"What the hell was that?"

  Saelin surveyed the ruined laboratory. The mad fire in his eyes had died; now there was only exhaustion and confusion. He glanced at the diamond still clenched in his palm, then at Joanna, who stood in the doorway with her hand on the hilt of her dagger and a smile on her lips.

  "What are you doing?" Saelin asked coldly.

  "I’m just observing, Professor. I’m curious. I want to see how this all ends."

  "You’re taking a risk," Saelin said hoarsely. "Risking the same fate as those who came before you. You know full well what happened to them. If your new friends find out who you are and where you came from… you’ll endanger not just yourself, but everything you’ve been fighting for."

  "I’m not here to fight, Saelin. My fight is over. The future lies with you, and those kids who just nearly stole the diamond from right under your nose. Doesn’t seem like you're too concerned about security, are you?"

  "Go to hell," the professor replied wearily. "I don’t know whose side you’re on, but I’ll tell you one last time: leave. Go back to your people before it’s too late. I don’t need your help anymore! I’m following the plan, and everything is under control!"

  "Really? That’s not how it looked today…"

  Saelin clenched his fists.

  "I’ve done things you people couldn’t even dream of!" he suddenly screamed, no longer holding back his rage. "I use the Lake of Aktida in ways you never imagined! I have what Laugdeil has never seen before! I don’t need your foolish advice, I’m handling this just fine on my own! And you dare accuse me of carelessness? If you ever show your face here again, I’ll kill you without hesitation!"

  She laughed. In that moment, she stood above him. She knew she was safe, knew he wouldn’t kill her—because there was no point.

  "I’m glad we had this little talk," she said with a smirk. "You won’t see me again. But here’s a tip: clean up. Tidy this place before the army arrives. King Emerlun’s forces are already circling the Man-Made Mountains and will soon enter the Eastern Province."

  She stepped back, waving cheerfully, unable to resist the gesture. Then she vanished, dissolved behind a wall of fire like a vision. The hall was in flames. Saelin stood frozen for a few more seconds, staring into the void, before snapping back and turning to his servants, who were still hesitating, waiting for orders.

  "What are you standing around for?" he barked. "Put out the fire! We’re rebuilding this from scratch."

  ***

  He moved blindly, eyes fixed only on her pale face, streaked with sweat and blood. The castle was collapsing; the crackling of fire overhead grew louder, but he didn’t feel the heat. He only raised her higher in his arms, terrified the flames might touch her too. Pain seared through his shoulder and arm, but he barely registered the shard of metal lodged in his collarbone. There was a torn hole in his hand. That didn’t matter either.

  A short staircase led him to an open door. The rain had stopped, and a fresh wind blew in, bringing with it the stench of soot, blood, and burning wood. The courtyard was silent. They emerged from a small hatch near the Citadel’s rear wall, and Kairu slowly made his way toward the wide-flung gates. Inside, soldiers ran in chaos: some trying to calm an arachnid mount that had thrown off its rider, others hauling buckets to douse fires. No one paid attention to him or the burden in his arms.

  Kairu stepped beyond the gate and into the forest. He reached the tree line, fell to his knees, and gently laid Rita on the damp earth.

  She was still alive only because the dagger had blocked the gaping wound, keeping her from bleeding out. Her heart still fluttered faintly, slowing with each beat.

  "Rita…"

  He knew begging wouldn’t help, but he couldn’t stop himself.

  "Rita… please…"

  She would’ve laughed, probably. Given him that usual mocking look with her cold green eyes.

  "Rita…"

  His throat was dry.

  He counted the seconds between each heartbeat, desperately feeling her slip away—right there, in the heart of the dark, burning forest, kneeling beside her body. Her hands were colder than ice, and in stark contrast to that deadly cold that chilled his veins and soul, a tiny flame ignited on his chest: the brightest flicker of heat from the Dragon forge.

  The Rune of Fire. A gift from the centaurs of the Enchanted Forest.

  Fire brings life. It cleanses and heals.

  Kairu had long forgotten Ioran’s teachings. Right now, he didn’t care about seeing the future. He yanked the thin cord from around his neck, tore open his shirt, and pulled out the small piece of bark, glowing hot, inscribed with the runic symbol and a crimson border. With trembling fingers, he pulled back Rita’s collar, yanked the dagger out and tossed it aside. Blood immediately gushed out in thick, black spurts, but he already pressed the Rune to the wound without hesitation.

  It blazed. The spellmarks flared even brighter in fine fiery threads. The light was blinding, the heat unbearable. He could no longer tolerate the touch, but the magical warmth flowed into Rita’s body and surged back through his arm. And he felt his own wounds healing, blood soaking into his shirt, bones fusing, nerves and sinew reconnecting, the bullet holes in his shoulder and arm closing over with skin. The shard of lead in his collarbone melted and disappeared. The Rune’s light became unbearable, but it was the light of life. Kairu watched as blood pulsed again through Rita’s veins, as her heartbeat quickened. Still, he whispered, clinging to the Rune like his last hope, as though his words might aid the spell.

  "Rita… live…"

  The bark scorches his fingers. The black stains on her linen shirt fade. The gaping wound closes. The light pours through his fingers, casting thin beams into the forest canopy. Silence.

  "Rita… Rita, I love you. Do you hear me?.. Live…"

  And she breathes in quick, steady breaths, and comes back to life. She returns to the world, and to him. Still unconscious, lost in a peaceful sleep free of pain and sorrow, she is alive.

  The Rune flared one final time and faded, its warmth fully spent. All that remained in Kairu’s hand was a piece of bark with incomprehensible script.

  He slowly looked at the hand that had taken Saelin’s bullet. Only a large burn remained, but the skin was whole, and he could move his fingers and fused joints freely.

  "Thank the gods! Kairu, you’re alive!" Atgard appeared from between the trees, his face lit up with a joyful smile. "How is she?"

  "Unconscious," Kairu said quietly, slowly lifting his head, still kneeling beside her. "Where is everyone else? How’s Norton?"

  "Joanna hasn’t come back yet. Viggo, Remiz, and Yuf will be here soon, they carried Norton to the cave. He’s still unconscious too, and very weak. But alive…"

  Kairu felt a wave of relief wash over him. And then the memory struck, stunned him.

  "Woody..."

  "Yes," Atgard said quietly. "I saw. Well, we all knew the risks we were taking. But he was less experienced than the rest of us..."

  "He wouldn't have let us leave him in Estogil. He would have followed us alone. He was always afraid of being alone again, like when he was captured by pirates..."

  "And Joanna? Did you see her?"

  "I don't know." Kairu licked his dry lips and turned around. "We parted in the hall before we entered the lab. I haven’t heard her voice since."

  "You two went in first, and when the doors opened and the fight moved into the tower, I saw only you," Atgard admitted. "Joanna had already vanished by then. I'm afraid she's dead too. Otherwise, she would have returned by now."

  "She stayed alone in the castle? Then she must be dead."

  Atgard crouched next to him and pulled back the collar of Rita's shirt, and only then did Kairu see that the scar wasn’t pink but greenish, and the skin around it was gray.

  "That bastard poisoned her... But damn it, she's alive! Even though a strike like that should’ve killed her, and you even pulled the dagger out..."

  "The Rune of Fire," Kairu said, showing him a piece of bark. "I brought it from the Enchanted Forest. Rita is unconscious, and I think she’ll survive, if we get her back to Estogil as quickly as possible."

  "Kairu! Thank the gods!" Viggo shouted with relief, limping out from behind the trees. His head was hastily wrapped with rough bandages stained with blood, and he was filthier than plague. "And Rita’s here too! I mean..." He stumbled, remembering. "So, you gave him the diamond?"

  "Of course," Kairu said dully. "What else did you think I should’ve done?"

  "Damn," Viggo muttered. "Norton and Rita unconscious, Woody dead... So all of this shit was for nothing? The whole clown show with the fire and the corpses was pointless?"

  "Rita was still alive, and my arm was injured," Kairu said quietly. "At that moment I wasn’t thinking about the Lake... I thought that her life—like the life of each of us—was worth infinitely more than any diamonds, and so I chose her."

  Viggo shook his head. It was clear he was struggling with himself and wanted to say more, but instead he just waved his hand wearily, turned, and walked back into the thicket. Kairu met Remiz’s gaze. He thought he saw a flicker of understanding in the Nocturn's eyes.

  "You really gave up the diamond for her?" Yuf asked barely audibly, crouching beside him. His wet, long hair hung in heavy strands, obscuring his face from Kairu.

  "You don’t believe me?" Kairu muttered. He paused and then asked:

  "Why didn’t you tell anyone you had become a werewolf?"

  "I didn’t want to scare anyone before it was time. Even centaurs and their gifted healers can’t fully cure a werewolf’s venom if the bite hits the carotid artery. They can only weaken it. I’m not bound to the lunar cycle, I can shift at will and retain my mind... Besides, I hoped I’d never need the ability. Turns out I was wrong. I never imagined Saelin was a werewolf too."

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  "Damn it," Kairu muttered. "Why did you and Petros always have so many secrets? Why couldn’t you just explain everything right away?"

  "Well, look who’s here," Atgard suddenly said quietly. Yuf fell silent, straightening up and looking at the Citadel gates, which were already slowly closing. A lone figure had just managed to slip out and was now limping toward the forest. "Isn’t that Joanna?"

  It was her. She made it to the clearing, limping and nearly falling—Atgard caught her just in time. But despite her weakness, she was smiling and walking on her own, her head held high, her hand on the hilt of a bloodied dagger.

  "I knew you'd make it out," she said, looking at Kairu. "I was hoping Woody would too… but I guess fate had other plans. Well, it’s not the first time I’ve lost comrades. Kairu, did you at least get the diamond out with the beauty?"

  "He got nothing out," Atgard grumbled. "The beauty turned out to be more important."

  "Then I guess it really wasn’t worth it," Joanna winked. "Too bad about Woody. And I feel sorry for myself. I’m all messed up from crawling over burning beams and collapsed walls. Thought I wouldn’t make it out of that hell. Lucky the soldiers didn’t notice me, or I’d have stayed there for good. You guys left me to die. Some friends you are..."

  "You vanished," Kairu said. "We couldn’t find you… Where were you?"

  "I’m kidding, Kairu. I’ve always been used to getting out on my own. And I did. Ha!"

  "Let’s go," Atgard said, supporting her—she was pale and barely on her feet. "To the cave. Kairu, Yuf, take the lead!"

  Kairu rose slowly, cradling Rita in his arms. He followed after Atgard.

  Yuf called out to him:

  "Hey!"

  Kairu turned. Almost pleading, Yuf said:

  "Let me carry her."

  "No," Kairu shook his head and added, "Seems to me, a couple of years ago in Petista, you were denied that chance… And that’s why you still regret it was me, not you, who went on that expedition."

  Yuf said nothing, but from the flash in his eyes, Kairu knew he was right.

  ***

  They made it to the cave, where the smell of smoke and soot no longer reached, and no firelight flickered through the trees. The sky had cleared, and high above, the southern stars burned, scattered in unfamiliar patterns—Kairu couldn’t find a single constellation he recognized. Remiz pulled out his travel medkit, gently treated everyone’s larger cuts, bandaged wounds, and set Joanna’s leg with splints so the break would be disturbed as little as possible. They hastily built a fire, laid Rita and Norton in the cave, and the rest sat in a circle, ravenously devouring dried meat and hardtack. Atgard pulled a bottle of wine from his bag, poured it into six cups, and in silence, with dry eyes and no toasts, they honored the memory of Woody Miles.

  Kairu sipped the wine, feeling the hostile stares. He even knew why he deserved them: each of these people had their own reason to look askance at him. Viggo was furious that the attempt to steal the diamond had failed. Atgard was bitter because Woody died, Rita and Norton were maimed, and it was Kairu who had led them into this mission. And Yuf…

  Despite everything they’d gone through today, Yuf was jealous.

  Kairu saw it as clearly as he saw that the hostility between them was only going to deepen, and the old friendship was slowly turning into mutual resentment. There was nothing he could do about it. Yuf, apparently, couldn’t either.

  Remiz watched as always with a mysterious gaze, as if hiding something. From his face and eyes, Kairu couldn’t guess how he felt about what had happened. The only one who remained cheerful and carefree, it seemed, was Joanna, the only truly sincere person at that silent dinner. All her feelings—bitterness, sorrow, simple joy at having survived—were written plainly on her face, and she didn’t try to hide them.

  The meager dinner couldn’t fill the hungry travelers’ bellies. They finished their portions of dry rations, drained the wine, gave each other brief goodnight wishes, and then Viggo, unable to hold back once again, jabbed a finger at Kairu and said:

  "Keep watch. You’re the least injured among us, especially since you’re tossing around diamonds of sky-high value. So sit there and keep your eyes open, because despite your unbelievable generosity, someone might misunderstand and slit your throat in your sleep for all the Tepei-Kuon soldiers you killed."

  "Go to sleep, Viggo," Kairu said wearily. "Don’t mess with my head. I’m already devilishly tired... Fine, I’ll keep watch. Just to make your soul happy. And don’t worry, I’ll wake you at the slightest suspicious noise."

  Yuf, Remiz, and Atgard, without looking at him, followed the Kald into the cave. Kairu stomped out the fire. He felt calmer in the darkness, soothing and soft, though he didn’t quite know why. He lay down on the ground not far from the pond, placed his hands under his head, and tried to ignore the mosquitoes buzzing in the air. They didn’t care about anyone’s sorrow, they only sensed the smell of blood and human flesh, and flew toward it. Stars shimmered above. The moon was waning.

  Viggo is right, Kairu thought, lying on the ground and staring at the pond’s surface, where the sky, trees, and stars were reflected. Woody died for nothing. And that stupid debt he could’ve repaid anytime, not necessarily at the cost of his life... So much was in vain. He had led these people, who trusted him, to certain death. Yes, he hadn’t asked them to follow him, in fact, he’d tried to convince them not to – but on the other hand, tonight, he owed his life only to them. Including Woody, who saved him. It all weighed heavily, offered no peace, and Kairu was tormented, unable to fall asleep – or maybe it was just the mosquitoes...

  "Kairu."

  A whisper, light as a breeze. A dark silhouette leaned over him. Kairu flinched at the touch of a hand on his shoulder.

  "What do you want?"

  "I want to talk."

  "Joanna," he sighed deeply. He rolled onto his back, looking not at her face leaning over him, nor at her curly black hair almost brushing his own face, but at the stars. Far beyond her dark silhouette.

  "Do you also think I made a mistake?" he asked thoughtfully. "That for the greater good, I should have left with the diamond and let Rita die there?"

  "No, I don’t think that," she replied softly. "Listen, may I lie down?.. My leg hurts like hell, it’s hard even to sit…" Without waiting for an answer, she lay down, her hand casually resting on his shoulder as she gazed into his eyes.

  "What is a mistake? Who gets to decide where we were right and where we went wrong? I think what you did was very human."

  "Maybe we missed our only chance today," he muttered. "Maybe now we can’t fix anything."

  "Chance for what? Why are you so sure that if you had taken the diamond, it would’ve solved all our problems? What would you have done next, if you’d left with the Lake of Aktida today?"

  "I don’t know," he said helplessly. "All I know is what Petros told me... about the prophecy. That war and the end of the world can only be stopped if I take possession of the diamond."

  "And since when did Petros’ words become the ultimate truth for you?" Joanna laughed.

  Kairu fell into thought. It was strange to realize for the first time that all his trust in Petros was based only on the fact that Petros had helped him escape the fire in Nubelrain. And everything Petros had said afterward.

  "Do you think he lied? Or was he mistaken?"

  "Kairu, Kairu..." Joanna smiled. "I know a lot, but there are things even I don’t know. I’ll say this: for a long time, people believed they could see the future. That it was very simple: you do one thing today, and in ten thousand years, you get another. Or vice versa: what happens today is actually the result of something that happened ten thousand years ago. Cause and effect. You understand?"

  "Yes. And I can see the future."

  "The future is bloody chaos. Every one of your actions changes it in unpredictable ways. What you see is just the sum of billions of probabilities, in those rare moments when many unrelated events trigger a chain reaction. That’s when Inevitability appears. What you see is a reflection of Inevitability. But you can still change it. And then your will can break Inevitability and lead the world to a completely different outcome."

  Kairu was silent, trying to absorb her words.

  "The future could only be predetermined if people couldn’t see it," Joanna said. "But people invented not only ways to see different times, but also to move through them. They created crossroads of time. And then came chaos. The ancient Nocturns wrote their prophecy because they believed they knew everything that was going to happen. But the very fact that they had seen the future was enough for that future to change. You see? We live in a reality that’s already very different from the one the Nocturns saw in their future. That reality has already been altered dozens of times by those who saw different times or moved through them."

  "So what does it all mean?"

  "It means that Petros could be wrong. And Saelin too. And Garamant. And me. We’re all just trying to do what we think will lead to the right outcome. To the future we imagine. And you too. And what you did today was a step toward a future that might be much better than the one where you took the diamond."

  Kairu gave a strained smile.

  "That still doesn’t answer the question of what I should do now," he said. "If the future is chaos, that doesn’t mean we should stop trying to influence it, right?"

  "Of course not. But today you’ve learned an important lesson. You know a little more than you did six hours ago, before we entered the castle. And that will help you make the right decision later."

  Kairu nodded.

  "Joanna…" he said hesitantly.

  "Yes?"

  "Saelin said today that he and I were supposed to be allies. And that the war started because of Petros. Is that true?"

  She was silent for a long time.

  "I beg you, stop thinking in terms of cause and effect," she said at last. "What we’re talking about has thousands of causes, and thousands of consequences. I’ll say this: history demanded that around this time, give or take ten or twenty years, a great war would occur, one that could destroy all of humanity. Petros spent a long time trying to prevent that war. But it was all in vain. His time was running out, and he decided to make one last attempt. This time, he arranged the events so that the war would begin under his control. He believed that if he could plan the beginning of the war, then he could also plan its end, at the right moment and with the right outcome. It’s still hard for us to say where this will lead, but we already see that he lost control a long time ago. His plan isn’t working."

  "So, we should abandon his plan," Kairu muttered.

  "Right now, you have no way to change the present. But you can change the future – through your actions. All I can advise is to keep doing what you believe is right. Follow your conscience and your inner voice."

  "Joanna?"

  "Yes?"

  "Who are you? And how do you know all this?"

  And once again, she didn’t answer right away. Kairu was drowning in her bottomless eyes, in which the stars were reflected.

  "I'm just an Observer," she whispered so quietly that Kairu began to think her voice existed only in his head. "I cannot, and have no right to change the future. Only meticulously planned Interferences are allowed. But even what I’m telling you now might be an unplanned Interference, and therefore very dangerous. But I think, as the Seer, you need to know. Just promise me to not tell anyone. Everything you’ve learned today must stay between us."

  Kairu nodded silently.

  "I wasn’t supposed to go with you. My task was to find and kill Garamant, and return. But I stayed. And that, too, could be an Interference."

  "Why did you stay?" he asked, his throat dry, heart pounding wildly.

  "You know the answer." She smiled. "I stayed for the same reason as everyone else. For the same reason you gave up the diamond today to save Rita. Because, despite our arguments and disagreements, all of us—Viggo, Remiz, Yuf, Rita most of all, and Woody, and Norton, everyone who’s been with you from the beginning and those who joined later—we’re not following you because Petros ordered us to. We’re following you simply because we love you. And that is more important than anything. Love is what truly changes history."

  Kairu felt like he was suffocating, trembling as she touched his cheek with her hand.

  "Joanna… I can’t," he whispered.

  She smirked.

  "Of course you can’t. You just carried her out of the fire. But I wanted you to know."

  He turned away. Lay down, still shaking. She was silent, but her hand still rested on him, and he could feel her palm clench into a fist and tremble too—whether from cold or emotion, he didn’t know.

  "Kairu… You know, I’m going to die soon."

  He flinched.

  "Don’t talk nonsense. None of you are going to die. I won’t allow it. You’re in my squad, and I won’t let any of you die. I’d rather run away and finish the journey alone, and if I don’t make it—well, it won’t matter to me anymore."

  "No, Kairu," Joanna said softly and sadly. "I know. I can feel it. The moment I chose to go with you, I chose my fate. There’s no place for me in this time. But it’s become so dear to me… I don’t know why. In the time that’s passed since I crossed the crossroads, I’ve learned to love this time… almost more than anything. And I’m scared. I see my death… slow. So that I have time to say goodbye to everyone who mattered to me. And then it will take me. It will give me a delay, exactly as long as I ask for. Then I’ll call it myself… and leave you. Forever."

  "You’re talking nonsense. No one’s dying, you hear me? I won’t even let you kill yourself, if that’s what you’re thinking! Do you hear me? Don’t you dare, Joanna! Cut that talk! To hell with it!"

  "Let me stay," she said barely audibly after a pause.

  "Joanna…"

  "I know. I’ll just stay here next to you and leave at dawn. Sleep. And try to forget everything we talked about. It was said only for you, and no one else. Believe me, sooner or later you’ll find the answers to all your questions—but not from me."

  Kairu turned away, sighed heavily, and clenched his teeth. She curled up behind his back but didn’t sleep; her breathing was tense and uneven. He couldn’t sleep either, and only a few hours later, at dawn, when he had gotten used to her closeness and warmth, to the thought that she would remain lying next to him, watching him, unable to close her eyes—only then did he fall asleep. And he didn’t hear her rise silently, with the grace of a panther, and return to the cave.