We couldn't stay here. The harvesters that had stolen away people would be back, and this area would be searched with a master. No, not a master, a Forger. They were not my masters. I was free.

I tossed my sword into my inventory, wishing I had my second, or any other blade, but during my capture I'd only had the one on me. The twin of the one I carried was lost now, either in our barrow or to the Forgers. The other two were in for repair.

"You saved us," whispered an older woman, bowing her head and holding that position. "We owe you our thanks and our lives."

"I accept your thanks, but that is all." I tapped her shoulder. "You must leave this place, soon."

"We will follow you, as is the path," she added, with a confused expression. Her long braid was frazzled and splattered with blood. She reminded me of my grandmother, though at least this elder still lived, even though she appeared pale and unsteady.

I didn't want to have this conversation.

"Why didn't Needlecrest respond when Foresthill called for help?" Cekta's voice cut across the din of conversations.

It looked like I wasn't the one who was to have it.

Cekta stood in front of a man with the leader's rope around his shoulders. Even though the leader stood taller than Cekta, he seemed to shrink at the questions.

"Cekta." I kept my voice low, but he heard it.

His eyes blazed as he marched toward me. "They didn't help us."

"Leave it," I ordered, and he snapped his lips shut.

"What call for help?" The elder in front of me asked, bouncing between the two of us. "The council of elders wasn't called to hear such a message."

This was why I didn't want to get involved.

"Lisdco, what message?" the elder asked the one wearing the rope of leader.

The leader swallowed hard at her tone. "An ask for help, and information. I didn't dare break our isolation."

"You broke the path!"

Everyone stared at the two of them and I stepped back, motioning for Cekta to do the same. This was not our reckoning.

Lisdco's head fell, and someone near him whipped the leader's rope off his neck. He said nothing in response.

"You have broken your oaths," said the elder as she marched closer.

Alex waved in my direction, and I was the only one who noticed. She pointed at the child, and then wrapped a hand around her neck.

Not good.

"Papa! The strange lady says she can remove my collar!"

Lisdco shrunk even smaller, if that was possible.

***

Too much drama continued all around me, but I focused on harvesting as much meat into my inventory as possible. Thankfully, it stacked.

The blue child stared at me, waiting for an answer to her question. The child crawled on its four lower limbs, using its lower two arms like feet, though the hands were shaped differently than the adults.

"You ate the harvester," the child repeated, staring at me in shock.

"I did. It's good for me." Something about the child drew my attention, then I realized what I felt. I hoped I was wrong. "Do you have a collar?" I asked the young one.

The child jerked back, but then nodded rapidly, blue hair going in all directions. "It's a secret! You can't tell anyone."

"I can remove it if you come closer." I motioned for them to come closer, so I could get a better look. While I disliked that I was right, at least I could fix it. Maybe without anyone finding out about it, even. The position her poor parents must be in. All of these people had probably been taken because of it.

The little girl's eyes grew wide.

I searched the crowd for Kabi, as people argued about something. After catching his eye, I tried to mime what I was going to do. Hopefully, I could get it off her without anyone noticing.

"Papa! The strange lady says she can remove my collar!" The young voice rippled across the ten or so villagers. All stepped away from the child and, in turn, me.

One of the taller males pushed through the people, eyes searching for the girl. She leaped into his outstretched arms.

"Hush, little bug…" he whispered, but the damage was done.

"Lisdco, you hid this!"

"She's my only child! She's all I have left of her mother." All four arms wrapped around the little girl in his arms. His eyes searched me, ignoring the elder. "Can you remove her collar without… you know."

He didn't say the word death, but I knew what he meant.

I nodded slowly. "I can, but it might hurt."

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Whispers started among the others, and then Kabi and Cekta moved closer to me, flanking my sides.

"She removed our collars," said Cekta. "But like she said, it hurt."

"We can put the child to sleep," said an older woman, who now held a woven rope in her hands.

"We must hurry," growled Kabi, giving me a look I couldn't decipher. "They will return."

"Just hold her," I said as I stepped closer to the man with the girl in his arms. He had to kneel down so I could reach her neck with her head resting on his shoulder.

I pulled down the shirt the child wore, bringing the collar into sight.

It screamed at my slightest touch. The crystal screamed so freaking loud inside my head, I almost pulled away. My hand wrapped around the smaller stone section and I dove inside, asking the presence to be quiet. That I'd fix it shortly.

The screaming cut off instantly, and I yanked.

Nothing fancy this time, just as quick as I could.

My palm sizzled, and I tilted backward before one of Kabi's lower arms caught me. I held my hand behind my back and gave him a nod.

"Done, let's get out of here." The crystal in my palm relaxed and reached out to the ones on my necklace. The healing crystal sent coolness to my palm, which I stretched after tossing the binding crystal into my inventory.

I couldn't do too many more of those like that. My fingers felt weird.

"Forgive me," said Lisdco, bowing his head to the elder. The girl in his arms wiggled around, trying to get free. When she realized he was bowing, she froze and tilted her own head.

"These are trying times, Lisdco. Still, you brought shame to your line," said the woman.

I wanted to watch this unfold, but Kabi pulled me back.

Cekta and Lenna stood near the very edges of the undergrowth, and seeing our movement stepped into the shadows. They stayed on my radar but quickly started hiking out of sight.

Kabi and I reached the darker shadows and crossed that line as well, but someone moved to intercept us, Shelli.

She stood several feet beyond the edges of the forest. We'd need to cross her path. I waved at her but kept moving.

Kabi slowed down at the sight of her. "We give our leave."

"You saved us and yet leave, unable to satisfy our paths," she said with concern.

"My path takes me to danger, not safety. Your village must find their own way."

"I will follow. My path demands it," she whispered, her hands shaking at her side.

"I follow another..."

"Then I will follow them as well."

"Fine," he growled and stomped off under a mushroom.

She glanced at me and I shrugged, taking off after him before vanishing in a shadow. The woman hurried to catch up.

Kabi paused next to Cekta and Lenna, both standing wearily under a mushroom in the deepest shadows.

"We should relink," whispered Cekta. "Then flee…"

"From Needlecrest to the road, it's a quick journey. I assume they wait there with carts." Kabi glanced over his shoulder as Shelli joined the group. Cekta didn't seem surprised.

"I'll take a mark, but is there a way to hide our trail?" I asked, from next to Lenna.

Cekta jumped. "Yes, I can do that, but only one."

"Hide the trail," I said at the same time as Lenna. She smiled at me.

"We will easily be found with any skill. You both march, not glide," Lenna explained.

Cekta faced Kabi with the stick of black charcoal in his hand. He drew several symbols on Kabi's shoulder. Then he turned to Shelli. She held out her shoulder with a star struck look on her face. Her mouth opened, but Cekta jerked his head down.

She stopped and took the symbol.

Then he faced us.

Lenna shook her head. "I don't leave a trail anymore, and neither does Alex."

That was news to me, but I'd take it.

"Can we get a linking rune instead?"

Something touched the edges of my senses.

"Nevermind, go quietly, I'll catch up," I whispered as I stepped back into the darkness.

Shelli's eyes grew wide, as Kabi grabbed her and Cekta's arm and took a few steps forward. One second he was there, the next he was much farther away and out of sight.

Lenna nodded in my direction. "Good luck."

Then she practically danced out of sight.

I crept out of this mushroom to one several feet away, and waited. The others were traveling quickly toward the reaches of my range, but I'd catch up once they slowed down. The ones creeping toward our location also moved slowly.

My shoulders relaxed when the villages from Needlecrest came into view, with the Elder in the lead.

A young man stepped past her and touched the ground. "They are gone."

The Elder sighed. "They were our only hope of rescuing our people."

"We need to flee as well," whispered another Elder. "To the west to our summer barrow, near the lake."

"It's early for that, and we have no stores… Plus there are the Harvesters."

"It's our only choice," said the Elder. "Anyone who can cover our trail should. We move quietly and quickly."

I crept away as they headed in a different direction. It didn't take long to catch up with the others once I locked onto them again.

Kabi again took the lead, though this time I didn't scout too far ahead. I walked near him. After a good while, I finally spoke.

"How far do we have to go?" I whispered.

"There isn't a safe barrow nearby. We'll need to make do with whatever defensible place we can find, and soon." His gaze remained upward, searching the massive trees for something. Eventually he found whatever he searched for and moved underneath a massive tree. Mushrooms grew up the edges, some overlapping. He waited for Cekta and Lenna to appear, then pointed upward.

Cekta frowned but nodded. Kabi wove his fingers together and gave Cekta a boost up on top of one of the mushrooms. Then Shelli.

Lenna jumped high after him without any help. Kabi's mouth dropped at the sight of her easily leaping into the air, and he shook his head. Cekta leaned down and offered his arm to help Kabi up. That continued until we reached a mushroom that had another mushroom growing directly over it. The edges draped down, blocking off the canopy above.

The height provided a difference in view.

The massive mushrooms from below only reached maybe double my height. After that, nothing grew except for the massive trees. The trunk behind us was bigger than the shuttle. I didn't understand how something that big grew.

We weren't anywhere near the canopy, but brighter purple light started glowing between the massive leaves above.

Kabi reached out to my arm. "We must hide."

Lenna sat near the edge of the mushroom, behind part of the top that draped on the right side. Cekta knelt on the mushroom near the edge, frantically drawing symbols into the mushroom's surface. Shelli leaned against the trunk with her eyes closed.

I stepped back, closer to Lenna, before taking a seat. My eyes stayed on Cekta.

Energy flowed from his hands into the charcoal piece, and it hung waiting.

Kabi took a seat near Shelli, but his eyes stayed on Cekta as well.

The forest slowly lightened, highlighting the bright purples and blues of the tree trunks. The light had a strange tint to it, and Cekta moved faster before crawling back toward Kabi.

He closed his eyes and touched the surface of the mushroom before energy flowed into the symbols. Some sort of conversation happened, and he slumped forward, but Kabi caught him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"We are safe now," whispered Kabi.

A high pitched screaming echoed across the forest.

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