A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Even though she had wished to keep some of the details secret from Tarhuinn so that he wouldn't worry, (f/n) had ended up disclosing them to him. If it hadn't been a necessity that they remain quiet, he probably would have shouted in anger and took off to kill both of the spy kelremm. Instead, he had taken the approach of calling her by that convenient nickname that he had for her. The result had been her falling asleep shortly after. She had cuddled into him to be warmer while she maintained her tight hold on the blankets and cloaks.

Awaking later on, she draped the cloak over her head. The morning sun shone through a gap in the clouds, and its brightness wasn't welcomed by her eyes. Her discomfort, however, was soon replaced by panic and worry. She didn't feel Tarhuinn next to her. Despite her increased heartbeat, she reminded herself not to shoot up from her spot and call out for him.

She forced herself to raise herself slowly. Her head didn't go past the rocks, and she remained hidden as far as she was concerned. Alarm dissipated in the process. He had simply moved away from her and was crouching towards back of the flat space.

Water from the small stream ran down the back of him, but he didn't seem to notice in the slightest. He didn't even greet her with a good morning. His attention was trained directly ahead. Most likely, he was observing the hidden spy, so she didn't disturb him. She followed his gaze and lowered herself once more.

Out ahead, she spotted a head of ink-black colored hair. Short and curly locks rested atop the male's head, and she could see the right side of his face. His features were somewhat childlike, but when he turned his head to the right some more, his light blue eyes were anything but that. He stared out towards the stream that trailed off from the lake, but she moved her head even lower to the stone base of their hiding spot.

It might have been out of terror. Those eyes of his spoke that he would complete his mission even if it meant going to extreme measures. To her, his eyes looked more like those of a trained assassin, yet there was a tinge of madness to them. She considered that the trait might be there because of his supposed devotion to the author Amtoma. Whatever the case, he didn't fit the voice of the male that she had heard last night.

Whispering, she asked, "Was there another swap of positions after I had fallen asleep?"

"No. That's the same male from last night. After observing him through the night and morning, I can tell that he's very skilled with the blade in his left hand, but he doesn't know how to hide like the female kelremm before him. I'll need to take him out without a close-range encounter. I'll only have one shot to throw one of my daggers and hit him. If it doesn't kill him, I have a feeling that he'll call out for others and/or charge towards us afterwards."

Her hands clutched at the blankets a little more. "I believe that you can hit him. You struck those gnashers with only one hit to each of them."

"Yes, but I'm not fond of the present angle. I could easily miss and hit a rock instead. And, I've tried to aim from other angles, but they were no better. In fact, some were much worse." His eyes narrowed a bit as if he was testing a scenario out in his head. He shifted his dark blue orbs over to her for a moment. "If I miss, hold your dagger tightly and stay low to the ground. You'll only attack if he makes it to the wall and starts climbing up here. If more kelremm reveal themselves and some have bows and arrows, press yourself up against the rock and hold your pack over your head. I'll try to hit any away, but if they come in a great quantity, I can only do so much unfortunately."

"I understand, but you'll need to take cover too. I won't let you act like a target for practice."

"Don't worry, I won't let a few arrows kill me, but that scenario is one of the worst case ones," he responded, shifting the dagger a bit in his hand. His focus returned entirely to the spy. She didn't say another word and continued to believe in him. He would hit the target, and they would continue towards the authors.

He raised his hand, and her gaze didn't leave him. Her breath caught in her throat when the blade took flight. It raced past her and through the gap between the rocks. The dagger charged towards its target, and the spy looked the other way. He halted his movement midway before he swiftly turned towards the flying blade. Shock overtook his eyes while his left hand lifted itself.

"Don't block, don't block," she found herself muttering. If her fingernails were sharper, they would've torn through the blankets. She bit her bottom lip in anticipation. The spy's blade just missed Tarhuinn's.

Falling backwards, the spy impacted the stone floor behind him. The blade rested in the spy's head. Her attention didn't stay on the spy, though. Instead, her eyes darted over the rest of the area. If there were any other spies, they most likely would've seen what had just occurred. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, but she spotted no movement.

"Let's move (f/n). We have no time to stall," Tarhuinn announced, his voice still hushed.

A quick nod of the head, and she was climbing down the wall with him. She had to be careful on her descent, but she didn't slow down too much. They couldn't stay in one spot for too long even if there was no other spy in the area. Another one would show up eventually, and they had to run to the other side of the lake.

Once at the bottom, she sheathed her dagger in her right boot and took off with Tarhuinn. He was charging out ahead. She couldn't keep up with him, but she didn't yell for him to stop. His need for water was more important, and they were under no attack at the moment, so for them to be apart for a little while would be alright.

Running at her fastest, she maintained her balance despite the layers of snow trying to send her downwards. There was no option to slow down. She needed to keep going. Up ahead, Tarhuinn halted for a moment and permitted his feet to rest in one of the streams until his energy regained itself. About to catch up to him, he took off again.

By this point, her legs begged for her to stop while her mind finally registered some of the scrapes upon her skin from the pine branches. None of them were serious, but a few had broken her skin. The thin trails of red didn't bother her, though. Her shirt would soak them up. All that mattered was reaching the entrance before they were spotted.

Jumping over a small stream, she landed back on her feet. She propelled herself forward, but she could only push her body so much. Her pace began to slow, yet Tarhuinn kept bolting forward. He would stop in a small stream every now and then, but she couldn't match his speed. Her heart seemed to stop for a moment. If she were to lose him, she imagined it feeling like the present image before her; his back turned towards her while he faded out of her sight.

The urge to call out to him was rising. If she weren't becoming out of breath, she probably would've cried out his name. Her lips parted still, but nothing came out except labored breaths. Another foot forward and another kept her going. She was getting closer to the entrance, and he was even nearer. Soon, they would reach their destination.

No matter how much the odds were stacked against them, she couldn't imagine losing him. She couldn't think about it. If she worried too much, she might miss the strike of a blade towards him or herself. He depended on her to watch his back, and she counted on the same. When they were in the authors' home, she wouldn't see his back; she would be beside him or their backs would be together as they defended the other.

Like she had told Tarhuinn to guide his fury, she had to control her fear. Her opponents in there would feel her terror. They would understand the fright that they had caused her to experience. Before her, she could see her own breath. As she lost hers right now, they would lose their own. If she didn't make the first move, they would, and she had no intention of experiencing what Alpontus had in store for them. Both of them had dealt with enough.

Relief rushed through her, and her legs stopped their run. She rested her hands on her knees, catching her breath. Tarhuinn stood in front of her, and he was already moving the rock out of the way. Its movement was loud and would most likely draw attention. Presently, she had a chance to regain her energy, but she would have to rush forward soon after they entered.

Pushed aside, Tarhuinn motioned her to go on in. She gave no protest. Hurrying, she crawled through the space. Behind her, she heard the stone move again. Its movement came to a close as Tarhuin caught up to her. He was beside her, and, instantly, she felt better.

Rising, the ceiling gave them more room, and they were able to stand up. Her pants and cloak were partially soaked. She could feel the cold embrace her, but she saw a land path beside the water trail. There was water in her boots, but she would have to deal with that later. At least, there was no more to enter them. They had a straight path before them, so they couldn't stop. Until they found another decent hiding place, they would need to keep moving.