The caravan stretched like a living serpent through the forest.
Four thousand Beastkin moved in silence—mothers carrying children, warriors supporting the wounded, elders leaning on younger shoulders.
The only sounds were footsteps on soft earth and the occasional whisper of wind through leaves.
Bara and Kari had sent scouts ahead at dawn.
They returned with blood on their claws.
"Dark Hornets," one reported, voice low. "Five of them. Hidden near the pass."
"Dead now," another added.
Kari nodded once. "Any survivors escape?"
"None."
Bara crossed his massive arms. "We can't wait any longer. Every day here is a day the capital regroups."
"Agreed." Kari's eyes swept the gathered survivors. "We move tonight."
***
The caravan began its journey under cover of darkness.
Vael walked near the front, Violet at his side. Behind them, Eivor trudged along with a pack twice his size.
"So how long will this take?" Vael asked.
Violet adjusted her bow. "By foot? Four months, maybe more with the wounded." She glanced back at the endless line of refugees. "If we could get carriages... maybe a month."
Bara's laughter rumbled from ahead. "Oh, we haven't told you, have we?"
Violet looked up—way up—
at the massive polar bear Beastkin. "Told me what?"
Without warning, Bara scooped her up and planted her on his shoulder like a child. "We're not walking the whole way, girl.
How do you think we'd hide four thousand Beastkin from the capital's eyes?"
Violet gripped his fur to keep balance. "I thought we'd use disguises. Split into smaller groups—"
"Too slow. Too risky." Bara pointed west. "See that direction? There's a sea there. The Saon Sea. We sail from there to the northern mountains. Two weeks by water, then maybe a month overland. Much safer."
Violet frowned. "But won't soldiers be waiting at the docks? They'd expect us to—"
Bara's grin widened. "They won't expect anything. Nobody sails the Saon Sea. There are no docks where they could wait."
"Then how do we sail?"
"You'll see."
***
Violet's POV
I could've used Muninn's feather to reach home instantly.
But abandoning everyone after they'd put their faith in me? That would be worse than cowardice. That would be betrayal.
We'd walked for a month straight—moving at night under forest canopy, camping during the day. The pace was brutal but necessary.
Eivor appeared at my side, limping slightly. "Can't I just go home? We accomplished our mission, didn't we?"
I raised an eyebrow. "We saved them. The mission isn't over until they're safe."
"But—"
"Besides," I gestured at his arms, "Bara's training is working. Look at those muscles. Just a few hours daily and you've grown twice as strong."
Bara had been drilling Vael and Eivor during rest periods. Basic combat forms, endurance training, mana control.
Eivor had complained every single day.
But he kept showing up.
Eivor sighed dramatically and trudged forward.
I glanced at the sky.
Time was running short. Calla might be planning her next visit to Greyhollow soon.
I need to get home. Fast.
***
The hanging bridge appeared through morning mist.
Ancient. Massive. Ropes thick as tree trunks connected two cliff faces across a chasm so deep the bottom disappeared into shadow. Wooden planks, weathered and grey, swayed gently in the wind.
Violet stared. "That looks... old. Really old. Are you sure it can hold four thousand people?"
Kari appeared beside her, a faint smile on her scarred face. "Who said we're walking across it?"
"What?"
Before Violet could react, Kari grabbed her and Eivor. Bara scooped up Vael.
"Women!" Kari shouted to the caravan. "Make sure your children don't slip!"
"Slip? Slip from what—"
Kari jumped.
Off the cliff.
Into empty air.
Violet's scream tore from her throat. Wind roared in her ears. The ground rushed up—jagged rocks, certain death, too fast too fast too fast—
The Beastkin began to chant.
Hundreds of voices rising in perfect unison, speaking words that tasted of ancient wind and wild places.
( SOAR WINDS! )
The air itself lifted them.
Gently. Impossibly. Like invisible hands cradling their fall. The wind curved beneath them, slowing their descent until they touched ground as softly as falling leaves.
Violet's legs gave out the moment her feet hit earth.
Bara laughed. "How was that, boy?"
Eivor lay face-down in the dirt. Unconscious.
"And you, girl?"
Violet's eyes were wide as moons, heart hammering. "I... that was..."
She'd fallen from heights before. In the chasm...
But this was different. This was controlled. Beautiful yet terrifying.
"Warn me next time," she gasped.
Bara grinned. "Where's the fun in that?"
***
Three days later, they reached a narrow crevice in the mountain.
The opening was barely wide enough for two Beastkin to walk side by side.
Inside, darkness pressed close—but ahead, a faint sound echoed.
The crash of waves.
They walked for hours through winding passages.
The sound grew louder with each step until finally—
The tunnel opened onto shore.
Violet stopped breathing.
The Saon Sea stretched before them, vast and dark as the sky above.
The water was black glass, perfectly reflecting the constellation-scattered heavens.
A full moon hung low and huge, its light turning the waves to liquid silver.
Black sand covered the beach. To one side, jagged mountains rose like teeth—sharp, impossible peaks that seemed to pierce the stars themselves.
"It's beautiful," Violet whispered.
Vael stood beside her, equally transfixed. Even Eivor had stopped complaining.
Kari's voice cut through the wonder. "As beautiful as it is, the danger it hides exceeds its beauty."
Violet turned. "What do you mean?"
"I'll tell you later. First, we make camp. If our message was received, they'll arrive by morning."
***
The camp spread across the beach like a small village.
Fires dotted the sand. The smell of cooking meat and herbs drifted on salt-tinged wind. Children played near the water's edge, their laughter strange and precious after so much grief.
Bara, Kari, Violet, Vael, and Eivor sat in a circle around one fire.
Soup steamed in wooden bowls.
"You asked why the sea is hidden by mountains," Kari said.
Violet nodded, sipping her soup.
"The story is old. After the Forgotten Goddess was torn apart, creating the two realms, the demons in the Realm of Night grew angry.
They'd lost their prey—humans, Beastkin, dwarves. All locked away in a separate world."
Kari's eyes reflected firelight. "But there was one connection remaining. The River Nyx."
"River Nyx," Violet breathed at the same moment.
Kari's gaze sharpened. "You know of it?"
"I've... heard tales."
"Then you know it flows between both realms. A circle connecting Light and Dark." Kari's voice dropped. "The demons used it. Sent monsters, envoys, raiders through the water. They learned to sail between worlds."
She paused. "For years, they hunted. Took prisoners. Dragged them back to the Realm of Night. Hundreds died."
The fire crackled. Nobody spoke.
"Finally, a great dwarf—who'd lost his son to demon raids—took up his hammer. He forged these mountains." Kari gestured at the peaks around them. "Sealed the Saon Sea behind stone. The mountains aren't just rock. They're bound with ancient magic, closing the path between worlds."
"But he left crevices," Violet said softly. "Like the one we came through."
Kari nodded. "He hoped his son might one day return."
Silence fell. The waves whispered against shore. Stars wheeled overhead.
One by one, they finished eating and settled in for sleep.
***
Violet woke to shouting.
She scrambled upright, grabbing her bow—
And saw Eivor standing at the water's edge, frozen solid.
"What happened?" She ran to him. "Eivor?"
He pointed at the sea with a trembling hand.
Violet followed his gaze.
Her blood turned to ice.
Massive shapes moved beneath the water. Dark. Enormous. Breaking the surface with fins the size of houses.
They swam toward shore.
"What is that?!" Violet grabbed Eivor's arm, backing up. "What the hell is that?!"
The creatures were bigger than anything she'd imagined.
Each one could swallow five eight-tusked mammoths whole.
Their scales gleamed black and silver in the moonlight. Eyes like lanterns glowed beneath the waves.
She turned to run—
And crashed into Bara's chest.
"Here they are!" He grinned down at her. "Right on time."
Violet's mind blanked. "Those... those things... what are they?!"
Bara's grin widened.
"Our ships to the next destination."
Behind him, the Beastkin were cheering.
The massive fish—whales? leviathans? something without a name—surfaced completely.
Water streamed off their backs. Their mouths opened, revealing interiors large enough to hold dozens of people.
"Are you ready?" Bara laughed. "Hope you're not afraid of tight spaces."
Violet stared.
Then stared some more.
Then very quietly said, "You're joking."
"Nope." Bara shook his head,
"We're riding inside fish." Eivor and Violet looked at him.
"Technically, they're called Nyr Whales. Ancient creatures. Very friendly."
"We're riding. Inside. Giant. Fish." Eivor looked baffled.
"Best way to travel." Kari patted Violet shoulder.
Violet looked at Vael. Vael shrugged, already walking toward the nearest whale.
She looked at Eivor. Eivor was still frozen, eyes glassy.
She looked back at Bara.
"I want to go home," she said.
Bara laughed and scooped her up. "Too late for that!"
"Wait!" A loud voice echoed from inside...