captured, imprisoned, and then tossed into a fallen ruin with a curse colr when they’d grown sick of the sight of me.”

  Korriva’s golden eyes narrowed, though her expression remained unreadable. “A, here you stand,” she said after a pause, her tone calm but probing. “That speaks either to their inpetence... or to an ued turn of events.”

  Rava hesitated, her body tensing as she gnced briefly at Viviehe strange woman stood slightly behind her, arms crossed, an air of fidence around her as though the entire versation amused her. The grin on her face was faint, but ever-present, as though daring Rava to tell the full truth. It was the look of someone who revelled in the chaos of the moment.

  Rava took a deep breath and steeled herself. She had no desire to make herself look weak in front of Korriva, but Vivienne had pyed te a part in her survival to remain silent.

  “It’s as I said before,” Rava tinued, her voice a little more measured now. “Vivienne saved me—more than once. Without her, I wouldn’t have made it out alive. She was the one who removed the colr. She also escorted me home, keeping watch eaight so I could sleep through it.” Her gaze flicked back to Vivienne, her chest tightening a little at the thought of how relehe woman had been in ensuring her safety, even if it had been uling at times. “She never let me out of her sight. Even when I protested, she insisted on being there.”

  Korriva’s gaze shifted, her eyes flickering over Vivienne as if she were seeing the woman for the first time, rather than the oddity she had dismissed earlier. There was a flicker of something in her expression, somethiween intrigue and wariness.

  “You trust her?” Korriva asked, her voice softer now, but her toill sharp, like a bde testing for weakness.

  Rava’s expression remaieady, though her mind was rag. The weight of Korriva’s gaze was heavy, but Rava held her ground, her tail flig ever so slightly behind her. She could feel the tension buildiween them, like the quiet before a storm. There was a quiet strength in her—born from the trials she’d faced, and the lessons learned from them. She wasn’t about to let anyone see how much she still had to prove to herself. When she spoke, her voice was calm, but firm. “I trust her enough,” Rava said, her words measured but with a hint of something deeper, something resolute. “She’s capable. More than capable. She’s also been nothing but kind to me... if not a bit annoying at times.”

  Her tone was serious and came with a weight that even surprised Vivienne. Korriva’s golden eyes flickered, but her expression remained posed, an unreadable mask that hid whatever thoughts were stirrih the surface. Vivienne’s sharp gaze met hers briefly, and for a moment, the tensioweewo wome almost palpable.

  Rava shifted unfortably, her tail flig in agitation. She wasn’t sure if Vivienne ushing Korriva or simply toying with her, as she often did. But ohing was certain—the dynamic betweewo women was far more plicated than Rava had expected. It was almost as if they were dang around each other, testing the limits of power and trust, and it uled her more than she cared to admit.

  Korriva’s golden eyes flicked to Rava, sharp and assessing. The tension in the air was thick with unspoken uanding. But Rava broke the silence, her voice cutting through the stillness. “High Priest Kaelen knew I was ing,” she said, her words slow and deliberate, the weight of them settling heavily in the room. “I fell for a trap. He gloated as I was taken away in s.”

  The room grew quieter at her admission, the stoiature of Korriva’s expression not faltering, but there was an unmistakable fsh of something in her gaze—anger, perhaps? Or something deeper.

  Rava ched her fists in frustration, the memory of the capture still fresh. “He wasn’t alone,” she tinued, her voice rising slightly. “There were more of his acolytes. They knew every step I would take. They knew my weaknesses. And I—” She cut herself off, swallowing the bitter taste of defeat. “I uimated them.”

  Korriva remained silent for a moment, her pierg gaze never leaving Rava’s face. When she spoke, her voice was low and trolled, like the calm before a storm. “Your failures do not define you, Rava. The fact that you stand before me now speaks of your resilience. Let this be a lesson on uimating your enemies. Is there anything else you o report?”

  Rava nodded. “They have pced watch towers along the length of their side of Greyreach Pass. I estimate each has a mage stationed in it, at least one.”

  The High Fang’s eyes narrowed slightly, the only indication that the information had truly registered. She studied Rava with a sharp iy, as though weighing the significe of her words. The air in the room grew thick with the gravity of the moment.

  “Watch towers,” Korriva repeated, her voice steady but with a new, calg edge. “Mage presence, you say?” She leaned back slightly, her hands resting on the armrests of her throne as she processed the details. “This could ge things. Mage towers along Greyreach... they would bolster their defences siderably. But it also suggests they’re preparing for something rger.”

  Rava met her gaze without hesitation, her voice firm. “Yes, High Fang. And there’s more. They’ve started increasing patrols in the lower valleys, pushing further into the mountain passes. Their movements seem strategic, but it’s difficult to say what they’re pnning.”

  Korriva’s expression remained inscrutable, but the tension in the room thied. Her gaze flicked briefly to Vivienne, who stood by quietly, her presence almost a shadow in the er. The High Fang's words were deliberate when she spoke again.

  “Very well. We shall take this information into sideration. But for now, Rava… I believe your friend has roped you into something, has she not? Ask Narek for details about your little quest. You may take your leave.”

  “Yes, High Fang,” Rava responded with a respectful bow, her toeady. Vivienne, ever the performer, followed suit with an exaggerated flourish of her own, making Rava’s lips twit amusement. They exited the cil hall together, the rge wooden doors closing behind them with a resonant thud.

  The corridor beyond was quiet, the echoes of their footsteps blending with the distant sounds of the 's daily activities. As they walked, Vivienne's pyful energy seemed to seep into the air, lightening the mood despite the weight of the meeting. Rava’s thoughts, however, remained heavy. She had seen Korriva's gaze—sharp, calg, and irely vinced.

  “We o find Narek,” Rava said, breaking the silence as they neared a er.

  Vivienne shot her a sidelong gnce. “Do I get to ‘charm’ him with my presence again?” she asked with a smirk, clearly enjoying the idea of getting under someone’s skin.

  Rava’s lips curled into a slight, knowing smile. “That’s one way to put it,” she said dryly. “But I need him to focus. No distras.”

  Vivieilted her head, a subtle curiosity in her eyes. “Focus, hmm? I wonder if that’s ever happened in his life. Shall we find out?”

  Rava led them down a narrow hall and toward the more private quarters of the arek, being the ’s strategist and one of Rava’s closest allies, was often fouhe war rooms, surrounded by maps and scrolls. As they approached, Rava could see the familiar flicker of dlelight beh the door, and she could sehe weight of Narek’s thoughts, even from the hallway.

  She knocked firmly, and a muffled voice came from inside, hesita reizable. “Enter.”

  Rava pushed the door open, revealing Narek hunched over a table, his back to them as he examined a map of Greyreach Pass. The room smelled faintly of ink and part, and the air was thick with quiet tration. Wheuro face them, his eyes immediately flicked over Vivienne, lingering a moment lohan was fortable, before nding on Rava. His expression was guarded, as always—though it softened slightly whe her gaze.

  “Rava,” Narek greeted her, his toral, though there was a hint of relief. “You’re back. What news?”

  Vivieood a little apart, Narek with a quiet i. “I trust I’m not interrupting anything?” she asked, her voice soft, but with a subtle edge of curiosity.

  Narek g her, his lips pressing into a thin line. “You were, actually,” he said bluntly, then seemed to sider her presence for a moment. “But I suppose you didn’t e to make small talk.”

  Vivienne gave him a polite, measured smile, folding her arms as she leaned against the doorframe. “While I do love small talk, yes, we are here for information. What’s going on with the disappearances? I assume you’ve been keeping an eye on it.”

  Narek looked from Vivieo Rava, his expression tight as though weighing how much to say in front of her. “Yes,” he said, his gaze flig back to Vivienne, “but it’s more than just a few missing farmers. There’s something wrong, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint it exactly. Reports are insistent. People going missing, then being found, but not the same. Some say they’ve seen strange figures moving through the fields at night. Others speak of shadows, but no one’s seen anything crete.”

  Vivienne nodded slowly, her i piqued. “And the locals? Are they not speaking out?”

  “Some are thtened. Some have... disappeared themselves,” Narek replied, his jaw tightening. “Those who speak too freely often don’t return.”

  Rava stepped forward, her voice steady. “Have you noticed any on thread? Any patterns in the locations or the victims?”

  Narek ran a hand through his hair, his gaze lingering oable covered with scattered notes. “It’s hard to say. I’ve tracked the pces where people have gone missing, but there’s no real pattern to it. The only thing that seems to link them is... the silehere’s no sign of struggle, n. Just people gone. Like they were taken.”

  Vivienne’s eyes narrowed. “Taken... by who?”

  “Or what?” Narek corrected, his voice low, a hint of creeping in. “I’ve heard rumors about strange markings being found near some of the sites—disturbing ones, almost like someone’s carving ritual symbols into the ground. But I haven’t been able to trace where they’re ing from.”

  Rava’s expression grew more serious as she absorbed the new information. She gave a sharp nod. “We o iigate the area. Find those markings and track their in.”

  Vivienne, ever unbothered, leaned back slightly and fshed a grin. “Sounds simple enough. Maybe I’ll even find myself a nice lunch at the end of this little adventure.”

  Rava shot her a sidelong gnce, her voice ft. “Of course you would be thinking about your stomach.”

  Vivienne’s grin widened, but there was a glimmer of seriousness in her eyes now, as though her earlier light-hearted ent had been a shield to mask the undercurrent of her true thoughts. “Right, right. But you ’t deny, a little snack wouldn’t hurt once we’ve got this mystery sorted.”

  Narek’s lips pressed into a thin line as he gnced between them, his patience wearing thin. “You’re not taking this seriously.”

  Rava gave a small shrug, her eyes meeting Narek’s, a quiet but firm fiden her gaze. “She’s taking this a lot more seriously than you think.”

  Vivienne’s grin wide Rava’s words, her posture rexed but her eyes sharper now, as if she were silently daring o challenge her. “What she said.”

  Narek’s gaze lingered on Vivienne, frustration flickering in his eyes before he turo reach for some parts oable. He held them up, his voiore focused. “This is all I have right now on the disappearances.”

  He id the papers on the nearby table, unfolding them with a slow, deliberate motion. The part was filled with sketches of symbols and maps, crude but clear in their detail. The markings—strange and disturbing—were sketched in with a fine hand, showing patterns found at each site of the disappearances.

  “These,” Narek tinued, his voice low, “were drawn by the st person to survive one of the disappearances. She came to me a week ago, too shaken to speak much. All she could manage was this,” he tapped the page, “and a warning about the nd itself.”

  Vivienne leaned in, her eyes sing the symbols, the edges of her grin fading into something more thoughtful. “These markings look... deliberate. Too structured for ce.”

  Rava stepped closer, her tail flig behind her as she studied the parts. “They’re ritualistic,” she muttered. “No farmer would have known how to carve something like this. Whoever’s behind this knows exactly what they’re doing.”

  Narek nodded grimly, his expression darkening. “I’ve already sent scouts to iigate, but their reports… have beehan straightforward. They may have uncovered signs of Snty clergy withih territory, though I don’t believe they pyed any role in this. What’s more troubling is that the markings seem to appear ht, only to vanish without a trace, as if they were here.”

  Rava raised an eyebrow, her tone ced with disbelief. “That’s an importaail you’re brushing past.”

  Narek’s gaze sharpened. “Perhaps. But I’m still looking into it. They could be ected to the disappearances, or they might be ued. As of now, the evidence suggests they’re not, but until I have more crete information, I ’t make any definitive clusions.”

  Vivienne’s eyes narrowed, flig between the scattered parts and Narek’s stern expression. “So, these markings... you think they’re tied to the disappearances?”

  “There’s no doubt in my mind,” Narek said quietly, his voice thick with tension. “The woman—she spoke of whispers beh the earth before she colpsed. Said it felt like the nd was... alive. The markings are too iional to be ignored.”

  “Well, that’s ominous,” Vivienne said with a tilt of her head, her voice light but carrying a flicker of genuine curiosity. “Where are these disappearances happening?”

  “In the northwest,” Narek replied, his gaze narrowing as he stared down at the parts. “Outside the city walls, he foothills.”

  Vivienne ccked her cws together with a grin, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Right! We have a location and some super spooky details. All we need is a talking dog and a van, and we’re golden.”

  Both lekiared at her, their expressions a mix of fusion and curiosity.

  “What’s a van?” Narek asked, his brow furrowed.

  Vivienne waved a dismissive hand, her grin widening. “A carriage that doesn’t need animals to pull it. But never mind that. Rava, let’s go! We have a mystery to solve!” She gave a dramatic flourish, as though the very air around them crackled with the thrill of impending adventure.

  Rava gave her a bemused gnce before rolling her eyes, but couldn’t help the small smirk tugging at her lips. It seemed that with Vivienne, even the most dangerous tasks could feel like a game.

  SupernovaSymphony