With the illusions created by Deja and Kadir, plus my own, we stayed hidden. To the outside observer, the edge of the forest looked the same as it always had. The wind blew the leaves, birds sang in the trees, and small animals jumped around the exposed roots. In reality, the druids had formed a base camp in full view of the mountains.

While we waited for the other druid groups to arrive, we kept hourly watches. The others weren’t comfortable letting Bagheera keep watch, but he didn’t complain. I didn’t fight for it either. If they didn’t trust him, that was fine. All they had to do was keep him safe.

During my watch, I noticed an increased number of harska outside the fortress. When we first arrived at the mountain fortress, there were a few guards. But now the number had tripled. Bandits also joined the harska in their patrols. They made no attempt to hide. It could have been a show of force, or it could have been a warning for us.

Did Gunner know I had betrayed him? Had he hurt Nia and Greenspring during my absence? I didn’t know. Each time I started my watch, I tried to look for any hint of their safety. If they weren’t safe, I knew I wouldn’t know until I got inside, but I needed to look for any sign of hope. Getting depressed would be like giving up before the battle even started.

We didn’t receive a message from Greenspring telling us he was safe, but we also didn’t tell him we were outside the fortress. We didn’t want to risk Gunner finding out about us before we were ready. I had also forgotten to ask Greenspring to redo his communication spell. Either way, worrying about it wouldn’t help anyone.

We spent two nights waiting for the other druids. Waiting for each group to arrive on time, and panicking when one or two were late, wasn’t good for my health. To stay sane, I started running laps around the camp. At first, there wasn’t a lot of camp to run around, but as more groups arrived it quickly grew in size. Bagheera joined me on a couple of those runs. I think he was as nervous as I was.

“Can you do it?” I asked while we were getting some water from the river. We had to walk further down the river to avoid being seen, but it wasn’t much different from running around the camp.

He stopped filling his waterskin. “I know that Gunner shouldn’t rule, but he is my king. It was comforting to know he would lead us to a golden age. When that never arrived, I became bitter. Maybe Princess won’t be better, but Gunner can’t rule anymore.”

We didn’t talk for the rest of that day and into the night. I stayed awake on that final night thinking about Beth. It had been some time since I had sent her a letter. Had she moved on? Assumed that I was dead? Part of me hoped she hadn’t moved on and still missed me. The other wanted her to be happy, even if it was with another. Was it selfish to want either?

I made her a promise. Unlike Zadona, our childhood friend who abandoned us, I would come home. I would bring back Henry and Arienne. If she still believed in me, then I needed to believe in her.

The last group arrived early in the morning. Fog drifted in from the south, leaving a layer of dew on every surface. It hid the top of the mountains from view. A small glowing circle was the only evidence morning had arrived. Everyone welcomed the final group with open arms, but I couldn’t. Their arrival marked the beginning of the end—the start of our assault on the harska fortress.

Standing around a fallen oak tree, we convened hours after the final group arrived. Bagheera stood at the head of the tree, or I guess you could call it a table, informing the others about the fortress. He spoke about its defenses, the size of Gunner’s forces, and the entrances and exits into the fortress.

Kadir raised his hand. “Where will Gunner be?”

“His throne room is located in the center of the fortress, deep underground. It will be heavily guarded the second he knows we are here.”

“What if he doesn’t? What if we send a small group in and take him out?” asked another druid.

Bagheera stretched his claws. “That might work, but it’s just as likely they get caught and we lose the element of surprise.”

I sighed. “We might have already lost that.” Everyone turned to look at me. “The bandit in Bredon knew I was betraying Gunner. How do we know he’s the only one? You’ve seen their patrols, Bagheera. They’ve grown larger.”

“True,” replied Bagheera. “But we can’t assume we’ve lost either.”

Khristi smacked her hand on the tree. “It doesn’t matter whether he knows we’re here or not. We have a mission, save Greenspring. He’s still alive and in trouble. If we focus on that, we can’t lose.”

“What about my friends? My family? What about their safety?” I asked, tears forming in my eyes.

“Greenspring is the priority,” replied Khristi, her gaze unwavering. “But I won’t abandon the lives of others. Once Greenspring is safe, we can focus on the others.”

We decided to stay in our groups during the attack. The majority of our forces would attack all at once, while others acted as rescue teams. Khristi, Bagheera, Deja, and Kadir readied themselves. Each of us gathered the bare essentials we needed to take inside. Our mission was to rescue Greenspring and take out Gunner. If needed, we would kill him.

Before we left, I sat down on the ground and pulled my hidden knife out of my boot. The handle was made of wood and painted black. Given to me by my father, the silver knife had only known death once. I could still see blood dripping off the tip when I closed my eyes. Shaking my head, I slipped it into my belt. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to save my family, but I didn’t want to kill anymore. Not anymore.

We decided to go around the back of the fortress. Hidden under the roots of a large tree was a secret entrance. I had used the entrance plenty of times while I was working for Gunner. There was no doubt in my mind that it was the quickest way to Greenspring. Assuming that he was still in my room.

As the entrance to the hidden tunnel came into view, my heart stopped. Leaning against the tree was Damian. His tail waved anxiously, the kink in his tail making it obvious it was him. Like Bagheera, his fur was pitch black. His yellow eyes scanned the countryside, looking for something or someone.

Deja stepped forward. She stretched her hands, her owl mimicking the action with its wings. I pulled her back, shaking my head when she looked at me angrily. While I was busy dealing with Deja, Bagheera walked out into the open. Damian’s eyes focused on Bagheera, the two like brothers with how much they looked alike.

“Where’s Norman?” asked Damian, looking past Bagheera toward where we were waiting.

“Damian, you don’t need to serve him,” replied Bagheera.

Damian frowned. “It’s like that then? Where’s Norman?”

“He’s gone. You should leave too. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Hurt me?” asked Damian. He took a step back and popped his claws out. “Do you really think you can?”

Bagheera walked forward, closing the gap. “Gunner can’t be king anymore. We have to stop this. He’s going to cause the death of us, the death of all harska. You know that as much as I do.”

“What happened to you? You were a great warrior, a champion amongst harska. What did that bard say to you? Is this one of his tricks, some kind of magic? Don’t step any closer!”

Bagheera didn’t stop. With his back to the tree, Damian couldn’t back up any further. His eyes were wide, his pupils thin. In their reflection, I could tell Bagheera’s eyes were the same. Both of their ears were pulled back, their fur standing straight up. Their claws were out, ready for a fight at any moment.

Before I could tell what was happening, they both moved into action. Damian struck first, his claws slashing at Bagheera’s neck. Due to his hurt leg, Bagheera had trouble dodging but was able to avoid an even worse injury. Slashing at Damian’s stomach, Bagheera was able to push the other harska back. They continued to trade blows before I recovered from my shock.

Rushing forward, I tried to kick Damian in the side. “No!” yelled Bagheera, but it was too late. Damian looked up at me and jumped toward my face. He would have removed an eye had it not been for Deja’s owl. It flew through the air and used its own sharp claws to pull Damian back. The two of us lost balance, falling onto the ground.

I felt something pulling on my shirt. Behind me, Kadir’s penguin used its beak to pull me away from the fight. Behind it, I could see Deja and Kadir commanding their animal companions. Holding hands, they began casting some kind of spell. Their free hands waved in the air wildly, unlike anything I had seen before. Even though I had traveled with Greenspring for a bit, I hadn’t seen him use magic like that.

Damian rolled into his fall, recovering quickly. Before he was on his feet, Bagheera rushed forward. Instead of using his claws, he punched Damian in the face. It wasn’t strong enough to knock Damian down, but it did disorient him. That was enough to give Bagheera time for another hit. Left hook, right straight, each blow sending blood flying.

There wasn’t anything Damian could do but cover his face with his arms. I had never seen Bagheera move that quickly, nor had I seen a harska who didn’t use their claws. Once I was pulled out of danger, Kadir’s penguin turned toward the harska and squawked. Deja’s owl turned around in the air and approached the harska.

With nowhere to run and no way to avoid Bagheera’s punches, Damian became desperate. He dropped low to the ground, causing Bagheera to lose balance. Bagheera fell forward. He landed on the ground, crying out in pain. Deja’s owl missed its first attack, flying back up into the air to try again. Damian’s yellow eyes filled with anger, and turned toward me.

I stood up, knife now in hand. Damian charged toward me. His teeth were bared, saliva and blood flying through the air behind him. His face was already starting to welt up. Gripping the knife in my hand, I could taste iron in my spit. My toes curled, digging into my boots. Breathing became hard as my heart attempted to break through my chest.

There was no Beth, no Henry, no Nia, Greenspring, Arienne, Ma, Pop, druids, or Bagheera. Behind the mountain, all I could think about was the crazed harska running toward me. I pulled my arm back, still pointing the knife toward Damian. Visions of my training with Nia flashed through my head.

With a practiced step, I moved forward. My heart rate tripled. It wasn’t like stabbing the mayor of Freeriver or practicing fighting with Nia. This was a real fight.

I dropped the knife. Not out of fear, I wasn’t scared of dying at that moment. As Damian ran toward me, I saw Louis Korpi. His eyes were empty sockets, his skin rotting. I couldn’t do it again, I couldn’t kill him again.

Of course, Damian saw the knife coming before I even drew my arm back. But that didn’t stop him from running toward me. Noticing the silver knife fall to the ground, he grinned. He should have been able to close the distance and tear out my throat, but he didn’t. Instead of running at me, Damian seemed to slip into the ground. Faster than he could react, his legs sank into the earth.

Confused, he tried to pull his legs out, but it was too late. His body was covered by dirt, only his head poking out from the ground. He struggled, yelling something in a language I didn’t understand. Falling to my knees, I looked up at the druids who were grinning from ear to ear.

“Thanks for being the distraction, Norman,” said Deja. “We didn’t want to catch your friend in the pitfall.”

“Pitfall?” I asked, glancing at Damian.

“Quicksand, to be precise,” replied Kadir. “He’ll be stuck there for a few hours. Come on, we need to move.”

I couldn’t stand up. “I failed.”

Deja grabbed my shoulder. “You haven’t failed yet, come on, we still need to rescue Greenspring.”

“Traitor!” yelled Damian. “You and the bard will hang for your-”

Bagheera wrapped a cloth around Damian’s mouth. Staring mournfully at his former friend, Bagheera gestured toward the tree. “Enter through the roots, I’ll follow once it’s safe.”

“I’m not leaving you!” I yelled, still overwhelmed by my emotions. “I won’t leave anyone behind.”

Bagheera smiled, sitting down next to Damian’s exposed head. “You aren’t. Find your brother, save your friends. Leave no one behind, not even him.”

I nodded, wiping the tears off my face. As much as I hated Gunner, I knew I couldn’t kill him. Damian had proved that to me. Even picking my knife off the ground was a monumental task. Gripping the handle, I thought of Pop. He didn’t raise a killer.

“I’ll save him for you, stay safe.”

We left Bagheera up on the surface to watch Damian. Part of me was glad that I hadn’t killed Damian. The harska needed someone like Damian to help them change. Someone strong who would fight for them. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I knew they needed someone like Gunner too. Someone who could give them hope.

Crawling through the tunnel, Deja and Kadir behind me, I could hear the chaos deep below the mountain. The sound of metal scraping against stone and rushed footsteps echoed around me. Calls to arms in a language I didn’t understand could clearly be heard. If I focused enough, I could even smell smoke. I hurried my pace.

We emerged from the tunnel into total darkness. Harska had little problem seeing in the dark. While Deja enveloped her owl in a magical light, I used the same magic on my boots. Waving my hand over them, I clicked my tongue three times in varying frequencies. My light was dimmer than Deja’s, but I didn’t mind. It would be enough for exploring the halls.

While I had some idea of where to go, I hadn’t explored the fortress fully. Bagheera was supposed to lead us straight to Gunner’s chambers after rescuing Greenspring. It was possible he would be in the throne room, but Bagheera didn’t think so. He thought Gunner would hide and lead from the shadows. I didn’t think Gunner was that type of ruler, but I hadn’t argued with Bagheera.

As we came to the end of the hallway, we came to a three-way crossroads. From my time in the fortress, I knew my room was to the right. Gunner’s throne room was somewhere along the left path. I had never gone straight after getting out of the tunnel. Holding my breath, I listened for any signs of combat. It was impossible to tell where the sounds we had heard were coming from. They seemed to bounce off the walls, coming from all around us.

Deja tapped my shoulder. “Which way?”

“I’m not sure,” I said, glancing down the right toward my room. Nia and Greenspring would be a great help, but Princess was in danger. If Gunner thought the druid army was here for her, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. Taking care of Gunner would solve that problem, but we weren’t sure where he was.

I pointed down the right hallway. “My room is this way. If we’re lucky, Greenspring will still be there.”

“What about Gunner?” asked Kadir. “The other druids can help Greenspring.”

“Without Bagheera, our chances of taking Gunner down are slim. Nia and Greenspring can help us find Princess. We have to take a gamble and find them first.”

Deja’s owl flew down the path, lighting the hallway in white light. “Lead the way,” said Deja, smiling.

My room wasn’t far from the secret tunnel, but I was still worried we were going to run into harska forces. Specifically, the guard who had been assigned to watch my room. Having light to see where to go was handy, but it also put a spotlight on where we were. I hoped the fighting toward the surface was enough to keep everyone busy.

With Deja’s owl on my shoulder, we turned the final corner. The light illuminated the stone hallway, revealing roots and dirt breaking through. Doors leading to other harska’s rooms lined the walls. Three doors down from us on the right side was my own room. I felt my stomach turn as I stared into the eyes of an angry harska. He held a polearm at the ready, glaring at us from across the hallway.

“Not another step, traitor. I’m going to–”

Before he could finish talking, Nia kicked down the door. Quick as ever, she grabbed the harska’s head and slammed him into the wall. The metal helmet he wore didn’t seem to help as he fell unconscious. Metal banging against stone echoed through the hall. Stepping out of the room behind Nia was Greenspring. 

He looked younger than ever before, wearing nothing other than a grass skirt. Hanging from his neck, his wooden wolf necklace glimmered in the light. His muscles were huge, rivaling even Nia’s. I had seen his muscles before, and they hadn’t looked like that.

Even Nia looked stronger than usual. She wore her normal clothes made for warmer weather, but her biceps stretched the sleeves of her shirt. Her legs were huge, bigger than my head. I could hardly believe they were the same Nia and Greenspring I had traveled with. But there they were, grinning from ear to ear.

“Norman!” said Nia, running toward me. Deja and Kadir almost turned and ran. Had they not recognized Greenspring, they might have. I expected Nia to hug me, or even punch me for leaving them for so long, instead, she ran past the three of us. She waved her hand, gesturing for us to follow her. Greenspring gave me a quick pat on the back as he ran past me as well. Slightly disappointed, I followed.

“We need to find Tamara,” yelled Nia. My ears rang as her voice reverberated off the walls.

“Shhh! We can’t give ourselves away so early,” I said. Nia seemed to be sprinting through the halls. I was having trouble keeping pace.

“She can not help it. It’s a side-effect of the spell,” replied Greenspring. He too talked louder than usual. Not as loud as Nia, but enough to make me nervous.

I snapped my head back toward my room. “Where’s Arienne?”

“Ahead!” yelled Nia. “She’s with Princess.”

“Princess? What? How? How did you guys get so big?”

Kadir caught up to me. “Druids are keepers of life. They know everything about their animal totems, including how to use their abilities. Nia and Greenspring have the spirit of the wolf. I’m honored I get to witness such a spectacle.”

“Truly amazing,” said Deja, her face shining.

I had to admit, I was a bit jealous. But I understood out of everyone in our tiny group, Nia and Greenspring were the most eager to fight. They had worked under Gunner for months without a break. Unlike me, who was treated nicely once I did a couple of jobs. Greenspring seemed to notice my mood, stopping before placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Would you like me to cast it on you?” he asked, his voice shattering my eardrums.

I shook my head. “I’m good. If I yelled like that, I would lose my voice.”

Nia laughed. “Can’t have that, that’s why we keep you around.”

“We need to find Gunner,” said Kadir.

Greenspring shook his head. “Not yet, we need to make sure Princess is safe.”

Barrelling down the hallway, Greenspring led the way. I trusted he knew where she was, but I was still nervous about how loud we were. As if they could read my mind, Deja and Kadir used their animals to scout down each hall. Most of the bandits and harska were fighting near the surface, so we didn’t meet much resistance. 

Everyone left was easily dealt with by Nia. She was like a walking battering ram. Charging down the halls, she smashed through doors and past barricades. Wooden chairs and broken furniture piled high to block invaders turned to splinters.

Greenspring cleared the rest of the debris. Unlike Nia, who ran like she normally did, Greenspring ran on all fours. Instead of punching or kicking, he jumped onto anyone in our way and bit their neck. It was like he was feral. Watching him act like the wolves he was chosen to watch over made me feel sick. Kadir and Deja cheered him on.

We must have smashed through forty doors before we finally found the pit where Princess was kept. Guards stood around it, wearing wooden armor and armed with bent wooden spears. I was surprised they weren’t wearing metal armor like the other guards I had seen recently. They looked at us, glanced at each other, and then ran out of the room. I thought about following but decided against it. Everyone probably knew we were here based on how loud we were.

Deja’s owl, still covered in bright light, flew down into the pit. While it did, I found a rope and got ready to throw it down. Even if Princess wasn’t down there, we had to save the others. If there were any more harska down there, they could lead us through the fortress. While finding Gunner first would have been nice, I was glad we had come to the pit. Nobody deserved to be stuck down there, except the Rebel King himself.

“It’s Greenspring, we’re here to rescue you,” Greenspring called into the pit.

From the darkness of the pit, I could hear faint cheering. It was still too dark to see, but I took it as a good sign. “Watch out below!” I yelled, throwing down the rope. After a bit, I could feel the rope grow heavier as more and more people began to climb. Kadir helped me pull them up. Hands gripped the edge of the pit, their fingernails covered in thick grime. As we pulled them over the edge, they started to cough.

I held my breath as the smell hit my nose. It seemed to overpower the senses and dry out your eyes. Kadir couldn’t help but cover his nose, coughing into his hand. The person we pulled up crawled toward the wall. We threw the rope down again before helping the next person. Behind me, I could hear Nia tapping her foot against the stone floor.

“Go on ahead,” I said to her. “We’ll catch up.”

Nia shook her head, grabbing the rope. “Not again. We’re finishing this together.”

This time we pulled up a harska with orange fur. Of course, it was difficult to tell with the amount of straw covering them. They seemed to be in better shape than the other person, though they seemed smaller than other harska I had seen. After taking a couple of deep breaths, they took a spot at the end of the rope.

“Thanks, Poppy,” they said, smiling.

“Poppy?”

Greenspring laughed. “Your daughter was quite the help, Norman. Meet Carrot, or should I say, Arienne Benson.”

Arienne grabbed my hand, revealing herself. Her brown hair was tied in a tight bun, her clothes still covered in straw. “I wanted to help,” she said. “So Nia made me into a cat.”

“Harska,” corrected Deja, helping another harska up.

“Sorry, Norman, but we were too big to look like harska,” said Nia. “We assumed bandits wouldn’t be as free to explore the fortress as we first thought, so we gave up on that plan. That was when Arienne came up with a new one.”

Arienne nodded. “I would be a cat and find their stuff. That way I could be a helper, just like you!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Beth would kill me if she knew, but I didn’t care at that moment. All I felt was my heart swelling with pride. “That’s my girl! But how did you find everything?”

“It wasn’t that hard, I just asked.”

Shaking my head, I turned back toward the pit. “Alright. Good work.”

In no time at all, we pulled up five more. Two harska, one dwarf, an elf, and a human. Some were in worse conditions than others, but those that could help did. They used the last of their strength to help their fellow prisoners up. Others sat at the edge of the room, either passing out or watching nervously.

While we worked, Greenspring and Deja scouted out the nearby area. Gunner’s throne room wasn’t close, but it was possible he was hiding nearby. That theory was proven wrong when the two druids came back empty-handed. I was starting to feel nervous. The longer we helped here, the greater the chance Gunner could escape. He was the only one who knew where Henry and Tamara were. Arienne hadn’t been able to find them while she looked for the other’s belongings.

Deja put her hand over mine, pushing me out of the way. “Go,” she said, her expression serious. “Find the king.”

“But we don’t know where he is?”

One of the harska we rescued from the pit coughed. “The throne room,” they said. “Look in the throne room.”

That was obvious, but I knew better than to argue with them. I looked down at Arienne. “Do you know where that is?”

She smiled. “The room with the big chair? Of course!”

Grasping her shoulder, I smiled. “Lead the way.”