Joan slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She was still sitting in front of the fire, though it had now turned back to its normal red. She glanced back to see if Searle and Bauteut were still here.

She smiled when she saw the pair by the entrance, which fortunately had been re-opened, pacing back and forth. “We’re done,” Joan said.

“Oh thank the gods,” Bauteut said before quickly making her way over and kneeling in front of her. Joan let out a yelp when her hand was grabbed and yanked over to the healer.

“Hey, what are you-- hey!” Joan yelled when her face was grabbed next.

“Do you feel anything? Pain? Aches?”

“Annoyance!” Joan yelled before nearly shoving Bauteut off her. However, she stopped before pushing and sighed, giving in to the healer’s demands. In the end she supposed it was, technically, for her own good. “But no. I don’t feel anything wrong or worse than before.”

“Good,” Bauteut said before pulling back finally. “You two just kind of sat there, what happened?”

“I tested her, obviously,” Korgron said before getting to her feet. “She passed, I believe she’s who she says she is.”

Bauteut nodded slowly, though judging by the look on her face she didn’t really get what any of that meant. “Was it an easy test, then?”

Joan tried to think of a proper response, but she really didn’t want to say it was both incredibly easy and incredibly hard at the same time. “It was an experience. Don’t worry about it too much.”

“When it comes to you, that’s the ideal time to worry about it,” Bauteut said flatly.

“She passed, that’s really all you need to know, wet nurse,” Korgron said. “She demonstrated capabilities superior to that of a normal human, that’s all I wanted.”

Bauteut gave a low growl from the back of her throat before shaking her head. “I’m Joan’s healer, it is my duty to take care of her. If you’re subjecting her to tests, I need to know the effects of them so I can best ensure her safety. Now, if you don’t mind, tell me what happened.”

“Is she always like this?” Korgron asked.

“Yes,” Joan said. “But sometimes it’s really helpful,” she added quickly. “I’d likely be dead now if not for her.”

“Likely?” Bauteut asked.

“Almost guaranteed,” Joan said. “It was a mental challenge, a fight of sorts. No physical activity, just mentally. Like a dream. I lost,” she said quickly. “But going against a chosen, what could you expect?”

Bauteut crossed her arms and still looked annoyed, but the answer seemed to satisfy her at least. The look of confusion on Korgron’s face made it even better, though. The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass Korgron by admitting how she had utterly crushed her, far smarter and safer to keep on her good side.

“When are the others coming--” Joan said, only to completely go silent when she felt it. Like a shard of ice sliding down her back, that feeling of being watched washed over her again. It had been so long since she had last felt it, she had actually forgotten. But now there was no denying it. “You can all feel that, right?”

“Feel what?” Bauteut asked.

“That. Searle? Korgron?” Joan asked. “Something is watching us. I can’t be the only one feeling it, can I?”

“I don’t feel anything,” Searle said.

Korgron didn’t answer and, when Joan looked to her, the demon was muttering a soft incantation while a finger gently glided through the air. She was about to ask what spell she was casting when the words hit her.

‘Help me.’

The voice was disjointed, distant and weak, but she knew she heard it. She had to have. “You heard that, right? You all had to hear that, right?” Joan asked, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. Then the feeling vanished, as if it was never there to begin with. She gave another shudder and shook her head. “Please, please tell me you all felt that.”

Bauteut gave another soft sigh before shaking her head. “Joan, I’m sorry. Nobody heard or felt anything. Listen, you’ve had a lot of damage done to your mind at this point, hearing voices or having weird feelings of being watched are likely a side effect of that. Not to mention the stress. You have a lot to worry about as it is, without worrying about that.”

“Biscuit, shush,” Korgron said. A moment later she snapped her fingers and suddenly the chamber was filled with what looked like crystals of light, shimmering in the air around them. “That,” she said before pointing up.

Joan felt a rush of glee before she looked up. Of course, Korgron was an expert mage, a spell of this level was easy for her. Why hadn’t she thought of doing it before? Her cheeks burned a little redder when she realized because, obviously, she couldn’t do a spell of this level now. The crystals above her head were shimmering a dark red.

“What’s that?” Bauteut asked. “And it’s Bauteut.”

“Someone was scrying on us,” Korgron said. “Well, on Joan. It’s not very strong, but it was certainly there.”

“I told you!” Joan said, actually hopping once in excitement. “See? I told you! I told you! Someone has been watching me!”

“Maybe you should try listening to your patient more often,” Korgron said in a less than gentle, mocking tone.

Bauteut opened her mouth to speak, before closing it and shaking her head. She turned and stormed off, leaving the chamber.

Joan cringed, watching her go. She wondered if she should go after her. Within a few moments the choice was made for her. Searle turned and walked quickly after her. “I’m going to make sure she stays safe, okay?”

“You do that,” Korgron said with a wave of her hand. “Joan, come here. We’re going to try and see if we can track down whatever that was.”

Joan nodded and walked towards Korgron, holding her hands out to the demon. She hoped they’d be able to get some success in locating who was trying to find her. Unfortunately, the voice didn’t seem familiar at all. She wondered how they knew she was the Hero.

------

Despite their best efforts all Joan and Korgron could uncover was that whatever had been scrying on her was, likely, to the north somewhere. Which unfortunately didn’t narrow it down much in the slightest. On top of that, there were no more moments of being watched over the next few days of travel.

Except for being watched by Bauteut. The healer seemed to have developed a new love of tending to her patient, as every break they took she would give Joan a thorough examination to ensure she was safe, secure and not over exerting herself. She had a feeling it was because Bauteut was trying to show Korgron up, because the two seemed to now take every opportunity they could to snipe at each other. She couldn’t imagine why and when she asked Isla the woman only laughed and refused to tell her.

Though, despite herself Joan couldn’t help feeling slightly comforted by it. It almost felt like she was traveling with Neia and Korgron again, the two never had gotten along very well. She’d never really understood why.

Fortunately, Bauteut seemed quite satisfied with her recovery and, more importantly, that she wasn’t overexerting herself.

But, finally, their journey was almost at its end. The light at the end of the tunnel was within view and, beyond it, she could see trees. It took all she had to avoid running off with excitement to try and see the world outside once more. But the last thing she wanted to do was look childish again in front of--

“Eeeeeee!” Korgron said before running off ahead, past them. “Last one out is a grubby squashthorn!”

“What in the world is a squashthorn?” Bauteut asked before looking to Searle.

“I have no idea,” he said. “Joan?”

“A type of leech,” Joan said. Well, she supposed if one of the chosen did it, it was okay for her to as well. She started running ahead, a wide grin forming on her lips.

“Joan, don’t over exert yourself,” Bauteut called after her.

“Oh, let her have a little fun,” Isla said with a light chuckle. “You’re not her mother. Wait, are you?”

Joan didn’t manage to catch the response to that, as she was already running down the tunnel and, within a few moments, out of the caves and into the wide, open world. Fresh air washed over her and the sun, high above, was almost blinding. Bit by bit her eyes adjusted then she could see the world once more.

The vast valley, surrounded on all but one side by mountains. The swamplands that dominated the east, the only other entrance into the valley. The forest that made up the majority of the southern and western part of the valley.

But, most impressive of all, the city of Kazora. Opposite them, about a day’s travel or so to the north. Maybe more, maybe less, she’d never actually walked there from here. She knew the city, once the center of a vast empire and now all that remained of it, had seen far better days. She knew many of the stone structures had long since collapsed, but from here she couldn’t see that.

Despite knowing it wouldn’t be as delightful to see up close, from here it almost looked like a utopia. A bastion of life and civilization. Thousands of demons all living in a single city that, despite everything that had happened, was still willing to, somewhat, work besides humans.

“It’s not going to be easy, Joan,” Korgron said.

“I know that,” Joan said. “But we’ll save the world. Together.”

“Oh, no, not that,” Korgron said with a roll of her eyes. “THAT is going to be easy compared to what’s coming.”

“Huh?” Joan asked.

“The heirs are returning,” she said, the smile slowly fading from her face. “That means one thing and one thing only.”

Joan gulped. “What?”

“Celebrations. I do hope you’re ready to deal with politics,” Korgron said.

Joan shuddered and almost agreed with her. However, memories of the last time she’d tried to do anything but deal with politics she had almost been eaten by a werewolf. “You know what? I think, for once, politics sounds almost fun.” At least it couldn’t be any more dangerous than werewolves.

Wait. She wondered if that thought jinxed her? Ugh. It could be every bit as dangerous as werewolves. Likely would as well.

MelodyAvant

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