The forest was quiet as the last of the prisoners ascended up onto the backs of horses and were taken to Eclion. Luenor was propped up against a great moss-covered trunk, gritting his teeth against each breath Hera took as she tended to his wounds and bruises. Her brow was knitted together in a frown of discontent.
"You're incomprehensibly reckless," she said, her voice a barely restrained whisper, as her fingers wrapped another strip of cloth around his ribs. "You're not ready to be in these battles, Luenor. You can barely lift a blade—"
The look in his eyes was steady as he caught her gaze. "I have to be ready," he said. "This is only the first of many fights I am going to face. I can't... I won't hide."
Hera let out a sigh, her fingers momentarily freezing on his bandages. "Then at least promise me that you will be careful. Please."
He offered a tiny smile, but said nothing.
Hunter wandered nearby, shuffling from foot to foot like a wolf that had been in a cage too long. He stared at Luenor with a mix of pride and guilt. His shoulders were tense, his fists were clenched.
Thalanar appeared behind him, walking as quietly he could on the hard ground, his staff each tap echoing in silence. "You blame yourself," he murmured.
Hunter clenched his jaw. "I let him be hurt," he said. "I should have seen the knights coming sooner. I should have kept him safe."
Thalanar gently placed a hand on his arm. "He chose this fate, Hunter. Just as you chose to stand with him."
Hunter remained silent, yet his eyes did not leave Luenor.
In the small clearing beside the mines, Telmar and a few of the older elves were maintaining order among the captured bandits. A few of the bandits attempted to slip away during the chaos. Telmar's quiet control, along with the consistent sharp gaze of his warriors made sure they were kept in line.
Thalanar turned to the bound knights, his voice firm and unwavering in its quietness. "Who sent you?" he asked. "And why?"
The knights, already rattled by what they had seen began to share. They revealed Baron Ronney's orders, and the illusion of 'justice' that veiled the need for the riches of the mines.
Luenor was watching from a distance, and thinking intently. After the last knight had completed his statements, he turned to Hunter. "Find out every thin and every piece of information you can on Baron Ronney," he said. "Names, numbers, whatever."
Hunter nodded, his eyes hardening. "I'll make it happen."
____
When Roderick woke up, he was tied with Mira in a small wooden shed. His head was pounding and his gaze was still swimming. Mira was looking at him with a small, wry smile.
"You'll get used to it," she said softly. "That feeling of losing everything."
Roderick groaned, wanting to press the palm of his hand to the side of his head. "You're a scum," he hissed.
"I'm a survivor. You must have seen the man they call Hunter. I survived against him." she said simply.
Hunter and Thalanar stepped into the shed, filling it with their presence. Roderick looked at them, and the remaining vestiges of his defiance cracked with defeat.
He spoke then-about Baron Ronney's greed, the knights and the mage who guarded the castle, the orders to take the mine and bury the truth given in secrecy.
When Roderick finished, he slumped against the wall, trembling and feeling empty.
Outside, Mira's calm shattered the moment she saw Burizan being dragged forward, his wide pale face the mask of terror.
"You!" she spat, her eyes flashing. She lunged for him but was pulled back by Faren, holding her steady.
Burizan squealed, shrinking back from her. "Please! Please, I didn't mean—"
Mira hissed at him, her voice low and deadly. "You betrayed us all."
Luenor watched them, quietly measuring every word he had heard. Slowly, he rose to balance on Faren's broad shoulders and threw himself in the cloak of Alfrenzo.
When he stepped in front of Roderick's shocked face, he could practically see the knight's breath stuck in his throat. He could practically feel the tension build in the silence of Alfrenzo's presence. More terrifying than death.
Hunter's voice was so calm it almost sounded like he was feeling pity. "You will return to Baron Ronney," he said. "You will tell him that Alfrenzo slaughtered half your squad—"
Roderick's eyes went wide. "No—"
"You will say that Alfrenzo has assembled an army of elves in the mines," Hunter said, his voice a muted monotone. "And then, you'll beg for another chance. He will assemble every knight and magician in his employ, and bring them here."
Roderick shook his head. "I... I can't—"
Hunter took another small step forward, and the sheer weight of the aura he generated crushed Roderick down. Roderick gasped as he felt every single bit of air escape his lungs, his head begging to bow in obedience to the will of his aura.
"I...I will do it," he said barely above a whisper.
Later that evening, Arwin—whose shoulder was still bound—sat beside Luenor in the last of the evening light. "How did the baron find out about the mines?" he said quietly. "We were careful about the—"
Faren cut in, stepping towards them with hard eyes. "Burizan," he said. "Remember? The day he ran? He's the one who directed them here."
Luenor looked at Burizan—trembling, covered in sweat, as pale as a ghost.