The sound of Eddie’s crash snapped Joe’s attention. He had been close to catching the Nyrrak cub, but he let it go. His fears were confirmed—the cub was even more dangerous than its mother.

  “What happened?” Joe asked, eyes narrowing as he scanned Eddie’s bruised form.

  “Bitten. Little Veynars,” Eddie grunted, wincing. “Must be breeding season.” Already, his legs were aching.

  “Over here!” Joe called to Reed and Lena, who had spotted the webbing and were already changing course.

  “Little bastards,” Lena muttered, crouching beside Eddie. She pulled a potion from her pouch and handed it to him.

  “Why do your potions always taste like shit?” Eddie groaned after forcing it down.

  “If it were the mother, you’d be screaming like a baby,” Lena shot back. Still, she steadied him carefully.

  “So you can’t heal him?” Reed asked.

  “If it were an elder Veynar, maybe. These are just hatchlings, but their venom is strong at this stage,” Lena replied grimly.

  “There’s a road nearby. We’ll take that path,” Joe ordered.

  Joe and Reed slung Eddie between them and started forward. They had been walking for about twenty minutes—teasing Eddie to lighten the mood—when Joe suddenly froze.

  A girl.

  He saw Sky ahead. A child wandering this forest… His gaze sharpened as it landed on Dakota.

  Wait. That’s her.

  “Girl!” Joe barked. His voice was so forceful that Sky stopped in her tracks.

  “Hold him,” Joe told Reed, who was just as surprised as the others at Joe’s reaction.

  As Joe drew closer, he spotted Benjamin. The boy carried a skreevil on his shoulder and herbs in his hands.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Don’t come any closer!” Sky snapped, stepping in front of Dakota as the girl shrank behind Ben.

  Ben set the skreevil and plants down.

  Joe advanced a few more steps but stopped when Sky unsheathed a short sword from her bag.

  “Be ready for a barrier,” Eddie murmured to Reed, who crouched and placed a hand against the ground.

  “I come in peace,” Joe said evenly, closing the distance just enough to talk without shouting. He raised his hands slightly. “The girl… she’s someone I know.” His eyes flicked to Dakota.

  Sky’s grip tightened on her sword. Her stance was sharp, unflinching. “Dakota stays with me.”

  Ben clenched his fists, clearly ready to throw himself into the fight despite being unarmed.

  Joe studied them for a moment, then smirked. “Fighting me won’t help you. But if that’s what you want…” He raised four fingers toward Reed. “No sword. I’d rather not kill you.”

  “Ben!” Sky barked. “Don’t let Dakota out of sight.” Then, shocking everyone, she tossed her sword aside.

  Joe and Sky locked eyes.

  She charged.

  What? Joe thought. She’s not defending?

  They met in a clash of speed. Joe swung first, a punch aimed at her face. Sky caught his wrist, redirecting it as she spun into a sharp left kick at his head.

  Joe blocked with his forearm. The impact cracked through the air.

  Their exchange only grew sharper—Joe’s strikes fueled with raw power, Sky’s movements as quick and fluid as a cat.

  “She’s good,” Lena whispered in disbelief.

  Joe lost focus for a fraction of a second. Sky’s right hook landed clean against his jaw, sending him stumbling dangerously close to Reed’s barrier.

  Her looks are a damn disguise, Joe realized, resetting his stance.

  “I’d enjoy this longer,” Joe said, a wild glint in his eye, “but I don’t have time.”

  Fog spilled into the barrier, thick and suffocating.

  “He’s finally done playing,” Eddie muttered, watching the shroud expand.

  Inside, Sky was blind. The fog was heavy—too heavy—and every breath burned her throat. Still, she braced herself. Joe’s punch cracked against her guard, but a second hook smashed her ear clean.

  Her mind rang. She staggered.

  The barrier… she thought desperately.

  Joe pressed forward, his strikes relentless, each one driving Sky further onto the defensive. She was little more than a target now, her footing slipping, her breath ragged.

  Then she felt it—like a fishing line tightening, sharp and unyielding, signaling a catch. The string pulled taut, and in that instant something beyond her will seized her.

  Before she could even comprehend what was happening, she was yanked out of the barrier, collapsing into open air and gasping for breath.

  She tried to force her way back in, but it was no use.

  The law of Joe’s fog was simple: no one saw what happened inside, not even those trapped in it. Only Joe did.

  From the outside, Reed, Lena, and Eddie pressed hands to the barrier, feeling the vibrations.

  “They’ve started,” Reed muttered.

  “No,” Lena whispered. “Feel that. That’s different.”

  The vibrations grew harsher, more violent.

  “Is she…?” Reed began.

  “She’s fighting him evenly,” Lena said, shock flooding her voice.

  “If that’s true, then get ready,” Eddie ordered. “Drop the barrier when I say.”

  The barrier quivered under another wave of vibrations.

  “Now!” Eddie barked.

  Reed released it.

  Joe stumbled out—arms crossed to block, staggering under the speed of Sky’s unseen strikes.

  “That’s it, Joe! If you drop, we’re dinner tonight!” Eddie shouted, pulling him back.

  Joe fell to one knee, breathing hard.

  “Talk later?” Eddie asked.

  Joe smirked weakly. “I’ll think about it.”

  When they turned, Ben, Sky, and Dakota were gone.

  “Let’s move. It’ll be dark soon,” Joe said, forcing himself to his feet.

  As they started for the gates, Joe signaled Eddie to glance back. Eddie obeyed carefully, pretending not to look.

  Through the thinning fog, he caught the faintest glimpse of a figure. Someone did that… while fighting Joe in the fog?

  He said nothing, only rejoined the group’s laughter.

  Later, Joe entered the guild and dropped into a chair.

  “Did you kill the Nyrrak?” the Guild Master asked.

  “Killed the mother. The cub escaped,” Joe admitted.

  “You let it go?” the Guild Master pressed.

  Joe leaned close, lowering his voice. “Not exactly. There’s something you need to hear…”