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    Wind blew through Lana''s hair and not for the first time did she think that it was time to cut it. Tyralien was disappearing in the distance behind them. The wide-open spaces made her feel insignificant. She was alone now. Well, almost.


    "So did you miss me?" Wade prodded, waggling his eyebrows. "I bet you missed me."


    She sighed loudly. "Obviously, I didn''t miss you."


    Before she could say more, a slight sound of creaking leather straps drifted in from their left, where a small hill obstructed their view. Lana clutched her reins tightly and spurred on her horse, leaving Wade behind. She leapt into the air, giving herself a small boost with her inner tempest, and landed on top of the hill. Just like she’d thought, they weren''t alone after all. Two rhinn soldiers stared up at her with their large, blank eyes. Lana repressed a shudder.


    One of them started to say something when a dagger took him in the throat. She hadn’t made a conscious decision. It just flew out of her hand. The second rhinn turned to run. Lana imagined the target on her training dummy, threw a second dagger, and directed it with a few well-placed and intense gusts. It struck the fleeing rhinn in the back. He staggered but didn’t fall. She winced. There hadn’t been enough force behind it. She pulled another dagger free from her belt and threw it with an extra push of wind. It buried itself deeper than the first, piercing her target’s heart. The rhinn soldier crumpled to the ground.


    Wade came up the hill behind her and whistled. "Ruthless."


    "They are our enemy. What was I supposed to?" she asked.


    Wade shrugged. "Oh, I’m not complaining. You’re really good with those." He put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing. "You’re so different now."


    She yanked away on reflex. "It wasn’t the real me you knew before, in all those dresses." She walked toward the dead rhinn.


    Wade sat down in the grass to watch her. "I’m not talking about the clothes or the hair."


    Lana scurried down the hill to retrieve her daggers. She was thankful that at least one of the rhinn turned to run. That way, she only had to peer into one of their faces.


    The first dagger came out easily enough. She wiped it clean on the soldier’s black tunic. They all wore them over black leather armor. She turned out his pockets, but didn’t find anything, just like she expected. None of the soldiers ever carried anything worthwhile. Most of them were too old or young and inexperienced. Very few showed any proficiency at fighting.


    It was a little strange, she thought. Who would send incompetent soldiers to invade another world?


    Her second dagger pulled free easily, but the third was stuck down to the hilt in the rhinn''s back. Lana pulled with all her might until she heard something crunch inside the soldier’s body as it slid free. Her hands no longer shook, and her stomach no longer churned uneasily when she fought. She killed without a second thought. Experience, she figured. Ruthless, as Wade said.


    Wade was right. She had changed. But here she was, heading back to the home she spent so much time trying to escape. If it wasn''t for Wade, she would probably just have gone with one of the others, but she couldn’t deny his request when it was made so earnestly. Couldn’t say no to him.


    Once back on their horses, they stayed off the roads to minimize the risk of running into any more rhinn troops. Their plan worked, and they crossed the border into Loft without issue.


    Most of Tyriu, like Eldsprak, consisted of farmland. They needed to grow food to support the population, or they’d need to rely on a steady supply out of the Kinship. Loft, on the other hand, traded with the growers and relied on a steady supply of fish from the sea to feed its people. This meant farming was not as much of a necessity, and the terrain remained covered in forests of leafy trees or pines. Thick trunks lined the border between kingdoms, like an ancient forest out of fairy tales.


    "There will be more of them from here on out," Wade said.


    Lana’s chest tightened. Not for the risk of running into enemies. She didn’t like being back in her homeland. When she left for the Academy, Lana didn’t plan on ever returning. "We''ll just have to be more careful then," she answered, not looking at him. "You should get a weapon or two."


    "What kind of a gale-brained idea is that? I can harness the wind. What use would I have of steel?"


    "They come in handy," she said, drawing a dagger from a holster at her hip. She threw and gave it an extra push. It disappeared into the underbrush. A squeak sounded. A rabbit. Dinner.


    "Very impressive," Wade said, clapping. He sounded and looked earnest, but Lana couldn''t be sure if he was being serious or not. A common problem with the infuriating man.


    She headed in the direction of her prey. "How are you going to fight with wind as a weapon?"


    Wade followed after her. "Push the enemies around, I suppose." He chuckled. "Also, I can fly."


    "I saw. Never thought you''d actually do it. What happened?"


    "Turns out that you need two very important components."


    She found the rabbit and knelt to withdraw the dagger before wiping it clean on the leg of her pants. She knew Wade was angling for her to ask, so she did, "What are the two components?"


    "First," he said smugly, holding up a finger in front of her face after hunching down on the ground next to her. "You have to be strong as a raging tempest. My tempest, that is. Well, you know what I mean. Strong tempest."


    "And you’re strong?"


    "Like a bull! Well, a bull that can fly. Turns out, riding around on boats all day, every day, creating winds to make some simpleton merchant richer has some benefits."


    Lana put the rabbit in her satchel. She needed to prepare it soon before it spoiled. "Create winds? I thought you were supposed to direct winds on ship duty."


    "Well, I’m not great at the finer points of wind magic. Or, well, I wasn''t. You kinda need to be, it turns out. If you want to fly for more than a short distance."


    They started walking again, heading deeper into the forest.


    "That''s all?" Lana asked. "You have to be strong and have to be good at directing winds?"


    "No. Well, yes, but that''s not all of it. Turns out, the missing ingredient was almost dying. Hurtling through the air toward the deck. Not wanting to die is a great motivator." He pointed up to the small gaps in the trees where they could see the sky. "It''s exhilarating. You should try it!"


    Lana snorted. "You know I don''t have the power for that. Also, I don''t like heights."


    Wade shrugged. "What about the dagger thing? That requires some force, right?"


    She shook her head. "Not really. It takes very little. I''ve practiced a lot, and it doesn''t take much to redirect something when it''s already flying."


    Wade narrowed his eyes. "Was that a threat?"


    Lana grinned. "Maybe."If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    They continued for a few more hours until dusk turned to night, and it grew difficult to traverse the underbrush without clear paths to follow.


    The chill in the air meant an uncomfortable night, since they couldn''t risk a campfire. Not with the rhinn skulking around. Lana had just unloaded her pack when the faintest sound reached her ears. "Did you hear that?"


    Wade looked up. "What?"


    "Shush."


    There it was again. A whimper. It didn’t sound like an animal. At least not one she knew of.


    They stood completely still for a few moments. Lana held her breath. There it was again. This time, she picked up the direction of the sound. She waved for Wade to follow and bent down close to the ground as she snuck back into the underbrush.


    Wade was about as quiet as a rampaging bull as twigs snapped underneath his boots, but she caught the sound again. They were heading in the right direction. Definitely a whimper, and, Lana frowned, something else. A rustling. She nearly leapt out of her skin when a small yelp broke the silence.


    A young boy sat leaning against a tree trunk, his eyes closed. He fidgeted and jerked, emitting small sounds of distress. Still, his eyes were closed, and it appeared he was asleep.


    Lana stepped up the child and saw that the boy was human. What was he doing in the middle of the forest by himself?


    He didn’t have the appearance of a local. Lana straightened and looked into the darkness around her, expecting a trap. No one emerged.


    When she inched closer, Lana saw why the boy was by himself. His clothes were dirty and torn, and caked with mud, but she would recognize those red robes anywhere.


    She turned to Wade and whispered, "Pyromancer."


    Lana turned back to the boy and looked straight into a pair of eyes staring back at her. She screamed, jumping back just as the boy let out a terrified wail. His hand jerked up in front of him and flames billowed from his opened palm.


    A powerful gust of wind struck her and tossed Lana to the side. She tumbled in the air but managed to draw a dagger from her belt and throw it at the boy''s face before hitting the ground.


    "No!" Wade bellowed. The dagger was caught in a torrent of wind and flew off into the shadows. "He''s just a child!"


    The boy scrambled to his feet. "Who are you? What do you want?"


    Wade took a step closer and held up his hands to show that he was unarmed. "You don''t have to be scared. We''re not going to hurt you."


    "Don''t be so sure about that," Lana snarled as she stood. Wade gave her a stern look, and she relented. "Fine, we won''t hurt you. As long as you don''t try anything, pyromancer."


    The boy looked down at his clothes and winced. "I''m not sure I am one of them anymore."


    "What do you mean?" Lana asked. "You conjured fire. That makes you a pyromancer."


    He swallowed hard, and his eyes began to water. Wade quickly closed the gap between them. He wrapped his arms around the young boy''s shoulders. "What''s your name?"


    "I''m Tremalian. You can call me Tre."


    "I''m Wade. And that''s Lana. What happened to you, Tre?"


    "Terrible creatures," Tre said. "They were everywhere."


    He looked nervously around them, and Lana noticed how the boy trembled in Wade''s arms. Lana frowned. He didn’t exactly live up to the image of a fierce pyromancer. A frightened child, more like it. Then again, that was exactly what he was.


    Tre continued, "I must''ve fallen asleep. I tried to hide from them."


    "Why are you in Loft?"


    Tre looked up, confused. "Loft? I thought I was still in Eldsprak." He took a deep breath. "I ran away. I didn''t know what to do. I couldn''t…"


    "It''s fine," Wade said. "Our camp is nearby. Why don''t you come with us?"


    "What? A pyromancer?" Lana asked incredulously. "You know we can’t trust him."


    Tre’s face fell. "I wouldn''t hurt you. That''s why I ran. All those people burning. The flames. They wanted me to hurt people."


    "They made you fight? Kill people? You’re just a child."


    "Hey, I''m not that small. Taller than you, aren’t I, tiny girl?"


    Wade barked a laugh and continued on to their camp. "It will be fine, don''t worry. The pyromancers can''t hurt you anymore."


    Lana trailed behind them, unsure what to think. Memories of screaming assaulted her as she walked, the stench of her home burning to the ground. Could she really trust this young boy? Could she ever trust a pyromancer?


    Tre’s stomach grumbled loudly, disturbing the quiet of the forest. "Do you have any food?"


    Once back at camp, with the rabbit cleaned, roasted, in a dug out firepit to avoid detection, and eaten, it didn''t take long for Wade to start dozing. As Lana kicked dirt onto the small fire, smothering it and casting them back into the dark, Wade tossed a blanket over to boy who just sat there, staring into the trees, shivering.


    Lana found his jittering annoying. "You can go to sleep, you know?"


    Tre gazed into the dark, his head snapping left and right at the slightest sounds. "What if we’re attacked?"


    Lana sighed. "I’ll stay awake and keep watch. You will be safe."


    He sat in silence for a moment before replying, "I think I''ll stay up too."


    "Do whatever you want," she said. They sat listening to Wayne''s loud snores. The cold crept in through Lana''s blanket and she swayed back and forth in a futile attempt to stay warm.


    Her gaze kept slipping to the bits of fine clothing sticking out from under the boy''s blanket. Such fancy clothing would do little to ward off the cold.


    "So, you came from the tower?"


    Tre shook his head. "I trained there, but when I ran away, we were on a road heading to Fyrie. The elders wanted my assistance in the fight."


    "How did that go?"


    "Some of those big-eyed freaks took me with them. I was the only pyromancer in the group, and they wanted me to hide and burn a bunch of soldiers. But I couldn’t do it."


    "Aren''t you a little young to be a full pyromancer?"


    He nodded. "I''m really strong, but I wasn''t supposed to become a full pyromancer yet. They elevated all embers when the invasion started."


    Lana''s eyelids felt heavy, so she stood and stretched. "Well, if you were a student there, perhaps you know a friend of mine."


    "You have friends?"


    She threw a branch at the little cretin. "Shut up."


    Tre giggled. "Who is your friend?"


    "His name is Sarien. Do you know him?"


    The boy’s eyes widened in surprise. "You know Sarien? Is he well? He was so weak, I thought maybe he was killed already."


    "As far as I know, he''s fine. Though, he kind of disappeared after we fought an enormous monstrosity in Tyralien called the Xzxyth."


    Tre sat up, his eyes glittering in the dark. "You and Sarien beat? How big? The ones after me were kind of small." He pointed up into the trees. "They were up there. A bunch of them chased me, and they were climbing around faster than I could run. My fire scared them off, I think."


    "We fought a few different ones," Lana said, shuddering at the memory of the lusions, the kozimuz, and worst, the Xzxyth. She quickly changed the topic. "Have the pyromancers told you why they’re working with the rhinn?"


    Tre shook his head. "They don''t tell me anything. Bjorn, that''s the director of embers, said that pyromancers will rule once again. I don''t know why he would want to, just sounds like a lot of work. I just wanted to go on adventures."


    Lana stifled a yawn. "Monstrosities are coming to Maydian from other worlds through holes in the air. Sarien could probably explain it better."


    "Sarien?"


    "That’s right. He can create them," she said. "And close them."


    She stopped suddenly and narrowed her eyes at the boy. "You''re not some spy trying to get information out to me, are you?"


    "I’m not a spy."


    "You better not be." Lana frowned. "Do you hear that?"


    "I don''t hear anything."


    "That''s just it," she said. "The forest is not supposed to be this quiet."


    Tre’s head jerked up, as the sound of claws scratching against tree bark reached them. "It''s them!"


    Lana hurried over to Wade''s sleeping form and kicked him hard. "We''ve got company."


    "Ouch." Wade woke, bleary-eyed, and pulled his blanket over his head. "I''m still tired."


    "Monstrosities!" Tre shouted. He held up his palm and let out a torrent of fire. The bright firelight revealed several strange creatures hanging from the surrounding tree limbs and branches. To Lana, they looked like fanged humans covered in fur with tails.


    They were small, no taller than a very young child. But their ugly faces shone with savagery. Even high above them, Lana saw their intent to kill in the way their sharp claws and fangs gleamed. They didn''t look particularly fearsome, but their large numbers could quickly overwhelm their small party of three.


    "Wade, get up now!" she barked.


    The creatures moved with exceptional speed and agility, flying through the branches above them, and shaking loose leaves that rained down on Lana and the others. She didn''t attempt to hit them with her daggers, they were too quick. The things scurried down the tree trunks and Tre let out a wordless scream as he raised both hands, scorching the forest.


    The fire hit several of the creatures and they screeched, falling to the ground, enveloped in flames like tiny, furry fireballs. It was the high-pitched shrieks of the monsters as they died that finally woke Wade.


    "What are those?" he blinked, looking up into the canopy.


    "Their claws will feel like a gentle embrace after I’m done with you, if you don’t get moving!" Lana shouted, yanking Wade to his feet. "There must be a gateway somewhere nearby."


    "What do we do? Fight or flee?"


    "Depends on how long our pyromancer can last," Lana said. As soon as the words left her mouth, Tre’s flames sputtered and died. He took a faltering step and stumbled before catching himself.


    Wade kept his focus on the approaching little beasts. "Tremalian?"


    "I can''t do anymore," he panted.


    "Then we better go," Lana said, grabbing Tre by the collar and forcing the young boy into a run. She heard Wade''s heavy footsteps behind her, and worse, the sound of dozens of clawed hands and feet in pursuit.