After the stop in the small town where she had met Velan, Ferene and Grathen went off the roads as they traveled north. Their path took them through fields and forests, the pair setting a fast pace with sparse rests.

"We naturally fall into a pattern similar to that of humans, but we don't need to. If we push ourselves, we can endure a lot more. You learned your limits when we first met. I'd advise against going that far, but you are still able to go far longer than a human could without food, water, or sleep. A proper Hatharen won't die due to the neglect, but you will. Don't lose track of yourself."

Ferene stayed silent as Grathen talked, until a thought came to her. "Celngi wanted half breeds."

"Fifty soldiers like you, who could potentially travel farther on the same amount of supplies, moving faster and without rest, healing their own injuries in a matter of hours or days instead of weeks or months. A powerful tool. Luckily there's only some half dozen of you out there, scattered and not loyal to a single nation. Resh and I discussed the potential of such a thing before, as well as how easily the Hatharen could conquer the human realm, if they so desired. If they weren't busy with their own problems. If there were enough of them. That wasn't the case then, and it very much won't be the case now."

She thought of Yonthal, with all the empty, unused houses, and the massive tent city that Ettsgras' army made, outside the city that was filled with so many more people. She tried to imagine the difference in numbers, but couldn't. She didn't know how many more humans there were, but could easily see them outnumbering the Hatharen a thousand to one, if not more.

"That's why the war is kept a secret." She concluded.

Grathen stopped, turning to look at her. "Humans take land. If you told them that all they had to do is kill a few hundred Hatharen to have access to the land beyond the mountains, they would hardly need to organize to do it. It would be followed by them all dying, of course. We realized this in my time, but never said it. We talked only of protecting the humans, not of protecting ourselves. Even now, I don't think they do. Taradira would laugh at the idea. The Hatharen are afraid of being wiped out, yet do nothing to stop their own slow demise. Linara and your father are working on that, but the rest aren't, from what Taradira tells me."

Ferene nodded, walking past Grathen. He fell in beside her, not speaking further.

Aside from that exchange, most of their trip passed in silence. Grathen accepted Ferene's silence, and joined her in it. This way, they continued north, eventually arriving at the bottom of the mountains.

Ferene looked up at the towering peaks, then let her gaze drop, her eyes scanning the slopes in front of her. "We need to go further east." She said, walking in that direction. She had walked west on this road before, then encountered the Direag. After her time in the Hatharen camp, they had gone east to the entrance of the stronghold. A place where the slopes were steeper, more jagged, hiding the crevice that would lead to the wooden lift.

When the terrain started to match her memories, she led Grathen off the road, towards the cliffs. It took some time, but she eventually found the right crevice. "Here." She said, stepping towards the wall. "It took the biggest two to move it. I'll need your help."

With his help, the disguised boulder budged slightly, rocking in place but not moving aside. Taking a moment, they both shifted, putting their shoulders against it, and pushed again, this time properly moving the obstacle and revealing the tunnel into the depths of the mountain. They entered, stepping through the darkness and shortly emerging into the faint light of the chasm below the stronghold, yet there was no platform. Ferene blinked, looking upwards at the dizzying heights, unsure of what to do.

Grathen cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted something, his voice echoing off the cliffs. Not long after, a single Hatharen appeared, kicking down the wall while holding a rope in his hands. He stopped a good distance above them, looking down, his gaze initially focused on Ferene before shifting to her companion. He said something, to which Grathen replied, before he took a stone hammer off his belt and tapped it against the wall he hung from, the tool making a very distinct note each time he struck. After six taps, he put it away and climbed back up. The two waited alone, in silence, as the lift slowly descended.

"They weren't expecting anyone." Grathen said as he stepped on. Ferene followed without comment, grabbing the loose rope and tugging on it twice. Then they ascended.

At the top, they were met by a decently sized gathering. A dozen Hatharen stood, one wearing the dark red robes of the governing family.

"I wasn't supposed to come back, but Taradira gave me a mission. I'm only here for that."

The red-robed elder frowned. "What does that one want with us?"

Grathen took that time to speak, stepping forward as he did so. He pulled a cylinder from his belt, twisting off the top and withdrawing a letter. Originally, Ferene was supposed to have it, but they agreed that it would be better if Grathen did the talking, given that he could talk to everyone present. The elder's frown persisted as she took it from Grathen and started reading, looking up to ask him questions from time to time.

Standing behind Grathen, Ferene accepted that her role here was basically over, the discussion no longer something she could follow. Losing interest, she looked upwards, towards the distant slice of sky showing through the gap above.

She missed this place.

"Ferene!"

Immediately, she looked towards the voice, seeing Rilya running towards her, followed by Telhrian and Sathar moving at a more relaxed pace.

"Rilya!" She reached her hand out, only to be swept off her feet. The larger woman grabbed Ferene, burying her face in the smaller Hatharen's neck as she hugged her. "I missed you too." Ferene whispered as she returned the hug.

Smiling, Telhrian said something to Rilya, who swung Ferene upwards, repositioning her into a princess carry. Ferene couldn't help but laugh as Rilya turned and walked past the other two Hatharen.

"I love you." She said, reaching up to caress Rilya's face. The taller woman smiled and started walking faster. "I wish I could tell you about what happened to me."

Rilya smiled at her but didn't respond. She arrived at her shelter, throwing the door open and dropping Ferene onto the bed before kissing her deeply. Ferene's hand found Rilya's, their fingers intertwining as she returned the kiss, only to break away.

"I can't stay for long." She said, her heart pounding. "And I'm dirty."

Rilya laughed, standing up, pulling Ferene with her. She led her back outside, guiding her along the walkways. Ferene quickly realized they were heading towards the waterfall cave, and smiled.

For a moment, her smile faltered, then widened. "Rilya, wait." She said. The large Hatharen stopped, turning to look back at her. Ferene also came to a stop, laughing. "You can understand me!"

Rilya put on a look of fake surprise before breaking out into a smile of her own. "Practiced." She mumbled as Ferene hugged her. "Not all."

She squeezed the taller Hatharen tighter as a response, burying her face against Rilya's chest to hide her embarrassment. Somehow, Ferene never considered that Rilya could just learn to talk with her. They had even discussed meeting up again. Why wouldn't she spend her time on that?

"Come. Clean." Rilya said, pulling away from Ferene. Blushing, Ferene followed her, eager to tell her about everything that happened.

Leaving the humans camped out on the road half a day's walk from the forest, Taradira entered the darkness below the trees surrounded by Nenhal and her comrades. The young Hatharen moved easily, naturally, and with the expected sense of anticipation of soldiers returning home for the first time. Taradira, however, felt nervous. Though she never visited them, she knew how the Hatharen in the other strongholds thought, and had a good idea of how they would react to her proposal. The elders of the forest were different. Though it was a harsh judgment, they were deserters. They would not be swayed by appeals to duty. Ending the war wasn't their concern. Taradira had thought of ways to approach them, but she was unsure how well they would work. She was unsure how they would even react to her being here.

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"Who is that?"

Suddenly, they were surrounded. Four Hatharen, spears at the ready, appeared in front of them. Taradira hadn't sensed their approach, but her escort seemed unsurprised. Nenhal spoke up first, responding in the Hatharen language.

"This is Taradira Suladan. She wants to speak with the grandmothers."

"You brought her back here? Why? This goes against-"

"The grandmothers will hear her speak. She has promised to leave us alone, to not reveal us. She wants to change things. She is going north to change things there, as well. She told us what is happening. We decided this."

The speaker, a female, frowned, shifting her glare between Taradira and Nenhal. "She will speak to them, then."

They brought her to the village, deep in the forest. Taradira stared upwards, seeing huts built into the trees. Like a stronghold, the dwellings were out of the way and hidden, even though they were in the safety of the forest. Unlike a stronghold, they did not show signs of being uninhabited, and they weren't built for groups of six. She saw lone, paired, and even clusters of crude shelters, connected by ladders and walkways. It stood out as wrong.

The other wrong thing was the onlookers. Lower down, men stood, watching her, only higher up were women. The one woman who had greeted her in the forest seemed the exception, until she climbed a ladder to place, gesturing for Taradira to follow. While Nenhal and the other women ascended behind her, the men of the group stayed behind. It bothered Taradira.

She was led to the upper parts of the village, all the women aside from Nenhal staying behind. The higher platforms held proper huts, with walls and even doors. The guide led them to the largest and highest of these.

Their guide knocked on the door. "Nenhal has returned, and she brought a guest who wishes to speak with you." She called out.

For moments, there was silence. Taradira frowned, crossing her arms. Before she could say anything, a voice from within called out. "Send them inside." The guide opened the door, and Nenhal entered, Taradira following.

Three Hatharen women waited inside, seated on simple chairs. They were pale and thin, but dressed in more than just tree bark and leaves.

"Who have you brought to us this time, child?" The woman seated at the center asked.

Taradira waited, letting Nenhal introduce her. "This is Taradira Suladan. She is the general of the largest human army. She taught me and the others about fighting."

"A Hatharen, general of the humans? That is very interesting. You are a true Hatharen, then?"

"I am."

The woman on the left frowned, looking up at her. "The humans gave you one of their names."

"They did. I have lived with them for several hundred years, learning from them."

"And now you lead them."

"I led them until a few weeks ago. I am returning to my people. I am prepared to set them free."

The last of the trio finally spoke. "What does that have to do with us?"

Taradira took a deep breath. "You ran from the fighting. I do not blame you for that. I did the same, in my own way. I saw a war that we could never win, a war that took the lives of my family. I convinced the elders of my stronghold to let me learn from the humans. I've discovered ways to fight, ways to win. I want to put a stop to the fighting, and allow our people to live without war being their only purpose. I came here to ask for the help of your people, as much as you can provide. If you wish to remain here, I will respect that."

The three exchanged some looks, then all looked towards Nenhal. "You, child. You believe in this one?" The one on the left asked.

Nenhal nodded, stepping to Taradira's side. "She is gathering others, as well. Hatharen from the human lands and joining her to go north. She told me of the creatures. The ones you never mentioned."

There was a sharp intake of air from the woman seated on the right, but the other two remained silent.

The elder in the center spoke up. "We impose order among our people, in this forest. You are a woman of our people. Go and speak to all who will listen. Just as we allowed Nenhal and the others to seek out the world Ferene spoke of, we will allow any who wish to follow you to do so."

"And the three of you? Will you follow me? Do you wish to see your homes again?"

"We left that behind us. We will stay here. Nenhal, tell us what you learned."

Taradira sensed the girl straighten beside her, suddenly under the watch of all three of her elders. There was a moment of silence before she answered with a single word.

"Death."

"We wanted to spare you from the killing, but-"

"Farathal died."

Her interruption shocked the speaker into silence, and all three looked down. "In battle?" The one on the right eventually asked.

"He was pierced through. He struggled to stand up, then fell over. He did not attempt to rise again. We didn't understand, at first. The human who was with us told us what was happening. He then helped us deal with the loss. We learned to remember who Farathal was, rather than dwell on our own failures. We overcame the loss. A human taught us that. We learned what humans are like. I believe that we should protect them. I want to go back to our people, and join the fight. I want to win. Farathal died to the south, but our people are dying to the north. If I can help, I want to be there."

More silence followed, and eventually the middle woman stood, stepping forward and placing a hand on Nenhal's shoulder. "If that is the path you wish to follow, we will not stop you."

Upon returning to the dwellings, Rilya and Ferene were greeted by the rest of the family. Filraehen stepped forward, smiling at Ferene, reaching out and grabbing her arm, pulling her away from Rilya. She resisted for a moment, but then gave in, curious. Filraehen took her towards the dwelling she shared with Sathar and Ilraghen, stopping at the threshold to put a finger over her lips. Ferene only looked at her in confusion as she pulled the door open and stepped inside.

A tiny bed stood near the entrance, a baby sleeping on it, the head barely visible in the bundle of blankets.

After a moment, Filraehen closed the door again, a wide smile on her face as she looked down at Ferene, who smiled back as they returned to the others, sitting around the fire at the center of their area. She took her place next to Rilya.

"We named him Senraril." Sathar said, his voice low. "This is the first time that all eight members of our family are together."

Ferene blinked, then nodded. They were all very happy, even if she didn't understand it.

"We are excused of our patrol duties while we raise him. Until he is old enough to join his own family." Telhrian added. He sat with an arm around Alri's waist, his partner resting her head on his shoulder as she stared into the flames.

"How long is that?" Ferene asked.

"Two dozen years, maybe more, maybe less. When he is trained enough, and a place for him is found."

She swallowed. She wasn't sure how old she was. At some point she lost count. She might be older than that. Or not. "I found my father. Selveren."

They all stayed silent, waiting. Rilya grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"Those years…I…I came here with a message. Grathen has it. I met Taradira. She wants to end the war. She wants to form an army."

None of them spoke.

"I don't want…" She tried to put the feeling into words, but failed. Rilya squeezed her hand again.

Sathar said something to Filraehen, who didn't respond. Ilraghen stood up, turning on Sathar, whispering fiercely. Filraehen finally broke her silence, and Ilraghen stared at her for a moment before sitting back down.

"If six of us are needed to fight, six of us will be there." Sathar said, locking eyes with Ferene. "Won't we?"

It took a moment for the meaning of his words to fall into place, the realization sending a feeling of tightness through her chest. "Yes." Ferene replied. "But I can't stay here. Grathen and I have to take the message to Treventhal. That is my actual purpose. To deliver the message to my father's people."

The next morning, she went looking for Grathen. Telhrian suggested she check a cave on the opposite wall of the stronghold. While she was making her way over, someone called out to her.

"You're back."

Turning towards the voice, Ferene saw a thin, red-haired Hatharen woman staring at her. "I didn't think I would ever see you again, but you came back."

The Hatharen looked away from Ferene, one hand going to the back of her head, fiddling with her ponytail.

"You probably don't remember me…"

She did. The woman had been different, then. Desperate. "We sparred. After the battle."

"Yes! My name is Sekhrian. I never…You helped me. A lot. I wanted you to know that, but when I felt better, I tried to find you, but…they told me you were banished."

"I have to leave soon." Ferene replied.

"Right! Of course. I just…I'm glad I ran into you. I said things to you that…It wasn't right. You did a lot to help me, and others."

Ferene watched as Sekhrian stumbled over her words, making eye contact and then immediately breaking it several times. "I'm looking for another guest. His name is Grathen. Is he near here?"

"Oh!" She seemed almost relieved at the question. "Yes. I saw him the other day. That way."

"Thank you, Sekhrian."

She left the young Hatharen behind, and did find Grathen several openings down. He sat in one seat of a ring surrounding a fire pit.

"You vanished yesterday."

"I was visiting my family."

"Good. We should get going soon. You have more family to visit."

Ferene's mind raced, but she pushed the thoughts aside. "You delivered the message?"

"Yes. They will take their time to consider it. Our job here is done."

"There's…there is someone I think you should meet. Someone old. From a long time ago. Older than the elders."

Grathen stood, facing Ferene properly. "Lead the way, then."

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