It was a smooth walk toward the middle of the city. My ‘escorts’ were very quick at clearing out every obstacle, and they enjoyed pleasant conversations between them. And treated me like I was a balloon on a string that they wouldn’t let fly away.

Miranda lifted her silvery staff into the air. With a flourish, she waved it and twisted her body like she was performing a dance move. Water condensed around her like liquid lace until it created three beautiful water arrows. When her move ended, she stabbed the bottom of her staff into the cracked concrete and struck an impressive pose. The arrows shot out, water rippling around their blue tips and sparkling like diamonds in the dying red sun. The action was smooth and breathtaking to watch, even if the whole theatrical act was completely unnecessary.

Three monkey monsters with scorpion tails died instantly. Miranda turned and smiled at me. “We’re almost there. No reason to worry.”

I nodded slowly. What was her deal with acting like the most generous host in the world? She was both condescending and trying to win brownie points at the same time. The whole thing just stank of the color brown.

She gently beamed at me and walked forward.

Her team shot daggers at me with their eyes. In the thirty minutes I’d been with them, I’d been degraded from ‘a stray mongrel they had to return’ to a ‘lucky piece of shit that didn’t show the right amount of gratitude’ in their eyes. As if I wanted their company anyway. Even though it was bumpy, my day had been a hundred times better before they showed up and screwed over my lead — and my EXP.

I inwardly rolled my eyes at them and followed after. Seriously, why was she so insistent to bring me back to my camp? The city teams weren’t even supposed to camp together. Since I didn’t want to spend too much time trying to figure them out, I concentrated on thinking about what I should do about my Orc — or lack of Orc — problem.

After all, I’d done exactly what I said I wouldn’t do and ditched my babysitters again just to run after a dead end. Now I was in trouble again, and I didn’t have anything to worm my way out of it. At this point, nothing but the location of the Portal would cut it.

A teal PM box popped up in front of me. [What’s taking so long?] I could practically hear Kesstel’s voice as I read the message.

The shot man next to me glared in my direction. Was I not supposed to message people while I watched them fight? What else was I going to do?

I ignored him and tapped a response. If I didn’t respond, Kesstel might come charging over again. [I’m coming. Apparently, I’m almost there.]

A second later, Kesstel messaged back. [You’ve been walking back and forth on our perimeter for the last ten minutes.]

I stiffened with surprise. We’ve what? Seriously? Why?

Because I didn’t want to get on my ‘escorts’ radar, I hadn’t pushed out my senses to try and locate Kesstel. I didn’t know if anyone in their group was sensitive to other people’s probing. As an S, Miranda should at least be able to feel me. Who knew who else could? It kept me blind as I followed them

[The camp is four blocks North and one block West from your location.] Kesstel added.

[Got it.] I glanced at Miranda as she leisurely walked West, her entourage trailing behind.

The short man who’d been watching me this whole time glared at me again.

I stared back. “I’m going to go this way.” I motioned to the North. “Thanks for seeing me this far.”

Miranda turned around, the blue gem between her eyebrows gleaming. “Ah, is that the direction? I’ve been so busy killing monsters that I must have gotten mixed up. Silly me. I’ve always been horrible with directions.” She gave a small laugh. “I’m sure you’ll forgive me.” Says the woman who interrupts me every time I try to tell her my name.

I’m sure that's exactly what she wanted me to do. Fall over myself to forgive her. I just smiled.

She softly brushed her brown curls behind her ear, only to have them fall back into perfect place. She floated back to me and rested her hand on my bruised arm. Again. “You don’t have to be so nervous around me, you know,” she said graciously. “I’m sure we could be good friends.” She didn’t wait for me to respond before she turned and started North. “Well, since that’s the direction we need to go, we might as well go that way.”

Since I knew where I was going, I didn’t stick to their leisurely pace. I was tired, covered in blood and filth, and I sure as hell didn’t want to spend an extra minute with these people. Miranda’s team was forced to speed up to keep pace with me, sending another wave of death glares in my direction. They could glare all they wanted. If they wanted to stay with me, they had to keep up.

“You must be tired,” Miranda commented.

“Famished,” I responded flatly, without even looking at her. “I just want to call it a day.”

She hummed under her breath but didn’t respond anymore.

I nearly sighed aloud with relief when the camp came into view. Nearly thirty personal campers were spread out in a double ring on a large field. Based on the arched backstop fence with rusted bleachers on the side, this place used to be a baseball field. Now the grass was gone, leaving only packed dirt and a few desert plants. But the chain link fence around the field gave a small sense of false security, a clear visual of the surrounding area, and enough space for everyone on the field.

I paused and tossed a glance over my shoulder. “Thanks for the walk.” I didn’t bother to see their reactions before I hopped the fence, making sure that it didn’t look too easy, and speed-walked toward the ring of RVs.

Kesstel was leaning against the largest RV, obviously his, on the outside of the ring, his arms folded over his chest, wearing casual clothes. Well, as casual as a Duke would let himself wear. His gray pants and maroon shirt were still designer grade. As soon as I landed inside the field, he tipped his chin up and opened his eyes. Our eyes locked together as he waited for me to come to him.

I’d like to say that I finally relaxed, now that Kesstel was in my sight, but I couldn’t. The reason: Miranda and her entourage were a half step behind me. Really? Just go back to your own camp!

Halfway across the field, a dozen Hunters came out of the circle holding weapons. It didn’t take a lot of thought to realize that they were the guards, reacting to the strong aura of Miranda’s team. They paused in disbelief at the sight of me and the group following me.

Then Jonovan stepped around the guards and hurried to me, his open green Mage robe wafting behind him. Even on a mission, he was still dressed in business casual underneath. “Jyn, why … what …” He stopped in front of me, his usual relaxed manner completely destroyed as he gaped at me. “Whose blood is all this?” he demanded and reached out his hand.

My lips pursed together, and I didn’t dodge his healing touch. “At the moment, I couldn’t tell you. Some of it’s mine. The other half … well, your guess is as good as mine.”

“I found her just as a Red Orc was going to kill her,” Miranda cut in and smiled kindly. “The poor thing was scared to death.”

In a flash, Jonovan calmed down and tilted his head to look at the Redding Hunters. “Thank you for bringing her back to us.”

Blood Sword and the S Ranked Healer, Laurel Harris, came up and greeted the Redding Hunters.

Jonovan took the time to pull me away from the group. “What have you gotten yourself into this time, Jyn?” He looked at my bruised arm, obviously aware of it under my dark gray under armour suit. “This wasn’t caused by a monster, was it?” He flicked a glance towards the group of Hunters.

Since anyone could hear my answer, I just pressed my lips into a bland smile.

His lips twitched. Then he sighed and poured more of his gentle healing magic into me. “Jyn, what is this that I hear about you running away from your escorts?”

I tilted my head to the side so I didn’t have to look into his disappointed eyes. I could count the number of people who could influence me on two hands. Although last on the list, Jonovan was still there. After all, he was a large part of the reason I had survived my first year of being a Hunter. He’d done so much for me, and I’d returned that kindness with hiding and lies. It sucked.

Kesstel was still in his same position, leaning against his RV, watching the show. When our eyes met, his lips curled up slightly, like he thought it was funny that Jonovan was lecturing me and I was taking it.

I scowled at Kesstel.

Jonovan, oblivious of the interactions between me and Kesstel, obviously thought I was making a face at him. “I understand that you’re stronger now, but —”

“Miss Dehvro!” Charlie appeared beside us. Her eyes narrowed as she looked me up and down. “Oh my god, look at you! This! This is what I’m talking about! Why do you keep running out on your own? Think about what would have happened if the Redding Hunters hadn’t found you in time.” She shoved a hand through her short hair in exasperation.

Three steps behind her, Alex and Mona were glaring at me. I did tell them to proceed with the expedition mission if I disappeared. They didn’t miss out too much, did they?

Still, I bit my lips and looked away. Guilt tried to lower my head, but I refused to bow to anyone. “I was chasing a Red Orc,” I admitted.

Mona and Alex gave me an odd look, as if they couldn’t decide whether to believe me or not.

“A Red Orc? You saw a Red Orc and decided to run after it?” Charlie demanded as if she couldn’t believe her ears. “Do you have a death wish?” she demanded. “Red Orcs weren’t even on the list of monsters in the area. Are you sure it was a Red Orc? It could have been a Goblin.”

I shook my head. “It was a Red Orc. The Redding Hunters can vouch for me. They saw it too.” And stole the kill right from under my nose.

Charlie pursed her lips and drew in a deep breath. After a second, she pushed the air out. I must be a lost cause because she looked at Jonovan. “How is she?”

Jonovan, who had watched our whole interaction with interest, finally spoke up. “She’s just fine now. Healthy as a Hunter.” The golden light in his fingers faded, and he stepped back.

I smiled at him. “Thank you, Mr. Jonovan.”

“Of course, Miss Jyn.” He responded with a complicated smile and reached out to pat my head. Before I could decide if I was going to let him, he paused and drew back his hand. “Maybe later.” He stared pointedly at my messy hair.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re a Healer. You’ve touched a lot worse than Orc blood before.”

He bobbed his head. “True. But that was saving a life.”

Nice to know I was reduced to grosser than the dead. Everyone needed something to strive for.

Charlie hummed under her breath, drawing our attention again. She glanced at Jonovan. “Thank you for your assistance, Healer Jonovan. It’s always a pleasure to work with you.” Now that she wasn’t dealing with a wayward underling, Charlie was the model of a polite leader. “If you’ll excuse us, we have something to talk about.” She turned her livid eyes in my direction. Ah, she’d been holding back, hadn’t she?

Kesstel appeared at my side. “If there’s something else that needs to be said, it can wait until Jyn’s cleaned up.” His blue eyes went right over my head and bore into Charlie’s.

Charlie opened her mouth, obviously not okay with his suggestion. But it was clear that his gaze unnerved her. She pursed her lips and looked away. With a stiff nod, she turned and dragged Alex and Mona away with her.

Kesstel rested his hand on my shoulder, not caring how clean I was, then nodded to Jonovan. “Thanks.” With that, he guided me away toward his RV.

I waved bye to the Healer and fell into step with Kesstel. I glanced up at him. “Did you enjoy the show?”

He jerked a shoulder up in a semi-shrug. “Somewhat. Mostly I was wondering how long you were going to take it. You didn’t have to, you know. If you don’t want to listen, walk away,” he instructed.

Yeah, he’d say that. “That would be rude,” I said. “What she was saying was correct, even if she was losing her temper with me. It wasn’t being mean just to be mean. There’s a difference. I am trying to get along with people, you know. Even if our interests conflict.”

He shook his head. “It’s just adding obligations on you that you don’t need. The more strings you have around your neck, the harder it is to do what you need to.”

I looked down at my messy boots and the small puffs of dirt that kicked up every time I stepped. There was truth in his words, but I still couldn’t bring myself to adopt that principle yet. The difference was I wasn’t ready to give up on humanity yet — even if he never cared about them to begin with.

Kesstel’s finger tapped under my chin and lifted my head. “Don’t bow your head to anyone. Not even me.”

What he was saying was serious, and I took it seriously, but it also seemed to crack the ice. Just like that, all the guilt washed away. If he didn’t want me to belittle myself to others, I wouldn’t. I huffed a laugh. “If your lordship says so.”

The corner of his lips hooked up as his eyes softened in a gorgeous smile. “His lordship does.”

My cheeks colored, but I didn’t let myself look away.