De’ Aray, Port in the Kingdom of Darvony, Early-Summer 15 AR

Anessa stood stupefied as did everyone else at the messenger's words. It seemed inconceivable that the legion would outright fall. Be forced to retreat, yes but to fail altogether? Even as they stood in silence the magic fire and lightning were already spreading further down the horizon.

“The Dragon has already fallen to a man in the west and they’re pouring through behind the lines! The Harpy is engaged heavier than the Griffin, who itself can’t hold! The line is breaking, it will fall within a day! Spread the word to all you can and run!” the messenger yelled once again as he rode past the onlookers and into the city where she could hear him announcing his message again.

Aneesa snapped out of it and looked to Raould. He was the same man who had saved her and her family from De’Kolda. Since then he’d become a member of their family in a way, him and his wife living in the same home.

“To your ship Raould! I’ll get Veronica and the children and meet you there, yes?” She suggested. He grabbed her hand for a moment, she felt him squeeze it tight for a moment before letting go and running off to the south. His Dhow wasn’t docked in the city, the berthing fees were too much so he had beached in a cove near a fishing village a couple of miles from the city.

As she entered De’ Aray, Aneesa was immediately set into a stream of bodies that were making their way down the main road. Some peeled off towards wherever they were living while some simply ran towards the docks. Word was quickly spreading through the city and soon anything that floated would be weighed down by passengers. She felt blessed that only a few had run in the direction of Raould.

“Haifa! Verud! Wake up!” she shouted as she burst into her modest home.

“What’s going on out there, Aneesa?” Veronica asked, she’d been watching the children while Aneesa finished her shift at the Tavern.

“A messenger just rode up, the Legion’s breaking, the wolves will be here in a day!” Aneesa whispered harshly. She didn’t want to yell it because of the children but she couldn’t keep the sense of urgency out of her voice.

“Really? The legion can’t fall,” Veronica said as if it was impossible and only a bad joke.

Aneesa had to grab a sack and move to her room to start packing to keep from hitting her. The majority of the residence in the city probably would have slapped her. De’ Aray was a small fishing town up until refugees from all over Darvony started settling it and it rapidly grew into a city over the past few years. Veronica had moved to De’ Aray like many others but she was Zwaethian, she wasn’t in Darvony when half the kingdom and countless people were abandoned the last time the legion retreated.

This time though, there was nowhere to retreat to. No useful peninsula to hold, once they pushed past the lines, they could spread freely across the continent. It was a pitch the legion recruiters used every time they tried to pull more young men and occasionally women into the fight. They held them there or they may never get the chance to hold them in place again.

“Mommy?” Aneesa looked up to see Haifa and her little Verud sitting up in their shared bed.

“Help your brother get dressed, we need to leave,” she told her oldest as calmly as she could.

“Is it like when we left home?” Haifa asked, suddenly looking worried. Aneesa felt a strange sensation of pride mixed with a metaphorical facepalm at having such a bright young girl for a daughter. She’d caught on quickly.

“It is but this time Raould has his own ship. We just need to get there, okay?” Aneesa forced a smile, “Now help your brother. I’m going to go pack any food we have.”

It didn’t take long before the four of them were back out the door. Yet, even in the short amount of time that she was in the house, the mood outside had gone from hectic to sheer pandemonium. she picked up Verud while Haifa gripped her dress. They started pushing their way through the masses with Veronica at the lead wielding her husband's saber. Frightened people pushed the other direction while opportunistic fools took the time to loot businesses and homes.

Screaming came from ahead and Aneesa froze in horror thinking the wolves had already made it to the city but it changed to a different kind of horror as she watched a heavy wagon barrel through the pedestrians. Knocking them over to be stepped on by the horses or crushed under the wheels. Some managed to cling to the side of the wagon and she watched as a man stabbed the driver repeatedly before pushing him off the seat. Yet he didn’t slow the wagon and became the newest one to commit such atrocities.

They stayed near the buildings on the side of the road and soon made it to the southern gate, which from what she could tell was completely abandoned. They left the city and walked as fast as they could with their burdens. Not saying a word as they went while trying to ignore the random screams of the people in the city behind them. The wagon path leading the village was well-traveled and even in the dark, it was easy to follow. A half-hour later and they were in sight of the village which was in just as much chaos as the city on a far smaller scale.

“There it is!” Veronica pointed to her husband's ship, it was pulled up to the dock and looked to be taking on cargo. As they got to the docks though they spotted a problem. A group of men was brandishing weapons and keeping the villagers back from the ship.

“No one gets aboard, there’s no room! Get in a fishing Tartan or start running north!” One yelled out. Aneesa immediately feared someone had seized the vessel and was preparing to abandon them. She looked but in the darkness couldn’t see Raould.

“That’s my husband’s ship!” Veronica yelled as she pushed her way to the front. The villagers got out of the way of the sword.

“Where’s Raould?” Aneesa asked one of the men.

“And you are?”

“Veronica, Aneesa, and her children,” Veronica said. She was rightfully scared now after seeing the state of the city and likely had the same worry as Aneesa concerning the ship.

“Get aboard, cap’n told us to watch out for ya,” the man said and let them squeeze by. They hurried aboard the ship and only then did Aneesa breathe a little easier. She spotted Raould working the rigging while a small number of other men helped get the ship ready to sail. The vessel looked near ready as far as Aneesa could see but she couldn’t help but think that Daoud would have a fit at the state of it. Cracked decking and half-rotted rails.

She pushed aside the thoughts of her husband and led her children into the cabin area. It was simply a four foot tall crawlspace under a raised deck but it was out of the way. There were a few others already in there as she picked out a hammock that was suspended only inches from the ground and laid Verud down.

“Does it look like they're finished loading?” a nervous man asked her. She didn’t understand why he didn’t just go look but answered him anyways.

“I think so, there’s not much left on the dock. Any idea what that is?” She asked. It seemed strange to take on cargo while so many were trying to flee by sea.

“Food… I was hauling rations to the forts and don’t think they need them anymore. Guess it’s my luck, wouldn’t have been brought aboard if it wasn’t for those supplies,” he laughed but she didn’t take offense. He didn’t seem to be laughing at the idea of thousands of dead legionnaires but just laughing because he was frightened. She could understand the feeling even if she handled it differently.

“Toren,” he extended his hand out. She took it and he gave a gentle shake.

“Aneesa,” she said as he let go. The two of them sat in silence while she stroked her son's hair.

“Grab ten more!” She heard Raould yell above her. “That’s all we can take if we want to stay afloat! And get aboard, we’re shoving off.”

Aneesa crawled over to a port window and looked out to see the guards start letting people through. She actually counted fourteen but most of them were young children being carried by their mothers or siblings. She watched as they disappeared beyond her line of sight only to reappear in the cabin area a moment later. Oars came out of the side of the ship and started pushing it away from its moorings while the three guards ran and jumped onto the side of the ship before it pulled away. A few desperate souls right after. Aneesa covered her ears and scooted away. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen people left behind to die as a ship departed.

The following morning she woke up to constant murmuring and distant shouts. She looked to the hammock to see both of her darlings still asleep and decided to leave them. She crawled out of the cabin into the light of day and soon learned what the low talking was about.

“… soldiers. We can’t just leave them.”

“How are we supposed to even get them? If they can make it to the ship, so can those beasts.”

“I’m afraid even if we wanted to risk it, we’re too heavy as it is. One of the other ships might be willing but that’s up to their captains,” Raould put the debate to an end as everyone stared at the shore.

Aneesa looked too and saw the remnants of the Griffin legion in the distance. They were pressed with their backs against the water and fighting still. Several hundred legionnaires and knights fought at the front while the bowmen and mages stood at the back with sporadic arrows and spells being released. Around them were thousands of werewolves and beyond that a sea of corpses. Some laid untouched while others were being eaten as a stream of blood was pouring down the beach and into the water. Aneesa gagged at the sight and looked away. The messenger had said a day and they hadn’t even lasted the night. She said a silent prayer to those that had fallen and hoped a miracle would save the ones still fighting.

“Wait, I thought we would be going north, why are we going towards the monsters?” she suddenly realized their direction of travel, momentarily forgetting about the terrifying sight on the shore… or trying to forget it.

“The other captains turned south. Best we could do would be to sail to Veradi but then what? Flee again when the wolves show up?” Raould explained while pointing to the other vessels that dotted the sea, “They’re all either heading to Vasatea or around the peninsula.”

“They are? What about us?” she asked.

“We’ve got plenty of supplies. We’re sailing all the way around and going to make for the isles. Put the Straight of Valentia between us and the continent.”

**********

Bitten Refuge, Village in the Kingdom of Ederath, Early-Summer 15 AR

“Come on Freya!” Dani cried from outside the tent where they brought the bitten when the transformation was upon them. They weren’t allowed inside except for Cara, being a female adult lycan and one of the ones responsible for Freya’s training in the old way.

“She’ll be okay, that older lady made it,” Arn tried to comfort her. He was referring to the first of the bitten to become a lycan and not a werewolf. It wasn’t comforting to Dani, a total of six had turned into werewolves and been executed while a single woman had managed to survive.

Dani looked over to the woman, who didn’t look that old anymore and had taken it upon herself to describe the process to others. They stood around her desperately trying to learn anything they could but according to Dame Helga, it was hard to understand until you actually felt it happening. There was also no telling when the others would shift. The eight so far, including Freya, were just the first of hundreds. With luck, the others would have more time to prepare than the first ones.

“Maybe I can-” Jaesmin started.

Awooooooo!

A howl erupted from the tent and they all froze and stared at the entrance. Dani felt her nerves fraying just looking at the way in and plead the gods, that they gave Freya guidance. ‘Help her change her fate so she can seek out her own.’

As they watched another was taken inside, holding his stomach. It was the telltale sign that the first transformation was coming, the wild magic building up inside to critical levels. Dani had no idea what wild magic felt like and as an Elvanni, she never would but she heard the description of it. She was glad that she’d never have to go through the feeling of a fire burning inside her but felt guilty that over half her group had felt at least the initial stage of that after being bitten.

“AAAAH!” Dani jumped as someone yelled and grabbed her from behind. She felt her body being lifted from the ground and two arms squeezing her tightly.

“Freya!” Jaesmin yelled out with wide, tearful eyes.

Dani tilted her head back to look and saw dirty blonde hair cascading down into her face before a pair of wet lips touched her forehead with an exaggerating sound “MWWA!”

Freya dropped Dani on the ground and she automatically wiped the sloppy kiss from her head, “You’re?”

“Not dead!” Freya answered with a smile, flashing her pointed teeth. Now it was Dani’s turn to act inappropriately as she jumped into Freya’s arms and gave her a spine-shattering hug… or as close to it as a 110-pound Elvanni girl could do to a 130-pound lycan. Maybe 140, Dani wasn’t going to ask. She was just happy and didn’t even care that Freya had snuck out another way to torment them.

“Thank the Gods,” Arn said as he hugged Freya next with Jaesmin getting pulled in as well. The group took their turns in embracing their friend until Cara came out of the tent.

“Umm… We should probably take this elsewhere,” she said and Dani looked around to notice the large number of refugees looking at them. Some looked happy for Freya but more than a few looked apprehensive. She realized it might be a tad bit uncouth of them to celebrate when many of the onlookers wouldn’t be as lucky.

“Can pour ya a pint,” a familiar voice came from behind. Dani spun to see her friend the barkeep of the Riverside Tavern walking up to them, “Thought that was you, miss.”

“Ah? The barkeep, ummm… mister…” Stoki stumbled on the man's name.

“Wilfred, although I’m not a barkeep at the moment. Need a bar to keep for that,” he said with a forced smile. Dani could see the worry in his eyes but was glad to see that his face had filled out in the time since the city was locked down from the pox. The refugee village may have looked like a prison camp, with people being locked in by a wooden palisade and towers on the outside. In a way it was. It was meant to ensure no one ran and only a few were allowed out, such as Freya, but that didn’t mean the people inside were treated like prisoners. The kingdom had provided plenty of food and drink with a bit to entertain themselves.

“So what’s this about a pint then?”

“I’ve got a few drink rations saved up… Normally I don’t drink. Bad for business when you’ve got a barkeep that drinks his own stock,” he chuckled, “Where have you lot been? Haven’t seen you in here.”

“Ahhh… we’ve been in Jorvik,” Jaesmin answered, “I kind of know the princess and she invited us to spend time with her. We came here when Freya… ummm.”

“When it felt like someone had dumped hot coals in my stomach,” Freya supplied with a genuine small. Dani looked at her and could see the weight off her shoulders. Realizing how terrifying it must be to have the threat of death lingering above you nearly brought Dani to tears again.

“The princess? All sorts of surprises,” Wilfred said as they approached a large tent. He led them inside and pulled out a handful of wooden coins before going over to a large keg. He expertly poured tankard after tankard, placing a wooden coin in a bowl before each one and passing them off to the group. They walked through the busy mess tent and found a place to sit.

“So, Wilfred, where you going after this… I mean if you-” Stoki stopped.

“We don’t talk about the ‘ifs’.” Wilfred said in a serious tone, “It’s kinda taboo to mention that and no one likes hearing it.”

“Oh, Sorry,” Stoki looked sheepishly at his drink.

“It’s alright… ta answer your question, no idea. Don’t think I’ll be going back to Valona anytime soon… being a citizen of Ederath now,” he said and swirled his drink around but Dani noticed he didn’t drink.

“You could come with us,” Cara offered, “A friend of ours is building up a new town in the west and I don’t think he has any decent barkeeps.”

“I’ll see, think I might see a bit of Jorvik before I decide on anywhere but I appreciate the offer,” Wilfred said, “So tell me, what’s Jorvik like?”

**********

Strondheim, Village in the Kingdom of Ederath, Early-Summer 15 AR

“I can't fucking believe Saena was attacked!” Aethred exclaimed. Jon could only nod dumbly as he read the missive over again. It was sent via a group of adventurers from Afgheir and they had only just arrived.

“May I?” Ser Hallr asked and Jon passed him the letter. The two knights had been back for a few days and spent most of their time trying to communicate with Chajin Coda on behalf of the kingdom. The news though had pulled them away from trying to establish relations.

“Think they’ll send them here?” Erin asked as she sat on the front step of the manor.

“No idea…” Jon really had no clue, the letter described what had happened but not what was going to happen next.

“Well, why would they bother telling us if they weren’t thinking that?” Aethred asked.

“It’s because of that little friend of yours,” Finn pointed out. The letter had mentioned that Jaesmin was among the few lycans and Ederathans, in general, to lead them north to Vanheim. “If she’s coming here, I’m sure there’ll be more than a few to follow her.”

“But why? Wouldn’t they just go back to the south?” Andrew asked, he hadn’t read the letter yet so Jon couldn’t blame him for not knowing.

“Would you go back after having a noble threaten to take your head or stay in a locked-down city filled with pox?” Finn asked rhetorically.

“Ah, no,” Andrew answered anyways.

“Maybe a few of us should go back to Lindum… guide them in. Besides there’s a few things we need out here,” Willow suggested.

“Alright, who’s going?” Jon agreed but his question just got a lot of eyes staring at him. He didn’t like having to make decisions like that all the time.

“I go!” Tira announced, “Need someone to protect the others.”

Jon nodded in agreement after a moment. He knew Tira could handle herself but he’d gotten used to being around her. Still, it made sense.

“Then me, Andrew, Sunada, and a few others to help carry. We can ask for volunteers,” Willow suggested. Jon assumed one of the volunteers would be Roland but he wouldn’t complain about it.

“Finn. We’ll go with them. We need to report what we’ve learned,” Ser Hallr said. “How long will it take for you to be ready?”

The question was directed at Willow. Jon guessed it was her status as a Drengr and the fact they’d worked together before in the Dain. The woman in question bounced her head back and forth for a second before answering.

“We can make for Lindum in the morning.”