The wind had barely settled when Thane turned toward the faint rustle behind him. From the dying tree, Lana climbed down carefully, her boots scraping against the rough bark. Her hair clung to her face, and her hands gripped a small woven basket close to her chest.
Thane's gaze narrowed. "Lana, what are you doing here?" She stepped down the last branch and landed on the dry ground, panting lightly. "You've been gone for five days, Thane. Anna's worried sick. She sent me some spare clothes and food, Lana said". Lana hesitated, "...if you don't stop pretending, you won't get any more hot cocoa." Thane blinked, silent for a few seconds. His face was unreadable, but a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Hot cocoa?" he repeated. " "She misses you," Lana said softly. "You left without eating or saying a word. She believes you're..... Sorin." Thane took the basket from her and peered inside. Bread, meat, a small jar of soup, folded linen. Human food, made with worry and warmth. He set it beside him. Lana sighed, brushing dust off her skirt. "You really do talk strangely sometimes, you know that?" Thane didn't answer. He tore off a piece of bread and chewed quietly. The silence between them stretched until the only sound was the whistling of wind through the trees.
Finally, Lana sat down beside him. Her voice lowered. "Thane… do you remember a man named Jeff? He came to the inn again a few days ago. He kept asking about you." Thane stopped mid-bite. Slowly, his eyes lifted toward the valley below. "Jeff." The name rolled off his tongue like a whisper from the past.
Images flickered in his mind, a shadow leaning against a wall, the faint smell of smoke, eyes that watched too closely. The voice, mocking but kind. "You're talented, kid. Don't waste it on gardening tools."
A sharp pain stabbed through Thane's temples. His breath hitched. For a moment, the world blurred and he was no longer Thane, but Sorin, standing by Gorin's forge, glancing warily at the man who never stopped appearing out of nowhere. "Jeff…" Thane said again, his voice tightening. "That man used to follow Sorin around. He'd come to the workshop. Always watching. Always smiling like he knew something."
Lana's expression hardened. "Then it's true. I've been hearing things about him whispers. People say he's working with outsiders. The kind that trade… people."
Thane's eyes grew cold. "Slave traders."
She nodded. "I never had proof. But when Sorin disappeared, Jeff stopped coming to the inn. Then last week, he came back and when he saw you, he froze. I saw his face, Thane. It was fear."
Thane's jaw clenched. The faint memory became clearer Jeff's voice from that night, the way he argued with Anna about the last cup of cocoa. That fake argument wasn't about cocoa at all. He wanted to look at Sorin closely. To make sure if it was really Sorin, and still alive. Thane lowered his head. "He wasn't arguing for a drink… He was trying to confirm if Sorin had survived. The cocoa was just a distraction." Lana looked at him in disbelief. "You mean?"
"Yes," Thane interrupted. "Jeff was the one who sold Sorin. He called the traders. He put a price on his head." His fists tightened. "That greedy fool is completely poor, he wouldn't waste a chance to give away kids from the village for his share of gold." The mountain wind blew stronger, carrying the faint scent of scorched earth. For a moment, neither spoke. Then Lana whispered, "So you remember?"
"Not completely," Thane said. "Fragments. Feelings. Sorin's fear. His confusion. He never knew what Jeff was after, but deep down, he didn't trust him. And now I understand why." Lana lowered her gaze. "I was looking into Jeff too. After Sorin disappeared, I heard his name more than once. I even followed him once… He met with strangers near the edge of the forest, late at night. I was too afraid to get close." Thane stood up slowly. His shadow stretched across the scorched ground, long and dark. "It doesn't matter. Whether Sorin's gone or not, Jeff's debt remains. He will come to me as long as he thinks l'm Sorin." Lana looked up at him, uneasy. "Thane, what will you do?" He glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "Whatever I must."
The air around them shifted. A sudden chill cut through the heat. Thane's eyes flicked toward the treeline. "You shouldn't have come alone," he murmured. Lana blinked. "What do you mean?" Thane's tone dropped low, his gaze sharp. "When I was training here… I felt someone watching me. At first, I thought it was you. But now that you're here, I know it wasn't." Lana turned pale. "You mean someone else is...?" Thane nodded. "Yes. That presence feels a lot different now that you are here." He clenched his fist. "And it's still here." Lana shivered, scanning the forest around them, but saw nothing. Only the wind stirred the burned grass and dust.
Thane looked out toward the horizon where the forest met the sky. "I think his already planning on his next move, and this time he wants to do it thoroughly. I don't think his after you so don't need to worry yourself, his after me.... his golden goose. The air grew still. Lana looked at him, unsure whether to feel safe or afraid. The Thane before her was calm, too calm like the silence before a storm.
Finally, she broke the silence with a faint voice. "Thane… what do we do now?"
He turned slightly, his gaze softening just enough. "Go back to the village. Tell Anna I'll return soon. And tell her…" He paused, smirking faintly. "…she can keep her cocoa for now." Lana smiled weakly. "She'll be happy to hear that." Thane turned away, "The next time I come down from this mountain," he said quietly, "I'll have more than control over fire." Lana tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
As Lana descended the path back to the village, the last thing she heard was the faint hum of the wind, circling Thane once more no longer wild, no longer violent.
This time, it moved purely to his will.
And deep within the forest below, unseen eyes watched.