There's no time to ask questions as he removes his hand slowly from my mouth, assured that I'm not going to scream. All I manage is to blink at him, in complete shock as his eyes scan the clearing behind me.

Elex is here. My heart drops into the pit of my stomach. Because if Elex is here, it means he definitely isn't alone.

"I'm going to get you out of here," he whispers, grabbing my arm and pulling me back into the treeline.

My arm brushes Fluffy's snout and she lifts her head slightly, eyes opening as she tilts her head at me. I pray she makes no sound.

Elex halts once we're sheltered at the edge of the clearing in the trees. My heart thrums in my chest, adrenaline pulsing through my veins.

"We'll have a small window as the sentries get on top of the distraction," he says, crouching low. "When I tell you to run, go and don't stop."

I nod. "Distraction?"

A smile creeps across his lips. "You'll see in three, two--"

Bang.

The sounds hammers through the trees, jolting me where I crouch. Two seconds later, and the trees start to blaze. In the clearing, the shifters start to wake, immediately jolting into action, not giving any time to their confusion. A shout calls over from the direction of the flames.

"This way."

Elex grabs my arm, pulling me backwards. I follow obediently, watching through the trees as the sentries' shadows dart at inhuman speeds in the direction of the fire.

Two skid to a stop in front of us, ragged breaths as they meet in the trees. "She's gone."

"What do you mean she's gone?"

"I mean the Cloud Piercer," he breathes. "She's gone."

There's a beat of silence where neither of them moves, and then one curses and they sprint back to the clearing, passing right by us.

My heart hammers as we creep through the shadows. I have to trust Elex. He won't be alone, and the prospect of Casimir being here propels me forward. He'll know what to do. He'll help me get Samu from the shifter camp. He'll help me heal him.

Samu.

The thought shatters my growing hope like a tonne of stones.

"Wait." I stop walking.

"What's wrong?"

I had a plan when I followed Killian and Lei, a plan that didn't anticipate straying from the party so soon. "The map," I say, "I have to get the map."

"What map?"

"The map back to Samu."

His brows furrow. "Freya, there isn't time."

"I'm not leaving without that map," I say, turning back. I know exactly where it is, tucked in the saddlebag at Fluffy's feet. I'd seen Killian and Lei using it whenever we stopped on the horses, eyeing the pinpoints marking their different locations.

"Freya--"

I head back before he can stop me. I'm not leaving Samu some place I can't find my way back to, not this time. Elex seems to realise he can't dissuade me, because he follows in the shadows as we reach the treeline once again.

I eye the clearing. Though the fire still rages, Lei thunders around the embers of the fire pit, picking up the saddlebag I'd used as a pillow as the chaos around her ensues. People argue. I pick up on a few of their words.

Cloud Piercer. Go. Escape.

But nobody looks near Fluffy. I take a shaky breath and creep around, letting her large body shield me from the view of the fire pit. The distraction, the flames, they climb higher in the sky, lighting the air a vibrant orange.

The saddlebag is right where I left it at her feet. I comb through it, pulling out the various garments Lei stuffed in the top. It doesn't take me long to find the map, but it feels like hours as the shouts grow louder, directions and orders handed out with one shared goal.

Find the Cloud Piercer.

As soon as it's in my hands, my heart settles. I turn back to the treeline where Elex waits, his hand poised on a dagger. He nods at me as I step towards him.

"Got it?"

I nod. "Let's go."

He opens his mouth to say something, but his expression shifts, gaze darting over my shoulder as he reaches out towards me. But somebody else grabs me first. A warm hand wraps around my wrist, spinning me around as my heart drops to the pit of my stomach.

Killian stands over me. The sleeves of his shirt are charred from flames, soot marking his face. But its his eyes that blaze as we stare at one another in the clearing, all the hope draining from my face.

Killian's eyes drift to Elex behind me, expression unreadable as he looks back at me. But my stomach sinks. Even with the two of us, he'd take us both down. My stomach fills with dread. If Elex gets captured, what would they do to him?

"Killian!" It's Lei, her voice shouting out from the fire pit. "Killian, she's gone!"

I'm frozen in his gaze. Seconds seem like hours until he releases his grip on my arm. I can't move, can barely breathe. He steps back, wordless as he stares at me in the darkness of the forest, a raging knight ready to ravage its revenge.

Elexs grabs my arm, yanking me backwards in the absence of Killian's grip. I nearly stumble over my own feet as he pulls me away, unable to tear my eyes from Killian's.

"Killian!" Lei's voice is closer now, coming up behind him. "Where did Freya go? Did you see her?"

"No." He answers without turning around, eyes still on me. "She's gone."

Elex presses his mouth to my ear and murmurs one word. "Run."

***

He let me go.

The thought thunders through my mind as the forest blurs around us. Elex clears the path, darting through the trees like its a predetermined dance. We've been running for at least 10 minutes, but he shows no signs of stopping. My lungs burn for oxygen as I heave, trying to keep up while the camp we left behind gets farther and farther away from the shifters. From Killian.

The remnants of his gaze still heats my skin. My upper arm where he held thrums with energy, the indents of his fingers leaving what feels like permanent marks. The wind thrashes through my hair. Stray branches snag the sleeves of my cape.

I don't stop despite the ache in my muscles. Clutching the map tightly in my hand, the thought of Casimir propels me forward. It's the only thing that keeps me from stopping to breathe, to think, to rest.

The uneven terrain declines, the Elel mountains a jagged backdrop as we propel down the hill through the dense forest. Blood pounds in my ears, rivalling the erratic thump of my heart.

We're outnumbered 15 to 2. They have horses. They have Killian. And yet the only feet pounding against the earth are ours.

As the terrain flattens out Elex slows to a walk, turning to glance at me over his shoulder. "I think we're okay. We've cleared enough ground."

"They have horses, they'll catch up easily if they find our trail."

"Don't worry," he says, "Jessenia and Jax are leading them in the opposite direction."

My stomach surges with emotions I can't place. It doesn't matter what direction the deserters try to mislead their trackers. Killian saw me; he watched us leave. He fills my mind, that determined look in his eyes, the unspoken confidence that can't be ignored. If Killian looks, he'll find me, I'm sure of that.

But he let me go.

"Hey." I flinch when Elex places a hand on my shoulder. "You okay?"

His dark brows furrow, warmth seeping into those chocolate eyes. I nod. "Just... surprised."

"Did they hurt you?"

"No, no. They didn't touch me."

It was only a few days ago when I was afraid of the same thing. But Killian wouldn't hurt me, and neither would any of the other shifters. Even if they wanted to, they think I'm the Cloud Piercer. Nobody would dare touch me.

He squeezes my shoulder, glancing up through the canopy of trees. Silver light slices through to the forest floor. "We should keep moving. We're not far from base."

"Base?" I ask. "Do you mean Veymaw?"

He shakes his head, continuing forward. "We had to relocate after what happened in the Palace."

My stomach tightens as he turns to look at me. "He's a shifter. Killian. He's not a deserter. He never was."

"I know," he says.

"How?"

"It's a long story," he says, "come on, let's keep moving. We'll explain everything soon."

We walk the rest of the way in silence, only halting twice at the rustling of nearby trees. But Elex dismisses both instances to the wind, his senses on high alert. We come to a stop at a fork in the path. Instead of choosing a direction, Elex continues forward off both paths, tactfully pushing aside the thick bush to allow me through. It takes another three minutes for us to reach a cave mouth carved into the face of the hill.

Following him inside, he takes my arm, guiding me through the pitched darkness around various loops and corners. Dampness hangs in the air, a stale smell lingering around us. After a couple more minutes, the paths begins to lighten, a lantern strung up against the wall guiding us forward.

Conversations waft towards us.

My heart thumps as we round the corner. The cave widens to a space the size of the lake in Veymaw, the ceiling donned with jagged, rock spikes facing the earth. The voices lull to a murmur, all heads turning to us in the entrance, most unfamiliar. In the centre, sitting atop a large boulder, is Trina.

My stomach tightens at the sight.

She rises to her feet, expression straight as she steps towards us, stopping mere feet away.

"Freya," she says, her eyes raking across my face. "Good to see you're alive."

"You too." I glance over her shoulder, scanning the unfamiliar faces. "Where's Casimir?"

"He's the one who started the fire," Elex says. I turn to look at him. "He should be here soon, don't worry."

The pit of anxiety in my stomach only grows as I shift from foot to foot. Weariness tugs on my bones, but I'm far too wired to rest, the adrenaline still pumping through my veins and contributing to the restlessness.

"How did you find me?" I ask.

"Pure luck, actually," Elex explains. "Jax and I were headed to Veymaw when we came across their camp. Saw you riding in on that horse with Killian."

"Last night?" I ask. He nods. "That was hours ago."

"We came back here to regroup. I knew Casimir would want to know."

"If you had--"

A small voice cuts me off. "Frey?"

I half turn, heart thumping as my eyes meet Casimir's. He stands at the entrance to the tunnel we came through, his chest rising and falling as if he's been sprinting as fast as we were. I scan him from head to toe, frozen to the spot. His clothes are black with soot, blonde hair a dirty brown.

"Cas, hey," I whisper.

It takes him less than three seconds to stride the space between us and tug me into his arms.