As if the coyote’s announcement was a signal, shouts rang out from the trees. The Gray Dawn warriors rushed in their direction, though Kellen, Nokom and Obishi stayed back by the fire.

“My sister?” Kellen asked.

The winged coyote’s grin faded. “I am sorry. She is not with them and they do not know what happened to her. The same is true of your mother, Earth Badger.”

Kellen could almost feel Obishi deflate next to him. It was Kellen’s worst prediction coming true, and probably the teenage boy’s too.

“It’s okay, buddy,” Vex said, nuzzling Kellen’s hand. “We’ll still find her.”

Numb, Kellen could only nod and pat Vex on the head as the Gray Dawn warriors returned to the firelight. In the middle of the group were three Storm Horse women, two men, and a boy. An older Fire Bison man and a man and woman from the Earth Badger Empire were with them as well. Several of the former slaves were crying. The Gray Dawn women had their arms around one of the men, and one of the women, while another — Night Rains — carried the boy in her arms.

Kellen found Shani across the firelight. He’d expected her icy mask to finally crack. Even though his sister wasn’t among the group, he couldn’t help but feel a measure of happiness for those reunited. Instead, she stared at the gathering with a blank, almost pained expression. While no one else watched, she slipped to the edge of the firelight, then disappeared into the darkness.

A hand fell on Kellen’s shoulder before he could decide if he wanted to follow her or not. It was Nokom.

“What happens now?” he asked. A dull ache was growing inside him, like he’d been punched in the stomach. “All of your missing people are here, aren’t they?”

Nokom shook her head. “Tadaats was killed. He escaped last night but his wound claimed him.”

“Oh. Sorry for your loss.” Kellen’s words sounded like he was hearing them outside of his body. Had Nokom come to tie him up? Would he really become a prisoner now that the band had accomplished what they set out for?

“Tama will not risk our people to hunt Ubira,” Nokom said. “But I think you already know this.”

Kellen nodded, still feeling as if his sense of feeling had abandoned him. “Will you look for the others? Did they say if anyone else escaped?”

“Someone saw your sister running away, that way,” Nokom said, pointing down the path toward the boulder field. “She was with a Fire Bison Boy, another Storm Horse girl, and a man they said was another spirit traveler. That is all they know, other than that she was in good health.”

Mind whirling, Kellen tried to sort out the avalanche of information. His hunch about the boulder field had been right. Maybe tomorrow he needed to search farther out in it. Maybe Allison hadn’t heard him. The slabs of rocks were like a jungle of stone. If they’d escaped into them, the chances of Ubira finding the group in the short time before he’d left were small.

“But we don’t know if the tracks led out too,” Vex said.

The little fox was right, but Kellen didn’t want to think about that. As much as he wanted to believe Allison had escaped and way hiding or on the run, he couldn’t let his wishes get the better of him. He was gambling with her life.

“I think Tama can be persuaded to stay a day or two,” Nokom said. “But the autumn will soon descend to the plains and winter comes close behind. Ira can help in the morning but I need your promise tonight that you will do nothing rash.”

Kellen sensed Nokom’s request was more than it appeared. What she really wanted to know was his assurance that if they didn’t find Allison in two days, he wouldn’t cause problems. Kellen’s first instinct was to argue, but he thought better of it. If he pushed back now, they might put a watch on him. It was better to play along. Everything was happening so fast and each moment seemed to spiral farther out of Kellen’s control. His chest grew tight.

“Whoa, what’s wrong?” Vex asked as Kellen lowered himself to the ground, gasping for air.

“I think…” Kellen gaped like a fish jerked out of the river. “I think I’m having a panic attack.”

“Calm yourself,” Nokom said. “Reach for your mana and channel it through you. That will help.”

For several seconds, Kellen struggled to do anything but hyperventilate. After a sip of water and more encouragement from Vex, he gained enough control to tap into his mana and refresh himself. As the mana trickled through him like a warm drink on a cold day, he felt his heart slow and the pressure on his chest release.

“I think it would be best for you to sleep,” Nokom said. “Even a beastcaller needs good rest.”

Kellen nodded. Even with the pulse of mana he’d sent through his body, he still felt so tired, like chains draped over his arms, legs, and chest.

“We will talk more in the morning,” Nokom said, as if reminding Kellen of the conversation they’d had. “I will see what I can do about Tama.”

Just like that, Kellen and Vex found themselves alone on the far side of the fire. The reunion had died down now, and Gray Dawn was handing out food and water for the slaves. Most had settled down into small groups, except for those that weren’t from the Storm Tribe. Kellen spotted Obishi talking to the other Earth Badger captives and the Fire Bison man. No doubt he was asking for word of his mother. Kellen wrapped himself in his blanket and found a comfortable spot on the edge of the fire. He wanted to stay close enough for warmth, at the risk of someone speaking to him. So of course it wasn’t long before Obishi sat down.

“My mother was taken by Ubira,” he said. “I asked about your sister, but no one seemed to know. It sounds as if she may have escaped.”

“Sounds like it,” Kellen said, then comprehended the rest of Obishi’s words. “I’m sorry about your mother. What are you going to do?”

Obishi nodded his head toward the Earth Badger man and woman. “They are friends of my uncle, not family. They are sorry but have no desire to follow Ubira into the mountains. In the morning, I will go on alone, if I have to.”

Knowing that Obishi had admitted he was not a warrior, Kellen didn’t think the boy’s chances of finding his mother, let alone rescuing her, were very high. He didn’t mention it aloud. Unsure how to respond, Kellen nodded. He felt drained, physically and emotionally, with nothing left to carry on a conversation. Obishi seemed to sense it and rose.

“Thank you for your help tonight.”

At first, Kellen couldn’t figure out what the boy was thanking him for, until he remembered the half dozen rocks he’d hauled for the cairns. It hadn’t been much, and he told Obishi so.

“Either way, I recognized it,” the boy said.

A heavy silence fell as Obishi walked away. Even Vex seemed to lack his usual energy and wit.

“I’ve got your back, whatever we decide to do,” the little fox said, looking up at Kellen with his big green eyes.

Kellen summoned the last of his will to give Vex a small smile. He felt suddenly overwhelmed and his eyes moistened. Despite the Mana Beast’s quirks, Vex had been there every step of the way. And now they faced a crossroads together.

“I know,” Kellen said, voice wavering. “Now let’s get some sleep.”

He closed his eyes, trying not to let jealousy eat at him. Tonight, the others were together with their loved ones. Somehow, they’d overcome the odds and found them. But Allison was still out there, still in Ubira’s clutches, still in danger. Still lost. It felt like watching someone else win the lottery after you’d saved up to help them pay for a ticket, except Kellen didn’t have anything in return. Worse yet, he knew they might have to sneak away to continue on their quest. He wondered if Gray Dawn would come after him.

Frustration drove the exhaustion away. Kellen had never felt to helpless and trapped. What should he do? What was the right thing to do? How would he know? There was no room for error.

At his side, Vex gave him a reassuring nuzzle, sensing his embroiled emotions. “We’ll figure it out,” the little fox said.

How, Kellen wanted to ask? Instead, he sighed and nodded, hoping Vex thought he was at least a little confident. Inside, he felt nothing but a bottomless well of despair. One by one, the others settled down and the conversations with friends and family catching up and trading stories faded. Soon the camp was quiet, save for the pop of the campfire and the occasional sigh or cough from those on sentry duty. Vex fell asleep in Kellen’s lap, leaving Kellen alone with his thoughts and questions.

He was so lost in his thoughts it was a miracle he didn’t scream when the hand gripped his shoulder. Heart in his mouth, Kellen twisted around and came face to face with Shani. The hand that wasn’t gripping him held a finger to her lips. Vex let out a snort and rolled off of Kellen’s lap but remained asleep. Kellen glanced around. The others on guard duty were facing out into the night a short distance away so the light of the fire wouldn’t ruin their vision.

“What is it?” Kellen asked in a whisper.

Shani glanced around the fire, checking to make sure everyone was asleep so they wouldn’t be overheard.

“I went a short distance up the mountain pathway before night fell,” she said. “And I found this.”

Removing her hand from his shoulder, she reached into a pouch and withdrew something. Whatever it was, her fist hid it from view. She held her hand out, a gesture for Kellen to take it. Half-expecting a scorpion or some danger, Kellen extended his palm. Shani opened her hand, and a small crumpled up bundle of string fell into Kellen’s hand. For a moment, he couldn’t understand why Shani would have bothered to give him string. Then he looked closer.

The cord was tied at both ends, and the tips ended in crimped plastic. Something had chewed on the ends. There was no mistaking it for anything but a shoelace or the drawstring of a hoodie. And Kellen knew right away who’d chewed the ends out of boredom. It was the drawstring from Allison’s hooded sweatshirt.

Kellen tried to piece together what he was holding and seeing. Allison or someone else would have had to pull to string free from her hood. They didn’t just fall out, especially with the ends tied, so it didn’t get lost inside the hood if one side was yanked on. No, Allison had left it as a sign, and the fact it was on the trail leading to the mountains could only mean that she’d been recaptured. At least, that was what Kellen told himself he had to believe. The back of his mind argued there could be a hundred different explanations for Shani finding the string.

The chances were good that Allison had gone into the mountains. Great, considering Kellen had no other leads. Five minutes before Kellen would have given anything for a clue like the one he held. His eyes rose from the hoodie string to Shani.

“They will not let us go into the mountains,” she said. “And now we have found our people, my mother will not risk following Ubira. You and I have not finished what we set out to do, beastcaller. Will you come with me?”

“What about the totem?” Kellen asked. “Won’t your mother want to go after it? I don’t really understand, but it sounded like it was worth a fortune.”

Shani shook her head. “She will not risk it. This is the only way.”

Kellen’s first impulse was to say yes. Then he realized it was an impulse and stopped himself. He reasoned that, with solid proof, Nokom could persuade Tama to continue after Ubira and Allison. How good were those odds? Better than him and Shani working as a duo, Kellen bet.

When he realized the mind trap he’d fallen back in, Kellen almost laughed. It wasn’t a new thing — he’d over analyzed more decisions in his life than he cared to admit. Now was the time for action. Allison depended on him.

Kellen met Shani’s painted face and stern eyes. “I’ll go.”