Tissaia hadn't returned to camp for a while after their miserable parting the night before, and when she arrived, there was no sign of Azael either. She didn't wonder at it though, as she'd heard the male following behind her after she left the pool. He had waited for her somewhere in the forest, either to make sure she got back safely, or more likely, to save his own skin from her brother's wrath if he had returned without her.

    Tissaia hadn't spared him a single glance last night, and was relieved to wake up and find him and Vaeldan already gone scouting. When they inevitably returned, he was being just as careful to avoid her gaze. After they discussed their findings with Talarion, the group had set out.

    By midmorning, the trees were beginning to thin. Tissaia rode in the back of the group alone with Kaius. Vael was a few paces in front of them, walking on foot this time while Kahari rode at his side. Azael and Talarion were missing as they'd pulled ahead of the group to check the border of the forest again, but she had barely noticed their absence.

    Her senses were stretched thin today, her surroundings blurring together and every noise overlapping into a dull hum. On top of her bad evening, she'd had a nightmare of her own to contend with, which she knew had been brought about by her current mental state.

    In the dream, she was back in her bedroom at Lochren, curled into a ball beneath her covers as she always did. As though if she were out of sight, if she were small and insignificant, her father would leave her alone. But she'd heard his pounding footsteps, then her locked doorknob rattling. The repeated thud of his shoulder driving into the wooden panes keeping him out.

    She had clutched her bedsheets tighter and heard the first board break. Then the next. Her door was broken down and rough hands grabbed her through the sheets. She had kicked and screamed then, gnashing at him with bared teeth and flinging glowing hands into his face. She never succeeded.

    The dream played out exactly as it did in reality. She was dragged from her bed, her arms pinned down by her father's boots, and then his foot slammed into her palm again and again, until her fingers were twisted and cracked. But in the dream, there was no Talarion next door. No brother to help her fight him off, or to sit with her and painstakingly heal her hand once more.

    "Hey." She jumped as a hand nudged her shoulder. "You all right, Tiss?" Kaius asked, worry shining in his gaze when she met it.

    "Yes, I'm fine," Tissaia answered. "I just didn't sleep well."

    "You can ride with me if you need to rest for a while." She smiled at the offer, but shook her head. Kaius's mouth curved into a teasing grin. "Azael has been keeping his glares to himself now that he knows the truth so you don't have to worry about that, you know."

    Her smile faded at once and she pried her gaze away, letting it stretch to the edge of the forest and the rising hills beyond. "I'm sorry," Kaius apologized. "I shouldn't tease you. I know it's still complicated."

    You don't know the half of it, Tissaia thought to herself. "It's fine. But I don't want to talk about him," she said.

    "Then I won't. Besides, there's something else I wanted to tell you."

    Tissaia forced a smile onto her lips when she looked back at him. "Are you and Talarion finally going to adopt a child?"

    Kaius balked, then shook his head. "Gods no. Do we look like we'd be good parents right now? We're both anxious and uptight wrecks." He laughed a bit. "And we'd need a decent home first. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

    Tissaia arched a brow. "A home?"

    "Yes. For us, and for you. I promised Talarion that I wasn't letting him go back to Lochren after we're done here, and I know he won't leave without you. I know he's afraid of living a life on the run from your father, but I'm more worried about what Roshan will do to you if you go back."

    "I've...thought of that too."

    "Then help me persuade Talarion when the time comes. I'm not sure where we'll go yet. Maybe back to the hidden village we stayed in. Or perhaps we could join Kahari and Vael's village. I'm sure they would offer you two their protection if needed. It's high time the three of us got to live our own lives, free from your father's control."

    Tissaia nodded. "Of course I'll help you talk sense into him. You're right and he knows it. There will be some kinks to work out, but it would be worth it to never have to go back to Lochren."

    "Where are you not going?" Kahari asked, her mount's pace slowing until she was riding alongside Tissaia. A quick glance forward revealed that Vael was heading towards two riders returning from their scouting.

    "Lochren," Tissaia replied. "How would you feel about becoming neighbors eventually?"

    Kahari grinned. "I'd be thrilled. I'd love to introduce you to my sister, and my mother on one of her good days."

    "We'll have to return soon so there will be plenty of time then."

    Someone gave a low, suggestive whistle, and Kahari rolled her eyes. "Already planning to take her to meet the family, Leaf?" Vael chuckled. "I didn't think you had it in you to move so quickly."

    "Says the male who never moves at all," Kahari fired back, though amusement leaped across her features.

    Tissaia shot a sideways glance at Kaius, who returned the look with equal humor. "Well, I can't say I blame you," Vael continued, ignoring her comment. "Your Lady seems to be in high demand, so I suppose you would have to act quickly."

    "You are aware that you're the most insufferable person I know?"

    "Very well aware," the male laughed. "That's why you keep me around." Kahari's cheeks splotched with red and she shook her head with a muffled groan.

•༻☽☾༺•

    Talarion lingered on the edge of the trees, his mount stamping an impatient hoof while he waited for the others to regroup and join him. He wasn't sure what was keeping them occupied, but there seemed to be a lot of laughter involved.

    Despite his apprehension at leaving the shelter of the forest, he couldn't fight back a smile when he heard Kaius and Tissaia's laughs among them. It eased some of the tension cramping within his gut.

    The opposite could be said for Azael. The male was still scanning the rising hills and grasslands for any sign of a threat, his features passive and blue eyes stone cold. He had said very little while they were scouting, not that Talarion minded silence. He had just been growing accustomed to the male speaking with him more often.

    His gaze dipped to Azael's sword belt, which was lacking one particular blade. He knew where it was, but had no idea how it wound up there, and something told him not to bring up the subject. He and Azael held their posts until the rest of the group filtered past, leaving the forest behind.

    Talarion nudged his horse forward when he noticed Tissaia pausing to wait for him. He fell into place beside her and gave his twin a prompting look, guessing there was something she wished to say.

    "Did you see any sign of Lochren warriors?" Tissaia asked.

    "Not yet, thankfully. We found traces of one of the bandit camps Vael mentioned, but they've moved on already. Why do you ask?"

    "I...had a dream last night. That I was home. And Father..."

    At once, worry fogged his senses and he reached out to touch her shoulder, gripping it firmly. "Are you all right? Why didn't you wake me?"

    "I'm fine," Tissaia assured him. "And you needed to rest too. I only mention it because...well, what are we going to do if Father finds us?"

    "We're not going to give him that chance."

    "We should prepare for it regardless." Tissaia's jaw clenched and her eyes hardened. "He's looking for something out here, and we both know it can't be anything good. I had an idea about what it could be."

    Talarion swallowed, unable to quell the dread that spiked its way through his limbs. "Go on."

    "Kaius told us that in his first vision, Drenusha warned him that Hadeon's god-spawn may be after the item we're looking for. If that evil creature wants this item, that obviously means it's something very powerful, and we both know that everything Father does is with the idea of gaining power. What if Father is searching for the same thing we are?"

    His blood turned to ice at the thought. "Gods," he breathed. "If you're right, it's possible that he might even know what this thing is. If he figures out our quest and learns that Kaius is being led to it..." He couldn't follow the thought through. The possibility was too terrible to consider.

    "And there's something else." He steeled himself for what his sister was about to say next. "Remember how Vael said that something seemed to be keeping the Blood Fae bound to the Vidar? And how some of the oldest Elders suspect they are somehow born of Hadeon's god-spawn, because they first appeared after he killed Hadeon's son and grand-daughter?"

    "You think he's there...in the forest." A chill crept up his spine and at once, his misgivings about leaving the Vidar abated.

    "If the rumors are true and he controls the Blood Fae, then yes, that's what I suspect. It would make sense that they couldn't go far from their creator."

    "If the Spawn is in the forest, how is he also looking for Drenusha's artifact?"

    "Maybe he's not looking for it personally."

    Talarion gazed at her with wide eyes, unable to believe what he was hearing. If she was right, if these implications were true... "Then we do whatever it takes to stay out of Father's sights," he growled. "And that includes killing any Lochren warrior who crosses our path."

    "I'm glad we agree," his sister replied.