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The moonlit canopy was above her was soothing, somehow, an unreconcilable contrast to the terrors this forest had brought in the past several days. As the last leg of their nightly patrol, Emma was toting her staff on her way back to camp, quietly listening to the idle crunch of leaves underfoot.
It was their fifth night together since escaping Trista. They’d made good progress moving south in that time—not nearly as much on their first, bumbling days, but by now they had entered a sense of routine. Priorities straightened themselves over time. Strategies became more agile, better constructed to swap between travel and survival as the day’s situation required. It was necessary, it turned out, as nothing else mattered if the Alliance’s troops came along. Whether foraging, walking, or fighting off monsters, when that happened, they needed to be able to flee, no excuses.
She thought to their dwindling stocks. Food, water, medicine, bandages… Everything was running low, constantly verging on empty, but the worst part was how they couldn’t afford the additional weight to be caused by keeping more than two days’ worth on hand. A true double-edged sword. If they tried, Emma reckoned they could likely manage to stretch their last half-day of food, although it was probably best that they take on the risk: eating as normal would give them the energy needed to spend the daylight hours hunting. But if the hunt was unsuccessful, not only would they remain out of food, but neither would they have made any progress toward Legram, nor reserved any of that precious energy in the event of attack.
As with everything, this was something they’d have to decide as a group in the morning. It wasn’t the first tight spot they’d overcome through their wits, and yet, every time, the idea grew that more enticing to turn themselves in.
Laura would be treated well by the Noble Alliance. Jusis would too—or at least, so Emma preferred to believe. It was always a bit shifty and awkward for them to discuss what would happen following their respective releases from Alliance handcuffs. The biggest question mark was herself. Any information gleaned from her records at Thors would paint her a well-mannered, commoner orphan, at best, with no hometown nor family for them to return her to. Would she be placed in a cell? Would they use her as bait to draw Rean to their clutches?
Wandering alone in these dark, quiet moments never failed to bring out the worst within Emma’s uncertainties.
She’d thought it before: perhaps the only reason she was still here was because of the leverage her capture might give to the enemy. Surely Laura and Jusis must have considered abandoning her on their route at least once. After all, had she been a better witch, any of this might’ve been skirted entirely. If she had known what Vita knew all along…
Even just thinking objectively, what was she really contributing to their group all this time? She wasn’t nearly as strong as Laura, nor nearly as quick on her feet as Jusis; more often than not, she found herself shielded as soon as the fighting began. Spells were loud, slow-building, flashier things—the good ones, anyway—and so from the perspective of stealth, her magic was all but a hindrance. It was humiliating for her best skill to just lie on a shelf. In a way, she was more powerful than both of them combined. Yet, outside her limited use as a healer (which Jusis could do just as well, given the quartz), Emma felt herself little better than baggage some days.
A crack resounded throughout the woods.
In an instant, all those depreciative thoughts vanished like smoke.
Staff raised, senses alight, Emma’s eyes shot ahead from the shimmering leaves overhead she’d so carelessly allowed herself to get lost in—
—And found herself right back at camp.
“Who goes there?!” demanded Laura.
Her voice was hoarse, having bolted awake from her sleep in the dry, open air, and Emma glanced across the way to find Jusis’ sword gleaming inside her right hand. His was the faster to wield of the two.
“Ngh… Emma?” Jusis intuited, stilting himself upright from their shared cushion of leaves.
“Ah, yes,” she regained command of her breathing at last, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going. I… believe I tripped our barrier. Not to worry—I’ll cast it again in a jiffy—”
Just as she raised her staff, however, Laura lowered the sword.
“No. Save your strength,” she refuted, “It should be morning soon, meaning the nocturnal monsters will cease being a threat. They are likely retreating for the day as we speak.”
“I anticipate another hour before the diurnal ones replace them,” added Jusis, flinching away from the light of his ARCUS as he checked the time.
“Are you sure? It’s not too difficult…” She’d already fumbled and cost them their safety net—was there genuinely nothing she could do to support them the way they consistently supported her?
Through the scant light of the moon, Emma sank to watch Laura affirm her decision with a nod.
“We must be judicious. Especially with your magic, Emma: if worse comes to worst, we’re relying on your abilities to protect us.”
What?
Perhaps five times at once, Emma blinked, for she didn’t know how to respond. “You—Are?” she eventually managed to squeak.
“Of course,” agreed Jusis. He was biting back a yawn as he said it, as though it were the most obvious fact in the world. “There is little that two blades and a handful of Arts can accomplish to suppress my father’s troops, should they happen upon our location with a proper show of force. None will prepare for witchcraft, or…” He waved about tiredly, “Mind control, or what have you. You would do well to leave as much groundwork to us as possible, barring that scenario.”
Laura was hard-pressed to avoid yawning herself. “…Indeed. Swordplay is as much as we can offer to this trial. You are also the only one among us who can safely converse with civilians in Kreuzen to barter for food. Jusis and myself would assuredly ruin our cover.”
Emma’s hands squeezed at her staff as they spoke. “O-Oh… I suppose I hadn’t thought of…”
“It’s cold,” Jusis shortly complained. He was already flopped on his side as he gestured for Emma’s presence. “We are wasting precious minutes of sleep. We can talk more in the morning.”
There was little that Emma could do to withhold her bright giggling. Laura joined him, and suddenly, her steps weren’t so heavy as she toed to their pile of leaves. For the first time since starting this perilous journey, she didn't think of this as a warmth she was stealing: it was a warmth she was sharing, nestling down in between their appreciative arms.