Makaela quickly realized walking through the forest wasn't one of her brighter ideas.

Her feet cried out for relief with every step she took. She wasn't nearly as exhausted as she had been the previous night, but she was still tired. Part of her wanted to ask Dorian if she could ride on his back.

She knew he'd say yes, which is why she didn't ask. He wasn't her personal mule. He didn't even have a saddle.

So, she continued to trudge through the shrubbery and undergrowth alongside him.

At least he seemed to be enjoying himself. He had been smiling ever since they left the cave. Every couple of seconds, he would whip his head around and take in the sights around him.

"How long were you in that cell for?" she asked.

"Two years," he replied. "Give or take."

She gasped and stopped mid-stride. "Two years?" He nodded. "How did you survive in there by yourself? You can't be more than twenty-one."

He snorted. "I'm twenty." He shrugged his shoulders and stepped over a gnarled root below his foot. "It wasn't as bad as you might think it was. The solitude became peaceful after I while. I made friends with some of the guards...despite what they thought of me."

"But you were in Hex-A. They didn't let you out your cell."

"Certain inmates are allowed time out their cell if they exhibit good behavior," he clarified. "I was one of those inmates. One of the guards let me visit the library every Tuesday. Another made me to kitchen duty on Thursdays."

Makaela lifted her chin a bit. "I still can't believe they had you locked up in there."

"I deserved it." All the joy that had been within him vanished as if it never existed. He dug his hands into the makeshift pockets of his tattered prison jumpsuit.

She had just noticed how ripped it was. The striped garment barely covered him. Her eyes lingered below his waist and she immediately brought them back up. She felt her cheeks grow hotter than the sun in the sky.

"Are you alright? I hope I didn't upset you again."

She shook her head quickly. "Nope. You definitely didn't do that."

The two of them circled around a massive tree with black bark and headed back in the direction of the cave.

Makaela felt her face dripping with sweat. She panted as the humid, Central African air held her captive. Even after discarding her Eldai gear, she was still ridiculously hot.

I'm gonna need some shorts or something.

She hoped she'd be able to get a clean pair of clothes once she met up with Thorian and the other Shades in Vashara.

Dorian didn't seem to have a problem with the heat, but the scented flowers growing among the trees and bushes around him were messing with his nose. He kept sneezing every few seconds. Makaela couldn't help but laugh each time. He sounded like a clown's nose being squeezed.

As the two of them continued through the forest, he stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong?"

"Your friends are looking for us," he answered. "We should get back now."

"You can hear them?"

He laughed through his nose. "I'm a werewolf."

"Right."

He then shifted into his large, furry persona. After pawing the black soil beneath him, he dipped his head at Makaela. She arched an eyebrow at him before realizing what he was suggesting.

She climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his thick neck. He let out a deep howl that ripped through the leafy canopies above. Makaela cringed as the thunderous sound shook her bones.

With even warning, Dorian bolted forward. She let out an echoing squeal as he surged through the foliage with her clinging to his back for dear life.

#

Makaela and Dorian arrived back at the cave in record time.

Their sprint through the rainforest left her hair frizzy and disheveled. It would certainly have to be re-braided once she got back to Castle Braexus. For now, she'd have to accept the fact that she looked like a troll doll.

Amora made sure to point that out to her once she entered the waterfall-covered grotto.

The scent of blood and wet fur—and it wasn't Dorian's—assaulted Makaela's nostrils as she delved deeper into their temporary base. She wrinkled her nose as she glanced at the Nightling siblings crouched over something off to the side.

Adair had the bloody carcass of a rat in his maw. His white hands were stained red, as was the stone ground beneath him. His sister sat on her haunches beside him, her face twisted in annoyance.

"I can't believe you," she grumbled in disgust. "You're not even sharing."

Adair continued devouring his prey. "Should've caught your own...caught your own."

Sybil huffed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "How could I after you scared them all off?"

"Get over it."

"You get over it, you selfish demon."

Their argument elicited a few haughty laughs from Amora, who was removing her stolen Eldai armor. She muttered a spell and her Shade robes fell into her arms.

"I think it's a little to warm outside to wear that," Makaela advised.

Amora sighed and made the cloak disappear again. "You're probably right." She wiped her brow. "Why couldn't House Oseda be located in Antarctica or something? We don't have anything there anyway. Isn't the Eldenarian Council supposed to protect all corners of the world?"

Emile snorted. "There's nothing to protect in Antarctica unless you're talking about the penguins." The man walked up to the group. "Besides, I'd rather be warm than freezing cold."

"To each's own," Amora replied shortly. She narrowed her eyes at Makaela and Dorian. "Where'd you two run off to?"

"We went for a walk," Dorian chirped. "It was refreshing. I haven't been able to stretch my legs like that in ages."

The girl stifled a laugh. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Makaela. "I'm sure it was."

Makaela scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You're gross."

Dorian looked in between both girls. "What?"

"Nothing." Both girls spoke in unison, but with two very different tones.

Emile shook his head the three of them. "Now that you both are back, please sit." He gestured at the ground below him. "We have much to discuss."

⟐

"Children of Eden? This close to Vashara? You can't be serious."

Emile nodded gravely. "I'm afraid I am. Thorian has scouts all over the world and a few weeks ago, one reported evidence of a hunter base in this area. When configuring the portal in Nyghtmir, this information had completely slipped my mind. Had I remembered, I would've put us closer to the city."

Amora leaned back onto her elbows. "Why did you put us so far anyways?"

"It would've been easier for the Eldai to track us," Emile explained. "And sending the portal straight into Vashara wouldn't have been wise."

"Point taken."

Makaela scowled at the thought of the Children of Eden. If they were nearby, then she and her group would have to watch their step carefully. While she may have be a magician, that particular faction of Ordinaires was not to be taken lightly. She wasn't sure how, but they had the power to not only kill magicians, but to capture them as well.

Not much information about the Children of Eden was known, but magicians knew enough. They were dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.

"So, what do we do about them?" Makaela inquired.

"We'll have to be extremely careful moving through the forest," Emile said. "Where we have magic, the Ordinaires have technology. I'm sure they have this area under surveillance, meaning we'll have to be extra diligent and cautious."

Amora turned her attention to the Nightlings next to her. "That means you two need to stay near us at all times."

Sybil furrowed her brow. "What're you looking at me for? It's my idiot brother you should be telling that to."

"Idiot...idiot..." Adair blinked a few times, as if processing her insults. Once it finally registered, he hissed at her. "Not an idiot, not an idiot."

His sister rolled her black eyes. "Whatever you say."

Makaela looked to Emile. "When do we leave?"

The man stood up and smoothened out his pants. "Now, actually." He glanced down at everyone in the cave. "Let's get going, everyone. We don't have any time to waste."