The next morning I woke beneath my cloak of leaf shadow, the fabric blending into the snow-dusted ground like advanced camouflage. It was useful when I needed to disappear, but it did nothing to make the cold kinder.

  Snow fell steadily, soft but relentless. My winter cloak helped, but my fingers and toes still hurt with the kind of cold that felt personal, as if the world was offended I was still alive.

  I coaxed the fire back to life, fed it until it caught properly, then melted snow in a small pot. Hot water wasn’t much, but it was warmth, and this morning I would take what I could get.

  Not long after, I saw figures approaching from the village.

  Four of them.

  Even at a distance I recognised Norman first, purely by the way he shuffled along, shoulders hunched like he was trying to bully the cold into leaving him alone. When they drew closer, the others resolved into shapes I hadn’t expected to see together.

  Jenna.

  Cain.

  Illara.

  The sight of Illara made something ease in my chest, the tension I’d carried through the night loosening without permission. It was ridiculous, really. I’d been alone for one night, not a lifetime. But after weeks of shared danger and strained trust, one night apart had felt longer than it should have.

  “Good morning, Drisnil,” Norman called, smiling broadly as if he hadn’t left me out here in the snow.

  “Good morning to you too,” I replied, and even managed a smile back.

  Jenna’s expression didn’t shift. Her gaze met mine with open disgust, as if my very presence was a stain on the morning.

  I had liked Jenna once.

  That fact made her hatred sting more than it should have.

  Norman, of course, noticed it immediately.

  “Now, don’t be like that, Jenna,” he said brightly. “I know Drisnil’s smile can look… ah… mischievous, but I assure you it was not meant that way.”

  I let out a short laugh, mostly because it was easier than letting my frustration show.

  Cain stepped forward next, calm as ever, his presence filling the space without needing to raise his voice.

  “Norman has explained your mission,” he said. “We’re willing to help. But we cannot trust you enough to travel with you.” His gaze stayed level, not cruel, simply honest. “An effective party requires that everyone can trust each other with their lives.”

  He paused, then added, quieter but no less firm.

  “And you nearly attacked Jenna in the past. If it weren’t for Illara, you might have.”

  Before I could answer, Norman waved a hand as though that were a small misunderstanding.

  “I’ve travelled with Drisnil,” he said. “I trust her with my life.”

  Jenna didn’t miss a beat.

  “You’d trust any attractive woman with your life,” she snapped.

  Cain sighed, as if he’d heard that exact sentence too many times to count. He placed a steady hand on Jenna’s shoulder.

  “Jenna,” he said gently. “Enough.”

  Illara stepped forward, brow furrowed, voice sharper than I expected.

  “What if we brought a few bodies back here?” she suggested. “If the spell can’t be cast in Ravencrest, we could—”

  “I won’t condone desecrating graves,” Jenna cut in immediately.

  Her glare remained fixed on me, even though it was Illara speaking.

  Norman leaned forward, almost pleading.

  “Be flexible, Jenna,” he said. “This is justice. If we’re careful, if we show proper respect—”

  Cain nodded slowly, thoughtful.

  “Norman is right,” he said. “If it is in the pursuit of justice, exhuming the dead can be justified. With the proper rituals.”

  I felt a small, strange relief. Cain’s pragmatism was a rare thing in Holver. And if anyone could steady Jenna, it was him.

  Jenna’s jaw tightened.

  “Why do you trust this evil woman?” she blurted, frustration spilling out. “For all we know she wants to raise them into an undead army!”

  Norman blinked, then smiled wider, like he’d been offered a joke.

  “That seems a bit far-fetched,” he said. “Drisnil has shown no aptitude for magic at all.”

  Jenna looked like she wanted to bite through her own tongue.

  Then, finally, she exhaled hard, as if surrendering to reality.

  “I need at least a week,” she muttered, glaring at Illara. “A week to train her properly before I let her walk back into danger with that.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Cain’s mouth curved into a smile. “I’d like to put her through her paces too.”

  Illara straightened, half proud, half anxious.

  Norman lifted a finger as if he was already calculating.

  “So two weeks, then,” he said. “And during that time… can Drisnil stay in the village?”

  Jenna’s answer came instantly.

  “No.”

  The word cracked like a whip.

  “We can’t let that thing stay in the village!”

  “She’s not a thing,” Illara snapped back, voice rising. “She’s a person!”

  The intensity of it surprised me. Illara wasn’t just defending me. She was choosing to, even knowing it would widen the crack between her and her mentor.

  Norman raised both hands.

  “I’ll take responsibility,” he offered quickly. “If that helps.”

  Cain considered, then nodded once.

  “That could work.” His gaze shifted to Jenna. “But no hospitality, Drisnil. Don’t expect warmth. You’ll stay with Theo again, if he agrees.”

  I nodded once.

  “Thank you.”

  It was best I didn’t say anything more.

  Jenna already hated me. I didn’t need to hand her more reasons.

  I followed the group back into town.

  The moment we passed the first houses, the reaction was immediate. People who spotted me froze, then vanished. Doors shut. Curtains snapped closed. A woman hauling water abandoned her bucket and hurried inside as if I’d drawn steel.

  I had become a warning.

  A part of me recoiled at it.

  Another part, Drisnil’s part, thrilled.

  She drank in the fear like it was proof of power. Proof that the world still bent away from her.

  Illara slipped her arm around mine and pulled herself close as we walked. It wasn’t subtle. It was deliberate. A quiet declaration to anyone watching that I wasn’t alone.

  In that moment, the fear around us blurred. I stopped caring what the village thought of me.

  We reached Theo’s house and stopped outside the door.

  “This is where I leave you,” Cain said. His voice was as practical as ever, like we were discussing weather. “If Theo won’t have you, come see me after, Drisnil. We’ll work something out.”

  I nodded, grateful he’d even offer.

  Cain, Jenna, and Norman continued down the lane, Jenna’s shoulders stiff with dislike, Norman’s gait already turning into that familiar shuffle.

  Illara lifted her hand and opened the door.

  I held my breath.

  Not from fear of Theo, but from something worse: the fear of being refused the warmth again. The fear of being reminded that no matter what I’d done, I still didn’t belong here.

  Illara stepped inside and I followed her into the heat of the house.

  Theo looked up at once.

  His face softened immediately.

  “I’m glad to see you again, Drisnil,” he said. “You’re always welcome here.”

  Relief hit me so hard my knees almost went weak.

  I hadn’t realised how tightly I’d been holding myself until that moment.

  “Thank you,” I managed. “I’m happy to be back. And thank you for having me.”

  Ash walked out and pulled me into a hug. Ash didn’t need to say anything, I understood his meaning from that alone.

  As he held me, I caught movement near the table. Someone stood there half-hidden behind Theo’s chair, watching with a nervous stillness.

  Sera.

  Before I could even react to the surprise of seeing her again, she blurted,

  “Don’t hold her too long, Ash… you’ll make me jealous.”

  The words came out too fast, like she hadn’t meant to say them aloud. Her face went crimson the moment the sentence finished.

  Ash released me and turned to her with a gentle smile, as if he’d been waiting for her to say it. He stepped closer and took her hand, squeezing once, and Sera’s anxious expression softened immediately.

  “I didn’t get a chance to tell you,” Illara said brightly, stepping in before the moment could sour. “Sera and Ash are together now.” Her smile widened. “And Sera apologised to me last night.”

  “I always knew you two would end up together,” I said, grinning. “It was obvious.”

  Sera went red instantly, cheeks blazing.

  “But you’ve only known me a week,” she protested.

  I felt the stumble inside me.

  She was right.

  To her, I was still new. Still a stranger with sharp edges.

  Illara saved me smoothly, as she always did.

  “We all knew,” she said, smiling at Sera. “If it was that obvious to Drisnil, then it must have been obvious to everyone.”

  Sera groaned, but she was smiling too.

  Ash slipped an arm around her waist and leaned in, kissing her softly.

  Sera melted into it with an expression that was almost embarrassing to witness.

  “Oh, Ash,” she murmured, laughing. “You always know how to make me happy.”

  “Geez,” Illara complained, exaggeratedly. “Get a room. I don’t need to see my brother kissing.”

  Sera turned to me suddenly, eyes bright with mischief.

  “So, Drisnil… is there anyone you’re romantically interested in?”

  Illara’s posture tightened instantly, just a fraction.

  Her gaze snapped to Sera, warning.

  I felt Drisnil’s amusement stir.

  And something else too.

  Something uncomfortable.

  “No,” I said evenly. “Not at the moment.”

  It wasn’t even a lie. I’d only thought I’d loved one person in the world and they betrayed me. Drisnil hadn’t ever felt a romantic connection to anyone, not in any way that resembled what people called love.

  It made the whole concept feel like something I’d read about but never touched.

  “Are you sure?” Sera pressed. “Not anyone close to you?”

  Illara’s voice came sharp.

  “Please stop, Sera.”

  Sera blinked, startled.

  I cleared my throat, trying to smooth it over.

  “I’m not certain,” I said. “But no one that I can think of.”

  My mind flicked to Norman, and I nearly laughed. Then to Illara.

  And the thought died instantly.

  Illara was… Illara. I had watched her grow. I had promised myself I would protect her. Even thinking of her that way felt wrong, like stepping over a line that couldn’t be uncrossed.

  “I’m only trying to help,” Sera said, suddenly defensive.

  Illara looked flustered now, cheeks colouring. “Well, you’re not.”

  Theo stepped in, grateful and firm.

  “I think we’ve had enough of that conversation.” His tone left no room for argument. “How long are you planning to stay, Drisnil? And I assume you have permission.”

  I latched onto the change of topic like a drowning man.

  “Two weeks,” I said quickly. “Jenna and Cain agreed. But I don’t think I’m allowed to wander the village freely.”

  Theo’s smile returned, warm and uncomplicated.

  “Two weeks,” he repeated. “Good.”

  He reached out and clasped my shoulder.

  “I’m pleased to have you here,” he said. “You’re my daughter’s saviour, after all. I could never deny you hospitality.”