Vikiana keeps following as I make my way towards the four Templars who have stopped for lunch as they wait for us to arrive. I thought I would be nervous to brazenly show up to meet Amand but I have trouble taking that seriously with my mother-in-law to deal with.

“The Order won't overlook a rebellion, Jessica.” She warns me.

“Indeed.” I reply. We expect that but not quite in the same way as you. “Although I wonder how that will affect your daughter.”

“Unlike you, Leomi isn't as thoughtless as to pick a fight with Caeviel without legitimate support from Telnur.” Vikiana replies calmly. I'm so surprised I stop where I stand.

She's already made an alliance? No, she said 'support' so it's more likely a simple deal she made through a representative when they sent merchant ships... no, she didn't know when the Rykz war would end back then.

More recently then, she acted from Port-Odo after the peace. Leomi is counting on Telnur to fund the army she's gathering in spring. It would explain why Cecil thinks there will be a famine.

Leomi is borrowing money to buy grain and expand the Hospitaliers while depending on Telnur and Kruzser to bankroll her army. Not enough time has passed for her to receive an answer from the south but there is no need for her to wait, they will agree.

Not only will they agree, but I'm pretty sure they'll prepare supplies on the northern point of Telnur. Vikiana's mount trots in front of me. I throw her a look and wonder whether the crow's feet at the corner of her eyes are new or were always there.

“You're growing old, Vicky.” I speak up. “Leomi didn't tell me the specifics but she did warn me she's making deals with Nobility, your attempt at throwing a wedge is meaningless.” She squints but doesn't respond.

I walk around her to resume making my way to the four Templars, estimating I'll reach them in fifteen minutes. I would rather not Vikiana talk to them first so I think quickly to find a way to keep her around if she tries to go ahead without me.

“Aren't you afraid to deliver yourself to the Order? I could sell you out.” Vikiana says from behind.

“You could always sell me out, proximity doesn't change a thing.” I note.

“It makes it easier to capture you alive.” She replies.

“Good luck with that.” I chuckle.

“You have a lot to live for now.” Vikiana counters flatly. I frown because she's right.

“If you want to betray me, the sealed case I'm carrying has all the proof you need to expose my identity.” I tell her to put an end to her bluff.

“... You can't bring it.” She tells me urgently.

“Why?” I ask, amused.

“You know why it's too risky.” She replies, leading her mount to block my way. “If you want to meet Master Amand, you'll have to leave your luggage and weapons behind.”

I roll my eyes at her despite the fact she's right to point out this hole in my plan, making her frown in displeasure. I grab the case's straps and deposit it standing in the snow before signaling Vikiana to approach. She helps me tie my luggage on her horse's croup.

“I don't think you believe in what you said about sins.” I speak up as we depart. “At the very least, you aren't so stupid as to believe one can bear another's.”

“The oath only invokes those sins we share responsibility for. Your turn to the Rykz is partly my fault, making much of what you've done related to me.” She explains calmly.

“Are you lying to me?” I ask directly.

“What possible purpose would that serve?” She responds with a loud but short scoff. “There is no deception in my words when I tell you that a company of my brethren will hunt us down if neither of us dies within a year.” That does not mean there was no deception in your previous explanation. We won't be getting anything from her.

“A company?” I question.

“A hundred Templars.” She replies shortly.

“You could be lying to me to scare me off, or test me, or restrain my actions.” I tell her.

“It is a test.” She utters coldly. “I need not deceive you to test you and I never casually lie, even when it is required to accomplish my tasks.”

“Unless Leomi is involved.” I mutter under my breath.

It always comes back to this with Vikiana and that makes it difficult to understand why she's doing this. She could simply have let them hunt me while protecting her daughter if she didn't want to kill me personally.

She clearly has very different values from mine so she shouldn't be helping me, especially since she doesn't understand the fact we can be attracted to each other and wants her daughter to continue their line.

Is she using this to trick me into ending our relationship in a way Leomi won't be able to protest because it all depends on what I do? We can simply beat all those who come to us and then defeat her if she somehow acknowledges us as worthy before she tries to sacrifice herself for us.

“Good day, Miss, Vikiana. I am Templar Nahl.” A Templar calls out from their camp, surprising me.

Nahl is a bit taller than me, making him above average. He is relatively handsome with his classic black hair and brown eyes. The Templars, three men and a woman, wear hard leather armor with chain-mails and silver lion head tabards. They are frequently looking to my left side with quizzical expressions but they likely can't discern much or they wouldn't merely be curious.

“Hello, my name is Jessica Freepath, you can call me Jessica! Vicky is escorting me to Master Amand because I have a grievance with my village's Templar to report.” I cheerfully call out as we close the distance.

“This is Exemplar Vikiana, Miss Jessica.” The Templar quickly corrects me with wide eyes.

“Ah! My apologies, Dame Vicky!” I exaggeratedly exclaim as I look up to Vikiana.

She is glaring at me with a stiff face. The four Templars are nervously glancing at the two of us, apparently expecting her to harshly correct me. They grow more and more surprised as she doesn't. She's smart enough to know I'll keep yanking her chain if she does, after all.

“So, Vicky told me I should report my village's temple guard if he has strayed from the Order's guidelines. Is that right?” I ask them with a wide grin.

“Uh, yes?” Nahl replies questioningly. “The Temple in Meria would be more suitable but I assume you live nearby so it was more convenient for you to be brought here.” He says uncertainly as he glances at the still silent Vikiana.

“That is the case.” She utters with a gruff voice.

“Is the issue so grave you must meet with the Master?” Nahl asks me seriously.

“I wouldn't know.” I hurriedly shake my head. “Vicky told me it was alright, but I can tell you... if that's okay.” I tell them nervously.

“Cut it out, Jessica.” Vikiana barks.

The Templar who was about to reassure me snaps his mouth shut at her outburst. I throw my mother-in-law an annoyed glance and slap her horse's romp, making it jerk to the side. She swears as she struggles to regain control of the mount.

“Come on, they were completely buying my peasant girl act!” I complain.

“Which would have backfired as soon as you sat down for lunch.” She replies flatly. “And call me Vikiana.” She adds between grit teeth.

“Um...” Nahl hesitantly intervenes.

“I'm not exactly here about my village's temple guard.” I admit before throwing a spiteful remark at Vicky. “Not that you would know.” She turns her gaze to the horizon, snubbing me.

“Then what is this about, Ms?” Nahl asks, showing he's losing patience by shortening the title he's addressing me by.

“First, let's make sure that sitting down at your fire won't backfire.” I tell him with a teasing tone.

The Templar blinks. My rapid change of moods seems to further put him off-balance so I wait a few moments for him to settle before opening my winter cloak to show the array of weapons around my waist. The Templars' eyes grow so big I fear they'll fall off, but their traits grow somber as they notice I'm missing a left breast and arm.

“I have a bit of skill with these, I can take them off if you want.” I tell them. Nahl stares blankly for a while before throwing a look to Vikiana who doesn't pull her eyes from the horizon or even react in any discernible way.

“That doesn't seem necessary, Miss Jessica.” He tells me after a beat. “Were you injured in the occupation?” He asks gently while holding his hand out to the fire in order to invite me.

“Yes.” I answer with a simple shrug.

I pull one of their mats closer to the flames and settle down with my hand extended out to warm it up. The four Templars join me while Vikiana hops off her horse and leaves it with their mounts.

“Do you require the Alemplars?” Nahl questions.

“No need, t'was but a burn and a few cuts that have already healed.” I reply with a giggle. “I was young and unarmed.” I tell them, reminiscing my long-lost youth. “Their scouts can deliver quite the wallop with their pointy sticks so I tried to wrestle one from behind.”

“Ah.” Nahl says with a grimace. “That type of Rykz is indeed dangerous, as much as a warrior during a charge or in very close proximity.”

“They pack some heat, I'll give you that.” I reply with a smile, not really agreeing with his assessment because warriors are a lot stronger and their Vuskyt armors are better than the chitin carapace of the scouts.

“The Kingdom is fortunate the insects haven't resorted to scorched earth tactics as they can set fire to all that they trample, humans, animals, and plants alike.” One of the other temple guards speaks up with a dark tone, likely because he saw my disagreement.

“Indeed.” I agree with a grimace at the image. “Don't try to wrestle one because you'll suffer long before you manage to rip their head off.” I tell them with a serious expression.

“Jessica.” Vikiana calls me out with a pained groan.

“What?!” I exclaim, feigning ignorance. “It's good advice! My friends were adamant I not forget it.”

“No one is crazy enough to do that, Miss Jessica.” Nahl helpfully informs me. “Thank you for the warning, but your friends were likely teasing you.” I look to my mother-in-law as my lips twist into a corner smile.

“Jessica is.” Vikiana mutters with a sigh. “She is speaking from experience, although I cannot fathom what the point is.”

“I was told I need to be more social so I'm trying very, very hard!” I tell her with a merry inflection to my voice.

“You charged, a scout? Unarmed? And you ripped its, head off? While on, fire?” Nahl asks with a stutter, clearly baffled.

“I had to, it didn't even pick me a bouquet of flowers before it tried to fry me for lunch.” I reply without blinking. “I don't have high standards...” Vikiana flinches at my words. “But I do expect a minimum.”

Two of the Templars start laughing at Nahl's befuddlement at my exploit and levity. The last one, who intervened earlier, remains silent and inexpressive. I break my facade and let a chuckle escape me but keep my attention on Vikiana.

She is frowning but, after having spent so many hours observing Leomi to learn everything there is to know about her, it doesn't escape me that her left dimple rose a bit. It's a small but important detail.

“So, how did the two of you meet?” Nahl asks to change the subject.

“I know her daughter.” I tell him with a wink. He blinks and his cheeks grow a bit rosy, enhancing his handsome face by giving it some life. “To be frank, I have several reasons to meet with Master Amand. One of which is my concern about the evil that could befall my business.”

The mood drops like a stone. While Vikiana freezes, the Templars' expressions turn sharp and difficult. I'm unpopular. It's a tough world out there sister, at least they don't look like they hate you.

“Surely things aren't so urgent that you don't have the time to enjoy lunch with us, Miss Jessica.” Nahl tentatively speaks up.

“Of course, I merely seek to acquire some protection.” I tell them with a smile. “Storms don't occur spontaneously after all, there are dark clouds on the horizon but I haven't heard the thunder that precedes lightning.”

“Jessica, sometimes disasters strike without warning.” Vikiana tells me with a tight voice, evidently telling me I'm pushing my luck by taunting her brethren.

I nod at her like her words contain the apex of wisdom and hold my tongue. I've done enough here for her to look down on me, saying any more could expose my scheme. I really, really, want to spar with her.

Bad idea, she doesn't know how far we've come so it's best to keep an element of surprise for ourselves. That won't work against her, it would be best to use her to further sharpen our skills.

“Well, the food is ready so let's eat!” Nahl suddenly exclaims, breaking the tension.

The meal goes on without incident, there is some banter but I hold off on further antagonizing Vikiana. It gets awkward when she explains that she is no longer an Exemplar but they aren't very surprised by the revelation.

Her status had been hanging from a thread for a long time after she stole pheromone vials and the sword at her waist is clearly not that of an Exemplar or Templar so they likely already had an inkling about what happened.

Nahl's stew turns out to be so good that Elizabeth changes her opinion of him as a nice handsome guy to a very important character to keep an eye on. It helps a lot that he comes from a village like mine located at the south-eastern point of the Izla.

We split an hour after lunch, they give us directions to the Order's camp where Master Amand is staying at and resume their patrol. Ironically, they point us to the Rykz city which means we didn't even need to stop.

“It was fun, wasn't it Vicky?” I goad her.

“We'll have to stop at sundown, you're fast on foot but not fast enough to make it there before the middle of the night.” She informs me without biting.

“I suppose, it did take all day to reach the tunnel from the lake back then.” I acknowledge. Master Amand isn't going to meet me in the middle of the night after all. “What do you think they're looking for here?”

“The subterranean entrance, obviously.” She tells me, throwing an odd look.

“They won't find it here.” I note.

“You know where it is?” She asks.

“No, but it won't be far from the lake. It might even be beneath their well-fields.” I reply.

Vikiana raises an eyebrow but doesn't press so I turn to focus back on the journey ahead, accelerating my pace. By the middle of the afternoon, I feel my heart tighten like it's about to cramp. I stop short, only able to wait for her to turn the horse around.

“We're setting camp.” I inform her, suppressing my anguish. I can't have another episode, especially not in front of her.

“Anything wrong?” She questions flatly.

“Heartache.” I reply with a corner smile. “I miss your daughter's brea...” Shhiiin. I cut myself short as the point of a sword appears in front of my nose. “Bread, she makes great bread.” I nervously correct, unable to move because I would be at risk of crumbling.

“That's what I thought.” Vikiana utters with a hard voice. She sheathes her weapon and hops off her mount to start making camp. She stops after a while, likely noticing I have been standing completely still. “What's wrong?”

“As I said, I have a heartache.” I tell her with the tiniest of shrugs.

“How bad is it?” She questions while approaching with a frown. “You're really pale.”

“It's not a big problem apart from the fact it'll eventually kill me.” I joke. “I'll be fine tomorrow morning.”

“Are you certain?” She asks me, pressing her lips together as she examines my face.

“Hey, I realized something!” I cheerfully exclaim, startling her.

I immediately regret my outburst because it causes my lungs to seize from acute pain. The event is so sudden I don't even get to enjoy the flicker of frustration that disturbed her poker face. I restrain my breaths because it hurts too much when I fully inhale or exhale.

Vikiana hesitates for a while but ends up leaving me be to clear a spot of snow for us to set our mats down. My heart hasn't settled by the time she starts the fire so she grabs my waist with a reluctant expression and helps me settle down.

“If you're lucky, I might just drop dead.” I tell her.

“If only you were that easy to get rid of.” She replies cooly.

She walks away to grab a pack of rations from her own luggage and shares it with me. I eat the compact biscuits with tiny bites, filling my stomach up. By the time we finish, I've recovered enough to get up and grab my blanket.

“You should have packed a tent.” Vikiana comments.

“You got one?” I ask while raising an eyebrow.

“I left in a hurry and I'm not sick.” She replies.

“Neither am I, not really.” I tell her with a shrug.

I lie on my side and close my eyes. I try to fall asleep for a long time but fail because it's still the middle of the day, I eventually give up and daydream while withstanding the violent shivers that occasionally shake my body.

It feels a little like I'm falling apart, but does not compare to the day Leomi gave me nothing so it doesn't especially worry us. The fire is warm, so much so I suspect Vikiana used two or three portions to keep it blazing for hours.

I jump a little in surprise when I hear her returning footsteps, having completely missed her departure. I listen as she throws logs into the fire, resenting the fact this woman is here with me instead of at her daughter's side.