Niko
We gathered what little supplies that had survived the swim and took inventory. The other lifeboats either hadn't made it to shore, or they'd landed on another beach. I hoped it was the latter. Once that was done, we had to figure out a way to give Ryan a proper send-off. The sand at the water's edge was wet and dark, seeming too disrespectful for the Greencloak's burial. So we pulled her body up the beach and buried it the the sun-baked earth there. As dirt rained down over her still form, I released Jesse. The large bird tilted his head and let out a mournful sound. I rested my hand on his back, fingers in the smooth feathers. As I bent my head, murmuring a soft farewell, the others' spirit animals flashed out of passive as well.

Without Ryan's cheerful presence, our small group appeared subdued as we trudged up the beach. We had very few supplies, over half of what we'd brought lost to the ocean.

"I know I said we wouldn't, but it looks like we'll have to stop by a few villages for food." Tyler mentioned after a few hours.

There were a few anxious moments before Zay finally spoke. "Okay." Though she said it to break the tension, nobody really seemed to relax. "As long as we find a way to meet Olvan."

"Good." Tyler nodded. He resumed walking, tucking an arm around Hoya's shoulders as he did so.

I sped up my walk slightly, falling into step beside Tazi. Sweat beaded his brow and he looked exhausted, but he tilted his head over at me all the same. "Hey."

"Hey." I shrugged in return, sidestepping a rock. "Crazy, right? We're finally here." I glanced toward Jesse, who trotted gamely at my side. He appeared not to care for the heat. "In Stetriol."

"Yeah." Tazi let his eyes rove the barren landscape. "You know, it's exactly as I imagined."

"Really?"

"Mhm. Although," he frowned, "I didn't think it would be quite so warm."

I couldn't resist a chuckle. "That's fair."

He tilted his head. "What about you?"

I pondered for a moment. To be honest, I hadn't thought much about how it might look. "I don't know. Something kind of like this?" I half-shrugged. "Though I thought there'd be more animals. You know?"

"Yeah." Tazi surveyed the earth. "This place is like the Deathlands or something."

I chuckled. "Wait, how do you know what the Deathlands are? I thought they were only in Nilo."

"They are." Tazi grinned. "I read about it. I thought it was cool, all the animal bones and stuff."

I shuddered. "Well, I guess..."

"Oh, never mind." He poked me. I laughed softly, then silence fell between us.

Our group continued on over the bare terrain in the unforgiving heat, travelling for another few hours before we finally reached a village.

"Hide your cloaks." Lishay instructed, "and your animals. Both Greencloaks and Marked will not be welcomed here."

"We're not welcomed anywhere right now." Zay grumbled from my left.

I looked over at her, carefully folding my cloak and tucking it into my pack, raising my eyebrows as she met my gaze.

"What?" The blonde snapped quietly as both of us summoned our animals back to passive. Olraz was hidden away in her pack.

"Nothing." I responded quickly, noting the way she clenched her jaw and deciding not to bother her.

"Come on, let's move!" Vik shouted from the front of the group. I pulled my pack back onto my shoulders and jogged along to catch up.

I slowed to a walk at the city gates. Two farmers stood outside, obviously acting as guards. Tyler negotiated quietly with them for a moment or two before they let us pass. We entered the town, and I felt the sense of hopelessness wash over me. Fear hung heavy over the houses. People hid in their homes as we passed, darting into dark alleys to avoid us. I did my best not to stare.

"What's the matter with them?" I finally hissed to the person next to me, who happened to be Zay again.

"They probably think we're Conquerors." She muttered back tightly, "maybe they raid their own villages for supplies."

I felt sick. "You think so?"

"I wouldn't put it past them." She sounded bitter, and I was suddenly hit by the memory of an arrow slicing through Zarlo's throat. I reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, but inside she yanked my wrist. Her hand flashed out beside me and for a brief moment I thought she was going to slap me. Then her fingers curled into a fist above my shoulder, something clutched in her palm. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay." I straightened my pack and frowned. "What was that?"

Zay slowly opened her hand. On the palm sat a black feather, glossy as if new. "The Rook and the Raven." A light grin ghosted her lips. "Only the two most renowned assassins in Stetriol. It's their symbol."

I blanched. "So they're gonna kill me?"

She laughed. "No, silly. It wasn't for you. It was for me."

"For you? Wait– you know assassins?" I struggled to understand.

"Well, duh." She rolled her eyes. "Who else am I supposed to hang out with?"

I nearly stumbled, trying to process. "Why- what does that have to do with anything?!"

"Whatever, slowpoke." Zay rolled her eyes again and sped up to catch Sasha.

That night, we ended up renting two rooms at an inn, Sasha, Tazi, Sabien, Tyler, Vik, and I sharing one while the girls took the other. I rolled over, grunting as something poked me in the back. I fixed my position again, staring out the window. My brain was still puzzling through the events of the day. It kept circling back to Ryan's death, bringing on a wave of regret and guilt so big that it was hard to breathe. As yet another hour passed, I figured I wouldn't be getting any sleep. But, as if the thought had jinxed it, my eyelids suddenly felt heavy. Within two seconds, I was fast asleep. At least in my dreams there would be no worries.

Heyyy
Sorry for the late update I'm a bad person :(
Anyway.
The Rook and the Raven are two characters (theyre assassins and I'm obsessed with assassins so shush) who I may or may not be introducing into the next series (it depends how I feel). So yeah, lil cameo/ sneak peak on that!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a vote or a comment (or both if you want!) and stay healthy and safe! Be back soon! xx