Breon studied Rugr for a long moment. His old friend was hiding something—as was everyone in Astiria's leadership. While Markus and Barto would never reveal the truth, Rugr might confide in an old friend.

  Rugr returned the look, calm and patient, waiting for Breon to speak.

  “Is it foolish of me to think you will tell me what’s happening?” Breon finally asked, his tone edged with frustration.

  The two men shared a deep history, their kinship forged in the crucible of war and survival. Unlike Markus and Barto, Breon knew Rugr would speak truthfully. The others' motives were self-serving—an agenda hidden beneath a false show of concern for Kleo.

  Breon was sure there was more to their schemes. Rugr’s refusal to align with them only confirmed his suspicions.

  “Yes.” Rugr’s voice was firm, but there was a weariness in his posture. “Not yet, anyway.”

  “I haven’t earned your trust?”

  Breon leaned forward, his frustration evident. “After all we’ve been through, you know I wouldn’t betray you.”

  “You have my trust,” Rugr said, his tone softening, “but if I told you now, you’d wish I hadn’t. It’s something that will break you. It’s also something that you cannot do anything about. Not at the moment, anyway.”

  “Break me?” Breon scoffed, crossing his arms.

  He had faced unimaginable horrors and survived—the unrelenting slaughter of his people at the hands of the Sa Kamal, the deaths of his parents, wife, and children. He had been broken once, but time had rebuilt him stronger. What could possibly shatter him now?

  “I’m asking you to trust me, Breon,” Rugr said, his voice steady. “When it’s time to act, I’ll tell you everything. You have my word.”

  Breon exhaled, his jaw tightening. He knew Rugr wouldn’t budge, but the unanswered questions gnawed at him. “Fine. I’ll take your word for it—for now.”

  Rugr inclined his head, acknowledging Breon’s reluctant acceptance. “What news from Astiria?”

  Breon straightened, his tone turning professional. “My orders haven’t changed. They’ve sent a group south to Midena. They think if Kleo is there, her presence will have left some mark.”

  Rugr nodded. That move had been predictable.

  “Also,” Breon continued, “Thespis is leading a team to Balta. They’ll retrace your steps, hoping to find the box. I assume you’ve hidden it somewhere?”

  “Yes. The box is well hidden,” Rugr said. “Even if they find it, they won’t be able to open it. Kleo sealed it with a magic I’ve never seen before.” This was a white lie, but Rugr thought it was harmless enough.

  Breon raised an eyebrow. “What’s in the box, Rugr?”

  Rugr hesitated, his gaze searching Breon’s face. There was no point hiding the truth, at least not this part. “Remains,” he said finally.

  “Remains?” Breon repeated, frowning. “Whose remains?”

  “I don’t know,” Rugr admitted, his voice grim. “But they scared Markus and Barto enough to order me to recover the box and hand it off to a sea captain. The plan was to dump it into the deepest ocean.”

  This was another white lie. He had an inkling of whose body was interned in the box, but it was only a guess. Besides, revealing it would give away too much, putting Breon in danger.

  Breon let out a low whistle, the weight of the revelation settling over him. It explained little but aligned disturbingly well with Markus and Barto’s other actions. Whatever was in that box was a threat—to them personally or perhaps all of Astiria.

  “I’m going to need a favor,” Rugr said, breaking the silence. “I need to leave the city, find Kleo, and warn her that her own people are trying to hunt her down.

  His expression softened, his voice taking on an uncharacteristic tenderness. “Besides, I miss the girl. We’ve never been apart this long. Goddess knows what kind of trouble she’s getting herself into.”

  Breon sighed. Everyone in Astiria knew Rugr thought of Kleo as his daughter, even if Markus never acknowledged it. “You want me to misdirect my men? Help you slip out of the city?”

  Rugr nodded. “I can manage without your help, but better safe than sorry. Once I’m gone, you’ll need to sit tight until I return. I’ll find you when it’s time to act.”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Breon’s lips quirked into a wry smile. “I’ll hold you to that. The next time I see you, I want answers—everything.”

  “You’ll have them,” Rugr promised. “Take care, Breon.”

  He rose from the chair but hesitated. "If for some reason I cannot return within a reasonable time"—he paused, second-guessing himself—"look to the great desert in the east. You'll find answers there."

  Breon nodded. It wasn’t the answer he sought, but it was something.

  Blending into the crowded street, Rugr's mind turned to the task ahead. The box was his priority—retrieving it took precedence over everything else. Finding Kleo would be welcome, but her absence wouldn't derail his mission.

  He had sworn on his brother's life to return the box, and that oath weighed heavily upon him. Though their reunion had been brief and painful, he refused to let them be separated again.

  As they rode south, Kleo’s thoughts were preoccupied with Rugr. She couldn’t shake the feeling that it might be a long time before she saw him again. It resulted from being on horseback for the first time in a long time. They had spent years riding together, and although it had been a while, she fell back into it with ease, the rhythms of horse and rider now second nature.

  If he was in Ilimar as Will had indicated, heading south meant moving away from him, which bothered her. Rugr had always been a steadying influence—a guiding presence who lifted her when she struggled—always helping her to put one foot before the other until she found her way. Now, with the Kasad Shadoom and the mysterious pulse pressing upon her, his absence left a space that even Jack couldn't fill.

  Though Rugr had taken on the role of a father, he kept his affections restrained—either by his nature or from a sense of propriety. She understood the constraints placed on him by her mostly absent father, which made it difficult for her to fault him for not showing the love she knew he held for her.

  There was no point dwelling on it, and she pushed her thoughts of Rugr aside, returning to the pleasure of the warm sun, the beauty of the forest, and the thrum of her horse on the trail.

  Jack rode beside her, his expression hovering between intense focus and mild terror. Though he managed to keep pace, the tension in his grip and the tight line of his jaw made it clear he wasn't enjoying the ride nearly as much as she was.

  Kleo smiled. Just being next to him lifted some of the weight from her mind.

  "What?" Jack asked, catching her glance.

  "Nothing. Just thinking about how much I love you."

  Without warning, Jack ducked, dodging a tree branch that hung several feet above his head.

  "That was close."

  "Very," Kleo replied dryly. "A real brush with danger."

  Jack straightened in his saddle, his expression deadpan. "I swear I felt the leaves graze my hair."

  Kleo laughed, shaking her head. Jack's ability to make her smile was one of the things she cherished most about him. Even during tense moments, he found a way to lift her spirits.

  Bitter trailed behind them, keeping a reasonable distance from the horses, who weren’t particularly fond of him. Given that Jack lacked experience on horseback, they were hoping that ‘out of sight, out of mind’ would put them at ease. But Kleo still heard their nervous huffs and felt her horse’s pull, urging her to move faster, away from the terrifying threat.

  Taking the rear guard was unusual for Bitter. He preferred to scout ahead of the group, although he often circled back to check their tail.

  The group planned to camp along the rocky incline near the area where they encountered the goblin scouting party. They would make good time on horseback, giving them time to check the area for new threats and set up camp before beginning Maya's magical training.

  Kleo had given Jack very little training, and what he knew, he had accomplished on his own. This was a good sign for his future abilities, but working with Maya would give him a solid foundation. Kleo thought to follow along as he learned, but Maya thought he might proceed faster with one-on-one sessions. It was a polite way of saying that she would be a distraction.

  They approached the area in mid-afternoon. They dismounted and moved the horses into the woods on the far side. Bitter would scout the area between the path and the river's eastern edge, looking for goblins or anything else that might cause them trouble. The sights and sounds of birds moving amongst the trees gave them no cause for alarm. And the aura of the woods hummed with calm.

  Kleo whispered instructions to the wolf. His ears pricked up as she spoke. Whether he understood or remembered from before was unclear. Mission brief complete, he slipped into the trees, his dark form vanishing into the shadow of the trees. Bitter was designed for this: silent, precise, and attuned to the hunt.

  The group waited for his return, their eyes scanning the woods for movement. Will appeared relaxed, but his posture betrayed his readiness to react at a moment’s notice. Jack, meanwhile, seemed to watch Will as much as the woods, his curiosity about the man’s skillset evident. He was an eager student of anything that improved his skills. Anything that might help him protect her.

  Bitter returned after several minutes. His posture relaxed, and a light huff signaled no immediate danger.

  Maya would stay with the horses while the others moved towards the river to scout the crossing.

  The river was quiet, and Will explained that this was one of the few places to cross it on foot. As it wound south, the current, breadth, and depth posed problems for anyone, even those with a vessel. As you traveled south, the eastern bank grew into a formidable stone wall, with the abandoned fortress sitting at its apex.

  After some searching, they found their way back to where they had been ambushed. Though signs of the struggle persisted, the remains of the goblins they had killed were gone. There were signs that the bodies had been dragged back toward the river, and they speculated that another party had retrieved them. They would need to remain alert, but with Bitter standing guard over the camp, it was unlikely anyone could sneak up on them.

  While Kleo and Maya cleared debris and deadfall, Jack and Will tied up the horses and began setting up the simple structures where they would sleep. The skies were clear, so they skipped the more rigorous task of weather-proofing the sleeping areas. The camp's location abutting the rocky rise of the hill offered better protection, and the rocks at the base created natural formations that afforded better privacy—and, if necessary, defense.

  Maya and Jack would begin his training in a small clearing near the camp.

  Kleo would join Will and Bitter on a scouting mission that crossed the river and probed deeper into goblin territory. The purpose was to learn as much as possible about goblin activity while avoiding detection or skirmish.