Miinhart Forest, Desmond, 10416 P.C.

Todd's chest ached from much more than being whacked with the Lurker's branch. He didn't want to admit how much losing Harley affected him. Watching the beautiful horse die, the horse who had saved their lives...

Death. It felt like it was following him now. First Michael and now Harley. He fought to conceal the tears that burned his eyes, but he knew Bethany saw them. She sidled up close to him, putting her hand in his. Despite himself, he couldn't help but smile at her. She looked up at him, her bottom lip puckered just a little, her round cheeks flushed from their recent encounter. He looked at her — really looked at her. How old was she? Three? Maybe four. And yet she watched him with a seriousness beyond her years. Those eyes had seen so much. By her quiet solemnity, he guessed she had experienced some pretty heavy situations. She did not return his smile; she turned away from it, her little hand stroking the horse's side. As she did, she began to whisper something. He strained to hear her words, realizing after a moment that she was reciting a poem:

"On they marched, their hopes held high

Like torches

Hundreds fell, but they will rise

Like the sun

Hold tight to this, my war-stricken

Soldiers

Hope won't be dashed, our strength will last

Though some have passed, they will rise

Like the sun."

It surprised Todd. Looking down at Bethany again, he murmured, "That was nice. Who taught you that?"

"My mommy," she whispered. "She said to always remember it. It means that even though people die, they'll come back. We don't need to be scared. It hurts us to lose someone, she says, but we will see them again soon."

Todd swallowed hard. His eyes burned a bit more. "How... how do you know that? How do we know we'll see them again? Death..." ... means gone forever. He didn't want to say that to a three-year-old, especially not since she had just lost her mother.

"The Immortal One promised," she replied simply. Patting Harley's side, she said, "Goodbye, Harley. We will see you soon." With that, she rose to her feet and left Todd's side.

Todd didn't move. His mind swirled. Never before had he heard of seeing dead loved ones again. Wasn't death the end? It was hard to imagine life just suddenly ending, but he thought maybe they came back as something or someone else. He hadn't ever even thought that he might get to see his parents and Michael again. They were gone for good, weren't they? Why did Bethany believe otherwise?

"Todd." Annabella was calling to him, her voice shaky.

He rose to his feet, grimacing as his ribs ached. Looking down at Harley one last time, he took a trembling breath. She really was a beautiful horse, even now lying in a twisted heap on the ground. The rock the Lurker at thrown had crushed her ribs, leaving a disturbing dent in her side. One of the bones must have pierced her heart to cause her to die so quickly. At least it hadn't been a prolonged death. Still, it had been a needless death. Maybe if he had been paying more attention, they could have avoided it altogether. Maybe... if only.

Turning away from the horse, he looked at his companions. Annabella was on her feet, leaning heavily on a tree. Even in the darkness, he could see how much pain she was in. They were all pretty messed up now. His chest hurt to breathe.

"What now?" he asked, his voice hoarse. He coughed and gasped when a stab of pain echoed through his chest.

"If I lay down, I don't think I'll be able to get back up," Annabella replied in a heartbeat, her voice more shaky and fearful than he'd ever heard it.

Stephanie struggled to her feet. "Then we keep going. We can't stop."

"What if we meet another Lurker?" Todd asked.

"We'll most likely die." Annabella was no longer looking on any sort of bright side. "I'm completely useless in a fight now."

"And my bow is broken," Stephanie added. "I'd better get my sword."

While Stephanie went back for her sword, Todd approached Annabella, offering her support. She accepted it, slinging her arm over his shoulder and immediately taking the pressure off her leg.

"I'm sorry," she whispered so low he barely heard her.

"For what?"

"I'm supposed to be protecting you."

He wrapped his arm around her waist for better support. "You know, usually the guy protects the girl."

"Don't conform to your ignorant societal norms. The competent person protects the incompetent person."

"Ouch. You just called me incompetent."

"Am I wrong?"

Todd struggled for a witty response. Her words stung. Henry was always telling him how weak and pathetic he was, and Annabella was no different. Couldn't he have ended up with a nicer companion? Apparently not.

Stephanie returned before he could conjure up any sort of response to Annabella. "Todd saved our lives. He is, in fact, competent, and currently more competent than you are. Stop being such a jerk and accept that." Stephanie seemed to enjoy taking advantage of the fact that Annabella couldn't retaliate. Todd could feel Annabella bristle at the younger girl's words, but Stephanie went on before Annabella could lash back. "How did you two end up together anyway?"

"I don't know," Todd said while Annabella replied with "None of your bloody business."

Stephanie folded her arms. "Fine. Todd'll tell me eventually, I'm sure. Let's go."

Annabella bristled again, but Todd felt a smirk curling his lips at Stephanie's insight and clear disdain for Annabella. Yes, he would tell her soon enough, when Annabella wasn't close enough to hit him for it.

The minutes turned into hours, each one feeling like a lifetime to Todd. He didn't know how he kept going, especially now that he was supporting half of Annabella's weight, but somehow he pushed through. Stephanie, too, was exhausted, carrying Bethany on her back when the girl couldn't walk another step. They spent the night trekking through the forest, jumping at every sound, the idea of Lurkers the only thing keeping them on their feet. Todd had never been more tired in all his life. To stay focused, he asked questions, which seemed to only annoy Annabella.

"Yes, Todd, we know what cars are. They're not common, though, mostly because the technology is outdated."

"Outdated?"

"Old. Rather useless..."

"What do you use, then?"

"I walk," was her short response.

"Walking is definitely outdated."

Stephanie spoke up. "We don't use cars for a variety of reasons. They're a bit of an inconvenience when you think about it. We'd have to pave all the roads or else during spring season they'd all get stuck. We'd have to mine all that extra oil for fuel. Not to mention how loud and annoying they are and how they pollute the air."

"That sounds like a textbook response."

"So maybe I've only read about cars. I've never needed one and I don't see how they could be practical."

"We could really use one right now," Todd muttered, helping Annabella step over a log.

"Sure, but then we'd be forced to stick to the road and the chances of us being spotted are that much higher." Stephanie stepped over the log, nearly tripping over a stick on the other side. She steadied herself, adjusting a sleeping Bethany on her back as she turned to them. "Can't you see the impracticality?"

"Maybe? I don't know?" He was mildly irritable himself, wanting to snip at her but not really having a good reason for it. "What do you use for transportation anyway?"

"Out here? Horses. Feet, like the ones we're currently using."

"That's a lot more outdated than cars are."

Annabella sighed.

"In Zusia we have bikes and carts," Stephanie started.

"Still more outdated."

"... but we also have the monorail. It's Athriian powered."

"Athriian?" Todd asked.

"Athrii is a type of magic. The magic of the Veiled Lady." Just the way she said the name sent shivers down Todd's back.

"Wait, so this world has magic?"

"It's an ancient dark magic that the Immortal One banned hundreds of years ago," Annabella explained. "Those who had it were known as the Gifted. The Athriian. The commoners called them Transformers after they fell from the Immortal One's good graces. Symbolic of how they transformed from perfect goddesses into murderous witches, I guess."

"So, this Veiled Lady..."

"Is a witch capable of Athrii, yes."

"What all can she do?" Todd was almost afraid to ask.

"Too much," Stephanie mumbled darkly, and somehow it was answer enough for him.

"Athrii is an inexhaustible resource," Annabella continued. Todd could hear the fatigue in her tone, feel it with how heavily she leaned on him — her energy was fading fast. "She can pour it out constantly and never run out. A lot of the technology around here is powered by her magic."

It was all too surreal. Todd had grown up reading books about knights and princesses and witches and magic, but it was all fantastical, born from the drifting minds of imaginative authors. None of it had been real. Dragons were creatures of myth, or they were supposed to be. How could it be that all of this had been going on and existing right alongside his world and no one in his world had known of it?

He broke the silence. "So you mean there's no real mode of transportation outside of the cities other than animals and ourselves."

"They're making a speed rail across Desmond," Stephanie said. "They're also experimenting with aircrafts. Currently, the only ones capable of flying on Athriian energy can only hold a few passengers. So it's not used often. Everyone usually just uses the monorail." She paused. "Those are like trains up on high rails."

"I know what those are," Todd said. "We have them too."

"Probably not powered by magic," Annabella interjected.

"Um, no."

Annabella pulled him to a stop, sagging against him. "I don't think I can keep going."

Todd only realized then that the night had fled and the sun was rising above the trees. Through the fading shadows, he could see the complete exhaustion that lined Stephanie's face and the way Bethany's lips puckered as she slept. They had walked through the entire night. He had just done what he thought impossible. Somehow, it hadn't felt as long as he thought it would.

"How's your leg?" Stephanie asked Annabella.

Annabella let out a breath through her teeth. "I don't know." She let go of Todd and sank to the ground. When he looked down, he saw that her pant leg was wet. With blood? He swallowed hard, sinking to the ground beside her. His legs burned.

"We're almost to Asural," Stephanie pressed. "Another hour, maybe even less."

"Maybe we should rest," Todd suggested, the weariness crashing into him like a wave.

"No, we need to keep going. The sun is up and we're practically on the edge of the forest. If anyone passes by they might see us." Stephanie's voice was full of practicality, but he knew she was just as tired as the rest of them. It was obvious in the way she dropped to her knees and let Bethany, who was stirring, slide off her back. The armour was weighing her down, he knew, but earlier, when he had suggested she remove it, she refused.

Her words sparked curiosity within him, and he straightened. "Wait, we're at the end of the forest?" He craned his neck, trying to see past the branches and trees. "What's beyond?"

"Meritona Hills," Stephanie replied. "It's mostly prairie land along the treeline, but the farther in you go the hills get monstrous, I'm told."

Todd couldn't see, nor could his aching legs hold back his curiosity. He pushed himself to his feet, feeling unnaturally spry as he tromped through the thick underbrush. He could see it, several hundred yards away. It was as if the trees were just suddenly cut off by an invisible hand. The grassland beyond was yellow and green in the morning sunlight. Stephanie was right, it looked more like a prairie, but off in the distance he saw how the hills became numerous and large, like thousands of pimples on the face of the earth. As he staggered nearer to the edge of the trees, he heard the distant sound of life. He immediately dropped into a crouch, pressing through the thick ground foliage to get closer. He searched the grassland, trying to find the source of the noise.

Stephanie crawled up beside him, breathing heavily. She pointed. "There. Travellers."

Todd saw. A small crowd of people walked through the grass, accompanied by donkeys and carts. He frowned. "Who are they?"

"I... don't know," Stephanie murmured. "Maybe they... oh, no, see those men in uniform? Those are guards. And the people. They aren't dressed properly."

Todd had to agree. The people walking in a clustered group behind the carts, surrounded by uniformed men, looked as though they hadn't had a proper meal in all their lives. Or a proper bath. "Prisoners?"

"Slaves," Stephanie confirmed heavily. "Where from, I couldn't tell you. There are a lot of slave camps around Desmond. They aren't fun places to be."

The ache in Todd's chest was thick and weighted. He'd never seen anything like this before. There were teenagers, even younger than him. Women. Men who looked broken. They were all malnourished, underfed, weak, hopeless. He looked at Stephanie. "Where's your sword?"

She shot him a dangerous look. "Don't even think it. We can't fight them. Even if we were all fit to fight, we're outnumbered."

"The people aren't chained."

"You don't understand, Todd," she said tensely. "Forget everything you think you know. Desmond is not like Amissah. People don't need to be chained to be prisoners."

He didn't understand her words, but he didn't have time to question them. There was a commotion near the back of the group. Todd looked in time to see a boy tumble to the ground, struck by one of the guards. He was back on his feet in seconds, though, fists in front of him, ready for a fight. He wasn't dressed like the guards. He was a slave. The fight seemed to be challenged, as the other uniformed men stood still, watching as only one guard went in for the attack.

"What's going on?" Todd whispered to Stephanie, who had also seen the fight break out.

"Brawl. The guards will probably take turns running him into the ground until he's dead." Stephanie said the words so simply, Todd looked at her in surprise.

"They'll kill him?"

She nodded slowly, her eyes on the fight. Then she closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'd rather not stick around to watch."

The boy was fast, ducking and dodging the guard's punches and swings. He even landed a solid blow to the man's chest, sending the guard stumbling a few steps back. The man recovered, though, and tackled the boy to the ground.

Todd's heart raced. "We could help. While they're distracted."

"Todd." Stephanie put her hand on his shoulder, and he looked at her. She sighed. "I know you want to help. That's nice. But what happened with the Lurker was a fluke. We'd never win against these guys. Let it go."

"But the boy..."

She shook her head. "There's nothing we can do. Come on. We'd better leave."

Todd looked back at the fight. The boy was up, stumbling back a bit as the guard fought to get back to his feet. The kid actually seemed to be winning.

"Todd." Stephanie tugged on his arm. "They're just having their fun. They'll kill him. You don't want to watch."

He knew she was right. With a deep breath and a burning in his chest, Todd turned away from the scene and followed Stephanie.