June ducked, a shiny, silver-plated knife stuck in the stone where his head had just been. Thanks be to the damned gods for all the years spent combat training. If there was one thing his mother actually did good at, it's for training him to have fast reflexes.

Cracks groaned as they webbed from the point of impact. The bright gray sheen brought back unpleasant memories. This couldn't be...

He skittered sideways, as another knife whistled for him. It embedded itself a few inches from the first one. Alright, time to run. He couldn't deal with this right now. Or ever. He swung Xanthy across his back, wincing as it put a strain on his wounded arm.

"This seems to be my lucky day," April Sylkrana, his half-sister, strode into view, smiling like a krou poised to strike. "Not only will I get to kill you, but I will also have retrieved the Virtakios too."

June forced his tongue to unlatch from the roof of his mouth. "Who are you working for?" he said, recalling a piece of random information that April worked with Cardovia in Dwanzeig in an attempt to find him.

April shrugged, her metal shoulder pads clinking against her bevor. "The Synketros has been helpful so far. But I might dispose of them later on."

June cursed. Fool. Nobody disposes of these organizations. They dispose of you. Still, it's not his job to worry about April. Let her do the hell she wanted. Right now, he should run. Finding answers about what happened to Xanthy should be his priority. To do that...he needed to find Nyxis or any other of Xanthy's friends, wherever they may be.

He couldn't very well do any of that if he's going to die here.

His eyes landed on the window to his right. Thank the gods that these demoted nobles thought that having floor-to-ceiling windows would elevate their status in life. He just had to figure out a way to distract April and destroy the window at the same time. Piece of haagen.

April stalked closer, eyes flicking here and there. She's studying June, trying to see into his mind if he's coming up with something funny. Well, he was. He just needed to be quick with it. Well...now.

April's lips parted in shock as June slung Xanthy over his shoulder and shouted two consecutive spells with hands pointed at April and at the window. They exploded—the window in a shower of glass and April in a bunch of feathers.

June bit his lip to avoid laughing as a white vulkraine clucked in angry hisses in April's place. He braced Xanthy's back and winced as pain slammed into his arm once again. He stared at the fresh fountain of blood running down his limb. Oh, he tore his wound open.

The vulkraine growled—a sound uncharacteristic to those fowls—but it sounded like nails screeching against a wooden plank in June's ears. He leaped out from the window, gave April an acknowledging nod, and took to the streets. His cloak settled over his shoulders; his hood draped low over his face. His footsteps echoed against the road lightly dusted with rocky debris and mud. Hitching breaths tore from his chest. The disfiguration spell would not last long, especially on the likes of April. He needed to find somewhere to hide. Somewhere...

He needed to get out of Thenaserine. But where to?

Helinfirth. North. That was the most sensible option. If he were to go to Nanvera, he would risk running into April sooner. If he crossed to another territory, it would mean different royals and different rules. She wouldn't be able to kill him that quickly over there.

Rabante, it was, then.

June switched directions, taking him and Xanthy towards the Glass Mountain. He hadn't been to Rabante before but the border wouldn't be that hard to miss. As long as it's not as crowded as the outpost between Dwanzeig and Lanteglos, he should be good. He just needed a proper disguise and a perfect backstory.

A plan was beginning to form in his head as he let his feet and his memory guide him towards the Lanteglos-Helinfirth border. By reason, there would be laxer security there since Helinfirth was controlled by the Synketros and it seems their latest expeditions delivered Thenaserine into their grip as well.

He eyed the houses and saw signs of a fight. It's either the demoted nobles fought for themselves or the Synketros and Cardovia entered a public battle and roped the poor families in it.

It seems to be the latter.

Long metal poles lay discarded on the manicured road, the cobblestones themselves were cracked, scorched, or melted. Broken swords lay waste in varied intervals—something the nobles weren't known for. They preferred daggers, knives, and the occasional scythe—all to display their wealth, not to fight or defend themselves.

The swords June passed by showed no signs of meticulous craftsmanship. They looked like they came out of the forge the other day and were used immediately in the battle. There's no artistry behind it other than making it sharp enough to ram someone through. His stomach turned. So, the Unseelie Court wasn't involved in this. But after this battle, those greedy nobles probably were.

It made sense, though, why Synketros and Cardovia were after the Junction City. Aside from its spacious roads, tall, luxurious structures, and an open trade route, Lanteglos was the home of the disgraced but powerful families with no necessary allegiance below their belts.

The Unseelie Court was full of families that once kissed up to the High Queen only to have been betrayed by the Imperial Monarch and thrown into Thenaserine. Most of them fled quietly as per the order of the High Queen. However, some of them refused to go without a fight. Families sentenced to the Unseelie Court were stripped off their wealth, titles, and privilege. All of their assets were transferred to the High Queen's name and could only be redeemed upon re-joining the Seelie Court. Some managed to crawl their way back but most would never do until the next Monarch sat.

Then, enter Synketros and Cardovia into the picture. As of the moment, the Seelie Court was the force running the island. The sudden absence of the High Queen left the treasury lax and in disarray. It seemed like the demoted nobles managed to get their wealth back. These organizations that seemed to have sprung overnight were after that money.

June knew as much, eyeing the strange weaponry scattered about. Umazure wasn't known for manufacturing explosives but right now, judging from the chunks chipped off from some of the structures he passed, it seemed that the Sovereign had some tricks stuffed in her sleeves.

To develop weaponry, one would need funds—tons of it. Even if the island didn't rely on versallis to eat, drink, or find clothing, money was important to get people to move and deal with one's wants. With people as wanting as the Sovereign and the Heiress, it's easy to connect the dots from there.

June swallowed the bitter taste growing at the back of his throat. It looked like the Sovereign was developing advanced weaponry and that the whole island should get ready for its lasting effects.

The line of estates cleared to a familiar patched wall that seemed to snake around the whole island now. Red coats plucked from the High Queen's soldier reserves patrolled the walls' base in groups of three or four. They were supposed to keep Thenaserine sage. Look at them now—serving the very one who razed their city and island to the ground. He clenched his jaw but relaxed it immediately. Calm down. For this to work, he needed to be as calm as possible.

A short line of merchants and travelers flocked from a small outpost punched through the coarse clay. Not June's lucky day, then. The sun's rays bore down his head as he tackled the remaining chunk of cobbled roads and came to where those met bare soil. He blew a breath, fixed his hold on Xanthy, and strode purposefully to the nearest group of soldiers he came across.

"Excuse me, officers!" June greeted more cheerfully than he intended. He even threw in a casual smile. The people stuck at the line by the outpost looked at him strangely.

The soldiers looked at each other, which was barely a head turn since they were standing shoulder-to-shoulder with each other. "Who are you and why do you want to cross the border?" one asked. This one had dull green eyes and a day-old stubble. His red coat made him look smaller than he was with the straight collar around his neck.

"The name's Fid," June drawled with his best impression of a Northern accent. He jerked his chin at Xanthy. "Me and my sis are on our way home. Just picked up a few things in Nanvera."

"You could have asked one of the soldiers to get those for you," the one beside the green-eyed soldier said. Were they talking in turns? That's...weird.

June shrugged. "My sis needs meds and calling a soldier takes longer."

"Citizens aren't allowed to roam the streets and cross borders," the green-eyed one said. He looked over his shoulder at the estates and the wall around them. "Who let you out, even?"

June thought. Should he answer that question? No, he wouldn't. "How about you let me pass and we talk about it on the other end?" June put one finger up in suggestion. A cold bead of sweat slid down his temples.

The soldiers conferred with each other once again, looking sideways before nodding at each other. They parted just enough for June to slip past them and straight past the outpost. A couple of groans and complaints arose from the merchants who probably spent their while waiting in line. That's easy.

"This time only, lad," the green-eyed one wagged a stubby finger in June's face. "Now, run along."

June made sure to smile his warmest, non-threatening grin. "Thanks so much, sir!" he ducked his head in respect. "You are very kind."

The soldier blinked as his cheeks colored pink. June turned and hid his smirk by pulling his hood down. Soldiers. Such gullible people.

He cleared the wall and was well away through the line of trees signalling the start of the Rabante forest when April burst out of the alley. "Restrain him!" she shrieked at the red coats. "Bring him to me!"

Before the men realized what was going on, June whipped his hand in a wide arc. A blinding spell sped from his lips and hand before sparking to life between him and the wall. Screams of panic and pain rang in the air. June turned and fixed his hold on Xanthy. No time to check in on any of them. Right now, June must run. If not for Xanthy, then for his life.