‘So where are we heading next?’ Horatio asked Olivia. ‘Where was the Clarent Sword hidden in your vision?’

‘If you don’t mind,’ said Olivia, ‘I’d like to keep the precise location secret until we get there.’ She shared a conspiratorial look with Primus. ‘I’m sure I can trust all of you, but I want to take every precaution. However, I can tell you that we must continue to head north, to the Bay of Vishay. From there we need to find a ship to take us over the Sundering Sea to the Frozen Wastes.’

‘Well done, Helen,’ Ceres said to the Huntress. ‘You had worked out exactly where Olivia was headed.’

‘Well it wasn’t exactly difficult…’ muttered Primus. ‘Her trajectory clearly indicated that she was heading that way. And she asked for directions at some of the places she stayed.’

‘Yes,’ said Olivia, ‘I was careless and gave away my intentions too freely. But that was because at first I believed I was travelling in secret, and only lately discerned that the Cult was tracking me. As soon as I realised that, I started to cover my tracks and move more randomly, but they caught up to me eventually. I am still troubled that they might have worked out where the Clarent Sword is themselves, or that they will continue to pursue me–I mean, us. We must continue to travel as fast as we can to ensure we beat them to it.’ She appeared eager for them to be on their way. How was she not exhausted? Horatio supposed that Ceres’ healing spell must have rejuvenated her.

‘Be that as it may,’ said Primus, ‘for now–we rest. I have walked, and run, many leagues to find you, Olivia, and I am tired. Night has fallen. We can resume our journey in the morning.’

Horatio felt a wave of relief that Primus was speaking sense at last, and that he wasn’t going to have to argue with him that they needed to stop and rest.

Olivia assented, mercifully seeing sense too, and the party set about making camp for the night. They unpacked the two tents, which out on these treeless fields were little more than a pair of awnings draped over a couple of wooden poles shoved into the ground, and set a watch. Olivia took the first watch, still refreshed from Ceres’ healing, and Horatio offered to go second, so that he could get a longer chunk of sleep in the latter part of the night.

He huddled down next to Primus and Ouzo in the boys’ tent and got some rest, but he didn’t let himself fall asleep, as then he would only feel sick when Olivia came to get him for his watch. Instead, he listened to Ouzo’s snoring, and thought about everything that had happened lately.

The Clarent Sword? A legendary blade that must be used to defeat the Demon King Brax? Maybe it’s my destiny to wield this weapon. Maybe this is the great thing that I will do in my life. Maybe this will make mother and father proud of me. Maybe this will make Ceres want to be with me…

He remembered how Olivia had looked at him when she had been wondering out loud if one of their party would be the hero to wield the Clarent Sword.

Eventually, Olivia came to get him for his watch, then went off to get some sleep herself.

Outside the tent, Horatio was surprised to find that Ceres was awake and up too.

She was sitting on the grass hugging her knees, looking up at the stars. Her hairpins caught the starlight when she turned her head to see who was approaching.

‘Couldn’t sleep?’ Horatio asked, sitting down next to her, as close as he dared.

‘No,’ she said. ‘I can’t stop thinking about what’s happened now that we’ve finally caught up to Primus’s granddaughter.’

‘Yeah, it’s all a bit crazy, isn’t it?’ Horatio sounded like a teenager in his own ears. It was barely all the could to keep from becoming tongue-tied alone in the presence of her blue-haired, high-cheeked priestly beauty. Come on, man! Horatio berated himself inside his head. You’re a mercenary! You’re a monster-slayer! You can do this!

‘It really is like Qind planned this all…’ said Ceres. ‘It really does feel like destiny…’

Horatio didn’t know how to reply to that, so they just sat together for a while, looking up into the sky at the pinpricks of light from distant worlds–or at least that was what Horatio had been raised to believe they were.

Outside, there was only the faint noise of chirping crickets, of the night air rustling the grass, of Ouzo snoring. But inside Horatio’s head his heart was thumping more loudly than any of these, and his internal monologue was raging.

Tell her you like her, you fool! Say something romantic! Put your arm around her! Now’s your chance! At least just do something!

Then, Ceres put her hand on his.

Electricity ran up Horatio’s arm, exploding somewhere behind his eyes.

‘Goodnight, Horatio,’ Ceres said. ‘I’m going to go and get some sleep now.’

He watched her longingly as she got up and went into the girls’ tent.

Stupid man. Opportunity lost.

He returned to looking at the sky. He waited a good long while until his head was heavy with the need for sleep, the ache in his heart stretching out and out with the moments until it was thin enough to ignore, and then he got up and went to wake Ouzo for the third watch of the night. The Wolf would not wake, and in the end Horatio had to shake him, but eventually he stirred with a grumble and agreed to go and take his turn at watch.

Horatio crawled into the tent, lay down near Primus, and went to sleep.

*FULL HEALING.*

‘Wake up, you losers! Which one of you is Olivia?’

Horatio blinked blearily awake, rubbing the sleep dust from his eyes. Across from him under the tent canvas, Primus was doing the same.

Someone had spoken to them.

A female voice, proud and harsh.

With effort, Horatio got up and stumbled out of the tent.

He gasped.

They were surrounded by monsters. About two hunting packs’ worth. In the middle of them stood a woman with a purple ponytail wearing blue fighter’s garb and a red sash which trailed in the grass beside her. A close-quarters fighter trained in the style of the Extoli. She carried a long silver-hafted spear, twice her own height, with a wickedly sharp tip that glinted in the dawnlight.

‘Well you can’t be her,’ said the woman disdainfully. ‘Come on, bring her out! I’ve been instructed to bring her in alive, for some reason. The Leader wants her.’

Horatio was still groggy from sleep, but a clear thought arose in the haze of his sleepiness. How did this happen? Who was on watch?

And then he spotted Ouzo curled up on the grass in front of the monsters. The Wolf was still snoring peacefully, even now, and hadn’t been roused by the commotion.

‘Ouzo, wake up!’ Horatio yelled at him. ‘You slept through your watch!’

At the sound of Horatio’s voice Ouzo sprung up all of a sudden on his hands and feet and ran around in a circle. ‘Huh? Wuh?’ the druggist grumbled. ‘Ouzo is sorry. Ouzo was so tired…please forgive me, masters.’ He stopped, noticing the monsters. ‘Oh. Oh dear.’

‘Enough of this nonsense!’ said the Braxian woman. ‘Where is the girl called Olivia? Bring her to me now!’

‘I’m here,’ said Olivia, stepping out of the girls’ tent, followed by Wyvera, Silvia, Helen and Ceres. None of them had heard the monsters approaching either. They must all have been exhausted and sleeping deeply from their chase across the plains yesterday as well.

‘Ah, good,’ said the purple-haired Braxian when she saw Olivia. ‘Yes, you match the description I was given perfectly. I’m going to need you to come with me, girl.’

‘And what makes you think that she’s going to do that?’ said Primus, stepping out from the boys’ tent.

The woman held up her hand to inspect her nails. ‘To be honest,’ she said. ‘I don’t, really. I’m actually quite looking forward to tearing the rest of you apart with my monsters before I take the girl.’

‘Why do all these arrogant Braxians always think they can beat us so easily?’ Egea asked of Gard in general.

‘I am no mere ‘arrogant Braxian’!’ said the woman as though she was offended, hefting her spear and pointing it at Egea. ‘I am Maria the Martial Artist, bounty hunter extraordinaire, and I have reason to be arrogant, as you shall soon discover! Attack, my monsters, attack!’

Battle 3 and 4

Boss battle