Elspeth gripped her pleated skirts, flashes of slender brown legs visible as she ran up the steps before ducking into the covered wagon. Her pretty face was flushed with excitement as she caught her breath. "Mamar! He's back."
Mamar raised an eyebrow. "That's quite the reaction, Elsie."
Elspeth's tanned cheeks darkened. "I'll admit… this place is more interesting when the Sentry Force is here."
Mamar let the comment pass. "We've been hearing whispers of his exploits for weeks. Rumors travel faster than horses."
Elspeth poured her mother a cup of tea. The stories barely sounded believable. A mercenary company of six hundred utterly broken, its captain forced to bargain for peace—then challenge the Sentry Commander to a duel. Three ships sunk in harbor. Enemy fighters drinking in coastal taverns, speaking in low voices about the Sentry Force: how they moved like ghosts, striking and vanishing into darkness.
Death followed them, the rumors said. Curses. Terror. Facing them was like a nightmare you couldn't wake up from.
Never seen—only felt. You could be speaking to someone one moment, and the next, they were dead. Not collapsing in front of you, not screaming. Just… gone.
Mamar sipped her tea as Elspeth finished recounting the latest whispers. "He'll visit tonight," she said calmly. "I sense he wants something."
Elspeth moved to the entrance and lifted the tent flap. "I'll tell you when he arrives."
Noko pointed, eyes wide, as a black dog the size of a pony trotted into the Swiftwind camp, tongue lolling. "A dog!"
The massive canine sat neatly at Dem's heels, ears forward, quietly assessing its surroundings.
Ai stared. "Dasai… why is that dog so big?"
"I keep feeding him mercenaries," Dem said lightly, dropping to one knee and pulling the animal closer. "I thought Noko might like him."
Noko launched herself at the dog without hesitation, wrapping her arms around its neck. "What's his name?"
"He doesn't have one yet," Dem admitted.
Noko wrinkled her nose and glanced at Ai and Tam. "I'm not good at naming things."
"Big Head," Tam offered.
"Fatty," Ai added.
Noko giggled. "Those are terrible names." She cupped the warhound's face. "He's dark like a starless night. Cosmo."
Ai clapped. "That's a good name, dasai."
Tam nodded in agreement.
"Oh—and I brought someone else back," Dem said, peering into his storage ring, where the tatzelwurm liked to sleep.
Reowr.
The tatzelwurm yawned, flashing impressive teeth before slithering up Dem's arm and settling its golden head on his shoulder.
Dem extended his arm, and it transferred to Ai.
Ai beamed as it tucked under her chin, purring loudly when she stroked its fur.
"She's beautiful," Ai laughed when a rough tongue licked her jaw. "When did she hatch?"
"A few days ago," Dem said. "I promised you could name her. Though after Fatty, I might need to reconsider."
"No!" Ai protested. "I wasn't trying, dasai." She settled onto a stool by the cookfire. The tatzelwurm turned toward the pot of roasting meat, nostrils flaring. "What does she eat?"
"Everything," Dem said. "Milk and eggs, meat, vegetables. I haven't seen her turn anything down yet."
"Oh." Ai scratched beneath the tatzelwurm's chin, her eyes fluttering closed in pleasure. "Tam—what was the name of the thief in that story the Travelers told?"
"Nephira," Tam said.
Ai smiled and kissed the top of the tatzelwurm's head. "Perfect. We'll call her Nephira."
Moisture hung heavy in the air, the kind of cold that seeped into bone. Foliage stirred as a large black rat cut across the trail, forcing a rabbit to bolt—straight toward a red fox in pursuit.
The rabbit veered, darting beneath a low-hanging branch.
Something dropped from above.
Nephira pounced—
and missed completely as the prey twisted free and vanished into the dark.
Reowr.
The tatzelwurm yowled in protest, slapping the ground with her tail.
The rat caught up, swatting her lightly on the head before shifting back into human form. "What was that? It ran right beneath you."
Reowr.
"No excuses." Dem lifted Nephira and set her back on the branch, pausing to scratch behind her ears. "You're waiting too long."
The red fox padded closer, stopping to observe.
"Again, Telo." Dem shifted and faded into the undergrowth.
They trained until Nephira finally succeeded. Her claws caught the rabbit as her serpentine body coiled tight, holding it long enough for sharp teeth to end the struggle. She fed ravenously afterward, tearing meat, fur, and bone loose and swallowing it whole.
By the time they returned to Swiftwind, Nephira had slipped into the storage ring and fallen asleep.
"I'm going to stop by and see Mamar," Dem said.
Telo stifled a yawn. "See you in the morning."
Dem waved and climbed the steps to Mamar's covered wagon, entering without announcing himself.
"I expected you hours ago," Mamar said, gesturing to the empty seat.
"I was teaching Nephira how to hunt," Dem replied as the chair creaked beneath him.
Mamar raised an eyebrow. "You were teaching a tatzelwurm to hunt?"
"Someone has to." Dem shrugged. "I asked Sark about their habits in the wild. When they're small, they favor pouncing from above."
"I did a reading earlier," Mamar said, leaning back as she studied him. Fresh from the hunt, everything about Dem felt sharp—like a predator wearing a man's skin. "I see nothing troubling in the near future."
Dem exhaled. "Good. That gives us time to train."
He unrolled a map across the small table. "This is our winter camp."
Mamar leaned closer. "And this mark?"
"I'm hoping it's a structure. Something old, from the days when the Beast Empire was here."
"You may be right." She tapped the spot with a brown finger. "A few days ago, I felt something stir—faint. Barely a whisper."
Dem smiled and told her about the underwater chamber near Red Fox, and about exploring it with Telo.
"The timing fits," Mamar said. "Ancient magic, perhaps." She smiled thoughtfully. "I wonder if you'd take me with you. I would like to see this map room."
"I planned to bring the shaman and Telo," Dem said. He paused, considering. Mamar already knew the tribals' true origins. "Can you climb?"
Mamar laughed, low and warm. "Yes. I'm not that old."
Dem rose. "Then we leave after training tomorrow. Be ready by midday."
A short while later, Dem slipped beneath the furs of his bedroll, enjoying the warmth of the heating stones near his feet. He felt Nephira stir as she slipped free of the storage ring and curled against him, purring contentedly.
Dem slept lightly, tracking her movements as she made her rounds through the family tent. She lingered with each person for a few minutes, purring directly into their ears—deliberately waking them—before moving on once they drifted back to sleep.
Tatzelwurms were largely nocturnal, preferring daylight rest, though at her age, Nephira slept more than anything else. She paused near the tent entrance, where Cosmo lay with his broad body blocking the doorway.
Cosmo lifted his head and licked the top of her skull. She burrowed beneath his chin, purring softly until she fell asleep.
**
"It's time to wake up," Ai said gently, slipping from beneath her covers and drawing the privacy curtain across the changing area.
Dem stretched, grabbed his clothes, and dressed beneath the furs before rolling free. He gently shook Noko, who struggled with mornings. "Time to rise, sunshine."
Noko yawned, nodding to herself. "Cosmo…"
The warhound's head snapped up. He trotted over and nudged her with his massive head.
"Maybe I'll take him to the river to bathe," Noko decided, gathering her clothes and ducking behind the screen.
"Good idea," Dem said.
"Agreed," Yada added.
"Maybe two baths," Ai laughed.
By the time Dem reached the training grounds, Huntmaster Dern was waiting. Unexpectedly, the man pulled him into a rough embrace.
"It's good you're back. We're hearing impressive things about the Sentries." Dern hefted his spear. "I hope you're ready to get back to work."
Dem nodded. "I am."
They spent the next hour on spear forms, followed by another hour of sparring. Dern brought in an additional tribal so Dem could train against multiple opponents.
Afterward, Dern shook his head in amazement. "Your footwork is exceptional. You're incorporating Sybasi into your spear forms, aren't you?"
Dem nodded. "We can talk about it as we walk."
Once spear training ended, Dem shed the role of student and stepped into that of instructor. As the clan's only Sybasi knife expert, he'd been teaching a small group for months.
"With a spear, your range allows simpler footwork," Dem explained. "Your weight stays centered or forward. In Sybasi, the dagger limits engagement distance, so footwork must be faster—and you'll shift constantly between the three stances: advance, middle, retreat. Transition is everything. Offense and defense live there."
His Sybasi class was already waiting, so he rolled straight into instruction. By the time they finished, another hour had passed, and Nephira slipped free of the storage ring, coiling around Dem's upper arm before settling on his shoulder.
The Sentries were mounted and ready when Dem arrived.
Telo handed him the reins. "Running today?"
Dem swung into the saddle, noting several nearby ears tilt their way. "Running is life, Chief."
Telo ignored the groans. "Let's move out."
They split into two patrol groups, circling the perimeter in opposite directions, stopping every half hour to run. Weeks of hard training had paid off—the force was lean, confident, and sharp after a successful campaign against a larger enemy.
They returned before midday, then engaged in light sparring and target practice until lunch.
Telo nudged Dem as he handed the horses off to Sark. "Why is she here?"
Dem didn't need to look. "Mamar's coming with us."
Telo stared. Mamar's age was difficult to place—her daughter was twenty-five, yet she looked barely thirty. Dressed in brown leather with her hair tied back, it was easy to see where Elspeth got her beauty. "Can she help us find it?"
"Maybe," Dem said. He smiled as he spotted the shaman. "Good day, Dosu."
The Swiftwind shaman returned the smile. "I'm glad you're home, dasai."