The forest swallowed them whole.

Ennu's arms burned as she gripped the reins tighter, the horse beneath her straining with the added weight. Gabriel's body was slumped against her back, held in place by Adan riding behind them, one arm locked around the former Paladin's chest to keep him from sliding off.

Blood soaked through her cloak.

She could feel it, warm and wet, seeping into the fabric as Gabriel's head lolled against her shoulder. His breathing came in shallow, broken gasps that she could barely hear over the pounding of hooves.

"Keep moving!" Tess shouted from ahead, her horse crashing through the undergrowth as branches whipped past.

The treeline they'd escaped through was gone.

Ennu had looked back only once, just long enough to see the white light consume everything behind them, the woods flattening in an instant as fire raced outward in a perfect circle. The shockwave had nearly thrown them from their mounts, the horses screaming as they bolted deeper into the forest.

Lucius thought they were dead.

He had to.

Nothing could survive that.

But they had been just far enough ahead, the curve of the land shielding them from the worst of it as the blast tore through the trees they'd left behind.

Ennu's heart hadn't stopped racing since.

"How much farther?" Gilbert called out, his voice strained. He rode beside Mera, one hand pressed against his ribs where blood had soaked through his shirt.

"Miles," Adan replied from behind Ennu. "We need to reach the eastern edge of Galveston. Three days if we don't stop."

"He's not going to make it that long," Mera said quietly.

No one argued.

Ennu glanced down at Gabriel's arm, hanging limp at his side. His skin was pale in the moonlight, his face slack and covered in bruises that had already begun to swell. Blood crusted his split lip, trailed from his nose, matted in his hair.

She'd seen injured adventurers before.

This was worse.

His ribs were broken. She could tell from the way his chest moved unevenly, each breath shallow and labored. His left shoulder sat at an unnatural angle, dislocated or shattered. The blood loss alone should have killed him by now.

But he was still breathing.

Barely.

"We need to stop," Mera said, louder this time. "He needs treatment."

"We stop, we die," Tess shot back without turning. "Lucius might think we're dead, but that won't last. He'll check. He'll send scouts. We need distance."

"He'll die if we don't..."

"He'll die either way if we get caught!"

The words hung in the air, sharp and final.

Mera's jaw tightened, but she didn't respond. She knew Tess was right.

The group pushed forward, the horses' breathing growing heavier as the miles stretched on. The forest began to thin gradually, the dense canopy giving way to smaller clusters of trees and open patches of frozen ground.

Behind them, the orange glow from Eldenreach had faded into the distance, swallowed by the night and the trees between.

Ennu tried not to think about what had happened there.

About Hanitz.

About the gate exploding behind him as he'd stood his ground, buying them the seconds they needed to reach the treeline.

About the soldiers who had parted for Lucius like he was death itself walking through their ranks.

She swallowed hard and focused on the reins, on keeping the horse steady, on the weight of Gabriel pressing against her back as a reminder that they'd gotten him out.

That had to be enough.

For now.

The hours blurred together.

The moon tracked slowly across the sky, its pale light guiding them through the thinning forest as they rode east. No one spoke. There was nothing left to say.

Gilbert's breathing had grown more labored, his grip on the reins loosening every few minutes before he forced himself to tighten it again. Mera kept glancing at him, worry etched into her features, but he waved her off each time.

Tess led them without hesitation, her posture rigid, eyes scanning the path ahead for threats that never materialized.

Adan remained silent behind Ennu, his arm still locked around Gabriel's chest, holding him upright with a strength that should have failed an hour ago.

Ennu's arms screamed at her to stop.

She didn't.

Gabriel's breathing changed.

It grew even shallower, each inhale stuttering, catching on something broken inside him. His weight shifted slightly, slumping heavier against her as his body began to go limp.

"He's fading," Adan said quietly.

Ennu's stomach dropped. "What do we do?"

"Keep riding."

"That's not..."

"There's nothing else we can do."

The words settled like stones in her chest.

She urged the horse faster.

Dawn crept over the horizon slowly, the sky bleeding from black to deep blue to pale gray as the first hints of light touched the eastern edge of the world.

The forest had fallen away completely now, replaced by rolling hills and frozen fields that stretched endlessly before them.

Tess raised a hand, slowing her horse.

The others pulled up beside her, their mounts snorting and stamping, foam flecking their necks.

"We need to rest the horses," Tess said. "Five minutes."

No one argued.

They dismounted slowly, their movements stiff and pained. Ennu slid from her saddle first, her legs nearly buckling as her feet hit the ground. Adan lowered Gabriel carefully, passing the unconscious man down to her before dismounting himself.

Gabriel's weight nearly took her to her knees.

Gilbert was beside her in an instant, hooking an arm under Gabriel's shoulders and taking most of the burden. Together, they lowered him to the ground, propping him against a cluster of rocks.

Mera knelt beside him immediately, her hands moving to his neck, checking for a pulse.

"He's still breathing," she said, though her voice was tight.

Tess stood a few paces away, arms crossed, watching the horizon behind them. "We need to talk about what happened."

The words cut through the exhaustion like a blade.

Gilbert looked up slowly. "What's there to talk about?"

"Gabriel charged him," Tess said flatly. "Charged Lucius. The Executioner of the Church. And I want to know why."

Silence fell over the group.

Ennu shifted uncomfortably, her gaze dropping to Gabriel's unconscious form. His face was slack, pale, the bruises already darkening to deep purple.

"He recognized him," Adan said quietly.

Tess turned. "That much was obvious. But why did he attack? He had to know..." She stopped, shaking her head. "He had to know he couldn't win."

"Maybe he didn't care," Gilbert offered.

"That's not an answer."

Mera's hands stilled on Gabriel's chest. She looked down at him, her jaw working for a moment before she spoke.

"They're brothers," she said quietly.

The words hung in the air.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"Brothers?" Tess repeated, disbelief threading through her voice.

Mera nodded once, not meeting anyone's eyes. Her hands moved again, checking Gabriel's wounds with more focus than necessary.

"How do you know that?" Ennu asked.

Mera's shoulders tensed. "Only family would react like that."

The response came too quickly.

Too practiced.

Ennu watched as Mera's fingers pressed against Gabriel's ribs, her movements suddenly more deliberate, almost mechanical. Her jaw was tight, her eyes fixed downward like she was afraid of what she'd see if she looked up.

Tess frowned. "That's not..."

"It's enough," Mera cut in, her voice harder now. "We don't have time for this."

The silence that followed was heavier than before.

Gilbert shifted, wincing. "Brothers," he muttered. "That would explain the way Gabriel looked at him."

"And the way he charged," Adan added quietly. "Like he had no choice."

Tess's expression darkened. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, her gaze lingering on Mera for a moment longer before she turned away.

"We need to move," Tess said finally. "Questions can wait until we're on that boat."

No one argued.

They lifted Gabriel between them, loading him back onto the horse with careful, aching movements. Ennu climbed up first, her arms protesting as Adan passed Gabriel's weight back to her.

His head lolled against her shoulder again, blood still seeping into her cloak.

"Three days," Adan said, mounting behind her. "We can do three days."

Ennu wasn't sure if he was trying to convince them or himself.

Tess took the lead again, urging her horse forward as the sun climbed higher, casting long shadows across the frozen fields.

Behind them, Eldenreach was gone.

Ahead, somewhere past the horizon, lay Galveston.

And beyond that, escape.

If Gabriel lived that long.

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