“How certain are you that Leaf was able to track them?” Leon inquired, his voice echoing from behind his helmet’s mask. The Black Cloak was leaned against The Wandering Fowl’s door frame, the shadows of Redhaven’s poorly lit streets making him almost invisible.

Helbram sighed as he slipped his own helmet on, producing a mist that seeped through its visor, “As sure as the air is cold. The man has been a tracker since he was a child. If anyone was able to do it, it would be him.”

Leon nodded and turned to Ren, who had slipped on his own hood. Instead of a helmet, it instead produced a cloth mask that covered both his nose and mouth. The Cleric’s eyes were weary, but there was an ease to his posture that suggested such tiredness was second nature to him. He tapped his staff against the ground, flaring the crystal at its tip with a dull white light.

“How are you faring?” Leon asked.

“I’ll be fine,” Ren said, “I may choose to sleep for a few days after this is all over, but let’s not get preoccupied with future plans, shall we?” He turned to the tavern doors as they opened, studying the figures of Elly and Jahora as they emerged. Both were in their robes, but the Weaver’s were tied tighter to her limbs, granting her less restrictions to movement. Ren’s eyes lingered on Jahora, who only met his gaze and gave him a nod.  

It had only been half an hour since the Mage had woken up, but there were no objections to following after Leaf as soon as possible. Beyond the occasional wince that betrayed some measure of pain, Jahora kept a stoic expression as best she could, though Helbram knew that she was only going to grow more anxious by the moment.

They all were.

“Right then, everyone gather round me,” Ren said as he raised his staff.

Helbram’s party formed up around the Cleric, who twirled the staff with a flick of his wrist. The crystal at its top suffused with a soft golden glow as he closed his eyes, summoning a symbol of similar colored light at the center of his forehead; that of a singular eye with four rings around its pupil.

The Stigmata of The Watcher.

“Fourth Circle…” Helbram mused, “we truly are fortunate to have you.”

Ren spared a small smile, “My thanks, though I am lacking in many ways, as evidenced by our current state of affairs,” his brow furrowed, “It will be enough for what is to come. This I swear.”

As he finished speaking, light pulsed from his staff and washed over them. As it spread across Helbram’s armor, he could feel relief flood through both body and mind. His focus remained, refined further in the absence of fatigue. He could feel his shoulders relax, and from the way that his companions rolled their arms and necks they had most likely experienced the same sensation.

“That should keep us all going for a while,” Ren said, the weariness was gone from his face, replaced instead by a grim determination, “We should move.”

The group shared a nod before breaking into a run through the town’s streets. Helbram’s steps were light as he dashed across down the packed dirt roads. His whole body was, no doubt due to Ren’s spell, but it afforded him with a speed that he knew he would not be capable of on his own. Not without winding himself, that is. He was aware that Leon and Ren were most likely capable of greater speeds, but the Black Cloaks allow Helbram to lead them. He was the one that was most familiar with the trail that Leaf would have left with them, and it was the best way to ensure the party did not split in their haste.

To face Erik and Cora, they needed all hands.

Little was said between everyone as they arrived at Jorge’s farm. The house itself was bereft of any light, its owner most likely trying to avoid any undue attention that could be directed his way. The group slipped into the farm’s fields and made their way over to the edge where Aria was taken. As they approached, Helbram spared a glance at Jahora. Their sprint through Redhaven had not winded the Mage, and she kept a still posture even as they approached the area where she lay dying earlier that day. He looked away from her and towards the trees, focusing his attention towards their trunks. Eventually, his eyes spotted a triangle that was carved above a square. Two of the triangle’s sides were longer than the third, making it clear that it was pointing further into the forest.

“The direction is easy to understand, at least,” Ren observed as he knelt down to inspect the symbol itself, “but what does the square mean?”

“The starting point,” Helbram explained, “in case we need to circle back to the beginning.”

“I see, well I shall leave it to you,” The Cleric tapped his forehead, “I’ll keep an eye out around us.”

“Understood, let us b-”

“Hold,” Leon held his hand out, “we are being watched.”

The Black Cloak pointed towards the forest bushes, “It’s pointless to hide, reveal yourselves.”

There was a moment’s pause before two figures emerged from behind the hedges. A teenage boy and girl. Helbram recognized them as the two that were present when Aria was kidnapped. Given where they stood, it was easy to guess that they were Aria’s siblings.

“Are you going after her?” the sister asked. He was surprised to hear the concern in her voice.

Helbram shared a look with the others before stepping towards them, “We are.”

“You have to save her,” the brother said in earnest, “she doesn’t deserve this… didn’t deserve any of this,” his eyes drifted to the ground as he spoke and Helbram could see tears fall to the boy’s feet.

The sister stepped forward, “We have no right to urge you like this, but please…” her eyes started to well, “she’s been thro-... we’ve put her through enough. Please save her.”

Before Helbram could speak, Jahora stepped towards them.

“We will,” she said as she pat the girl on the arm, “that was a brave thing that you did back then. If you hadn’t stalled them we would not know where to look,” Though Helbram could barely see his companion’s face in the darkness, he could tell that she flashed the siblings a smile, “take heart in that, and wait for us to return,” her voice shifted to a stern tone as she finished speaking, and the two stepped back as they understood her message.

Jahora turned back to the group, “We should move.”

Helbram gave her a firm nod and turned back to the trees before breaking into a run. He kept a moderate, but steady pace as he led the group, his eyes searching the trees for any further carvings. After about a few hundred paces, he spotted another one, carved at the same level as the first one. Instead of a square, however, the triangle now sat on top of a circle.

“What does a circle mean?” Ren inquired.

Helbram tapped the symbol, “It is meant to represent the surrounding area. In this case it is blank, which means that it is considered safe, or it was at the time that this mark was made,” he stood up and faced where the carving was pointing.

“Interesting… let us hope that the trail remains as such.”

“Agreed.”

The group picked up their pace again, following each symbol that they came across, the distance between them relatively the same overall. They eventually fell into a comfortable enough rhythm that their stops only took moments, and with the aid of The Watcher’s blessing it was enough for Helbram to catch his breath. Through all of this he kept an eye on Jahora, who did not show any further signs of pain. He could only hope that it was the truth and not his companion putting on a brave front.

“Jahora, can you spare any more details about their capabilities?” Leon asked as they stopped at another symbol.

The Mage rubbed her chin, “Beyond an initial understanding, there is not much I can say. Cora appears to prefer magicks that manipulate earth, most notably stone. I would say that she specializes in manipulating Puppets, as she was in control of at least one when she faced us.”

“Four,” Ren corrected, “Three of them ambushed us at the edge of Redhaven.”

“Enough to distract us,” Leon said, “which I assume was the point. From what your companions have told us, she is at least a Mage of the Fifth Circle, correct?”

Jahora nodded, “Yes, but as formidable as her magic is, I believe Erik’s abilities are the more pressing concern,” she sighed, “his ability to render magics, possibly anything, invisible makes combating the two of them… difficult to say the least.”

“Yes,” Ren admitted in a bitter voice, “abilities potent enough to evade the gaze of Velendel… or perhaps The Watcher has granted his gifts to the wrong person,” he shook his head, “but we will have enough time for self loathing later, we should be off.”

They went on the pursuit again, following Leaf’s trail for another hour in silence as they focused on maintaining their pace. Helbram did not possess the grace that Leaf did when it came to navigating the forest, charging through branches and brush alike and no doubt leaving an easily followable trail of his own, but grace was not his concern.

Haste was.

He could feel his body grow hotter as they ran, enough for him to ignore the bite of Winter as clumps of snow fell from the trees. To his relief, Ren’s spell also granted him the boon of enhanced vision. It was enough to be able to spot Leaf’s markings even as the darkness of night started to settle in, and to avoid any obstacles that he may have run into otherwise. As they pushed deeper into the woods, Helbram could feel something strange.

It was getting colder.

Not in the way that it would from staying out in the snow for too long, but in such a way that every step seemed to bring more bumps across skin, every breath bringing a thicker fog from his lips. Leaf’s markings remained the same, but Helbram could not help feel dread at where they were pointing.

Deeper, towards the cold.

The party stopped again, taking a longer break at one of Leaf’s symbols. The change in temperature had made Helbram’s body feel heavier, even with the aid of Ren’s spell, and from the way that everyone leaned against the forest foliage he could tell it was affecting everyone else as well.

“Has the seal broken?” Leon asked Ren. His voice was terse, but an edge of urgency lined it.

The Cleric shook his head, “Not yet, but given the cold around us it is weakening, and fast.”

“I see…”

Helbram looked away from Leaf’s carving and towards Leon. Though he could not read the Black Cloak’s expression behind his helmet, there was a resignation to the man’s tone that made the warrior’s hand rest on his sword’s handle.

“We need a battle plan,” Helbram suggested, “Though we have superior numbers, combating invisible magics will prove difficult.”

“Agreed,” Ren said, “The obvious course would be to separate the two so their magicks cannot be used in tandem, but how to do so is another matter…”

“Our party will handle Cora,” Elly said, “you two can focus on Erik.”

“Are you sure that is wise?” Leon asked, “Though you will face her four to one she is of the Fifth Circle, and her Puppets will tip the odds in her favor. Having two of you with one of us may prove to be more prudent.”

“What we lack in power we shall make up for in versatility,” Elly countered, “We may not be able to defeat her outright, but we should be able to hold her attention long enough for you two to deal with Erik. The quicker we incapacitate him the less likely he will be able to provide any aid to Cora, and then you can assist us against her.”

Jahora said nothing, but from her firm gaze Helbram could tell the Mage was planning to do far more than hold Cora’s attention. The slight tremble in Elly’s clenched fist told him that the Weaver was of the same mind, but she did not let it show on her face.

Leon met her gaze for a moment, then nodded, “We shall follow that plan, but it is dependent on the state of Leaf when we meet him.”

“Fair,” Helbram said, “then let us be off.”

The trail became easier to follow as they set off again, for Leaf’s symbols kept directing them deeper into the cold. As they progressed, however, they started to slow their pace and kept an eye out for their tracker. The spacing of his markings grew tighter, which suggested that they were getting closer, but The Cold had broken through Ren’s spell and Helbram could start to feel his skin grow numb. He ignored the feeling and scanned the trees for any traces of his companion.

He heard the sound of voices first.

All of them did, and they looked to one another before slowing their pace drastically, attempting to move through the trees as silently as possible. The followed the voices into a forest clearing, where pale moonlight draped the flattened, snow filled ground.

Across Aria, who was at its center.

The girl was floating in the air, her arms crossed over her chest while her legs hung loosely just inches above the ground. Behind her was a woman, or rather, ice that had formed into the shape of a woman. Her hair was long, and she was adorned in a simple dress that contrasted from the snowflake that sprouted from her back. The ice’s fractals were ever expanding, a web that was starting to fold in on itself. Then he saw it, the shift in the woman’s arms, her hands slowly reaching out.

Moving towards Aria’s head.

Jahora pushed against Helbram, and though he saw the panic in his companion’s eyes she held herself back, for they could see the two that stood in front of Aria.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Cora said as she walked around the girl, “As expected of my Anastasia.”

“Seria,” Erik said, “That is not her name,” his voice was concerned, a far cry from the cold demeanor he expressed before.

“Ruined by this eyesore,” she spat, ignoring Erik’s words and pointing towards the air between Aria and the icy woman.

It was faint, but Helbram could see a golden symbol, its markings too complex to make out from a distance.

“Chains,” Cora growled, “how dare they put chains on my daughter.”

Erik walked up to her and grabbed her shoulder, “Seria!,” he yelled, “she is not-” his jaw clenched as he looked at Cora’s transfixed gaze, “we need to keep an eye out. The Black Cloaks will no doubt be searching for us and we cannot move her like this.”

Cora’s eyes refocused, “Yes, yes you’re right. We can’t let them take her away…” she wandered away from Erik, eyes scanning the ground as they grew vacant once again.

Erik looked at the woman with pity and shook his head, looking back at Aria with a sorrowful expression, “I’m sorry that it’s come to this.”

As the man spoke, Helbram felt a hand against his shoulder. He turned and saw Ren at his side, who was pointing towards trees at their side.

Towards Leaf, who was waving at them. The man’s eyes held a dark look to them, and when he saw that he had their attention his hand drifted down to his bow, which trembled in his grip.

Helbram met his friend’s eyes, understanding what he was feeling. He pointed towards Himself, Elly, and Jahora, then back to Leaf before directing Leaf’s attention to Cora. The archer gave him a slow nod and drew an arrow from his quiver.

When Helbram looked back to make sure the Black Cloaks were ready, he saw that Ren had prepared his staff, but that Leon’s gaze was fixated ahead, towards Aria. The Cleric noticed as well and tapped him on the shoulder. Leon stirred, and gripped his sword’s handle. Helbram turned back to Leaf, and gave the signal.

The archer was a blur as he moved, peeking from behind the tree and drawing his bow as far back as possible in one motion. Then as if all the wound up anger in him exploded at once, his arrow flared with red Ether before loosing it.

Striking Cora in the chest.

---

Author's Note: This is a bit of a "calm before the storm" chapter because the next few chapters are going to be something else, if it all goes according to plan in my head at least. I made the tracking part of this simplistic since I didn't want to get too bogged down with the details of that, and instead I wanted the trip to allow the character to strategize a bit before they encountered the enemy. It may come off as a bit redundant given all that the reader knows at this point, but I feel like setting the stage in terms of abilities and plans here will make what happens coming up more understandable overall. Of course, I still wanted to incorporate a few character beats as well, which is why we have the inclusion of Jori and Jon at the beginning and Cora, Erik and Aria at the end.

Let me know what you think! Did this chapter drag or do you think more time should have been spent on the tracking process? Till next time everyone :)