Adam returned to the spot outside the village where the others were waiting for him, setting down his heavy pack with a small, grateful sigh. “Did you get everything we needed?” Sven asked curiously. “I did, yes. This should see us well provisioned until we reach the next village.” Adam started redistributing the things he’d bought among the group. The light and bulky things like dried goods and tack went into Amber’s pack, making good use of the space available without weighing down the girl’s thin frame too heavily. The very heaviest things went into Sven’s pack, since he was the strongest among them by a wide margin. “And you weren’t recognized?” Lily asked as Adam sorted his purchases. “Not at all. The innkeeper bought my cover story without question.” Once he had finished packing everything, the group set off towards the east once more, giving the small village a wide berth as they headed deeper into the woods. As the sun set, Adam spotted a small clearing near a brook and motioned for the group to set up camp. Lily and Amber started raising their tents and Sven set off to gather firewood. Adam himself set about building a fire pit, using his magic to drive out the moisture from the ground and the branches and sticks Sven brought back, ensuring the fire would be close to smokeless. He had found that by focusing his mind completely on the task at hand, he could purge his mind of doubts and worries well enough to perform small feats of magic like this. Sure, his other concerns were still there, gnawing away at the back of his mind and muddling his connection to the water magic, but it was good enough for simple tasks. With a bit of training he was sure he could get it down well enough to use magic to purify water, but for now driving out the moisture from soil and old branches was about as much as he could manage. Once the fire was burning and night had fallen across the wooded landscape, the group settled down to eat a meal in companionable silence. It was just dried meats and trail rations washed down with weak beer, but the pleasant company and the gentle sound of the crackling fire, the burbling brook and the wind in the trees somehow made the simple fare taste far better than any meal they’d had in the old, shadowy halls of the castle. As they finished their rations, Adam pulled the bottles of cider from his pack. “The innkeeper talked me into buying a few bottles of cider.” He explained. “Anyone want some?” “Are you sure that’s wise?” Lily asked cautiously. “It should be fine.” Adam reassured her. “We’re well out of hearing range of the village or any roads, and we haven’t seen any sign of enemy scouts.” “But…” “Things are going to get harder as we keep on going. For now, we should take the opportunity to rest and relax wile we still can.” “Well… All right, if you’re sure.” Lily took one of the bottles as Adam passed it to her, sipping cautiously at the golden liquid. Her eyes grew wide as the sweet taste of apples filled her mouth. “This is delicious. It’s very sweet, but the flavour is so strong…” “Well, I suppose they’ve had all the time they could possibly need to perfect the brewing process.” Sven mused as he took a swig from his own bottle, savouring the strong, sweet taste. “All these years without any major changes in technology or tradition, it makes sense that they’d have gotten really good at the things they can do.” The group kept chatting happily as they enjoyed their cider, small talk and laughter ringing through the night as the rosy glow of alcohol lowered itself over them. Amber was the only one who didn’t seem to have much to say, but she was clearly feeling the effects of the cider regardless. Being the princess of passion, she wasn’t particularly restrained at the best of times, but with a bottle of cider in her she grew clingy and affectionate, clearly intent on soaking up as much affection as the group would allow. At the moment, she lay curled up like a cat in Sven’s lap, murmuring contentedly as the man absently stroked what remained of her hair. “But you know, I’ve been thinking, and…” Sven started, only for Lily to interrupt him. “Did it hurt?” “Very funny. Now pipe down, this is serious. If… Even if we get the crystals, what then?” “What do you mean ‘what then’? We make a cage, right? Like last time.” “But Adam said we couldn’t go back to the castle, right?” “That’s right.” Adam agreed. “We can’t risk the enemy mounting a full-scale attack. We have to keep them busy looking for us.” “But last time we had to bring the crystals to the Goddess. It took her over a month to make that cage. That was when the enemy army marched on us in force, remember?” The mood around the clearing fell as they thought back on the last weeks of the war. The clash of metal, the screams of the wounded, the sharp scent of blood and gunpowder… Only Amber seemed unaffected by the changing mood, lying curled up in Sven’s lap with a contented smile on her face. Clearing his throat, Sven kept on talking. “So if we can’t bring the crystals to the Goddess, what do we do? Are you suggesting we should just keep running around the countryside, trying to figure out how to craft a cage that can hold an ancient evil while on the run from enemy scouts?” “If that’s what it takes.” Adam got up and looked at the others with a steely gaze. “I don’t care how long it takes. I don’t care how impossible it is. This is war, and our people are in danger. I will protect them. We will protect them.” Adam’s mind burned with determination, the seriousness of the situation and the glow of the alcohol chasing away all his doubts and uncertainties. “It doesn’t matter how dangerous it gets. It doesn’t matter who stands in our way. We’ll fight their entire damned army if we have to!” He drew his sword from its sheath, its ancient magic singing in his head as the silvery metal gleamed in the firelight. “These are our people, and we will defend them!” Silence descended over the clearing, and the rush of confidence began to recede. Looking over at his companions, Adam realized they were all looking at him. Amber’s gaze was strangely calculating, while Sven looked up at him with a boyish grin that reminded him of their first adventure. Lily, however… Lily was gazing up at him with flushed cheeks and such admiration in her eyes that Adam couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. Clearing his throat a little awkwardly, he returned his sword to the sheath and sat down by the fire. “Look, I know it won’t be easy…” He said, looking down into the flickering flames. “But we don’t have a choice. This is something that we have to do.” Adam woke up the next morning feeling uncomfortably warm. A quick glance revealed that this was because he was lying sandwiched between Lily and Amber, all three of them squeezed into a single tent. They were all dressed, thankfully, but he still felt very awkward about their rather intimate sleeping positions. Slowly, carefully he disentangled himself, trying to sneak away without waking them up. Amber drowsily opened her eyes as he worked himself free, but simply gave him a nod and moved over to snuggle into Lily’s sleeping embrace, burrowing her face into the other girl’s cleavage with every sign of enjoyment. Feeling even more awkward than before, Adam left the tent and emerged into the pale predawn light of the clearing. “Sleep well?” Sven asked him in an amused tone of voice. “A bit too well.” Adam replied archly. “I could have sworn I went to bed alone.” “You did. Those two went in after you once you’d fallen asleep.” “That’s… I don’t know what to make of that.” “I wouldn’t read too much into it. Lily was three sheets to the wind, and Amber is… Amber.” “What about you?” “Oh, I haven’t slept yet. I’m not a lightweight like you three, so I figured I’d better keep watch. If you don’t mind, I’ll catch an hour or two now before those two get up.” “Of course. I’ll keep watch.” Sven nodded and slipped inside his own tent, leaving Adam alone with his thoughts. He still didn’t know what to feel about the girls sneaking into his tent, but he decided to dismiss the matter for the time being. After all, he had more important things to worry about.