I barely made it three steps out of the trader before Timbur bounded toward me, his face split in a wide, expectant grin. “You ready to go now?”

  He all but vibrated with energy.

  I rubbed the back of my head. “I guess. Wolren said to focus on the Lunar Wolves around town for the meat and hide.”

  Timbur bobbed his head. “Yeah, ol’ Warwick has been bitchin’ up a storm about them lately. They attack the edges of town at night, and with all the refugees, we can’t keep track of everyone. No little ‘uns have been hurt yet, but he says it’s only a matter of time.”

  A familiar, mithril-hard determination solidified in my chest. “Then the wolves will be our first target.”

  Timbur tipped his head, curiosity flickering in his gaze. “You real protective of the small ones?”

  I grunted, leading the way toward the town’s exit. “I’ve got five younger siblings back home. Adopted every last one of them from bad situations. You could say I have a knack for collecting stray kids.”

  Unlike some people, Clover had been charmed by that instead of put off.

  Timbur slung an arm over my shoulder, laughing. “No wonder Clover likes you. She’d never admit it, but she’s got a real soft spot for kids. Can’t say I’m any different.”

  His attention shifted behind us, and his grin widened as he straightened. “Hey, it’s the kid from earlier! Hi!”

  The boy—teddy bear clutched to his chest—squeaked and jumped behind a passerby, peeking out nervously.

  Timbur deflated. “He’s still scared of me.”

  The dejection in his voice was hard to miss.

  I sighed, patting his arm. “Give it time. He’s been through a lot—losing his home to an ogre, his father falling ill, and then you scaring him.”

  Timbur nodded miserably, his antennae drooping. I hadn’t paid much attention to them earlier, but now, curiosity stirred.

  I cleared my throat and nodded toward them. “So… are you some kind of beastfolk?”

  I’d never heard of an insect type before, but there were stranger things.

  Spirits above—did that mean spider hybrids existed?

  A chill ran down my spine, but before my mind could spiral further, Timbur shook his head. “Nah. I’m a fairy.”

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  That was a first. Maybe the antenna was normal…

  He didn’t elaborate, and after a brief silence, I moved on.

  Turning to the boy, I knelt and spoke gently. “Remember, don’t follow us outside Starkfell, okay? It’s dangerous.”

  He pouted, protest clear in his eyes. He gripped my arm and tugged, trying to pull me back toward the buildings.

  I shook my head. “We can’t follow you yet. There are monsters to deal with, and people need food.”

  His pout deepened, his grip tightening.

  For a second, it was so painfully similar to Daedra’s stubborn refusal to let me leave that I had to breathe through the sharp pang of homesickness.

  Handle the dragon, Frederick. Then you can go home and never leave again.

  Shoving down the ache, I squeezed his hand and softened my voice. “We’ll be really careful, I promise.”

  His gaze flicked to the hole in my armor, disbelief clear.

  I winced, clearing my throat. “That was a different situation. If I hadn’t taken that hit, Clover might not be here anymore.”

  Instead of easing his worry, that only made it worse. His tugging became more insistent.

  A few onlookers chuckled at my predicament, shaking their heads. Timbur grunted a laugh. “Wrong thing to say, Freddie. Now you’ll be lucky if he lets you outta his sight.”

  The sky above us had deepened to a crimson red, streaks of purple already creeping through. Time was slipping away, and I grimaced, searching for something—anything—to convince him to let go.

  We were already on a tight schedule. Realistically, I shouldn’t have stopped to talk to him at all. But I hadn’t wanted to risk him following us.

  Forcing my gaze away from the sky, I gently pried his hand off my arm and pressed it to the bear instead. “I know things are scary right now, but to make them less scary, I need to do this. Aren’t you hungry?”

  His frown deepened—then, at the worst possible moment, his stomach let out a loud growl.

  He glared down at it, betrayed.

  I ruffled his hair. “Kids need food to grow big and strong. And your Adan needs food, too, if he’s going to get better.” I met his gaze. “I know you don’t want to let me go, but you have to.”

  The frown wobbled. His lip quivered.

  My stomach twisted. “Ah, come on, buddy. Don’t cry.”

  But it was too late. Tears welled in his eyes, and a quiet sniffle broke the air.

  A woman with long fox-like ears stepped forward, gently taking his hand. She gave me a sympathetic smile. “It’s alright, you two can go. I’ve got this.”

  The boy shook his head, displeasure clear, but she gathered him into a hug and perched him on her hip. “The nice man will be back in no time. Then you can smother him in all the hugs you want.”

  She carried him away, his eyes locked onto mine until they turned a corner and he disappeared from sight.

  I exhaled and stood, shaking off the lingering twist in my chest from his tears.

  “Alright then.” I turned to Timbur. “We should focus on the job. It’s nearly night. That means the wolves should be appearing soon, right?”

  He perked up and nodded, pointing toward the tree line outside town. “That’s where they usually come from. They don’t got no poison, so you ain’t gotta worry ‘bout their bites doing lasting damage.”

  Well, at least that was one less thing to deal with.