The sun bearing down felt incredibly hot against Kat’s skin, and a sudden gratefulness filled her when she remembered that they had taken off their armor. Soldiers away from the Gates were a rare sight in these lands, especially those bearing some distant lord’s sigil, and they had decided earlier that the armor would attract more attention than it warranted. As it was, even their light leather garments were slick with sweat from the halfday heat.

“Should we stop soon for food?” she asked Willem in the back. Norus seemed to function just as well with or without rations; ever since he had revealed to her his nature, he had refused to eat. Upon remembering what he had shown her, she felt a ripple of nervousness run through her, snatching a quick glance at him on the horse next to her.Ever since that day, she had started to notice smaller details about him that had slipped past her previously—how his skin seemed to glow faintly when the light grew dim, how he slept with his eyes open as slits instead of truly being at rest. They served as small reminders of what he had shown her—that his body was inhuman.

“If you’d like.” Willem responded, tearing her thoughts away from Norus as they disembarked off the Kingsroad. Turning the horses loose to graze, they took out some of the bread and bitterfruit that the villagers had given them. They sat in a loose circle in the grass, bugs and beetles darting away as they prepared to eat.

“Aren’t you going to eat, Norus?” Willem asked, and Kat started in shock, looking over at the soldier. He flicked his gaze over at her for a brief moment before shaking his head, turning away to keep an eye on the road.

“Not hungry.” he growled out, his voice rasping and dry as always. Willem seemed unsatisfied with this answer, but before he could press the issue any further there was the sound of hooves, beating out a frantic rhythm against the cobbles of the Kingsroad. The three of them swiftly turned towards the source of the sound, seeing four horses pulling a covered wagon down the Kingsroad.

“Hail!” Kat called out, seeing the driver approaching. The group stopped momentarily on the road, the curtains pulling back to reveal some curious eyes. “We’ve not seen much company on the road. Where are you from?”

“A coastal town, a ways northeast of here. But we be hurryin’ west now.” The driver called out, his voice brisk as if every moment spent speaking was a moment wasted. “You best not go that way, if it’s where you intend. The diggers in the mountains have gone mad.”

“Mad?” Kat asked, surprise evident in her voice. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Willem start in surprise, his interest piqued.

“Aye, they’ve been coming down from the mountains.” the man replied, his grievances evident in his voice. “They’ve taken our children, our grain, and our water. Those who tried to fight them were butchered. We’re all that’s left of our village, after two raids.” There were perhaps four families clustered in that wagon, malnourished and thin, huddled together in those cramped quarters.

“Mayhaps we can settle in some Edgeland town.” the driver snorted, waving his hand before grabbing the reins tight once more. “Take my advice or ignore it, I care not.” he spoke before continuing down the Kingsroad, the wagon wheels clacking loudly against the stone. Curious eyes watched them from the back of the wagon, curious children that were swiftly restrained by worried mothers.

When they had left, Willem turned to Kat. “What did they mean, the diggers are raiding? What were they talking about?”

Kat frowned, trying to recall what she knew about the strange men. “The diggers mine the mountains for metal. They used to be men, but they had their bodies changed by magic to be tougher and stronger.” she explained, remembering what she had read in her father’s study when she was supposed to be learning how to sew. “They’re covered with coarse hair, and their bones are three times more durable than any other man’s. But they’re simple-minded and rarely leave the mountains. I’ve never heard of them raiding villages.”

“What could drive them to do such a thing?” Willem asked.

Kat muttered thoughtfully, “What indeed? Perhaps it has something to do with King Alerick’s death.” She had a sudden thought, turning to meet Willem’s gaze. “Or, perhaps this has to do with that king of yours in the Outlands. The mountains border the Outlands, after all. This king of your might be having some influence on the diggers.”

She thought for a moment, hurriedly finishing up her meal. “In any case, we’ll need to use to Kingsroad to get back to the Heartlands, so we’ve no choice but to keep going. And if he was telling the truth about the diggers, then we’ll need to know more to warn the Third Swords. They can’t do anything off of rumors and the words of panicked villagers; we need to tell them precisely what we’ve seen.” she decided firmly, standing up.

“So then we’ll still be heading along the Kingsroad?” Willem asked nervously. “Despite what those villagers said?”

Kat turned her gaze to the distance, seeing those tall peaks standing stark against the sky. “We’ve no other choice. And if they come for us, they’ll find us harder prey than some frightened villagers.” she growled, her hand resting on the sword at her hilt. Although, a part of her mocked, legion fighting won’t do much good with only two legionaries. Perhaps a flaw you’ve overlooked? She stamped out that voice just as quickly as it had sprung up. There was no time for doubts and hesitation here, not when they needed to hurry back to the Heartlands. They had seen things that the Third Swords needed to know. The skal’va, the empty garrison at the Gates, even this living corpse that Willem had called Faith—these were not things that could be ignored over some petty throne in the east. She had seen those shadows that swallowed men like a cloud—it would not care who held the crown, and it would turn them all into bones all the same.

With that being said, she cleaned up the remains of their meal and readied their cart, Norus off bringing back the horses. Willem stood up awkwardly, making his way over to join her. “If the diggers come,” he murmured softly, “I don’t want you all to die trying to save me. Leave me behind if you have to.”

Those words startled Kat, and she flinched back in shock to look at Willem. The boy’s gaze was downcast, his eyes dark but hard with determination. And he was just a boy, she realized, still impossibly young despite all that he had been through. A cripple, a beggar, and a channeler—he had been all of those things, and at an age when he ought to be playing on a farm still, watching and helping his father till the soil. She had known that Willem was mature past his years by virtue of his upbringing, but even still she had not been expecting those honest words.

He continued, his voice low but firm. “I don’t want any of you dying for a cripple. If I’m caught out, just run.” His shoulders were trembling, fear evident on his face, but he seemed to be fighting back tears. For the first time, Kat realized just what he ought to be thinking. That he was nothing. That he was a cripple. That he was useless. Those thoughts would be what he had been told begging on the streets. They would be as familiar to him as his name—perhaps even more so. It was no surprise that where she saw a channeler, a wielder of magic, he looked at his own reflection in the water and saw an incompetent.

Gently, she wrapped her arms around him and drew him in close. “It won’t come to that.” she whispered into his ear, feeling his shoulders heave as he cried against her chest. Tears of her own seemed to want to slip down her cheeks. Once more, she was reminded that he was just a boy. With all that he had been through, all that she expected of him, all that he believed of himself, at the end of it all he was still just a boy. Would I be any better? The thought struck her like a knife in the stomach, and her arms tightened around him. Could I expect more of myself, if I were in his place?

No, she ought not to be comparing herself to him—not when she did not fully know the terrors that he had lived through. “It won’t ever come to that,” she reminded him as he began to calm down, “I promise.” Yet a part of her regretted those words the moment that they left her lips. You don’t know that, a voice whispered inside of her, eager to be given the opportunity to stab its words into her heart. You can’t promise that you’ll even live yourself. That doubt bit into her like a viper, and she felt her limbs begin to grow weak even as she tried to squelch the feeling. You’re just as much of a fool as he is, that voice reminded her before disappearing.

“Come on, we’d best get going.” she murmured, stepping back as Willem nodded. Norus was busy hooking the horses back up to the cart, apparently not having listened to their conversation. Yet as Kat made her way over to her horse, he tilted his head sideways and gave her a glance.

“Alright?” he asked, coughing a little at the end of the word. She paused slightly as she considered everything that had flashed through her head before finally giving a short little smile. “I’m fine.” she allayed, swinging one leg up as she got onto the horse. “Come on.”

While the Kingsroad proved to be uneventful, it gave her time to think. She thought about family, about Revan who was waiting for her in the camp. Was he still there training the recruits, or had they begun to march already, even without hearing word of from the garrison at the Gates. They did have that child channeler, but even so, surely it was foolish to march on the Capital when half the legion was still raw. And what did Revan think of her? There had surely been no news ever since they had been sent through the waygate. Did he think that she was dead? Or was he still waiting for her patiently, despite the weeks that had passed?

Thoughts fluttered through her head, each once a chain that pulled on another, until she found herself tired and weary from merely thinking and considering everything that might be happening around her. Revan led to the legion. The legion led to the Gates. The Gates led to the skal’va. The skal’va led to Willem. Willem led to diggers and on and on until she found herself swamped by what if’s and perhaps.

So distracted was she that Kat did not even notice as night was beginning to fall. The sky darkened, the air around them shimmering slightly. The horses began to nicker, Norus turning his head swiftly, as she suddenly sat upright in her saddle. Her skin tingled, her body tense, and she hurriedly called out, “Who’s there?” Her voice was pathetically shrill, panic creeping in even when she needed it most to be steady.

“Ya dun know ou’sa here. Ya dun know ou’sa doin.” came a little laugh, unintelligible and hoarse. The air around them shimmered and rippled, peeling back suddenly like cloth being folded away. Veils, she thought dimly. Magic.

Out stepped numerous short, stout creatures, with bodies covered in stiff hair. Their arms were thick and covered in bulging muscle, their shoulders wide and broad. Diggers, Kat realized, her hand falling to her sword. Yet they let out shrill screams, lunging at her horse with a leery viciousness, and her mount whinnied his panic.

Kat found herself falling to the ground, striking her shoulder against the stone and feeling something pop. Her horse fell on top of her, the beast tossing in panic but unable to shake off the weight of the diggers that had covered it. Her half-stunned gaze turned to Norus, who had managed to get off his horse more successfully than her. He was surrounded by five of the diggers, facing the unarmed creatures with his sword. Yet any hope she had was swiftly quenched when he swung his blade, the steel burying into their thick hide and unable to cut any further. Norus fought to pry it loose, but the screaming digger struck him in the stomach with a blow that sent him reeling.

“Wait!” came a sudden cry from behind. Willem’s voice, she noted dimly, her ears still ringing from her fall. “The king in the Outlands wanted me!” he called out, and the diggers suddenly stopped.

“Ou’sa king?” one of them grunted in confusion, and Willem nodded.

“Take me to him.”