Walking among rustling trees and rusty lanterns that clinked at every bit of wind gave Jule no comfort. In fact, every gasp from one of the Caledo sisters had her staring back and holding her dagger close.

But the huge gate that separated Great Bull and Orlinda stood tall, right ahead. Its wooden doors open and welcoming for so long, flowers and wild weeds had grown all over it, covering even the handles. Outside the walls, Orindians considered them the late king's insult, they were never to close again.

No more separation of classes.

A giggle broke the silence they had dived in, and she smiled while Amia covered her mouth, as if she'd sinned. Phin winked at Jule, satisfied for acomplishing such a feat. He'd made one of them laugh through the fear and exhaustion. Alisa huffed at her sister when Phin mumbled yet another stupid joke.

Jule walked faster, eyes set on Carrillo's nape. His large steps created distance between them, but a wild number of concerns roamed inside her head, and he couldn't ignore them the whole trip.

Phin and Carrillo returned from the inn breathless and each with their own bruises. Phin with a bloody nose and a wild grin, and Carrillo with a red bruise, destined to turn purple. Jule had brushed her fingers on it, letting her instinct take over her for a short minute.

Carrillo had stared, and she'd moved her hand away as if it burned her to touch him. Because it did, and the search for words that'd justify that touch had led her nowhere.

Since then, he had followed Arianda through the path in silence, not even a roll of his eyes at her actions. She huffed, throwing that mental picture to the back of her head and approaching Carrillo's side.

"Maybe we should get some rest, fix our wounds."
"No."

She frowned and leaned to avoid hitting a lantern, whining with the wind.
The tone bothered her ten times more than his answer. She glanced at the two young girls behind them, chatting with Phin.

"They're not used to all this walking, they need to eat and rest."
"These aren't exactly normal circumstances. I reckon they prefer to walk a little more than have their father catch up to us."

Jule closed her eyes, inhaling as slow as possible. The sweet scent of the Ferdas clogged her mind, bringing up Della and her habit of picking flowers back home. If she leaned down and took a deep breath, surely the scent of those yellow flowers Della loved would manifest, too.

The sound of her boots stomping the ground yanked her out of it. Reality hit harsher than dreams, and whatever beauty surrounded her at that moment, in Orlinda, her focus lied elsewhere.
She stared at Carrillo.

"He has no idea where we are. It'll take him a while to find us now, and they just need..."

He stopped in his tracks, a sudden choice that caused her to stumble. He turned, offering her a cold stare. It drained his face of any humanity.
"Rest. I've heard you. Let us reach Demasgo, at least, it's unlikely he can move as freely, in there."

Great idea. Demasgo brought distance and better chances for them to hide. The cultural center of Demasgo had restaurants, stores and local inns, a wide number of people visited every day. Carrillo had chosen the perfect place to hide the girls.

"Why didn't you just told me the plan from the beginning?"
He shrugged and walked away, his pace slower than before.
"Why don't you just trust me?"

Well, because his intent was to steal something sacred to them; because he had no idea who she represented; the depth of what she knew would force him not to trust her, if he figured it out. All she had were reasons not to trust him.
"You said we're a team. I think you should share your plans."

Carrillo showed her a sarcastic smile.
"You ask a lot of questions and have many demands for someone who doesn't like answering or being ordered."

Arianda frowned and stopped in her tracks, watching them. Phin, Amia and Alisa also reached them. They stood beside her, in silence.
Jule sighed, crossing her arms and facing Carrillo.
"I'm not sure what you mean."
"What did you do to him, when he was tied to that chair?"

Her heart beated quite fast, and a sudden cold invaded her veins, freezing her in place. Blessed be Onza she had her arms crossed, or they would shake.
"I did nothing to him. You asked me not to."

Carrillo chuckled and dragged a hand through his hair.
"You have a pretty face, Jewel, I don't think he was squirming in disgust at the sight of you."

But the angle... He couldn't see her ministrations from his position, at the restaurant. Somehow, he did see.
Not that it made any difference. Caledo's narcisism and vile nature didn't allow him to react any other way when confronted.

"Have you ever dealt with vile men?" She stared at Carrillo. "They all laugh at first. And when they finally understand they can't get away with their crimes, their face morphs into hatred, disgust, anger."
"That was pain." Carrillo did not believe her. "Physical pain."

Perhaps a different approach.
"I squeezed his hand. Hard." She shook her head, uncrossing her arms and waving them in a tense attempt to apologize. "I know you told me not to act, but... Being right there, in front of him... I just wanted to hurt him."

Carrillo's efforts to read her expression forced her to avoid his stare. After years working as a Felina, facing terrible men and lying through her teeth for the sake of innocent women, her spirit had to falter in front of Fergus Carrillo, notorious hunter.

Perhaps because comparing Carrillo with the men she trialed and imprisioned didn't quite work, her goddess had raised no warnings against the hunter, much to her relief. Lying to him and Phin tasted bitter, but as a warrior, her mission had to be successful. With or without deceiving.
When she glanced up at Carrillo again, he opened his mouth and pointed an accusing finger at her.

Arianda cleared her throat.
"We should stop and rest. My sisters are probably starving."
Carrillo's hand fell to his side and he exhaled loudly.
"Your father might still catch up to us."
"My father hasn't stepped foot in Orlinda since my mom died. He didn't like to leave us alone at the inn."

A shrug finalized Carrillo's thoughts better than any words and he just guided them further into town. Phil caught up to him, mumbling something she could no longer hear.
Jule sent Arianda a relieved look, but the girl had her chin up in defiance. Thankful or not, Arianda hadn't helped for free. The cunning glint on her eyes warned Jule the matter would later come around, again.

She'd be fine with that. In fact, leaning towards telling Arianda the truth had only one con: if she'd reveal it to Carrillo. But that in itself would bring her no relevant gain.
"You've got something different from them."

Acting surprised at Arianda's observation could send the wrong message.
"I am." Jule glanced back at the three sisters, each with their own reaction.

All three of them had the same soft and dark skin, and only Amia's eyes differed from her sisters's. From Arianda and Alisa's dark brown eyes, Amia inherited a lighter brown shade, almost hazel.

From Arianda's suspition, to Alisa's admiration and Amia's confusion, they all shared one thing: the curious narrow of their eyes, inviting her to reveal more, whatever Carrillo couldn't figure out.

"He brought you as a guide, but you're not here just for that. Are you?"
"No, Arianda." She checked Phin and Carrillo's distance, guaranteeing some privacy. "But I can only tell you what I must when you swear it on the Gods you won't talk about it with any of them."

Arianda huffed, shaking her head. She rolled her eyes to the sky.
"Don't worry about lying to them, they lie to you, too."

Jule traveled back to the tense moment Arianda almost blurted out something about Phin's tattoos. Carrillo's weak attempts to disguise it as a natural accident had revealed some secrets of his own. All good by her, as long as the book of Onza had nothing to do with it.
"Swear it on the Gods."

Arianda sighed, before taking one hand to her heart in a mocking gesture.
"I've stopped believing in Gods a long time ago, but I'll swear it on Cascal. They won't hear it from me."
"From us." Alisa muttered, her hand gesture truthful, in comparison.

Jule send yet another glance up front, finding Carrillo distracted and at a safe distance.

"The Felina isn't just a town in Libera. As story tells, the name comes from a group of warriors who aid women in abusive situations." A tingle ran up her spine, as Onza's touch recognized the tale of herself, of her own creation. "We carry only our goddess's blessing and our own strength."

Arianda's lips turned into a frown, as if a thousand thoughts bothered her at once.
"Mom told us about you!" Alisa's hasty words subtitled Arianda's reaction. "You were a bedtime story for so long."

"Do you have superpowers?" Amia's shy tone reached far enough for Jule to hear. Her eyes blinked up at her, staring as if Jule could start flying any second, or transform into something else. She rewarded a hopeful Amia with a soft smile, the only rare, almost magical thing she could perform.

"Not quite. Our blessing allows us to judge and decide whatever punishment is applicable to abusers. Our strength comes from lots of training and good food."
"Why can't they know?" Arianda had recovered fast, her cunning stare back on her face. She nodded in Carrillo's direction, for emphasis.

Jule admired Carrillo's raven black hair, and the way his large shoulders fit well in his shirt. His large steps created more and more distance between them and in no time, he would notice and ordered them to quicken their pace. Before he had that chance, she walked faster.

"He brought me here as a guide, to help him find something we both want, and I can't find it without him."
"And if he knows you want it too..."
"He'd never take me there."

Imagining a future where Carrillo ever forgave her proved quite the task, and for whatever reason, she didn't accept a return to her life before him. Before the quest, and the book, and the stupid lies that flew out of her mouth...

No.

No. All for a great cause, to steal Onza's book from a thief and take it home. Carrillo was a thief. They shared no bound for her to worry about keeping.
"So you helped us at the cost of losing your mission?"

Jule blinked, aware of how fast the sisters had to walk to meet her new pace. She frowned at Alisa's question, at her widened stare, as if helping others didn't stand as the normal thing to do. As if the natural answer to what she'd heard about their father consisted in shrugging and leaving, ignoring their pain, their ruined lives.
Her heart missed a beat, considering how many people failed them, turned their backs on their suffering.

"I'm a warrior before I am anything else. You deserve to live the life you were given, and whoever tries to take it from you needs to pay. I perform my duties." Jule turned, moved by the tears growing in Alisa's eyes. "But I need you three to promise me that, if something happens to me or to these guys, you go back to Libera."
"Yes..."

"Wait," Arianda threw her hand up at Alisa's premature answer "you gave us a choice, before!"
"And you still have it, Arianda. But if something happens to me, I need you to contact my sisters. They'll keep you safe."

Phin and Carrillo had stopped in the middle of the road, still desert due to the hour. Their eyes fixed on the four of them, as expected, they stood waiting for them to reach their side. Jule turned and rushed her last words out.
"I'll meet you after our rest. I need to show you something."

Not waiting for an answer, she guided them further to meet with Carrillo. The outside lantern of an inn shone behind them, indicating they could find a room. Not an easy feat at that hour.

"A lot of talking over there." Carrillo muttered, knocking on the inn's door. It did have a bell, which he ignored.
"Do you wish to discuss the same we did? They might be unpleasant topics for a man."

Jule smirked at the bothered glance he sent her. Phin chuckled and threw his arm around Carrillo's neck.

"Get off it, Ferg! You do seem to enjoy pissing Jewel off, huh?"
Carrillo huffed and escaped Phin's arm in time for the door to open, revealing the gentle face of a lady. Before she could follow him inside, Phin crossed her path, a foolish grin on his face.

"I sense some serious tension between you two."
"Can you sense my annoyance? Get out of the way." She pushed him in, glancing back at the sisters.

Arianda nodded at her, sharing the only answer necessary for her last request. She'd visit Arianda's room and connect her to the other Felinae. Perhaps the easiest of all her tasks.Jule returned the gesture and followed after them. She spotted the cozy fireplace in the hall first, and it reminded her muscles of their tiredness. Sleep wouldn't take long to be a reality, so she endured the formalities of asking for rooms, allowing the nice lady to show them the way and to offer them towels, clothes, some useful products.

The moment she closed the door to her own bedroom, she threw her backpack to the bed and took off her harness. Stretching her muscles, she walked to the window near the bed and opened it.

The minute she wasted looking through the window gave her a first impression of Orlinda under the moonlight. Outside, her focus lied on Arianda and her sisters, appreciating her surroundings had lost importance.

But adoration squeezed his way through at the sight of what Great Bull deserved to be, one day. Perfect sod roofs, paved roads and plenty community gardens to see. From the first floor, the exclusive gardens of each block of houses cemented the beauty Orlinda was known for.

She found no drastic changes from her last visit, a while ago. But the cicadas sang louder, and fireflies visited the roofs around her window. She had paid no attention to that, before.

With a smile on her face and a sudden spark of energy, she grabbed her notepad and a pencil and knocked on the door that connected her room to Arianda's through a bathroom. Lucky for that arrangement, as conspiracy came a lot easier with a space of their own. No wondering around the hall, waiting to be found.
"Come in."

She closed the door behind her and watched as Arianda stood there, a towel around her body.
"I was about to take a bath."
"This won't take long."

She scribbled a message on her notepad, sharing her location with her sisters, warning them they might receive a message not from her, but from Arianda. She showed it to the girl, before walking to the window.

"I'm going to call my wacca, his name is Polo. He'll bring and send messages as necessary between me and my sisters. And now you, if you must."
"A bird?"
Jule nodded, folding the note.
"A bird. And you do need to learn how to call him, because there's no other way he'll come. The pattern is simple enough, you just need to remember it."

Arianda moved to her side, focused on the demonstration she sang for her. Low and with no intent to call Polo yet, she repeated as many times as it took for Arianda to learn it. Only when goosebumps formed at her neck from the cold breeze of standing near the window in a towel, did she showed Jule the entire tune with no hesitation or error.

"Great. I'll call him now. He needs to meet you and your voice, and then it's all good." She nodded more to herself than Arianda, repeating the tune louder, to the breeze. Arianda copied her in silence.

After a longer wait than usual, Polo's wings flapped closer and closer, and the bird landed on the window sill. His blue feathers shone almost electric blue under such intense moonlight, and he pecked Jule's finger, prompting her to pet him. She smiled.

"I miss you." She offered him a few more pets before pointing at the girl next to her. "This is Arianda. I know you don't like it, but you're gonna have to answer her call for a little while."

Polo protested, eyes set on the girl. Arianda forced a shaky hand forward, but Polo jumped to the side before she could touch him.
"I'm sorry you have to put with me," Arianda muttered, grazing her fingertips on the feather's of a wing "I don't like strangers, either. But Jule might be in danger and I might be the only one who can call you."

Jule took a step back. Polo allowed Arianda to pet him, eyes closed and no will to leave again. She huffed when even after having the note tied to his leg, the wacca didn't move.
"Don't let him fool you. He won't leave unless you say so."

Arianda smiled back at her. A great achievement, for sure, one most would never see. She'd cherish it as any other victory in her life.
"Perhaps it should be you. He's waiting for his owner to send him away."
Jule approached the bird again and gave his head a nudge, smiling when he pecked her finger again.

"Go find my sisters. And don't forget to come if Arianda calls, it's an emergency."
Polo moved his head in what resembled a nod before flying off again. Once more, she stood at the window, watching blue feathers moving against the wind, going back to where they came from.

When she moved back to close the window, a pair of eyes burned into hers. Carrillo stood still in the garden, one flower in his hand and a significant glint in his eyes. The air failed to get to her lungs. And none tore their eyes away from the other for a long time. The cicadas still sang. The fireflies still shone. But one of her secrets no longer belonged to her.

"Jule?" Arianda's voice called her in, and she closed the window, leaning against it for a second. She forced air into her lungs and turned, showing Arianda a weak smile.

"From now on, I want you to be clever. If something happens, you hide with your sisters and call the felinae. Don't try to help us in any other way."
"How are you sure I'm not going to just take advantage of you?" Arianda narrowed her eyes, studying Jule's every move.

She rubbed her eyes, fighting back sleep, and moved closer to the door that separated her from her room.
"Please, do take advantage of me. I'm offering you protection, rehabilitation, I want you to accept it. For you and your sisters."

Arianda shook her head, holding the towel closer to her body.
"No, I mean... What makes you so sure I won't tell Carrillo about you?"
"What could he possibly offer you that I didn't?"

A long silence settled between them. The chant of the cicadas sounded louder, closer to them. Arianda glanced down at the floor before sighing, and Jule turned the knob and opened the door to her room.

"Take a bath, try to sleep. Your sisters will surely do the same. We might leave after lunch."
Arianda stayed silent, watched her go.

As soon as she found herself alone, Jule leaned against the door, closing her eyes. Attempting to delete Carrillo's stare from her mind, she forced random thoughts forward, happy or not. She pictured three more stars painted on the walls at Felina, and Arianda and her sisters navigating recovery; when she'd return to Libera, she'd suggest treating her own sisters to a massage, a day of relaxation, drinking Southern wine and laughing at nothing.

She dragged herself to the bed, taking off her clothes and changing to the satin sleep dress a maid had left for her. Falling back on the mattress, she stared at the wooden ceiling. Hanging green vases supported plants with their crooked sterns, climbing down and almost reaching her. Lovely flowers, as tiny as a pearl, grew in a few vases left and right. The illusion of small sparks of color on wood worked like a charm to relax her.

She sighed and blinked. Once, twice.

Until the flowers unfocused for so long, she kept her eyes closed and let sleep take her away.

Jule jumped off the bed, her throat dry and stopping her from screaming. She rushed her breath out, and in, glancing around the room. The birds sang outside the open window, and the sun sent his rays through it, announcing daytime.

Something was wrong.

Her fingers tingled against the white sheet and her spine stiffened under the weight of... whatever. Onza had come forward, worried.

She grabbed her harness and pulled out her dagger, wasting no time to dress herself. No one lingered in the corridor outside her door, not even a maid. All the doors remained closed, except for one, a little to the left.

She sighed and walked closer, controlling her breathing the best she could. With her dagger up, she dragged her naked feet to the side, far away enough that no one could jump her.
The sound of a zipper cut the silence short and she moved once more, coming face to face with Carrillo, putting on his backpack.

His hair wet from the bath and a change of clothes on, he halted as soon as he turned and found her in the hall.
She exhaled.

"Jewel, what's..." He frowned at the dagger. Or her clothes. Or whatever she looked like, standing there. She fell against the wall and took in a deep breath. "What's going on?"

Oh, if only she had an answer for that. But something... Something, somewhere... She moved her hand, trying to get rid of the tingles.
"I don't know. I had a bad feeling."

He grabbed his own weapon and saved it on his bag, walking out of the room. He approached her, grabbing her hands and taking the dagger off them, in a slow movement. She swallowed another rushed exhale, forcing it to come out through her nose, short and controlled.

"It's all good. Phin and the girls are downstairs, having some roast." His eyes slid down her body before he met her own gaze. "I thought you could get some more sleep."

No mention of Polo and what he'd witnessed a couple of hours earlier. No angry words, or questioning, just a gentle tone and a concerned stare.
Close enough she could reach his shoulder, the wild scent of soap and pine emanating from him invaded her senses.

Staring up at his brown eyes, the situation at hand came into focus. Her hair fell all over her shoulders, she showed up at his door with a dagger in hand, blurting words with no proper explanation, and in a sleeping gown.
Clearing her throat, she moved her hair to the front, as if it'd cover her chest, visible through the thin fabric of the dress.

"I haven't taken a bath, yet."
Carrillo hummed, his eyes glued to her body. If she had introduced herself as a Felina, at that moment, his reaction would be the same, distracted as he was.
A warmth rose up to her cheeks.
"I should go back and get ready to leave."

"I'll take you to your room." Carrillo placed a hand on her lower back to guide her.
"I'm fine." She hugged herself, her numb fingers bringing back a state of high alert.
He huffed and shrugged at her glare.
"You're definitely not fine. Would it make you feel better to see the girls?"

She nodded, walking past her room, but he stopped her with an arm around her waist. She moved away so fast she knocked into the wall, pulling him with her.

"Gods!" Carrillo massaged his chin where her forehead had hit. "I'm not trying to hurt you. Just get dressed first, you're not going down there in your night gown!"
She exhaled and walked back into her room. When he followed, she frowned at him.

"Take your bath, I'll wait for you." He rolled his eyes when she didn't move. "Have I ever hurt you? Touched you? Where does all that fear comes from?"

"I don't fear you." Perhaps fear would be better. At least that she recognized. That pushing and pulling between them, where words hurt but touches ignited her skin, she had never dealt with.

He walked towards her. She fought to stay put and not step back.
"Then what is it that makes you so tense around me?" His breath caressed her cheek, and she closed her eyes.
She didn't ignore social cues, and she had been with men before. But they didn't leave her breathless, or mad, or torn between liking or hating them. With Carrillo... It couldn't be sexual, no.

"Carrillo, you..."
"It's Fergus." He muttered, eyes sliding down to her mouth. A calloused hand came up to rest on her cheek. She melted against his touch, her hands meeting his chest to push him away, but the tingle in her fingers denied her the strength for it.

"Please."

"What?" He leaned down, his nose touching hers for a second. She held her breath. "Why don't you tell me what bothers you about me?"

Oh, plenty. Not that she recalled any of the reasons at that particular moment, but his lips had never been closer to hers, and his hand slid down to her jaw, and...

A harsh pull at her arm forced her back, and she hit the ground.
"Jewel!"

She moved to the side to get up, but a hand pulled her by the hair. Her scream stopped before it could leave her throat when a hunting knife grazed the skin of her neck.
"You stay right there, or she's as good as dead."

She squeezed her fists together, allowing the tingle on her fingertips to numb her whole hand.
She had ignored her goddess's warning. She had done nothing.

"Do not do something you'll regret, Caledo" Fergus' voice sounded different from the one who spoke near her skin "if you so much as cut one hair on her head..."

Caledo pulled at her hair until she groaned. And then his voice came, at the side of her head, deranged and unsettling.

"You messed with my women. I'll mess with yours."