A/N: Enjoy! <3

Between the four of us, we managed to scrounge up a warm outfit for each of us, two lanterns, a length of rope and some strips of fish that had been preserved with salt. As the sun began to set we found ourselves sat in the dining room of a relatively large house, feasting on a delicious soup Merek had concocted from our remaining supplies and a few herbs growing in an overgrown garden nearby. Once he finished cooking he immediately extinguished the flames, much to my disappointment, afraid of attracting any more enemies. Having finished the last of my soup I stretched out and stifled a yawn.

"I don't think we should sleep in the bedrooms tonight," said Elizabeth, glancing up from her bowl, her eyes filled with sadness.

"I agree," added Merek, "it feels wrong. These people could be dead." Charlie nodded his head in silent approval and I agreed. Once we had finished our meal we headed into the living room that was bare save for two lounges, and a torn painting hanging on an angle above a small hearth.

"You two should take the lounges," I announced, gesturing to Merek and Elizabeth.

"No, no, you take one. I'll sleep on the floor," argued Merek, shaking his head from side to side.

"Merek, you still have holes in your back that haven't healed. I'm sure you're in a lot of pain," Charlie fixed him with a look of concern and after a few moments Merek sighed and gave in. Charlie and I laid out our bedrolls between the lounges and draped a thick wool blanket over both of us.

Once night had fallen it wasn't long before my feet were numb with cold and I began to shiver. I shuffled closer to Charlie and snuggled into him for warmth. I slept fitfully, tossing and turning in my bedroll in an attempt to get comfortable on the hard, wooden floor. Eventually my exhaustion overtook my discomfort and I fell into a deep sleep, my breath creating small plumes of white fog with each rise and fall of my chest.

The sound of panicked whispers roused me from my sleep and I jolted awake, sitting up and scanning the room for enemies. I spotted Charlie and Merek crouched by the window that overlooked the stable we had left the horses in. Merek's eyes were closed and he whispered something I couldn't quite hear. I crawled over to join them as Merek opened his eyes and spoke again,

"A human male is attempting to steal Natiro."

"Shit," growled Charlie, stealing a quick glance out the window before ducking back down, "can one of the horses do something?"

"Perhaps," replied Merek, closing his eyes once more, focusing on his bond with Natiro. A heartbeat later a loud crash came from the stables and I had to stifle my laughter.

"Let's go see who our mystery thief is," I chuckled, heading for the front door.

"Should we wake Elizabeth?" asked Charlie, glancing over at her sleeping figure. Merek shook his head and said,

"Let her rest."

Pushing the front door open I dashed toward the stables. The barn's thatched roof was riddled with holes that allowed the pale moonlight to filter through, revealing the outline of the horses and a man who was sprawled out on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

Charlie strode over to the stranger and prodded him with his foot. When he did not stir, Charlie picked up him up as if he weighed nothing and said,

"Merek, fetch the rope and we'll tie him to that post over there." Merek darted back into the house and returned moments later with the length of rope we had found earlier. Once the man was secured Charlie grabbed his chin and tilted his head toward the moonlight revealing his face. There was nothing remarkable about him, he was neither ugly nor handsome, medium height with a medium build, brown eyes, brown hair and light skin. His head lolled in Charlie's palm and I caught a glimpse of something dark behind his ear. It can't be. My eyes widened in disbelief I reached forward and pushed his head to the side, revealing a mole behind his ear, roughly the size of a pea.

"It's him!" I all but shrieked, letting go of his face. I had found my uncle's captor.

"You know this man?" replied Charlie, looking down at me, astonished.

"He's the man who took my uncle!" At my words, Charlie and Merek exchanged a brief look of what seemed like panic before Charlie began shaking the man in an attempt to rouse him. Anger bubbled in my veins as he began to regain consciousness, this was the man I'd seen trying to break into my home, the man who'd used Tia, the man who had started this whole ordeal.

"Urgh, my head..." he groaned, blinking slowly as he came to. I glared at him as he opened his eyes fully, his pupils dilating in fear as he recognised me.

"Oh fuck," he cursed, struggling to free himself from the rope.

"Oh fuck, indeed," I mimicked, taking a step towards him. Unsheathing my dagger, I held the blade to his throat.

"Who are you? Where is my uncle?" I demanded, digging in the blade just enough for a thin red line of blood to appear.

"My name is Jack! Your uncle is in the camp! I swear!" Jack recoiled from the blade at his neck, his eyes wide with fear.

"Where is the camp?"

"A day's travel up the mountain, you can't miss it. It's huge, filled with thousands of them!"

"Who hired you?"

"I swear I don't know, it was just another job. The man never said his name but he was definitely a noble." I relinquished my blade ever so slightly, endless possibilities running through my mind. It had to be Sir William. I couldn't think of anyone else who would have a reason to send my uncle to the other side of the continent. Filled with rage I considering slitting his throat for all the trouble he had caused, but Charlie's gentle voice in my ear brought me back to my senses.

"Amelia, he's told you everything he knows. You can let him go now..." Charlie tugged on my arm gently and took my dagger out of my hand.

"One more thing," I hissed, looking Jack directly in the eye, "go anywhere near Tia or my hometown again and I will track you down and kill you with my bare hands. Do I make myself clear?"

"Cr...crystal clear," replied Jack, his eyes hazy with shock and terror.

Merek untied the rope and pushed Jack forward. Without a moment's hesitation, he fled, never once looking back.

"I should have killed him," I snarled, glaring at his disappearing figure, "what if he decides to warn them that we're coming."

"I think you terrified him enough for one lifetime. I don't think he'll risk crossing your path again," answered Merek dryly, who had watched our exchange with mild displeasure. I shuddered as my rage began to subside and my thoughts cleared. Truthfully, Jack's appearance had been a blessing in disguise.

"There's still plenty of time before dawn, we should get back to sleep," yawned Charlie, stretching his arms high above his head.

As much as I wanted to set off immediately, I knew trying to traverse the mountains in the dead of night was a recipe for disaster, so I followed Charlie and Merek inside, hoping sleep would claim me quickly this time.

I woke an hour before the first rays of dawn would appear in the sky, and busied myself with preparations for our trek into the Otkir mountains. I changed into the scavenged clothes; the fishy smelling, fleece-lined jacket that had been oiled to repel water, a soft wool undershirt, a pair of thick trousers, and large waterproof boots. I bundled up my discarded clothes and stowed them in one of the saddlebags. I gnawed on a piece of fish jerky to break my fast and although it tasted horrible it was surprisingly filling.

My movements had alerted the others who followed my lead. As dawn arrived we were ready to embark on what was hopefully, the final leg of our long journey. I bid my farewell to Orchid, patting her mane gently before leading her out into a paddock where Natiro, Auriel and Valiant were already happily grazing. Despite knowing that the horses would not be able to follow us up into the mountains I couldn't help but wish we were bringing them. I had grown attached to these horses, their distinct personalities emerging as we travelled, particularly with Merek translating their thoughts and conversations.

Merek and Charlie filled Elizabeth in on what had transpired while she was asleep and, just like Merek, she too fixed me with an expression of dismay. I focused on the hard stone beneath my feet as I walked, a bitter taste in my mouth. They were all observing me with caution, as if I was seconds away from exploding into a mindless frenzy at the slightest word or touch. Even Charlie seemed somewhat afraid of me. He had obviously forgotten about the fact that he had almost killed Merek over a fire, less than three days ago. I shook my head to clear my irritated thoughts and looked up with a small spasm of fear as I realised just how high these mountains were.

The rocky ground eventually gave way to snow after almost an hour of climbing and I lost my footing numerous time, slipping and sliding as clumps of snow slid out from underneath me.

"We should watch out for hidden pitfalls," cried Charlie, over the sound of the wind as it whipped past us faster and faster the higher we climbed.

"That's what the rope is for!" called Merek in reply, "We'll tie ourselves together."

The rope was just long enough for the four of us to link up, with just over a foot of space between each person. Being the most surefooted out of us, Merek lead the way followed by myself, Elizabeth and then Charlie bringing up the rear. As the heaviest member of our group Charlie would be our only chance of recovery if the rest of us fell.

The further we trekked the more grateful I was of the mist that hid the moorland from view, allowing me to focus on walking rather than how far away the ground was. With the sun hidden from view it was difficult to track how much time had passed, but my legs ached as if we had been walking for days. Riding a horse for weeks had strengthened my leg muscles but walking used different muscles and those had not been utilised for quite a long time.

It was as I paused to call for a break that I heard something that simultaneously sent shivers down my spine and caused my heart to skip a beat. Like a clap of thunder and a crashing wave combined, a deafening sound split the heavens. I gazed up at the sky in wonder as I searched for the source of the noise.

"Merek! What was that?" yelled Charlie, struggling to make his voice heard.

"That was a dragon, my friends!" replied Merek with an enormous grin plastered across his face. I grinned with delight and had to refrain from letting out a squeal of joy. The child within me was giddy with excitement and fright at the prospect of locating the creature that could produce a noise so terrifying, yet awe-inspiring.