The first few hours of their journey passed in relative silence. Azael maintained his position at the back of the group and Talarion stayed at the head. There was some conversation between Tissaia and Kaius, but very little pertaining to him and Talarion. They hadn't gone off course except when they veered from the main road at the edge of the Vidar and entered the shadow of the trees.

Kaius seemed to relax then and Talarion didn't protest him taking the lead. Azael had to admit he was impressed by the male's skills at guiding them through the forest. It all looked the same to him, just a jumble of moss-covered tree trunks, thick brush, and damp trails covered in rotting foliage.

Kaius's skills made sense, of course. Everyone knew the Phoenix lived as a wanderer. He had no permanent residence. Kaius claimed to travel wherever the land willed him, and had done so since the slaughter of his parents when he was seventeen. That was why the Phoenix's identity had been a mystery for fifty years after his birth.

Kaius had explained the whole tale when he was brought to the palace. He had never been told who or what he was, and he wasn't sure his parents even knew. The day they died, all three of them had been out hunting for their village.

No one had known there were Blood Fae in the area. Strange, abnormal Fae with fanged canines who preyed upon the blood of Humans and Fae, especially those descended of god-blood lines. No one really knew how they came to be or why they craved blood, only that it seemed to make them stronger, and exceptionally so if they had consumed god-blood.

After understanding his identity, Kaius had realized that it was his and his parents' god-blood that had drawn the Blood Fae to them. His parents had not survived, and it was that attack that had claimed the tip of his right ear and left him with other scars all over.

Rather than risking leading the Blood Fae back to his village, Kaius had fled into the wild and remained there for years until he was discovered by an Elder gifted with Drenusha's Sight. The Elder had brought Kaius to Arcan, believing him to be the Phoenix, and he was proven right.

That day had been Azael's first time meeting the male, and Talarion and Tissaia's too. It had always been clear to him that the bonds forged that day were strong ones, and watching the male interact with the Twins now, free of other prying eyes, Azael saw just how true that was.

He envied it for several reasons. Primarily, he longed to have the same type of companionship he saw between the three of them. Friends he could rely on and simply exist alongside, free of all other expectations.

He'd never had much luck in that area of life, even as a young male training with the Cahirim. It had been his mother's hopes that he'd make a few friends while completing his training with the legendary fighting unit, but Azael had been more focused on succeeding that anything else.

Gaelen was the only lasting friendship he'd taken from the Isle, and even that was overshadowed by rank and protocol. The other few who tried to befriend him either did so in the hopes of gaining a foothold in the royal court for their families, or with the intention of using him for some other purpose.

His time on the Isle had been years before his betrothal to Tissaia, and was the only time in his life he'd taken a few lovers. None of them had been genuine in their affection for him. They'd only bragged afterwards about sleeping with the Prince, and Azael had put a swift end to that.

When he returned home, there was simply no time to pursue other romantic relationships. He was engaged to Tissaia soon after, and even if he'd found someone then, he would have refused them out of respect to her.

But it was clear why Kaius didn't have the same struggles, despite being the Phoenix. It would take someone truly heartless to not be drawn to his friendly nature. There was just a look in his young, warm features that boasted of the male's kind heart. Kaius's features were much softer in comparison to his and the Twin's.

His chin and jawline were squared and he had a perfectly triangular nose. The bridge of it was narrow between his eyebrows and wider over the tip of his nose. He had thin brows over deep set eyes with partially hooded lids. His mouth was small, but his lips were full and arched.

But even with his warm looks and unruly umber-brown hair, there was an air of silent strength. Only a fool would underestimate him. If the many scars lacerating his skin didn't reveal his fighting prowess, that sharp gleam in his eyes, which never missed a thing, certainly would. That was why Azael had never picked a fight with him.

Despite his own god-blood inherited power, he wasn't certain it would be a fight he could walk away from completely intact. That, and the male technically hadn't done anything worthy of fighting over, in spite of Azael's jealousy.

In an effort to quell those sharp pricks whenever he saw Kaius and Tissaia talking, Azael attempted to avert his eyes and distract his senses with something else. It didn't help much. He was relieved when Talarion suggested they begin taking turns scouting ahead, and leaped at the first opportunity to do so.

He and the male traded off at regular intervals throughout the day, until at last, they all agreed it was time to stop and make camp for the night. They weren't too deep into the forest yet, but the distance they'd covered was great enough that if they were being searched for, they could avoid being found for at least another day.

For now, they were carving a path towards the Une River. From there, they would go straight on to the mountains, Azael assumed. Kaius hadn't said much about what they'd do after crossing the river and leaving the forest. The male was quiet again while he unsaddled the horses along with Tissaia.

Talarion was already sparking a fire to life while Azael unloaded their supplies. They had also previously discussed what their hunting methods would be when their supplies began to run low, as Kaius had warned that there were many Shifter Fae within the forest, and they didn't want to accidentally kill one of their own.

The only person Azael was worried about in that regard was Tissaia. He'd noted the bow on her back, but had his doubts as to how well she could use it. He didn't see Lord Roshan as being one to teach his daughter the art of hunting or battle.

But perhaps he had taught Talarion what he knew, and the male in turn passed it along to his sister. Azael couldn't recall hearing about Talarion being trained by the Cahirim, although his skill with blades was renowned. He had to have learned somewhere.

Once their tasks were completed and the camp was made, they all slumped to the ground before the fire. Tissaia doled out portions from their supplies and they ate in relative silence. Kaius was the first to break it.

"We'll need to set watches," he said. "I don't doubt there will be people sent from the palace to track us down, and Drenusha warned me that we would face trouble on the way."

"I can take the first watch," Azael offered. He'd always been more of a night person anyway, and he pitied whomever got to wake him up for his next shift. He'd never been the friendliest person when tired.

Talarion and Kaius nodded their agreement. "Trade off at four hour intervals," Talarion suggested. "If we're up before dawn again, that's an even shift for the three of us."

"What about me?" Tissaia cut in. "I can take my share, and I know what to be on the lookout for."

Her twin shot her a taunting grin. "I was just trying to be considerate of your beauty sleep, Sister."

"You need it more than me, Brother," she shot back. Azael and Kaius shared an amused look.

"We can all do three hour watches," Kaius said before either of them could fire another retort. "I'll go after Azael."

"No, I will," Talarion protested. "You barely slept last night or the night before, and we don't know what will happen the next time you have a vision, or when you'll have one. You need to rest while you can."

Tissaia nodded her agreement. "You can take the last watch." A cunning smirk spread across her lips. "That will probably be safest. I can't imagine anyone waking up to your face and wanting to punch it." Azael rolled his eyes while the other two males laughed.

"All right, fine," Kaius agreed.
   
"Good. With that settled, I'm not wasting any of my beauty sleep, as you called it." Tissaia grinned at her brother while spreading her cloak on the ground. She bundled onto it and pulled half of it over herself, curling her hands beneath her cheek.

Talarion laid down next, and the pair were soundly sleeping within ten minutes. Azael shot Kaius a curious glance, but the male made no move to follow their lead. He was staring vacantly into the snapping flames. Azael pulled his gaze away and unbuckled Orilight from his belt.

He set the sheathed blade down at his side and tugged his second sword into his lap. This blade was his own, gifted to him after he completed his training. He had named it Raxys. It was far less ornate than Orilight and much heavier, but it served its purpose well and had never failed him yet.

"Thank you," Kaius said presently, drawing Azael's attention back to him. "For coming with us. I know you were listening yesterday, so you know she didn't want you to come. I appreciate that you're coming anyway."

"Why didn't you tell them?" Azael asked. "They probably would've agreed if they knew I was there anyway."

"It was part of my vision. I knew you would come with us because Drenusha showed me that you would overhear our plans."

"Why didn't they want me to come, if you saw it?" He already knew the answer, but some part of him couldn't help but ask.

Kaius's gaze slid to his. "Why do you think?"

Azael stared at the sword in his hands. "I don't see why it matters anymore. We both know they've always been more fond of you."

"I just have a loveable face. They have no choice but to like me," Kaius chuckled, but his next words were full of nothing but sincerity.

"Don't take their behavior to heart. Just as you have your reasons for not marrying Tissaia, she has her reasons for wanting to marry you, and Talarion will always do whatever it takes to protect her. But I think this journey is going to change us all. Maybe for the better. Just...be who you are, Azael. You don't have to be anything more than that out here."

Azael didn't respond, but he didn't have to. Kaius was already spreading out his own cloak near the fire. The male laid down, leaving only a few inches between his boots and Tissaia's, and placing his head near Talarion's. For a while, his breathing remained at a swift, even pace, but gradually, it too spread into the deeper inhales of slumber, leaving Azael alone with his thoughts.

When his three hours were over and he went to wake Talarion, he was intrigued to find the male's arm partially stretched, his fingers hooked in a few of the curled ends of Kaius's hair. Apparently he slept very sprawled out, while his sister remained curled into herself and buried as deeply in her cloak as possible, almost as though she were trying to hide.

Something about the sight of her like that, with her cloak drawn all the way over her nose, sparked an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. A desire to...shield her, from whatever it was she was hiding from. But he settled for mirroring Kaius's sleeping position, placing his head right beside Tissaia's, well aware of Talarion's dark gaze watching him.