Blū walked under an archway in the temple wall—a wall as tall as two men and about as thick as one. He strolled into the fields, watching the wind sweep across the grass of the hills and mountains. It gave his mind some peace, a garden for his thoughts. As the breeze passed him, it reminded him how alive the world around him was.

  While scanning the area, Blū spotted Oy, standing still with his arms crossed, watching something intently.

  “Given the time of day, I’d expect you to be training,” Blū said.

  Oy looked away from whatever had caught his gaze and smiled as Blū approached.

  “Can’t keep my schedule too consistent. You might copy it and manage to catch up to me.”

  “You think I’m not stronger than you already?”

  As annoying as he could be to live with, Blū always felt a deep-rooted warmth when around Oy. If he had to name their bond, he thought brothers suited them best—and he hoped Oy would agree. He’d always avoided asking.

  Stepping beside the muscular man, Blū decided he’d like to know what had caught his attention. He felt conflicted when he saw it.

  Atop the hill, bathed in a serene light, Yig sat with legs crossed, meditating in what seemed like absolute tranquility.

  “How long has he been up there?” Blū asked.

  “Not sure. Do you know the time?”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “I think it said noon when I passed the kitchen clock.”

  “Then I’d say… perhaps an hour. Maybe more.”

  Blū chuckled to himself. “You should tell the Stearna girl how you did that. She’d probably pay good coin to know.”

  They smiled with amusement—right up until their auras jolted at the sudden sense of another presence.

  Like a phantom, an aura appeared behind them—its emotion sharp and aggressive.

  They turned, ready for a threat, only to realize it was Sil. And the moment they recognized her, they both felt like kicking themselves for not guessing it sooner.

  “Jumpy, aren’t we?” Sil said, grinning with irritating delight.

  “It’s dangerous to appear with such a presence around people like us,” Oy said, clearly feeling foolish.

  “My apologies,” she replied with a touch of sarcasm. “Aura often acts like that when you’ve been in battle.”

  “You got attacked?”

  “By whom?”

  “Some disgruntled guards I ran into a couple nights ago.”

  “On what charge?” Blū asked.

  “None. Just threats. They didn’t like that I’d mentioned Chestnut Town to them before.”

  “Yig’s hometown?”

  “Yeah. Some of the guards journeyed there months ago—assumedly to do there what they did to Furgen.”

  “Did you get any hints about his family’s whereabouts?” Oy asked.

  “No. But I was careless. If I wait a few hours and go snooping around again, I’ll make sure to stay out of the guards’ sight.”

  “If you wait till evening, there’ll be no need for stealth,” a voice called from higher ground.

  Standing atop a nearby hill was Silver, holding a wooden box to feast from. Nil soon came into view, seated beside his former master.

  “He’s right,” Oy added. “The guards wouldn’t dare trouble the people during the festival.”

  Blū nodded in agreement.

  “If they upset the crowds tonight,” Silver continued, “the people will carry resentment into the following year—only giving them a chance at redemption during the next Pink Holly Festival.”

  “Well then,” Sil said, clearly pleased by the news. “Tonight, we’ll go snooping.”