It wasn’t until the sun began to sink down past the western mountains that Nalya’s scouts had made their way back to camp. They’d gone to investigate a pillar of rising black smoke that marred the southern sky earlier in the day. Her maps told her there was a Freeman settlement in the region, nestled in a long valley between the Aegel Coast and the Pass of Senta, and the sight of the smoke didn’t bode well for them. She remained optimistic that it could be explained by a bonfire; however, her scouts had returned to her grim-faced.

“Lady,” greeted her scout as he climbed from the back of his yellow-feathered riding bird. He quickly put his hand to his chest and took a knee.

She still wasn’t quite used to the decorum due to a woman of her standing. It was common to show deference to Halish nobility, but she had not been raised in the nobility. That was a recent development. She swept a lock of blond hair from her face as she looked down at him and bade him to stand. “Your report?”

The scout nodded, then stood. “We travelled several leagues south when we came across the village of Stone's Mouth.” he said. “It was in ruin. We spoke with the Elder, a man by the name of Akris. He claims they were beset upon by Vectoran raiders early in the morning. They burned most of their crops, seized their livestock and conscripted the men young and strong enough to serve.” He wore a grim look on his face. “They took many of their daughters as well.”

Nalya's face remained stoic in light of the news. “You’re certain he spoke the truth?”

He nodded. “From the state of things, yes. The Elder claims the Vectorans intend to make the Freemen dependent on them by removing their food resources. The only people there were children and elders. A small number of young men and women made it through unscathed by hiding, but some who resisted were slaughtered. They still burn the bodies, even now.”

Nalya frowned. “Thank you,” she said. “You've done well, help yourself to dinner and get some rest.”

The scout nodded and put his fist to his chest. “My Lady.” He turned and walked off in the direction of the cook fire.

As the scout left, Nalya looked down at the map and jotted the name of the village on it, then sighed. Stone’s Mouth was situated halfway between the border of Halen and Vector, deep in the Disputed Lands. The Vectorans were moving faster and farther than anticipated, and she could do little to slow their progress. The orders were clear that she was to observe and report, but not to engage. If the Vectorans were moving that swiftly, they could be as far as the Halish border in weeks. She wanted to believe even they would not be so foolish as to press into Featherclaw or El’Dar territories, but with the consent of the High Magus Council to claim the Disputed Lands despite Halen’s protestations, and knowing what she knew of the ambition of Vector, even she could not be certain they would stay to the Disputed Lands.

She swore under her breath. She’d been granted her title and the land of her ancestral House by the consent of Hillbreaker only months before, and it was at her insistence that she be given leave to keep an eye on the Vectoran forces as they operated, but she had not expected to feel so helpless. She was a Ruus. Even in Rasza that name carried weight and responsibility, title or not, but here, away from the watchful eye of the High Magus Council, she might as well have been a simple Freeman living beneath the notice of Kings.

For a thousand years the Disputed Lands remained without a King, without a name… and in only a few months Vector would claim the entire swath of land as their own, bordering Halen. Vector already had a dedicated hatred of Halen, and the feeling amongst the Halish was mutual. How long before the Vectoran Emperor, from his throne built on the blood of the last, sets his sights on Halen? Would the Council allow it, like they allowed his ascension? How was he so favoured by the Council?

Why had her uncle deemed her presence there to be so important? All Nalya had were questions. The whole reason she was even in those lands was to find answers, and yet none were apparent.

“Ryde moves fast,” came Keltz Wicket's voice. Nalya turned her head away from the map and looked to her First Lieutenant. She had known Keltz Wicket for years. The two had gone to the Academies at Dey together, studying under the Wings of the Swan. They'd become fast friends. She, a daughter of the Ruus Family of Rasza, and descended from the House of Roses, and he, a commoner who was awarded a scholarship by a Northern Halish Lord. They had studied together, got into mischief together, and eventually graduated together.

Now, united under the banner of Halen, they served together.

“He does,” she said after a moment. “If he’s already conscripting the Freemen, it means he’s training a force. That means they’ve erected a settlement here in the Disputed Lands.” She looked back to the map. “The only question is where?”

“Freeman make for poor soldiers. Slaves, maybe.” A voice with a thick southern Raszan accent rang out from behind her. Nalya turned to regard her bodyguard, Bayne Dalon, as he walked towards her. Bayne was nearing the twilight of his life, his hair having turned white years ago. He was a thin, gaunt man, but quick on his feet, and deadly with a blade in his hands. Many had met their match when challenging Bayne. “No point in making Freemen soldiers,” he added. “Pactless fools wouldn't know where to find the sharp end of a sword!”

Nalya shook her head and sighed. Like so many others in the Pactlands, Bayne viewed the Freemen as nothing more than nuisances. Men and women who lived in lawless lands not by necessity, but by choice. Criminals and transients who, rather than face the laws of the Pact, chose instead to flee them and escape responsibility. It had been that way since the fall of Old Eventide at the Signing of the Pact between nations, and the formation of the High Magus Council. Nalya felt differently. She understood that the Freemen who inhabited the Disputed Lands were only descendants of those who had fled from the other nations of the Pactlands. These new Freemen had no choice in their place of birth, and would have found it difficult to stand before any Nation of the Pact and claim rights as a citizen. Besides, her father had always taught her to view every living man, woman and child as an equal, and she intended to honour those lessons.

“Must your memory be so long, Bayne?” Keltz asked. “Those who were stolen by Vector likely have no knowledge of the Pactlands at large. They’re merely descendants of the old lawless.”

“Bah,” Bayne said. “A Freeman is a Freeman, no matter what his tale,” he said. “A Raszan's memory is as long as his--”

“Bayne!” Nalya barked. “Enough!”

Bayne grumbled something under his breath, but Nalya ignored it. She went back to poring over the map while Bayne and Keltz watched over her in the waning daylight.

“Still,” Keltz said. “It's evident of a dire plot if he truly is conscripting the Freemen.” He looked over the map. “Stone's Mouth. Is there any strategic value to the village?”

Nalya nodded. “It lays in the valley between the coast and the mountain foothills,” she said. “The coast is too rough, so any passage through the region would have to come through the village. It would be an ideal place for a checkpoint and trading hub.”

“No doubt why they laid the torch to it,” Bayne said. “Leave none to defend the village for when they come to claim it.”

Nalya spent a moment deep in thought. “If Vector’s already raided the village, they may not return for some time, and Stone’s Mouth may welcome us in exchange for supplies and protection.” She looked up to Keltz. “Are you up for a short journey?”

“To Stone's Mouth?” Keltz asked. “Would that not risk exposing our presence here?”

Nalya shook her head. “Not if there are only a few of us. We’ll leave the men stationed here under Lieutenant Syrel,” she said. “Choose twenty of your men and get them prepared to join us in the village. Bring four magi, ensure one is a master of fire. I want to speak with the Elder by the time the Azure Dream reaches its zenith.” She nodded to the sight of the blue moon rising above the treeline to the east.

“By your command,” Keltz said, placing his fist to his chest. Nalya did her best to ignore it. While he was under her command, they were friends first.

She looked to Bayne. “Find Lieutenant Syrel,” she said. “Have him prepare the men to break camp once we send word in the morning.”

Keltz looked at Bayne, who smirked from the corners of his mouth. “Aye,” he said. “Just like her father, she is. When she gets an idea in her 'ead, it's best to see it through, lest ye invite 'er wrath.”

Nalya simply ignored Bayne and stepped into her tent to prepare.

It had taken a few hours to reach Stone's Mouth. By Nalya's insistence, they travelled by foot rather than horse or riding bird. The forest was dense enough that they would not be betrayed by firelight in case any lingering Vectoran forces remained, but she did not want to take the risk of alerting them by sound. The canopy above was thick, blocking out any light offered by the Azure Dream.

As the forest began to thin out, Keltz could smell a hint of cooking meat well before he could see the glow of firelight in the village below. Nalya brought them to a halt at the edge of the woods.

“You men remain here,” Nalya announced. “Come if you hear my call.” The men agreed, then settled in to rest for the time being. Nalya looked to Keltz. “You and Bayne come with me,” she said, then turned back to the village.

Keltz nodded, then pushed his way out of the few remaining trees, emerging in a small clearing just on the outskirts of the village. He caught something reflecting in the dreamlight, and looked over to see the skeletal husk of an old mine skulking in the shadows of a high mountain. He had not expected the villagers to be miners. He found himself wondering what exactly it was that they mined. Coal? Copper or tin perhaps? He could see no buildings in the village that might have operated as a smeltery. Nonetheless, the area around the mine was littered with rocks and tools, meaning the mine was used regularly.

As they approached the village, he caught a full view of the bonfire and watched as some men threw a wrapped bundle into the flames.

His stomach twisted as he came to the realisation that they were no mere bundles. It wasn't cooking meat he smelled, but rather their dead.

Several villagers noticed the advance of the three. There were quick, sudden movements as the people of Stone's Mouth scrambled about anxiously, and more than one man raised a call of alarm. However, Nalya did not slow in her approach until she was bathed in the light of the bonfire, and then took a knee.

“I would speak with the Elder,” she said aloud. “The one that goes by the name of Akris.”

A tall, gaunt man with hollow cheeks stood up before the fire. He merely observed Nalya for a moment, then approached her.

"Are you Akris?" Nalya asked as he drew near.

"Yes. I am Akris," the man replied slowly. “You are… the Halish Lady?” He fidgeted around nervously. Keltz could understand why. Besides the odd feud with other villages in the Disputed Lands, the Freemen had lived in peace. Wars between families took place. Sometimes there were feuds which involved a number of villages, each with a common interest. However, those feuds would never have resulted in what befell Stone's Mouth that day. The damage was considerable. Several homes were nothing more than burned-out husks, still smouldering. The simple construction of the wood and straw homes could not stand up to Vector's magic fire.

Homes of straw and wood made little sense to Keltz. Could they not have used earth magic to construct dwellings? They had ample dirt and rock to work with.

Nalya nodded. “I am,” she said.

“Yes,” Akris said. “Your scouts. They came earlier. They had said that you were near.” He looked around nervously. Several people still lingered around the fire, watching Nalya and the others with distrust. “My people, they believe you will hurt us, like the Vectorans.”

“We have no ill intentions toward you or your people,” Nalya said. “In fact, we come to offer aid.”

“Aid?” Akris tilted his head to one side and stroked his beard. “Aid rarely comes without cost in the Free Lands, Lady of Halen.”

“Our cost is fair,” she said. “I command a force of a thousand men. We are here to observe and report on the Vectoran forces present in these lands.”

The Elder barked out a sarcastic laugh. “What good are even ten thousand men, if all they do is watch and speak?”

“Among them are skilled hunters, craftsmen and builders,” she said. “If you allow us to make camp nearby, we can help you feed your people, rebuild what was destroyed.”

“And take what we have left as well, I suppose. Defile our daughters? Steal from us? Make slaves of who remain?”

“You have my word that any Halish man under my command who does so will be put to the executioner’s axe.”

“And if Vectorans return, will you fight them?”

Nalya sighed. “I… cannot,” she admitted. “That is not our purpose here. But what have they left for you? How much food remains?”

Akris sighed. “Days,” he said. “Perhaps a week. They took our skilled hunters, destroyed all of our crops. All that remains is what we managed to hide from them.”

“I can promise you my forces are capable of feeding themselves. We have food we can share with your people, and there are hunters among us that can keep you fed for as long as you’ll allow our presence nearby.”

Akris appeared to consider her offer, his face expressionless. Nalya was about to speak again when he put his hand up, stopping her.

“We did not invite the Vectorans to this place,” he said. “They came upon us at noon, surprising us from the forests. They took everything we had. I would be a fool not to accept your offer.” He sighed. “But we are broken in more than hunger. They took my son, my daughter. My wife, they…” He trailed off, then motioned toward the bonfire. “We've been burning the bodies since they left.”

Nalya nodded. “I am sorry for your profound loss,” she said.

Akris closed his eyes, then sighed. “Very well,” he said. “Then I accept.”

Nalya nodded. “I am honoured, Elder. We have twenty men standing by outside the village. In the morning, I will send for the others. Do you have temporary lodgings for those we have here?

The Elder looked up and gestured towards a nearby house, untouched by the violence from the day. “Korin was returned to the ashes this afternoon. His home lies empty. It should be more than enough to accommodate you three. The rest can stay in his barn, it smells of pigshit, but there are no more pigs to bother them.”

Nalya bowed. “I thank you, Elder.”

“We shall still be awake for some time. Please keep your men away. We'll not rest until those lost have been returned to ash, and it wouldn't do to have them in the way.”

“I understand, Elder,” Nalya said. “And once again, I thank you.”

Akris could only nod.

Nalya dreamed. She remembered crystal spires reaching up into the sky. She remembered looking down from on high, as though she were an eagle soaring high above. The spires continued even higher, and seemed to be stretching, reaching to the very point where they touched the blue canopy of the heavens– and then the heavens themselves cracked, shedding a dark light from beyond. A feeling of dread flooded her senses like nothing she experienced, and she awoke with a start.

It was dark still, and from outside the window she could still see the slight glow of firelight. She took a moment to catch her breath and calm herself.

“Nalya?” Keltz asked from the floor nearby. “Are you well?” He had curled up into a bundle of straw.

“A dream,” Nalya said. “Only a dream.”

“What was it about?”

Nalya shook her head. “I couldn't say,” she said. The dream was swiftly fading from her memory. “It didn’t make sense. I remember… a crack in the sky.” She stood up from her bed and walked toward the window, looking outside.

“A crack in the sky?” Keltz asked. “A strange thing to dream of.”

Nalya nodded and looked out the window. “Indeed,” she said. She said nothing for a moment, then looked up to the sky.

Her lips parted in shock.

“Nalya?” Keltz asked.

Slowly, she raised a shaky hand and pointed out the window. “Keltz, do you see... can you see that?”

Keltz rolled out of the bed and walked to the window, looking to where she had been pointing. Keltz looked on in alarm.

There, high in the sky above the Aegel Coast, was a light. At least it behaved as if it were light, and yet was inexplicably dark and violet.

“What is that?” Keltz asked.

Nalya looked back at Keltz. “I can't be sure,” she said. “But it was the same in my dream. The crack in the sky. It looked like that.”

A sudden stirring came from behind the two as Bayne sat up in his bed. “Aye, but ye lot are noisy,” he grumbled. “What are ye prattlin' on about?”

He'd barely gotten the sentence out when the ground beneath them started to shake. Objects rattled off of shelves and crashed to the ground. Bayne’s eyes widened in shock as jars of porcelain and glass began to fall and shatter against the wooden floor, spilling their contents all around.

“What magic is this? Vector?” Bayne exclaimed. He grabbed hold of a bed post, bracing himself.

Suddenly, the strange, inhuman light began to spread across the sky and even flood in through the window. Nalya and Keltz yelled out in shock as the light above the Coast began to expand quickly, with it, the ground shook even more violently.

The dark light poured through, but it was unlike any she had ever seen. Nalya watched in dismay as the whites of Bayne's eyes lit up, along with pieces of cloth and flecks of porcelain that lay on the floor. Pieces of sand and white stone glowed brightly, but still the room remained dark. The strange light which passed through the window could only cast its strange hues onto white-colored objects.

“What is happening?” Keltz asked, the shock in his voice rising.

Nalya could only watch as the strange light expanded and enveloped the coastline to the east. It spread far to the south, and to the north. It covered a distance of leagues, and swallowed the very peaks of the coastal mountains. Suddenly, the light slowed its rapid expansion. The ground stopped shaking, and Nalya was able to take one good look at the halo of dark light.

Finally, there was a sudden, blinding burst that forced Nalya to turn away quickly. She looked back to room, and watched as the light flared up once more, and then died altogether.

As quickly as it had begun, the strange light had gone.

“What in the Green Sight was that?” Bayne asked.

Nalya kept her eyes trained on the forest toward the coast. She couldn't be certain, but she felt the shape of the land had changed somehow. The rugged peak which she had seen only moments before was now gone, replaced by a smooth ridge that simply hadn’t been there. A little to the south, another mountain stood where before, there had been none. It was as if the entire landscape had been forever altered.

“The Green Sight never saw something like that,” Keltz added.

She looked back at them. The Green Sight? Perhaps not. But she suspected the Blue Sight had. Her uncle had told her there was a reason she needed to be in the Disputed Lands. It was only then, in that moment, that she realised it wasn’t to keep an eye on Vector.

“Wake the men,” she said suddenly. “Five of them should come with us. Send a runner to Lieutenant Syrel, I want him to make camp by noon.”

“Come with us where?” Bayne asked. “What madness are ye spouting off?”

Nalya only looked at Bayne with a steady gaze. She pointed out the window. “We're going to the coast,” she said.

“Out there?” Bayne asked. “Ye can't be serious, lass. It could only be dark magic which--”

“Bayne,” Nalya barked. “I'll not argue this with you .” She looked out over the window. “It’s vital we get to the coast before Vector does.” She quickly started to gather her things. “We’re leaving now.”