At the pancake stand, we watched Brinna hold up a fme as big as a torch. “It’s still hard to control,” she squeaked.

  “Brinna, that’s amazing!” Lavendu said.

  “How about you, Era?” I asked. “Any new magic power?”

  “I’m not exactly sure,” Era said, stirring batter. “But I think I can smell exactly how fresh the ingredients are—down to the day.”

  “If that’s true,” Saoirse said, startling us all from behind, “you’d be an excellent addition to a hunting team.”

  Era ughed. “That’ll be the day.”

  “What about you, Li?” Vio asked.

  Li leaned in, took Vio’s hand, and spoke a rapid string of unfamiliar words.

  “Ooh, Ansei. Perfect for an innkeeper,” Vio said, her lips curling. “If only travelers ever stayed here.”

  “Hey! I got Jethro, didn’t I?” Li protested, pnting her hands on her hips. “There’ll be more, you just wait.” She added another strange word, clearly an insult.

  I looked around—Six radiant women, all colred, all mine. One gesture, one word—and I could summon them to my bed. Just one word…

  “Master,” Saoirse interrupted, her voice crisp and calm. “I’ve discovered that my enhanced vision gives me the ability to see residue left by the enshrouded. I am now able to track them specifically. I believe it would be advantageous for us to work together to thwart as much of the shroud as possible. At your command of course.” She bowed.

  I thought of the troll. I never wanted to see anything like that again. But then I remembered the jackal I killed, and the wolf with my sword in its side. Was it still out there? The shroud preserving its life, preserving its suffering. Finally I thought of Meliss?. If this shroud could affect people it must be stopped, whatever the cost.

  “Let’s do it!” I said, holding up my fist. My dies all gasped, reaching for their colrs.

  “Oh, right,” I said with a chuckle.

  ***

  “Master,” Saoirse said as we walked up the valley, “do you have a favorite game to hunt?”

  I shrugged. “I’ve never really been hunting,” I said with a shiver. The sun didn’t seem to shine as warm outside the vilge.

  Saoirse stopped, eyes widening—which for her was practically an emotional outburst. “You were a fighter then? Back in Castletún?”

  “No. I worked in a factory, with machines.”

  “Machines?”

  “They’re devices for making things… but it doesn’t matter. That’s behind me now.”

  Saoirse inhaled sharply. “If you had no experience with hunting, fighting, or magic, how was it that you were able to defeat a troll?”

  “Luck I suppose, and my ability to thwart the shroud. To be honest I’m fairly certain I would've died if the sun didn’t turn it to stone.”

  “I see,” Saoirse said as she walked away, looking back at the vilge and stroking her colr.

  I shouldn’t have said it that way. I knew this harem was too good to st. Of course it would crumble with Saoirse—now that she knew the truth. A hero by luck alone. How could a graceful expert like her follow a mere factory worker?

  Well, there was nothing for it. All I could do was let her go with dignity. Maybe Lavendu would stick with me if I maintain some decorum.

  “Saoirse,” I said. “I didn’t mean to deceive you. I guess I got caught up in the excitement of the st few days. I thought myself a brave hero, but the truth is I really don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “This won’t do,” she said, still looking away.

  “I understand. It’s not right for someone as skilled as yourself to follow one so inexperienced.”

  “I’ll have to train you then,” she said, turning to face me. “At your command of course.”

  “What?”

  “I will teach you everything I can. It’s unusual for a thrall to mentor her master—but we don't have to tell anyone.”

  I couldn’t speak. Her loyalty was unbelievable. How could she still submit to me?

  “How permanent is our bond?” I asked as I stroked my arm brace.

  Saoirse frowned. “It sts as long as we both remain committed.”

  “So you could leave whenever you like?”

  “It’s a bit painful to break the bond, but yes.” She paused, bowing on one knee. “Have I done something wrong, Master?”

  “What? No, quite the opposite. You’re still committed to me, even after discovering I’m nothing more than a novice.”

  “I’m absolutely yours, Master. But if you have doubts, there are ways to bind your thralls beyond our own will, but they’re not in Power of Mastery.”

  “No, Power of Mastery teaches that a thrall's willingness is the strongest form of control. And I agree. But how can you remain so loyal?”

  “It’s not your brawn or prowess that I find captivating. It is your heart. From the moment I met you I recognized a warmth in you that I could not take my mind off of. Your magical abilities only confirm what I sensed. But if you do not trust me to be loyal, I will understand if you break our bond.”

  No one had ever said anything so kind to me. Suddenly, my fear was easy to set aside. For the first time since I left, I wanted to return to Castletún. It was clear to me that the shroud was connected to the wellbeing of Castletún and I’d be the one to heal it.

  “I trust you now more than ever. Rise, Saoirse, and teach me the ways of the hunt.”

  ***

  For my first lesson, Saoirse asked me to follow her silently. I, of course, failed miserably. Brambles and dry leaves cluttered the trail—every step I took echoed through the silent wilderness.

  Saoirse was the quietest of all. I lost her several times. It took me half the day to realize I was making a fool of myself by calling out whenever I couldn’t see her. She’d simply reappear, her still, stoic eyes glinting. That look somehow managed to scold and reassure at once.

  As I got used to her disappearances I was able to find her faster on my own. She had a habit of slipping into evergreen shadows, her deep green skin vanishing into the forest. By te afternoon I was able to keep a retively consistent eye on her.

  “We’re going to track an animal now,” Saoirse whispered.

  “We haven’t already been doing that?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “I’ve been teaching you simply to move through the forest and to track me. You are still very loud, but you have improved.”

  “I see,” I was surprised how much I had learned without her uttering a word. I felt much more comfortable slipping through the game trails without blundering.

  “Are we tracking an enshrouded?” I asked.

  “Starting with a rge animal will be both easier and safer for your first hunt.” And she was off.

  Saoirse moved through the forest as though she were a part of it. Her long, lithe limbs moved like tree branches swaying in the breeze, each step deliberate and fluid, swift as the wind.

  We stopped at a ravine, where Saoirse stared across in silence. I studied the ravine, but saw nothing other than rhododendrons and tree trunks.

  An arrow flew across and struck something in a shrub. A fsh of brown fur bolted through the brush. Somehow, I hadn’t seen or heard Saoirse draw her bow.

  Without a word she led me to her target. A doe id motionless on the forest floor, an arrow perfectly buried in its heart.

  “Amazing shot,” I said.

  Saoirse bowed. “Can you carry it? It will strengthen your muscles—and your ability to move quietly.”

  “Very well.” I wasn’t thrilled—it had been an exhausting day—but I’d been humbled enough to keep my mouth shut.

  Saoirse’s expression darkened.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. It was still a shock to see a clear emotion on her face.

  “I never enjoy this part,” she said, kneeling to close the doe’s eyes.

  I knelt beside her and whispered a prayer that she may find peace beyond death.

  Saoirse looked at me with her usual stoicism—but after that frown, it felt like a smile. “Where did you learn that?”

  “My father used to say it over birds that died from flying too close to the fumes back home.”

  “It’s lovely.”

  ***

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