I woke up to an empty sleeping mat.

My eyes opened to a dark room, and I waved a hand to spark purple flames to life in the torch over my head. Sitting up with a yawn, I felt the mat next to mine where Thain had laid the night before. It still held a hint of warmth, and I knew he hadn't been gone long. I sorted out my state of dress, or lack thereof, and made my way up the steps, my stomach growling as I did so.

The morning had already started. A few scouts mingled by the fire pit, as did Schula and Spaulder. As I walked up to them, Schula winked at me, handing me a simple round of flatbread that they had somehow managed to pull together over the fire.

"How did you... sleep?" she asked me slyly.

I punched her shoulder and took my breakfast while she laughed at me.

"Alright, alright, I won't bring it up again." Schula laughed, turning up to face Spaulder as they shared some private conversation between them.

I tore a chunk of bread off with my teeth. Let them talk, we had more important things to sort out right now than whatever was between me and Thain.

The warmth of the crackling fire was pleasant in the morning chill, and I watched it absently while others milled about. It wasn't until a strange familiarity encroached on the edge of my senses that I looked up from my breakfast.

"What's that?" I asked.

Schula and Spaulder both looked in the same direction.

'A friend, little one,' Spaulder answered.

Mother, he was so cryptic when he wanted to be. I stuffed the last bite of bread in my mouth and dusted off my hands as I walked toward the feeling. When I got close to the edge of the trees, a dark body stepped in line next to me.

"Good morning," Thain murmured. "I trust you slept well."

My eyes dated to him just in time to catch the upward turn of his mouth before it disappeared.

"Did you just make a joke?" I mused.

"Eberon must finally be rubbing off on me." Thain shrugged, then got more serious. "You feel him too?"

I could still feel it at the edge of my magic. "Yeah, what is this? It feels familiar but... not."

Thain frowned. "He is not the same fae you left in Thanantholl, Wren."

My brows knit together as my eyes darted the forest for the source of the sensation. "What do you mean?"

Thain shrugged, walking forward and into the trees. I followed, and I found my answers a moment later.

"Nassir," Thain greeted.

But it was barely Nassir that I saw before me. My breath caught as my eyes fell on the winter fae in such rough shape. Still the color of the stone he shaped, he now wore a glamour that highlighted his sharp features. The facial hair he had since I'd met him in Icehold was now gone and his long hair was in a tight braid down his back. Standing tall, wearing only his pants with no shoes or shirt, and a mantle of white fur across his shoulders.

Nassir looked... wild. More fae-like than I had ever known him to be before. His dark expression is what shook me the most. I had seen a flash of it before, in Eidelhein, but now it was fully surfaced. Nassir was livid, and ready for war.

"Nassir," I said, taken back at first.

But his eyes slid my way out of habit as he turned to face me. His expression softened slightly. "Wren." He opened his arms to me.

I leaned in and hugged him. "I was so worried until Thain told us you were safe."

Nassir grunted. "I have too much to do to be dead yet, little bird."

That made me smile. He hadn't called me that in ages.

"What of DuVarick's trail?" Thain asked.

Nassir's face darkened. "Circled back around to the outskirts of Yusellia. He just keeps them idling in the same place, no movement."

Thain hummed, his eyes drifting in the distance to where Yeusellia would be. "The first to make a move will be Bara Khalja."

Nassir practically growled as he spit out his answer. "So be it, I will end him."

I believed him. There was a fire in him now that had erupted since the battle at Thanantholl. I saw enough of it when we encountered Bara Khalja before but...had the warlock just slipped through Nassir's fingers one too many times?

Thain sighed. "You should still come take a look at Teyber's map. Perhaps you can add to it."

"Hmm." Nassir nodded. "I will, lead on."

I followed the two of them, letting them walk ahead of me as I observed Nassir's changes and collected my feelings about them. I knew this stemmed from Lark. He was gaining more power every day he healed from his captivity, and now that he had strongly connected with the Wyldes again, it was probably only a matter of time before he was built up enough to take his vengeance. I just hoped the old Nassir was still in there somewhere after this was all over.

Crossing the open part of the ruins, Spaulder's head was the first to turn and watch us approach. We didn't head to the fire but instead to the planning room, but Nassir did stop to bow his head to Spaulder as we went.

Thain bent down, knocking on the door as Schula had yesterday, then pulled it open.

"What have we here?" I heard Teyber call before I had gotten all the way down the stairs. "Nassir, welcome to the battlefront."

Nassir gave a dark chuckle. "It is good to have you on our side, Teyber. Let me see your map, I'll mark what I left alive for later."

Teyber's eyes flicked to meet mine for a moment, the silent shared question between us hanging in the air.

"Of course, over here, my friend," Teyber said, motioning to the table with the ever-changing map on it.

Nassir studied it for a while. He couldn't see with his eyes, but I could feel his magic prodding the area in search of ink. His only real weakness was written instructions, and I forgot that sometimes.

"This is Icehold," I said, pointing to the fierce mountain city on the map. "And This is Yusellia."

Recognition flashed on his face as he oriented himself, then his hands moved around to the little piles of stones.

"These are dead." He moved a stack off the map. "These have moved over here, and... here."

Nassir's hands worked quickly as he updated parts of the enemy stones that were further away from us. The ones we hadn't been able to track for a few days. Teyber's stern gaze followed every movement of Nassir's fingers, planning. Strategizing. And then, his eyes widened. 

"This place," Teyber pointed. "Thain, did your people pass by here?"

Thain looked at the map, slowly shaking his head. "No, but there is little there."

"Save for an old battlefield," Nassir warned.

Teyber cursed as he leaned over the map, now scrutinizing a patch of marshland while he counted the enemy stones around it.

"I thought it was a hole in their defense," I said. I could feel my face draining of warmth as my eyes widened.

"As far as anyone could see, it was," Teyber hissed. 

The scout captain lifted his head, turning over his shoulder to the nearest scout. "Pull back our farthest eyes and gather here. Trade out the forest edge eyes and send spears to the marsh. Take Liana. Be seen by no one."

The scout nodded sharply and ran up the stairs.

"What does this mean?" I asked.

"It means Bara Khalja has hidden himself well," Thain growled. "We need to prepare for attack sooner rather than later."

A big hand rested on my shoulder and I turned to Nassir with a worried look on my face.

"Will Spaulder fly over it? Higher than the clouds. He can sense things as I do, but we don't want to alert the necromancer to our movements."

I nodded. "We can do that."

"I need to speak with the other Autumn warriors," Thain said. "I suggest you keep of the open fields here as much as you can."

Teyber nodded grimly. "I'll take care of our end. What are the chances of reinforcements from Thanantholl?"

Thain shook his head. "Slim. Most of our surviving force is here with me. If the city were under siege again..."

"I understand," Teyber said. "Then we will pray that Wren's messages have made it in time."

Thain looked my way. "Others?"

I nodded. "The witches."

His face remained blank, but I should have expected it. He just turned back to Teyber and gestured to the map.

"We need to do everything we can to keep him from adding to his forces here." Thain pointed to our location on the map. "But that doesn't mean we can let the threat of whatever he finds in the marshes go unanswered."

"Agreed," Nassir said. "I will remain here. There are many things of interest under the ground, and I fear they may be of need before this is over."

What did that mean? More rooms like this one, or something else?

"Stars guide you all," Nassir said, then walked up the stairs.

Teyber followed him, and Thain reached back to squeeze my hand before he went up as well.

The conflict was nearly to a boiling point, I could feel it in my bones. Even as I headed for Spaulder and Schula to ready our trip over the marshlands, I knew something big was about to happen.

Mother help us, the battle was almost here.