The distance between Bleakmoor Hearth and the trio—Corvus, Elsyn and Lea—steadily increased, and with it everyone's heavy minds also eased.

  The war brewing in the Hearth no longer concerned them. Its people and their realities were now behind them, or so they thought.

  Each had set out with a clear purpose; none could afford a second thought for others’ suffering. Yet now, far from the city, the memory of the slaves lingered.

  Their own troubles suddenly felt almost benign.

  An unsettling thought.

  "Corvus, can't somebody help those people we saw back there?" Lea asked.

  "There are many who can, but they place their interests ahead of charity work. Just like the four factions of Bleakmoor Hearth; it's the bad luck of those people that their safety is in nobody's interest. A shame."

  "There's the Covenant, right? Ravina being there couldn't have been by chance," Elsyn said.

  "Yes, good catch. That shopkeeper, Hugo, said only four factions ruled the Hearth, but he was wrong. The Covenant of Eldara is the fifth faction, though it might be more accurate to say there are only two sides: the Covenant, and everyone else."

  Elsyn was perplexed by his explanation. "An alliance between them? The night wars, the grudges, this chaos—they can’t even stand each other. How can such people co-exist?"

  "Simple," Corvus said. "A common enemy. Normally, they fight for dominance. But against a stronger power, none can stand alone. It’s not coexistence, it’s co-survival."

  Elsyn silently contemplated his words, For someone not interested in political dynamics, he sure has good observational skills... What a waste.

  "Frostbound Legion... Bone-Rend Kin... Ah, who are the other two?" Lea asked.

  "One is the Silver Cartel. I don't know about the fourth one, though," Elsyn replied.

  "Nor do we need to; the Covenant is our only concern," Corvus resolutely spoke, his words meant as much for himself as for the siblings.

  They silently kept marching beyond the territorial expanse of Bleakmoor Hearth. After crossing a kilometre or two, they noticed the horizon covered with countless conical trees forming a vast grove.

  It stood in contrast to the vegetation-less landscape in front of them, which only had severed stumps rising intermittently.

  "Sis, it's kinda like Cinderglaze, no."

  "Only hundreds of meters smaller in height, but much wider in breadth," Elsyn noted the difference between the two forests.

  "You guys have been to Cinderglaze? Alone?" Corvus asked.

  Lea lively responded, "Yep! Aren't we real brave. We crossed Sereplain and Cinderglaze on foot, all by ourselves. Hmhm... Although I don't remember how we left Cinderglaze; Moly had put me to sleep, and when I woke up I was inside the cave with you and sis fighting."

  "That's actually very impressive—"

  "Right! Maa was supposed to join us in Glaswold, but given how things turned out, I guess she's waiting for us in the Covenant. Or who knows if we reach there before, maybe we can surprise her. Right, sis?"

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  "... Yeah sure, 'squeak..." Elsyn's words were positive, but her tone did not share the same optimism.

  She knew that their escape was not a simple thing, it had required the combined efforts of their mother and Manager-uncle. It was not possible for them to replicate that again, therefore, Elsyn was all but certain that their mother would not be joining them.

  Don't worry mum. One day I'll come back for you—just you wait.

  Elsyn was under the belief that her mother was still toiling in Caldraveth... If only she knew.

  "El, what's Moly? Translation, if you will," Corvus spoke.

  "It was an ugly, repulsive, abhorrent giant mole—that doggedly chased us out of Cinderglaze... Did I mention it was hideous?"

  "In several other terms, yes, you have. But..." Corvus drifted off mid-sentence.

  "What happ—"

  Corvus raised a finger, gesturing Elsyn to remain quiet.

  A few tense minutes passed in silence when it was broken by Corvus: "Horses are coming here—hundreds of them."

  He tightly pulled the horse's rein. "Hold tight."

  Elsyn quickly held Corvus, and thought with her eyes closed, I hate those words.

  The horse sprinted at full speed, though it paled beside the rhythm of Elsyn’s heartbeat.

  "Corv—"

  "Don’t speak," he cut her off. "You’ll bite your tongue."

  Elsyn strained herself and opened her eyes. She saw the ground below vibrating, the sand and debris rhythmically rose and fell—almost as if the ground had come alive.

  Suddenly, the faint thumping and pounding sounded from behind, gradually intensifying, until it shrouded all other sounds.

  Elsyn risked a glance behind. A rolling cloud of smoke—filled with silhouettes on horseback—was chasing them.

  Soon, one, two, dozens and then some more horseriders shot out of the smoke. Despite their vast numbers, their formation retained a semblance of order.

  Her heart shrank.

  Are they coming for us? Corvus did kill over twenty of them, but it was not a head-on fight. Can he win against that much?

  Ravina Brineheart's comment flashed in Elsyn's mind: A Mundukar with mastery over Unity can withstand five thousand warriors.

  Yet for all she had seen, Elsyn still could not picture such a scene. The real question was—could Corvus?

  Elsyn leaned against Corvus's back, feeling the steadiness of his breath and the firmness of his muscles. Nothing in his voice or bearing hinted at fear. Yet the speed of his movements—the urgency with which he drove the horse—told another story.

  Is he concerned... For us?

  "Keep your head low," Corvus instantly told her.

  Elsyn looked ahead and saw they had reached the groves. She was momentarily taken aback by the speed at which they had reached here.

  As soon as they entered the woods, Corvus reined the horse to a halt and leapt down. He helped Lea dismount, while Elsyn jumped off on her own. With a sharp slap to its back, Corvus sent the horse galloping deeper into the woods.

  "Are we ditching the horse?" Elsyn questioned, her face carried subtle hints of inexplicable happiness.

  "Yes. We can't outrun them if they're really after us, and a horse is too noticeable. Our best chance is hiding and waiting for the night. I can deal with them in the dark."

  Corvus picked up Lea and scaled a tall tree veiled by dense foliage, placing her on a thick branch, he said, "Don't make any sounds."

  Lea nodded, and said, "Shouldn't we go deeper to hide?"

  "No, we can't lose track of them. Besides, I don't think they're here for us, so we just have to wait till they finish their business," Corvus replied.

  He turned to help Elsyn next, but to his surprise, she had already climbed up and was perfectly hidden in the canopy layer of the tree.

  "Come up here, the view's better from here," Elsyn spoke to Corvus.

  Quickly moving up, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Elsyn, and remarked, "You're a good climber."

  "How do you think we survived in Cinderglaze."

  They focused ahead: the horseriders were still some distance away from them, but they would soon close in within a few minutes.

  All they could do was wait and hope.

  "Does your unit, the Reavers, also look this fearsome when in action?"

  "Define fearsome. If you go solely by appearance, then no. Half our members are young guys. In fact, one of the Squadron Leaders—that's a rank just below me—is your age. She is an absolute menace on the battlefield... and a nuisance outside of it."

  Elsyn raised an eyebrow at his last remark. She must be one of those who played him into believing that his cooking is nice.

  He continued, "So, they're not at all imposing by looks alone—"

  "I second that," Elsyn teased with her gaze fixed on him.

  Corvus turned her head away, pretending not to notice. "But if you see them during or after a battle, that's a different sight entirely. I wouldn't call my unit fearsome. Fearsome is what you feel before the fight even begins. My unit's impression it’s something you understand only when the battle ends. I don't know what you'd call that... but it's not fearsome."

  Haunting... Elsyn thought.

  "Look sharp, they're here." Corvus’s expression shifted.