Fei began to descend as we neared the spot where I'd seen movement. I guided him to a small clearing just ahead of where Nox was tracking, wanting to get there first to assess the situation.

  As I slid from Fei's back, Virel adapted to the movement, enhancing my agility so I landed silently despite the height with my feet barely disturbed the forest floor.

  "Stay hidden," I instructed Fei through our bond. "Watch from above. If things go wrong, swoop me in.”

  The eagle gave a mental assent, though I sensed his reluctance to leave me. He spread his massive wings and took to the air again, climbing high enough to be mistaken for an ordinary bird of prey.

  I crouched behind the thick trunk of an oak, feeling Virel shift beneath my skin. The symbiote seemed eager for action, and I had to consciously rein in that bloodlust. It wasn't just my creation; it was part of me now, responding to my own repressed rage and fear.

  "Steady," I whispered, both to Virel and myself.

  Through the trees ahead, I could make out movement. Voices drifted toward me, too faint to make out words but clear enough to count: three distinct timbres. Two men, one woman. And with them, the smaller figure I'd seen from above.

  I needed to get closer.

  Virel seemed to anticipate my needs, spreading up my legs and torso, enhancing my muscles and reflexes as I moved silently from tree to tree. I could feel the symbiote analyzing the environment, adapting to help me blend in—darkening my exposed skin to match the shadows, muffling the sound of my breathing.

  Nox's presence nudged at my mind, letting me know he was approaching from the west. I sent back a command to hold position but stay ready.

  Finally, I was close enough to see them clearly. Four figures stood in a small clearing: three adults and Emil. But they weren't knights. There were no gleaming armors, no insignia of the Crown.

  Instead, they wore simple traveling clothes, though of fine quality. The woman had her hand on Emil's shoulder, speaking to him in a soft voice that now carried to me.

  "...will be so happy to see you, prince."

  Prince? My breath caught in my throat.

  Emil's face was still blank, his eyes unfocused as they had been since the attack. But he stood straighter than I'd seen him in weeks, and clutched in his small hand was the wooden horse Jorik had carved.

  One of the men held something in his palm—a small, glowing stone that pulsed with a gentle blue light. A mage stone of some kind, possibly what they were using to influence Emil.

  I felt Virel react to my rising anger, spreading further across my skin, preparing for combat. But I held myself in check, forcing myself to think.

  These weren't random kidnappers or knights. The way they spoke to Emil, calling him "prince"... This connected to what Henrik had been hiding. The secret he'd kept about Marta and Emil, the reason the town had been attacked in the first place.

  I had three options:

  One: Attack immediately. With Virel, Nox, and Fei, I could probably overpower them, especially if I caught them by surprise. But if I misunderstood the situation, I might be making things worse. Or worst they might be way stronger than me and I might lose my life in the process.

  Two: Follow them. See where they were taking Emil, gather more information before acting. But that risked losing him if they had faster transportation waiting.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Three: Reveal myself. Confront them directly, demand answers. The riskiest option, but also potentially the most informative.

  Virel pulsed beneath my skin, eager for the first option. But I couldn't just do that. I was responsible for Emil's safety, and rushing in blindly had cost me dearly before.

  What should I do?

  As I was still torn on what to do, one of the men spoke, his voice carrying clearly through the still forest air.

  "We need to get out of Argus as soon as possible," he said, adjusting the pack on his shoulder. "Prince Emil is not safe anymore in these lands. Duke Blackwind's knights are already aware of his existence."

  The woman nodded, her hand still protectively on Emil's shoulder. "Where should we go?" she asked. "King Malachar is also after the prince."

  My mind reeled at this revelation. Malachar? As in the tyrant king of the Drakmoor kingdom?, whose conquest had expanded his territory threefold in just a decade.

  Did that mean Emil was a prince of Drakmoor Kingdom? How was that possible? Did Henrik know Emil was a prince? I questioned silently.

  It also explained why Marta and Emil didn't really look alike. I'd always assumed Emil took after his father, but what if Marta wasn't his birth mother at all? What if she was just protecting him, a guardian rather than a parent?

  The smaller man, who held the glowing stone, spoke next. "The Sanctuary in the Mistfall Mountains is our only option. Lady Elara still holds loyalty to Princess Alicia. She will protect the prince until we can gather allies."

  The taller man cut her off. "We cannot rely on distant allies. The journey beyond the Serpent Sea would take months, and we'd never make it past Malachar's naval blockade."

  “If only the kingdom knew what has happened..."the woman said softly, almost wistfully.

  They all sighed.

  “There is no use thinking about it. The moment the princess chose to marry Malachar, the kingdom of Solus decided that she would be banished," the smaller man continued, his voice bitter.

  Solus? I was confused. I'd never heard that name before.

  My knowledge of this world's geography was still frustratingly limited, another reminder of how I didn't belong here. Since arriving in this world, I'd learned about the Five Kingdoms that made up the continent of Argus, but nothing beyond that. Was Solus somewhere across the sea? Another continent entirely?

  The woman knelt before Emil, adjusting his cloak. "You look so much like her," she whispered. "She would be proud to see how brave you've been."

  Emil gave no response, but his fingers tightened around the wooden horse. Something inside me ached at the sight. Even now, even under whatever spell they were using to guide him, he clung to that small connection to Jorik.

  "We should move," the taller man urged again.

  "Just a moment," the woman said, taking something from her pack—a small vial filled with clear liquid. "The calming draft is wearing off. He needs another dose to make it through the forest."

  Calming draft. So that's what they were using. Something like a mild tranquilizer, I guess.

  I watched as the woman gently coaxed Emil to drink from the vial. His movements remained mechanical, but he obeyed. The smaller man held up the glowing stone, which pulsed more brightly for a moment.

  "The mind-healer's stone is working," he said. "It's keeping the worst memories at bay."

  Mind-healer's stone. That was new to me. Another magical tool from this world I didn't fully understand. But its purpose seemed clear enough—something to block traumatic memories, to numb emotional pain.

  These people were taking care of Emil—or at least, they were trying to. But they were also taking him away, possibly into greater danger.

  I thought of Jorik back in Oakenford, waiting for news. I thought of the promise I'd made to bring Emil back. But what if "back" wasn't where Emil belonged? What if his destiny lay elsewhere, with these knights who had known him since birth?

  The taller knight turned suddenly, his hand moving to the sword at his belt. "Did you hear that?"

  The others tensed, the woman pulling Emil protectively behind her.

  "There," the smaller man whispered, pointing toward where Nox was hiding. "Something in the bushes."

  Nox.

  I had seconds to decide. If they discovered Nox, they might flee with Emil, or worse, attack. And if they were truly knights of this Solus kingdom, trained to protect royalty, they would be formidable opponents.

  Virel responded to my racing thoughts, spreading further across my skin, preparing my muscles for either flight or fight. The decision crystallized in my mind. I couldn't let them take Emil without knowing more, without making sure he would be safe. And I couldn't risk a battle where Emil might be caught in the crossfire.

  There was only one option left.

  I stepped out from behind the tree, letting Virel recede just enough to make my appearance more human than monster.

  "Please, I mean no harm," I called out, raising my empty hands to show I carried no weapons.

  All three of them spun toward me, weapons instantly drawn, their bodies forming a protective circle around the small boy.

  “I just want to talk."