Elissa was sitting at the side of the classroom. It was a provisional classroom in town hall, but after years of begging by the mayor, Arch-Druid Loganna had finally promised funds for the construction of a proper school house. The children learning here came from all the families in town and were at all age groups. One afternoon every other day had to be enough. Peterus was the druid teaching them, but with the girl gone, Elissa had taken an interest in maybe taking the job up herself. She’d have to travel from town to town, but she figured travelling within Sturreland was alright.

Louissos was with her. She had met him as she was heading down the slope and he had decided to tag along. Now they were just watching the children learn. Much of what they did was self-study, so each child could learn at their own pace while Peterus went around and helped them individually. This was all part of the plan that the highest circle had made as an answer to the universities’ similar efforts to allow everyone access to writing, reading and calculation. It weakened the farmers’ workforce for now, but they hoped that more literate citizens could do more valuable work and thereby increase the overall workforce. Elissa left the economics to the druids. She was happy with helping and healing. But maybe teaching wasn’t so bad either.

During self-study, Elissa helped Peterus along. Louissos could have too, but he was still an outsider to the Lodge and so he held back.

Elissa had just passed by Clarissa, Carsten's younger sister, and got ready to help the next student, when she heard a sudden scream from the side of the classroom.

Louissos was twitching on the floor, screaming and slapping his head. “AAACKA!” he screamed again and again. Everyone looked and asked questions. Elissa hurried to his side and held his hand, trying to stop him from hitting himself further. He quickly stopped acting out but was obviously in pain and weak. He quickly stopped screaming, but was still writhing in pain. The class was in uproar and many children what was wrong and what he was doing. She supported and helped Louissosto a different room to take care of him. There she lay him down on a couch and brought him some water.

“I really don’t need water.” He said when he had finally relaxed.

“Just drink, it won’t hurt you.”

Louissos did as he was told. “I think Aaka is seriously injured.”

“What happened? Is Nannade alright?”

“I don’t know. All I know is... Aaka is in pain. Great pain. I can’t feel her anymore.”

“Is she dead?” Elissa's heart sank low and panic spread throughout her thoughts. If Aaka was dead, what chance did Nannade have to survive? Wasn’t the spider supposed to protect the girl? Maybe the girl lashed out at the spider like she did with Garrett, seeing her as another captor.

“No, the thread between our minds still exists. But it is faint, weakening.”

“What can I do? Should I get something?” Elissa wanted to get up, but Louissos grabbed her hand.

“No. There’s nothing you can do. Except stay with me, distract me.” A smile appeared amidst the pain on his face.

It struck Elissa suddenly, but she decided to stay. “Alright.”

“Was Faan ever at danger?” He asked her.

“A few times, the last time was when we fought Nannade in the glade. Our bond was almost separated. But he recovered before the trial, it was less an injury to his body and more to our connected minds.”

A silence fell. She didn’t know what to say. From the next room they could hear Peterus’ lesson.

“I interrupted class. How embarrassing.”

“Oh, think nothing of it. You’re not the first one to do so.”

“An interesting story?” he tried to force another smile.

“When I brought Nannade along to introduce her, but I left her unsupervised. She was just nine years old at the time. When neither me or Peterus were looking, a boy pulled her tail and she slapped him across the cheek so hard, he had four cuts running down his face. From her claws.”

Elissa had to smirk thinking of it all. “The chaos! Some of the boys were really impressed. WOAH, IT’S BLEEDING! And things like that. The girls were really afraid except for a few. One said SERVES HIM RIGHT! I healed the boy’s cheek and it didn’t leave any scars, but the story spread and some parents claimed I brought a wild animal to class and things like that. A few came to my hut and argued so loud with me at the fork that Nannade heard it in the hut and came running to apologize.”

She lost herself in thought again.

“She seems to be a good kid.” Louissos said to her. He was still holding on to her hand. She didn’t feel like letting go either.

“She is. And Garrett didn’t raise her wrong. Just tough. I think there is a strong sense of justice behind the girl. But Garrett has a laxer approach. I think. He thinks in more pragmatic ways. He wants to get paid. The girl talked about “a path only she can take”. I think she saw something wrong in Garrett’s pragmatism.”

“Or maybe the serpent did.” Louissos face had become more serious. He was still straining under the mental load of whatever happened to Aaka.

“What do you mean?”

“The serpent isn’t just an animal spirit. It’s... like a guardian spirit, maybe some form of deity. It represents an ideal, a concept.”

"She always was at odds with Garrett’s ideals. He had promised her that she would have her freedom if she could take it. I think it was more a life-wisdom about the harsh world outside there than a part of the curriculum.”

“As if there is a curriculum.” Louissos smiled sarcastically.

“How are Hidden Hands organizing?”

“Little to not at all. We have no solid circles; we feel more drawn to the circles that gave us their marks of approval. But sometimes we come together and speak of professional dealings, organize for big contracts or check-up whether we were all still doing well. Most commonly just before an apprentice gets their first mark and call sign. It is tradition to hold a deliberation with at least four other Hidden Hands.”

“And you do not do that one chance doctrine?”

Louissoscollected his thoughts for a while. “Sometimes it’s better to leave a witness alive so they can tell the tale of what happens to pactitioners. I rarely enter the scene first myself, Aaka does most of the critical work. Going toe to toe with abominations without something up a sleeve is not advisable. That’s why I prefer striking from the shadows, but a witness can be useful.”

They went silent again. “How is Aaka doing?”

“I think she is still hurt, but safe.” Louissos’ eyelids were starting to look heavy. “It will take a lot of my mind to heal her up. Maybe I should find a place here to sleep. I won’t be able to move far.”

“I’ll take care of things. You get some rest.”

“Will you still be here when I wake up?”

“I can’t promise. But someone will be here.”

“I don’t care about someone. I care about you.”

It hit Elissa’s heart like a rock. She quickly looked away. She didn’t want to look into his eyes, like a spider’s web, she wouldn’t be able to come free again once she did.

“Fine, hate me then. I’ll just be gone in a year anyway.”

Again, Elissa’s heart was struck. She hated that stupid thing. She had lost Nannade and instantly clung onto the next best person that hadn't rejected her yet. Nannade had felt like glue between her and Garrett, holding the two together who were never meant to be.

“I’m sorry.” She said. “I’ll step outside for a while. I’ll be back.” She got up.

“Be well.”

The outside air refreshed her. The hills and forests in the distance seemed so clear and real. The room where Louissos was seemed so small and distant from here, almost like a different world. She had to get her mind clear. She didn’t want to go back to the lonely hut. She went back to the classroom and listened in on the lecture Peterus was giving. All the children sitting in their seats, some whispering among each other, passing badly written notes, making plans. It all seemed so natural and purposeful. What was her purpose now that Nannade was gone? What had been her purpose before Garrett brought her along? Going down to town every third or fourth day to visit someone and hope they came to her for help, less and less each year? She couldn’t go back to that anymore. She would never go back to that.

She went back to Louissos. He was asleep. She watched him for a while. She thought about how she would have to take Garrett’s bed apart and store its parts somewhere. Or maybe she could just leave it up for now. As a patient’s bed.