[SFX background forest noises]

[Rena, distressed whisper] “Logan, wake up.”

Logan had collapsed on the forest floor, his face buried in the mud and underbrush. Rena slowly knelt down next to him, a trembling hand reaching out to touch his forehead. He didn’t react at all, even when she pushed his shoulder.

               [SFX clothes rustling, Rena panting]

               [Rena grunting]

With great effort she pushed him over onto his back, his head dangling to the side. His face was covered in blood and his hair caked in mud. Rena positioned his head onto her lap, stabilizing it so she could wipe the hair out of his face.

[Rena, trembling voice, starts crying] “Please.”

With the inside of her wrist, she wiped tears from her own cheeks. Blood was smeared over the right side of Logan’s face, throat and down the front of his shirt. Rena unfurled his blood-soaked scarf and pulled at the shirt until Logan’s chest was uncovered. A wide gash ran above his ribcage – blood dripping onto the forest floor. It didn’t look deep – like a sword had barely grazed him, but if she didn’t stop the bleeding soon and get the wound cleaned, Logan might still die.

               [SFX muted footsteps in background, coming closer slowly]

[Rena, muttering to herself, taking deep breaths] “It’s going to be fine. I’ll get you home safe. You don’t have to worry about anything at all, just leave it up to me.”

Rena looked around, wondering what she could do. She would need to find help, but she couldn’t just leave Logan lying unconscious in the middle of the forest. At the very least, she had to get him to the road. She knew she wouldn’t be able to drag him all the way back to Halvint but she hoped she might stumble upon Asha or Kalani or Rodrick or anyone else that might help her. On the other hand, she might also bump into the guards who had been chasing them, but what other choice did she have? If she simply left Logan and ran to Halvint, she might never find her way back to him. Or worse, if she got captured, no one would ever know that he was waiting here for her. She would simply have to take the risk of dragging him back.

[Rena, muttering a bit louder] “I’ll take you to Halvint. I think I’ll have to drag you over the ground. Don’t think that will be very comfortable for you. Really sorry for that. And I’ll probably rip your clothes on the way. You’re just too heavy for me to pick you up. [sigh] But it will be fine. We’ll get to clean your wounds really soon, and then you can rest. Maybe even in a soft bed.”

               [SFX muted footsteps in background, coming closer slowly]

Rena tied Logan’s once light-brown scarf around his waist as best she could, hoping it would stop the bleeding long enough to get him to safety. She gently moved Logan’s head from her lap, got up and picked up Maya’s dress to tie around her shoulders. She leaned down and grabbed Logan under the armpits.

               [SFX clothes and leaves rustle, dragging over forest floor, Rena slips and falls]

[Rena, muttering] “Oh stars! Sorry Logan. [sigh] Okay, let’s try again.”

[SFX same time, someone calling Logan’s name from far away, getting louder with the footsteps, until it can be heard clearly and Rena stops dragging Logan]

[Asha, calling] “Logan! Logan! You better not be dead. I swear to the three winds that if you’ve stopped breathing I’ll drag you back to this realm just to beat you up. You owe me money, remember that? Logan! Logan! Answer me you godless bastard. Logan!”

[Rena, whisper] “Wait.”

Rena dropped into a crouch, making herself as small as possible. Her eyes grew wide as they scanned the forest around them.

               [SFX second loud shout calling her name, accompanied by footsteps]

Rena shot up, her body recognising the voice before she could really register who it might be.

               [SFX shout calling Logan’s name]

[Rena, yelling back] “Asha?”

[Asha] “Rena?”

               [SFX footsteps running closer]

Asha emerged from the trees, covered in mud, her clothes dishevelled. But despite the large rip in her blue tunic, she mostly looked unharmed.

[Asha, with urgency] “Are you hurt?”

[Rena, nervous, stumbling over her words] “No, I’m okay, but Logan needs help. I don’t know what happened. He stumbled towards me and before he could say anything he just collapsed. I’ve been trying to get him back to the road but he’s just too heavy for me.”

[Asha] “[SIGH] I need him awake. The guards caught the others, we need to go after them.”

[Rena, hesitant] “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Asha knelt down next to Logan, opened one of his eyes to look at it, then laid her ear to his chest. She straightened again, looking down at Logan while running a hand over her scalp.

[Rena, still hesitant] “Maybe if we hurry we can get him to safety and you’ll still be able to catch up to the other.”

[Asha] “They’d be long gone. [pause] We need to get him to Halvint first. We’ll figure the rest out later.”

She stood back up and got under Logan’s shoulder.

[Asha] “Get the other arm.”

               [SFX clothes rustle, huffing, footsteps in forest]

[Rena, with effort] “Do you think the others will be okay?”

[Asha, mutter] “I really hope so. We’ll have to talk to Ocassian. They’ll know how to proceed. Won’t be happy to hear that they caught Kalani though.”

A tightness was starting to grip around Rena’s chest, making it hard to breathe. The thought of Rodrick and Kalani being imprisoned – or worse – because of her, because she dragged them into this mess, clawed its way into her mind, taking over her whole body, and pooled itself into her stomach. They didn’t even know where Finn was. He might be dead because of her. And what about Vincent? The guards wouldn’t be as careful with a dog as they might be with a human. Something horrible could have happened to him.

She shook her head. There was no sense in thinking such dark thoughts. They could discuss what might have happened to the others and how to proceed once they were safe, once Logan was safe.

               [SFX forest fades out]

               ______

By the time they had arrived in Halvint Rena’s feet ached andshe had lost the feeling in her arms and fingers, the weight of Logan’s body still lingering on her shoulders. A headache had nestled itself behind her eyes, making her vision blurry.

Asha had insisted they remain in the safety of the trees and shouldn’t step onto the road for fear the guards were still waiting for them. They arrived back at Darian’s inn without any incidents, but without stumbling upon Kalani and Rodrick either. They were promptly shooed into one of the rooms, away from any prying eyes.

               [SFX door creaks shut]

[Darian] “Put him on the bed.”

               [SFX clothes rustle and tearing, bed creaking]

               [SFX door opens and closes]

[Valentina] “Move, let me get to him. Bring the wash basin closer.”

A short woman, barely reaching Rena’s hips, with thick brown hair tied into a braid with silver jewellery laced into it, burst into the room. In one hand she held both a stepping stool and a bundle of rags, with a bowl of whitish-green paste in the other. Rena recognised her from her previous visits as Darian’s wife, Valentina.

She placed the stool next to the bed allowing for a better look at Logan’s wounds. Asha hurried to bring the empty wash basin closer, pouring the pitcher of fresh water into the basin – a splash of water landing on the floor instead of where it could be useful.

               [SFX water hitting ground]

Rena stepped out of the way to the other side of the bed. Without hindering Valentina’s efforts, she unwrapped Logan’s scarf from his waist and pulled the remainder of his shirt over his head, and let both garments fall to the ground.

               [SFX cloth through water, ringing out cloth, wet cloth over skin]

[Valentina] “The wound doesn’t look too deep. It should heal, as long as it doesn’t get infected.”

[Rena] “[deep sigh] Thank the stars.”

Valentina dunked one of the rags in the water before cleaning up the blood. With a different rag, she picked up some of the paste and smeared it generously on Logan’s wound.

[Valentina] “We’ll need to monitor the wou-“

[Logan] “[groggy moaning] Ow. Shit.”

[Rena] “Logan?”

[Logan] “What?”

[Rena, excited] “You’re awake!”

[Logan] “Rena? [BEAT] Where am I?”

[Rena] “We’re back in Halvint. Don’t worry, we’re safe now, you’ll be better in no time.”

[Logan] “You’re okay, right? Where are the others? Ah, fuck! What’s going on?”

[Valentina] “Hush. It’s just an Aloe Vera paste. It’s going to help your wound heal.”

[Logan] “[sigh] Thank you, kind soul, whoever you are.”

[Darian] “That’s my wife, so keep your hands to yourself.”

[Logan, slurring] “Yes, yes, yes. I’m just… going to take a little nap now.”

Logan’s head slumped unceremoniously to the side again. Rena ran a hand over his head, brushing the hair back so it wouldn’t cover his face.

[Rena, softly] “You’ll be fine.”

While Valentina placed one of the clean rags over the paste on the wound, Asha wiped the remains of blood away from Logan’s chest. There was too much of it for it to all be his own.

[Valentina] “I’m going to see if I can find a shirt that fits him.”

Valentina stepped down from the stool and picked up the basin – the water now crimson. She placed the dirty rags inside of it and left the clean ones at the foot of the bed.

After Valentina had left, the room remained silent as the others observed Logan’s sleeping body. Darian had crossed his arms and was standing at the foot of the bed, his jaw clenching and unclenching as if he were deep in thought.

[Darian, exacerbated] “So… Is anyone gonna tell me what happened?”

Rena glanced over at Darian, then to Asha, unsure of how much they should say.

[Asha] “It’s a long story.”

Darian deserved more than that. They trusted him enough for shelter and help, they could easily tell him the entire story. Besides, he knew almost everything about their investigation anyway.

[Rena, a bit hesitant] “We found where the strangers are staying, the ones that you told us about yesterday. We’re pretty sure now that they’re the ones who set fire to Oceansthrow, or at least they’re part of the organisation that did it. They’ve also taken Maya. I don’t know where though but we have a lead. We tried to confront the strangers about it. Didn’t go too well. But we were on our way to Baedan because that’s where they might be keeping Maya. But we didn’t get very far. A handful of guards attacked us. Looked like they were working with the strangers.”

[Darian, after some silence] “Which guards?”

[Asha] “Didn’t recognise them. I don’t think they were from around here.”

[Darian, swearing under breath] “Shit. I’ll have to go talk to Devon.”

[Rena, concerned] “Is that safe? What if he leads the others back to us?”

[Darian] “Don’t worry, we can trust him.”

Rena glanced over at Asha, waiting for her to challenge Darian’s statement, but she stayed quiet.

[Rena, hesitant] “Okay.”

[Asha] “I’m going back to Rancor tonight to get Ocassian. We’ll need their help. I don’t know what’s going on around here but it’s bigger than what we could handle on our own.”

[Darian] “Where’s the rest of your group?”

[Asha] “We don’t know.”

[Rena] “We haven’t seen Finn since this morning and we got separated from Rodrick and Kalani when the guards attacked.”

[Darian, pensive] “If the guards caught them Devon might have heard something about that.”

[Asha] “I’ll tell Ocassian to listen to the whispers. Maybe they were seen somewhere. As for Finn… I don’t think we’ll see him again, at least not on our side of the story.”

Rena glanced at Asha again, their eyes meeting and holding for a while. She didn’t want to mistrust Finn without any real evidence but maybe Asha was right to have her doubts about him. He had either been caught by the guards or had abandoned them. Or he might even be the one who ordered the attack – even if that didn’t truly make sense to Rena.

[Darian, more decisive] “As soon as Logan’s better we’ll have to set you up somewhere safer. If the guards come looking for you, you’ll be too easy to find. Too many people know that you’ve stayed here in the past.”

[Asha] “We’ll be safest in Rancor until Logan’s fully healed.”

[Darian] “Let’s hope he’ll be able to walk on his own by morning.”

______

               [SFX fire crackling gets louder over time, children crying]

Rena stood inside the church, surrounded by children cowering underneath their school desks. She was holding Maya’s hand, gripping her tightly so she couldn’t lose her again. Heat kept her from breathing as the walls pulsed bright white, yellow and red. She turned, noticing that her brother Valerio was now holding her hand, staring at her without blinking. Rena looked around in confusion, trying to figure out where Maya had gotten to, but she was nowhere to be found. Instead, she saw that triangles were slowly etching themselves into the walls, intertwining, a line running between them and connecting them all.

[Rena, dazed] “It’s gonna be fine. We just need to find a way out of here.”

               [SFX pounding at the door, horses neighing from far away]

[Guard] “By order of Captain Silac and the Royal Council, I command that you vacate the premises immediately.”

Rena turned round and round, searching for a way out, but the light hurt her eyes too much. Fire had engulfed the furniture around her, the only things remaining were the desks the children were hiding under. Lino, her youngest brother, was now holding her hand, silently crying as he stared at the door.

[Rena] “We’ll find a way out. They won’t get to us, don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”

               [SFX tower crashes, then fire crackling stops abruptly, replaced by Rena panting, fast at first then she calms down]

She was in bed, clothes clinging to her body, her heart pounding in her ears. With wide eyes she stared at the wooden ceiling until her breathing had calmed.

Rena: [Deep settling sigh]

It had only been a dream. She wasn’t in any danger. She was safe in Darian’s inn, or at least… as safe as she could be.

She pushed herself upright and placed her forehead against her knees. Her hand wandered down to the leaf-shaped pendant around her neck, her fingers grazing the scar underneath she had gotten a week prior.

She closed her eyes and listened to Logan’s calm breaths in the bed next to hers. Her tongue still lay heavy in her mouth, a bad taste assaulting it. She slowly opened her eyes again and looked towards Logan, who seemed to have barely moved during the night.

Rena slipped out of bed to head over to him, but as she stood dizziness flooded her senses and she stumbled back down. She took a handful of deep breaths and steadied herself before trying a second time.

               [SFX footsteps bare feet on wooden floor]

[Rena, whispering, rough voice] “Good morning, Logan. How are you doing? I hope you don’t mind if I take a look at your wounds. We should probably wash it out and get you new bandages.”

               [SFX clothes rustle]

[Rena, whispering] “That doesn’t look too bad. I don’t think it’s infested. Best to put some new paste on, though, if Valentina still has some.”

               [SFX clothes rustle]

She pulled the blanket back over Logan but avoided setting it on his wound. She turned around to head to the wash basin but they had never brought a new one back in after Valentina had taken the dirty water with her. She would have to find Darian and ask him for some fresh water.

Before she could head out the room her eyes caught on Maya’s dress she had folded and set on a chair the night before. She stopped, staring at it for a while before she carefully walked over and, with trembling hands, slowly touched the fabric. She lifted it up to her nose and took a deep breath, before burying her face in it. She knew the dress couldn’t smell of their bakery anymore, but if she closed her eyes she could believe that she did smell the fresh bread.

               [SFX metal falling on wood]

Something small fell out. Rena stepped back, searching the floor until her eyes landed on a dented, golden ring with a green gem in it. She recognized it. It was her grandmother’s old ring that Maya had tried to polish and keep as her own. She bent down, stopping just before her fingers could touch the ring. Maybe it was an illusion. Maybe she was still in her dream. What if the ring disappeared once she touched it? Would it break her?

She pushed her hand forward, forcing it through the air as if through thick mud until her fingers grazed the cold metal. It didn’t disappear. She picked it up and stood back up, holding it in the palm of her hand, its weight feeling more real than the room she was standing in as if it would fall through her flesh and onto the floor at any moment. She closed her hand tightly around it, afraid she might drop it.

She could feel her throat tightening, her eyes burning, the tears welling up and slowly rolling down her cheeks.

She took a few steps until her back hit the wall beside Logan’s bed and let her body slide down. She pulled her legs close and buried her face in her sister’s dress. She wanted her back. Wanted to hold her, and run a hand over her hair, and kiss her cheek, and laugh with her, and scold her, and talk until the small hours of the morning. It hurt so much. The memories and the longing and the uncertainty and the hope that maybe, just maybe, she was still alive and Rena could see her again. If she couldn’t ever see her parents or her brothers or her uncle and aunt ever again, at least she might be able to see Maya again. If only her luck held steady. If only the universe willed it so. She would never wish for anything else for the rest of her life.

               [SFX clothes rustling]

[Logan, mumbling awake] “Hmmm. [sigh] Fuck.”

[Rena, sniffle] “Logan?”

Rena brushed the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand.

[Logan, exhausted] “Yeah.”

[Rena, sniffle] “How are you feeling?”

He raised a hand into the air and waved it around before letting it fall down to the bed again.

[Rena, tired] “Yeah.”

[Logan, groaning] “Everything hurts.”

[Rena] “I could ask Valentina if she has anything that could make the pain bearable.”

[Logan] “Like a whole bottle of wine. The really deep red one from up north.”

[Rena, chuckle] “I don’t think that would be wise.”

[Logan] “I never claimed to be a wise man.”

Rena looked out over the room, her eyes idly fixed on the door in front of her. The quicker she got up, the quicker Logan would feel better, but she just couldn’t get herself to move. She was too tired. The dress and the ring felt too heavy, like they were keeping her in place.

[Logan] “How are you?”

[Rena, after a pause] “I’m okay.”

[Logan, quietly, after another pause] “Liar.”

               [SFX footsteps outside, door opens, footsteps inside, door closes]

[Asha] “You’re both awake. Good. Ocassian is waiting for you.”

Asha stepped into the room, fully dressed with her sword in its scabbard at her side, as if she’d already been awake and active for a couple of hours. She stopped when she saw Rena and frowned down at her.

Rena instinctively rubbed at her eyes again to get rid of the last remaining tears – the ring still digging into her closed fist – and forced a smile onto her lips.

Asha frown softened as she shot Rena back a small smile.

               [SFX blanket rustling, Logan grunting]

[Logan, groaning] “Nope, no, bad idea.”

Logan lowered himself back down, admitting that his plan to get up had been terrible, and draped both arms over his eyes.

[Asha] “Don’t force it.”

               [SFX footsteps]

[Logan, dismissive] “Yeah, yeah.”

Asha stepped closer, unbuckled her scabbard and placed it on Logan’s bed next to his legs. She headed to Rena and sat down next to her.

[Asha] “How are you holding up?”

Rena kept smiling, ready to say she was doing fine again, but the moment passed without any words escaping her lips and slowly her smile faded. She looked down at her sister’s dress in her lap, then opened her hand to reveal the ring, her palm pale white where it had dug into her flesh.

[Rena, quietly] “It fell out of Maya’s dress.”

               [SFX clothes rustling]

[Logan] “Did the Crow leave it in there?”

Rena shook her head calmly.

[Rena] “It used to belong to my grandmother, but Maya wanted to keep it for herself. I’ll need to take care of it until I can give it back.”

[Asha, bit of silence] “You see these arm guards? They used to belong to one of my brothers. He died a few years ago, when we were still back home.”

[Rena] “You have brothers?”

[Asha] “Had. Mostly.”

[Rena] “I’m truly sorry. You must miss them terribly.”

[Asha, a little pause] “And it never gets easier. You can only accept that your life is different now and there’s no going back. I spent months after his death bargaining and trying to figure out all the possibilities how he could still be alive, but it was all just a waste of time.”

[Logan, muttering] “Harsh.”

[Asha] “What I’m trying to say is, because those months were agony for me. Even now I still catch myself thinking that he might be out there somewhere. And I know that he isn’t. He died that day and I have to live with that knowledge. There’s nothing to be done about it. [small pause] I don’t want you to go through the same pain.”

[Rena, mutter] “But-“

[Asha] “I know that you found your sister’s dress, and I’m not telling you to abandon your quest, but we have to acknowledge the fact that this might not be the definitive proof you’re hoping for. It’s strange that they would keep her dress, I’ll give you that, but I need you to tell me that you know that finding this dress might not mean what you think it means. That … she might still be gone.”

[Logan] “There’s better ways to say that-.”

[Asha, harshly] “Stay out of this.”

Asha kept her eyes on Rena, dark and piercing, full of sorrow and desperation, something Rena had never seen on Asha’s face before.

[Rena, small voice] “I know.”

[Asha, after a small pause] “Good. [pause] You know I’m not saying this to be harsh. Clinging to the idea that she has to be alive to the point where you disregard any other possibilities will only lead to sorrows.”

[Rena, small voice] “Yeah, I know.”

[Asha] “If she is still alive, we will find her. I can promise you that. But there will be a time when we might have to give up our search.”

               [SFX quick footsteps, door flung open]

[Cass] “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the fuckers who lost my wife. Logan, lovely to see that you got what you deserved. Rena, darling, I extend my deepest condolences to you and a vow to help you in any way that I can. But now to the important questions. How exactly are you planning to get Kalani back to me?”

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