Entobern glowered at them through the thick undergrowth, leaving the hairs at the back of Elred's neck upright. She glanced at Pulrin and she saw past his glamour his pale lips and wide eyes. Calm. It's just Entobern. No harm could come to them...right?

Unlike the paved roads in Abshire and the other Upper Cities, Entobern stuck to how the plateau looked like before shard fairies made it their home. That meant huge forests, moist swamps, and an unkempt backyard full of strange animals and plants unfamiliar to Elred. As soon as they touched down on the edge closest to Entobern's territory, the pungent smell of an exotic flower filled Elred's nose. She couldn't quite place it but Pulrin informed her that it must be atalfa.

She kept her eyes on the canopies, taking note of the greens, the reds, and the blues dancing with the stray breezes flitting through them. At the first sign of a black thing darting through the trees and Elred was out of here. She couldn't deal with an enya this close to the Feast. She needed her hair intact and uneaten.

Oblivious to her fear, Pulrin rested his hands behind his neck and whistled a jovial tune as they walked. It looked alright when he wasn't wearing his glamour—he's just a kid enjoying life or something—but Elred couldn't shake the disgust in her system when she envisioned the old man disguise doing it.

Well, whatever. She's grateful for the company. What she said to Heran and the planners all those weeks ago sent a pike of guilt in her gut. She told them to lay off asking Entobern for help and now she's here, crawling to the people she told her planners to stay away from. How pathetic.

She clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides. Her trousers had flecks of dirt lining it in elaborate splashes, like she had just been rolling in the mud more than just walking through it. A thousand curses rang in her head. What would the Entobern generals think of her? Using a glamour was useless when they're all shard fairies who could see through it. It's a miracle Pulrin's lasted for as long as he did.

"What?" Pulrin lowered his hand and slowed his steps.

Elred blinked. "What what?"

Pulrin scratched his ear. "You've been looking at me like...angry," he said. "Something wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing," she said, crossing her arms. "Just thinking."

Her friend hummed. "About what?"

"Things," Elred snapped. Why was he so chatty today? "What about it?"

Pulrin jerked his chin in Elred's direction. "How's things with you and Savel? You mentioned him earlier."

Heat rushed to Elred's cheeks as she extended her arms and waved them. "E-everything's fine," she stuttered. Why was she even doing that? "Fine. Yeah. He's...Savel, I guess?"

Pulrin chuckled. "Thought so," he said. "Got any plans on tying the bond?"

Elred's breath hitched at the thought. Then, she backhanded Pulrin in the chest. "What's wrong with you?" she said. "It's too early to think about that."

"Well, how old are you?"

Blood pulsed in Elred's ears. "A little over forty," she said. "We're still young."

Pulrin snorted. "Haven't you made the man wait enough?"

Elred stopped walking to face her friend. "What do you mean?"

"Never mind," Pulrin pushed past her with a sigh. "You two will get it when time comes. I just hope it's not too late."

What in Umazure was this witch talking about? She lengthened her footsteps to follow. "What's too late? Hey!"

"Nothing!" Pulrin said over his shoulder, walking forward without looking back. Elred kept her eyes on his feet to gauge how many more steps she has to take so she could overtake him and give him a proper knock in the head for not telling her things. "I said nothing!"

Then, her eyes fell towards a patch in the grass just a few paces in front of Pulrin. Wait a minute...

"Wait!" Elred shouted with an urgency she hadn't counted on. Pulrin paused and turned to her with a questioning look. "Look down," she said, hoping it would explain everything. Her friend looked down and stepped away with a flustered grace.

Elred caught up to him and came upon the patch of grass. Something heavy stomped on this particular spot, judging from the bent grass, the caving soil, and the set of snapped twigs scattered around. She looked behind her and, true enough, the trail they tore through the forest carried the same traces. That's weird.

"Okay, what are we looking at?" Pulrin knitted his eyebrows and tilted his head here and there.

Elred pointed at the patch. "Something or, rather, someone's been here. Can't you see the tracks?"

"Oh? Yeah, I can see it," Pulrin crossed his arms. "But there are a ton of big animals in a forest this big. It could be one of those."

She was about to agree when something glinted at the corner of her eyes when she moved her head. What—

"Elred?" Pulrin's voice faded in her ears as she strode closer to the patch and towards the object glinting in the faint light fleeting past the canopies. Her own soles crunched against the layer of dried leaves coating the soil and the grass jutting out of the soil. Her fingers reached out to part the still-upright blades of grass to reveal...

"A Valkalin crest," Elred breathed as she fished the object out of the forest floor. It must have been here for days considering the moulds of mud building into the crevices of the crest. It was something she saw being worn by her relatives in Abshire to signify they belong to the ruling family. Every Valkalin has this. Why...why was one sitting in a forest in Entobern?

"Oh yeah, that's weird," Pulrin edged closer to her, finger tapping against his chin. She must have spoken her last thought out loud. "Any of your folks been here recently?"

Elred closed her fingers around the crest, ignoring the tightening coil in her stomach. "I'm about to find out," she said. "For now, let's go to the Generals."

Pulrin nodded. "That's a good idea."

Soon, Elred and Pulrin walked out of the forest with a hopeful stride. Thank Crintine the generals united for once and agreed to be in the Feast. At least now, before the rebels could strike, they'd have some sort of protection. From beside her, Pulrin whistled. "That went well," he said. "Here I thought those prismheads wouldn't be able to unite for anything. I've witnessed history."

Elred laughed—one of the first genuine ones she gave out these past few months. "Yeah," she said. "I'm glad you're here, Pulrin. Are you sure it's alright to bring you out here? You're not leaving behind some deputy duties in Rabante?"

Pulrin shrugged. "I've got Brutus running most things."

"Brutus?"

"Yeah. Strong lad. Helpful too. Had a bit of ambition that's sure to ruin him someday, though," Pulrin sniffed with an indiffirence to rival most Upper City noble. "He's been clawing his way to being the Deputy for quite sometime."

Elred frowned. "You're not concerned?"

Pulrin rolled his shoulders. "Unlike me who still had a fallback, this kid has no one," he said. "I can almost say I'm the only one he has left."

"Why do you think that is?"

A dark cloud passed across her friend's face. "Unclaimed at birth," Pulrin said.

Elred now felt bad about asking. "Ah," was all she could say.

Pulrin waved his hand in the air in a dismissive wave. "I'm in that position to serve our people and nothing else," he said. "If they want to replace me, it's fine. I'll just retire to the other side of the plateau and raise dagrinis or something. I heard they're in demand in Lanteglos right now."

The gears in Elred's mind began turning. "I think I might need you in that position a little while longer," she said.

Pulrin faced her. "What now?"

Elred summoned her wings now that they reached the plateau's rim. They'd part ways halfway down, with Pulrin going back to his dark house and with Elred going back to Abshire to have a word with her mother. "I've got a project in mind," she said. "Consider it a contingency plan for our people, should worse come to worst. You'll be one of the only people who would know aside from me, mostly because it will concern Rabante too."

He chuckled. "That couldn't be good, right?"

She returned the gesture and grinned. "You know me, Tarre," she said, finally remembering his name. "I'll keep in touch. I just have to survive the Feast first. Wish me luck."

Pulrin nodded. "Yeah, of course," he summoned his wings and jumped into the open air. "Avraja."

Elred copied him, letting the winds and the flap of her wings keep her afloat. "Avraja," she said. Then, they went on in opposite directions.

The sun had already started going down the moment she touched down in Abshire. Her shoulders ached from being tense all day. Still, she walked forward. On the horizon, a small figure was shuffling fast enough to rival a dagrine.

"Elred!" the Queen's voice sounded irritated and worried at the same time. "Where have you been? And what's up with those clothes? Oh, is that mud?"

Yes, hello to you to, Mother. If she didn't have anything to say to her mother, she would've been out of this conversation before it even started. When the Queen stopped just a few steps away, Elred rolled her shoulders. "I've been around," she answered the only question she could. "Fixing up some final things with the Feast."

The Queen seemed satisfied with that answer since her features softened a little. The lone line of wrinkle on her forehead signalled the ease. "That's good," she said. "What about your regal attire? We should shop in the Sandoxa estate tomorrow, eh?"

Elred suppressed a sigh and tried to appear enthused. "Yeah, sounds good," she said. The Queen patted her shoulder and began turning away. "Actually, Mother—" she began. The Queen stopped and faced her again. "I have something to ask you."

Concern marred the Queen's features. "Ask away, darling," she said.

Elred dug the crest from her pocket and showed it to the Queen. "Have you been to Entobern lately?" she said. "Has any in our family?"

The Queen blinked at the crest, no doubt being disgusted by the clumps of dirt coating it. "What a way to desecrate our honor," her eyes hardened as she murmured. Then, she sighed. "No, I haven't been to Entobern. As for our relatives, how should I know? Those fools are as absorbed into their own islands like I am. What are you doing in Entobern?"

Oh, crud. Elred didn't anticipate that question. "Just...checking in with the xasmisper," she blurted, shifting her weight from one foot to another. "It's an ingredient in one of the dishes I approved."

The Queen nodded. "Well, that's that," she said. "I'll be off now. I still have matters to take care of."

Elred stood there as her mother left her alone and disappeared in the Arness mansion. She looked back at the crest resting on her palm. Someone in the Valkalin family was planning something, that's for sure. Just as she was walking towards the Vertinso mansion, another question unfurled in her head. Was the owner of this crest and the red-cloaked fairy the same person? If not, who were they and what were they planning to do to Elred and her family?

Dread made her stomach churn. Perhaps she'd find out...on the Feast, itself.