Alucent opened his eyes to pale grey light filtering through the canvas of the tent.
He had not slept well. His body had rested, but his mind had drifted through shallow dreams filled with voices that came from everywhere at once and punches that landed from angles he could not see. He had woken several times during the night, his heart pounding, his hand reaching for the pouch at his belt before he remembered where he was.
It's dawn, he thought. We need to move.
He sat up slowly, and the motion sent a dull ache through his ribs. The herbs Joy had applied had done their work overnight, the sharp grinding pain had faded to something manageable. His left cheek was still swollen, but the throbbing had stopped. He touched it with his fingertips and felt the dried paste cracking against his skin.
I feel better. Not healed yet, but this is better.
He looked around the tent. Raya and Gryan were still close together on the far side, Raya's head resting against Gryan's shoulder, her hand still curled around his mechanical arm. Joy lay on her back with her hands folded across her stomach, her blonde hair spread across the moss beneath her.
Alucent pushed himself to his feet and ducked out of the tent.
The turquoise moon had set during the night, and the sky above the trees was pale with the first light of morning. The heat glyph had burned down to a faint ember, barely visible in the growing daylight. The air was cool and damp, carrying the smell of moss and earth and the faint medicinal sharpness of the herbs Joy had gathered.
Alucent walked to the edge of the clearing and looked out at the forest. The trees stood silent around them. No movement. No sound except the distant call of birds.
Thank goodness, we survived the night. He thought.
Behind him, he heard the rustle of canvas as the others began to wake.
Raya emerged first, her chestnut hair hastily tied back in a loose knot. Her hazel eyes were tired, but the fear from the previous night had faded into something harder. Something more focused. Gryan followed close behind her, his mechanical arm clicking softly as he rolled his shoulder. His expression was neutral, but his movements were steadier than they had been after the Oasis fruit.
Joy came out last, adjusting her torn veil and brushing dirt from her skirt. She looked at Alucent and gave a small nod.
"We should go," she said.
They packed the tent quickly and walked back to the cart. The driver was slumped against one of the wheels, his chin resting on his chest, his breath coming in slow, even rhythms. Joy touched his shoulder, and he jerked awake with a sharp intake of breath.
"We are leaving," Joy said. "Prepare the horses."
The driver blinked at her, then looked around at the clearing, at the trees, at the empty road beyond. His shoulders relaxed slightly.
Nothing happened to him, Alucent thought, watching the man climb to his feet. He sat here all night while we fought and bled and nearly died, and he came through without a scratch. That's relieving somehow.
He did not resent the driver for it. Someone had to watch the horses.
The driver untied the animals and checked their harnesses, his movements quick and nervous. Within a few minutes, the cart was ready.
They climbed inside.
Alucent settled onto the cushioned bench beside Joy, wincing as his ribs protested the motion. The swelling in his cheek had gone down enough that he could open his left eye fully now, but the bruising had spread, and he could feel the discoloration without needing to see it. Gryan and Raya sat across from them, their shoulders touching.
The driver climbed onto his perch and took up the reins. He glanced back at the cart once, his face pale, then signaled the horses. The cart lurched forward, and the wheels began to roll.
The journey continued.
The landscape outside the window changed as they traveled. The dense forest gave way to thinner woods, and then to open land scattered with rocky outcrops and scrubby vegetation. The road grew rougher, the cart jolting over stones and ruts that made Alucent grip the edge of the bench to steady himself.
Raya watched the passing terrain through the window, her brow furrowed. After a while, she turned to Joy.
"The land is getting rougher," she said. "We're reaching the outskirts of Verdant Vale. This must mean we're getting closer to the Hinterlands."
Joy nodded. "We are. Another hour, perhaps two, and we will reach the Hinter Villages."
Alucent leaned forward slightly, ignoring the protest from his ribs. "The Hex-Waros," he said. "Candice mentioned sightings in the Hinter Villages. Have there been casualties?"
Joy was quiet for a moment. She folded her hands in her lap and looked out the window at the passing rocks and scrub.
"I do not know," she said finally. "I have been in Mossgrove Arc for some time now. I know about the reports, but I have not seen them myself." She paused. "I do not know how dangerous these Hex-Waros truly are. I do not even know what they look like."
Gryan shifted in his seat, his mechanical arm clicking. "Will we have to fight them?"
Joy met his eyes. "As long as we pass through the Hinter Villages, we will be near the border between Shadow Vale and Iron Vale." She paused, and something heavy settled into her expression. "I am sad to say we might have to fight our way through."
Raya's hands tightened on her knees. Her knuckles went white.
Alucent saw the tension in her shoulders, the way her jaw clenched. He thought about the night before, about Tyranix's voice drifting through the darkness, about the prophecy that still echoed in his mind.
The road to Runepeaks was never meant to succeed. You were never meant to reach it.
He pushed the thought away.
"We need to be careful from now on," he said. His voice came out steadier than he expected. "None of us knows what the Hex-Waros threat looks like. We don't know what level of danger we're walking into."
He looked at Joy.
"I wouldn't wish for Tyranix's prophecy to come to pass against you, Scribe Joy. In whatever way we must and will prevail. No matter the odds." He paused and let the words settle. "I am certain that nobody here will lose their lives to what's ahead of us."
Joy studied his face for a moment. The torn veil stirred against her cheek, and her blue eyes were steady behind it.
Then she smiled.
It was a small smile, quiet and genuine, and it softened the weariness in her features.
"I share your optimism," she said. "I am prepared for whatever we face." Her smile faded, but her voice remained firm. "I would rather die by my own poisonous herbs than let Tyranix's prophecy decide my fate."
Raya looked up at that, her hazel eyes meeting Joy's. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly. Gryan nodded once, his expression grim but resolute.
The cart rolled on.
Alucent turned to the window and watched the landscape pass. The rough terrain continued for another hour, rocky hills giving way to sparse grassland, and then to cultivated fields that stretched toward the horizon. And beyond the fields, growing larger with each passing minute, he saw something.
Buildings. Walls. The outline of a settlement.
Civilization, he thought. Finally.
He leaned closer to the window, squinting against the morning light. The settlement was still distant, but he could make out the shape of a wooden palisade surrounding a cluster of stone and timber structures. Smoke rose from chimneys. Figures moved along the walls.
This has to be the Hinter Villages. We made it.
He thought of Candice's report, of the Hex-Waros sightings, of the danger that might be waiting for them beyond those walls.
Let it not be as bad as she said. Let us pass through without another fight.
He did not know if anyone was listening to his thoughts. He hoped anyway.
The cart continued toward the settlement, the horses' hooves clopping steadily against the packed dirt road. The walls grew larger. The figures on them became clearer. Guards, Alucent realized. Armed guards watching the road.
After another thirty minutes, the cart reached the gate.
It was a simple wooden structure, two heavy doors set into the palisade wall, flanked by guard posts on either side. Four guards stood before it, their weapons glinting in the morning light. Normally there would be two, Alucent guessed. The extra guards meant the threat was real.
The driver pulled the horses to a stop, and dust settled around the wheels. The animals snorted uneasily, tossing their heads.
One of the guards stepped forward and raised a hand.
"Halt," he called out. "Who are you, and where do you come from?"
The driver opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, a voice came from inside the cart.
"We are Scribes, coming from Mossgrove Arc in Verdant Vale."
The voice was soft but firm, carrying a hint of nobility that made the guard straighten slightly. Joy had leaned toward the window, her torn veil catching the light.
The guard moved closer, his hand resting on the haft of his spear. "Who exactly are you? What is your purpose for coming to the Hinter Villages?"
"We are passing through," Joy said. "Our destination is Runepeaks. My name is Joy Augusta. I am a Scribe."
The guard's expression shifted at the name, recognition flickering in his eyes. His voice softened, but the wariness remained.
"Since the current threat, all guests and visitors need a concrete background of nobility to enter this settlement," he said. "What house or council do you represent?"
There was a pause. Then a different voice spoke from inside the cart.
"We are from the Green Council."
The voice was male, young but carrying a weight that made the guard look up sharply. It was manly despite its youth, steady and unhurried.
"We also have the backing of the House of Valerius from Eryndral."
Alucent leaned toward the window. The motion sent a twinge of pain through his ribs, and Joy's hand moved to steady him for a moment before he reached the frame. He extended his arm through the opening, pale and smooth in the morning light. On his fingers, two rings caught the sun. The brass Weave Anchor ring with its micro-runes. And beside it, a small signet ring carved from bone and marked with the Valerius symbol.
"My name is Alucent Luci," he said. "On my finger is the confirmation of our backing by the House of Valerius. Come closer and see for yourself."
The guard hesitated, then stepped forward. He leaned in and examined the rings on Alucent's pale fingers, his eyes moving over the bone signet, tracing the carved symbol. Alucent held his hand steady and let the man look.
After a moment, the guard stepped back. He looked at the other three guards and gave a small nod.
Then he turned back to the cart and inclined his head.
"Welcome to Hinter Villages," he said, his voice formal now, respectful. "Well-esteemed guests from the Green Council and the House of Valerius."