“I thought I’d find you here.” Breeze speaks to a pile of rocks. She lost it. I knew being socially isolated for half a century would leave its mark on her…

“Don’t tell me you’ve gotten fatter, since the last time I saw you?” She tells the Great Big Rock.

“Breeze.” I put my hand on her shoulder. She shrugs it off.

“You better have some fantastic booze as an offering to make up for that one, girly.” The rock answers. Have I lost it?! The ground rumbles. The rock shakes. It’s moving. It turns. It has a face. I lost it. I know I did. A rock with a face? I quickly remember who I am and despite the commotion, I hold myself together.

“You’re in luck. I have the best thing ever.” Breeze dangles an over-sized water bag. The human-face-shaped-rock-thing opens its eyes.

“Oh? You brought company this time?” The pile shakes again. A thunder roars from inside of it. Now there’s a Balli man rustling to get out from the ruble.

“Need a hand?” Breeze steps forward.

“Don’t change the subject, girly.” He finally gets out. A Shaman. That’s what he is. An Earth type.

“Now then, where’s me drink?” He says while dusting himself off.

“Right here.” Breeze tosses him the bag.

“You don’t want any?” The Shaman asks.

“Help yourself.”

“And you?” He looks at me.

“Enjoy.” I nod to the bag.

The Shaman roars with laughter and takes a gulp. A huge gulp. The wine is more dripping down his chest. Did he manage to get any of it down his throat? What a waste…

“Ho ho! You sure know your booze, girly.” The man crashes down on his ass with his legs crossed.

“So? Who do need me to kill?” Huh?

Breeze laughs. “Nobody. Yet.” She sits down as well.

“But?” The Shaman seems to know his way around a battle field. Though, it’s completely impossible to determine his age. Too many scars covered his face and body.

“But I am here for a reason. It’s not a fun one either. Except for that.” Breeze points to the wine. The Shaman laughs again.

“Well, we’ll see about that once you tell me the whole story.”

“Will you settle with a short version of it?”

“Ay.” The Shaman takes another drink.

“Here goes: I got dragged back into Concord’s affairs. Forced into. I can tell I don’t have many fans, however, I made a deal with mister high and mighty. The only thing missing is back up. I need a team of people I can trust to get through this. I won’t sweeten it for you, if the worst comes to worst – you might die. It’s a lot to ask. So how about you think it over till morning? I’ll be waiting at the bar.” Breeze gets up.

“It’s not just back up you’re looking for, is it?”

“No. I need you to be willing to train hatchlings as well.”

“Ah, girly, what kind of a piss poor cub would obey a drunk?” The look on the Shaman’s face darkens.

“They will. On that – you have my word.” Breeze bows before the man.

“So, then it’s the part of risking my life for you, you’re worried about?”

“Yes.” Breeze’s voice is stone cold. I stand there as if invisible. It isn’t my place to speak anyway.

“And you? Boy? Did you pledge to lay your life already?” The Shaman asks me.

“Long ago.” I answer out of habit. I wouldn’t just die for her. That has not changed. The Shaman sits in silence for a few minutes. He takes another gulp of the wine and speaks.

“Alright girly, I’ll join the fun, but with one condition.”

“All the booze you can drink? Free of charge?” Breeze makes a guess.

The Shaman roars with laughter again. “Ay, you got me there, girly.” He tries to stand so Breeze gives him a hand.

“Tonso.” The Shaman extends his hand to me.

I shake it. “Crile.”

“Crile, huh?” The ground splits open underneath my feet. I slip into the shadows and emerged with a dagger in hand a few feet away by a tree. The only shadow I could find in a blink of an eye.

“What the Hell was that for?!” I shout to Tonso. The Shaman’s pissing his pants. I walk over there.

“Explain.” I demand all pissed off.

“That’s for her.” Tonso has a murderous look on him. I don’t say anything. Frankly, I’m surprised. By the Shaman’s skill and the fact that Breeze obviously told him something.

“Shall we go then? We only have two more days before we leave.” Breeze makes a suggestion.

“Ay, I had me fun.” Tonso takes charge by walking first, Breeze follows. I hold back a few steps. Nobody says a word all the way back to the inn. We find Culebra downstairs, enjoying her dinner.

“Hey, girly, you didn’t say there was company here waiting for me.” Tonso slumps into a chair next to the mancer. Let the fun begin.

“How about you and I share a bottle of wine now and a bed later?” The Shaman’s as smooth as a rusted blade.

“The only thing you’ll be sharing is a ditch with the rest of the trash if you lay so much as a finger on me.” Culebra’s voice could have frozen Hell over just now. I grin.

“Don’t be like that, flower…” Tonso runs his fingers down Culebra’s spine. “You’ll like it.” The moment he says that a bone spike pops out of the mancer’s shoulder and stops a hair away from the Shaman’s eyeball. I can’t take it anymore and burst into laughter. Same kind of a spike appears inches away from my own throat. I quickly shut my mouth.

“Tonso, meet Culebra, our Necromancer.” Breeze gets in between the two. “Culebra, Tonso – our Shaman.” She points toward the spooked man.

“I would appreciate it, if you could not kill each other just yet. I am not your mother or your keeper.” Breeze puts a bit of authority into that sentence. The bone spikes retract. The Shaman takes another seat, one that’s further away from Culebra.

“Thank you.” Breeze sits at the end of the table. “The ship will leave the morning after tomorrow. Feel free to do as you please till then.” She takes a few bags of gold coins and tosses them to the two casters. “I imagine this should be enough for now.”

Tonso’s quite surprised by the gold, whereas Culebra remains indifferent to it.

“Right then, if there are no further questions, I’ll be taking my leave for the rest of the evening.” Breeze gets up.

“Before I forget, Tonso, you should probably ask for a room.”

“Right.” The Shaman gets up and goes to look for the inn keeper. Culebra finishes her meal and I remain invisible as Breeze walks right by me, without as much as a glance. Will it ever get better? I wonder.

I sit with my drink in hand, by the bar at the inn where, the four of us now, are staying at. We are bound to depart first thing in the morning. So far, I have Laira, Marcus, Crile, Tonso, Culebra and a warrior that the kids back home managed to get for my team. That’s six. Seven with me. I’m short on a few souls. Time is running out too. I take a sip of my ale.

“Mind if I sit next to you?” Crile’s voice reaches me.

“Do as you wish.” I tell him getting up. He grabs my hand.

“Stay. Please.”

“Why should I?”

“We need to talk.” Crile keeps his voice low.

“About what?” I might not be thrilled about the situation at hand but I’m not dumb enough to attract attention to myself here. Not yet, at least. So, I sit back down.

“Us.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” I whisper.

“Then listen.” Crile pushes the matter on me. Why now?

“Fine.” I answer. He sits next to me.

“What are you running away from?” Huh? “Will you ever stop?”

“I thought I’m supposed to listen, now you want me to answer you?”

“Answer me if you wish but I’d rather you listened.” He’s looking right at me. I see it with the corner of my eye.

“I know you won’t ever trust me again, not enough to be with me anyways, and that’s fine. I can learn to live with it. But that does not mean I don’t want for you to be happy.” Where’s this coming from?

He continues. “I’m not stupid. I realize you’ve been through a lot in the years you were gone, I can see you’ve changed. Yet, there are moments when the old you shows herself, even if it’s just for a second. I wish I could see you more like that. Breeze, I just don’t want you to suffer anymore. I want to help. All I ask is that you let me. Or do you hate me that much?” Crile looks away.

What am I supposed to do now? What do I tell him?

“What do you want me to say?” I ask him.

“Do you hate me?”

“No.” I hesitate. “If I did, it would mean I feel something for you. I don’t hate you Crile, I tolerate you.”

“I see.” He falls silent. “Well, I care about you. Even if you don’t care about yourself and I’ll do whatever I can to bring back the old Breeze back. So…”

“Shut it!” I use the stone to make him shut up.

“Breeze, seriously…” Crile’s voice gets louder.

“No, I mean be quiet, and check your dagger, the one on the other hip!”

“My blade? What of it?” Crile slides his hand down his side. As soon as his fingers brushes against the metal, the dagger flies off.

“What the Hell?!” We get up and run after the floating dagger. We get out onto the street. The masses of the people make it impossible to see where the damn knife flew off to.

“Can you track it?” Crile asks me, looking around, trying to spot his blade.

“There are too many smells, I can’t tell.”

“Damn it Breeze, it’s covered in poison. If the blade gets in contact with the skin.”

“Yeah I know! You and your poison.” I try to focus. I sniff the air again. Come on. Come on. There! “I have it.” I run straight toward the town center. One good thing about being in a popular and crowded town is that no one is complaining about a giant ass wolf running loose. Crile’s right behind me. I dash across the town square. Damn the thief’s quick. The scent gets stronger.

“Here!” I make a turn and we end up in an alley. A dark figure is right in front of us.

“Don’t move!” Crile shouts at the thief. “Give me back my blade and you can have my gold.” Crile tangles the pouch. The gold clings seductively inside of it. The figure turns.

“You’re not very smart, are you?” I step forward.

“What’s happening?” Crile asks me.

“It’s just her. There’s no back up.”

“Her? It’s a she?” He’s pissed.

“The blade is poisoned. If you touch it, you’ll be dead in about ten minutes. Give it back.” I walk over to the thief.

“The gold!” A female voice makes the demand.

“Here!” Crile tosses the pouch. The thief throws the blade.

“What’s your name?” I ask. The girl doesn’t say anything.

“What are you doing?” Crile’s voice reaches my thoughts again.

“Leave if you want.”

“What’s your name?” I try to approach the girl. Nothing. “How did you make the dagger move? You were nowhere near it.”

“You’re a Mage, aren’t you?” I stop half way to her. “I’m not going to turn you in, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

“Why should I believe you?” She finally answers.

“You’re holding the reason in your hand.” Crile stands next to me.

“What do you want?” The thief asks us.

“Your name, for starters?” I try again.

“Burla.” The girl barks. Ok, now we’re getting somewhere.

“I’m Deathbreeze. That’s Crile. We’re pleased to meet you, Burla.” I try to keep it casual. “So you can manipulate wind, then, huh?”

“Not wind! Air! I’m a Shaman! There’s a difference!” The girl takes her hood off. She seems rather pissed off for someone who just got a pouch full of gold for free.

“Alright. Air it is.” I look her over. A Balli. In her teens. Late teens. No more. “You have such a talent, why do you choose to steal?”

“What else am I supposed to do?” She answers angrily. That says a lot.

“Tell me, what does your family say about your life style?”

“Can’t say. When I die, I’ll ask them.”

“How did they die?” I ask.

“Why do you care?” The girl lashes out at me.

“Fine, how about this then. Would you like to take revenge for them?”

I see her expression change. Bull’s-eye. She thinks about it. Crile remains silent.

“Maybe.” The girl mumbles quietly.

“Who killed them?” I ask again.

“A Leto.” A Blood Shaman. Very rare. Very dangerous.

“When did it happen?”

“Five years ago.” Burla loosens up a little.

“What would you say if I told you, you can have your revenge, if you come with me?”

“Breeze, is that wise?” Crile reaches for me in my mind. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“Too late for that, is it not?” I answer him. He knows what it means.

“Why would you do that for me?” Burla asks me.

“You have the skills but you have no idea how to use them. You choose to steal pretty knives when you could be doing so much more. If you come with me, I’ll teach you how to use your abilities to their full potential. I’ll make you powerful enough, so that one day you can have your revenge on the Death Bringer who killed your loved ones. “

“Breeze you are out of control!” Crile’s voice rages inside my head.

“Stay out of it!”

“Sounds too good to be true.” Burla hesitates.

“Of course, you can stay here, continue roaming the streets of a busy town, running from the law, starving day in and day out.” I see the look she gives me. “Or.” I pause. “You can have a roof over your head, a bed to sleep in and a warm meal to eat every day.”

“I take it you’re not doing this out of the kindness of your heart?” The girl mocks me.

“Only one way to find out.” I extend my arm to her and hold her gaze.

We’re back at the inn. I, Breeze and her newly found pet – Burla. I have no idea for what reason Breeze decided it was a good idea to take in a thief but I hoped she knew what she was doing and it wasn’t just to piss me off. Breeze asks the inn keeper’s wife to help Burla wash up and give her a change of clothes. The Cornutese woman kindly agrees to it, all for a generous handful of gold, of course.

“Please, have a room ready for her as well, if it’s not too much trouble?” Breeze is being extra smooth.

“No trouble at all, miss.” The older woman does not seem to be bothered by the sudden work load.

“Thank you very much. I’ll leave you to it then.” Breeze steps out. I’m right behind her.

“You do realize you’re not actually invisible?” Breeze sounds cold and pissed off.

“Explain yourself.”

“You’re not my Father.”

“Breeze!” I grab her by the shoulders and ram her against the wall. “You just made a Blood Bind with a Street Rat! If you think you don’t owe me an explanation what the Hell was that all about, then you are dead wrong!” I’m furious. This is the Breeze that I don’t know and I’m scared. Question is: what am I scared of? Her or for her?

“She has a talent I can make use of.” Breeze is unreadable.

“Is this what you’ve become?”

“God damn it, Crile, I’m giving her a home! She’s just a child!” Breeze gets out of my grip.

“There are plenty more like her, will you save them all now?”

“Are you that stupid?” Breeze mocks me.

“Are you?” This is getting out of hand. “Obey me and you will have your revenge! Those were your words Breeze!”

“I made the Bind with the intent she’ll eventually forget about it and move on! She’s a child! It’ll be years before she will be able to stand her ground against a Leto and by then I hope she’ll have forgotten all about it! Or at least she’ll see that revenge isn’t the answer!”

“Years? Breeze you don’t have years! At best we have a few months before the Rebirth! Maybe half a year IF we are lucky! What happens to her then? They’ll throw her back out onto the streets.” I’m so confused.

“They won’t.” She seems pretty certain about it. I have nothing left to say. I let her walk away. She’s not my Breeze. Then why am I smiling? Is it because I want to know more about the New Breeze? Or is it that feeling her under my fingertips excites me? Even if it’s barely a minute I had her…

“I’m insane.” I tell myself and go back to my room.

The next morning the five of us line up in front of the ship. The entitled Brute is waiting on the deck.

“Is this it? This is what the fuss was all about?” The captain mocks us. Can’t blame him… I have doubts about this myself…

“A pack of lunatics?” He snarls at us. Oh, now that’s a little bit offensive…

“Captain, meet Team Deathbreeze.” Breeze announces proudly. “These lunatics, as you called them, are my honored guests. I expect them to be treated appropriately.” Breeze put a bit of authority into that one. The Brute might have been an idiot of high quality but he isn’t stupid. The King is funding this trip personally, it probably is in the captain’s best interest to oblige with Breeze’s unofficial request.

“Ridiculous.” The captain walks away. A few cabin boys approach Breeze and are more than happy to show Team Deathbreeze where they will be staying.

“Meet me at the lower deck once we set sail.” Breeze looks us over. Nobody says anything.

Team Deathbreeze occupies one of the lower decks on the ship. We have a two-week journey ahead of us. Breeze is using the opportunity to come up with a game plan. Even if we are missing Laira and Marcus. Not to mention we are short on one Cleanser. I did suggest Lady Hannah but Breeze was against it. We know that the kids back at Araneum have already a Close Combat Warrior in place, but we are missing at least one Hunter and a Ram – a heavy type warrior.

“Lady Deathbreeze?” A shy voice approaches Breeze from the side. She turns. All of us turn to where the sound is coming from. A young Primerian boy stands there. Terrified out of his wits too.

“This ought to be good.” Burla whispers.

“Yes?” Breeze addresses the boy.

“I would like to join your team.” Come again?

“Ha! Is he serious?” Burla’s having a laugh.

“Now now. Give the lad a chance.” Tonso’s baritone rings across the empty deck.

“Why?” Breeze asks the poor boy.

“I… Well…” He has no clue why. Oh boy. Breeze remains unreadable.

“Are you wasting my time?” Breeze is in her warrior mode now.

“No!” The Primerian’s quick with that one. “I’m a Cleanser.” Really? “I have been training under Master Ikweed for some time now.”

“And?” Breeze is demanding for answers.

“And well, I. You see, after that night.” He makes sure to emphasize the last two words. “I was very much impressed with you, Milady.” Milady? Already?

“Flattery will get you nowhere.” Breeze isn’t the kind to be swayed so easily. I should know.

“I meant no disrespect.” The boy’s turning red as molted steel.

“Oh, come on! Get on with it already!” The young shaman’s restless. A dagger lands right next to her nose on the table where she’s stretched out on. “Hey!”

“Quiet.” Breeze doesn’t even look at Burla. The girl’s pissed but holds her tongue and sits back down.

“Why are you here?” Breeze asks the boy.

“Well, I…” He hesitates. Never a good sign. “I believe I have a different way of thinking that the Master disapproves of. I am well aware of all Traditional healings and such, but I feel there is more to my purpose. I wish to do more.” It seems to me like the Primerian sounds a tiny bit more confident there.

“Like what?” Breeze doesn’t let up.

“I’m not sure.” Aaaaand the confidence is gone.

“What’s your name?” Breeze asks again.

“Percival. Milady.”

“Percy?” Burla giggles. That doesn’t last too long as Breeze aims her death glare right at the girl.

“Alright, well then Percival. Show me how good you are.” Breeze stands up. Walks over to me, takes a blade out from of one the sheets on my leg and slashes her arm.

“Are you nuts?!” Burla jumps up.

“Sit down and be quiet.” Culebra finally makes herself known.

“Well? Are you going to let me bleed to death?” Breeze just stands there. Finally, Percival snaps out of it and comes closer. The boy tries a spell. But it doesn’t work. It couldn’t have. The blade’s covered in poison. Breeze knows that. That’s why she used my dagger. And it’s not just any poison. It’s fast acting. I see sweat break out on Breeze’s face. The kid better work fast. He tries the heal one more time. Nothing happens. Percival holds his hands over the wound, the wound bubbles. The blood sizzles. Tiny, dark red streaks rise from Breeze’s arm. He doesn’t say anything. There’s no chanting, no lip movement. Interesting. Percival turns one of his hands palm up and the red streaks coil up in the center of his palm. Some more red lines float upwards from the wound and end up in his palm. The arm keeps sizzling. A faint smell of burnt flesh taints the air. What is he doing? The boy moves his hand away that has the blood in it. Lowers his other hand and places it just a little above where the wound starts, near the elbow. A tiny blue light engulfs the bleeding flesh on Breeze’s forearm. Soon enough we witness the wound close up as Percival moves his palm across it.

“There. Tell me if you’ll feel a slight fever or anything later. I think I got all of the poison out but there’s always a chance some of it slipped by me. As a precaution I would suggest taking an antidote, however, I’m afraid it will take me a while to extract the poison from the blood and get the antidote ready…”

A rough laughter roars across the deck. Tonso.

“A noble idea you have there, lad, but I think it’d be easier to just ask for an antidote from the guy who made poison, instead.”

“Huh?” Percival seems to be startled by that but then looks at the dagger I have in my hand.

“Oh, well, yes, of course.” He’s embarrassed. Breeze giggles. That’s new.

“Well done. Tell me. How would have your Master treated the wound?” Breeze asks Percival.

“The standard for treating poison is to drain as much of the blood as possible without killing the patient. Then the wound is simply closed up and the patient is left on bed-rest until they regain their strength.” The kid has a peculiar look on his face as he speaks. He knows what he’s talking about.

“And what did you do?” Breeze seems a lot more relaxed.

“When I realized that there was something preventing me from closing up the wound instantly, I removed the tainted blood from the body first.”

“Bullshit!” Burla calls out. “The blood boiled! It was sizzling! And you made it move like it was water! Last I checked - only a Leto is able to do that.”

“Correct. But I am not a Water type Shaman or able to manipulate blood. I forced the poison out of the body. Not the blood. Since the poison connects with the blood, removing the poison together with the tainted blood is the only way of getting the poison out, however, the poison here was fast acting. So, even if I had drained Milady of one third of her blood, that might not have been enough since this type of poison spreads faster. Meaning, while I would be draining her blood, no matter how much of it is removed, it might not ever be enough to get all of the poison out. Therefore, I focused on getting the poison itself out of the system, instead. What you saw was me controlling the poison not the blood.”

“Like a Temeros would?” Culebra joins the conversation. A Cleanser that kills with poison. There are two more Cleanser type Death Bringers. A Hexador that kills with curses and a Morbusian that kills with diseases.

“Temeros? A Cleanser type that kills with poison? Are you saying that bastard can kill me while healing me?” Burla’s on a roll. And not in a good kind of a way.

“Yes. NO!” Percival slips up on that one. Breeze remains silent. I’m nowhere near in the mood to get involved either.

The Primerian takes a breather. “Let me explain.” He looks directly at Breeze as he speaks.

“My personal fascination is poison. I excel at treating it more than diseases or curses. As a matter of fact, I must admit, I have very little experience dealing with curses. But I am quite well versed in poison and disease. Especially poison. It is common knowledge that Temeros kill by poison, but unlike Assassins or Hunters, they can also manipulate the poison in other ways. Same as Mage Manipulation. With the help of enchantings, they can turn poison to liquid, gas or make it solidify, and I use the same principle. Only I use it to help people. Not to kill.” He doesn’t take his eyes of Breeze the whole time. I have to give the boy some credit.

“Why did you choose to manipulate the poison out of my body in a liquid form? Turning it into gas would have been much easier, no?” Breeze seems different somehow.

“Then all of us would be dead by now, Milady.” Percival has a point. Breeze knows that.

“Why not solidify it then?” She’s testing him.

“If I had done that, then you, Milady, might have ended up dead. Solidifying the poison might have caused blockage in the blood flow. It either could have rendered your arm useless, which would have meant the removal of it. Or, if I wasn’t being careful and somehow even a tiniest amount of the solidified poison got passed my control, it might have traveled further into your system and would have caused death eventually.” Wow. I glance up at Breeze. She seems pleased.

“Fine! Then how the Hell do you explain the bubbling and the burning?” Burla’s out of control. I sigh and give Breeze a disapproving look. She ignores me.

“I used an old spell to sear the sides of the wound and prevent the poison from spreading. It caused the blood to boil. The sizzling sound was from the burning flesh. Thus, the unpleasant smell.”

“The Torch?” The necromancer is more talkative than usual.

“That spell hasn’t been used by Cleansers’ in ages!” Tonso makes a good a point.

“Yes, well, I am able to cast it. It seemed a good idea at the time…” What’s this? Percival’s losing his newly found confidence.

“If it is such a great spell than why did casters stop using it?” Burla’s attitude is getting on my nerves.

“The Torch spell was widely used hundreds of years ago. It was quite effective in sealing internal wounds, since it does not really require physical contact to be cast.” Breeze speaks out on the behalf of the young Cleanser.

“Later it was found that in the long run it causes more damage than good. It is burning muscle and tissue. Meaning, it damages the healthy part of the system as well as repairing it at the same time. Once a wound is seared, it cannot be healed again. That would not just leave scars but also create an obstacle when complications would arise later on, from internal wounds and injuries in particular. For that reason, the spell was deemed harmful and Cleansers stopped using it. So why did you think it was a good idea to use it on me?” Breeze address Percival.

“I used the Torch spell on the sides of the slash to prevent the poison from spreading. However, as I cast it, I never stopped casting it.”

“You kept burning the flesh so it would not cool off, preventing it from sealing up, while you were treating the poison. That allowed you to close it up later, without any trace of the flesh ever being burnt or cut in the first place.” I finally crack. “Impressive.”

“Correct, Sir Shadowkill.” The boy nods.

“Ay, the lad has a knack for this.” Tonso agrees.

“And that?” Breeze points at the blood in the kid’s hand. The poisoned blood. “What will you do with it, now that there is no need for an antidote?”

“Oh well, I should dispose of it, but I need to do it when we reach land to be safe.”

“Will you just hold your hand out like that for the next two weeks?” Breeze is mocking the boy just a little bit.

“Well, a glass or something would be nice.” Percival blushes. I smile. Tonso laughs.

“Here.” The Shaman drains his ale. “You can use this.” Tonso slides his beer glass along the table. Percival catches it.

“Thank you.” He pours the blood in it.

“Alright. You proved you know what you are doing as a Cleanser. However, there are some questions I need to ask you.” Breeze sits down.

“We’ll continue the discussion tomorrow. Feel free to relax until then.” She looks everyone over. Culebra’s the first one to stand up.

“Very well.” Tonso follows.

“Fine.” Burla sounds quite annoyed.

“Stay.” I hear Breeze inside my head.

“Sit.” She shows Percival a seat next to her. The boy listens. As soon as he sits down Breeze shifts. A giant wolf is now sitting at the end of the table, glaring at the poor boy. Percival stutters. That’s my cue.

“Easy.” I put my hand over his shoulder. “I’ll be asking the questions here. You will be answering them. And Breeze here will decide if your answers are good enough not to eat you.”

“You’re asking for it.” Breeze’s low growl echoes in my mind.

“I’m begging for it.” I answer her. She flinches. I’m going to take advantage of every single situation I can from now on. A New Breeze deserves a New Me.

“Now then. Let’s begin.”

Hours pass. Yet we continue to torture the young Cleanser with our little “questions and answers” game. Crile knows exactly what and how to ask Percy, so we would get what we need out of him. Mainly, it is to find out if he’s working with or for somebody and if so – who they are. Ergo – there’s no use in giving direct questions to the boy. The art of information gathering requires subtlety, attention to detail and endurance. You have to be able to keep the pressure going so the target, in this case – Percival, would not have the time to figure out what is it that we really want. On top of that, you have to keep the target confused, that’s why the same questions are being asked over and over again, you do that, in hopes that the target will slip up and say something else than the time before. You do it all in such a casual manner that the target doesn’t really notice. And Crile is the best at it. One of his special skills.

My job’s only to listen for the boy’s heart rate and signal if what he’s saying is true or not. Usually when someone is lying there is a change in voice, the eyes widen, they avert their gaze, they blush, they start to sweat and the heart rate increases. Of course, there is also the possibility that the person in question is well trained in keeping all of those factors under control. However, Percy’s still quite young, so unless he has been training to be a spy since the day he was born – which I doubted – it should be pretty easy to tell when or if he’s lying. My biggest issue in Percy’s case is that he’s just too nervous. But that’s exactly why we are asking the same questions over and over again. Rephrase, reshape, and turn the question inside out, changing a detail here and there – all to keep the target on his toes. It’s not only questions that Crile is asking Percival. He tells stories to the boy, describes situations, asks rhetorical questions and even random things, ones that have nothing to do with anything. Crile does all he has to, to make sure the kid’s being truthful.

I steal a glance at Crile. He’s strolling back and forth behind Percival. Crile’s ability to adapt quickly to the situation, no matter how life threatening or absurd, was his best trait. That’s probably the only reason how I can tolerate being so close to him now. Yet, at the same time, it makes my insides turn. I long for him. It would be so easy to just run into his arms and wrap myself around him… I thought long and hard about if I could ever be able to forgive him for what happened… I entertained the idea forever but I never got a clear answer. Eventually, I decided that I will not see him ever again, after which, I stopped bothering myself wondering, how I would handle myself if I did. This time that we have spent together already, showed me that I’m not ready for this. I act up like a moron… For a long and boring while I had thought that Crile did what he did because he never loved me in the first place… Of course, he had made it clear, a few times now, that he has feelings for me still… So do I… But the paranoia is there… It has it’s hold on me… I can trust he will have my back in a fight but I do not feel like I can trust him with my heart again… This is all messed up so bad… I’m so lost… I watch him as he continues to batter the poor boy with his questions.

“What is it? Is he lying?” Crile’s voice echoes inside of me.

“No. Wrap it up.” I turn away.

“Alright, last question.” Crile sits down in front of the Cleanser. “Would you die to save an ally?”

“Yes.” The kid doesn’t even blink. His breathing’s steady. Alright. Crile glares at the boy a moment longer.

“Get some rest.” Crile says to Percy and waves him off.

“Will do, Sir.” Percival gets up. “I look forward to working with you, Milady.” He looks at me and bows, I nod, the boy leaves. I shift back.

“So? What do you think?” Crile asks me.

“He appears to be a capable healer. Yet still.” I hesitate.

“Think he was using a Lector stone? Someone was giving him the right answers?” Crile has a conspiracy theory ready.

“It would have been difficult for him to relay the information while you were interrogating him. He wasn’t repeating the questions’, so I think it’s safe to say he wasn’t using the stone now. However, who’s to say he’s not getting outside help when he’s not being bombarded with questions like that.”

“So, what’s the game plan here?”

“I’ll sick Burla on him. The little thief will happily make the boy’s life a living Hell. If he is trained, he’ll slip up.” I actually want Percy to be genuinely interested in helping me make a dent in the Royal Army’s upbringing. However…

“And if he does slip up? Will you kill him?”

“No.”

“You’ll let him walk away?” I hear the concern in Crile’s voice.

“I’ll use him. One way. Or the other.” I give Crile my hard stare. “I’m going.”

“Right.” Crile nods and I leave. I stretch my wings and fly off as soon as the evening sun hits my eyes. I loved the feeling of flight. The howling of the wind is so strong I can’t even hear my thoughts. I can just glide effortlessly on the currents of the sea breeze and forget about the troubles that bind me.

Breeze doesn’t call for another meeting after she decided to keep Percy as part of the team. More so, she doesn’t really talk to anyone after that. Mainly, I see her bossing Burla around, and that looks more like a boot-camp. The girl can’t even sneeze without Breeze’s permission. I almost feel sorry for the kid. Tonso makes camp in the kitchen, helping Grindella out. The kind of a way he got shot down by Culebra, I figured he’d give up on flirting for good. Guess you really can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Speaking of the mancer – she mainly stays inside her cabin. Only showing herself for breakfast and dinner. Percival got an earful from Ikweed and was tossed out of the Cleanser core. Apparently, the old geezer was part of the Council, responsible for the Cleansers, giving him enough power to do so. The poor guy was left cabin-less. That was where Breeze stepped in and gladly upgraded Burla to sleep on the floor in her cabin and gave Burla’s room to Percy. The little thief wasn’t pleased but that was for the best. There really isn’t much anyone can do while being stuck on a ship for two weeks. Besides, that way Breeze can keep a closer eye on the little Street Rat. Knowing that, made me feel easier too.

Once in a while I would see Breeze talking with a Noxian boy and a Primerian girl. I believe they were the same ones who helped Breeze out with the ship back then. It’s weird spending all this time being so close to her and being unable to truly be with her. Then again, I have a front row seat at watching her. She has changed. She used to be such a short fuse. Even a tiniest nuisance would make her blow up like a barrel full of gun powder set on fire. She never abused her standing as a member of Noxanda’s Royal Family but she could be so obnoxious sometimes, it was painful to watch. Starlight would be the only one who could get her to calm down. Breeze seems a lot more patient and mature now… Even if she acted all edgy around me. I guess she never counted on seeing me again, that’s why she gets all weird… I on the other hand, I couldn’t wait to see her again… All I want for her is to be happy. She deserves it. Even if she doesn’t think so herself. My mind wondered back to that moment at the inn. I had Breeze in my arms. Well, kind of… As much as my mind was focused on different things – my body reacted to the feeling before I even realized it. If we were together still, that wall-ram would have ended with Breeze moaning my name, instead of angrily walking away from me. I laugh quietly. Nothing ever changes. I want her. Huh. I wonder.

The journey back to the Royal City, is even more excruciating. I can’t wait to see Emerald again. I miss her. She’s the only one I have left that I can be myself around. This whole “playing nice with others” is getting on my nerves. Having Burla to share my cabin with, isn’t helping either. The only good thing I find – is the two kids that have been practicing Meditation ever since I showed them the ropes. Even better is that they have been secretly teaching it to others as well. I asked Zaltem to teach Burla for me. He didn’t even think twice about it. To my surprise, he was quite good at explaining it to the dense thief. I was going to ask Aodynna to do it but she didn’t seem like the type to be doing favors. Having at least an hour a day to myself is better than nothing. Of course, I’m doing my lookouts as well but it isn’t enough. I have spent too much time around Crile. It’s getting more difficult to take control. “I’m begging for it.” Wiseass. He doesn’t seem like he changed much. He has the same poker face. The same stone-cold voice. Besides the fact that he serves under Tahon – nothing about him changed. Or is there something I don’t know? I shake my head. Why do I care. Burla falls in through the cabin door.

“Knock. It’s not that hard to remember.” I growl at her sitting up. She rolls her eyes at me. I conjured a tree branch out the door and smack her on the head with it.

“Ouch!” Burla rubs the back of her head. “Sorry.” She mumbles.

“So? Did you find anything out?” I ask her.

“About Percy? No. He seems to know what he is doing, healing, I mean, but besides that – nothing.”

“Keep annoying him. Once we’ll be back at Araneum you’ll have a different task.”

“What’s that?” She asks sitting down on my bed. I glare at her. The runt slides down to the floor.

“There’s a hunter I want to talk to but my friends can’t seem to find him. They have responsibilities at the Palace, so they can’t really spend all of their time tracking him down. You, on the other hand.” I glance at the trickster.

“You want me to be your hound?”

“If that’s how you see it – sure.”

“What’s in it for me?” She tries to play it smart.

“I don’t throw you into the Royal Dungeon?” I answer.

“Tch. Fine. What do I have to work with?” Oh?

“Now you sound more like a professional than a low-life.” Burla doesn’t seem to be much impressed by my praise. I continue. “He’s Cornutese and has a Chimera for a Companion.”

“That’s ALL?” The brat jumps up.

“Problem?” I gave her my hard stare. She sits back down.

“No.”

“Good. Now go run ten laps around the deck.”

“What?! Why?!” The girl squeals.

“Twenty. Keep talking.”

Burla doesn’t say anything else. I hear the door bang shut. I sigh.

“Only five more days.”

The last five days were a pain in the ass. It rained non-stop. Everyone, who didn’t have any responsibilities out on the deck, were cramped up in the lower decks. If there was a way for me to not starve – I would have gladly stayed in my cabin all the time. But Grindella’s cooking is truly to die for. So, I endure the crowds of cabin boys and girls three times a day. Strangely, I don’t remember these types of things being a bother to me before. Maybe because my attention was always focused on Breeze. That or I’m getting old. Ugh.

“Excuse me, Sir Shadowkill?” A tiny voice approaches me. I look up. A young Noxian girl stands next to me.

“Yes.”

“Would you like to spend the night with me?” What?

“Where did you get an idea like that?”

“I have been watching you the whole trip and well, as we get closer to the Capital, I figured…”

“Adorable.” I stand up taking my plate and glass with me. Without saying anything I go back to my cabin. Ridiculous. Do I look that pathetic that a kitten like her would take pity on me? Or was that a prank? If I had said yes, what would have she done then? Great. When did I get into the habit of overthinking?