With the help of a golem, I was scooped up and taken to a healer. Their place smelled like boiled herbs. I didn’t want to be there, and they didn’t want me either—probably because I was dripping blood from too many wounds. Still, the Guild had rules. I had become somewhat of a spectacle crawling into town.

  More importantly, I was a monster without their trainer. Given my record saying that I had a predisposition for excessive violence, they assumed the worst. At least they gave me the decency of explaining the situation first.

  Gilda left once the Association’s interrogator arrived. Fayna stuck around with Sereth. My interrogator had slicked-back brown hair, glasses, and his monster, a king viper covered in feathers. The serpent was roughly twenty feet long and liked to coil next to their partner.

  I wasn’t in any condition to resist. The healer withheld his treatment beyond keeping me from bleeding too much and passing out.

  He wasted no breath on what he wanted: the story.

  I told him the important parts. Luther was waiting for us, Velleigh leading four direwolves, how they took Keagan, and how I dragged myself back.

  The viper flicked its tongue at me once I was finished. “I can taste the direwolves on you. She’s telling the truth, Borris.”

  The man tapped his foot. “You are certain Luther came here?”

  I nodded. “I followed his scent this far. Though it was getting pretty weak once I arrived in town. It was starting to fade, and there were too many other scents masking it.”

  Sereth reached for my head. I flattened my ears and leaned away.

  The wyrmling frowned. “You poor thing. I’ll help you.” Then she turned to Fayna. “We’ll help her, right?”

  “Help how?” I hung my head.

  Fayna crossed her arms. “We’ll start with asking around for anyone who would’ve seen Velleigh. He sounds like the more distinguishable of the two. A monster like that will be easy to spot in broad daylight.”

  The doctor crossed his arms. “Before you got here, I was just at the inn. There was a kid who was sick. I was paid to give medicine to.”

  I turned to him and bared my teeth. “And you’re just now telling me this? Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

  He glared at me. “Because I didn’t know the boy’s name, and there wasn’t a man there. The inn’s owner contacted me, and she paid me. Honestly, I thought he was her kid. I didn’t ask a lot of questions.”

  My head dropped. “Who brought him in?” I asked the healer without looking up. The world had started to narrow again. Exhaustion was pulling at me.

  Borris hesitated before he cleared his throat. “The possibility that Luther paid for the boy’s room and medicine through the innkeeper. Then he didn’t stick around long.”

  My wrath stirred to dispel a portion of the fatigue. “Where is he now?”

  “The boy’s in room three,” the healer said. “His fever should pass in a day or two. He’ll be fine for now. You should rest.”

  Rest?

  I wanted to laugh and tear the healer’s mouth open and tell him that rest was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Instead I pushed myself up. A wave of nausea and fog rolled across my mind, and I started falling. Someone steadied my shoulder and eased me down.

  “You’re not moving today.” Fayna let go of my shoulder. “You’re lucky to be alive. Where on Palaidra do you have to go this instant?”

  I glared at her. “Keagan.”

  She gave me a look full of pity and then turned to the man from the Association. “Will you permit her to be healed now? Keagan will probably be able to confirm most of her story. When he recovers, that is.”

  The doctor retrieved a healing stone. Borris looked to his partner.

  They looked at me from different angles. I just followed them with my eyes. Its tongue flicked out constantly. “She isn't hiding anything I can smell. I can almost feel her… devotion?” It sounded very unsure of itself.

  The man nodded, permitting the doctor to continue. “We will follow you to Keagan. It seems I will need to talk with the inn's owner as well.” He let out a heavy sigh. “This is going to be a long day of overtime. Matilda is going to kill me.”

  The doctor pressed the stone to my side, and I could feel the healing wash over me. Stabbing and pulling sensations sprouted up around each wound.

  I growled at the man. “I'm so sorry that my emergency is such an inconvenience for you. It's such a shame you have to work at your job.”

  The king viper placed its face inches from mine. They spread their feathered hood and glared at me. I glared back. Neither of us blinked.

  This is a monster they brought. Which means they are likely strong enough to kill me if needed.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  When the doctor finished, I made a show of an exaggerated flinch to hide giving up on the staring contest. The viper backed to their partner's side with a judgemental hiss.

  I clicked my tongue. “Let's go. Do whatever you want; I can't stop you.”

  Sereth floated above me. “All better. Why are you such a grumpy wolf?”

  I pushed myself up again. My bones throbbed, and I was still weak from the loss of blood, but that didn't matter. “The boy isn't safe until I see he's safe.”

  I hit the door like a battering ram.

  Around the lock and knob splintered. The hinges bit and snapped off too. I didn’t care. The three pieces the door fell in clambered on the ground.

  “Holy goodness!” Fayna shrieked. “What are you thinking?”

  My shoulder itched. “The door was in the way. Nobody was opening it fast enough.”

  “Hey!” The doctor snapped their fingers. “Who's paying for my healing and now this door?”

  “I didn't have money,” I said. “If the boy still has his, then he'll pay you when he's feeling better, before we leave.”

  Borris placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder. “I'll have funds brought over before nightfall.” He then glared at me. “You'll be paying us, and this is going in my report.”

  You do that, bureaucrat.

  Fayna rushed ahead. “Someone's got to keep you from demolishing more defenseless doors.”

  Something really hot landed on my back between my shoulder blades. For a half second, it felt like my fur was catching on fire. Sereth then came flipping in the air in front of me.

  “Aye yah!” she cried. “You're too cold.”

  I glared at the wyverling. “I'm not that cold. You should have guessed that from our fight I am an ice subtype. Besides, you're too hot.”

  She struck a provocative pose. “Why, thank you.” Then she pouted as she looked at Fayna. “Yeah, yeah. We need to work on my resilience. I know.”

  The kaland woman only smirked before leading the way to the inn. Our little group drew a lot of attention as we entered the inn.

  All conversations stopped instantly as I marched in. Fayna ran over to, I guess, who was the owner to explain things. Their conversation was inconsequential. I immediately started looking for room three.

  Sereth darted ahead, so I followed her. She knew where I was headed and had thumbs to open the door ahead of me. Borris and his partner—whose name I still didn't know—followed behind, flatly stating, “Official business, go back to your lives. Nothing to see here.”

  Room three wasn't far in, and Sereth eagerly pushed it open for me. The smell of cheap, pungent, bitter tea drowned my nose.

  Keagan shrank in the bed; his hat sat crooked on his pale forehead. He blinked, saw me, and his face folded into a mess of relief so raw it made my throat close.

  “Lucia?” he whispered. His voice was still just as nasal from a clogged nose as before. “Am I dreaming?”

  I walked next to the bed, then placed my head against his chest. “Does this feel like a dream?”

  The boy hugged me. “No. You're safe.”

  My ear rested against his cheek. He was still feverish.

  My paw trembled as I settled beside him; the motion flared the pain in my shoulder, but it was worth the trade. He curled his hands around my mane.

  “I thought—” His voice cracked.

  “You’re here,” I said. “You’re here and you’re breathing.”

  “Aww, isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen?” Sereth chirped.

  Borris swallowed audibly. He blinked several times, as if he were witnessing a miracle.

  “This better go in your report too,” I snapped.

  The man turned and cleared his throat. “Uh, yes. I will, uh, mention it. Young boy, will you please verify your name and your status as this direwolf’s trainer?”

  You need more proof?

  Keagan nearly jumped. “Yes, sir. Just…”

  He broke into a coughing fit. I could hear fluid in his lungs.

  Hopefully the kid hasn't developed pneumonia.

  The boy reached for his bag that was on the nightstand next to him. His coughing worsened.

  “Leave the kid be,” I snapped at him. “Can't you see how sick he is?”

  “I simply just need to confirm his identity, nothing more for now.” The corners of Borris’s mouth turned downward.

  Sereth hovered over the bag. “I can help, if you are okay with that.”

  Keagan nodded as he grabbed a handkerchief and blew into it.

  Sereth opened the bag, dug around for a moment, and pulled out our registration card. She flew over to Borris and presented it to him.

  The viper again flicked its tongue at it. “It smells authentic.”

  I glared at the monster. “Is there anything you can't smell?”

  Borris placed a hand on the feathered king viper. “I trained Vol to master his sense of smell. Faking a scent is practically impossible.” He waved to the wyverling. “Thank you.”

  He headed out the door. “That is all I will ask for right now. Take care of the boy. If you are going anywhere, let the innkeeper know so that if I have to find you, I can.”

  There was a softness to his voice that wasn't there before.

  “So you have kids?” The question blurted from my mouth before I realized it.

  Borris stopped at the threshold. “Matilda is my daughter. Today is her seventh birthday.”

  He left before I could say another word. Vol slithered behind him.

  Sereth placed the card back in Keagan's bag. “I'm going to just put this here and leave you two. It seems you have some catching up to do.”

  The little wyverling zipped out of the room and shut the door behind her.

  Keagan calmed down and leaned back into his bed. I placed my head on his lap.

  “You looked awful,” I said.

  “You don’t look great yourself,” he laughed.

  My voice broke as exhaustion weighed heavily on me, and I had no reason to fight it. “Kid, don’t do that to me again.”

  He placed a hand on my snout and gently rubbed it. “I'll try. Where's Luther? What happened? What was all this about?”

  I nuzzled the boy. “Don't worry about that. Focus on resting. As long as you're resting, I'll rest too.”

  There was a long moment of silence before Keagan spoke again. “Are you going to kill him?”

  The list burned in the back of my mind.

  The boy held on to me like I was about to leave him. The drive to leave was there, but the need to stay was stronger—for now. My wrath wanted to tear the world apart and find the man who had taken my boy from me. I felt the hunger thrumming in my bones.

  “I made a promise,” I answered.

  The words flared to life in my mind: “If you ever lay a hand on him, I will hunt you down and make you beg for death.”

  You'd better run, Luther. I'm coming for you.

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