Krayson walked the line of surgeon tents. All were empty now. Almo must have been led away to somewhere he could convalesce in peace. Zanda the Executioner as well. Other than a lethargic surgeon's apprentice dozing beside a large bell, there wasn't another soul to be seen.

A light breeze swept through the camp. It gusted now and then, carrying a bitter chill. The weather was noticeably colder this far south, but it wasn't unduly harsh. Temradel wasn't the frigid landscape of Altier Nashal, but it would be better to be inside shelter after nightfall.

He looked back the way he had come. The candle in the empress' tent winked out, and he saw her duck outside before striding deeper into camp. Krayson thought it strange. She hadn't kept any guards nearby while she talked to him, a stranger. Now she walked alone at night without an escort.

Krayson frowned, more from concern than any dissatisfaction. He found that he didn't want anything to happen to Empress Enfri the Yora. Perhaps he should go back and offer to walk her to where her armsmen could offer better protection.

"You needn't bother," a woman said from beside him. The voice was thick with the accent of Gaulatia.

Krayson spun to face Reyn. She stood a mere two paces away within the shadow of a surgeon's tent, arms crossed and back leaning against a tentpole. The darkness hadn't left her blue eyes. She glared at Krayson in a way that made him imagine her stare to be a dagger aimed at his throat.

"Her Majesty is spoken for by Her Highness, Princess Jin. She is not for the likes of you."

Krayson grimaced. He'd come out of his spin in a ready stance, hand near to his knife. He didn't straighten, not while his heart continued to beat at a dangerous rhythm. "There is clearly a misunderstanding," he said.

"I see how men look at her. There is no woman in fifty leagues more desired than the Dragon Empress."

"I lack the evidence to confirm or refute. I've no interest in the sexual conquest of royal ladies. My concern was for her safety."

Reyn used her hips to push away from the tentpole. Her every movement was lithe and graceful, like a hunting cat.

Thunders, Krayson thought with annoyance, she's taller than me.

"You needn't bother with that, either," Reyn said. Her teeth were bared as if to bite off each word as it left her lips. "Her Majesty is formidable, much more so than she appears to be. She is an alchemist of the highest caliber."

"I've no doubt."

Reyn looked down her nose at him. Her lip curled with distaste. "I know what you are, Blood Runner."

Krayson let his hand rest on his knife. "Then we're even, Courtesan."

He hadn't thought it was possible, but her eyes grew even more dangerous.

"That isn't the whole of what you are, though, is it?" Krayson asked. "Mage slayer. An interesting choice of disciplines for a lady's scribe. You're neither Aleesh or a student of the magocracy. And if Lady Starra has suspicions about you, I can only deduce..."

"Hold your tongue," Reyn snarled. She reached behind her back for what was likely a concealed weapon.

Krayson dropped his voice to a low octave that wouldn't carry in the night. "You're a shifter. A selkie, if I'm not mistaken. Her Highness' comments about your injuries made it clear."

"I told you to be silent!"

"You survived the grip of a dragon. The benefit of a skeleton suited for swimming beneath crushing depths. I assume from Her Highness' confusion that you've hidden your proteurim heritage from them all."

The change to her features was slight and possibly unintentional because of her fury. The soft and elegant lines of her face grew sharper. A small change, but a disturbing one. Reyn retained her mortal beauty, but it was now of a more primal nature. Feral, and undeniably inhuman.

"You were there, bastard," she hissed. "You were there on the night those beasts killed Old Ham."

"After they killed your friend," Krayson corrected. "He was long dead by the time I arrived."

"You are in league with Elise Alinwe."

Krayson scowled. "You're wrong. I was fulfilling my assigned contract."

"And was it also within your contract to deliver that hideous abomination back into the hands of a tyrant?"

Krayson blinked. The Imperial Diamond was linked to blood magic, yet he'd never heard anyone speak of it with such... derision... before. It was a theurallurgic artifice and nothing more. Granted, one with exceptional power, but a mere curiosity that was only valuable because of the stone it was made from and its ability to hold bloodsongs.

Reyn's voice lowered to a tone that was almost thoughtful. "You don't even know what it is."

"Is this is where you tell me the Imperial Diamond is a weapon?"

She shook her head. "Worse than a weapon, Blood Runner. It is the reason Algara commanded the secret history become a secret."

"Reyn?" Pacifica Romov stepped out from between the surgeon tents. Her scarlet braid was loose as if it had been taken down and hurriedly put up again. She was no longer in a plain bodice and leggings, but a linen nightdress. She stopped in her tracks and took in a sharp breath as she caught sight of Krayson and Reyn facing off like rival tomcats. "What's the meaning of this?"

The darkness within Reyn's eyes wavered. She straightened, and her hand let go of whatever concealed weapon she'd been prepared to pull. As she did, Krayson let his own fall from his knife. It was with relief that he felt his heart slow to a normal pace.

Pacifica went to Reyn's side, eyeing Krayson warily as she walked. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, my lady," Reyn said. "We were only..."

"Don't give me that," Pacifica said sharply. She looked Krayson up and down. "If there's a problem here, I want to know about it." She turned to Reyn with the intention of saying something further. Instead, she touched Reyn on the arm and spoke in a quiet voice. "Your face."

Reyn's feral countenance returned to normal.

"She knows what you are, at least," Krayson observed.

Pacifica's eyes widened.

"He already knew, my lady," Reyn assured her. "The blood runner and I have met before."

"So, it wasn't because you were addled by herbs," Pacifica said. "Is he another...?"

"I am certainly not," Krayson snapped. He'd had enough people doubt his humanity throughout his life. He wasn't about to allow it to happen again. Krayson stood straight and refused to look away from Reyn's angry glare. "The selkie and I met during my last contract."

Pacifica breathed in. She looked between them, and it was like a profound... knowing... entered into her bearing. Gently, Pacifica took Reyn by the wrist and stepped in front of her. "You haven't fully recovered. Enfri told you to get a full night's sleep, and I think that would be for the best."

Reyn started to shake her head. "My lady..."

"Go, Reyn," Pacifica said, and her tone made it clear she wasn't interested in listening to arguments. Her expression softened and she offered up a tired smile. "I'll take care of this. Rest, and I'll come by in a little while to make sure you're alright."

"He..." Reyn's eyes flickered between Pacifica and Krayson. Her frown deepened, then without another word she turned and stalked off into the shadows.

Pacifica watched her back until she was gone from sight. "She has good reason to be angry, Brother Joshuan."

"Respectfully, I never disputed that. However, I do question her choice of whom she directs it towards."

"Unless I'm wrong," Pacifica said as she turned to face him, "and I've learned to trust wild hunches that come to me out of the blue, you had dealings with Master Deveaux and Elise before you received a dragon bond."

"That's somewhat complicated," Krayson said wryly.

She remained passive, a clear message that she wouldn't accept that as his answer.

Krayson sighed. "Saveen is sure to tell the Storyteller before long if she hasn't already. I'd hoped to avoid this until I had the chance to leave."

Pacifica began tapping her foot.

Let thunder crash on her house and her head, Krayson thought. He attempted to keep it concise, and it felt like he needed to force each word out of his mouth. The story of his ill-fated contract to the town of Rosewater in the kingdom of Gaulatia came out. The Lady Tarlen, the paperworks, the Imperial Diamond, and the bloodsong he'd given to Elise. He even told her of how it ended with his incarceration. Pacifica listened intently throughout, never interrupting to ask a question or to condemn him. Once he reached the part about Courtesans, she did grow visibly anxious and started to pace back and forth. That seemed to have come as a surprise, though she behaved as if she'd known a good deal of this tale already.

Once Krayson ended his story, Pacifica was silent for several long minutes. She nibbled at her thumbnail, an unseemly habit for the sister of a king.

"Is it possible you're wrong about them being Courtesans?" she asked.

"Doubtful," Krayson replied. "However, Lady Starra believes it unlikely Hamish Folio was a member of the central organization. A splinter group or copycats perhaps. She claims the Courtesans are tools of the old masters, and the Imperial Diamond's theft threatened Prince Vintus' plans for Elise."

"This demon business again," Pacifica muttered. "Was Reyn's master also a shifter?"

"I saw no evidence either way," Krayson said. He stepped towards her. "More interesting, you don't seem at all bothered by Mistress Reyn's true identity."

She drew herself up in the haughty manner of a noble who didn't have a leg to stand on. "I know what Reyn is, and I don't see it as any reason to think less of her."

"Yet you help her hide it. You're one of the knights of Shan Alee. Don't you think your empress would appreciate knowing that one of those closest to her is a shifter?"

She had the decency to look guilty. "Reyn is going to tell the empress everything in the morning. I have absolute faith that Enfri won't hold it against her. Waves, but if anyone should know something about wanting to hide what you are, she would."

Krayson shrugged. That was a valid argument.

"And after we spent a week thinking Enfri's name was Kiffa, she owes us an ounce of leeway. If we can bathe with an enemy of the crown in disguise, she can have her letters penned by a selkie. It's only fair."

Krayson wasn't all that sure Pacifica's logic held out, but he was more than willing to let the point pass uncontested. "Do as you wish. It's of no consequence to me."

Pacifica frowned, and her eyes traced over him for perhaps the fourth time. Her incessant examination of him was becoming an annoyance. "Enfri didn't take the bloodsong, then? I can still feel it in you."

That was self-evident. Krayson had endured enough of this encounter, and he continued on his way. His mood soured further when Pacifica refused to let him be and fell into step alongside him. His one and only consolation was that she was at least an inch or two shorter than he was. The spirits granted small favors, but he'd take what victories he could.

"If you must know," Krayson said, "Empress Enfri still refuses to accept the bloodsong. She wishes it to be used to restore the Order."

"Really? I must admit, I don't think I would have come up with something like that. Enfri has a talent for surprising me."

Krayson grunted.

"Look, Brother Joshuan, if you're set to throw a wrench into the clockworks, I want you to leave Reyn out of it."

"You grossly overestimate how much thunder I'm willing to waste on her," Krayson scoffed. "I'll be gone, and she can hide or reveal herself as she sees fit. You seem to think I'd go out of my way to make trouble for her merely because she's a shifter. I don't care and only see her as yet another bump on this odd road I'm on. I've spent the last week in the company of a shifter, and if I can abide Starra's nagging, I can happily ignore your lover."

Pacifica blushed. "What in the name of tides gave you the idea Reyn and I are romantic?"

Krayson looked away. "I've heard rumors of a princess and a Gaulatian scribe," he muttered, a little embarrassed by his assumption. "My apologies if I was mistaken."

"Ah, you mean the stories about Reyn and Jin. I've heard that sort of talk filtering down from the north. Not to point blame, but I believe Duchess Josenthorne was the source of those rumors. There's just as little truth to that as there is to the newest gossip around camp that Reyn is trying to seduce the empress. I think all these wild speculations must have something to do with a selkie's nature."

"Perhaps," Krayson allowed. "Folklore about selkies is somewhat... risqué."

"And baseless," Pacifica said. "Well, mostly baseless. There's a grain of truth to it, but it's not like she's a nymph or succubus or whatever else you're thinking of."

"Nymphs and succubi are races of fey, so their abilities are based on spellcraft. Reyn is a shifter, and her powers are older than spirits. What is it she can do?"

"I don't know if I should talk about it," Pacifica said. "But, I suppose you already know the greater part of it, so I don't see the harm in educating you." Pacifica hugged her arms around her to defend against the chilly breeze. "She can change form, for one. Her legs become a tail for swimming. That much of the stories is true. Her voice has an effect on peoples' emotions whether she chooses to or not, but I can tell you from personal experience that it's far more dramatic when she actually wants to."

Krayson cocked his head in interest. "How so?"

"I was drowning," Pacifica said, but it was hesitant. She wrung her hands as she spoke. "It's how we met. I was panicking in the water, and Reyn sang to take away my fear. There've been times I wished she could do something like that for me again, but she says she can't affect my emotional state anymore. Not since..."

"Since what?" Krayson asked. Despite himself, the subject was proving to be intriguing in a way he hadn't anticipated. Shifter abilities were something outside of standard spellcraft, and he wanted to learn what he could.

Pacifica was blushing so furiously that her cheeks nearly matched her hair. "Reyn calls it Breath. Selkies can pass something like ether through... well, through a kiss. She made it so I didn't need to breathe for as long as it took to get my head above water."

Krayson didn't quite understand why Pacifica was getting flustered. If it was done to save her life, she couldn't really call it a kiss. It sounded no different than assisted breathing for someone who inhaled smoke during a fire. "And it was this Breath that makes you immune to her emotional manipulation?"

"So I'm told." She glared at him sidelong and puffed out her cheeks in a pout. "I don't care for the negative connotations you ascribe to it."

"Forgive me, but I don't know how else to refer to it."

"You're forgiven. Reyn explained it to me. Breath is like a piece of their life, and once you have it inside you, that selkie's voice can't pull at you anymore. They give over a small bit of their life to give someone else's a little nudge. She likened it to using one torch to light another. Since I received my bond with Adar, I've begun to think it's similar to the healing a knight and dragon share. Something deeper and older than ether."

"Primal life force, you mean," Krayson surmised. "That would make sense, seeing as it's an ability passed down from the proteurim. This is the same force that a Dekaam manipulates with their spikes."

"That sounds about right," Pacifica said thoughtfully. "Yes, you are right. I'm sure of it. The insight clicked into place when you said it."

Krayson looked to her quizzically.

"Oh. Yes, that's a facet of my mark. Insight lets a hydromancer spend a little ether to fit the pieces together and find the truth."

Krayson blinked in surprise. "I've never heard of your elder bloodline having that ability."

She smiled, a shy sort of one that was disconcertingly charming. "It's a recent discovery. I won't even try to explain the third aspect. Whenever I try to muddle out what being fate's bane means, I get woozy."

Something about the way she chose to word it sent a tiny stab of energy through Krayson's chest. Anything that could give his nemesis Fate a kick in the crotch had Krayson's tacit approval. "Do all hydromancers have this ability?"

"To some degree, I'm sure. My and Ban's marks have manifested differently from the others. We seem to have better control over this insight, because we lack any capacity to give oracles."

"Fascinating," Krayson said. "I assume you've used this aspect of hydromancy to confirm that Reyn is trustworthy?"

"Then it wouldn't be trust, would it?" Pacifica gave him a patient smile when his brow knit together. "Reyn risked exposing her secret to save my life when she would lose nothing by allowing me to die. She had nothing to gain and everything to fear, yet she did it anyway. I don't require elder magic to allow me to have faith in her, Brother Joshuan. She is my friend, so I trust her."

Krayson nodded along, absorbing every word Pacifica said. They were passing through an area of the camp where the fires had burned down to embers, the armsmen having long since retired to their tents and bedrolls. Krayson conjured a firefly light with a somatic to light their way.

In his experience, it was rare to find someone so willing to share knowledge— or to give so much of herself for what seemed to be tenuous reasoning. Pacifica Romov was a surprisingly open young woman, particularly for a royal. Krayson wondered if her being so personable was an Altieri cultural trait or one that was unique to her.

Pacifica's sudden gasp snapped his head out of the clouds.

"Your hands. I'm sorry, but I thought you had an injury at first."

Krayson glanced down at his hand holding forth the firefly light before realizing what she spoke of. He'd become so accustomed to their new structure that he hardly thought about it anymore. "I expected they'd go back to normal after the bond was taken away," he said quietly. "I suppose I'm fortunate they didn't."

Pacifica held up her own hand. She touched the tips of her thumb and little finger together over the back of her knuckles. Her broad smile looked sincere. "Makes it easier, doesn't it?"

"Very much so."

"My poor brother. Up until now, he's been the arcanist and adventurer of the two of us. Now I'm marked, learning wizardry from a dragon, traveling with an army, and gaining new powers. Waves, I know I should feel bad about it, but I can't seem to. I suppose Sasha can just take a turn at being the twin locked in a palace."

Krayson looked down at his feet as he walked. "What's it..." He cleared his throat, unsure of what he even meant to say.

"What's what?"

"I guess I've always been curious what having a sibling is like. Pay me no mind."

Pacifica hummed. "I'm not sure I have a proper frame of reference. I've always had a brother, and I pray I always will."

"Of course. It was a strange thing to ask."

"Not really. After a spat, I often wondered what it would be like to be an only child."

Krayson wondered if he was qualified to answer that. In a way, he'd had a sibling all along. He merely didn't realize it. Thunders, but was he his own brother? Or sister, even, seeing as his unborn sibling would've been a fraternal twin. They'd been with him for all his life— lending their power— and he only now learned the truth. Who might they have been had Fate taken the other path and given them life instead of Joshuan Krayson? Or both? Neither would have been twinborn in that case. Both children would likely still be in Teularon, with the Jak'm and the Horde.

He shook his head clear of fruitless speculation. With a slow breath, Krayson raised his eyes from staring at the ground underfoot. "It's lonely."

"Waves," Pacifica murmured. "An honest answer. You're quite unlike most men I've met, I hope you know. I don't think even Ban would've admitted that to a girl he just met. Not unless he was trying to show her his 'sensitive soul', at least."

Krayson came to a stop. "What makes you so certain I'm not."

She stood in front of him and smirked. "Because we've been walking alone in the dark while I'm in my most daring nightdress, and you haven't once peeked at my chest or ankles."

He nearly looked down to see if what she was saying about her nightdress was true, but he stopped himself. "Should I have?"

"Leering would've been inappropriate," she said with a wink. "Not to say I'd mind if you did."

Krayson gave her a blank look.

A deep voice cleared his throat overhead. Krayson jumped as he looked upwards. A pair of blue eyes set in a golden face looked down at the two of them. "Pardon the interruption, love. I caught your scent and wondered why you were still up and about."

How in the Five Kingdoms does something so big move around so quietly? Krayson asked himself.

Pacifica wasn't at all startled by her dragon's sudden appearance. "Hello, Adar. I was on my way back to my tent, and Brother Joshuan was kind enough to escort me."

"I see."

It was likely Krayson's imagination, but he thought he detected a hint of dubiousness in Adar's tone.

"One last thing, Brother Joshuan," Pacifica said, turning back to face him. "About Reyn?"

"I will be gone in the morning, my lady," Krayson said. "Your friend has nothing to fear from me. If you would, tell her I... am sorry for her loss. I wish her well."

Pacifica nodded, offering a pleased smile. "Thank you, and I will. Goodnight, Brother Joshuan. I hope we may meet again one day."

It was unlikely, but Krayson thought it kind for her to say. "I as well. Goodnight, my lady."

Adar lowered his head to address Krayson on his level. He nodded in indication towards a path that led to where the mighty were bedding down. "Saveen is conversing with Almo nearby. The Bastion has spoken very highly of you, and if you are departing soon, I'm sure she would wish to see you."

Krayson nodded in acknowledgement.

Adar became his human form as he and Pacifica walked side by side into a better lit portion of the House Yora camp. Krayson watched them leave, unsure of why his ghosts were muttering at him. He couldn't shake the notion that there was something they believed he should be feeling. It didn't matter. Those parts of him were dead and gone forever.

He took a step down the path Adar had indicated but stopped himself. It was late, and it felt like it had been a long time since he received a good night's sleep. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to search out his accommodations either. A restlessness came into him.

Krayson turned his toes towards the east and began walking. Before he understood his own motives, he passed the outer edge of the camp.

"There is much to do," Krayson said to the darkness, "and she is free."

He wove a ward to conceal the bloodsong. It was his now, a gift from the Dragon Empress. Yet he remained hesitant to draw it into his own stores. That could wait. There had to be a senior blood runner still living who could make better use of it.

Krayson looked over his shoulder one last time. A promise kept, and another left unfulfilled. This was for the best, he believed. Saveen could find a far more suitable teacher of witchery than him among the mighty. Krayson told his ghosts that his student was better off if he left her now rather than drag out the parting.

"—Steadfast lord of the eternal fortress, beckon your petitioner unto unfettered ascent.—"

The lost magic pulled Krayson off his feet, and he fell to the east.