Fiona watched the sun set over the Dark Forest and the weight on her shoulder didn’t feel quite so monumental. Despite all of the papers she needed to read, the tests she wanted to run, the bijous she had to bind, and the endless supply of errands that was required before leaving town again, she relished the soft hues of red, gold, and blue as the sun dipped below the horizon. As she paused on the slopes high on Hill Haran, with a stomach full of food and her friends chatting happily nearby, she cherished the brief moment of serenity. 

Elayne and Alegra slowly wandered away from her, absorbed in their conversation as their new friendship flourished. The dinner together had been a rousing success, with both Elayne and Alegra mentioning how much they’d enjoyed having some downtime together. For two folk who had only met off-handedly at the Spoon, the famous slow cooked lamb of the Sumperington Inn had been the perfect way to bond, just like Fiona had planned. 

Organising more nights in the future would be a huge boon for her, compacting the amount of time she needed to spend to stay in touch with the both of them. More time for her research was always something she could do with.

With a hearty belting laugh, Alegra swatted Elayne lightly on her shoulder and whispered something next to her. They bounced in unison on the polished cobblestone road, giving Fiona only an occasional look back as they talked animatedly.  

“Don’t worry about me. Just enjoying the sunset.” Fiona waved Alegra away as she slowed down slightly. The crowd slowly filtered between them as the Haranfolk. High up on the hill, they’d made it to Highstep Street in relatively good time. They hadn’t made it to the Gardens before the sun had set, which was unfortunate, but they weren’t so far off. HighStep and the mercantile district led directly into the western half of the Hedge Gardens that dominated the top of Haran Hill. As they travelled in the dim glow of the street lanterns, the gentle glow of the shop fronts promised a huge variety of interesting goods for those who had an exorbitant amount of money.

Fiona’s eyes wandered in each window as she strolled, admiring the gleaming jewellery, shining armour, and tantalising magecraft calling to her. She could still see the House Estate sitting just above the treeline of the fast approaching Hedge Gardens and between the two-story shops that hugged the side of Highstep Street. No matter how she dawdled up the road, the Estate would disappear as she reached the end of Highstep and reached the hill’s summit.

Fiona readjusted her daypack’s straps as they dug into her shoulder and scanned the beautiful bay windows on her right. Her bag wasn’t overly heavy, filled only with her canteen and some warmer clothes. Even if she did want to go for a bit of a look in the shops, she had no need for any of their nonsense anyway. The jewellery was too gaudy for her and she needed neither the expensive armour nor the tacky inventions made from  mages who wasted their life away trying to make a half-interesting gadget for the Hifordfolk. That and she wasn’t able to afford any of them if she wanted all of the equipment she needed as well as food and water for her and her pets. 

Several metres ahead, Elayne and Alegra had made the choice to stop by the wayside but continued to giggle and carry on while they waited. Fiona increased her pace to join them, dodging through the other windowshoppers as she hurried to join her friends. 

As she rounded a gentle right turn, she began to hear Alegra telling some sweeping story about when she’d been halfway through a swamp on the west coast with the varieties of horrid leeches that inhabited them. She had lifted her shirt to show her waist and explained how the smaller leeches could get their suckers in between her scales if she wasn’t careful. 

“I ended up needing to strip completely and have Egor check me, tail, top, and taint for all of them. This reedy cub of a human, twenty years younger than me no less, was shaking like a leaf.”

Elayne worked hard to wheeze out breaths between her laughs, a far different reaction to what Fiona had given. She’d been mortified that Alegra had gone into the swamps on a whim to hunt for some semi-frozen frogs that lived at the murky bottom. Alegra had ignored any of her concerns and told her instead how the leeches could be used anyway.  

As they laughed, those who passed them by gave the two of them dirty looks but didn’t stay long. Alegra met their eyes as they went but happily whispered something to Elayne that made her cackle as she glared at a crotchety old man nearby. Fiona knew better than to caution Alegra. Better than to remind Alegra about how the top of the hill felt about oruks. Alegra knew damn well and simply refused to care.

Not that telling her was Fiona’s business anyway. Alegra had thrived in the human town for longer than Fiona had known her, working in the grey space that she inhabited between the Dark Forest and Weidenland proper. So many in town would bend over backwards to say hello to her whenever Fiona and she were together and several restaurants had even refused to let them pay when they’d gone for trips around the smaller towns that were dotted along the edge of the Dark Forest.  

What exactly Alegra did in her day to day life was still quite the mystery for Fiona but she knew better than to push the point. Working in the interest of the Dark Forest and its residents was the main idea and that meant a lot of meetings and work trips that left her tired and overworked. 

The sentiment had galvanised their friendship when Fiona had begun her life as an adventurer. Sure, her life was more grim and had little of the mystique that Alegra’s did but they were both overworked and looking forward to getting rich enough to retire. 

Fiona rolled her eyes and took Alegra’s lead for once. The Haranfolk hated anyone that wasn’t as miserable as they were and Alegra never let it dull her shine. Even the way she dressed spoke of her effortless joie de vivre. The layers upon layers of bright clothing wrapped loosely around her had endless patterns clashing against one another looping around her body. Along her arms, the cloth was pulled back to show the wealth of bracelets that clanged and jingled whenever she moved her arms and offered a matching busyness to the collection of large necklaces that adjourned her neck. Brightly coloured and exquisitely made, the necklaces rounded out the bohemian look that Alegra had chosen to present herself as.  

All of the colours worked beautifully with her green scales gleaming in the city lights as they began to dominate the dusk falling around them. The deep fern green of her scales denoted that she had lived for many decades, and further indicated just how old she must have been even if few other parts of who she was or how she acted did. 

Fiona could only hope she aged as gracefully. A few months ago, when they had last caught up, she had asked Alegra how she took care of herself so well and had received two rules that Alegra told her she simply must live by. 

First, focus only on the challenges she could resolve. Stressing too much was bad for the body and worrying about events that might never come to pass had never helped anyone. It was decent enough advice, if not somewhat oversimplified and arbitrary. 

Alegra’s second rule had been more galling, being her strict adherence to her scale and tail care routine. She had told Fiona that she had no idea how humans were meant to take care of their skin and hair but that she was confident her future self would thank her for it if she started caring for it as soon as possible.

A grin spread across Fiona’s face as she remembered telling Alegra that if her primary regret when she was older was that she hadn’t used enough skincare, then she had no right to be upset. Surviving was her main concern and the threat of being maimed or killed in her day-to-day life made skincare a low priority. Tomorrow, she wasn’t going to be worrying about her skincare as they rolled the dice yet again. 

Fiona fixed the pins in her hair and focussed instead on the lovely night she was having. They’d had dinner at some hole-in-the-wall restaurant that served big food and great wine. She was tipsy, she was with her friends, and kind of bloated. Thinking about the next day would be no help, just like Alegra had said.

The bloating was resolving itself at least, with the walk up the hill going a long way to help her digest. Once they found a spot to stop, they could have a bit of a rest and wait for the stars to come out on full display. 

“Ready to see some stars?” Fiona asked as she approached her two friends and found them both frozen mid-conversation as she arrived. The fact that Elayne wouldn’t look her in the eye was equally as suspicious as the mischievous twinkle Alegra had in her eye. Fiona wasted no time waiting for them to recoup and then ask her inane question, “What were you two talking about?”

“Elayne was just trying to convince me to join the Red Damnables.” Alegra responded, happily updating Fiona. 

“What?” Fiona let out a guffaw as she was caught by surprise, “Ahem, I mean, what an interesting idea.”

A flurry of emotion flashed across Elayne’s face as she tried to think of something to say. Her mouth opened slightly and she looked between Fiona and Alegra for assistance.

“Nice save, Fi.” Alegra teased, “She was just telling me about how your crew was a little light at the moment.”

“Oh,” Fiona nodded relieved, “Yeah, we’ve been pretty bare bones since we got back. But the contracts are coming fast and Harlea has had quite a few interviews over the month. It’s not easy but it's about finding the right people. We’re six at the moment, with the newbie.”

“Wait, what?” Elayne asked, suddenly finding her voice again.

“Oh, El.” Fiona lit up at the idea of being the one to tell Elayne, “Alwin, the kid from Garrond Cross, came to visit Harlea, begging him to join the Damnables.”

“He didn’t.” Elayne let out a high lilting laugh, “What did Harlea say? Surely not.”

Fiona shrugged, “Har gave him a shot. With conditions. The first one being that I got an apology. And he did. This morning he found me and gave me a whole spiel about how he’d shot his mouth off and that wasn’t behaviour expected of a Red Damnable.”

“Hilarious.” Elayne chuckled, “But he can’t come to Coalpass tomorrow.”

“No no,” Fiona followed up quickly, “Harlea is going to train him for a while. If he misses a single session or blows up once, he’s out.”

“Wise.” Elayne ducked around a group of people moving down the road as they began to walk towards the rapidly approaching Garden gates, “Having six of us would be helpful. Thank the Good Gods.”

Fiona couldn’t deny an extra set of hands was going to help. At least four for every out-of-town contract were the Board rules, which left her with little option but to join for every contract, whether she liked it or not. And that made skipping contracts like Coalpass impossible. 

A shiver ran down Fiona’s back and recoiled as she matched the walking pace of the other two. She reached into her bag and pulled out the jacket on top and worked it through the strap that went across her body. Once she got both arms in and pulled the jacket tight around her, the thick fabric kept the worst of the cool evening breeze off of her.  

Next came her mittens and she pulled them quickly over her hands, “So, Alegra, how is your broodmother going? The one who was under the weather.”

Alegra sucked air through her teeth and she scrunched up her face, “She’s getting older. She’s better for now but it’s all a bit up and down.”

“Oh no.” Fiona interjected with a frown, “Oh, I am sorry to hear. How old is she now?”

“Eighty three.” Alegra gave her a sympathetic smile, “She’s doing well given her age.” 

“Absolutely. Yeah, she’s lucky to have you.” Fiona offered but realised only afterwards how hollow her words sounded. 

Alegra mumbled back a thanks and a lull fell over the group for the first time in the night. Fiona felt somewhat culpable for it but could do nothing about it now. She would try and find a time to check in on Alegra before they left at the end of the night but there was plenty of time for stargazing before she needed to head to bed. 

Bed, Coalpass, and then she’d be off to her conference as soon as she returned. Running at the same time as the tournament, the Free Mage conference was a big deal and speaking there was a big win for her. 

Telling the organisers that she would present on the condition that she got to pick her own topic would have been wise but she didn’t want to rock the boat on the first opportunity that she got to present. 

Sure, she’d have to present about the utilisation of magic in war and, sure, she’d need to ignore the self-fellatiating assholes and reminisce about the good old days of the war but she’d get recognition after so many years of not being taken seriously. 

When she was able to rub elbows with the Housers and big names in the mage circles, she could sell them on her new research as she regaled them with the gruesome stories of her time as a Red Damnable. 

It meant she had very little time to plan and with her complete lack of progress recently, she would need to figure something out, fast. Fiona scowled at the folk passing her by and tried to change it to at least a grimace. Her poker face was something else she needed to practise if she was going to be visiting the House parties in a week or so. 

“And how is your research going, Fi?” Alegra asked her suddenly.

“Oh, yeah,” Fiona tried to at least fake being upbeat about her work, “It is going. I have made some progress on a theory of a new blend of sources with limestone runes using fire and botane with a new device. But more as a side project.”

She could see Elayne and Alegra’s eyes glaze over as she talked about it. Fiona tried to hide her disappointment, “I’m just working out the kinks. I am going to present at the conference at the Autumn Tournament in a couple weeks, about my new bijous.”

“Oh! Delightful, what will you be discussing?” Alegra pressed politely, despite her well-known distaste for the House tournaments.

Fiona’s brain reeled as she tried to think of what to say. The smoke wall wasn’t hers to claim, some mage in Mahenia had found a way to safely fill botane runes with tar and she’d just used the rune with a fire bijou together.

It wasn’t worthy of presenting at the conference anyway. It was useful in a pinch but as she had found out at Garrond Cross, there were setbacks beyond how long it took to feed the tar into the rune.  

Fiona wracked her brain while Alegra waited patiently next to her. The Garden’s Entrance was a hundred metres away but they had all night for her to explain. Not that either of her friends would want too much information about bijou schematics or rune filling, “Ah, well. I was planning on presenting how to combine energy in rune wells with bijous in casts like firewall or even a fire tornado if I can figure out how to… What's that look for?”  

Alegra’s mouth pursed as she flicked her tongue out in displeasure, “Nothing, just more war things.”

“Well, let me finish. However, I decided not to present that. I am going to unveil a bijou in progress, one that should be able to record and communicate not just emotions but thoughts as secure messages.” Fiona said, finding that she was increasingly pleased with the idea as it appeared in the nick of time. 

She had done a lot of the ground work for the communication bijou already if she was being generous. She’d already managed to record her own thoughts and emotions for Claude to divulge on a bijou and she could replay it in her own mind quite easily. Figuring out whether Claude could understand her ideas or not was the next hurdle and something she’d still not figured out. He either didn’t understand or didn’t care enough to do what she asked; with both being fairly likely with her phlegmatic feline companion. 

Shifting the research to communicating with two mages would be good, even if she wasn’t particularly ready to get others involved. At least if she presented it at the conference, others would recognise it was her that had come up with the bijou schematics. If she could come up with the goods in less than a week. 

“Interesting,” Alegra stroked her chin, “What makes it secure?”

“Oh, well,” Fiona paused and thought for a second. She had an idea for it or a hint of an idea, “The bijou will disintegrate once it is activated and I am working on making the gate complex enough for only those who know the pattern.” 

It was a baldfaced lie but it didn't have to be one for a long time once she gave the idea a proper go. She could make a bijou that could carry a message and, even if it was going to be tricky, the limestone runes with enough static through them should be able to work. The complexity of having the other mage understand how to open the gate and then unpack the information meant secrecy was going to be one of the last issues she was going to have to worry about. What she needed to make sure of was that she didn’t fry anyone’s brain as she tested it.

“I had no idea you were working on that!” Elayne commented on the other side of Alegra, “I thought you were doing something with animals.”

Fiona glanced quickly across to Alegra, “The intention is I figure out a way to communicate with animals eventually. But learning how to create messages that can be shared between people helps build up my understanding of the correct schematics and gateways for the bijous.”

“Humans communicating with animals.” Alegra noted impassively, “I didn’t think I’d ever see the day.”

“You still might not. And what I want to do isn’t like what you folk can do.” Fiona kept her eyes fixed on the fast approaching gate and the two guards that stood at attention a short distance away, “But what about your work, Alegra?”

“Oh yeah, complex.” Alegra said lightly, “It is a lot of problem solving and debating. Finding a compromise between some strong personalities and paperwork is more than half of what I have to do on most days. The stories of yours and El’s adventures sound like a breath of fresh air.”

“I mean, you would be welcome to join us. We’d have to put you down as a fighter but the money is very good and there is no paperwork.” Fiona jumped at the chance to remedy her earlier gaff. 

Alegra wasn’t terrible at fighting with her club but the fact she could mend was something that Fiona something the Damnables were in dire need of. 

“Perhaps,” Alegra responded politely, “I’d have to be selective of the jobs, to make sure I don’t ruffle any feathers, of course.”

“Ruffling feathers.” Elayne echoed conspiratorily, “Communicating with animals…”

“Can we not right in front of the guards?” Fiona whispered to them as her eyes flicked back to the House guards not five metres ahead of them. The light spilling out from the lanterns above their head grew in strength as the last rays of the sun disappeared. In the sleepy orange glow of the lanterns, both House guards seemed completely disinterested in their post. Alegra could no doubt run up and call them any sorts of the names she wanted and the best she would get was a slow blink back. 

Not that the guard disassociating made it the right time to start talking about druids. Their covens were not a secret in the Hiford lands, with the druids and shamans being a constant fixture in many of the smaller villages of the Dark Forest from the Hill all the way to The Gap in the Nohlan province. Both humans and oruks would see the shamans for assistance but they didn’t mean they weren’t frowned upon in proper society. The Queen had denounced them for how their magic contributed to Wild events and that made it dangerous to be known as a druid.

“The entrance is so beautiful.” Elayne said as she admired the statues that lined the path after the entrance, “I never would have thought to come here at night.”

“You wouldn’t be alone,” Fiona smiled, enjoying the wonder on Elayne’s face, “The Gardens have been open at night for decades. The late Hiford Head, Lady Vicken Holhart, would walk the Gardens after her supper and, when she became Lead of House Hiford, one of her first changes was to order the gates to stay open until midnight. As a gift for the night owls of Haran Hill.”

“For the night owls and the smugglers who bribed her.” Alegra added brazenly as they strode up to the guards. She gave them a wave but only got a single half-hearted hand raise from one of them. 

Fiona nudged her with a tsk, “Allegra.”

Allegra leered mischievously at her, “What? I think everyone knows that there are some suspicious activities happening in the hill. That’s not a secret.”

Fiona didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t wrong but they were very nearly on the doorstep of the Hiford’s main estate and surrounded by the rich hillfolk.

“Perhaps we need to find a secret glade then so we can have some privacy.” Alegra whispered conspiratorily to Elayne once they stepped through the gate, “Do you know about secret glades, Elayne?”

“I do,” Elayne responded eagerly, “We have stories about the Nine Glades in the west as well. But I’m not sure I believe all of the stories, though.”

“Oh yes,” Alegra cleared her throat, “The Nine Glades is an interesting take on the secret glades. There are actually many more glades hidden through the Dark Forest than nine. The idea that they are the homes of the Old Souls or Gods is very far fetched. They are more like sanctuaries for the initiated. My coven lives in one of the major secret glades in the south.”

Elayne took the bait and leant in to whisper, “So you are a…”

“A druid. Yes. There are more of us than you think as well.” Alegra stopped her.

Fiona checked around them but found only a handful of people around and much too far to hear their quiet conversation. Despite Alegra’s exuberant behaviour, no-one seemed to care. Fiona increased her pace slightly for good measure and worked her way across to her favourite path, “Come on, there’s a little clearing just up here. It’s not normally busy.”

“Oooh,” Elayne matched Fiona’s speed, “I would kill for a bit of a sit down.”

“Exactly.” Fiona agreed, rubbing her stomach and hearing it let out a little gurgle in response, “I am so bloated.”

Alegra smirked as she hooked her arm through Fiona’s, “I hate to say it but I think it might be the cheese.”

“Urgh, probably.” Fiona scrunched up her face, “I thought I was getting better with dairy. My physician said if I kept eating it, I would acclimate.”

The reaction she got from both of them was a look of complete scandal. Elayne scoffed, looked over at Alegra who delicately shook her head while she kept a hold of Fiona. Fiona gave her a playful nudge with her elbow, “He said that my humours would settle once my body recognised the sourness of the dairy.

“That’s insane,” Elayne shot her a scandalised look, “that’s not how it works, Fiona.”

Allegra pat her lightly on shoulder and let out a supportive hum, “Time you find a new physician, dear.”

Fiona scrunched up her face but gave no response. She knew they were right, about the cheese and probably the physician. It wasn’t the first time that he had given her some questionable advice and she could not keep suffering when she had cheese and yoghurt.

Continuing on her way, Fiona led the two of them deeper into the garden, “It was the blue cheese, I think. That one was too mature.”

“Yeah, who thought cheese being that sour was a good flavour for a cheese to have.” Alegra shook her head and picked at her teeth, “Not for me.”

“Yeah, about that.” Fiona turned across to her, “I thought you were vegan. Can you eat cheese?”

“Of course. I do what I want.” Alegra responded astonished but then looked more thoughtful, “Well, we can have milk, honey, eggs, and most animal products.  I can even have some meats if they’re slaughtered correctly.”

Fiona looked across to Elayne and found her now thoroughly confused. Fiona had no idea just how much Elayne knew about druids but she wasn’t surprised that Alegra was a bit of a surprise. She didn’t match the stereotype of the sanctimonious zealots that the druids were known to be. 

“I did not know you could eat meat.” Fiona reiterated, stumped by how much she hadn’t known, “How did I not know that?”

“I quite like vegetarian food. And at the markets, it pays to not buy the meat.” Alegra shrugged, “That and a big part of my job is being secretive.”

“Wait, so what do you do as you a…?” Elayne did a cursory check around them, “a druid?”

“Perhaps once we’ve found our spot.” Fiona interrupted, eagerly hurrying them down the path as it closed in around them.  

“If it makes you feel better.” Alegra said happily as she rounded the corner, “We should have a nice clear sky tonight at least.”

A small yellow light appeared in Elayne’s hand as she dropped behind Fiona and Alegra slightly. Her small lantern came to life in her hand, illuminating Elayne’s bag hanging open over her shoulder with a wealth of gear packed inside.  

Fiona waited for her to catch up and welcomed the gentle light that illuminated their way, “That backpack has everything, Elayne.”

“I like being prepared.” She explained, half-skipping to catch up to them, “So, no one is around and I am dying to know.”

Fiona was less convinced that no one was around but when she looked around through the trees, the few torch lights she could see were quite the distance away. 

“I’m a druid.” Alegra didn’t wait any longer and stated simply, “I am actually one of the counsel members for the Circle near here.”

Fiona bit her tongue. It was already done and it was Alegra’s choice for who to tell.

Elayne gave a shocked, but muted, gasp, “So you are to cast druid magic? Like shape changing and moon rays?”

“The shape changing is heavily exaggerated.” Alegra stopped her with a dismissive wave of her hand, “There’s only a few of us who can really change our body parts. The idea that we can transform into bears and what not is ridiculous.”

“No way.” Elayne came in close, “You folk can change your bodies though?”

“Well, we are the same folk, El. In a manner of speaking. Me and mine have been living in the forest for tens of thousands of years before your ancestors started moving in.” Alegra soaked in the attention and ignored Fiona’s pained expression, “But some can extend their claws and change ear shape to hear better but it’s quite mundane, sadly.”

Elayne took a moment and wandered along the path before she followed up, “It is still very, very cool. And your work with your colleagues…”

“Is very boring, trust me.” Alegra yawned theatrically, “It’s scheduling meetings and forest management. OUr job is to maintain the balance in the forest and the world at large. And all for quite a disappointing stipend.” 

Fiona tried not to let the surprise show on her face. Getting paid as a Poi Dun druid would come from the morning services but as a druid of the forest, Fiona supposed they didn’t really have services in the same way as the Karitian religion. Alegra swore black and blue that their covens weren’t cults but Fiona couldn’t help but notice that Alegra made no money, had to live in her coven most days, and she was overworked constantly. It sounded like part cult, part activist group to Fiona.

“It isn’t too bad. I am kind of like a monk of the Good Gods in many ways, but with more time on my hands. And I can get married and hatch a brood if I wanted to.” Alegra summarised, handwaving away how much she did, much to Fiona’s chagrin. 

Fiona tried to stop herself but failed, “You’re not like a monk but like the abbess but if there were three abbesses per region.”

Allegra made a face, “Well, perhaps. But I actually have taken a step down in my administrative duties for a while. To get a breather.”

“What?” Fiona looked across at her, “Since when?”

“A few weeks ago. Or a month. I am still in the process of handing my old duties off and my replacement.” Alegra shrugged, “But soon, I wash my hands of the nonsense and I get to catch up on sleep and get more time with Spencer.”

“That’s great news. Good for you!” Fiona replied happily while her eyes scanned the path ahead of them. Finding her favourite picnic spot was going to be a lot harder with the limited light from the lantern adding shadows and depths that weren’t there normally. And, since she hadn’t been there for a while, there was an eighty percent chance that they were on the right track. 

“Thanks, a bit of rest and relaxation will do a world of good.” Alegra replied absent-mindedly as her eyes drifted out to the garden.

The new First Family for the Hifords had done a good job of maintaining the gardens at least, with both sides of the path being meticulously trimmed and organised. A large variety of different shrubs and hedges hide in the twilight. Not as many as the Hifords claimed when they bragged of having the plants from every corner of Coia but more than Fiona had seen in the other Gardens of Amocin and even Kudraul.  

Fiona kept her eyes peeled on the left side of the road for the gap she remembered, “It’s somewhere around here. It used to be just a tiny gap.”

The other two murmured quietly that they understood as they searched with her. Fiona felt a pang of nostalgia as the trail closed around her. Running through the garden had been a formative memory for her, playing hide and seek with her friends when she was a child and hiding from the guards when she became a teenager.

When her parents had left for Amocin and left her to her own devices, she’d spent long afternoons foraging for mushrooms and other bits and bobs that she could put with her bread. Behaviour like that had been what had started the rumours around the Institute and left her with only one friend from all her other fairweather ones. 

She’d not needed more than Harlea, and the isolation had proven ideal for her to distinguish herself as a better mage than any of her peers. 

“Hey, look!” Elayne broke the silence once more and pointed up into the sky to an ethereal crescent moon that hung delicately in the darkening sky, “First star in the sky grants a wish. Do you do that here?”

“Oh, so it is.” Fiona answered, seeing the small bright speck of a first evening star, “we wish on the first star, but it is only the first person to see the star that gets to make a wish.”

“Oh, no, that is so much worse. In the west, anyone who sees the first star, you can make a wish.” Elayne countered, “But when in the south…”

Elayne closed her eyes and stopped in her tracks. Alegra gently pulled on Fiona’s arm, forcing them to linger to watch Elayne make a wish to the Ancient Souls. Elayne was a peculiar woman in many ways, stoic and so much more going on than it seemed.

She was a solid, reliable sort, no nonsense when she was out on contracts but a different person in town. With an easy laugh, an admirable charisma, and a solid set of shoulders, Elayne was exactly the kind of person that Fiona had idolised when she was younger on face value. Her new friend had all the trappings of the classic warrior woman of the First Mothers of the Creation Stories.

She was a proper hero a lot of the time. Despite her experience in bodyguard work and her rich history dealing with the thick western regions of the Dark Forest, she maintained a disposition that lifted others up and made even the likes of Areli smile. It was one of the interesting notes she’d had for Harlea the day they’d met Elayne. Fiona had been confused about someone who had a list of credentials so long could be so green. 

Of course, When they’d trained with Elayne the next day, Fiona’s doubts had been assuaged. She’d spent hours sparring, wiping the floor with everyone but Harlea and a few of the regulars. That, and as she told them her stories about the ridiculousness of the House nobles and their foppish bullshit, a lot of the best ones being far too absurd to be made up.

She railed against how the House nobles would waste untold amounts of money and food on their frivolous pursuits and exorbitant dinners, much to the enjoyment of the others. Fiona hadn’t enjoyed when Elayne’s rant had turned to how she wanted to leave her mark on the world. Harlea had egged her on and Elayne waxed lyrical about how adventuring was how she wanted to do it. Disillusioning the poor girl wasn’t Fiona’s job and she had tried to let it go.

Elayne opened her eyes and smiled at Fiona, “Perfect.”

Fiona forced a smile on her face, “The spot I wanted to show you should be just down the path.” 

“Excellent. Seeing your spot would have been my second wish.” Elayne offered her as she caught up to them.

“Well, I am glad you didn’t waste your wish on that. It’s somewhere - near here.” Fiona looked around for anything she recognised. When she’d gone for a walk earlier in the year, there had been a sickly cluster of cloudberry bushes right at the entrance to the small lawned area. Finding the small berries on the small path ahead of her was going to be a pain in the ass. That was if she hadn’t already wandered past it. 

“Hmm,” Fiona turned in a circle and stopped to look down both sides of the left edge of the path, “there should be small yellow-green berries that you can see somewhere near the ground.”

“Little orange or green berries.” Alegra confirmed while she looked near their feet, “And that will lead us to your little glade?”

Fiona borrowed the lantern from Elayne with a smile, “More like an unruly lawn. But it’s nice and we’ll be able to see the stars.”

The quiet ease of the garden settled over them as they hunted for their berries. Her friends fell in on her right and patiently strolled along. She could feel them slow their pace to accommodate her but she didn’t let it distract her. The berries were somewhere nearby, not far in front now. She knew it.

“Oh, berries. I can see berries!” Alegra said and she sped up past Fiona. She bounced several steps before pointing into the darkness, “Something like this?’

“Like what?” Elayne asked, taking a step towards Alegra.

“Ah, there are light blue berries, or maybe a dull yellow?” Alegra responded happily, “Can’t tell with night vision.”

“Urgh, night vision.” Fiona groaned. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten. Whenever they were out at night or inside a dark room, Alegra was quick to share her fun fact about her night vision.  

Allegra bent down and grabbed something on the side of the road. The light from the lantern slowly bathed Alegra as Fiona quickly approached. Several small bumpy orange berries sat in square in the middle of Alegra’s hand and she held them out for Fiona to see, “Can you see them yet? Must be tough without night vision.”

“We have something better. It’s called fire.” Elayne gestured to the Creation lantern in Fiona’s hand.

“That’s runed.” Fiona and Alegra responded at the same time and finished with a synchronised laugh.

“And it is hardly night vision.” Alegra added before she popped the berries into her mouth.

Fiona waited for her to chew a few times before she interjected, “Do you have any idea if they’re safe to eat?”

Allegra's face fell right before she spat the berries out over the floor, “Oh god, are they poisonous?”

Fiona sidestepped Alegra and her half-chewed berries, moving towards the gap in the bushes, “You’re the druid, I would have thought you’d have known a good berry.”

Allegra scowled at her, “If I die, I’ll haunt you.”

Fiona let out another laugh and pushed through the small gap. Several overgrown branches scraped along her back, with the lawn shimmering in the gentle moonlight. Letting the lantern push through the entrance first and covering her face with her other hand, she stepped through the foliage and into her home away from home, “Phew, just in here.”

Allegra was the second through the bush, flicking her tail to make space and kicking the bushes as she came through. Swearing under her breath, Alegra took some delight in bending back the branches to make them snap. 

Fiona backed up to give her space, dropping her bag down on the lawn, “Not very druid-like.”

Allegra joined her in the lawn, brushing off her pants as she tossed a broken branch out into the forest, “These trees aren’t native.”

Elayne came after and swung her bag to her front, “Ok, time to sit down.”

“Agreed.” Alegra replied happily, twisting her hand slightly to reveal a slight hint of magic as it flowed through her hand. When Elayne dropped down to check her bag, the branches rustled at the entrance and grew rapidly to close the entrance for the lawn.

“Very well.” Fiona opened up her bag and found a spare jacket for her seat. She pulled it out of her bag right as Elayne and Alegra dropped down to lay onto the grass. 

Fiona dropped her jacket down next to Elayne and spread it out as far as she could before she sat down. Her friends had already fallen onto their backs and stared up at the stars, both happy to let the cool, wet grass soak through their shirts. Fiona fussed with her bag to get the main compartment tied away before she committed to laying down. 

After she tied the compartment, she opened it again to grab her spare shirt. She switched it from under her with her jacket, then wrapped the jacket around her arms like a blanket. 

She crossed her legs and shuffled forwards so could rest as much of her body on the little blanket she had. More stars slowly blinked into existence in the sky and the questions she always had about them popped into her mind.  

They knew the stars came every night but there was so much there wasn’t known. What formed the constellations, Why did the auroras only come in the north and how did they work? None of them were questions that she had found answers to. She probably never would. 

Fiona inhaled but worked hard not to sigh. The slow breath worked its way out silently while her friends rested quietly near her.  

No single question burned inside her more than the other but the sum total of all the questions that she had was what was so exasperating. The fact that she could spend her entire life finding questions but never quench the thirst for enough answers. 

Her research would be able to answer some of the questions, which would help. If she could just figure out how to get her cat to just connect, she’d be able to make a lot of progress.

She would have to figure it out when she returned. She needed to relax, look at the pretty stars, and then get a decent night’s sleep. 

The stars above her glinted high above her, leagues out of reach.

“Hey, Elayne.” Alegra suddenly asked, “What did you wish for before?”

“Alegra!” Fiona sat up again and frowned at her, “You can’t ask that.”

“What?” Alegra shrugged while she stayed laying down, “I don’t think it’s a big deal.”

“It’s ok.” Elayne responded, “I think the Good Gods, or whoever, are more worried about us conserving pure minds than star wishes.”

Fiona didn’t respond but instead waved her on, abandoning her concerns if Elayne didn’t care.

“I wished that tomorrow will go well.” Elayne said earnestly.

“Oh,” Fiona tried not to scoff, “With any luck, the Good Gods will hear you then.”

“What’s tomorrow?” Alegra asked openly as she looked from Elayne to Fiona and back again.

Elayne propped up on her elbow and gave Fiona a look.

Fiona took a deep breath, “We’ve got a Wild Node contract tomorrow. It’s Coalpass in the east.”

“Oh. Right.” Alegra's eyes widened slightly, “Which party will you be merging with?”

“Just us.” The words fell out of her mouth like lead, “But Areli, Harlea, and I have done a few now so we know what to expect.”

Allegra glanced at Elayne but quickly focussed back on Fiona and put on her textbook cordial smile, “Of course, I’m sure it will be fine.”

Fiona matched her smile and tried not to check to see whether Elayne had noticed Alegra’s disquiet, “Smaller crews are better anyway. Back in the day, we never had more than five for the Wild Nodes because of the ways it messes with your head.”

“And this time, we have my wish.” Elayne added with a small nervous laugh, “It’s going to be fine.”

Fiona grabbed her bag and used it as a pillow. She settled onto her back and looked up at the stars, “Yeah, it’s what we do. We’re the Gods’ Damned Red Damnables.”

“True, you lot love adventures like this.” Alegra added happily.

“It is. What we do.” Fiona tried to figure out where any of the constellations were as they began to spark to life. After a few days, she’d go through her notes while she travelled to Dark Hold. Fiona focused on relaxing her shoulders, “And besides, at least Elayne and I won’t be the most miserable one out there tomorrow.”

“Oh?” Elayne sat up and looked over at her, “What do you mean?”

Fiona chuckled at the idea, “Oh, Areli hates the Wild Node contracts with a passion.”