The morning of the raid had arrived. Pervoick went from house to house, waking his team early. But to his surprise, his top recruits had risen even earlier than he had. Plum, Host, Sil, Slye, Meir, Kacur, and Yig—none of them could be found in the village.

  He decided to take the rest of the group to the agreed meeting spot: a clean path, far from the trees, with sloping hills on either side. There, they found Plum—organized as ever. Pervoick couldn’t be angry with him; he’d been the one to suggest they meet here in the first place. Some of the students were already present, but none of the other top Stearna had bothered to show up. He blamed that for his irritation. It definitely wasn’t because his own early meeting time had put him in a foul mood. Some students used the extra time to get in a bit of practice on the field beside the path, while others sat on the hills and waited.

  Slye was the first to greet them, apologizing as he jogged up the path. He explained that he’d joined Host and Yig for a morning run, but when he suggested they head to the meeting spot, the others had refused and kept going. Surprisingly, Meir and Kacur were the next to arrive—a fact that seemed to irritate them, though the reaction was entirely in character. Pervoick asked if they’d seen the other missing team members, and they responded by pointing behind him.

  Sil was already there.

  Shocked, Pervoick turned and asked why she hadn’t told him she'd arrived. He never got a proper answer—just a nod and a tired “I’m exhausted,” as if that explained everything.

  After waiting about half an hour, Yig and Host finally emerged, jogging out of the woods.

  “I hope you don’t think this is excusable!” Pervoick shouted.

  Neither seemed fazed. “Calm down,” Host replied, still stretching. “Don’t you want your star team in top form?”

  “I don’t see how running for hours before our mission helps me much.”

  Yig stepped forward. “She kept running, boss. What’d you want me to do—let her outrun me?”

  Pervoick’s face probably said yes, but he held his tongue. Yig didn’t seem to catch on and stood there, confused, thinking he hadn’t gotten a response.

  Sil stood up and walked over to Yig as he turned to leave.

  “Hey, Yig, can I have a moment?”

  Her hands were still covered in patches to protect calluses from long hours of training. Dark bags hung under her eyes, and her bruises told a story of relentless effort.

  Yig turned at the sound of her voice and smiled as he walked over.

  “How’s your arm doing?” Pervoick overheard her ask.

  The wound from the bear had been deep. Yig still wore bandages on both forearms. Even so, he smiled. “Better, thanks.”

  Sil hesitated, looking away. “I was wondering… after the mission, do you think I could talk to you about something?”

  “About what?” Yig asked.

  “You know how you spoke about the… Gates to Paradise?”

  “Gather!!” Pervoick called, cutting off the scattered conversations.

  On command, the students lined up at the base of the hill, looking up at their captain.

  “I’d like to thank everyone again. I know it’s getting old, but it really does mean a lot that you’d join me today. Now, let’s talk about getting to the nest.”

  He reached into the bag strapped to his lower back and pulled out a rolled map, raising it above his head for all to see. It was the official document authorizing their mission.

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  “We were given this by the generous senior warriors. It shows the trust they’ve placed in us young warriors. We have everything we need—now it’s our turn to prove them right! We’ll move through the woods shoulder to shoulder at all times—or as often as possible. Our higher-ranked students will take positions at the front, back, and sides. They’ll serve as the first layer of defense if we run into any threats.”

  He continued, “Once we reach the nest, we’ll divide into our assigned cells. Use every opportunity you get to reach the queen and land some damage. At the same time, Slye, Host, and Yig will execute their plan to draw away the Guardian and fight that battle elsewhere.”

  Pervoick looked down at his team with pride. Despite their tired eyes, they didn’t seem shaken. They were strong—he knew that. And if anything went wrong, he trusted his top fighters. Even Yig. As much as he disliked having an outsider among their ranks, he respected the dedication the man had shown—despite his carefree attitude. But he was from the same village as Darleth. Perhaps honor ran in their blood.

  ◇─◇──◇─◇

  Yig’s heart pounded with exhilaration. Back when he worked with the hunters, he was often told to hold back on their prey, leaving the bodies pristine for the Chestnut cooks. But here, there were no such restrictions. He could show off as much as he liked. And with training from both Slye and Host behind him, he felt more prepared than ever.

  With morale high among his team, Pervoick led them into the woods. As instructed, they stayed close together, each keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings. Yig and Sil had been placed at the rear—a detail that gave Yig a hint of pride, considering Pervoick had ranked him among the higher-tier fighters.

  The morning chill made its presence known. Some students hadn’t realized how sharp the cold would feel without the heat of constant movement. Now that they were walking at a steady pace, the cold had crept in. The ground was affected too—still muddy and soft, but with a noticeable crunch beneath their boots. As they moved deeper into the woods, the terrain grew more uneven. Though they tried to stay in formation, they were forced to scale ledges and rocks, making it difficult to maintain proper positioning. Yig welcomed the changes in elevation—anything was better than endless flat walking. After climbing a particularly steep hill, where loose branches obscured the way, he looked down and saw Sil. Reaching out, he offered her a hand.

  Despite the mission, the forest’s beauty only grew as the morning wore on. Bright greens lent the landscape a childlike wonder, as did the small creatures scurrying through the underbrush. Morning light filtered through the canopy, casting a golden glow over everything. Every so often, they passed bushes decorated with vibrant flowers. The harsh bite in the air gave way to a gentle breeze, and Yig could feel the tension among the group slowly ease.

  But just as spirits lifted, the forest began to shift. The trees around them rotted, and the river they followed ran streaked with violet stains.

  Through gaps in trees and stone, they glimpsed an unnatural wall of horizontally stacked logs. At Pervoick’s signal, they vaulted over the structure—some using the nearby trees for momentum.

  The mud beneath their feet sizzled with each step, the sound growing louder as they advanced. Sparse patches of sickly grass dotted the ground, and a steep slope loomed to their left. At the front of the line, Kacur peeked over a small ridge before quickly ducking down and gesturing for the others to follow. They moved away from the rise, gathering behind a cluster of dead trees.

  “That’s it,” Pervoick whispered.

  Through the gaps they’d made in the branches, each team member took a look. The nest matched the description. A large circle of dead, dry soil lay ahead, devoid of any grass. Bears slumbered inside, looking both peaceful and irritable. Their fur was ragged, caked in debris and matted into spikes, with strands of toxic saliva dripping from their jaws into dark puddles. Some scratched themselves relentlessly—so hard that they tore holes in their own flesh. Around them lay the carcasses of small animals, torn apart and left to rot, stained with purple fluids and rib cages cracked open. At the center of the circle, on a bed of twigs, lay a bear with clean fur and half a rabbit’s body hanging from its mouth, dozing contentedly.

  “Which one’s the Guardian?” Slye whispered to Pervoick.

  “I don’t see it. Maybe we’ve gotten lucky and missed it.”

  “In that case, let’s not waste the chance. Get ready to charge.”

  The two turned to whisper instructions to the team. Yig tried to focus, but a sense of unease prickled at the back of his neck. His hand went to Icarus’s hilt.

  Beside him, Sil was the only one who noticed his sudden tension. She drew her weapons too.

  A low growl came from the shadows behind them, thick with menace. Yig and Sil turned just as a bear lunged out of the darkness.

  The Guardian!?

  Host’s fist collided with the beast the moment it reached the group. Staggered but unfazed, the Guardian swiped at her. Yig deflected the blow with Icarus. Together, he and Host forced the bear back, crashing through trees and brush until they reached a hill and sent it tumbling down. Slye vaulted over the students and sprinted to join them.

  “Leave it to us! Go deal with the queen!” he shouted as the three of them raced down the slope.

  “You heard him—rush in!!” Pervoick commanded.