Myrtwydd had gladly sent them off with a flask of stew in exchange that they never returned. It seemed like a fair exchange, especially since Alek hadn’t planned on ever coming back to Northbridge. If things went well, she would never have to return to Shales unless it was on her own terms. Syi Dorei called her name, and the possibility of returning seemed closer than ever. Now that she had cut ties with the Temple, or what she had hoped would send that message, she could truly settle down in the most faithful definition to that. The thought was terrifying.

She had never had the luxury of choice before. They had set her life out, that she’d serve the Temple, train with the best at the Academy, and likely die serving them. The freedom was a strange, but not unwelcome feeling.

All she had to do was find Sir Barnaby. Preferably alive, although she was sure she’d have somewhat of a finder’s reward, regardless.

Alek had fallen back into her leadership position, following the directions of those who’d willingly listen to the scrappy group, travelling further south to the border. It had taken several weeks, and they had given up any hope of finding Sir Barnaby Daniels in Adanak and set course for Mythra.

Raelyn had called in a few favours in a blossoming town that was under the governing of one of her father’s business friends and had borrowed a car for the rest of the journey. With no arguments, she had become the designated driver, since neither Alek, nor Finn knew how to drive, and none felt comfortable with Val behind the wheel. Alek had lost any trust she had for her fellow marwaid, but ultimately decided that the group would be better off with Val’s skills should they be needed.

Alek sat in the passenger seat next to Raelyn, legs crossed and hanging out the window, despite Raelyn’s warning’s that she really shouldn’t do that. Finn snored loudly from the backseat, with Val at his side stating facts about Mythra she thought they should know before entering. The customs had been none different to what they had experienced in Adanak, but from Val’s description, it sounded far more cut throat.

“You know I’m from there, right?” asked Raelyn, looking in the rear-view mirror to check up on their unnecessary tour guide. “I still have family down South.”

“Hey, I’m just saying it’s interesting,” defended Val, crossing her arms and returning to stare out the window like a child with a tantrum. She had acted quite similar to one, despite her questionable age.

“Alright, well, you know anything about the mountains?”

“Oh, the Sanguines? They say it gets its name for all the blood spilt there.”

Alek sighed, leaning her head back into the plush seat. She had given up on picking at her nails hours ago and was craving something to do.

“Of course it’s about blood with you,” she sighed, closing her eyes.

“Hey, I was asked, and there’s the answer.”

They fell into silence, Alek not wanting to argue, and Val not wanting to out herself as what she was. Alek figured that she should tell the others, at least Raelyn, about her recent development, but Val’s words stuck in her mind. She had no idea if Raelyn could truly stick by her once she knew. Finn, despite her calling him a friend in recent times, was still her co-worker who went above and beyond for their boss. She could, perhaps, take the secret to her second grave. The notion was tempting. To never utter a word on her new dark path of life. She knew that she’d have to reveal herself sooner or later, but until then she planned on living as if nothing had changed.

But everything had changed. She could be free for the first time since she was a child, yet shackled by a secret she wished she didn’t need to keep. She had already lost her life once, but to lose it again while still living was daunting. She’d keep her identity to herself until her inevitable second death.

The car pulled up to a heavily guarded strip of land. The border. They’d made it. Alek wished she could feel excitement, but Val seemed eerily filled with glee. Val practically hung out of the window as they stopped, grinning at the new sights. Alek had pulled her legs back into the car, not wanting to appear similar to the white-haired woman.

Raelyn spoke to the guards, explaining why they were crossing and roughly how long. One of the guards nodded, leaving to circle the car. Another opened the boot then slamming it shut again. The first guard nodded at them, letting them pass through.

Alek wasn’t sure why, but she thought that passing the border would feel like more. It was much of the same, concrete and large buildings that had been constructed in the past two decades. It hadn’t been like entering Mabristan at all. There was no juxtaposition of technology or the outdated builds of the past century. Shales had moved on with the times, while Mabristan and its neighbouring countries of Astria and Bannaheimr held onto the past. Of its glory days. Their Queen had refused change, much like her father before her, and every royal dating back to Aster Valcari, the first King of Mabristan. Shales’ governments had somewhat listened to the needs of its people and had allowed growth.

She could already see mountains in the distance, a wine red against the soft blue of the sky. From here it looked as if they were never-ending, the peaks nowhere to be seen. Val sat forward in her seat, patting Alek’s shoulder and pointing towards the mountains.

“Now, d’you see why they’re called the Sanguine Peaks?” she asked, a cocky tone to her voice. “You try telling me it doesn’t look like blood.”

“Alright, fine,” sighed Alek, “you win.”

“God damn, I haven’t been back here in years,” reminisced Val, leaning back once more. “might even catch up with my kid.”

“Hold up,” said Finn, frowning in confusion, “you have a child?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, thought I had mentioned it.”

“You definitely didn’t,” chipped in Raelyn, luckily not taking her eyes off of the road before her.

“She lives near the Sanguines. Might pop in and see how she’s holding up.”

“I’m sorry, can we go back to the fact that you have a child?” asked Alek, turning to look at Val through the gap between her and Raelyn’s seats, “how old are you?”

Val grimaced and waved her hand back and forth as if tipping a scale. Alek stared at her in disbelief before sitting back in her seat.

Alek wasn’t sure if she actually wanted to know Val’s age in case it was a horribly high number. Like eighty. She wasn’t sure if she could handle living as an ageless being herself at an age like that. Alek was twenty for crying out loud, she didn’t want to be twenty for the rest of her life. What would her life even look like if that was the case? Children? Gods forbid _grand_children? Would she have to play the strange aunt, or face the fact that her grandchildren would one day out-age her? Alek hated the whole ‘marwaid’ thing more and more by the second. She wished she had never asked Val her age.

Raelyn interrupted her spiralling, stopping the car outside the mouth of a cave. Val could barely wait, hopping out before Raelyn could use the handbrake and walking towards the great bleeding maw.

“This is it,” whistled Raelyn, looking up in awe before she too got out, Finn and Alek following suit, “welcome to the Sanguine Peaks.”