With few breaks and only a half night of sleep, Henry, Ash, and Reggie reached the base of the Seni Mountain Range in a day and a half. The slight elevation coming from the valley met the sudden spike of jagged cliff-faced mountains that one couldn't really climb over, so much as weave through its peaks.

Visible layers of earth could be seen across the sides of the mountains between the gaps created by trees.

Reggie turned his head one way and squinted. The mountain range, though not nearly as high as others, seemed to stretch out into the horizon. He looked in the other direction and let out a heavy, almost defeated sigh.

"Don't be overwhelmed or let yourself become panicked," Ash said as he sat on his saddle. His head tilted up as he searched the blue sky. "We're not going to comb the entire thing."

"We're not?" Reggie asked, looking at Ash with a mixture of surprise and hope.

"The size and complexity of the range could take weeks, if not months, for an adventure party to comb through, what more three people?" Henry asked. "We don't have that kind of time. Not us, who need to go to Shae, or your brother and friends."

Reggie lowered his head and bit his lips. He nodded. "I understand...."

Ash squinted and frowned. The trio had stopped their horses in a clearing, with the forest behind them in order to get an unobstructed view of the mountains. Behind them was a forest that gradually sloped down and turned into farmland.

Since the sun rose, he and Henry had been occasionally searching the skies for a black dot, but none of the ravens had been seen flying above. This likely meant that they were still in the middle of collecting information from the other animals or sweeping the mountain range from the sky for any sign of the missing party.

Ash reached into the space preservation bag strapped across his chest and took out spyglasses.

"Anything?" Henry asked as Ash looked through the eyepiece and turned slowly.

"Nothing yet," he replied. "It's only been a day and a half since we left. They're probably still looking."

On the horse next to his, Reggie craned his neck and gave him a curious look. "What are we looking for?"

"Ravens." Ash put one hand on either end of the spyglass and pushed, making the tool compact once more. "Large ones."

Reggie furrowed his brows. "Why are we looking for ravens?"

"Ravens are the smartest birds in the world. They will come and find us when they have a lead," Ash said.

"You're going to have to explain more than that," Henry told him with a deadpan expression. "They're not random ravens."

Ash looked at Reggie and gave him a reassuring smile. "The ravens were sent by the beast master to aid us. Their task is to gather information and search the area from the skies to find the others, then find us and lead us to them, if found."

Reggie's brows shot up and he sat up straight on the saddle. "Really? Can they do that? They'll tell you?"

"I'm a beast tamer, not a beast master. I can't understand the words of animals, just their body language," Ash said. "But they don't need to explain to us with words. They just need to lead us forward."

Reggie nodded, appearing happy to hear this. "How long do you think it will take for them to return? Should we camp here for the night?"

"We still have daylight left," Henry said. "Rather than sit here and wait, I think we can start making our way into the mountains. The ravens will find us." He looked over at Reggie. "I know it seems almost a certainty that we'll find your brother and friends, but we should warn you that we don't know what we'll find, or if we'll find them soon."

"That's true," Ash nodded. "It isn't as if they're the only adventurers who come through this area. Adventurers aren't the only ones who come here, either. Some animals don't have as good vision as others and may misidentify people, which results in false leads. Even if there are many ravens, it will still take them time to narrow down the leads and find the correct trail."

He paled a bit, but Reggie still nodded. "I understand."

"Let's continue on," Henry said. He gave his horse a gentle kick and led him forward, ahead of the group.

Ash followed behind him and Reggie behind him. Though steep, the mountains had zig-zagging paths that could be followed. The mountains were close to rural areas, so while small in population, many people from those areas still went in and out of the range for resources or hunting for food.

It was also a popular place for adventurers, not to mention all the people who seemed to make a pilgrimage to the fairy springs in the area. There were plenty of worn foot paths they could use, though it was still easy for people who were new to the mountains to get lost.

"There are about thirty fairy springs in this mountain range. Thirty that are recorded or known," Ash told them as the sound of horse hooves grinding against the packed dirt and rocks sounded beneath them. "Most are small, and their spring water doesn't do anything spectacular, but they will accept gold and jewels, even nice fabric or shiny gems."

"Why would they need fabric?" Henry said with a curled lip. "They don't wear clothes."

"They don't?" Reggie asked. He knit his brows together and seemed to try to think of what he knew of fairies.

"Their bodies are featureless," Ash said. "They present themselves as androgynous beauties, as it lowers the defenses of those seeking their water. It's easier to get what you want when your victims can't see past your face."

"They just like nice things," Henry answered Reggie. "I don't know what they do with them. Most of what we know about fairies comes from people who've searched for them, but details on where they put their belongings they've traded for, or what to do with them, are unknown."

"The books I've read said that the offerings are simply thrown into the spring. First, a small offering is presented and released into the water while someone summons the fairy. The fairy, if they deem the first offering is sufficient, will rise from the water and ask what else they have to trade," Ash said. "Weaker fairies or fairies from small springs don't wait for an offering. They appear when a human is near to try to call them over for a trade."

"Does this mean we'll see them?" Reggie asked.

"Yes, but don't show too much interest or listen to them," Henry told him with a firm look. "If you show too much interest, they'll take you as a target."

Reggie nodded. "I won't...but the powerful ones...they won't care will they?"

"To be honest, they are rather vain and if they don't like you, they will simply ignore you or never appear in front of you at all." Ash let out a heavy breath. "We need them to appear so we can ask."

"Will they answer?" Reggie's tentative voice asked.

Ash heard Henry hum with annoyance. "We may need to bargain with them for an answer."

Reggie choked back a cry. "We'd need to bargain with them? I...I don't have gold or gemstones. I don't even half fancy fabric!"

"Calm down. Remember the breathing exercises I taught you," Ash told him. "Spring fairies are known for their exchanges for spring water, but there are other ways to get things like information from them."

"How?"

"You can leave that to us," Henry told him.

The continued up the sides of the mountains along rough paths where one side almost dropped off into a cliff. The horses were steady and to distract Reggie from the terrain, Ash asked him about the music conservatory, what he was studying so far, and offered encouragement, noting that a high-level bard could increase an adventure party's strength significantly.

Once they got over the first peak, they began their descent into a narrow valley.

"The deeper we go into the forest, the less paths we'll find. Should we take a break here?" Ash asked, looking towards his brother.

"Look for a clearing where we can rest the horses, as well."

They almost reached the valley below before they found a fitting area. It looked well-used by others, as the ground was cleared, there were fallen logs to sit on, and in the center, there was a fire pit with remnants of a recent fire. It wasn't too surprising considering they weren't deep into the forest yet.

The trio dismounted and Ash began to prepare food, pulling items out of his space preservation bag while Henry led the horses to the side to feed them. Reggie watch with interest as both brothers removed items from their bags.

"How does it all fit in there?"

"The bag is connected to a man-made space fold that acts like a storage for items. As long as the item can fit into the opening of the bag, it can enter the storage," Ash said as he knelt down to start a fire. "If you ever get a space bag, I recommend one that has the ability to register your energy signature. For non-mages, it's just a drop of blood. At least it should only be a drop of blood." He shook his head as he took out a slip and activated it before tossing into the fire pit, on top of some thin, dried twigs. "I don't know what the Magic Tower would require, if they add that feature at all."

Reggie knelt down next to him as the slip ignited, becoming a small ball of fire and setting the kindling on fire. He blew into it to help feed the fire as Ash took out some items to make tea.

"Everyone was surprised when we realized you were and Atractas of the Snake, Scarab, and Sons teahouses," Reggie said. "We didn't think merchants would be interested in adventuring."

"Adventuring allows for practice of skills that we wouldn't usually use. Fighting, using magic, meeting knew people...just being out and experiencing the world," Ash replied. "Momma says it is important to see the world and experience things outside of what one is born into. It makes you more understanding. Sometimes, you just need a change of scenery. We traveled a lot when I was a child, so I'm used to moving around."

Reggie nodded. "Thank you for agreeing to help me."

Ash shook his head dismissively before handing Reggie some bread wrapped in coated paper. "I can understand where you're coming from. I was only with your party for a few weeks, but I could tell you and your brother are close. If it were me, I'd go and search for my brother, too."

"Your brother and you...aren't alike," Reggie said, looking from Ash to Henry feeding the horses. He lifted some bread and tore off a piece to eat.

"I know, I'm much more charismatic," Ash agreed with a nod. He chewed his food before swallowing. "Brother is much more serious, but he's the oldest and has many responsibilities. It's good for him to be serious."

"Oh, I meant...your hair color," Reggie said with a pause. He looked back at Ash and seemed to want to say more, but didn't seem to know how to point it out.

"Ah, well, Brother looks like our father, and I look like my mother," Ash replied. He thought for a moment. Lunapsar blood was strong, and it took several generations of intermarriage for children to lose Lunapsar features. "He is my half-brother. We have different mothers."

Reggie's brows shot up. "Oh...I...um...." He stammered for a bit, his eyes darting from side to side as he seemed to stop eating completely.

Ash watched him fidget with a chuckle. "Our family is complicated. Our father had multiple wives."

"Multiple?" Reggie's voice seemed to shoot up in shock. Most of the Iverias didn't allow for marriage with multiple people at the same time, so it was uncommon. It was uncommon in Ashtar, too, just not expressly prohibited. "How many wives did he have?"

Ash squinted and looked up, mentally counting the legal wives of the Ashtari Emperor. "There were six primary wives. Primary wives are the ones who gave birth to children. Then there are auxiliary wives. From what I can remember, there were eleven or twelve wives." All the wives had been married for political or economic reason, so for the most part, there were no feelings involved. It was all transactional.

And to Ash, it was a sign of incompetence and weakness, as it meant his father could not consolidate his power without essentially selling the prestige of being the Emperor's wife.

"Eleven or....!" Reggie gasped. "So, your father had at least seventeen wives?"

"That I know of," Ash said. "We haven't seen him in years, so we don't know if there have been any new additions. Also, he had at least one lover he never married. She's already dead, though."

Reggie stared at Ash with his mouth agape. "You...you weren't kidding when you said it was complicated. Does the Federation allow for one person to marry so many others at the same time?"

Ash shook his head and looked down. "Our father isn't from the Federation. Don't ask. It's a whole thing."

Reggie nodded sympathetically and ate in silence, as if picturing the kind of life Ash and Henry must've had with such a father.

"You live with your mother now," Reggie said. "You mentioned before that you had taken the part-time position with our party so you could earn money for your mother."

"That's right!" Ask beamed. "And she loved what I got her, by the way. I was kind of annoyed because it turns out Brother and our sister, who is adopted, so she doesn't have to deal with such a father, had pooled their money to buy her something I would've liked to contribute to." Ash clicked his tongue and sneered. "They could've told me sooner if they were going to buy a horse farm...," he muttered under his breath.

"Oh, get over it. You're the one who ran off before we could stop you," Henry said as he returned. "I keep telling you to at least tell us first, but no...sometimes, you just disappear. If Drae doesn't tell us you left for a quest, I'd assume you just wandered off for an extended period of time."

Ash snorted and continued eating. "I always tell Drae to let you know I've gone on a quest when I take one."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Stop talking and finish your food. I saw a raven coming our way earlier. We may have a lead."

Reggie took a sharp breath. Though he wasn't the one Henry was talking to, his movements became faster, almost stuffing his food into his mouth to finish as soon as possible.

"Which direction did you see them?" Ash asked, one cheek protruding.

Henry poured some tea into a small cup. He blew across the top as he sat down on a tree stump. "Northeast. I can't tell who it is at this distance, but if they land here, then it means they came to find us and found a lead."

"Can they lead us directly to my brother?" Reggie asked in a tight voice as he leaned forward.

"We don't know if it will lead directly to your brother. The lead depends on the sightings. We will follow a trail made up of sightings made by animals. Hopefully, this will lead us to where they ended up."

Reggie nodded his head. "I didn't know beast mastery could be used this way. It's powerful."

"It's only as powerful as the beast master," Henry told him. "Like any other gift, the strength of the power determines its reach. A fledging beast master, or one who isn't extraordinarily strong, can maybe understand select groups of intelligent animals. It could be limited to creatures only as smart as dogs, but strong beast masters can command even an insect."

"There is even a subset to beast mastery where the beast master can see through the eyes of a familiar they contracted with," Ash added. "Contracts require exceptional trust and the lives are intertwined."

"They can see through the eyes of an animal...?" Reggie was stunned. "I didn't know that was possible."

"Very view beast masters have the ability. It isn't something that can be learned with experience, either," Ash replied. "I think I only know two."

"Three now," Henry corrected him. Ash titled his head, confused.

"Who am I missing?"

"Effie."

"No, I already counted Effie. Effie and Master Chanda."

"Master Allaidh."

"Oh, I forgot Master Allaidh...." Ash mused and nodded. "I know three of them that have this ability, but in general, they are not as powerful as their communication is limited to particular animals."

"Is the beast master who is helping us one of them?" Reggie asked.

"No, Effie is only seven and she's still learning and strengthening her abilities. It has to be done carefully, so as not to exhaust her," Ash told him. "The beast master helping us is my mother."

Reggie's brows shot up. "Your mother is a beast master?"

"Yes, she specializes in small animals for the most part," Ash said. "Birds are very important for merchants, after all. They deliver messages over long distances faster than human messengers. Time is money, you see. They can function as surveillance, as well. Flying ahead to check the route, sending emergency notices and communication between ships and caravans."

"And in this case, we will need birds, as they'll cover far more ground that we'll be able to," Henry told them. His eyes were fixed to the sky. He lowered his teacup and narrowed his eyes. "Here they come."

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Ash finished the last of the tea as a familiar caw filled the air. "Sounds like Void." Another caw that was slightly different sounded. "And Midnight." He quickly wiped his hands and wrapped up his remaining bread before putting it into his bag and standing up.

Henry looked at the fire pit and waved his hand. A cold gust of air blew over it and put out the fire. The two ravens arrived and landed in front of them.

Ash knelt down to face them. "Did you find a lead to the missing people?"

Midnight cawed at once and both birds bobbed their heads up and down, showing a positive answer.

Reggie's eyes were wide. "Amazing..."

"Good." Ash drew two lines in the dirt in front of him. "This side if you know where the woman was last seen. This side if you know where the three people were seen, and in the center if you know where all of them were last seen."

Without hesitation, Midnight hopped into the center, between the two lines. Henry nodded. "Looks like a good sign."

Ash patted Midnight on the head, then destroyed the two lines and created a new one. "Hop over the line if they were last seen at the same place." Midnight remained on his side of the line and Ash frowned. "They're not in the same location...we'll need to find them separately."

"Then, let's get moving." Henry looked up at the sky once more. "We can move in a little further before it gets dark. We'll have to stop for the night."

Ash fished out some bread to give to the ravens as a reward. Henry collected the horses and brought them back. As soon as they were on the saddle, Ash let out a whistle and raised his hand, sending the two ravens into the air.

Rather than fly high into the sky, they flew below the tree line and would stop and sit on a branch, just within sight of the brothers, while they waited for them to catch up. Once the trio was near, they would fly off again and rest further away.

"They're brilliant," Reggie said as they wove through the forest in a general direction. "But the foliage is getting thicker."

"Ash, clear the way." Henry slowed his horse and Ash passed him. He took out another paper slip and threw it forward. The characters glowed as the slip spun and the sound of wind rushing was heard.

Leaves, small twigs, and dirt were picked up into the air as a small cyclone took shape and cut through the area in front of them, clearing a narrow strip over the forest floor so that the horses could walk through without hurting themselves. As it neared the ravens waiting on branches in the distance, the cyclone lost power and faded away.

Reggie's mouth was agape. "That's even more impressive."

"It's efficient," Ash said. "It's easier for the horses to go through and we don't have to dismount and clear the way ourselves."

"You could be a one-man adventure party, you know that, Ash?" Reggie said.

Ash shook his head. "It's always best to travel with at least one companion for security and safety. There are always accidents and other unexpected events that could cause a problem."

"For merchants who come from long-lasting trading families, this sort of thinking becomes natural, as you always have to prepare for any supply chain delays. This could be weather, natural disaster, or civil unrest. It's best to be prepared and have back up options," Henry said. "Of course, I also say that knowing it's a luxury to be able to have time and money to have those backup options."

They continued along with Ash clearing the way every so often. It wasn't very noticeable because of the trees around them and the surrounding mountains so close, but they had once more ascended and turned into another row of mountains. The environment became drier with fewer plants to get their way.

The ravens now perched themselves jutting red-orange rock from the mountain walls as they waited.

The faint sound of running water could be heard, but Ash saw the small, transparent figure peering from the mountainside at them before he heard it. Henry didn't give it a look and Ash ignored it, though he could feel its eyes fixed on them as they passed.

"What is that....?" Reggie asked as he squinted and looked at the figure perched on the edge of what appeared to be a pile of stone from the trail. From the pile of stone, there were thin dark lines, indicating that there was water coming from cracks in the stone.

Ash didn't bother taking a second look. "That's a spring fairy and her fairy spring."

Reggie leaned forward and squinted to try to get a better look. "That isn't what I imagined a spring to look like. Or for a fairy to be so small." The fairy was human-shaped, but aside from their face, their bodies, which appeared to be made of water, didn't have features.

If they didn't know any better, one would assume that the figure had been an abandoned doll propped up against some rocks in the mountains. A doll whose head turned to follow them as they passed and swung her legs over the edge of her perch.

"Spring fairies come in different sizes. They can be as small as your hand or the size of a house. The more powerful they are, the better they can disguise themselves to look like humans, not remain like transparent water," Ash told him.

"As big as a house..." Reggie's voice was quiet for a moment. "Can we fight a spring fairy? Is it possible to?"

"Physical objects will go right through them," Ash told him. "Spring fairies' physical bodies are made of water."

"Reggie, you can't fight the ocean with sword or spears, let alone punch them," Henry said with a slight chuckle. Reggie's shoulders slumped.

"I see-"

"But you can freeze part of it or cause it to dry up." Henry glanced at him and chuckled. "Spring fairies are affiliated with water and their entity is made up of it, so while we can't fight them in the traditional sense, there are other ways. As I said, just leave it to us."

Before they settled for the night, they passed by a second fairy spring, this time the 'spring' was a large pool created between several rocks with shrubs around it. The fairy was larger, almost human-sized, with leaves weaving a crown around their head.

"Do you want my water? It will lower fevers and keep you cool in the hot months," a melodic voice reached them.

Reggie sucked in a sharp breath. "They can talk?" he asked in a shocked, low whisper.

Ash gave him an incredulous look. "How do you think they barter and exchange for things? A menu board?"

"Gentlemen, come back. Taste my spring water. If you like it, I only require three gold pieces for a cup!" The voice was almost hypnotic, causing Reggie to look back, but Ash scoffed.

"Three gold pieces for a cup? Are you trying to cheat me?" Ash scowled as he looked over his shoulders. "And all your water can do is cool a person down? Deep sea snail slime will do that just fine for one silver a jar, and it helps against sunburns!"

The fairy choked back a scoff as she jerked her head back and lifted her hand over her chest. "My water cools from within!"

"It probably also has parasites." Ash clicked his tongue, and the fairy shot up and pointed at her pool proudly.

"I am mountain spring sourced!"

"Or so you say-"

"Stop arguing with the spring fairy!" Henry shot both Ash and the fairy a glare, making the fairy shrink back into her pool while Ash grumbled. Henry shook his head.

Once they were out of sight from the spring fairy, Reggie gave his horse a small kick to quicken his speed. "Are all spring fairies like that?"

"The more potent their water, the more arrogant they are," Ash said. "And the more extreme their demands are. Can you believe what she said? Three gold? For a cup. A cup! Ridiculous. Reggie, don't fall for their offers. They're asking for too much."

Reggie's head bobbed up and down with agreement, as if he were actually planning to make an offer.

For the night, they camped halfway up the next set of mountains, just after where the tree line had ended. As Henry took charge of the fire, Ash questioned the ravens with a series of yes or no questions to get more information on what to expect and how far they were from where the party members were last seen.

"We may reach there by tomorrow afternoon. Two more peaks to go," he said as he took a seat next to Reggie, who was cutting up vegetables for their soup.

Henry checked the thin meat cuts in the chicken broth. "Any dangerous terrain?"

"No. It looks like it's a deep pond in a narrow canyon. The entrance is difficult to find because of the trees and plants that block the entrance," Ash replied. "There are a lot of plants and flowers surrounding the pond."

Henry frowned and Reggie handed Henry the cut carrots. "Are the plants and flowers a bad thing?"

"Plants and flowers need more than water and for there to be a lot, it means that the soil has a lot of nutrients. On farms, this can be waste product. In other places, where it's more natural, nutrients are taken from dead plants and animals that have become one with the earth."

Reggie gasped and froze.

Ash immediately reached out to calm him. "It's not saying that the spring fairy takes lives."

Reggie lowered his head. His hands curled into his pants as his eyes crinkled up. "But you're not saying it doesn't, either."

"We may have time even if something has happened to them," Henry said. Reggie looked over at him. "The spring fairy must make an exchange. If no exchange was made, they shouldn't be in any danger. At least, as long as they didn't anger the spring fairy."

Reggie's face twisted with disappointment. "My brother...he's not short tempered, but when he's determined...."

"Give them the benefit of the doubt," Ash told him. "Just get some sleep tonight. You will need to be alert tomorrow. Who knows how many more spring fairies we'll pass who may try to lure you to them."

One of the ravens cawed and Ash looked over at him. Two lines were drawn in the dirt with their beak. "Void says two more," Henry said in a dull voice. "Are they stronger than the one that the party went to see?"

Void jumped on to the side that was usually 'no.'

"Well, that's comforting," Ash said with a nod.

Henry seasoned their stew, and Ash toasted some bread to add to their meal and Reggie sat slumped over, appearing listless as he worried about his brother and friends. Ash exchanged looks with Henry, unsure how to comfort the man when they were also concerned about the unknown situation of Wills and the others.

As Henry began scooping the stew into small bowls, a caw was heard overhead. Henry looked up and then back at the two birds on a rock a few paces away, eating some bread, and then back up again. His brows knit together. "Is that Cole?"

Ash lifted his head and listened. There was another caw, and he sat up. "That is Cole." Another of the ravens was coming.

"Ash, light the area," Henry said as he put the bowl down. The two other ravens didn't seem to care that another member of their group was arriving, which meant that Cole wasn't warning of anything dangerous. However, it was dark, and they couldn't see much beyond the fire.

Ash stood up and reached into his tunic to take out a small stack of slips. He threw them, allowing them to spread around the area and float before he activated light to come from the. The area around them for at least twenty or twenty-five paces, even into the tree line, was illuminated with clear, white light that almost mimicked the daylight.

"Cole!" Ash shouted. A caw sounded and from their left, they saw a dark creature flying through the trees. Cole cawed once more, and this time Midnight and Void looked up from their meal to caw back a greeting.

"Quiet." Henry rose to his feet and narrowed his eyes, looking in the direction that Cole had flown from. Ash followed his gaze and without a word, aligned himself in that direction and slid two slips into his hands in preparation.

Reggie sat up straight, noticing the sudden tension in the air and the direction the brothers were looking towards. He swallowed and slowly turned his head towards the forest.

The slips Ash had thrown out maintained their bright glow, but whoever, or whatever, was coming was still making their way towards them.

"Hello!" a man's voice shouted. "Can someone help us? Please! We have an injured man!"

Ash cocked his head to the side. "I know that voice...."

Reggie shot up. "Claude!" Before they could stop him, Reggie ran in the direction of the voice.

Ash held out his hand to stop him, but considering that Cole wasn't squawking with warning, it must've really been Claude, one of the men in Reggie's adventure party, and not some trap laid by malicious forest spirits.

"Reggie?" Claude cried out.

"Ash, prepare some clean bedding and get the medical pack out," Henry told him in a quiet voice. "Someone's injured."

Ash sniffed the air and could sense a faint scent of iron. He could make out the figures stumbling forward. Someone was bleeding significantly. He knelt down and began rummaging through his space preservation bag.

He rolled out a clean, padded bedroll and then covered it with a thin sheet. He pulled out a compressed pillow and then a canvas roll where they kept bandages, needles, and pre-measured medicine packets.

"Ash?" A voice rasped behind him and Ash turned around as he unrolled the medicine pack. His eyes widened.

"My gods, what happened to you!" Wills, the leader of the party, had parts of his clothes shredded and blood-stained strips of cloth, appearing as if had been sourced from the tattered clothes of the others, wrapped around a leg, an arm, and his head.

Claude was on one side, propping him up with an arm under his, while Reggie had replaced Alana on Wills' other side. The smell of blood, soiled clothes, and telltale infection grew stronger as they came out of the forest.

"He confronted a spring fairy, that's what happened," Claude said with a frown as they half dragged Wills forward.

"Quickly, put him here," Ash said, waving towards the bedroll he'd prepared. "Brother, can you heat up some more water."

Ash reached into his bag and took out a small jar. "Thank the gods, you have healing salve," Alana said, releasing a low breath as she all but collapsed on the ground, exhausted and carrying Wills' things on her back.

"It's not healing salve," Ash said. He twisted the top open and smeared some clear gel around his hands and forearms. "It's disinfectant for my hands. I'm going to need to remove the bandages to check the wounds." He shook his head. "I can already tell it's infected."

"You two wash your hands and eat first," Henry said after putting water in the kettle. He approached Alana and Claude with a small bowl in each hand. "Let my brother check your friend."

Alana looked up. "Brother?"

Claude turned towards Henry and his eyes widened.

Ash remained kneeling beside a groaning Wills and used a small pair of scissors to cut through the bandages. He let out a low hiss. "I'll clean this up and prepare some medicine. Alana, Claude, you two eat and regain your strength." He motioned to the man behind him. "By the way, this is my older brother, Henry."

Both Alana and Claude seemed to freeze as they looked at the tall man with dark-red hair and a slight, encouraging smile.

"Good evening," he said with a slight nod. "You should eat while it's hot and rest."

"Ash," Alana said, her eyes still fixed on Henry from beneath her hood. "Your brother is gorgeous."

"And strong." Claude added, looking at Henry's arms. "He can fight, can't he?"

Ash rolled his eyes and poured some water from a container onto a clean towel to wipe Wills' wounds. "Yes, he gets that a lot. And he's taken. I already have a prospective sister-in-law." Claude opened his mouth and Ash held up his hand to silence him. "And yes, she can fight."

"Wills...Claude, Alana." Reggie's voice trembled as he looked from his pale brother whose face glistened to sweat, to Claude and Alana, who leaned heavily against a pile of saddlebags as they ate. "What happened?"

Alana swallowed a spoonful of stew that was still steaming. A small dribble came down the corner of her mouth, but she didn't seem to care. She lifted her hand and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Since you're here, you must know why we're here," Alana said. Reggie nodded. She gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, Reggie. We didn't want to worry you."

"It doesn't matter," Reggie said. "Did you find Brenda?" The two who were eating, and Wills seemed to go quiet. Wills shut his eyes and bit his lips. Reggie looked towards the other two.

"We found her," Claude said in a quiet voice. "But...we can't get to her."

"What do you mean?" Reggie asked.

"That other party exchanged her for a thimbleful of spring water!" Wills shouted, his good hand clenching into a first at his side.

"Calm down!" Ash frowned and placed another slip on his chest to keep him from moving. "I need to reconnect some skin so your wound will heal!"

"Is Brenda still alive?" Henry asked. Reggie perked up and nodded. Whether she was alive or not was the important part.

"She's alive, but she's in the vault of the spring fairy," Alana replied with a helpless gaze. "The spring fairy exchanged water for her and then took her into the pond."

"When we found the spring fairy, we asked to see if someone resembling Brenda had been exchanged, and the spring fairy lifted her out of the water...I don't know how she's still alive, but after she broke through the surface, she started screaming for someone to help her. She saw us, but as soon as she tried to reach for us, the water washed over her and dragged her back in the pond," Claude told them. "We offered to bargain, but the spring fairy only exchanges for her water, not for what she has bargained for from humans."

Alana looked at Wills and shook his head. "And you know how your brother is. He lost his temper and tried to attack the spring fairy. At first, I think she was amused. What can Wills do with his sword that would hurt her? She's made of water."

"You see...." Henry said, giving Reggie a knowing look.

"So, Wills tried to attack using the sword of echoes. That's when the spring fairy got angry," Claude said. He swallowed hard. "She sank back into her pool and then the grotto we were in began to flood. It filled quickly."

"Why didn't you try to leave?" Reggie asked.

"Current," Henry said before taking the kettle off the fire.

Claude nodded; his eyes hollow. "We tried to escape through the narrow canyon, but the water rose too quickly, and we didn't make it halfway to the canyon entrance before the water was at our necks and we were swept away. Our feet didn't touch the floor."

"We were tossed around, knocking into the sides of the grotto walls while we tried to keep our head above water," Alana said. "I think that since Will is the one who angered her, she was much more violent towards him."

Claude grit his teeth. "He was smashed into the walls, dragged down multiple times. He cut his legs and arms on the trees below."

"We thought he drowned," Alana admitted, shaking her head. "I thought we were going to drown."

"We were ejected from the grotto, through the entrance where we'd come from, but it was a lot of water. It was like a dam broke. We were tossed around in this giant wave for what felt like hours."

"We didn't know where we ended up," Alana said. She swallowed another spoonful of food. "We woke up in different locations some time ago. I've been wandering, trying to find these two, but I felt like I was going in circles. I resorted to eating berries. Then this morning that bird...that black bird." She turned around, looking for Cole and then pointed at him perched with the other two, eating. "It's smart. It pulled me forward until I followed it."

"Another one led me to Alana and then this one led us to Wills," Claude said. He bowed his head towards the ravens. "They helped us find each other and then led us here, to you." He looked at Henry. "Are they your birds?"

"Our family's," Henry said. "They were sent to search for you, and we were following them to the spring in hopes of finding you or Brenda. At the very least, we found you three."

"Can you go to the spring?" Wills' voice was tight as he grit his teeth. Ash had used a slip to keep his body from moving, but it didn't numb the pain as Ash used a pen-like object to close the open wounds. He remained hunched over and focused on addressing the injuries.

"You still want to go back?" Alana asked in a sharp voice. "That monster almost killed us!"

"Brenda is still alive!" Wills choked out. His eyes were red as he opened them. "Please...please we need to save her."

Alana took a deep breath to try to calm herself, while Claude clenched his jaw and shook his head. They restrained themselves, but it was obvious they were not happy, especially considering Brenda had been the one to abandon the party first.

"We came all this way...we should try," Reggie said quietly as he looked from one to the other.

"Reggie," Claude began. "We were almost killed...if we go again-"

"But we have Ash and Henry this time!" Reggie said. "You know Ash is a mage and his brother can fight!"

"Your brother tried to fight and look what that creature did to him!" Alana said, waving a hand towards the man still on the ground.

"Please," Wills pleaded once more. "I know you're both angry at her, but I can't leave her to die."

Alana kept her mouth closed tight and looked at Claude. The two seemed to have a silent conversation before Claude nodded. "All right," he said, his voice cracking just a bit. "So long as Ash and his brother are willing, Alana and I will go with them to try to get Brenda back."

Wills closes his eyes. His body relaxed and sank into the bedroll. "Thank you-"

"But this is the last time," Claude said. Reggie tensed and even Ash paused.

Reggie crinkled his eyes. "What do you mean the last time?"

"Reggie, we're tired of always having to deal with Brenda's complaining, her tantrums, her demands. Unless there is no other option, your brother will give in-"

"I don't-" Wills tried to cut them off, but the other two spoke over him.

"You do," Claude and Alana said at the same time. "Wills, a day after she left, you said you would speak to your parents about keeping some money for her engagement ring, and wanted to ask Reggie to cover a year of expenses on his own. After you promised him you'd pay for his lodgings."

"It's always the rest of us who have to keep the peace and concede to her," Alana said with a shake of her head. "We're tired, Wills. We consider her a friend, that's why we're here...but this is too much. We don't want to adventure with her any longer."

Wills shut his eyes. He drew his lips inward and bit them as his body trembled. Reggie looked down; his expression helpless. "What will happen to the adventure party?"

"Reggie, you must concentrate on your schooling," Claude told him patiently. "You've worked so hard to attend. Focus on that. If you're still interested in adventuring afterwards, go through the Guild to send a message to me and Alana." Reggie's eyes reddened.

"You two want to resign from the party?" Wills' voice was laced with bitterness. "After everything?"

"Wills-"

"We promised that we'd adventure together until we retired! We swore we'd return to our village, successful, without a single party member lost! We've just started accepting higher level quests, and in three years, Reggie will become at least a mid-level bard, increasing our abilities. And now you want to resign?" Wills cried out.

"Wills." Alana gave him a pitying look. "We know you love Brenda, and we are not going to make you choose between her and the party."

"Why must there be a choice-"

"Because I no longer want to risk my life for her bad choices," Claude replied in a harsher voice to Wills. "How many times have we gone out of our way not just to accommodate her, but to save her? To cover for her? To bail her out of something because she wasn't paying attention or decided to try to prove herself."

"And you can't say that she took our thoughts into consideration," Alana said. "When was the last time that Claude or I or Reggie got to pick out a quest? It must always meet her requirements, though her combat skills are lowest amongst us, and she complains whenever she has to heal us. She's a cleric class. That is her main job."

"Even if Alana and I have to take smaller quests that pay less, at least it will be on our terms and not subject to the demands of a woman we constantly have to save," Claude said.

Wills shook his head as best as he could. "Fine...if that's what you want, we can sign the resignation papers when we return to the city." He was clearly against it, but didn't want to fight the other two.

"Reggie," Alana looked at the youngest member of their party. "I'm sorry about this."

Reggie shook his head. "No, I understand. I know how Brenda is." He gave a wry smile. "I know she's critical of where our money goes and didn't want me to attend the conservatory."

"Reggie...." Wills looked at his brother from the ground. "What are you talking about?"

Reggie avoided his brother's eyes. "Nothing."

"Did Brenda tell you she didn't want you to go to the music conservatory? When?" Wills asked in a breathy voice.

Reggie kept his mouth shut. He stood up and walked towards the fire. "Henry, I'm hungry. Can I have a bowl?"

Alana and Claude didn't answer either. Ash scooted to Wills' arms after he finished with the wound on the leg. He used a clean towel to wipe off the blood and then patted the area with something to clean the wound.

"Brenda grew up with us," Wills said, his voice quiet with refusal to accept their words. "She always knew Reggie wanted to study music for bards at the conservatory in the capital...."

"She wouldn't mention it around you," Ash replied, his voice a bit colder as he concentrated on suturing the gash that ran from Wills' upper arm to forearm. "Reggie is your bottom line. She knew that well, so of course she wouldn't disagree in front of you." He released a low breath. "But even I know that she sees Reggie, and likely the rest of your family, as competition for your attention and resources."

Wills glared at him. "How? You barely know us."

"Which is why it's so sad," Ash said, ignoring the glare. "That someone who part-timed with you has figured that out before you."

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