1

Keshon used Mana Heal on Jordan first, knowing his injuries were much more severe. She was sure she had suffered ligament and muscle strains, but that was the extent of it. She telepathed Harper to let the team know what had happened.

After a few healing spells, Jordan attempted to stand up.

“You shouldn’t do that,” the nurse warned.

He scoffed. “I’m healed. My hit points are back to normal, and the bone feels better. See?” He turned and peered up a tree trunk. Before she could stop him, he leaped. There was an audible snap as the veteran’s left calf bent inward. “Oh, fuck!” he screamed as he collapsed against the pine needles and clutched his knee. “Ah, fucka, fucka, fucka, fucka, fuck!”

Grimacing, Keshon cast Mana Heal on him, draining her entire mana pool. When she was done, she turned to him. “Don’t look.”

Jordan peered up at her impatiently. “What?”

The Grimalkin healer unequipped her brigandine armor. “Turn the other way,” she commanded as she loosened her canvas bra. He turned away and waited for her. Keshon cursed behind him. “Damn, this is so tight,” she hissed. After a few seconds, she gave him the go-ahead. He turned and saw her blue breasts bulging stiffly against the top edge of her armor, which had been re-equipped. She grabbed a thick branch from the forest floor while holding her bra and underwear in the other hand. “This isn’t much, but it’ll do the trick for now.” She tied the canvas garments around his leg, creating a splint with the branch. “Now, don’t move,” she scolded.

Jordan looked at her, distraught and dumbfounded “I can’t understand why the bone broke again. Mana Heal has worked every time before.”

She placed her blue palm on his shoulder. “I don’t know how things work in this world, but maybe this break is more severe than others you may have experienced. Without access to an X-ray, I won’t know for certain, but you’ve likely suffered a compound fracture.”

Jordan groaned.

With his splint in place, Keshon cast more healing spells. “How’s the pain?” she asked after the fifth one.

The veteran hunter nodded. “A bit better now, thanks.” He paused, then added, “Oh yeah, and thanks for saving my life.”

Keshon laughed softly.

2

When Jordan insisted on chasing after Emma and Brett, Keshon had to physically restrain him, which wasn’t easy given the veteran’s strength. But it was a halfhearted effort on his part. He knew he couldn’t go on.

“And what are you planning on doing when you get there?” the healer asked. “This Brett guy isn’t going to let you just waltz in and take her back, is he?”

Leaning against a redwood, Jordan shook his head.

Keshon nodded. “So, it’s going to be a battle and you will need your strength.” She stood up and looked around the perimeter for the first time. “And who’s to say Emma will want to come back? Maybe she went with him willingly.”

The veteran scoffed. “That’s not possible. And besides, Brett is a fucking psychopath. There’s no way Emma would have gone along with this.”

Keshon didn’t respond. She stared into the clearing where the Gryphon had attacked them. With the sun sinking below the treeline, long shadows stretched over the trodden grass. “We have to camp for the night.”

Jordan was about to argue, then stopped. He wanted to cover a few more miles, but he knew she was right. “I can’t bear to think of her with him all night.” He sighed, and his eyes watered as he gazed desperately at Keshon. “Emma”—he sniffled—“she’s not like the other Inmates. She’s not a hardcore gamer, and she’s not a Marine. That’s why I fell for her. She just a wonderful spirit.” He paused, then looked to the darkening woods. “At least she did until the glitch infected her.”

3

Although Jordan urged her to stay close, Keshon spent the next thirty minutes searching the region for a suitable place to camp. But her efforts proved futile. Aside from the clearing, the forest stretched for miles. No caves. No mob camps. Nothing they could use for shelter. Finally, Jordan suggested they sleep under the remains of the Gryphon’s beak. “It was good enough for the early settlers,” he said, staring into the clearing.

Keshon gazed at him, confused.

He saw her expression and chuckled. “They used to portage through the wilderness and sleep under their canoes.” He pointed at the severed beak. “That’s our canoe.” After asking Keshon to gather all the large pieces of wood she could find, Jordan had her block the opening on either side of the curved beak. When she completed one end, Keshon helped Jordan slide in under the top.

With the sun setting, she packed the other side, leaving a small hole for her to crawl in through. She gathered the remaining wood around it, then slid in with Jordan. The rookie then pulled the wood in to close the opening and exhaled. Orange beams spilt in through the gaps, radiating warm light onto their haggard faces.

“Come here,” Jordan said, gesturing to himself. “We won’t have a fire and we need to conserve our heat.”

Keshon glanced over her shoulder and scrutinized him for a moment. “Don’t get any ideas just because my underwear is wrapped around your leg,” she mocked. Jordan laughed. Satisfied that his intentions were honorable, she shimmied backward into his waiting arms. Her leather brigandine armor squeaked noisily against his splint mail.

“Early to bed, early to rise,” Jordan said. “Please wake me if you’re up first.” As Keshon cast more healing on him, she agreed to do so. Silently, they watched the gold light that penetrated the cracks transform to deep maroon. Keshon nestled closer to Jordan, and their body heat kept the enclosed space warm throughout the night.

But it would be a long time before they fell asleep. Keshon second-guessed her decisions and her role in the day’s events, while Jordan was haunted by the words he hadn’t said to Emma.