"Do you think you can practice and walk at the same time?" Rina asked and nudged the Prince with her elbow. It had been some time since they had practised properly, what with Nerin not talking for a couple of days. He hadn't done much in that time except walk and eat and sleep.

He shrugged at her. "Don't I need to be getting my stance right?" he asked her, eyes narrowed and brow furrowed.

"I know you can do your stance," she said with a shake of her head. "You need to start working on swings and being able to do them while moving, even if you're not doing the stance correctly. If you can do your stance, then do it, but focus on your swings and your blocks."

He was slowly getting better, but it was taking a lot of time. It was understandable, the style of the Warriors of Ziya took years to learn and she was trying to rush him through it as best she could. They didn't have much time to teach him now that war was coming, but she would still do her best, with Emrick's help, of course.

The halfling was a far better fighter than she had ever expected, but not the best teacher in the realm. It wasn't as though she could complain about it, there was no one else that could help her teach him, no one who could teach her either. He knew formations that only the strongest of the Warriors of Ziya knew, formations that her instructors would never teach her. She would learn them from him.

For the last few nights, she'd dreamed of returning home amid war and showing her instructors and family just how wrong they'd been. She'd needed to learn the advanced formations, maybe if she had, she wouldn't have been caught by Jonin back at the laboratory. Maybe, she could have killed him right then and there.

Nerin's worried grunt pulled her back to reality. "I suppose I can try it," he said, but he didn't sound at all enthusiastic about it. There were dark bags under his eyes and his skin was pale. The lack of sleep was a constant thing for all of them and wouldn't go away until their journey was finally over.

He had a thin tree branch attached to his belt, stripped of leaves and thinner twigs. It wasn't the best substitute for a sword, but he wasn't ready for a real one yet. That wouldn't be for a while, not until he was used to the basic attacks and blocks, which took a long time to get right in the best of circumstances.

She didn't bother practising with him and settled for watching him swing as they walked. A chuckle escaped her throat the first time Nerin hit himself in the knee with his stick. He glared at her and the sound of her laughter caught the attention of the two men walking ahead of them.

"Do you want us to stop?" Isiah asked, a hint of amusement in his eyes. Emrick was laughing silently next to him, only made worse when Nerin hit himself again.

Rina shook her head. "No, it's alright," she answered. "We need to keep moving if we're going to find this place."

Isiah hummed in agreement and stared at the edge of the cliff in irritation. "It would be easier if the tide would actually go low when we could see," he said and kicked at a tuft of grass poking out of the snow.

The only time the tide had gone low was during the night when the clouds were thick and there was no moonlight to see by. It had been almost impossible for her to see during the night, but Emrick had still walked along the cliff edge of any chance of finding the Sanctum. She'd wanted to beg him to move away from the edge, lest he fall, but he never seemed to have an issue.

They still had no idea where they were going. All she knew was that they needed to head west. She didn't want to go near the cliff edge, even being a few metres away made her sick to her stomach. The crashing waves only made it worse, reminding her of what lay below should her or one of the others make a mistake.

Heights had never been something she was comfortable with. The palace in Ziya had been huge and a lot of the rooms she was allowed to be in were in the tops of the tallest towers, which hadn't been the best for her. One holiday when she was younger had taken her and her brother Benj to see the crystal pillars. A ledge had been built into the tallest one and her parents had decided that it was a good idea to take her up there. It hadn't been and she'd almost vomited over the side.

If only the others would stay away from the edge, but there was no way they could if they wanted to find Askarune's Sanctum. According to Nerin's book, it was built into the cliff face, meaning that when they did eventually find it, she would have to traverse the cliff edge. The idea made her heart leap into her throat. Surely she could wait up on the cliff while they went.

"This is harder than I thought," Nerin muttered and she chuckled again. He wasn't doing too poorly, considering everything, but he was better at it when they weren't walking. However, he did need to learn with a little extra challenge. He listened well and with a lot of time and practice, he would make a good warrior. He'd never be a Warrior of Ziya, none of them would, but it didn't matter all that much, as long as they knew how to fight.

She smiled at him. "You'll get used to it," she replied with a shrug. "Emrick!"

Snow crunched loudly under his feet when he turned to look at her. "Is everything alright?" he asked, a worried frown pulling at his lips.

"Yes, everything's fine. I just wanted to know if you could teach me some of the more advanced moves when we stop for the night," she said. She hadn't gotten a chance to ask him since they met, worried that her earlier judgement of him would ruin her chance. But his acceptance of who she was made her a little more open to asking.

He nodded and smiled at her. "Aye, I can do that."

Nerin nudged her with his shoulder, looking up at her with a confused frown. "You don't know the advanced moves?" he asked, his voice both judgemental and curious at the same time.

"I'm a Princess, Nerin, we're supposed to be gentle, not warriors, even if I will be Queen of Minisia someday," she answered and didn't bother to hide the anger from her voice. It was unfair, not being able to be a real Warrior of Ziya. Her father wasn't either, but he still had more training than her. The only person in her family that would be was Benj, and only became he wasn't the next in line for the throne.

"That- Minisia is a strange place," Nerin said, but Rina wasn't listening completely. Emrick had stopped a little ways ahead of her, leaving Isiah to walk on his own. He stared out in the distance, at the line of trees opposite the ocean, his brow crinkled in confusion.

She hurried to reach him, anxiety swirling in her gut. "Emrick, what's wrong?" she asked, dreading whatever answer he gave.

He pointed at the tree line. "There are people in the forest," he said and she squinted in an attempt to find what he was talking about. All she could see were the branches waving in the wind, but the trees were so far away that the movement of the branches could have been people as well.

"Are you sure?" she asked as Isiah and Nerin stopped nearby. There didn't look to be anyone else out there, but they could be well hidden.

"No," Emrick said with a shake of his head. "But I'd rather not wait around to find out."

"I agree," Isiah said and took a step backwards. "We should keep moving."

Nerin placed his stick back into his belt. "Who do you think it is?" he asked.

Emrick shook his head and walked west again, occasionally looking back at the trees. "I hope it's someone who lives nearby, but according to the map, there are no towns out here," he said and drummed his fingers against his leg.

"A search party then?" Rina suggested, the thought alone causing nervousness to fill her veins. Her heart dropped into her stomach and a hand reached for her sword. They had all known that Harudan wouldn't let them wander the world freely, but he hadn't sent Jonin out after them. They were lucky to get as far as they had without being caught by someone. "I can cast another illusion, just in case." If they laid down, she could blend them in with the snow, but it would be freezing and if they were stepped on, it would give them away instantly.

Then the sound of dogs barking reached her ears. "I don't think that's going to help," Emrick said as he sped up. "They've already seen us." Casting another scent illusion like she had back when Jonin had almost caught them wouldn't work a second time around, not when the dogs had already seen them.

"Time to go," she said and rushed forward. Her hand was still on her sword, ready to pull it from its sheath the moment she needed it. Nerin was by her side, worry on his young face and a hand on his stick. He shouldn't fight, but if she tried to tell him, he would rebel and do it anyway.

Her fear of the cliffs and the height didn't matter when faced with someone trying to kill them. There was no way they could get away from them, but it wasn't Jonin, so they could stop and fight. It was what she should do, but despite the fact that she had killed multiple people, she was still scared when faced with the possibility of her own death.

Isiah panted next to her and fiddled with his coat pockets. "What are you going to do?" she asked, her breath coming out in short gasps.

The stone sat like a candle flame in his palm and he frowned down at it as he ran. What was he going to do? He wouldn't hurt anyone, even though as the Beast, that was his job, so what could he possibly do? He met her eyes for only a second, shying away and making her frown in disapproval.

The dogs barked again, louder, closer. They raced from the trees, black a night and teeth as sharp as blades. Four people followed behind them, clad in silver armour and each holding a shining sword in their hands. She sucked in a breath that stung her teeth, her knuckles white against the hilt of her sword. It wouldn't take them long to catch up; the snow was thick and hard to walk through.

She winced when a bright light shot from the stone in Isiah's hands. Flame flew backwards, creating a wall between their little group and their attackers. "A little warning, Isiah!" Emrick yelled behind her as the flames roared to life and dashed towards the cliff edge.

The dogs whined loudly, but they were okay. Even though they were hidden by the wall of flame, they would be fine. Isiah wouldn't allow them to be hurt. She wouldn't maim a dog either, they were innocent creatures. As for the people who had the choice to do what they did, she would make sure they never laid a finger on any of them.

The fire wouldn't stop their attackers for long, and running wasn't going to do anything but delay the inevitable fight and stop them from searching for the Sanctum. She stopped, skidded across the snow and pulled Emrick to a stop with a tight grip on his arm. The flames danced in front of her, twice her height and far deadlier than she could ever hope to be.

"Isiah!" she yelled. "Bring down the flames before you set everything on fire!"

"I can control it better than that," he replied, his voice quiet over the crackle of the flames and the roar of the waves below.

She groaned in irritation. "Are you going to hurt them?" she asked, whirling around to glare at him. He was huddled away from her and Emrick, Nerin standing in front of him as if to guard him. Isiah shook his head, his eyes wide as if the meer idea terrified him. It probably did. "Then pull down the flames so that we can!"

The fire disappeared in an instant, shooting back to Isiah's outstretched hand and taking the heat with them. The ground left behind was scorched and dead, the only sign that there had been a fire in the first place. Running back towards their owners were the dogs, terrified by the flames. At least she hadn't needed to kill them, she wouldn't forgive herself if she had done it.

But Isiah's powers hadn't deterred their Ishini attackers, who still ran at them. She gulped and ignored how difficult it was to do so. She couldn't tell a single thing about them. Their face, their gender, the colour of their skin, it was all hidden by the thick armour they wore, but even so, their desire to kill was as plain as day.

She could take them, she would have to if she wanted Isiah to get the second stone. There were no words traded when their attackers reached them and the clash of metal almost made her jump out of her skin. She gritted her teeth at the armour covered face before her and stepped to the side. Her weight shifted and the person stumbled forwards, the perfect opening. They were dead in the snow before the other three could join the fray, their blood vibrant against the white.

One of them ran past her but before she could follow and a third stood in front of her, the hint of a sneer visible under the gap in their helmet. She took a deep breath and steeled herself. She could do it, she would do it. Blocking the person's attacks was easy; all their movements were simple but strong swings of their sword. But their defence was harder to break through. They kept themselves well guarded and their openings and blindspots shielded from her snake-like movements.

The snow was slippery under her boots and one wrong move would send her to the ground. She planted her feet a little further apart, readying her blade for the oncoming swing. She grunted with the effort of blocking it and parried, lunging for a gap in their armour.

They jumped back with a laugh but she still felt the resistance of flesh under her blade. Another step back and someone grunted behind her. Emrick's back pressed against hers and she stiffened. The fight wasn't going all that well for either of them, but they could make it work.

She yelped when a hand pulled her to the side and she slipped on the snow. The tip of a blade hovered in the air where she had been, held by the knight that had been facing off against Emrick. Rina hissed in a breath and nodded at the sweat-sheened face of her friend. He'd just saved her life, again.

By the body of the first and only dead member of the little search party, were Nerin and Isiah. The boy had a sword in his hands, clean and far too big for his little body. There was fire in Isiah's hands again as he shouted something she couldn't hear at the final knight. Useless threats most likely, he wouldn't do a thing until either she or Emrick stepped in.

They couldn't do that until they'd dealt with their attackers. Both knights faced them, identical expressions of malice in their eyes. Rina held her sword at the ready, waiting for any chance to strike. Emrick had his lowered, but she didn't dare question him about it. She couldn't get distracted, not ever.

Before she could move a muscle, Emrick dashed forward, his feet barely making an imprint in the snow. The blade glinted in the light of the fire as it moved, slicing through the gap in one of the knight's armour. They sounded as surprised as she looked as they moved one hand to rest of the blood that gushed from their stomach, then dropped with a thud in the snow.

For only a second as the other knight watched the first die, his stance relaxed and his sword lowered. It wasn't much, but it was enough. In that single second, Rina ran for him and batted his sword out of the way with her own. He gasped, but there wasn't enough time for him to react before she moved again. Blood dripped from the tip of her sword when it came out of his back, slow and thick.

She smirked down at the two bodies at her feet, but a pained cry knocked her away from her pride. Nerin was on the ground, clutching at his stomach and staring as the knight stalked past him. Isiah stared in shock, his flames sputtering at the tips of his fingers. They were further than Rina had first thought, too far for her to reach, but she had to try anyway.

She was only a few feet from them when a scream stopped her. It wasn't Isiah, it wasn't the knight, but Nerin. Nerin, with two hands on a blade far too heavy, rushed for the knight and before Rina could open her mouth to stop him, plunged it into their back with far more strength than he should have.

The world froze for a few seconds, even the crashing of the waves silenced. Then everything happened at once. Emrick reached Nerin and pulled him away, the sword still stuck in the falling knight's back. Isiah's flames fell from his fingers and melted the snow, and the knight fell into them with a groan. He didn't bother to pull them back but let them lick at the person and their armour.

Rina took the few steps between them on shaky legs. "Nerin," she whispered, but she couldn't look away from the dead body. Four of them lay in the snow, but only three of them had been killed by her and Emrick. It should have been all of them.

Emrick left the boy to stamp the flames out and hold out a hand to the fallen Isiah. "Gods, Isiah, are you alright?" he asked when the man stood, panicked.

"I'm- Don't blaspheme," Isiah replied as his gaze flicked between the dead knight and Emrick.

"Is that really your top priority right now?" Emrick asked, his eyes crinkling. He ran a hand through his hair. "Were you injured?"

Rina tuned them out and walked over to where Nerin stood. "Nerin, look at me," she said and tilted his chin away from the nearby body. There were tears in his eyes and he held his bottom lip between his teeth. "Are you alright?"

It took him a moment to move, but when he did, it was a small shake of his head. "I didn't realise it would be like that," he whispered, choked.

"Killing someone?" she asked and her brow furrowed when he nodded. "It's awful but necessary."

He wrapped his arms around his torso, shaking. "I don't know if I can do that again," he told her, his voice raspy.

"That's up to you," Emrick said as he walked over to them, Isiah trailing behind him. "If you don't want to do it anymore, we will understand. There is no shame in hating it, Nerin."

The boy didn't look at either of them but at Isiah. "I just wanted to help," he said and the first tears spilt from his eyes. He was far too young for what he had done. She should have moved faster, shouldn't have let him kill, not yet.

Isiah placed a hand on his shoulder and crouched down in front of him. "You did. You saved my life," he said and brushed away the tears with his sleeve. "Thank you." Nerin only sobbed in response, too shaken to get any words out.

She gave the bodies of the knights one last glance. "Think on it, Nerin. If you want to stop, then we stop, but take some time to think about it," she said. "For now, we should keep moving. It will snow again soon and cover the bodies. No one will know."

None of them argued with her. They gathered their things and took the first few steps away from the blood and carnage they had caused. Nerin sobbed as he walked and none of them stopped him. In the back of her mind, Rina wished that she had been given the chance to cry over the lives she'd taken, but even after such a short time, they no longer mattered to her. What truly mattered was their survival and Isiah's stones.

If only she'd been able to spare Nerin for a little while longer, get him used to the idea that he would have to kill. Of course, he had known when they'd started that it was what would happen, but no one was truly ready for it, especially someone as young and kind as him. If he continued training, she would get him properly ready for it. If he didn't, she would help him learn to live with murder. All three of them would help her, all three of them had killed. They were a group of murderers now.