Evantra woke to screams.

  She shot up from her tarp, watching as Cecile straddled Noelle beside her, the girl’s hands around her throat.

  Shit I fell asleep.

  I was keeping watch, but—

  Cecile’s eyes were red, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Her entire body was shaking as she applied pressure to Noelle’s throat. Noelle simply watched on through teary eyes. Evantra could hear wheezing breaths that her friend was fighting to draw in. But she wasn’t fighting back, simply looking right at Cecile.

  Evantra leapt into action, sending a swift punch into the girl’s kidney before preparing to shove her off her friend. To her surprise, Cecile instantly crumpled from the blow and was sent sprawling onto the ground beside Noelle, clutching at her side as she groaned.

  Evantra’s eyes widened in alarm when she saw a knife floating towards her, and she fell into a crouch, eyes darting around the camp in search of Gustave. But to her surprise, the knife floated slowly past her, and towards Cecile who was still gasping for air.

  She watched as the hilt smacked into the girl’s forehead, causing her to wince.

  “Cecile. This isn’t the way,” a gruff voice called out.

  Gustave emerged from his tent, limping in her direction. It seemed like he had marginally improved from the day before but was still a while away from walking without assistance. Benjamin came running down from the floor above, sniper rifle in hand.

  Henri rose, rushing out of the tent. Evantra grew alert as the towering young man drew closer, large brown eyes passing over Noelle and Cecile, before he eventually fell into a crouch next to Noelle. Then he rose, jogging back to his mother’s tent. She heard a rustling coming from within, the man seemingly searching for something.

  “Noelle… are you alright?”

  “You shouldn’t have hurt her,” she wheezed, gulping air into her lungs. Evantra stared at her friend, watching as she coughed and rubbed at her throat, before sitting up. Noelle glanced at Cecile beside her, and to Evantra’s surprise, her gaze didn’t hold any animosity.

  “She deserves to be angry with me… don’t you understand? Why do you think I told them who I was yesterday? My family stole her loved ones from her. That’s what they do,” Noelle whispered a faraway look in her eyes. “She’s entitled to this mu— ouch!”

  Evantra flicked Noelle in the forehead, hard. The blow evoked a yelp and caused Noelle’s eyes to shoot wide open. Her friend stared at her in shock while rubbing her tender forehead. Evantra simply dragged the girl to her feet, shoving her in the direction of the trunk heading to the floor above.

  “Amitabha… is Noelle alright? Evantra?”

  “She’s alright, Ben. But she might not be after I’m done with her,” Evantra gritted out.

  ***

  “Do you remember what you said to me after Caliburn’s raid into the lost territories? When I went running into that tunnel knowing that it was the territory of a poltergeist?”

  Noelle evaded her gaze, her eyes downcast.

  “That if I threw myself to my death, I wouldn’t have the chance to make up for it. Do you remember?”

  The girl’s dyed black hair was tangled, and Evantra could see her friend’s lips trembling. But Noelle eventually gathered herself and nodded her head.

  “If there’s anyone who understands guilt and how hard it is to talk about it… it’s me you idiot. What were you thinking? Outright telling them that you were an heir? I get that you’re guilty over their losses, but…”

  Noelle started, looking up at Evantra from where she was standing with her arms crossed.

  “You haven’t been the same since Wisptown. I didn’t want to pry. I know how it feels when someone tries to weasel things out of you when you aren’t ready for it. What I didn’t expect was for things to blow this far out of proportion. So, I’m going to give you the chance that you gave me,” Evantra said, crouching.

  “What’s wrong, Noelle?”

  Silence filled the air between them. As the seconds passed, her friend wiped away the tears trailing down her cheek, though when she spoke, Evantra could hear her voice crack.

  “I failed them,” Noelle whispered. Her hands were clutched tightly in her lap, and Evantra pulled them apart before her fingernails could bite into her skin.

  “Who?”

  “Carmen and Lucas. At Caliburn’s blockade. It was after Minh and the others reached the blockade and freed us. It was chaos. Caliburn’s operatives mowing down people… there were so many that didn’t make it through.”

  Noelle let out a silent shudder.

  “And there was a moment when one of them had a gun pointed at Carmen and Lucas. I had the pistol in my hands, and the attacker in my sights but…”

  Noelle was wracked with sobs as she wiped away

  “I couldn’t do it. I still couldn’t do it. Taking his life to save theirs. I was paralysed, just like I had been in the sewers when I messed up and almost got you killed,” Noelle said. “If Minh hadn’t intervened…” Noelle faltered, a sob wracking through her body.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Looking back at her actions… it began to make sense.

  Why Noelle had thrown herself into Coach Senju’s training.

  Why she had gone to such lengths for Carmen and Lucas after settling down in Megabuilding A3, and why Carmen had refused to tell her what had happened at the blockade.

  “I understand how you feel. Did you really think I wouldn’t?”

  Noelle blinked at her in surprise, but slowly shook her head.

  “I know it’s why you want to become a Ghostslayer. Does it still…”

  “Bother me? That my idiocy potentially led to my parents’ deaths, and that I ran when they kept the wraith away from me in their final moments?”

  Evantra let out a breath and wiped away the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

  “All the time. But back at the memorial… when I finally visited them.”

  Evantra trailed off, staring at the Hanging Gardens in the distance.

  “I accepted that there was nothing that I could do to change things. I needed to move on, forgive myself and to live the life that I want to live. I was trying desperately to live the life that they wanted for me… and not even particularly well,” she said with a slight smirk as she recalled her sermons.

  “Trevor,” Evantra said.

  Noelle froze, turning to Evantra.

  “He was living a life of penance too. That’s the whole reason he came to Wisptown. It was to make up for past mistakes. But even so… he was trying his best to be happy. Listen Noelle,” Evantra said, rising to her feet, recalling the words of a certain insane psychologist.

  “I won’t tell you what you should do with your life. It’s for you to decide. But just like you told me, throwing it away out of guilt isn’t going to achieve anything. I’ve tried to live by your advice, and I want you to do that too,” Evantra said softly.

  “But what if my inaction was why they died? My fucking cowardice,” Noelle sobbed, digging into the skin of her forearms, before Evantra halted the motion.

  “I’ve thought a lot about the sewers, you know? And whether it was right of me to blame you.”

  Noelle’s eyes widened as Evantra continued.

  “If you hadn’t been there… I would have stumbled across those salamanders all the same if I kept pushing deeper in, which I know I would have. Maybe I would have noticed them before they noticed me and retreated… which would have been unlikely. But I certainly would have died if you didn’t tell me their weakness.”

  “What… are you trying to say?”

  “We can blame ourselves all we want. Maybe we were to blame for some of the people who died in Caliburn’s attack because of our actions. But if we hadn’t intervened, Wisptown and everyone in it would be ash in a crater right now.”

  Evantra drew her friend into a tight hug, feeling her friend’s tears on her cheek.

  “I would be devastated if I lost Carmen and Lucas because of your actions, you’re right. Maybe I’d even blame you for a while… because I tend to do idiotic things like that a lot. But, I also know that you aren’t a soldier, Noelle. It wasn’t your duty to protect them. And I know for a fact that neither Carmen or Lucas hold it against you in the slightest. You heard what Carmen said, right?”

  Evantra’s voice trembled as her grip around Noelle grew tighter.

  “We’re family. And if you lost your life? I would be equally as devastated, you idiot. So don’t be so quick to throw it away.”

  They embraced for a while longer before Evantra sniffed, pulling away to wipe away her own tears.

  “You were much cooler when you didn’t cry,” Noelle whispered, wiping away her own tears.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “You had the silent and brooding thing going for you, and now I have to worry about you getting your snot all over me,” her friend said, rubbing at her neck, which was still red from Cecile’s efforts.

  “Noelle Laurent. The corpo heir who doesn’t mind dying but who can’t stand a little snot and tears,” Evantra snorted.

  “Thanks, Evantra,” Noelle whispered.

  “Is there anything else that’s on your mind? Because if there’s one thing that I’ve learned from this entire ordeal, it’s that I’m going to bug you if I think that there’s something you’re not telling me that will cause catastrophic consequences later down the track,” Evantra muttered, prompting a snort from Noelle.

  “There is something. But it won’t cause any catastrophic consequences. At least... it won't anymore.”

  Evantra glared at her, but Noelle only blushed, raising her hands to placate her.

  “Besides… now isn’t the time,” Noelle said with a glance towards the trunk leading to their floor. She smiled at Henri, who was casting them tentative glances with some medical supplies in his hands. It seemed like he had found what he had been searching for.

  “We’ll have a chat later. I’m sure we’ve got a lot to get done today.”

  ***

  Evantra watched as Henri gingerly tended to the abrasions around Noelle’s neck. It seemed as if Amelie had been busy in the weeks following her escape from Antoinne’s laboratory – raiding Demeteria’s bases in the Hanging Gardens for supplies. It seemed as if the Megacorporation had established numerous outposts, but most of which were quickly overtaken by the flora of the Gardens.

  “O-ouch.”

  Henri’s eyes widened like saucers, and he quickly drew away his hands from Noelle’s neck.

  “Don’t be such a baby. Would you like me to do it instead?” Evantra said. “There was this doctor with really great technique who treated me after the rotstag incident, remember that? Doctor Isabella Chen has great bedside manner.”

  Noelle blanched, knowing full well that Henri was being very gentle with her wounds. Evantra could see that Gustave was still giving Cecile a talk. Instead of the withering gazes that she expected the girl to direct their way, she was just staring blankly in the distance, some uneaten rations in her grip.

  “Thank you, Henri,” Noelle said. The young man beamed with pleasure as he packed away his equipment.

  “It is my pleasure, mon amie. It may sting for about a day. Continue applying the balm, I’m always here to help,” the young man said with a soft voice.

  Evantra was still struggling to overcome the dissonance of his huge, scarred frame and his innocent and gentle demeanour. She could tell that the man was very conscious of his imposing stature and very considerate with how he had treated Noelle. She also noticed that he startled easily at loud noises, and her thoughts returned to him cowering in his cell, his body curled up in on itself.

  “Mon amie… are you injured?” Henri said to Evantra.

  “I’m not… thank you, Henri. And don’t worry about her, she’s a drama queen,” Evantra said, before Noelle stuck her tongue out at her. She noticed that the man’s eyes were lingering on her weapons.

  “Do these… bother you?”

  Henri flinched at her words, confirming her suspicions. The young man gave her a brief smile before standing to his feet and turning away to return the medical equipment to his mother’s tent.

  He must be afraid of blades.

  It looks like Demeteria has done a number on his arms.

  “Would you like to see them?”

  Henri froze before turning back to Evantra.

  “I only ask because… I find that when I confront the things I’m afraid of head on… they become a little less scary.”

  Henri stared at her, and Evantra cleared her throat with embarrassment, turning the words she had said over in her mind. Noelle giggled, poking her in the side.

  “It’s actually kind of a problem. She loves ghosts. We have to hold her back before she runs straight for them.”

  “You’ve seen ghosts, mon amie? Plural?” Henri said in amazement, his eyes wide. Evantra returned a smile and a nod.

  “Two wraiths, one wisp, two poltergeists, two revenants, and a spectre…” Evantra trailed off as she mentally executed the arithmetic. “You know what, you might be right,” she muttered under her breath as Noelle grinned at her in victory.

  “You definitely have a problem!”

  “You are brave, I admire that,” he said softly, before seeming to remember himself. His olive cheeks coloured before he stood to his feet again, with one final glance at her weapons.

  “So! Benjamin tells me that you’ve had quite an entertaining day,” a voice called out from the trunk. They turned to watch as Amelie and her two nightcrawlers returned from their hunt, the creatures carrying the carcasses of animals in their jaws.

  Amelie greeted them with a wild grin.

  “Let’s eat!”