“What in the world were you thinking?” Jano’s anger was slightly lessened after seeing Gryff’s injury, though it hadn’t gone away entirely. He still owed him an explanation. The young Prince’s eyes dropped and his face reddened once more. His face nearly matched the budding purple flowers in the shrubbery.

“I’m sorry. I overreacted to the stupid comment. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I certainly didn’t want to end up falling down the hillside. Do you think Dariea will be down here soon? She can walk through space can't she? If not her one of the guards surely.”

Jano shrugged. Dariea would certainly be able to get down here herself, but she wouldn’t know exactly where they were. “It is a full thicket above, it will probably take some time for her to find us. Though whether she can find your Gippie as well is another matter.”

“So we should just wait here and see if she can find us. Right?” Gryff suggested.

The clearing was small. It had barely enough room for the two of them. But it would barely be visible from above. “Maybe we should try and find a decent clearing where they could see us from the hilltop?”

“Makes sense.” Gryff said with a nod, his sheepish look very much rooted in a guilty obsequiousness. “Which way?”

“Well the sun was on our back on the hilltop. So I guess we try to continue that way? Any sign of your

mount?”

Gryff shivered visibly with the question. “I think it must have fallen from further up the hillside. They looked all tangled together. We could try and find it?” He looked at Jano sheepishly.

Jano had no idea how to find the creatures, much less whether they were likely to have ran off without being properly harnessed like they were when they made camp.

“Fine.” He found himself saying even if he didn’t truly believe it. “We’re as likely to get ourselves more turned around if we do. Let’s continue on try and be a bit easier to spot and if we find it, that’s just an added bonus.”

They headed toward the thinnest part of the woodland they could see. There was more light in the distance, which they hoped meant a bit of a clearing. There was no path, just patches with fewer branches in some parts than others. They tried to keep to those which led toward the light in the distance, but it was soon tough going. Jano found himself quickly worried that they could become totally lost. Perhaps they should have stayed where they were. Luckily, the trees were tall and the trunks were mostly light bark and not leafy gangly things. It was very similar to the journey away from Qursa, but he had never really felt lost when he was with Dariea. She knew where she was going. Or at least appeared to.

“I am sorry you know.” Gryff said after they had walked for what felt like an hour; but was probably less.

“It’s fine.” Jano said, again not really meaning it but his anger was outweighed by his desire to find his way out of this woodland.

“No it’s not. I’ve acted like an idiot. I didn’t want to come on this stupid trip and the entire time I isolated myself because of it. Just when we were fighting the Shimmer, I felt like I was more independent. I wasn’t just doing what my dad wanted me to. I was doing something helpful, off my own back. You know what I mean? But then my brother died. And… I don’t know.”

Jano thought. He had to stop himself snapping back with a comment about a petulant prince’s daddy issues. He had lost his brother and that was sad, but it wasn’t like Jano hadn’t lost people. “It’s fine.” He said, then when he saw Gryff’s expression drop, he felt too bad for him to leave it at that.

“It’s similar to how I felt back… back in Qursa. We were dirt poor. In a city that didn’t care for people like us and when you have nothing, your choices are all essentially made for you. We had such a small amount of freedom. A small amount of choices that were truly ours…. Well, I sort of understand what you mean. Though it doesn’t mean I forgive you” he added after a short break.

Gryff looked at Jano intensely. A fiery glint in his eye really hinted at his gifts with flame essence. “Are things really that bad there?”

Jano nodded his head. “The Empire might project well to the outside but…” There was a sharp cracking sound and Jano froze. Gryff apparently hadn’t noticed and he trundled along, still looking quite sorry for himself.

“Stop.” Jano tried to sound commanding, but he hadn’t exactly had years of practice.

“What. Why?” The Prince spun around lazily. He clearly still thought Jano was talking about his apology.

“Didn’t you hear that?” He said.

“Hear what?” Gryff still hadn’t lowered his voice.

A camouflaged stranger stepped out from behind a tree. He had a very long thin sword which looked as though it might bend under the weight of gravity. He had a bulge on his back which Jano couldn’t quite see. Another weapon probably. In the split second in between the stranger appearing and Gryff jumping out of his skin, Jano drew on surrounding stone essence. It was quite strong and filled his spirit quickly, but his exhaustion from the fall countered his quick reaction somewhat. He summoned his spears, the crumbly stone falling aside as it formed and hardened into a few spears. In a split second, faster than he had ever managed it before, they were made and fired at the stranger. Gryff was aflame within seconds but the stranger was quicker.

Like a child might fearlessly swat away a stinging wasp, the spears were deflected. The sword was very quickly resting at Gryff’s throat.

“Now it is you who must stop.” The stranger said. “You are trespassers in the lands of the Skybreakers. Did you think you could march a band of mercenaries on the borders of our lands without repercussions? Are you scouts or just lost?”

He seemed to scan them both. A familiar feeling tugged at Jano’s spirit. One that didn’t feel good. The stranger took one last deliberate look at them both and fired a quizzical look at Jano for a flash of a second. “It doesn’t matter. One more attack or even one more step, and you will not even be able to beg for your lives.”

Jano looked around him while he raised his arms in the air in surrender. There was a misunderstanding. They could talk to him. The fact that they weren’t already dead was a good sign. He hoped anyway. He scanned the area with his spirit and the aura coming from the stranger was immense. There was another strong signature in the near distance, but he couldn’t tell any more than that. He hoped it was Dariea or one of the others come to rescue them. Gryff spun around recklessly and the sword nicked at his neck. Fire circled them as he began to launch a form towards the stranger. The man unfurled a set of wings from the unidentified lump on his back. Jano looked in shock, but Gryff kept attacking. A series of circular fire attacks buffeted toward the stranger, but he dodged and advanced on Gryff with a few well timed beats of his wings. Jano was stumped. He still felt that it was a misunderstanding and if he could only get Gryff to stop, he might stand a chance.

With a massive hand, the supposed Skybreaker grabbed him and with a strike of his hand he disarmed the blow. The dirt beneath their feet began to shake and the air seemed to howl. Then the Skybreaker launched a slap to Gryff’s stomach which sent him flying backwards. He struggled on the floor before the stranger stretched a set of wings on his back and flew over to him in a heartbeat. A crack rang out like the breaking of a tree branch and Gryff stopped moving.

The camouflaged stranger stood up straight. He must have been the tallest man Jano had ever seen. At least seven feet tall, he towered over him even at a distance. Then he unfurled his wings fully and Jano got a good look at them. They were at least the same length as Jano on either side, and he was considered tall. It was a terrifying sight and Jano couldn’t have moved if he’d wanted to. He looked at Gryff lying limp on the floor and Jano dropped to his knees and held up his hands.

“Don’t hurt him any more. I surrender.”

“Good. You will be coming with us to explain why you and your army are in our lands at a time such as this.”

Us? Jano thought. Another shadow loomed over him from behind. He looked up to see an even taller Skybreaker examining him. He took a sharp intake of breath and tried to stop his hands from shaking quite so much.

“The Mind-Weaver will know what to do with them.” The deep growling voice uttered behind him. A cold bead of sweat dripped across the low of Jano’s back. His companion nodded and smiled. Then a rough jerk and a sharp practiced set of movements sent Jano sideways, with a set of rough hewn bindings strapped quickly to his wrists.