Fenrys bounded after Nascha, ignoring the screams and shouts of surprise that followed him through the streets. His white furred paws carried him through the tangle of people and carts with ease. Vaughan had already shifted into his osprey and was following Nascha in the air. Lysandra was close behind, in the form of a small hawk. Lorcan and Aedion followed on foot.

Nascha was fast in her barn owl form, managing to keep a fair amount of distance between herself, Vaughan, and Lysandra. If Fenrys hadn't been trying to catch her, he might've been tempted to admire her. Her white, heart shaped face swiveled towards him and she gave a thrust of her wings. They were tipped in ivory, copper around the middle, and overlaid by a rich midnight black. The speckles of white in the black reminded him of a starry night sky.

Fenrys parted his jaws, giving himself more air, and ran faster. Lysandra and Vaughan had almost caught up to Nascha now. He had to be ready. As soon as they drove her to the ground, she would be fighting for the chance to shift again, and using her magic as she did so. Someone had to pin her down so she couldn't shift. Since Lorcan and Aedion were farther behind, that would have to be him.

Vaughan soared over Nascha's head and dove with a shrill cry. Nascha reared back, her talons poised to strike. Vaughan raised his own and they collided in a flurry of feathers. Their shrieks and trills echoed as they pecked and clawed at one another. Lysandra joined the fray, attacking Nascha from behind while she fended off Vaughan.

Fenrys growled, spying the sheen of blood on Vaughan's feathers. He and Lysandra were large and quick, but Nascha, despite her smaller size, was faster. They needed to drive her to the ground before she managed to break away from them. Fenrys leaped out of the street and onto a wharf. He raised his head, howling an alert to Vaughan, Aedion, and Lorcan.

Vaughan and Lysandra reacted at once. They both twisted on top of Nascha and began to force her down. Their wings and talons kept her from breaking past them. Nascha squalled with fury, then swooped to the ground, the only place she could reach.

She shifted before she even reached the wharf. Nascha hit the ground and ran. Fenrys laid his ears back and put on another burst of speed. She flared a hand towards him and his surroundings plummeted into darkness. Fenrys blinked until his vision adjusted, following her scent all the while. 

Waves of starlight came rippling towards him, threatening to slice through his skin. He jumped over one and skidded beneath another. He was closing in on Nascha. She was leaving a blood trail behind, which was probably why she hadn't shifted yet. She was giving herself a chance to heal. Fenrys bounded into the air, sailing through the cloud of darkness she'd submerged him in.

He burst into broad daylight. Nascha cried out as his weight smashed into her, knocking her to the ground. She flipped, already reaching for her blade with one hand, darkness swirling around the other. Fenrys planted his paws on her shoulders, baring his teeth and snarling at her throat.

Nascha froze, glaring at him through burning brown eyes. She was breathing hard and blood dripped from several gashes on her face and arms. Vaughan and Lysandra landed before them, already shifting back to their usual forms. They too were panting and bleeding.

Lorcan and Aedion reached the group a few minutes later. Lorcan snapped his fingers and Fenrys withdrew. The two males hauled Nascha to her feet. Vaughan inched closer, ready to help if needed.

"The Queen is expecting you," Lorcan growled, jerking his chin back down the wharf.

He took the lead and the rest of them fell in step behind him. Vaughan and Aedion each kept a hand on Nascha's shoulders. Fenrys stalked behind her. Lysandra shifted into the form of a ghost leopard and joined him, her pale green eyes shining with exhilaration.

◦ ~ ❘ ☼ ❘ ~ ◦

When they reached the ship, Lorcan took Nascha and led her below deck. Fenrys shifted back into his Fae form and followed them, along with Captain Silva. "She's what all the fuss is about?" The Captain asked. "Doesn't look like much to me."

Fenrys didn't bother with a response. They reached a portless room, furnished only by a cot and a bucket. Lorcan shoved Nascha inside. "So I am your prisoner?" She hissed.

"We were taking you to Terrasen one way or another. I warned you, but you didn't listen," Fenrys replied.

"I told you I don't want to go back to Terrasen."

"You don't have a choice," Lorcan spat. He whirled and shoved a key into Fenrys' hand. "Keep her below deck. She comes out of that room only if she's being escorted by someone, and we only go in if one of us is guarding the door."

"Why can't you be responsible for her?" Fenrys called as Lorcan grabbed Captain Silva's shoulder and dragged him back down the hallway.

"As you said, I need to work on my diplomatic skills. Besides, you're the ambassador, not me." They vanished up a flight of steps.

Fenrys huffed in annoyance, turning back to the door. Nascha was sitting on the cot, her gaze cold enough to rival Connall's. "Did Maeve punish you for letting me escape, Moonbeam?" She asked. "Did she punish your brother for killing mine?"

"Would you be happy if she had?"

"Exceedingly."

Fenrys plastered a smirk across his features. "She took me to bed, and Con got to spend a few weeks off duty." He slammed the door and locked it. Fenrys headed updeck, pocketing the key.

He found his companions seated at the helm once more, sharing a few bottles full of amber liquid. Fenrys dropped down beside Vaughan and the male offered him his bottle. Fenrys took a drink, then passed it back.

"I think she's planning something," Lorcan grumbled. "We caught her too easily."

"Easily?" Lysandra arched an eyebrow. "You call this easy?" She gestured to the cuts on her face, neck, and arms.

"If you were Fae or Demi-Fae, you'd be healed by now too," Vaughan pointed out.

"Here." Fenrys offered a hand to Lysandra. She took it and sat down beside him. He let his magic surface and set to work healing her injuries. "She had been drinking. Maybe she wasn't trying as hard as she might have if she were completely sober. We also don't know how long she was tunneling into her magic, or if she knows how to use it while in her owl form."

"We don't know exactly how dangerous she could be." Lorcan rubbed his chin, thinking. "At least one of us needs to be guarding her at all times. I don't want her to have any opportunity to escape. Fenrys, you'll guard her first. Four hour intervals during the day. Two hours at night. You can choose who takes watch after you."

"Again, why me?"

"You're the reason we're here in the first place." Lorcan left before Fenrys had a chance to reply.

He glanced at his companions, hoping for some sort of explanation. "You are the one she escaped from when Maeve had us hunting her," Vaughan pointed out. "If we had caught her then, she would probably be our ally already and we wouldn't be having this issue."

"Hey, there were five of you right there with me. I'm sure Connall didn't need all of you to lecture him about the severity of what he'd done when he killed Zeno," Fenrys answered with a shrug. He rose and started back below deck, heaving a resigned sigh.

◦ ~ ❘ ☼ ❘ ~ ◦

Nascha bent over a scrap of paper, scribbling a brief story onto it with a piece of charcoal. She'd found the paper stuffed under the cot, along with the charcoal. Having nothing better to do, she decided to start writing, as usual. This story was about a female who had been kidnapped by a band of pirates and held against her will, soon to be delivered to a foreign queen as a present.

She often wrote stories derived from events that happened during the day. It made it easier to process things, especially on bad days. The method had gotten her through the deaths of her parents and oldest brother. It had gotten her through Zeno's death. It had gotten her through Terrasen's fall and every day since. Nascha stiffened, hearing soft footsteps outside the door. There were two muffled voices. Fenrys Moonbeam's, and Lady Lysandra's.

The lock clicked and Fenrys held the door open as Lysandra entered. Nascha lifted her hand, letting her nails grow into her owl's talons. Fenrys merely grinned and closed the door. "I've never seen anyone else do that," Lysandra said, gesturing to Nascha's nails. "They shift completely or not at all."

"Then they don't have as much control over their animal form as I do," Nascha answered. "I perfected this little trick while on the run. It helps when you misplace your weapons." She patted the empty sheaths on her hips.

"Aedion is taking good care of your blades."

"He'd better be. They belonged to my brothers."

"Here." Lysandra held out a dark bottle.

Nascha's eyes lit up. "Whiskey?" She took the bottle and uncorked it, sniffing hopefully.

"Not whiskey," Lysandra replied, "but it's better than what you were drinking."

Nascha conceded and took a sip from the bottle. "What is so important that I have to be dragged back to Terrasen?" She thought she might already know, but perhaps the Lady would confirm it for her.

Lysandra hesitated. "Aelin will explain when we reach Orynth. Just...keep an open mind."

"Hm." Nascha turned her attention back to her story. "I'm afraid that's impossible, if it has anything to do with Arcelia. I won't go back there and if the Queen tries to make me, it won't end well for anyone."

"You should be careful, Lady Makatza. Aedion, Lorcan, and Fenrys are all blood-sworn to Aelin. As is her husband and mate, Rowan Whitethorn." Nascha's eyes widened in faint surprise. Lysandra merely smiled. "And you will find that our Court is very dedicated to our Queen. If you make one move to harm her, you will find yourself ripped into so many different pieces that the healers of the Torre Cesme couldn't put you back together."

Lysandra knocked on the door and Fenrys let her out. The lock clanged into place once more, leaving Nascha alone. Only then did she allow herself to smile. She thought she might grow to like Lady Lysandra.