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The seconds ticked by agonisingly slowly as Azee stared up at the sky. Night was falling quickly, and with each passing moment she could see more and more stars appearing amidst the inky darkness. The stars were brighter than she had ever seen them before, the humid air and mists of the swamps around Lillyvale and ranch left far behind. It would have been beautiful, were it not for the fact that she was more frightened than she had ever been before.

No matter how hard she fought couldn't move. The stun blast had frozen every one of her limbs, leaving her trapped within her own body.

'They'll come,' she thought to herself, trying to calm her frantic heartbeat. 'Luke... Eloise... they have to have noticed I've been gone for a long time.'

Staring up into the sky, Azee felt a strange feeling, as if she were watched. The stars, so cold and distant, seemed to be watching her, staring down at her, utterly unmoved by her plight.

'My life is about to end!' She howled to herself. 'Do something! Anything! Please!'

And still the stars stared unblinkingly down at her., indifferent, or perhaps even amused at her predicament.

Her breath shuddered as she heard footsteps approaching. For a moment she felt hope rise in chest, but a gentle breeze carried the scent of one of the Order Agents to her nose, and her heart sank.

'Please, please come... Luke... please...'

"Still frozen?" The Order agent with the scarred face asked as he stepped up to Azee's side, hands in his pockets as he glanced down at her. With the toe of his boot he pressed hard on the fingers of Azee's right hand. She tried to scream in pain, but only a strangled gurgle came out.

"Right," the man nodded, satisfied that Azee was still paralyzed. Reaching into his coat he withdrew a small tobacco pouch and a piece of rolling paper. With practised dexterity he filled the paper and rolled a cigarette.

'Focus,' Azee's mind raced. 'Y-you broke th-the c-collar, you can b-break this!'

"Don't know what you was thinkin', trying to run away," the scarred man mused, lighting his cigarette with a spark rune and taking a long drag. "Fancy collar, nice soft pelt like yours, looks like yeh' 'ad it pretty good, all things considered."

With every shred of effort she could muster, Azee managed to make the fingers on her left hand twitch and curl into a loose fist.

"Aw well." He turned and stared up at the sky, thick bands of blue smoke curling about his face. "Jus' bad luck, running into us."

As he took another long drag, the light from the cigarette filled the scars on the man's face with dark shadows.

"Yeh know something, truth be told, I don't really hate yer kind. I know what the canon says, but I don't think y'all are too dim witted or vicious, least not compared to some of the folks that call themselves human."

As he spoke, Azee thought that perhaps she saw a flicker of regret cross the man's face, maybe even compassion. For a moment, she felt a spark of hope.

"Hell, can't even say I blame the pelt what gave me these." The man looked back at Azee and gestured at his scars. "He was a runaway too. Course we had to cull him after. Suppose it's just the way it is."

The man sighed, looking back up at the sky. "Jus' the way it is... my momma used to say that to me all the time, 'just the way it is, just the way it is'. Lord knows I hated it, the idea that things are just... well just the way they are, no sense in trying to change. Never could learn to live with it."

The man coughed a little after another long drag from his cigarette. "Guess you couldn't accept that either, could ya. You could be home right now, makin' tea or mixin drinks fer some old coot. Instead, yer gonna hang, right here, in the middle a' nowhere."

Frantically Azee tried to find the spark of regret she had seen before, but it was nowhere to be found.

'If it was ever there at all...'

Still, ain't a bad night to go I suppose, and there are certainly worse places." The man tossed away the rest of his cigarette as he heard the sound of his comrade returning, "Yep... just the way it is."

Again Azee tried to move, but the effort it took to even twitch left her utterly drained. Despair coursed through her as she realised that she truly was completely helpless.

"Alright, here we go." Bending down, the man picked Azee up and slung her over his shoulder like a sandbag and carried her towards a nearby tree. It was an oak, old and tall, and eerily similar to the one that stood in the middle of the slave pens back at the Windhill ranch.

The red haired Order agent sat on a log near the tree and was working to tie one end of a length of rope into a noose. As soon as Azee caught sight of the deadly shape her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

As Azee watched, the man grumbled in frustration and pulled his knot apart and started tying a new one.

"What are you doin'?" the scarred man asked, setting Azee down and frowning at his companion.

"Bloody rope is too stiff, can't get a good knot."

"If it's stiff then forget the noose an' just go for a standard slip knot."

"It's fine, hold your horses and just give me a second here."

"Look, if the rope is stiff it ain't gonna tighten properly."

"I'm not sure it will make that much of a difference." The Red haired man smirked. "It will be the same result either way."

"I don't wanna spend all night getting this done, alright."

"Just... look, it's simple; we haul her up, tie the rope off, go grab some supper, and then come back in the morning. It won't matter how tight the knot is, she'll be long gone by then."

As Azee lay on the ground, still trying in vain to move, a powerful hate and frustration rose in her chest. Not six feet away the two men were talking about how they were going to kill her as if they were discussing what to have for dinner. There wasn't even hatred in their voices, just... nothing. At that moment, she would have given anything to be free just long enough to sink her teeth into the necks of both of them.

"Lord's sake, give me that." The scarred man snatched the rope out of the red haired man's grasp. His hands were almost a blur as he looped the rope around into a simple slip knot.

"There, see?" He grumbled, sliding the knot back and forth for his partner. "Easy, an' it won't leave the sorry thing gasping fer bloody hours."

"Yes, granted, but that's not what the archbishop commanded." The red haired man pointed out before standing up and striding over to Azee. "But, then again, you are the commander."

"What in damnation are you doing now?" The scarred man asked as his partner took a short length of rope and began tying Azee's wrists together. "She's stunned an' can't move, stop torturing the damn thing."

"Better safe than sorry, right?" The red haired man finished his task and climbed back to his feet. "Besides, it's not my idea, it's what the canon commands."

"Yeah well-" the scarred man threw the knotted rope up and over a sturdy branch a few feet over his head, "-in the army they teach us t' work smarter, not harder."

A hint of irritation was noticeable in the red haired man's voice as he spoke. "Yes well, you're not in the army anymore, are you? The Order does things properly, by the Lord's book."

"Uh huh, an' when you're in charge you can follow the book to the letter all day long."

On his third attempt, the scarred man managed to get the rope over the branch. The knot landed on the ground a few inches in front of Azee's nose.

'This... this can't be it!' Azee's mind screamed as she tried not to pass out. 'Please! Someone, anyone, help me!'

"Right, sit her up would ya."

"N-no." Azee managed to croak as the red-haired man approached. Ignoring Azee's protest, the agent grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and hauled her up into a sitting position.

The scarred man handed the other end of the rope to his comrade and stepped over to Azee.

As he knelt down and slid the loop over Azee's head, the scarred man leaned close and mumbled so that only she could hear. "Before we haul yeh up, I'm gonna count t' three. When I get t' three, do yourself a favour an' exhale. Trust me, it'll go faster that way."

Panting with panic and terror, Azee stared into the scarred man's eyes, hoping desperatly that there would be some mercy there, some sign that he would change his mind. As she felt him tighten the knot around her neck, Azee's heart sank; there was nothing there, just cold, uninterested detachment, just like the stars overhead.

"Right." The scarred man got back to his feet and grabbed hold of the other end of the rope with his comrade. "On three, pull 'er up, then tie it off to that log there."

"Not that it won't be effective, but it's still damn shabby work," the red haired man grumbled, wrapping the rope around his hand and pulling it just tight enough that Azee had to struggle to breathe. "If we're just going to half ass it, what's the point of even pretending to do it properly."

Ignoring his comrade, the scarred man braced himself. "One... Two...Thr-"

The scarred man froze as he felt the cold steel of a pistol press against the back of his neck.

"If you value your life, you're going to stop counting, right now." Eloise growled, her voice dripping with loathing as she activated the spark rune at the back of her pistol with a flick of her thumb.

As the red haired man turned, his hand reaching for his gun, Luke emerged from the underbrush, revolver raised.

"Drop the rope." He ordered, his gun steady despite the obvious rage in his voice. "Drop it now, or by the Lord herself, I will end you where you stand."

"Do you know who we are?" the red haired man demanded with righteous indignation, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared at Luke. "We are agents of the Illuminant Chain, of the Lord's Holy Order!"

"I don't care who you are." Luke replied, taking a step forward. "She- That pelt is mine!"

The scared man raised an eyebrow. "Yours?"

"Yes, mine, and I have the documents for her in my pocket. Now, drop the rope."

"Do as he says." the scarred man said, releasing his grip on the rope and raising his hands.

"Commander-"

"If he's the owner, then we're the ones in the wrong 'ere, so just let her down and relax! Your precious book says we aren't to kill her."

"But-"

"Have you not noticed the guns you bloody fool? Drop it!"

With a dramatic flourish the red haired man dropped the rope, stepped back, and raised his hands. Azee collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

Luke's gaze flicked to Azee and then back to Eloise. "Do you have them?"

Eloise raised her other arm, another pistol sliding out of her sleeve and into her hand. Aiming the pistol at the red haired man's forehead, she nodded. "I have them, go."

Cautiously lowering his gun, Luke stepped over to Azee.

"Hey, it's okay." He said gently, pulling the rope off of Azee's neck and tossing it away. Making certain that his back was turned to the two men so they couldn't see what he was doing, Luke stroked the side of Azee's face. "Are you alright?"

Azee had never been more relieved to see Luke in her entire life. She wanted to hug him, to lick his face and nuzzle his neck, but the stun still held her tight in its grasp. Between terrified tears, all Azee could manage was a croaking sound.

"What did you do to her?" Luke demanded, glaring over his shoulder. "If... if she's damaged, I swear, you'll-"

"She's only been stunned," the red haired man interrupted, his voice steady and silky smooth. "No harm done."

"No harm?! Are you insane you-"

"Alright now, everyone calm down." the scarred man's voice was low and calm, the voice of one well practised in defusing tense situations. "Now clearly there's been a misunderstanding 'ere, so I suggest y'all put your guns down now. Ain't no need fer this situation to get any more awkward."

"Awkward?" Eloise's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'm not sure that awkward is the word I would choose."

"We're expected in Caster Run." the scarred man replied calmly. "And we checked in yesterday. We go missing, and the Order is going to know what stretch of road t' search. You have my apologies about your pelt, but are you sure you wanna keep escalating this?"

For a moment, there was no sound but the rushing of the nearby water as Eloise, Luke, and the Order Agents eyed one another. The red haired man lowered his arm, so slowly as to be unnoticable, his eyes flicking to the gun on his belt. Eloise's eyes narrowed, her fingers twitching on their triggers. Azee squeezed her eyes shut as Luke slowly shifted to put himself between her and the Order Agents.

"You make a good point." Eloise said at last, her voice breaking the silence like a hammer through a plate glass window. "But how do we know you won't simply gun us down the moment we back off?"

"When the Order gives its word, it keeps it." the man replied, slowly turning his head so as to meet Eloise's piercing gaze. "And you have my word, on t' honour of t' Lord Herself, you put down yer guns, this little incident will be forgiven and forgotten."

"You can count my word in that as well." the red haired man added. "Assuming of course you DO have her papers."

For a few seconds Eloise was silent, staring into the man's eyes. Finally, with a flick of her wrist, both of her pistols slid back into her sleeves. "Good enough for me."

"And what about my pelt?" Luke demanded, lowering his pistol but stopping short of holstering it. "How long will she be stuck like this?"

Noting the concern in Luke's voice, the red haired man raised an eyebrow.

Noting the man's suspicion, Eloise spoke up quickly. "You'll have to forgive my companion. We purchased that pelt, for a tidy sum I might add, at the behest of our master in New Burleigh. We'd rather not have to drag her the rest of the way home."

"It's just a stun blast, a strong one but not at all lethal. It'll wear off in a few hours." the red haired man replied after a moment's pause, running a hand through his hair. "I assure you, there won't be any permanent damage."

The man's reassurances brought little comfort to Azee, who still couldn't do much more but make the ends of her fingers twitch.

"There, you see?" Eloise looked back at Luke. "Nothing to worry about."

"We'll still want to see those papers though." the red hair man interjected, stepped forwards and extended a hand towards Luke.

"Fine." Luke grumbled, pulling his billfold out of a pocket within his jacket and tossing it to the ground at the red haired man's feet. "Help yourself."

A flash of anger flickered across the red haired man's face, before with a courteous nod, he bent down and picked up the billfold. Flipping through it, he withdrew a yellowed piece of paper.

"Canine... twenty two years... looks about right." He raised an eyebrow. "Azee? That's an odd name." Returning the paper to its pouch, he tossed the billfold back to Luke and nodded at his partner. "Looks right to me, it's theirs."

"Right then." The scarred man bowed his head to both Eloise and Luke. "Again, my apologies."

Slowly, Luke replaced his gun in its holster and got back to his feet. Kneeling, he hoisted Azee up onto his back with a groan. "Fine. Well then,-"

"Here, allow me." the scarred man said, stepping forward and offering to take Azee. "Seems the least we can do, considering."

Luke felt Azee gasp in fear against the back of his neck. Shifting his grip a little, he shook his head. "I'm fine, really. Thank you but-"

"I insist." For a moment the scarred man's tone darkened, before he reached out his arm. "Please, considering the trouble we put you through, it's only fair."

Though the link didn't allow Luke to sense what Azee was feeling, he could feel her heart thudding against his back, and could hear a strangled whimper escape her lips. Luke considered protesting, but forced himself to bury his temper after a sharp glance from Eloise.

"Thank you," he said, gently handing Azee over to the man.

As the man took hold of her, Azee felt certain that she was going to be sick. She could feel Luke's hesitation, his own fear as he released her. Had she been able to, she would have ordered him to kill both of the Order agents then and there.

As he draped Azee over his shoulder, the scarred man looked back at Luke. "Where did you say folks was camped?"

"That way." Luke gestured towards the west.

"Right then, lead on. Oh, by the way, my name is Jace, Alyard Jace." the scarred man nodded his head at the red haired man. "And my partner, Dallet Baskerville."

"Charmed," Dallet replied, tipping his hat courteously.

"I'm... Comb, Thomas Comb." Luke replied, nodding at Jace.

"Meryle Forde." Eloise replied with a courteous nod.

"Pleasure to make yer acquaintances. Now, I hope you got a fire started." Jace said, tromping off into the forest. "I could kill fer a cup'a coffee."

As Azee was carried off she managed to meet Luke's gaze. For a moment the two looked at one another, a flurry of unspoken words flashing between them.

Hoping beyond hope that Azee would hear his thoughts, Luke nodded his head slightly, keeping his eyes locked on hers as he rested his hand on the hilt of his gun. 'I've got you.'

"Keep yourself together." Eloise muttered to Luke as she drew up beside him.

"I will." Luke replied, keeping his voice hushed as Dallet strode past.

"You know, you got yerself a good looking pelt here." the scarred man said, shifting Azee on his shoulder.

Humiliation mixed with terror as Azee felt Jace patting her rump, as if she were a sack of potatoes. She wanted nothing more than to bite and scratch, but as with the rest of her body, her claws refused to listen to her commands.

"Where did you say you bought her from?"

"From the Windhills." Luke replied quickly.

"Ah, down round Lillyvale then."

"Didn't get quite as far as Lillyvale." Eloise spoke up, shooting a glare at Luke. "You know Heren Station?"

"'eard of it, yeah."

"Met up with a dealer there."

"Huh, tha' right? She trained?"

Eloise shrugged. "No idea, I didn't buy her."

"Huh... too bad she's stunned, coulda had her make the coffee." The scarred man chuckled. "And uh.. who did you say you were workin' for? Some rancher up near New Burleigh I suspect."

Luke's eyes narrowed at Jace's question. While Luke himself had never been much of a shrewd businessman, his father had been. Of course, Luke was no slouch, the Windhill family had continued to prosper under his command, but the predatory instincts of a true businessman still eluded him.

Luke's father, Elliot Windhill, had taken great pains to train both of his sons in the art of conversation, salesmanship, and discreet inquiry. Luke had been taught how to spot a good deal, versus one that was too good to be true, how to tell if a buyer or seller was desperate, or had money to burn. But most importantly, Luke knew when someone was suspicious, and fishing for information.

Unfortunately, there was only one rancher that Luke knew for certain was still living in New Burleigh.

"Working for ol' Eddie Johnsburg, just outside of Three Corner Bay." Luke replied. "He's a friend of Windhills, or at least that's what he said."

The answer seemed to satisfy Jace, who nodded and continued walking.

"It would seem we have a problem." Eloise muttered, falling back to walk alongside Luke. "That one at least is smarter than he lets on."

Luke nodded slowly. "Indeed."

"It may be worth the risk to deal with them. Get them drunk perhaps? Push them over the cliff, make it look like an accident."

"And have the Order on alert?" Luke frowned. "I'd really rather not."

"That is fair enough. Still..." Eloise gently ran her fingers over the handle of the dagger hanging from her belt. "We should keep our options open."

===

Azee couldn't help but feel humiliated as Luke lay her down on a blanket beneath one of the makeshift tents, though she was at least very glad to be off of Jace's shoulder. The numbness in her limbs had been replaced by an intense tingling, though she still found herself unable to move anything other than her fingers and toes. Being unable to properly move or talk was utterly maddening, and she still couldn't talk, all she could manage was to croak like a frog that had been stepped on.

"It's alright." Luke whispered as he wrapped Azee in a blanket to keep her warm. "Just lay still and it will wear off. They said the more you try to move, the longer it will last, so just try to be calm."

Azee tried to open her mouth to tell Luke to take off the hot blanket, but only a few croaking sounds emerged.

'Dammit Luke, think for one moment! I'm going to cook in this thing!' Azee stared pleadingly up at Luke, but he was too busy tucking her in to notice.

Looking over his shoulder, Luke knelt down beside Azee and stroked her hair. "I'm sorry about what happened, but everything will be alright.

'Yes, thank you, but the blanket... Luke!'

We'll get those bastards out of here as soon as we can."

'By the tyrant's saggy teets, get me out of this thing!'

Giving Azee one more pat on the head, Luke got back to his feet and returned to the campfire.

Within moments, Azee began to feel hot, her fur prickling. With all of her effort, Azee tried to wriggle free of the soft cocoon Luke had wrapped her in, but to no avail.

Exhausted, she stopped struggling and stared up at the tent above her, hoping that staying still would keep her temperature down. If she strained her eyes she could see a small slither of sky past the edge of the tent above her.

Even the tiny section of the sky above her was filled with thousands upon thousands of stars.

As she looked at the stars, Azee felt the bottom of her stomach twist, a deep rush of fear and panic welling up inside of her. Hurriedly she squeezed her eyes shut, but the image of the sky was seared into her mind, the same pitiless sky that had simply stared down at her as she had very nearly been killed. It was as if each star was an eye, looking down with the same cold detachment that she had seen in Jace's gaze as he put the rope around her neck. In that moment she was sure she could feel the rope again, threatening to squeeze her throat.

'If it hadn't been for Luke and Eloise...' Azee's breath shuddered as hot tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. 'I'd be dead... just like Kashin... or Linn, or Shesta... And Chara would be...'

Azee wanted to rub her eyes, but again her arms refused to do more than twitch.

'Dammit... dammit!' Azee wailed. 'I... I can't... I couldn't do anything!'

As Azee fought with herself, bombarded with terror and shame, the only mercy she was afforded was that her sobbing was silent.

===

"Thanks fer the coffee partner," Jace said, raising his mug as Luke sat down beside the fire. "Nothin' better after a long day of walkin'."

"I'll take your word for it." Luke replied, forcing a smile as he took a gulp from one of the waterskins.

"No coffee?"

"Never developed a taste for it."

"Fragile stomach you see." Eloise said with a smile. Taking a small flask from a pocket inside of her vest she poured a substantial amount of pale amber liquid into her own steaming cup. After gently swirling the contents around, she took a delicate sip.

"Now that's a woman after my own heart." Dallet grinned. "Mind if I have a swig of that?"

"Help yourself."

Taking Eloise's flask, Dallet took a deep swig. Immediately his eyes widened and he had to fight to keep from coughing.

"Are you alright?" Eloise asked, eyes shining as she watched Dallet struggle to swallow.

"Whooo!" Dallet shook his head as he slapped his free hand against his leg. "Good lord woman, are you sure this isn't for cleaning stove tops?"

"My own recipe. It's been in my family since before the war with the Drathain."

"Gah! Well from the taste of it I'd say it's been sitting on a shelf for at least that long."

"We're technically on duty, remember?" Jace commented, raising his eyebrows as Dallet took another, far more cautious, swig. "'By the book', remember?"

"Well... it would seem we aren't doing things by the book tonight. Besides, considering our rather... rocky first meeting, it would be rude not to take advantage of these fine citizens' hospitality, now wouldn't it."

Eloise nodded. "I would think so."

"And how about you?" Dallet extended Eloise's flask towards Luke.

"No, thank you."

"Fair enough. If coffee is too much for you, I imagine this'd send you right to the moon."

Luke frowned as he noted the challenge in Dallet's voice. With a determined scowl, Luke snatched the flask from Dallet's hand and took a swig. Eloise raised her eyebrows and rested her chin on her hands.

'This should be interesting...'

The liquor hit the back of Luke's throat like a hot poker, and the aroma didn't so much as attack his nose as leave it in utter ruin. His eyes watered and his throat burned, but Luke was determined not to back down, and forced himself to swallow. The liquid ran down his throat like a fire raging across an open plain.

"It's... interesting." Luke wheezed, handing the flask back to Eloise, trying his best to stifle a cough.

"You folks are alright." Dallet chuckled, leaning back against the tree behind him. "Glad we didn't have to... well, deal with you."

"If I recall, it was very nearly us who dealt with you." Luke observed, meeting Dallet's gaze evenly. "Then again, we're not pelts."

Dallet rolled his eyes "Oh come on now, you aren't still mad about what we nearly did to that pelt are you? It was a harmless misunderstanding, nothing more."

"Harmless? If we had arrived five minutes later Az- the pelt would be dead. And the Lord knows how badly you scared her."

"Scared her? So what?" Dallet scoffed.

"A pelt so traumatised it can't work is worthless."

Amused by the anger building in Luke's voice, Dallet shrugged. "So toss her in a breeding pen with a stud for a few nights and she'll forget all about it. Couple of tumbles in the hay tends to straighten them out just fine."

"What my partner is trying to say-" Jace spoke up before Luke could start to argue "-is that we have a job to do, and so we do it. Your pelt was wearing clothes, coloured ones at that. That alone is a violation. We had every reason to assume she was a runaway."

Luke shot a nasty glance at Eloise before replying. "We were under the impression that it wouldn't matter that much."

"Faileth to patch but a single crack, and the whole wall shall fall to ruin; Chapter four, verse three," Dallet recited. "You let the little things slip, and the next thing you know the whole thing comes crashing down."

"Options and coin were limited. And we didn't want to spend weeks brushing dust and grit out of her."

"Alright lad, alright." Jace raised a hand, gesturing for Luke to calm down.

Cursing inwardly, Luke took a deep breath, calling upon the training his father had drilled into him. "Apologies..." he muttered, "It would have been... a significant loss of coin if she were to be... damaged."

"That and you care about it." Jace smiled as Luke's head jerked up in surprise. "Peace lad, it's not a big deal. See, I 'ave there four hunting cats at home, treat 'em all good. But there's one, scrappy, ugly little bastard, that I like the most. Couldn't tell you why, lord knows she ain't the best hunter, or the fastest runner, she ain't pretty to look at. But if any man or beast so much as put a scratch on her, I'd tear them open with my bare hands. Pelts are no different, just cause they're below us don't mean they are without meaning to us. "

"Yes... I suppose so." As Luke replied he slowly let his free hand drift to his waist, resting close to the grip of his pistol.

"They can be beautiful, soft, even intelligent if they want to be." Jace continued, staring into the fire. "But, at the end of the day, they are more animal than man, and more savage than civilised. Give them a chance, an' they'll sweep everything you've ever done for them aside and turn on you."

'Like Azee has...' Though Luke rejected it the moment it flashed unbidden across his mind, the thought refused to leave him entirely.

'Did she? Did Azee.... really just forget everything we had... everything I did for her?' Luke frowned, watching as a burning log crumbled into glowing coals. 'I mean... Even after everything I did for her, all the ways I protected her... she didn't trust me. So here I am, out in the middle of nowhere, sleeping on the ground and cursed to be her servant.'

Luke's frown deepened. 'I've always looked after her, I've always been kind to her. So she wasn't free, so what? Is a little loyalty too much to ask? I put my life on the line, my own life, to keep her comfortable!'

'No...' Luke sighed to himself and ran a hand through his hair. 'No... this is just the fault of that damned witch, filling her head with nonsense. I just need to figure out a way to get rid of her, and then things will go back to the way they were.'

But as Luke's mind began to settle, a final thought disturbed the peace. 'But what if she turns out like Chara did...'

Noting Luke's silence, Eloise piped up. "So where are you boys headed?"

"Red Lake Chapter house." Dallet replied, taking another sip of his coffee. "There's a new marshal down there, making all sorts of changes and shaking things up."

"Oh?"

Jace nodded solemnly. "The rumours of war with the North have started reaching down even this far south. Some of the plantations and ranches have been reporting more escape attempts. Marshal Dale aims to send a message."

"Purges?" Eloise asked, trying her best to keep the distaste out of her tone.

"Nah, but even attempting an escape will be a hangin' offence now, county wide."

"It's a waste to be sure." Dallet shrugged. "Of course the farmers are going to complain, but it should encourage them to keep a closer eye on their workers."

Eloise nodded slowly. "I suppose it will at that. I take it you think war is likely then?"

"I doubt it can be stopped at this point." Dallet scoffed and spit into the fire. "Word is the damned fools up in Graile have gone so mad that they intend to let the pelts vote. Can you believe it? Vote, in real elections!"

"Come on now, t'ain't that simple." Jace scolded.

Dallet rolled his eyes at his partner. "It's damn near close enough. Next thing you know they'll want to make them full citizens. After that they'll elect some charlatan who makes some insane promise of closing off the gate. From there it's only a matter of time before they attack us and the other southern nations."

"Perhaps we should save the political talk, I can't imagine our hosts find it very interesting. Speaking of-" Jace stretched and pushed himself to his feet "- I think it's time we got to moseying on."

"Can't say I agree, but you are the boss." Dallet stood and tipped his hat at Eloise. "Thank you for the coffee and the rotgut m'lady. You ever decide to start selling that stuff, you make sure to let me know."

Eloise nodded respectfully. "Of course, and thank you."

"Here's hoping I get to see you again."

"Indeed."

Jace nodded, "Well, goodnight then, and safe travels."

With a final tip of their hats, both Jace and Dallet strode off into the forest.

"Why the sudden hurry to leave?" Dallet asked, glancing over at Jace.

"Call it a feeling."

"A feeling? About what?"

"When you're on the battlefield, and someone from the other side sets their eyes on you, you get this feeling up your spine." Jace's eyes narrowed as he glanced back at the flickering light of Luke and Eloise's campfire, just barely visible through the trees. "That kind of feeling."

"If you say so."

Noting the scepticism in Dallet's voice, Jace stopped and turned to his partner. "You've been riding shotgun with me fer what, two, maybe three, seasons?"

"That sounds about right, yes."

"And we've been in a fair few scraps."

Dallet nodded impatiently, "Yes, and?"

"How many times has someone been able to creep up on me without me noticing?"

Dallet paused. "That's... not a bad point. Come to think of it... not once."

"And yet that woman had a pistol against my skull before I knew she was there."

Dallet was silent, considering his partner's words.

"And then there's that strange boy she's with, and the pelt."

"What about them?"

"He talks too well to just be hired help, and that pelt... she don't make no sense neither. Short, weak limbed, probably a runt, colouring plain as breadcrumbs... yet she's been brushed and groomed and fed like she's grade A pedigree."

"You think they're spies?"

"No, they ain't spies."

"Then what?"

"Don't know." Jace glanced over his shoulder one final time before continuing back towards their own camp. "But I think it would be a good idea to make a slight detour 'fore we head on to Red Lake. Tell me, you ever been to Lillyvale?"

===

"You in there?"

Luke jumped as he felt Eloise's knuckles rapping against the top of his skull.

"What? What do you want?" Luke demanded, batting Eloise's hand away.

"Just wondering what planet you were on." Eloise shrugged as she sat back down beside the fire. "Our guests moved on while you were out exploring space."

"Fine, fine." Luke sighed and looked over his shoulder. "And Azee?"

"Just checked on her. She's still stunned, but she can move a little. She's scared, poor thing, but I think she will be alright."

"Good... that's good."

"Of course you very nearly turned her into a roast by wrapping her in that blanket." Eloise raised an eyebrow. "Really, what were you thinking? She's a Shiyan, she's got fur, why would you wrap her up like a pastry."

"Very funny." Luke snarled, climbing to his feet.

Eloise blinked in surprise, taken aback by the genuine venom in Luke's voice. "Something bothering you Windhill?"

"None of your bloody business, witch," Luke replied, turning and stalking back towards his tent.

Eloise watched him go, frowning to herself.

'That man is good... he managed to get inside the Windhill boy's head in a matter of minutes.'

She turned back to the fire, watching the flames consume another log. 'I may need to consider an alternative plan.'

Luke ground his teeth together as he marched away from the fire. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't banish the thought from his mind, the nagging feeling that the Order Agent had spoken true.

'Azee...'

===

With a terrified yelp, Azee lurched up from her bed. Immediately her hands clambered at her neck, desperately searching for any sign of the rope that had haunted her dreams. And though there was no noose there, Azee found it hard to catch her breath.

So intense was Azee's fright that it took her nearly a full minute to notice that her limbs were no longer frozen.

Still panting heavily, Azee raised her arms and examined her hands and fingers. The numbness of the stun blast hadn't worn off completely, but at least her limbs obeyed her commands again. It felt as if hundreds of tiny little ants were running through her bones and tickling her skin, not an unpleasant feeling, but a terrifying reminder of the evening's misadventure.

As the terror passed, Azee flopped back down on her back and stared up at the blanket stretched above her.

'I almost died... If they'd been a few moments later... I'd have...'

Azee shivered and gripped her arms. The look in Jace's eyes, the pitiless indifference, refused to leave her mind. She'd seen death at the ranch, many times, but never dealt out so casually. Even if the concern had been entirely based on cost, at least the overseers had had some sense of the burden that came with killing. But the Order Agents? They'd have killed her and left her without a second thought. They'd have gone to sleep that night without any concern for her, or Chara, or Luke, or Eloise, or her journey.

Azee clapped her hand over her mouth, 'By the tyrant, Luke! Luke would have died! Would he... would he have felt it, the same as me? Not being able to breathe... dying slowly.'

Again, Azee felt a rush of panic rising in her chest. She didn't know what to feel, it felt like every feeling was crashing against one another, a maelstrom in her head.

She was going to be sick.

Rolling out of her tent, Azee staggered over to the edge of the forest and was sick into a bush. Her knees quaked and her head spun as she stumbled back, very nearly stepping into the smouldering coals of the fire.

"Get a hold on yourself!" She growled, stomping her foot and tensing her body. "You're not dead... Just... just breathe..."

A deep breath of the cool, crisp air helped to settle her nerves and her stomach. Slowly she took one breath, then another, holding them for several seconds, before slowly letting them go, just as Chara had taught her years ago.

Taking one of the water skins, Azee walked towards the edge of the plateau overlooking the valley. After pausing to rinse out her mouth, Azee sat down on the rocky edge, dangling her legs over the cliff. Everything seemed so much brighter and clearer, the air itself smelled almost sweet. The moonlight danced and shone upon the thousands of streams and ponds that dotted the lands laid out before her, and the chorus of animal and insect noises was louder than ever. In the distance, a few golden lights winked like flecks of gold in the darkness, towns and houses built amongst the maze of bogs.

Despite herself, Azee shivered again. She had felt this way before, this desperate euphoria, on the day she'd been released from the 'hole' after showing her teeth to one of the overseers.

As she sat and stared out over the valley, another instinct stirred within her. It was dangerous, especially with those Order agents still nearby, but she didn't care. She'd seen her sister do it only once, sitting atop the female barn on a night when the rest of the slaves were celebrating one of the few holidays Halcyon shared with her kind.

Climbing back to her feet, Azee straightened herself and threw back her shoulders. She drew a deep breath, as deep as she could, puffed out her chest, and raised her head. But just as she was about to let loose a powerful howl, she opened her eyes and froze.

The stars, thousands of pitiless eyes, staring down at her. It was the sae, the same sky she had seen as she lay on her back and prayed for rescue from the Order agents intent on murdering her. All of a sudden, Azee felt another rush of terror, her tail curling between her legs as she whined softly.

Unable to take her eyes off of the stars, Azee stepped back towards the camp. The waterskin dropped from her hand, forgotten. As she stepped back, the branches of the trees obscured her view of the stars and she was able to tear her gaze away from the sky.

The moment she lowered her gaze, Azee was sick again. This time her knees shook so hard she fell to the ground, coughing between heaves.

===

Luke awakened, the sound of Azee's distress shaking him from sleep. He rolled over, watching as Azee fought to catch her breath and regain control of herself. The stinging scent of bile tickled his nose as she retched again.

But just as Luke pulled his blanket off and started to get up to go to Azee's side, something stopped him. There was a feeling, deep in his gut, that told him to stay put.

'She's... she's embarrassed, don't go.'

Luke blinked in confusion. It was more of a flash of instinct than an actual thought; such as Luke would feel during a duel, when he could tell if an opponent intended to cheat, to kill rather than wound. He'd learned to trust those instincts over the years, they very rarely failed him.

Slowly, Luke lowered himself back onto his sleeping pad, keeping one eye open and watching Azee.

'Oh Azee...' Luke sighed to himself, his heart aching as he watched her suffer. 'I promise, all of this will be behind us soon... and you won't remember any of it.'

===

Gingerly Azee picked herself back up, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. As she started back towards her tent, she paused.

Luke's heart leapt as Azee turned and started walking towards his tent.

'It's okay Azee.' He rehearsed, making ready to shift to give her space to lie down. 'Everything will be okay, there is nothing to be scared of anymore. I'll protect you, I will always protect you.'

But just as Luke was about to pretend to awaken, Azee stopped. She stood still, staring down at Luke's tent, her fingers and toes fidgeting.

After perhaps a minute of uncertainty, Azee turned. Luke felt as if a knife had been driven into his back, straight into his heart as Azee started walking towards Eloise's tent instead.

"Mmph, wh-what?" Eloise shifted, rolling over as Azee knelt down next to her.

"I... I can't..." Azee's ears drooped and she was unable to meet Eloise's gaze. "I... Can I sleep with you?"

Eloise was silent for a long time, staring up at Azee with a mixture of amusement, exhaustion and confusion.

"I- I didn't mean like that!" Azee whispered quickly, her ears pressing flat against her head. "I-I'm sorry, n-never mind I-"

"You may." Eloise shifted and raised the edge of her blanket.

Azee blinked in surprise, "R-really?"

"Yes. Now are you coming in or not, it's cold out here?"

With a hurried nod, Azee crawled under Eloise's blanket and curled up against her.

"You're not going to get too hot are you?" Eloise asked as Azee shifted to get comfortable.

"N-no, I don't think so."

"Good. And don't go stealing all of the blanket, understand?"

"Y-yes."

With a gentle sigh, Eloise wrapped one of her arms around Azee's waist and relaxed back against her pillow.

"You had quite a fright, didn't you, little one."

Azee nodded, shivering a little.

"You're safe now, no one is going to touch you."

"I didn't think you were going to come." Azee muttered. "I... I thought... I thought I was going to..."

"Poor, sweet girl." Eloise gently stroked Azee's hair. "You've had a rough few days."

With a whimper, Azee turned over and buried her head in Eloise's chest.

Though a little surprised, Eloise smiled and held Azee tight. "There we go, it's alright."

"I was going to die." Azee moaned, her voice muffled against Eloise.

"It's alright, it's all going to be alright. Neither I, nor that Windhill fool, are going to let anyone hurt you." Eloise chuckled to herself a little. "He was very worried, you know, it was his idea to go looking for you."

"R-really?"

"Mhmm. I thought you were just having a swim, but he wanted to make sure you were safe. Windhill... Luke, may be an idiot, and wrong about just about everything, but he does care for you."

"I...I know."

Placing a finger under Azee's chin, Eloise raised her face and looked into her eyes. "But you are so much stronger than just someone who needs to be protected. I don't give a damn what this country, the Order, the laws, or Windhill himself, have told you, you deserve to make your own decisions, and decide your own fate."

Azee tried to shake her head, to reject Eloise's words, but Eloise gripped her chin and stared deeper into her eyes. "It's true. And next time, next time you aren't going to run from thugs like those Order agents. Next time, you will be the predator."

"What do you want from me?" Azee asked at last. "Why do you care?"

"I have my reasons. But one of them, young one, is that if you, a thoroughly unremarkable runt who stumbled her way into comfort, if you can pull together the strength to resist, then maybe there is hope, not just for Shiyan, but for all of us."

"I... I don't understand."

Smiling, Eloise pulled Azee close, holding her in her arms as if she were holding a child. "That's alright, little one, you will."

Unable to hear the exchange, Luke could only watch as Eloise embraced Azee. Black hatred and rage boiled up within him, his teeth clenched so hard that they squeaked.

'It's her damned fault that Azee betrayed me. She poisoned her mind, she made her believe I don't know what's best for her, and she took her away from me."

Luke's breath shuddered as his eyes narrowed into slits. "By the Lord herself, and all that she protects, I'll see you dead for this witch, if it's the last thing I do!'