Yig, Slye, and Host limped their way up the mountain—a feat far harder than falling down it. As they climbed, they realized the bear they’d fought—the one called the Guardian—was following them. Or more specifically, it was following Yig. But he felt no concern. He let it trail behind him as calmly as he would let Spartan.

  When they returned to the Nest, Yig saw what remained of a battlefield. Bones lay scattered, some melting in the puddles of acid that also dotted the area. Bear corpses littered every direction, some intact, others torn apart. But the Stearna were safe.

  Pervoick, Sil, and the others were gathering dropped weapons and inspecting the bodies of the slain bears. Something about the whole scene unsettled Yig. It didn’t feel right. But why? He and Mona had hunted animals in the wilderness of Chestnut before. Some could be aggressive, but it always made sense. Nature made sense. Creatures killed, and creatures got killed. So… why did this feel so wrong?

  Some students were approaching the furry bodies still bound by parchment. The bears writhed with the last of their strength. Blood leaking from their wounds was already weakening the bindings. Knowing the risk, the students drew their blades and raised them.

  Yig stumbled into a sudden dash, shouting for them to stop. The students and everyone else jumped at his voice. He slid through the mixture of mud and blood, stopping beside one of the bound bears.

  Ushering the confused students away, Yig placed both palms onto the bear’s heaving body, closed his eyes, and once again drew from the light.

  Pervoick approached, tense and unsure. “Yig, what are you doing, man? We need to”

  A shock of aura burst from Yig and the bear, forcing Pervoick to step back. The dark cloud that clung to the bear’s aura lifted, drifting off until all that remained was a light as clear as a summer stream.

  Wobbling from the effort, Yig made his way toward the next bound bear. Slye stepped in to help, leaving Host to watch over the Guardian. He carried Yig by the arm and walked him to the next beast. Pervoick followed.

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  “What’s going on?” the captain asked.

  Around the Nest, murmurs spread among the students.

  “The outsider killed it with his hands?”

  “No, he put it to sleep.”

  “Didn’t you see? The dark aura went away.”

  Amid the shock, one of the bears burst free of its restraints, knocking aside the students meant to kill it, and charged limping toward Yig. More parchment flung itself around the bear’s legs and head—just enough to drag it down. Sil leapt onto its back, yanking the bindings tighter to keep it still. Pervoick joined in, helping to hold the creature down. With Slye’s help, Yig knelt in front of the bear, holding its thrashing head as gently as he could. A special kind of aura flowed from his hands, slowly taking root. The bear’s wounds began to seal, and the red puffiness of its face eased.

  Yig took a deep breath, nearly collapsing. Sil and Pervoick eased their grip. The bear, dazed, limped forward... and licked Yig’s face with something like a smile. Yig rested a hand on its furry cheek as its cold nose pressed against him.

  Sil stared, frozen. “The will of Surath... it’s gone.”

  In total, Yig healed the six surviving bears in the Nest. Afterward, his body was so drained of aura he couldn’t stand. Even keeping his eyes open was a struggle. But with nothing more to be done, Yig finally relaxed—and collapsed. He felt empty. Not like hunger or thirst, but something close. His aura was gone. He knew that much.

  The largest bear, the first one Yig had saved stepped out from Host’s care and went to comfort the rest of its kin. They looked at the Queen’s corpse for a while neither howling nor whining. And then, they left.

  They followed the largest among them the first one Yig had healed.

  That was the only bear that looked back as they made their way farther into the mountains.

  Yig watched the Queen from his bed of mud thankfully not one laced with poison.

  Even in death, her eyes were twisted with fury, still staring forward with a disturbing rage. He sighed. If only things had been different.

  If only they had been different.

  What living thing could survive like that, with so much hate?

  Or… was it just pain?

  Sil walked over and looked down at him, her face a mix of pride, joy... discomfort—and sadness.

  Tears began to stream down Yig’s cheeks.

  He hadn’t felt them coming.

  They just came.

  “I could have saved them,” he whispered. “I should have saved them all.”

  “How did you do it?” Sil asked, her voice trembling. “How did you heal those bears?”

  “My best...”