Fay had to return and try to find any hums who were willing to talk.

He, the Ravari, and the Eluwyn all began dealing with the enemy forces and their summoned creatures.

Fay used his new sword to cut down most of them, while the Eluwyn, with their exceptional ranged combat skills, offered support from afar.

The Ravari served as the cleanup force, eliminating all but the strongest.

Those who appeared to be commanders or leaders were separated after being dealt with—they and any who might possess useful information.

His teacher, Elaruîn, was just as furious. He had lost several Eluwyn women and some men in the assault. Knowing they were likely to be sold into slavery, he struggled to restrain himself from executing the prisoners outright.

After the battle ended and a headcount was taken, it was discovered that more than thirty Ravari and Eluwyn had been taken.

Among them were one of Selûne's sisters, Horin, and Sihra the tanner—names Fay recognized. The rest were just as young and valuable to the trade slavers.

As for casualties, the number was nearly the same. This loss was a crushing blow to the two villages, whose combined population barely reached five hundred. Losing a fifth of their people dealt a heavy blow, especially when most of their hunters had been injured or killed.

For the Ravari, the strain was compounded by the loss of their chief's fighting ability and Kimya's current condition.

Fay, overwhelmed with anger, lashed out at the captured hums—punching their faces or kicking them below the belt. He knew they were as good as dead. Only twelve were kept alive.

The others were sent into the rotted forest after their cores were extracted.

Fay was gifted a large number of those cores, as a reward for his efforts. Seeing how many enemies he had taken down, the others agreed he should be strengthened further.

"Sleep, boy. You'll need it for what comes next. I'll begin interrogating the filth. By morning, I should have some answers."

Fay, though exhausted, didn't feel like sleeping. Instead, he went to check on the leader, Nahrin. He wasn't sure what to say—especially after feeling like he had failed him.

As he entered the camp, Fay noticed that everyone looked just as downcast as he felt. He didn't say a word to anyone and simply went to find the leader.

Nahrin wasn't hard to locate—everyone just silently pointed in the direction of where he was staying.

It was his new tent, the one he had prepared for himself and Horin.

Fay stepped inside, unsure of what to say, only to find the sabertooth seated, staring at a necklace.

"You couldn't find her, huh…" the sabertooth murmured.

By now, Fay had learned enough of their speech to understand most of it, and what he didn't catch was passively translated by the guide.

"Yes," Fay replied. "They took her on horseback. Her and many others… Elaruîn told me to come back and rest. He'll interrogate the prisoners we managed to capture and try to find out where they were taken."

He paused, waiting for a response.

"No need," Nahrin said. "They were Turkos. They'll take them north—to the city of Molowisk. There… they'll be sold."

The chief's voice cracked slightly as he continued.

"Fay, if that's the case… please, go with Grin. Find Horin and bring her back… don't let me fail her mother. Please, boy."

The sabertooth looked lost, unsure of what else to say or offer. He had lost everything—including his ability to walk.

"I will," Fay answered. "But you must keep Mira and the two other kids safe. I'll go first thing in the morning… just to make sure Elaruîn gets everything right."

He was already prepared to leave immediately, but he didn't know exactly where to go yet—and more importantly, he needed to speak to Mira. He needed to make sure she was okay.

"Alright, kid. I'll try to be ready by then too. I'll look for old maps… whatever I might still have. Rest now."

Nahrin looked furious, but he knew the boy was right to wait until morning.

Fay rushed toward his own tent afterward.

There, he found Selûne still tending to the younger children. She was crying, as news of her sister had likely reached her.

"Fay?"

The girl looked up as he entered. The only source of light was a dim candle flickering inside the medium-sized tent.

Fay glanced at the children, then placed a finger over his mouth and gently nudged her outside.

He waited a few seconds before she stepped out, now wearing a coat and having wiped away any trace of tears.

"How are you feeling?"

She didn't answer, as if words were beyond her at the moment.

"I know. You're just like me right now," Fay said softly. "I may not have known Horin for long, but… she filled a missing piece my sister and I lacked. For you, that void must be even deeper."

Fay couldn't remain standing any longer. He sat down, staring out at the quiet village, where only the faint sound of murmurs drifted in the night.

"You're right," she finally whispered. "I do feel that way. Just… tell me there's some chance to find her, to find… Vaenya."

Fay exhaled slowly, then gave a small nod.

"There might be. It all depends on your grandfather and whether if he can uncover something from the prisoners, a lead for me to follow. We'll move out in the morning. I just hope we're not too late."

Selûne began to cry again, unable to hold it back this time.

Fay gently patted her back, staying with her in silence until he noticed a small figure peeking from the edge of the tent flap.

"Mira?" he said quietly. "Guess we woke you up… come here. We need to talk before I sleep."

Fay searched for the right words to explain that Horin had gone missing, but the girl seemed to already know somehow.

"You'll save her, right, Fayfay?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "You have to… bring her back and make this feel like home again."

Fay nodded at her words, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"I will, Mira. Don't worry—I will."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.