Falcon couldn’t stop running.

She leaped over a fallen log and glanced quickly over her shoulder, the small sack containing her belongings clutched tightly in her hands.

Those stupid soldiers were still chasing after her, damn it! She supposed she should be flattered that they considered her worth all that time and energy, but it was getting annoying.

Falcon ran on, vaulting over a jumble of logs and bushes and swearing under her breath. When she got her hands on Valkan, she was going to kill him. The blasted traitor, once caught, had exposed the entire thieves’ guild to the Derin police. All in exchange for his life, a pardon, and a chest full of gold.

Selfish, idiotic bastard! Very few of the guild members had actually escaped. Valkan, honourless filth that he was, had exposed everyone. Even the best were now locked up in some Derin prison under very tight watch. She had absolutely no intention of joining them. She was all too fond of her own life.

For that reason, she had dared to cross the border into Kalborne’s wild, enchanted forest. It was a dangerous time to be out in strange places, but she was willing to take the risk. She just hoped she could shake off the soldiers before nightfall so she could climb up a tree somewhere and sleep. She had to be safely above the ground when the darkness came.

Behind her suddenly came several shouts of “There she is!” and she risked a look over her shoulder. They were gaining on her. Panting, she climbed up a pile of rocks between two of the giant trees in the sacred forest and jumped off.

Unfortunately, it had rained the night before and the ground was very slippery. She let out an outraged, panicked yell as she slipped and hit her forehead on the moss-covered rocks. Stars swam before her eyes and she groaned, struggling to push herself up. Blood ran into her eye from a gash in her forehead and she made a pathetic little sound.

“We’ve got you now!” one of the soldiers yelled triumphantly.

This is it...I’m going to the dungeons.

The thought was barely formed in her mind when she felt the world lurch and drop beneath her. I must’ve hit my head harder than I thought.

Then she realised - as the soldiers cried out in dismay - that the world was not falling. It was she that was rising, somebody’s arm around her waist. She blinked, looking down as the soldiers were surrounded by dozens of people in strange clothing. Then the world went black.

“I see you’ve decided to join us,” a voice said dryly as she opened her eyes. Her head hurt like hell.

Falcon sat up and looked around carefully. She was in a camp of sorts, beside what seemed to be the main campfire, with enormous canvas tents and plenty of people wearing clothing made of metal and leather milling about. There were also some people up in the tall ganlaf trees, living within large, cave-like hollows far from the ground. All around them rose blocks of charred and crumbling stone over which vines had crawled and now flowered.

She turned her head and saw the owner of the voice she’d heard. It was a girl perhaps no more than a few years older than her own seventeen. She had short, straight black hair, cut asymmetrically, one side just past her chin and the other just under her ear. Her features were fine and her limbs long and delicate. Her figure was unmistakeably feminine, though the clothes she wore were better suited for a man and she was very tall. She had on a deep red leather body suit that seemed to Falcon most uncomfortable. Over that she wore a tattered and frayed white tunic and a black jacket. She also had a belt with lots of loops and pockets and knives. But perhaps the most peculiar part of her costume was the black metal bracer she wore on her left forearm, which also extended to cover the back of her hand. It had buttons and strange hooks on it.

A thinking machine.

“Mordrans,” Falcon gasped, suddenly realising where she was.

“That’s right,” the strange girl nodded. “Wild and cold-blooded Mordrans,” she said somewhat mockingly.

“Amazing,” Falcon breathed.

The girl raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“Why did you save me?” she asked curiously.

“The soldiers were trespassing. So were you. People are not allowed so easily into our forests. The only reason why I carried you off is—”

“Tarahn! Han-Ra!”

The girl Falcon was talking to stopped in mid-sentence and rose to face a young man with bright red hair. “What is it?”

The man got to his knees and bowed low. “I have come to report.”

“Get up. Let me hear the report,” Tarahn sighed. She didn’t seem to like the man’s exaggerated obeisance.

“More soldiers are coming into the forest. They all seem to be running after people. From the information we’ve been able to gather, it seems that they’re chasing down a small band of thieves.”

Tarahn, whom Falcon now realised was the Clan Chief’s daughter, the Han-Ra or Princess, looked sharply at her, and she grinned sheepishly back. “It’s exactly like he said,” she murmured. She turned back to the man. “Any word from my father and his men?”

He shook his head. “None yet.”

She nodded. “All right. Just drive those trespassers off. But don’t hurt them too much. Just remind them that they’re not supposed to be here.” She waved her hand and the young man bowed hastily before leaving.

She turned back to Falcon then. “What’s your name, thief?”

Falcon bristled but did not let it show. “Falcon.”

“Well, Falcon. Will you get up? I’ll see to your wound. Maybe I can clean it up before he gets b—” She broke off, looking over Falcon’s head. “Oh, never mind.” She raised her voice. “Where have you two been?”

“Exploring.”

Falcon turned her head at the sound of a new voice.

The one who had spoken was a young girl, and she smiled politely at her when she saw her move. She was quite pretty, though a bit on the small side. She was almost ethereal with long blond hair that tumbled in curls past her shoulders. Although she was small she somehow appeared willowy, her limbs long and graceful. There was a strange serenity about her, and innocence in her wide grey eyes. But there was knowledge there, too, far too much for someone who looked no older than Falcon. She seemed frail at first glance, but Falcon saw strength in her eyes.

A very tall young man accompanied her, with deep black hair cut short in the back and which hung low over his forehead. His eyes were a dull blue. He had the sort of face any woman would want to gawk at, but it was marred by his expression – or rather the lack of it. He didn’t seem to care where he was or whom he was with.

Both were dressed simply and unremarkably - not in the manner of Mordrans, but in the manner of lower class city folk. The only thing that seemed out of place was the gauntlet on the boy’s right hand. It shone like polished silver, and a large egg-shaped black stone was embedded in the steel covering the back of his left hand.

It looked expensive.

“Hello,” the pretty girl was saying to Falcon, cutting into her speculations about the jewel’s worth. “My name is Daimira. And this is Lake.”

Lake seemed uninterested so Falcon ignored him back. “I’m Falcon.”

“She’s a thief. Apparently, she’s the reason why the forest is crawling with foreign soldiers,” Tarahn said dryly.

“I’m not the only reason,” Falcon said defensively.

“Will she be ready to leave with us tomorrow?” Lake asked of Tarahn, pointing at Falcon as if she could not understand him nor answer for herself.

“I can leave now,” Falcon said loudly. “Thanks for all your help.”

“If you try to leave here by yourself, you’ll be arrested in five seconds. And if you wait for them to lose interest, it will be nightfall, and even this forest is not safe in the dark.”

“He has a point,” Daimira said to Falcon.

Tarahn frowned. “Maybe we should just turn her in...”

“No!” Falcon cried frantically. “No, no. You don’t know what they do to thieves in Derin! And I really haven’t stolen much. Please?”

Lake suddenly leaned down and grabbed Falcon’s hand. Falcon had to stop herself from gasping at the sudden jolt of his touch, as if his skin had been seething with lightning. But it was gone in an instant, and Falcon decided she must have been imagining things.

“A thief...Where did you get this?” he asked intently, brushing his thumb over an emerald ring Falcon wore around one finger.

She snatched her hand back angrily. “It’s mine. I didn’t steal it. It’s an old family heirloom.” She looked down and spoke softly. “My father gave it to me before he died.”

He stared at her. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning. You still have time to make up your mind.”

“Are you sure she—” Tarahn stopped her question at a glance from Lake.

Daimira smiled sweetly at Falcon. “I hope you decide to leave with us. This forest is too large to navigate alone.” She took Lake by the arm. “Come. It’s time we ate something.”

Falcon had dinner in the Mordrans’ camp that night and discovered that, contrary to general public opinion, Mordrans were a loud, gregarious lot. The semi-nomadic clan of warriors were known to be quite fearsome, besides possessing incredible scientific and engineering knowledge and technology. In the cities that they had settled into, Mordrans were at the forefront of most technological advancements, and all of them still answered to either the northern clan in Kalborne, or the eastern clan across the White Sea.

But they were rather nice. They were a bit rough and had an obscure sense of humour but were friendly and cheerful, despite the fact that they were currently camped in the ruins of the first and only Mordran city.

Falcon personally found it depressing, having supper right next to the shell of an old building now overgrown with vines.

She sat off to one side of the main campfire with Tarahn and her non-Mordran friends and resigned to herself to Daimira’s infinite questions about the life of a thief.

When Daimira paused to think, Falcon seized the opportunity to ask a question of her own. “So, where are you going tomorrow?”

Daimira blinked. “Why? I thought you weren’t interested in travelling with us?”

“How will I be interested if I don’t know where you’re going?” Besides, I might as well go with you since I have no money or supplies. And I’ll just end up getting lost in here. Or eaten by animals. Or- Falcon forced herself to stop. Surviving penniless in cities was one thing, but navigating such a huge forest as this on her own and without any provisions would be exceptionally foolish. Especially at this time of year.

“We’re going to Selan. We might have to make a few stops along the way, but that’s our ultimate destination.”

“Selan?” Falcon echoed in awe. “The Unassailable City? With walls tens of thousands of feet high?”

Daimira frowned and turned to Lake. “Are the walls tens of thousands of feet high?”

He shrugged. “Twenty thousand. Or maybe thirty.”

Falcon stared, and then realised he was joking - judging by the faint hint of a smile on his face. Then he blinked and lost all expression once again.

Daimira smiled. “Selan isn’t quite so fantastic, but it’s the only Remnant city besides Malcor’s capital that has never fallen to the Kalcene Queen. She’s tried to bring it down many times, but has never come close to succeeding. Perhaps, if we are vigilant enough, she never will.”

“I wouldn’t keep my hopes up too high,” Tarahn said softly. “The clan on the eastern side of the White Sea have been negotiating with her. She might have Mordran technology on her side soon. And Selan society has been degenerating somewhat. It isn’t as magnificent as it once was, two hundred years ago.”

“Should we just give up, then?” Daimira asked sadly.

Tarahn snorted. “Of course not. I’m keeping my knives all nice and sharp.”

Daimira looked down. “What if your father changes his mind and forms an alliance with Kalcena?”

“I’m not changing my mind and there’s nothing he can do about it, short of killing me.”

Falcon watched this exchange. “Why? What are you going to do in Selan? Do you live there?” she pressed, wanting to get the conversation back on track.

Daimira glanced at Lake. “Yes...a long time ago. And I think it’s time to go home.”

“What are you doing all the way up here in Kalborne, then? And why does a Mordran Princess have to come with you?”

“You forget your place,” Tarahn scowled.

Daimira laughed. “You ask a lot of questions for someone who isn’t entitled to any answers.”

Falcon turned red and looked down. “I’m sorry.”

“Never mind. Tarahn’s clan has business with Selan, and since we’re going in the same direction...”

Falcon stared at them. “You’re going to Selan, just the three of you? At this time of year? Is that all right with your clan?”

“The three of us are enough. It would be an insult to suggest the clan princess is incapable of taking care of herself and as a machinist with her rank, she is guaranteed safe passage almost anywhere. Even in the depths of Malcor or any of the Kalcene territories.” Daimira smiled at her. “You’re welcome to travel with us for a while.”

Falcon shrugged. “We’ll see.”

“Derin is forever closed to you.”

“There’s always Zarral. Or Forgja.”

“At any rate, it would be safer if you joined our party out of the forest if you don’t want to get lost. Or worse.” Daimira said lightly.

“I’m a thief,” Falcon said bluntly. “Why should I trust you not to turn me in?”

Lake blinked and turned his head to look directly at her. For an instant, his eyes were a blazing summer blue. “Oh, we might find some use for someone with your...abilities. Besides, you owe us a favour. We can’t call your debts in when you’re in a dungeon.” He stood up and pulled Daimira to her feet. “But it’s late, and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. It’s time we slept. We could leave this discussion for another day.”

Falcon tossed and turned in her assigned pallet later that night. She wouldn’t admit it to the group she’d just met, but she was frightened. She had never spent a night in a forest or mountain or anywhere that had no walls. The city had always felt safe to her and it was, ironically enough, because of the soldiers that kept watch all night. Cities, in reality, never slept.

But here they were – less than fifty men and women – sleeping right out in the open.

She wished they’d let her have a room in the ganlaf trees. She’d asked Tarahn but she’d laughed in her face and then agilely climbed a knotted rope up one tree with Daimira. She had been given a pallet and told to make herself comfortable with the soldiers on the forest floor.

She sighed heavily. Pointing out that she was a girl would have done her no good. Half the soldiers were women, and some of them were even younger than her.

She made a small growl of frustration and pulled a blanket up over her head. She was almost asleep when she heard something that chilled her blood.

Something in the forest howled.

It’s just a wolf, she told herself. Wolves didn’t attack people, specially not when there were so many of them camped together...

Another howl rose up, and this time it sounded much, much closer.

Falcon sat up, starting to sweat, and looked nervously around the sleeping camp.

“It won’t get you,” a voice behind her said coolly, making her jump.

She turned her head and saw Lake standing not far off, his blue eyes strangely bright in the moonlight. He was wide-awake and watching her.

She glanced around for other people who were up but found none. “Are there sentries posted?”

“No. None.”

She looked up at him. “That’s not a wolf out there, is it?”

He smiled faintly. “Are you sure you want to know?”

“Well, I could wait to find out when it bites me in the throat, I suppose,” she said sarcastically. She stood up. “We should rouse the others.” She reached down to shake a sleeping soldier awake but Lake’s hand suddenly closed over her wrist.

“Don’t. There’s no need. We aren’t in any danger.”

She looked at him incredulously as two different animals howled in unison. They sounded even closer now.

Lake lifted a hand and turned her around. “Look.”

Falcon started trembling, her eyes on the forest floor. “I’m going to scream.”

Lake covered her mouth with his hand. “Don’t. Look up.”

She lifted her eyes. She couldn’t help it. She shrieked into Lake’s hand and backed into him.

“Don’t be afraid. They’re just a couple of big dogs. That’s all.”

A big dog was an understatement for the two creatures that stood at the edge of their camp. Falcon had never actually seen Night Hounds before, but she knew without being told that she was looking at two of them now.

The Night Hounds were nearly as large as horses, their long slender legs steamed in the night and their upright ears twitched restlessly. Their coats were of the deepest black - so deep, they would never shine in light. Their eyes glinted a malevolent yellow and their blood-red tongues lolled out in hungry smiles as they stared, it seemed, right at her.

They were no more than a dozen yards away and she could clearly hear them panting.

They were the reason why no one left the cities after dark, and why Falcon had not wanted to be caught on the ground by nightfall. Very few ever survived encounters with the Night Hounds, and those who did were never the same.

“I will let you go, but don’t make a sound, Falcon. We don’t want the others to panic.”

“Panic?” Falcon laughed hysterically when Lake released her. “Those people at the edge of camp...They’re going to get hurt!”

“They’re asleep,” Lake said. “The only ones they’re interested in are the two of us. They don’t care about the swift and easy kills.”

“You’re not making me feel any better! What should we do?”

“Nothing.”

“Wha-”

Falcon didn’t get to finish what she was going to say. The Hounds leapt and she screamed, closing her eyes in the anticipation of jaws closing over her flesh.

But nothing happened. The Hounds let out a strange high-pitched whine, followed by a yelp of pain.

When Falcon opened her eyes, they had vanished.

“W-what happened?” she asked shakily.

“The Mordrans would not sleep so easily unprotected,” Lake said. “I told you not to be afraid.”

“But- How?”

“We are in the forest of Kalborne, protected by the Goddess Kellan herself. There’s magic here, and though it is what draws the Hounds, it can be easily directed and used against them.”

“Who directed it?”

“Do you really have to know? The Mordrans will not let anything harm anyone in their camp. Now, go back to sleep.”

Falcon laughed. “Do you think I can go back to sleep?”

Lake smiled coolly. “Yes. I’ll knock you out with a stick if I must.”

Falcon decided not to test him. He looked like he meant it. Trembling from their encounter with the strange beasts, she sought her pallet. Oddly, she fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.