Morning in Thaigmaal arrived gentle and warm.
Dem lingered over one last cup of Orange Silk and a fresh plate of simmons as though this were a farewell ritual rather than breakfast.
Ciara watched him eat.
"You remember everything I told you?" she asked quietly.
"Yes," Dem said with an easy nod.
He'd come here initially to question her about Noko, following a quiet suspicion that the girl was a natural healer. Ciara had confirmed it in small, telling ways — the clearest being Noko's inability to hold a blade. As a healer, Ciara had never been able to either.
"Couldn't she train here?" Ciara asked.
Dem snorted softly. "A tribal at the Academy? Not likely…"
"I gave you my first and second-year textbooks," Ciara added. "And my personal notes. All my observations." She sipped her tea thoughtfully. "I should visit her sometime."
"That'd be nice," Dem said — not unkind, but not encouraging either.
A pause.
"Is anyone going to come asking you about a certain person's… absence?"
Ciara shook her head. "When Tyveron questioned me, I said Burak released me once he was named as responsible. It fits his reputation." She hesitated, then added, "Burak vanishes for months at a time. When we shut his doors, the wards reset. Only he can reopen the room. Or the Dean."
Dem chuckled under his breath, knowing one of those options was permanently off the table.
"And since the Fourth Tower is legally an embassy," Ciara continued, faintly amused, "the Dean can't enter without justification."
Dem grinned. "Funny how that works."
Ciara studied him. "You know far more than you let on."
"Only because I listen," he said, standing. "Time for me to go."
She came around the table and hugged him, then kissed both his cheeks.
"You're on my list now."
Dem blinked. "What list?"
"My list of reliable people."
"As long as it doesn't involve dues," he said dryly, "put me wherever you like."
She laughed.
Dem waved once and turned out into uptown's streets.
He didn't look back.
Two hours later, he reclaimed his mare with a few silvers and strong eye contact to discourage further negotiation.
As Thaigmaal fell behind him, his shoulders eased for the first time since he'd passed through its gates.
Frostridge lay ahead.
A simple errand for Noko resulted in not only gaining insight into her ability but also solving the Frostridge mystery.
"A bit of luck, but I'll take it.
**
Reyka slowed her steps on the way back from breaking fast at the main Frostridge lodge, her eyes drifting upward to the pale morning sky.
She hadn't slept.
Not properly.
Two days.
And his shadow hadn't crossed camp since.
The thought tightened her chest without warning — sharp and sudden — and she forced herself to breathe through it.
"What's wrong with you now?" Telo sidestepped as she nearly walked straight into him. "You've got your head in the clouds."
She didn't smile or quip. "Shouldn't we have left yesterday?"
Telo blinked. "No," he said, continuing toward the temporary sentry camp.
Reyka fell into step beside him. "Dem said if he wasn't back in two days, we should leave."
"Everyone knows you don't count the first day," Telo said smugly.
She glanced sideways. "So… are we leaving today?"
Telo frowned. "Why do you keep asking the same question?"
"Chief Telo," she snapped, finally startled into sharpness, "what are we doing about the Commander?"
Telo scratched his head. "Doing? Nothing. He rolled in at dawn looking half-dead. I'm not waking him."
Reyka stopped walking. "Wait… what?"
"He's back," Telo said calmly.
She didn't wait for another word.
Dem opened one eye as Reyka burst into the tent.
She was breathless, hair loose, worry written into every line of her face.
"Are you—?" The word hitched in her throat. "What took you so long?"
He lay shirtless under a pile of blankets, eyes heavy with exhaustion but something close to a smile at the corners.
"It's a long ride from Thaigmaal," he murmured. "We can talk in a few hours."
Reyka let out a laugh that was one part relief and one part scold.
"As long as you're okay."
"I'm better than okay." He blinked once, then added, "Let Telo know. Leadership meeting at noon. Invite Taigon."
She nodded — already turning.
To Reyka's surprise, when Dem woke shortly before noon, he asked that the meeting be held at the Frostwood Lodge.
The Sentry leadership walked the worn trail together — everyone lost in thought except Dem, who whistled as if he were headed out to fish.
"Are we leaving today, Commander?" Telo paced him, the butt of his spear knocking softly against stone. "It feels wrong to leave before we know who did this."
Dem smiled faintly. "Don't worry. We've already found them."
Telo arched a brow. "We did?"
"It's in the briefing," Dem said lightly, as if that settled everything. "We head back tomorrow."
The Frostwood Lodge dwarfed any dwelling Dem had ever seen.
Six long tables stretched the length of the hall. Cooking fires were located at the center, flanked by wide prep tables and stacked cabinets. Warmth rolled through the space — thick with roast meat, spice, and hearth smoke.
Dem exhaled. "This place makes me want to climb onto a table and hibernate."
Telo laughed. "I was thinking the same thing."
Taigon sat near the center, facing the entrance.
At his side stood a younger man with broad shoulders, sun-bronzed skin, and shoulder-length yellow hair: Frostridge's new Huntmaster.
Sark's grin was immediate.
The younger man crossed the space in two strides and barked a laugh as he embraced him.
"Tell me this kid hasn't disgraced me," Sark said, clapping the man's shoulder.
Taigon smirked. "Not quite as good as you."
Sark snorted. "That's because I didn't teach him everything."
"Hey!" the Huntmaster protested.
Sark turned to Dem. "Commander — Huntmaster Ward. My former second."
Dem inclined his head. "Well met."
"Sit," Taigon said, gesturing.
Dem remained standing.
Instead, he drew a ledger from his storage ring and placed it squarely on the table in front of Taigon.
"This is why we're here."
"A few days ago," Dem began, "we received intelligence that the Frostridge mine was compromised."
He did not dramatize.
"We arrived to find it sabotaged and the workers trapped below. We breached with minimal force, eliminated the criminals involved, and extracted the miners alive."
No pride, just facts.
"That ledger contains the entire scheme. Names, payments, schedules." He paused. "And the man who commissioned it."
Silence gathered like smoke.
"Mage Burak," Dem concluded. "Fourth Prince of Haral."
Taigon turned pages with increasing speed — then sudden stillness.
His eyes widened.
Color drained from his face.
"No… this—"
The table cracked under his fist.
"Huntmaster Ward," Taigon snapped. "Find Gerlac Frostridge. Chain him. Now. Summon the council."
Dem lifted a hand as Reyka opened her mouth.
"That concludes Sentry business," Dem said calmly. "The rest belongs to the Frostridge Clan."
"Commander," Taigon said quietly as he rose. "Allow us to honor you with a feast tonight."
Dem nodded. "I'll accept on behalf of the Sentry force."
Taigon left in thundered strides, his boots louder than they should've been.
When the doors shut behind him, Dem finally spoke.
"We suspected this started inside. That's no longer our concern." He turned to Reyka and Sark. "You two are dismissed. Be with your family tonight, but make sure you are back by morning."
Reyka swallowed, eyes on the door her father had gone through. "This will destroy him. Gerlac was an old friend."
Sark's jaw tightened. "What about Burak?"
Dem shrugged lightly. "He's gone and not our problem anymore."
The return walk was heavy with silence.
Telo filled the space with off-topic chatter until Dem slowed, letting the Sub-Chiefs move ahead.
He fell into step beside Telo.
"What will happen to Gerlac?"
Telo's smile faded.
"Betrayal. Deaths. Attempted theft that would've broken the clan." He swallowed. "He'll be tied to a post, and the families of the dead miners will stone him."
Dem nodded once. "Telo — remind the Sentries of this."
"Of what?"
"That justice isn't ours. We are tasked with the safety and well-being of the nine clans. This mission is complete; what happens afterward has nothing to do with us."
Dem's bedroll welcomed him for a few more hours and didn't let him go until he sensed Sark approaching.
Sark stepped into the tent, smiling when Dem sat up. "Thought for sure you'd sleep until the feast started."
"I heard something about Frostridge hot springs and decided to give them a try." Dem stretched his hands overhead. "What's the latest?"
"Gerlac has been dealt with — swiftly and permanently. He confessed once the evidence went before the council of elders."
Dem changed his clothes and rummaged through his coin purse. He pulled out Burak's gold storage ring and tossed it to Sark. "Here you go."
Sark's eyes went wide as he caught it. "This is for me?" His face split into a grin. "I don't know what to say! Thank you, Commander."
"It's like Umi said. I'll probably find them all sooner or later."
"You've earned an escort to the hot springs," Sark said, holding open the tent flap, still smiling.
The springs were a cluster of sulfuric basins formed where mountain run-off collected along a cliffside. Four tiers stepped downward, each holding two or three warm pools. Baskets waited nearby for clothes.
"Before you go too far," Sark added with a lopsided grin, "undergarments stay on — like you're swimming." He gave a wave before heading off.
"Yeah… I know that." Dem snorted, picking the nearest pool and easing into the water.
His eyes grew heavy as his mind drifted. For a time, he slept.
"I should tell you that you're not alone." A familiar voice, touched with laughter, drifted from nearby.
"I know, Rave." He didn't bother opening his eyes. He'd felt her approach and retreat three separate times before she finally joined him. "It's nice to see you."
Rave slicked back her blonde hair and fixed her blue eyes on him. "Can't you stay a few more days?"
Dem shook his head. "We have to get back to our home base."
Rave sighed, edging closer. "If I give you a few of my pigeons, will you send me a message?"
"The Sentry force has some of the Frostridge birds," Dem said, smiling.
"I know." She nudged him gently. "But mine will fly straight to my family's loft."
"If I say yes, will you let me sit here in peace?"
"Yes." Rave grinned. "I'll stop talking."
She moved even closer, waiting for him to open his eyes. When he didn't, she leaned her head against his shoulder.