Nay exited the Legio school. She would have liked to honour her father’s body, but he would not have approved of her losing time to care about a lifeless corpse.

She did not know what to do.

Drenched in blood, anxiety gripping her core, it was a miracle for her to even be walking.

“Nay.”

“Trinne.” The Legio answered, almost by habit now.

The red-haired girl came out of the shadows. Nay had not even noticed her there.

Her friend could not hide her worry.

“Nay…where are they?”

“How do you know...?” Then Nay sighed. She was already happy enough to see a familiar face, she did not want to ask questions. “Inside…they are…” She could not finish her sentence.

“Professor Marke and the Commandare? Both of them?” Trinne went towards the entrance before adding: “Stay here Nay.” And she entered the school

Nay smiled bitterly. As if she could go somewhere in her current state.

When Trinne came back, a few minutes later, fear gripped her features.

“Nay…I am sorry to ask this of you but…I read some documents and I have to. Did you…?”

“What!?” The Legio shouted. “Of course not!” Her tears came back. “You think I’m a monster, just like everyone else.” Her knees gave out, and she almost fell. Trinne caught her.

“No. No, Nay. I am sorry, I should not have doubted you. You are my blade, after all. But I think I understand what happened, I know why the Commandare was asking those weird questions about the northern villages. I came to the same conclusion he did, as crazy as that sounds. An Angel is pursuing you,…a normal…human…and she kills with no distinction everything that stands in her way.”

The words were not comforting, but her friend’s arms cradling her, were.

Nay looked inside Trinne’s azure eyes.

“Trinne, I…”

She interrupted her. “Listen, you have to flee Gite. I’ll bring your belongings and you’ll go. Go find your family in Leïn. Even the Angel will not be able to face Jarl the Bohemian. I will follow you there.”

Nay looked at her with panic in her eyes.

“Don’t you worry, I won’t take the risk of staying here longer than necessary while a mythical creature comes to kill us all. I just need to evacuate a maximum of people before getting out myself.”

It was a good plan. Even if Nay knew she was going to have to make a detour south. Marke had told her his master could help. She believed him. But if that was not the case, Leïn was another option.

Still, before all that, she needed to do something. Before she could let someone else help her, she needed to say something.

“Trinne?” The young woman with deadly intelligence did not hear her, lost in thoughts. “Trinne.” The Legio repeated softly.

Her friend jumped.

“Sorry Nay. What is it?”

“It is not hunting a human.”

Trinne stared at her with a strange look. She did not say anything.

“I don’t think I am human.” Nay continued.

The blue eyes scrutinized her for a long moment.

“You are not a monster.” She said.

“But…but I’m not human.” The Legio confessed again.

Trinne caressed her cheek.

“I know Nay. I’ve known for weeks now.”

There was a moment with no words, where the night hid two women within its shadow.

“Now, get ready. You will have to flee. Flee far away. Never turn back. And you will need to run Nay. Run without stopping.”