There was a lump of bony flesh in Mouna's arms. It was skeletal, so brutally beaten and ruined that it was almost impossible to tell that it was even a human being. Yet their chest rose and fell, and faint puffs of uneven breaths betrayed their struggle to survive.

"Who-?" He began to ask, but his throat tightened, closing off further words.

He couldn't speak. He could barely get past the shrieking revulsion he felt when he looked at person in Mouna's hold.

"She's a Valkyrie," came Zillah's cool voice from behind. "One of those captured when Two Bridges fell."

A Valkyrie? There was nothing there that resembled the proud warrior women of Two Bridges. He couldn't even tell it was a woman, even if the clothing was so tattered that it covered little.

"I–I see," he said faintly, even though he didn't and wished he couldn't.

He didn't even want to think about how she got to such a state in such a short time; it hadn't been that long since Two Bridges fell. Nor did he want to imagine what she must have gone through, or even what kind of monster did this to her.

It was too much. He closed his eyes, breathing shallowly through his mouth and trying to ignore the greasy putrid taste each breath brought.

He understood now why Zillah wanted him here. Yet a sense of helplessness pervaded him. What could he do for someone in this condition?

"Can you heal her?"

How can I?! The cry resounded in his mind. He couldn't restore what wasn't there. He'd learned that when one of the Veiled men had lost a hand. All he could do was heal the stump. This poor woman, this Valkyrie, had withered away to almost nothing.

Mechanically, he took his fans from Inventory. They expected too much of him. He could feel the weight of their attention, their hope, their faith, and it was almost more than he could bear. Even so, he would try.

He knelt beside Mouna, flinching as his knee sank into something cold and viscous. With a single, desperate thought, a breeze danced to life in the underground room. Warm and lively, it glowed with a faint green light.

Mend, he thought, and watched as the wind gently gathered around the poor Valkyrie. It didn't seem to change anything, and so he cast it again. And again.

And again.

The entire room became alive with a spring wind that didn't belong there. It danced over rotten flesh and tugged at matted hair, as if beckoning the dead to life.

All it did was stir up the cloying scent of death.

Severance felt feverish. His vision blurred, as if his own eyes sought to limit what he could see. Sweat dampened his skin, and though all he did was cast Mend repeatedly, it felt like he was trying to move a mountain.

Slowly, the Valkyrie's flesh knit back together. Yet she remained so very thin. Skin stretched over bones. Her knotted hair, long and draping over Mouna's arm, had to weigh as much as she did by itself. Wounds and bruises faded, though the crust of blood and pus remained.

And eventually, to his great shock, the Valkyrie's eyes cracked open.

Zillah, who'd been watching over Severance's shoulder, gave a soft exclamation. She too, hadn't expected this outcome. She quickly crouched, getting closer.

"Hello, sister. Can you hear me?" She spoke in soft, soothing tones, which sounded so different from the usual cold, distance that Severance was used to.

The Valkyrie blinked slowly, but she seemed to focus on Mouna first, then shifting to Zillah. Her cracked, scabbed lips parted.

"Who...?" She exhaled the word so faintly that they all leaned in to hear.

"Friends," Zillah said. She gently laid her hand on the Valkyrie's arm. "We're friends, and you're safe now."

The Valkyrie didn't respond. She lay motionless in Mouna's arms, her eyes half-closed, her breaths frighteningly shallow. Severance wondered if she was even conscious. He exchanged a look with Mouna.

"We need to get her out of here," he murmured. They all needed to get out of here. It felt like a dream, a nightmare, because this was too awful to be true. He half expected to wake up any minute and find himself in bed, but he hadn't truly dreamed in weeks.

Mouna made a quick motion with her hand. Where?

"The Vigilant will help," Severance suggested. "We can take her to Tomorrow's Edge."

"No." Zillah immediately rejected that idea. "There are too many eyes in Tomorrow's Edge. Until we figure out what happened here, it's better to keep it quiet."

We can't bring her to the House, Mouna signed. She tenderly brushed some of the matted hair out of the Valkyrie's face. The action seemed to rouse the Valkyrie, for she drew in a shaky breath, her chest lifting, eyes fluttering.

"My sisters," she breathed. "Please, my sisters..."

Zillah's expression softened. "I'm sorry."

A tremor ran through the Valkyrie's entire body. Somehow, she found the strength to reach up and grasp a fistful of Mouna's tunic. Her eyes snapped open, filled with something dark, desperate, and animalistic.

"The Knights did this," she hissed. "The Knights-!"

Her fingers slackened and she sagged. Just like that, she passed out.

Mouna looked at them. She signed something, the movements jerky and lacking her usual grace. Severance shook his head; the signs were unfamiliar to him and he didn't know what she was saying.

"We will," Zillah said. It sounded like a promise. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Severance was more than happy to go along with that suggestion. He was the first out, with Mouna coming up behind him. She'd hefted the Valkyrie over a shoulder, holding her in one place with one hand, while she climbed up the ladder with the other. Zillah came last, carrying the lantern.

Watching Mouna cart the Valkyrie's unconscious body around made Severance feel somewhat strange. She'd done so without hesitation or difficulty. Now she set the Valkyrie down on the ground and checked her over.

"The other bodies," he softly said. "Why haven't they vanished?"

Zillah came to stand beside him. She watched as Mouna gently readjust the Valkyrie's clothing so it covered her as properly as possible.

"These are the Lost Land. Olen's...er..." she stopped, glancing up at him.

Severance saw the hesitation there, and understood immediately what was wrong.

"It's okay. Olen told me everything yesterday. You mean, his System doesn't reach the Lost Lands, right?"

Her expression relaxed immediately. "Yes. It's probably why she looks like that, too. There's an absence of life here. Things decay far too quickly here."

Severance winced. If that were the case, then none of them should linger here for long.

Vast whined again, soft and uneasy. He didn't come anywhere closer to the Valkyrie or the well, even though Severance was next to both of those things. Instead, he paced back and forth, tail flicking sharply in agitation.

She needs care. Mouna sat back on her haunches, her expression troubled.

"It would be best if we could get her directly to the Vigilant," Zillah murmured. "They've been looking after the survivors, but it'd be very difficult to travel to them without being seen."

"You can't teleport there?" Severance asked.

"No." Zillah gave him the kind of look one would give a maggot-infested fish. "Even if I had access, which I don't, I wouldn't do it. Showing up without invitation would be like declaring war."

"There's only three of us. What kind of war could we start?"

Now she was looking at a maggot-infested fish that stood on the stage and belted out a rousing opera song.

"Fine," he said. "What about the Eternal Champions? I could take her right to their base."

"What do you mean?" Zillah gave him a sharp look.

Sheepishly, Severance held out a palm. A small wooden token appeared in his hand. It was engraved with the Eternal Champion's sigil, a shaggy wolfhound.

"I have this."

Zillah's gaze grew sharp, to the point where she did a great imitation of Batin. "How did you get that?"

"I ran into one of their Leaders and he gave me this."

"You just ran into another clan's Leader."

"Well, yeah. Sort of."

He had actually ended up going to the Eternal Champions headquarters with Awesome Dude and Jack Coyote, but he had a feeling that those details wouldn't go over too well. It wasn't like anything had happened, either. He'd just sat and chatted with a few people while drinking some tea. No big deal.

Now both Mouna and Zillah were staring at him. He could almost feel the temperature drop around him.

"They're our allies, right?" He asked defensively. "With this, I can get her to the Champions without any other clan seeing it."

"I don't like it," Zillah flatly said.

Mouna hesitated, then signed, This may be the best option.

"If Batin, or anyone else knew about this, they'd skin me." Zillah lifted her chin. "Sending him to another clan is like giving them free access to everything."

"I'm not going to tell them anything," Severance rolled his eyes. Just who did she think he was? A two-year-old tattle-tail? "I'll even take Vast with me. I'll just drop her off and come back."

Zillah folded her arms. "We should go with you."

No. Mouna abruptly rose. The token is for him alone. He should go.

"We can't let him-!"

"Great," Severance said. He was tired of this horrible place. "I'll go with Vast, drop her off, and come right back to the House. I'll meet you there."

He went over to the Valkyrie, knelt, and carefully slid his arms beneath her knees and behind her shoulders. When he lifted, he was shocked at how light she was. It was like holding a bundle of dry sticks, brittle and light. The scent of death clung to her, and this close, it all but rammed itself up his nose. He squinted, fighting against a wave of nausea, and gingerly adjusted his hold.

Seeing she was outnumbered, Zillah huffed. "Fine. But be careful. The token will allow you guest rights, but that doesn't mean they won't try to get to you."

Yes, Mouna agreed. Watch carefully. Don't drink or eat anything.

Severance snapped his head up. "You think they'd poison me?"

"Doesn't hurt to be careful," Zillah answered primly.

Severance thought the both of them were being paranoid, but wisely kept that to himself. He strode towards Vast, keenly aware of the uncomfortable burden in his arms. The Valkyrie's head rested against his chest, while one of her arms dangled towards the ground.

"Come, Vast," he called.

The vastlhidan whuffed as if he'd been waiting for this moment all along. He immediately trotted over, coming to stand beside Severance. His tail coiled around Severance's legs, winding around twice.

Seeing Vast was ready, Severance focused on the token he held. He gave it a mental nudge, as if he were touching the teleport crystal that hung from his ear. There was no warning. Light scattered across his vision and he, along with Vast, was swept away.