Siegfried woke to the soft pulse of crystal light shifting across the cave walls. The air was cool, carrying the faint mineral scent of the stone around him. For a moment he lay still, listening to the quiet hum that threaded through the cavern like a heartbeat.
Sentra was already awake.
She stood near the cave's entrance, her silhouette framed by the pale morning glow filtering through the narrow opening. Her cloak hung loosely around her shoulders, and she moved with the silent precision of someone who had been trained to rise before danger did.
"You slept," she said without turning. "Good. You needed it."
Siegfried pushed himself upright. The pain was still there, but it no longer threatened to pull him under. "How long until we move."
Sentra glanced back at him, silver eyes assessing. "As soon as you can walk without leaning on the wall."
He braced a hand against the crystal beside him and rose slowly. His legs trembled, but they held. Sentra watched him closely, her expression unreadable.
"Better," she said. "Not good. But better."
Siegfried took a careful step forward. Then another. The ache in his ribs flared, but he stayed upright. "I can manage."
Sentra approached him, her movements fluid and controlled. "Managing is not enough. The Red Veil moves quickly. If we are to catch them, you must keep pace."
"I will," he said.
She studied him for a long moment, then nodded once. "Then we leave now."
Siegfried reached for the cave wall, steadying himself as he followed her toward the entrance. The crystals hummed softly behind them, their glow fading as the morning light grew stronger.
Outside, the plains of Gishtar stretched wide and endless. The floating islands drifted lazily overhead, their shadows sweeping across the grass like slow-moving clouds. The air was crisp, carrying the distant scent of water and wildflowers.
Sentra scanned the horizon with a practiced eye. "The Red Veil passed through here yesterday. Their trail is faint but not gone."
Siegfried's breath tightened. "Ellina and Vinrah…"
"Are alive," Sentra said. "If they were not, the mercenaries would not have bothered to take them."
He nodded, jaw set with quiet determination.
Sentra stepped ahead, her cloak catching the wind. "Stay close. And if you feel yourself falling, tell me before you hit the ground."
Siegfried managed a faint, humorless breath. "I'll try."
"You will," she said. "I do not intend to drag you a second time."
They began moving across the plains, the morning sun rising behind them. The grass whispered around their legs, and the distant hum of magic threaded through the air.
Siegfried's wounds throbbed with each step, but he kept pace beside her.
Somewhere ahead, Ellina and Vinrah were being carried farther from safety.
And Siegfried would not let them vanish into the horizon.
Not again.
Sentra led the way across the plains, her steps light and deliberate, barely disturbing the grass. Siegfried followed close behind, each movement sending a dull ache through his ribs, but he kept pace. The morning sun rose higher, casting long shadows across the rolling fields.
Sentra crouched suddenly, raising a hand for him to stop.
Siegfried froze.
She brushed her fingers across a patch of flattened grass. "Hoofprints," she murmured. "Fresh. Less than a day old."
Siegfried stepped closer, careful not to disturb the trail. "How can you tell."
Sentra glanced up at him, silver eyes narrowing slightly. "Because the dew hasn't fully dried where the grass was pressed down. And because the soil is still soft beneath the surface."
She pressed two fingers into the earth. "They were riding fast."
Siegfried's breath tightened. "Running from something."
"Or running toward something," Sentra said. "The Red Veil rarely moves without purpose."
She rose smoothly and continued forward, weaving through the tall grass with the ease of someone who had spent years reading the land like a map. Siegfried followed, his steps heavier but determined.
After a few minutes, Sentra stopped again.
This time, she knelt beside a broken arrow shaft half-buried in the dirt. The fletching was torn, stained with dried blood.
Siegfried's stomach twisted. "Is that—"
"Not theirs," Sentra said quickly. "This is Gishtari make. Looks to be from a hunt."
She turned the shaft in her fingers. "The Red Veil didn't bother to collect it. They were in a hurry."
Siegfried exhaled slowly. "That means we're close."
"Closer," Sentra corrected. "Not close."
She stood again, scanning the horizon. The plains stretched endlessly, but her gaze moved with purpose, searching for patterns he couldn't see.
"Look there," she said, pointing toward a distant rise. "See the way the grass bends."
Siegfried squinted. At first, he saw nothing. Then the pattern emerged, a faint, sweeping curve where the grass had been trampled in a wide arc.
"A wagon?" he asked.
Sentra shook her head. "No. A horse turning sharply. Someone struggled."
Siegfried's pulse quickened. "Ellina or Vinrah."
"Possibly," Sentra said. "Or one of the mercenaries. But the Red Veil does not tolerate disobedience from their captives. If someone fought, it was one of your women."
Siegfried felt a flicker of fierce relief. "Good."
Sentra gave him a sidelong look. "Good that they resisted. Not good that they were punished for it."
He swallowed hard.
They continued forward, following the faint trail through the plains. The sun climbed higher, the heat settling across Siegfried's shoulders, but he didn't slow. Every step brought a new ache, but he pushed through it.
Sentra noticed.
"You are walking too stiffly," she said without looking back. "Your ribs will seize if you keep that pace."
"I'm fine."
"You are not," she said. "But you are stubborn. That will have to be enough."
They crested a small rise.
Sentra stopped dead.
Siegfried nearly collided with her. "What is it."
She pointed down the slope.
At the base of the hill, half-hidden in the grass, lay a torn strip of fabric, deep blue, embroidered with a pattern Siegfried recognized instantly.
Ellina's cloak.
His breath caught.
Sentra crouched beside it, lifting the cloth gently. "Dropped on purpose," she said. "Not torn off. She left this for someone to find."
Siegfried's voice was low, tight. "She knew I'd come."
Sentra nodded once. "And she is buying you time."
She stood, her expression sharpening. "The Red Veil is close. Very close."
Siegfried's pulse hammered in his ears.
Sentra stepped forward, her cloak snapping lightly in the wind. "Come. The trail grows clearer."
Siegfried followed, the pain forgotten.
Ellina and Vinrah were alive.
And they were leaving signs.
The trail grew sharper as they moved north. The grass bent in clearer arcs, the hoofprints deeper, the signs of haste unmistakable. Sentra slowed her pace, her posture shifting, alert and cautious, every sense tuned to the land around them.
Siegfried noticed it immediately. "What is it."
Sentra did not answer. She lifted a hand, signaling him to stay behind her. Her steps became silent and precise as she moved toward a cluster of tall grass near a shallow dip in the plains.
Then Siegfried saw it.
A boot.
A hand.
A stillness that could only mean one thing.
Sentra crouched beside the first body, brushing the grass aside. "Red Veil," she said quietly. "One of their soldiers."
Siegfried approached, careful not to disturb the scene. The man lay twisted, his weapon still half drawn. Whatever had killed him had done so quickly.
Sentra rose and moved a few paces further.
A second body lay slumped against a stone outcrop, head bowed, cloak torn. A third sprawled face down in the grass, fingers curled as if reaching for something just out of sight.
Three mercenaries.
All dead.
All recent.
Siegfried's pulse quickened. "Ellina and Vinrah…"
"Fought," Sentra finished. "Or someone fought for them."
She knelt beside the second corpse, examining the ground. "No arrows. No blades left behind. Whoever did this was fast."
Siegfried swallowed hard. "Ellina is trained. Vinrah too. They would not go quietly."
Sentra nodded. "This confirms it."
"Confirms what."
"That they resisted," she said. "And that the Red Veil was not prepared for it."
She stood, scanning the horizon. "Three dead means the mercenaries were forced to split their attention. That slows them."
Siegfried stepped closer to the bodies, his breath tight. "They are alive. They have to be."
Sentra did not offer false comfort. She simply pointed to the ground. "Look."
Siegfried followed her gesture.
Tracks.
Fresh ones.
Two sets of lighter footprints dragged through the grass; captives being pulled forward.
And beside them, deeper impressions.
Boots.
Multiple.
Moving fast.
Sentra's voice was low. "They pushed harder after the fight. They are trying to make up for lost time."
Siegfried's hands curled at his sides. "Then we are gaining on them."
Sentra nodded once. "Yes. And they know it."
A faint wind swept across the plains, rustling the grass around the fallen mercenaries. The silence felt heavier now, charged with the weight of what had happened here.
Siegfried looked north, breath steady. "We keep moving."
Sentra stepped past the bodies, her cloak brushing the grass. "Stay close. The next sign of struggle may not be so forgiving."
Together, they followed the trail deeper into the plains, toward danger, toward answers, and toward the captives who refused to disappear quietly.
Sentra slowed as the plains dipped into a shallow basin. The grass here was disturbed in wide, sweeping arcs, the signs of movement clearer than before. She crouched, brushing her fingers across the bent stalks.
Siegfried stepped beside her. "What is it."
Sentra pointed ahead. "The trail splits."
Siegfried followed her gesture. Two distinct paths cut through the grass.
One veered northeast, heavy and deliberate.
The other curved west, lighter and faster.
Siegfried frowned. "They split because they knew we were coming."
"No," Sentra said. "This was planned long before we arrived."
She rose, scanning the horizon with sharp, calculating eyes. "The Red Veil does not improvise unless forced. This division is intentional."
Siegfried's breath tightened. "Why would they divide their strength while transporting captives."
"Because they have different destinations," Sentra said. "Or different buyers."
The words hit him like a stone.
Siegfried stepped closer to the heavier trail. "Which group has Ellina and Vinrah."
Sentra crouched again, studying the deeper impressions. "This path carries more weight. More horses. More supplies. That suggests the captives are here."
"But not because they are being chased," Siegfried said.
"Correct," Sentra replied. "This is not a reaction. This is a route they intended to take."
She moved to the lighter trail. "This group is smaller. Faster. Likely carrying messages or scouting ahead."
Siegfried's jaw tightened. "Or delivering one of them."
Sentra's expression didn't change, but her eyes sharpened. "Possible. The Red Veil is paid to deliver people, not keep them together."
Siegfried stared at the two diverging paths, the weight of the choice settling over him. "So we cannot assume they stayed with the larger group."
"No," Sentra said. "But we can assume the Red Veil does not waste resources. The more valuable captive travels with the larger escort."
Siegfried's breath caught. "Ellina."
Sentra nodded once. "Most likely."
"And Vinrah."
Sentra hesitated. "Possibly. But if they were ordered to separate the captives, she may be with the smaller group."
Siegfried's pulse hammered. "Then we have to choose."
Sentra stepped beside him, her cloak brushing the grass. "We follow the heavier trail first. It is the safest assumption. And if we find signs they moved one captive to the smaller group, we adjust."
Siegfried nodded, resolve settling into his bones. "Then northeast."
Sentra turned toward the heavier path. "Stay close. This was not a mistake on their part. It was a plan."
They moved forward, the plains stretching wide around them.
The Red Veil had split their forces.
Not out of fear.
Not out of panic.
But because someone had ordered it.
And Siegfried intended to find out why.
The heavier trail carried them toward a low ridge where the plains dipped into a shallow valley. The grass here was disturbed in sharper patterns, the signs of movement more recent. Sentra slowed, her posture shifting again, alert and coiled.
Siegfried felt it too. The air had changed. The quiet was too deliberate.
Sentra lifted a hand. "Someone is close."
Siegfried reached instinctively for the hilt at his side, but his ribs protested sharply. He steadied his breath and followed her lead, moving with as much silence as his battered body allowed.
They crested the ridge.
A lone figure stood below, half hidden by the tall grass. A Red Veil scout. He was crouched over the ground, studying the tracks with a focused intensity that made Siegfried's pulse tighten.
Sentra whispered, "He is reading the trail. If he sees our prints, he will alert the others."
Siegfried nodded. "Then we stop him."
Sentra moved first.
She descended the slope with the silent precision of a shadow, her cloak barely stirring. Siegfried followed, slower but steady, each step measured. The scout did not hear them until Sentra was almost upon him.
A faint rustle of grass made him turn.
His eyes widened.
He reached for the horn at his belt.
Sentra struck first, knocking his arm aside before he could lift it. The scout stumbled back, drawing a short blade. Siegfried closed the distance, ignoring the pain that flared through his ribs.
The scout lunged at Sentra.
She slipped past the strike, fluid and controlled, forcing him to pivot. Siegfried stepped in, catching the scout's wrist and wrenching the blade free. The man staggered, off balance.
Sentra swept his legs from beneath him.
The scout hit the ground hard, breath knocked from his lungs. Siegfried pinned him with a knee to the shoulder, holding him down without striking.
Sentra crouched beside the man, her voice calm. "How far ahead is your company."
The scout spat at her feet. "I will tell you nothing."
Sentra studied him for a moment. "You already have."
She pointed to the dirt on his boots. "Fresh mud. They crossed the river. That means they are heading for the old fort."
Siegfried's breath tightened. "How far."
"Half a day if they are pushing hard," Sentra said. "Less if they have reason to hurry."
The scout glared up at them, fury burning in his eyes. "You will not reach them."
Sentra rose. "We will."
Siegfried stood as well, the ache in his ribs sharp but manageable. The scout remained on the ground, defeated but still defiant.
Sentra turned away. "Leave him. He will not follow us in his condition."
Siegfried began to walk away but hesitated only a moment before stepping back and glaring down. The scout stayed where he was, chest heaving, eyes filled with a hatred that promised trouble later. With a swift single motion of his sword: " You don't deserve mercy." Siegfried removed his head just above the neck. Before spitting on his corpse.
Sentra began moving toward the river, her pace quickening. "Come. The trail is clear now."
Siegfried followed, the wind sweeping across the plains behind them.
They had a direction.
They had a destination.
And for the first time, they had confirmation.
Ellina and Vinrah were being taken to the old fort.
Siegfried looked north, breath steadying.
He would reach them.
No matter what waited ahead.