Kelton was breathing hard when they reached the top of the incline. The going had become increasingly difficult. The land was increasingly hilly, and each valley contained a stream that fed thick vegetation. Some of the trees housed large black thorns that made him think before reaching out to catch his footing. More than once he slid back for lack of a handhold.

"Mayhap, we should find a road," Gossamer suggested. It had been three days since they lost the trackers. The chase had forced them to twist and turn, following streams in directions they had no desire to go.

"Mayhap," Kelton returned, then took a deep breath to settle his exhausted lungs. He looked at Gossamer as they paused to give their thighs a break. Gossamer had lost weight. Not just his body, his face. It was aging quickly with the strain of running. Even his eyes had lost some of their confidence and drooped lazily. The burden of being with Kelton was stealing years of life.

"Rest?" Gossamer asked. Kelton nodded and plopped down on the forest floor. He shrugged the pack off his shoulders and lay back against it. Gossamer followed suit more gracefully.

"I've been thinking," Kelton began.

"Always dangerous." Gossamer chuckled.

"When we run into a lot of the King's own, we're most likely not going to make it."

"It would be difficult. I'm hoping you'll sense them before they get too close."

"I'm thinking more like the tavern or when the Lord surrounded us. When running is no longer possible."

Gossamer sighed. "It's inevitable. Best not to dwell on it."

"There's no need for you to be there," Kelton said quickly. It had been festering in his mind for a few days. His life was forfeit, that much he knew. Gossamer had a chance if they split up. They were looking for the red demon, not the old storyteller.

"I will be at your side when the time comes." Gossamer closed his eyes and leaned his head back. It was if Kelton's words bounced off him and never entered his thoughts.

"Goss, I mean it. I don't want you there."

"No choice." Gossamer's eyes remained closed. "I've raised you, loved you, and will die with you. You are as much my son as if I had sired you myself. My sword will fall with yours, that much I know."

"It would be a waste," Kelton argued.

"No, it would not," Gossamer's eyes opened, and he sat up. "For near fifteen winters, I have kept you alive. It is my greatest achievement and when, no, if the end comes, I deserve to hold up my pride in you and laugh at those who would have taken it earlier."

"I don't want anyone else to die for me."

"No choice."

"I don't want you to die for me." Kelton's eyes filled. He wiped them quickly.

"That decision was made fifteen winters ago." Gossamer's voice quieted, and he added a smile. "I do not fear death, not with you at my side."

"I should have listened to you. I should have never followed you, Jocelyn and the Brother. If only I had..."

"If only you had left them all to die? 'If' is not helpful. 'If' is not where your heart leads you." Gossamer paused and looked toward the treetops. "There are few in the world who have fought the Brethren and the King's own. There are none that I know who can claim victory. You have done both, and have done it with an honor this land hasn't seen in centuries. Both times I was at your side and wouldn't miss the next time for all the Alyander leaf in the world." He smiled deep, which made Kelton smile as well.

"I miss tea," Kelton added.

"Then that is our next goal," Gossamer declared. "Before we meet our end, one more cup of tea."

"Agreed." Kelton found the idea pleasing. He wasn't sure what they had been doing, running without purpose through the trees. Now, at least, they had a target. He licked his lips, almost tasting the warm brew running along his tongue. Kelton dozed off, dreaming of unending cups of tea.

The sun was on its downward path to the horizon when they started off again. A more easterly direction, an attempt to cross the King's road and ease some of their passing and maybe find a warm meal, and the tea they promised themselves.

Sunset was nearing when Kelton first felt them. Two people ahead. He grabbed Gossamer's pack and put his finger to his lips when Gossamer turned. Gossamer nodded, and they stilled for a moment.

"Not moving," Kelton whispered and pointed to the north so Gossamer would know the direction.

"How many?"

"Two."

"We must be near the road. No one else?"

"Just the two." Kelton concentrated to see if he could sense others farther out. Nothing, though that didn't mean Brethren weren't about. They moved slowly, watching their footing to avoid unnecessary sounds. A flickering fire reflected off the trees ahead, leading them to the campsite.

Laughter, lithe and happy, caressed Kelton's ear. It was a soft, pleasant sound that beckoned to him. The tone resonated comfort like a blanket on a cold night. Kelton smiled stupidly at Gossamer. It was undoubtedly a female laugh.

Gossamer held out his arm, blocking Kelton's advance. He singled with his open hand to slow Kelton. A deeper voice broke through the laughter. A man speaking of dragging himself from a river while trying hopelessly to woe some woman he had apparently drenched himself trying to impress. The laughter increased, and so did Kelton's smile. Kelton moved forward, raising the hood of his cloak to hide his hair.

"May we share your fire?" Gossamer called loudly, holding Kelton back with a hand on his pack. The laughter stopped instantly.

"Who asks?" the deep voice asked.

"Two travelers. Friends, if you will allow."

"If we don't allow?" the voice asked with added strength.

"We will pass around, travel on and be lessened for it." Gossamer returned.

"Come then, friends," the female spoke. There was some whispered grumbling from the deep voice, but Kelton was already moving forward again. Gossamer rolled his eyes and followed.

Kelton emerged from the bush. Before him stood the largest man he had ever seen. In each hand, the man held a blade that was barely short of a sword. By the way the man held them, Kelton was sure he knew how to use them. Behind the man, just off to his right, a girl, a little older than Kelton, stood with a blade in her hand as well, though not as long as the mans. The fire burned brightly between Kelton and the two.

"I have two blades," Kelton announced, raising his hands with empty palms forward. "I wish to leave them sheathed."

"As do I," Gossamer announced, emerging behind Kelton.

The large man looked at the girl. The girl nodded and sheathed her blade in a leather belt that wrapped her waist. The man looked at Kelton, shaking his head.

"I prefer to know these blades," the man said, his blades still in his hands. Gossamer looked at Kelton and shrugged his shoulders. Kelton only thought a moment before he decided that the risk was worth taking. There was a pot boiling on the edge of the fire which looked suspiciously like they were preparing tea. He licked his lips and drew his sword from his pack.

The girl's breath caught when she saw the length of Kelton's sword. The man stiffened. Kelton stuck the tip of the blade into the ground then produced a knife from his belt. It too, he stuck in the ground. He then lowered his pack next to them and held his empty palms out. Gossamer sighed and repeated the process with his blades.

"Those blades can cost you your arms," the man stated.

"My arms are the least of what it will cost me," Kelton said. The girl's eyes tightened and studied Kelton, staring at his face. Kelton remembered his scar and quickly covered it with his hand. He had no idea why he cared, or why he suddenly wished it wasn't there.

"The last thing we desire is a fight, my good man," Gossamer said. He had shifted into storytelling mode, his face innocent and his manners altered to one many winters older.

"Put those away, Hector," the girl said. "If they wished to harm us, they wouldn't have announced their coming." Hector deferred to the girl and sheathed his blades in his belt. He didn't look happy doing it.

"Please, sit." The girl waved her hand at the ground on Kelton's side of the fire. "We were about to make some tea, would you like some?" Kelton's mouth muttered something unintelligible. His mind wanted to say more, many things at once and he was having trouble finding the words. Instead, he gave up and forced a smile with a nod.

"Actually, we were just talking midday about our lack of tea," Gossamer said as he sat. "We've been many days without. We'd be deeply in your debt."

"Nonsense. We'd gladly share though we may have to share cups." The girl sat down and checked the water, which was showing signs of small bubbles.

"Kelton," Gossamer said. Kelton didn't hear him. He was watching the girl intently, seeing how she moved and wondering if she practiced being graceful. Her brown hair shimmered, most of it tied in intricate braids down her back. Some of the strands had not been caged and framed her face, moving with her and tickling her cheeks. Her green eyes scanned the world with an intelligence grounded in compassion. Kelton was trying to figure out why he found her nose perfect. Never had he thought of noses as anything but holes to breathe through. On her, it was different. It fit her face perfectly, the dusting of freckles across it adding a joyfulness that other noses lacked.

"Kelton!" Gossamer repeated.

"Huh?"

"Our cups are in your pack. We've been offered tea, and it would be best if we supplied our own cups." Gossamer eyes narrowed as he explained the obvious to Kelton.

"Uh...aye," Kelton stuttered, his eyes finally drifting from the girl. He rose and started to turn right, then rethought it and turned left. He fumbled in his pack and dug out the cups, dropped them and fumbled again retrieving them off the ground. He took a deep breath and slowed himself down. The last thing he wanted was to look the fool. He turned back smoothly, the girl smiled, Kelton's mind went blank, his feet tangled, and he fell. The cups flew from his hand, landing within arms reach of the girl.

"Tea gets you that excited?" the girls asked. There was humor in her voice. Kelton had never felt so foolish in his life. He tried to regain his posture too quickly, which made it all the more sloppy of a maneuver.

"Just tripped is all," Kelton said as he returned to his seat, his pants now coated with dead leaves and twigs. His face went red as he brushed himself off.

"I can see that," the girl said. Kelton looked up into her smile and wanted to say something brilliant, but there were no words left in his mind. All he saw was her looking at him like he was an idiot. "Is that how you got that scar?"

"It was an accident," Gossamer chimed in during the awkward silence. Kelton wasn't sure how to answer her. Only a moron would scar his own face, and that was the last impression he wanted to leave with her. His mouth also refused to lie.

"It about time to pull the stitches now that it's healed," Gossamer continued when Kelton's muteness persisted. "The healer said it would hurt some, but not like it did when they were going in." Kelton covered his scar with his hand again and looked away from the girl. He wanted to go backward in time and start the meeting over. Nothing was going as it should, though he couldn't explain why it wasn't. He couldn't even envision how it should go.

"Kelton, that's your name?" the girl asked. Kelton's eyes moved back to her, and he nodded. Opening his mouth to answer her was risky since words were being forgotten as fast as they appeared.

"I'm Serenity, and my companion is Hector."

"Gossamer," Kelton said, then decided it needed more reference. "I mean, Gossamer is my friend." He closed his eyes and internally kicked himself.

"That's me," Gossamer said with a chuckle. "A storyteller by trade. We're traveling about, looking for people who haven't heard our stories as of yet." Kelton let out the breath he was unconsciously holding, thankful that Gossamer's tongue wasn't tied in knots.

"You must have quite a tale," Hector said with disbelief. Kelton noticed that Hector's dark eyes had yet to relax. His posture was equally tight, a spring ready to explode if need be. Even his thin mustache lay upon his lips with suspicion.

"We do look a little worse for wear. Almost a moon in the forest will do that to a man."

"You have more the look of thieves about you."

"Hector!" Serenity interjected. It was as if she were the elder, though Hector looked to have twenty winters on her.

"It is not untrue," Kelton mumbled.

"Kelton!" Gossamer chided.

"Does it matter?" Kelton stood and looked away from Serenity. He was already a fool in her eyes, and he didn't want to spend the night trading lies with the both of them. "Thieving is what got us into this mess in the first place." The truth had power to it. Once it's laid out, it wouldn't matter what Serenity thought. The past couldn't be changed.

"So you are thieves," Hector said as he rose to the same level as Kelton.

"Were thieves," Gossamer corrected.

"I won't steal anymore," Kelton added. He lowered his hood and let his hair free. "Because of it, I am the red demon, eater of babies I'm told." The deaths that plagued him emerged in his voice. He wanted to turn toward Serenity and see if he had altered her opinion from fool to fear, or possibly hatred. He couldn't. He feared her reaction.

"The water is ready," Serenity said as if Kelton had said nothing of importance. Kelton turned and watched as Serenity dropped cheesecloth wrapped leaves into Gossamer's cup. Using the hem of her dress, she lifted the steaming pot and poured water into all four cups. Kelton sat down again. Hector followed though he looked strangely more relaxed.

"So, you are the one they are looking for," Serenity said. She was using her knife to lift the leaves from cup to cup.

"Head of fire," Gossamer said, pointing at Kelton's hair. "It got out of hand, and now we are on the run. The stories don't really do the truth justice."

"The Brethren aren't much for the truth," Hector commented.

"No they are not, my good man," Gossamer said, adding a broad smile. Hector was a kindred spirit on that topic at least. Serenity stood and brought Gossamer the first cup of tea.

"Thank you, my lady." Gossamer bowed his head as if she were a princess.

"So, tell us the story, storyteller," Serenity said with a smile. Kelton wished the smile was aimed at him.

"Not much to tell really. Kelton snuck up behind a Brother and...well... stuck his sword in him."

"Why would you do that?" Serenity asked Kelton as she handed him the next cup. He became distracted by her scent. She smelled softly of spring, some kind of flower his nose remembered but his mind couldn't place. Kelton concentrated hard not to spill the tea all over himself.

"He was taking Rebecca," Kelton said. It was easier to speak if he stared at the cup. Serenity's face was too distracting.

"It was a Choosing," Gossamer filled in.

"I promised Rebecca I wouldn't let her be taken."

"Rebecca's family tried to stop the brother as well. He had condemned them all to death." Gossamer let out a long breath as he spoke. "It was more than the boy could handle."

"You snuck up on a Brother?" Hector asked.

"He was busy with me, an angry mother and father as well as Rebecca's brother." Gossamer took a careful sip of the tea. His eyes widened. "Alyander?"

"You know your brew," Serenity said.

"It is heaven in a cup," Gossamer complimented. Kelton took a careful sip and a smile formed. They had their one more cup of tea.

"Still, a Brother can't be snuck up on," Hector pointed out.

"I'm Unseen," Kelton said without thinking. He looked up, and both Hector and Serenity were staring at him. Some of his tea spilled on his pants, and it took everything all his willpower had to ignore the hot liquid as it soaked through to his leg. He was sure Serenity thought him a clod. It was better to act like it was nothing, and compared to the face stitching, it was.

"Unseen and unthinking." Gossamer corrected, his eyes pointed at Kelton. Kelton shrugged. What did it matter who knew anymore?

"And how have you survived as long as you have?" Serenity asked. Kelton wasn't sure if she meant being Unseen or clumsy. He really wished he could start over.

"I kept him hidden in the forest since he was a babe, away from towns and such." Compassion took over Gossamer's face. "He only found out recently, and not in the way I intended. I shielded him too long." He took a deep breath and let it out audibly. "We only thieved to survive."

"So, you're not Kushiel's Answer?" Serenity asked Kelton. His mind toyed with the idea of saying yes. If it raised him in her eyes, the lie might be worth it.

"No," Kelton replied. He looked at Hector to avoid Serenity's gaze. It had the power to render him stupid. "I didn't even know what that was until after it happened."

"He's just a boy," Gossamer added. "Old tales become a religion to some. They'll apply it as they see fit, and in Kelton's case, it gave him more time. The town stood down the King's Own when they meant to finish what the Brother started."

"Must have been a lot of people there," Serenity said.

"Three times as many as the King's Own," Gossamer said.

"I suppose they even empty the Nighthouse for a Choosing," she added. Gossamer spoke up before Kelton had a chance to respond.

"I don't remember any of the cursed there. I don't believe the town was large enough to support a Nighthouse." Kelton was about to correct Gossamer but realized that only bad things could come from exposing Joycelyn's past. Serenity nodded and shared a quick look with Hector.

"Enough sad history. Do you know any happy tales, Gossamer?" Serenity asked.

"For the tea, I could spare one or two."

"We have some hard bread and a bit of cheese as well. It would be well worth some entertainment." Serenity's smile was the most beautiful thing Kelton had ever seen. He struggled not to stare at how her lips curled and the way her cheeks flowered above them.

"Then you shall have exactly what you desire, my lady."

Kelton remained silent and enjoyed Serenity's laughter. Gossamer's tale of the maiden and the fishermen had her laughing hard. There was so much joy in her laughter that he had no choice but to join in. The tale was an old one to his ears though it was new to hers. As far as he was concerned, it was the best version Gossamer had ever told. When the end neared, Kelton held his breath for Serenity's reaction to the maiden unintentionally kissing a fish when she expected her lover's lips. Serenity's laughter filled the world. It circled the trees and warmed Kelton in a way he never thought possible. It was better than holding Marnice's baby.