Mara gathered the Sunbraves at the mouth of the cave just as the sun started peeking up from the horizon. The embers of last night's fire guttered low, weakly radiating warmth in the crisp morning air. At the cave's rear, Garret kept vigil over the still-sleeping Rhiannon, his watchful eyes unwavering. As her representative, Veyran lingered near the group, arms crossed and shoulders tense.

The Shy leader drove her staff into the ground, the thud calling everyone's attention. "We break camp today," Mara announced, her voice cutting through the groggy murmurs of those still rubbing sleep from their eyes. "We're heading upstream. Up to safer ground, harder for humans to reach, easier for us to defend. And, there's a chance we'll find more shards."

A murmur rippled through the group, but no one interrupted. Veyran's eyes flashed at the mention of shards.

Mara let her words hang in the air for a beat. "The human's horse will be useful," she continued. "We should take advantage of it, let her help ease the path ahead… under our supervision."

Mara pointed squarely at Sylven, Sunna, Alvon and Jerrik. "You four will escort her. Go fetch the horse from where they left it, then ride along with her. Stay clear of the cave and avoid drawing attention to the path leading up here. Circle through the woods until you hit the river upstream. Find a secure spot to tether the mount and stockpile supplies."

Sylven and Sunna both nodded, eager to move. Alvon grunted assent but laid his arm supportively around Jerrik's shoulders. Jerrik just narrowed his eyes, resentment crossing his face.

"You're to plot out a route that would be as safe as possible for all of us, including the kids," Mara added. "Gather as many resources and building materials as you can for our new camp. Flag any threats. The rest of us will follow with Garret once the best route is confirmed. The children and injured get to ride on the donkey."

Veyran stepped forward. "I should go with her. She listens to me."

Mara turned to him, her expression hardening. "We've had enough of you coaching her every word and action," she retorted. "The human needs to prove her worth to us, without you whispering in her ear. If she can't stand on her own among us Sunshy, better we find that out now, before we stake our lives on her intentions."

She let the silence stretch between them, taut as a drawn bowstring. "If she fails us, then we can adjust accordingly, before trouble comes."

Veyran hesitated—but finally stepped back.

As Mara turned to conclude the meeting, Callan jogged up, breathless.

"Scouts spotted smoke down the river," he reported grimly. "Looks like a big campfire, must be the guards from Greyhold."

Mara's gut twisted. Their hunters were closing in.

"The advance party with the human will have to finish reconnaissance and get back by tonight. We all move before dawn tomorrow," she declared with a final nod, the loose circle around her beginning to scatter, heading back to their tasks.

Veyran lingered a moment longer, looking as if he might speak—but whatever words he considered, he swallowed them down. Without further protest, he turned and stalked toward the river until he was ankle deep in the water.

Mara waited until the last hint of Veyran's pale hair vanished among the reeds. Then she tapped her staff again, softer this time, a signal for those who remained—Callan, Sunna, Alvon, Jerrik, Sylven and Eryl—to lean in closer.

Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "There's more to what I'm planning."

Callan's brows furrowed. Eryl tilted her head slightly, ever attuned to nuance.

Mara continued carefully, "Once Rhiannon and the horse are upstream, find a branching route from the rest stop that leads into the woods. Don't bother about hiding that trail, leave it free to be found by any pursuers. Let them think we're fleeing deeper into the trees."

She paused, then revealed the heart of her plan: "At the right moment, we can send the human and her mount veering off. Have them draw the searchers further from us, leading them away from the ruins."

Sunna's eyes lit up with understanding. "You're splitting the trail. A misdirection!"

"Better yet," Alvon said, a grin spreading over his face. "That'll wear them out, lead them around in circles. Hopefully they get confused and frustrated enough to give up."

Jerrik drummed his fingers on the hilt of his knife. "What about Rhiannon? Will we let her know she's gonna be bait?" he asked.

A ripple of unease spread through the group.

Mara shook her head. "No. Better she remains unaware for now. If she genuinely believes she needs to run into the woods for her own safety, it'll be more convincing."

Eryl frowned. "What if she figures it out? She's no fool."

"Then we tell her enough to keep her moving, but not so much that she knows exactly where we're moving to," Mara said. "When the woods close in and we see how close the other humans are, how many they are, then we'll decide if she needs the whole truth."

Callan chewed his lip, uneasy. "Feels like dancing on a knife's edge, Mara."

"It is," she acknowledged. "But it's a blade we wield."

Sylven, silent until now, crossed his arms, voice firm yet edged with worry. "Veyran should be told."

Several heads turned his way. "He's still one of us," he went on. "Deepshy or not. If things go wrong, he'll be trapped, unprepared. We can't just leave him at the mercy of the other humans again, now that Rhiannon doesn't control them."

Mara considered Sylven. "You're right," she conceded. "But not yet. I'll speak with him once we move. Too soon and he might bolt with her, before we fulfill any of our own plans. We can't afford that."

Reluctantly, the others nodded.

"Get moving," she commanded, this time with a fiercer edge of promise. "By tonight, we should have everything packed and organized."

As the group dispersed to their assigned tasks, the camp transformed into a hive of purposeful activity. Everywhere, Shy hands worked efficiently, preparing for the journey ahead while casting glances at the horizon, wary of what loomed beyond.

Sylven's muscles burned as he dragged their boat ashore. They had to repurpose the vessel into a carriage for the Shy that could be harnessed to the donkey—or if needed, the horse.

He was surprised when his load suddenly lightened. One of the kobolds, who he now recognized as Nynka from the greenish tinge to her scales, helped tug the craft out of the water and onto the riverbank.

Nearby, Vikka directed the other kobolds to assist in the preparations. Her calm, clear orders cut through the clatter of work. Vines and reeds were picked, bundled and quickly woven into baskets, then filled with whatever berries and nuts they could gather.

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Sylven paused and took a moment to admire the bustling cooperation around him. Even the Shy kids who were already up at this early hour were starting to pitch in by lining the baskets with leaves or hay, or sorting supplies into the right piles. Even Nib the mouse saw his old sled getting additional passenger and storage upgrades thanks to the kobolds' weaving skills.

Something else caught his eye: Uiska scampering around the camp. No longer just trailing him, the pika now shadowed Vikka, lending his teeth or tail where needed.

Sylven smiled. Despite looming dangers and uncertainty from all sides, a new sense of kinship, of community, was taking root here among their different peoples. He headed off to escort the human with a lighter heart.

Menna knelt by the riverbank, holding onto a reed's stem to keep from being tugged away by the currents. Sela crouched close, watching intently as Menna lowered the makeshift arclith dowser into a shallow eddy.

The rod started pulling towards a certain direction as soon as it slipped beneath the water's surface. Following the pull, Sela could just make out the flash of a shard's glimmer down in the mud. She used the tip of her spear to coax it free and sweep it closer to the riverbank until it was in calm enough waters to risk plunging down to retrieve it. Upon surfacing, she gingerly cradled the shard with her fingers, feeling its charged energy in the familiar flow that Menna had pointed out to them.

"We've already found two shards today. Want to keep going?" she asked while shaking out her hair.

Menna hesitated, recalling the Sunshy's warnings about giants and predators, a big, wide, wild world offering no safety net for people her size​. If they were to survive out here, or forced to flee, every shard of arclith could mean the difference between life or death.

"Should be enough for now," Menna decided. "We already have more than the four of us could use. When do you think we can meet up with the others?"

Sela stepped out of the shallows. "Depends. We weren't able to set up a shard flare system since the others didn't know how to charge up these river shards. They would have just arrived at the camp yesterday, so it'll be a couple more days before they can send someone back. We could head down there quicker if we ride the river downstream like they did. But I think it's best we hold the fort here until someone comes to take over guarding the ruins."

Menna nodded. "As much as I'd like to see Sylven again, I agree. I can learn and contribute more here than down at the cave. And I'm sure the others will be glad to have more shards on hand. Who knows when we'll need them."

"Happy to continue helping with your research," Sela smiled. "You know what, put that dowser back in the water, I think I'm good to grab at least one more shard."

Menna obliged as Sela walked back into the water. Neither wanted to alarm the other, but both felt the importance of making the most of this fleeting calm before the other Shy arrived, along with any problems and pursuers in their wake.

Ashwind picked her way through the underbrush with impressive delicacy for a creature of her size. The moss muffled the sound of her hooves, making her passage seem quieter than it should've been. Sylven and Sunna perched on both sides of the saddle pommel, hands hanging on to the horn, feet hooked into the gullet. Behind Rhiannon's seat, Alvon and Jerrik clung to each other and a spare piece of rope while leaning against the cantle.

Rhiannon rode in silence, eyes fixed on the path ahead. Her tight grip on the reins however, told Sylven she had been on edge since they set off.

They had spent most of the morning winding through the woodlands and rocky ridges that paralleled the river's curves, never quite breaking into open view. Mara's instructions had been clear: avoid paths leading to the cave camp from downstream.

When the ground began to get steeper, Rhiannon dismounted, guiding Ashwind on foot. The horse snorted in protest when they had to cross a narrow ledge, but they coaxed her forward with some dried fruit the Shy had packed.

Sylven called out to the human. "How are you holding up?"

"I've been better, but… I've also been far worse. Especially lately," she grumbled, sweat beading on her brow.

The spot Jerrik had proposed came into view by midday—a small rift valley sheltered in shadow by vines hanging from banyan trees, barely visible from the river path. Thick moss underfoot served as a natural cushion and a cluster of berry bushes made for good foraging.

Sunna pointed ahead. "That's a nice rest stop. If we weren't on the run, I wouldn't mind putting up a hut or two for myself."

"We'll be safe here for a bit" Jerrik nodded. "Even the horse's smell won't carry with the wind blowing west towards the river."

Rhiannon tethered Ashwind loosely between the roots of two banyans.

Sunna climbed a tree branch for a better vantage point to scan the area. "View's clear from up here."

The human rolled her eyes at the Shy. "You could have just asked me to stand on a rock and look around."

"Feel free to check for yourself," Sylven told the human, ignoring her exasperation. "We'll gather resources and leave some gear here, set it up like a rest and resupply post,"

As the Shy worked, Rhiannon tended to her mare, did her best to construct a simple lean-to shelter with fallen branches, and picked a few mushrooms she was reasonably confident to be edible.

In a hollow enclosed by a knot of tangled roots, the Shy dug a shallow cellar and lined it with pebbles. They packed the storage space with spare bandages, rations, and a water bladder. Under a flat stone, Alvon tucked a firestarter and a rough map of the area sketched on a piece of bark pounded flat. Jerrik sought out appropriate material to use for their vessel floating back to camp.

They filled the cellar with as many berries, sharp stones for arrowheads, and dry, sturdy sticks for both shafts and kindling, that they could pack in. They then wrapped the remaining supplies in fresh leaves, and as a team, dragged the bundle over to Rhiannon.

Sylven approached and called out to the human. "Time for us to head back. Here's something for you to snack on and start a small fire for the night. Sorry we can't help you out more but… you'll probably learn to do better for yourself than we ever could."

Rhiannon looked between them, confusion clouding her gaze. "You're not taking me back with you?" she asked, a hint of suspicion creeping into her voice

Sylven pointed out the hollowed coconut husk in which they'd be riding down the river. "Bit of a tight squeeze for more than a handful of Shy, wouldn't you think?"

He grinned and patted her ankle reassuringly. "This will be our rallying point. Most of us, including Garrett, will be heading over at first light. Riding back, your horse would leave too obvious a trail, then you'd end up having to climb over those rocks again."

She frowned. "And I'm just to sit around and wait?"

"You can keep foraging, maybe set up some traps or defenses for your own protection?" Sunna suggested. "There's enough food around, and water from the river. One of our scouts will be keeping watch on you later, but they'll be roving and camouflaged so don't expect to easily spot them."

"That's not an imposition," Jerrik added. "It's a kindness."

Rhiannon looked as though she wanted to argue —but something shifted in her expression, giving in to exhaustion against arguments she couldn't win. "So be it," she shrugged, unslinging her bedroll. "At least we'll have more space to ourselves, Ashwind," she said, stroking the mare's mane.

The horse whinnied, nudging Rhiannon's shoulder. As the Shy finished their last checks and prepared to depart, Sylven caught a last look from Rhiannon—wary, weary, a woman as tightly wound as the clockworks she'd forced them to fabricate.

"Oh, and Rhiannon… be ready to move at a moment's notice," he said.

She nodded resignedly, though her eyes darted to the surrounding trees, as if already imagining enemies creeping out from between them.

"What do I do in case I need to start moving?"

"We'll have someone ready to guide you to safety if this site is compromised," he reassured her. "But if something happens when you're all alone, exercise your own judgement. We've left a map pointing out places where you can flee to, study it. Garrett said you're riding the fastest horse in the stables, so you'd have a good chance of outrunning any trouble."

Rhiannon looked at the mare, then back at the tiny faces clustered around her. "Why do I feel like I'll end up serving as a decoy?"

"There's nothing we can do about the fact that you and your horse can't help but stand out," Sunna reasoned. "What you do with that—where you lead our pursuers if ever they catch up—that's your choice. But we're trying to make this work for everyone. They're after you too. And you'll probably fare worse than us in their hands."

Rhiannon visibly paled and reluctantly agreed, settling into the shade near Ashwind. She leaned against a tree trunk, sipped some water from her flask, and closed her eyes.

The Shy rolled their coco-canoe over to the calmest part of the riverbank, getting in one by one to ascertain whether it could support their weight. Sylven and Jerrik pushed them off from the slow flow among the reeds into the faster currents, waving at Alvon who stayed crouched among the undergrowth. Unbeknownst to Rhiannon, her Shy guardian had already hidden himself out of her sight, hunkering down to watch her through the night.

Mara stood up from her seat by the fire as the scouting team arrived.

"The human handled herself well," Sylven admitted. "But she already suspects our plan to use her as a diversion."

"There's hope for her then," Mara shrugged. "At worst, she'll give us enough of a headstart to scatter."

Evening shadows crept across the camp as the latest scouts keeping a lookout on their pursuers returned, Callan's face was grim.

"Going by the smoke of their campfire, the humans are a day's trek behind at most," he reported. "Good thing they can't ride their horses past the rocks. But they'll stumble upon Rhiannon and Veyran's old camp soon once they start moving. Seeing that might spur them to pick up their pace. Well, if they even spot it."

The Sunbraves gathered around the fire, the unspoken tension thick in the air. No one needed to voice what was already clear.

Mara broke the silence. "Eryl, start handing out the shards. Then get the kids bundled up with Gertie and Garret. We'll move under the moon's light, before dawn. Take and tame whatever is useful here while you can."

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