Loys stood at the makeshift table they had hastily assembled from boards and crates, trying to bring order to the chaos. Wounded soldiers sat in front of the tents, many of them with makeshift bandages, others pale and silent. Most of the tents had still not been rebuilt because there were simply not enough hands to do the work. In the center of the camp, soldiers tied the prisoners to trees - dozens of motionless or semi-conscious people.

  , Loys estimated. And more than half of were captured by Zod.

  Jonat Paseru was there too. His hands were bound and he had no weapon. His mere presence made Loys tense up involuntarily. The man seemed calm - too calm. And calmness, after everything that had happened, was the most disturbing thing of all. Julius stood by the former command tent reading a letter. Next to him was a rider whose horse was still wet with sweat. A messenger from Sylve, no doubt. Loys knew what that meant, even though he didn't yet know the contents of the letter.

  But none of that was a priority at the moment.

  The surrounding men were talking all at once. Soldiers who believed they deserved answers that did not yet exist. Loys argued loudly, gave orders, contradicted, corrected. It was not the first time - and certainly not the last - that he found himself in the midst of chaos, trying to at least contain it.

  Then suddenly there was silence.

  So abrupt that Loys knew immediately what it meant.

  The soldiers stepped aside without a word. Out of respect- or rather, out of fear. Each of them had seen with their own eyes what Karekama was capable of. And each of them knew who was in charge.

  Zod Adenia.

  With his usual composure, Zod walked past gathered crowd. There was no sign of exhaustion or injury in his gait - his movements were as calm as Loy was accustomed to seeing. And yet there was something about him that kept even experienced soldiers unconsciously at a distance.

  Inside, Loys was relieved to see him. But at the same time, he too tensed unconsciously. From the beginning, he had been aware that Zod Adenia was an extremely capable fighter - and yet he had underestimated his abilities and knowledge not once, but twice. Seeing the ease with which he had fended off a serious attack made Loys realize how naive he had been.

  , Loys admonished himself as he gave instructions to his men.

  Zod waited patiently for him, until they joined forces and walked away together. A short walk through the forest to catch their breath and discuss their next steps.

  Only when they were alone did Loys notice how Zod visibly breathed a sigh of relief... how the feeling of pressure eased. The morning sun broke through the clouds and hit Zod's face directly. For a moment, he looked younger and... more human.

  "What happens now?", Zod finally asked.

  "The children will be picked up within the next hour and taken to Bellator. Julius is talking to Leonhardt's messenger right now. We're requesting vehicles to take our new friends to Bellator as well."

  "And noone talked?"

  "One of them bit his tongue when I questioned him", Loys explained half-heartedly. "So no."

  "Whatever they wanted, it was important to them."

  "Important enough to attack men of the royal house", Loys added coolly. "As things stand, the three of us will travel back to Bellator tonight with all the prisoners and some soldiers. The rest of the men will stay here and take care of... documenting the bodies."

  "I don't envy them", Zod muttered.

  Loys didn't respond. He had too many other thoughts running through his head.

  "They will all be court-martialed. Before King Leonhardt and the ministers. Regardless of whom they work for. Understood?"

  "Yes."

  Loys paused and looked at him.

  "Do you really understand? Even if they work for the Eldest, they will be judged according to King Leonhardt's verdict."

  "They don't work for the Eldest."

  There it was again. That certainty with which Zod always spoke. As if he knew everything. A trait that Loys found both commendable and annoying.

  "And what makes you so sure? You said yourself that they are dangerous magicians. Or are you trying to convince me that you know every single magician personally?"

  Zod closed his eyes and exhaled audibly. It was a sign that Loys knew well by now.

  "Do you say that to the archers who attacked us too? That they work for the people of faith?"

  "Why not? I wouldn't be surprised, given..."

  "Loys", Zod interrupted him and looked him straight in the eye. "What exactly is bothering you?"

  Not only was Loys good at reading Zod, but Zod had also seen through him long ago. Which wasn't particularly difficult, since Loys was constantly trying to get information out of Zod. Although at that moment, he was clearly more agitated than he wanted to admit.

  "Why did he attack you?"

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  "Who?", Zod asked in surprise.

  "Roan Dastre."

  "How should I know? He's one of your men, shouldn't you be able to answer that? I hardly know him."

  "Sir Dastre has been working for the royal house for almost seven years, and yet... he's had a problem with you from the beginning."

  "Because I'm an outsider?"

  "You know what I mean, Zod!"

  "I don't", Zod retorted. "Why are you constantly throwing accusations around? Aren't you a duke who should represent law and order?"

  "I've known Sir Dastre for years and something like this..."

  "He almost killed us all, Loys!", Zod retorted irritably. "Since when have you been so blind to the obvious? He was the one who betrayed us. Not the other way around!"

  "The same could be said of Sir Paseru, and yet I let him walk around the camp."

  "So that's it? You're trying to protect Sir Dastre because I'm protecting Sir Paseru?"

  "Do you admit to protecting him?"

  Silence.

  At that moment, Loys could read him like a book. He wasn't surprised or even angry - no. Zod was afraid. Even if it was only visible for a brief moment, Loys knew that Zod didn't have an answer right now. Neither about Sir Dastre nor about Sir Paseru.

  He deliberately cornered Zod, and although Loys was aware that he was going too far, he couldn't stop. There was something... something very important that Zod wasn't revealing. And the more time Loys spent with him, the more obvious it became. But at the same time, Loys had to think of King Leonhardt's words.

  Whatever Zod's reason for coming to Bellator, he had no intention of harming Sylve.

  "This is going nowhere", Loys finally said, freeing Zod from his predicament. "King Leonhardt should hear all sides and decide."

  Zod merely nodded before Loys continued on his way. But the questions remained.

  "How great were the losses?", Zod inquired instead.

  "Minimal", replied Loys. "No fatalities, but dozens injured. Those who were spared are guarding the prisoners."

  "And where are the onlookers who gathered in front of our camp?"

  "I sent them to Gueladann a good hour ago."

  "And they left without protest?"

  "Of course not, but I threatened them that if they continued to obstruct the investigation, they would also be charged."

  "I see", Zod muttered thoughtfully.

  The whole situation raised more questions than it should have. And more problems. Especially regarding the question of how many people really knew about the child abduction. Currently, it looked like the attackers were also working for Mornet.

  At least for Loys.

  After a few meters, they reached the spot where Zod had dueled Jonat Paseru. It was the first time Loys had seen the extent of the damage in daylight, and it was much greater than he had imagined. Perplexed, he paused for a moment and stared at the bare area littered with tree stumps and black spots.

  He got goosebumps when he thought of Groka at the sight. When the creatures had attacked, the land had looked similar. As far as the eye could see, only death and destruction. The only things missing here in the forest were the corpses - as well as the oppressive silence and the nauseating smell of decay.

  "Is there a spell that makes plants grow faster?", Loys finally spoke up.

  "Not that I know of", Zod replied, turning away from the cleared forest area. "But what do I know, I'm no magician."

  "But you know a little bit about magic, don't you?"

  "I do, yes."

  "Then what exactly was that attack yesterday?"

  "The starfire?", Zod replied as Loys followed him discreetly.

  , Loys thought to himself as he nodded.

  "The absolute pinnacle of fire magic, if I had to describe it", Zod continued his explanation. "Effectively a glowing ball of rock heated as hot as the metal used in forging swords. It's said to have been developed during the civil war in Altona, as far as I know."

  "And where does the name come from?"

  "I was once told that people back then thought a star was falling on them. That's why it's called Starfire", Zod explained with a smile. "I hardly know any mages who are capable of that."

  "The High-Magicians, perhaps?"

  "Actually, no. Except for the Eldest himself."

  "And three unknown mages can do what only the Eldest of Altona is capable of?", Loys asked with a slight, ironic undertone.

  "No, no. You're misunderstanding. The three magicians were able to create one fireball together", Zod clarified, looking up at Loys. "The Eldest, on the other hand, can conjure dozens of starfires single-handedly. That's a huge difference."

  Loys' shocked expression immediately made Zod laugh.

  "Yes", was all he could say between laughs. "It's easy to underestimate that, I know. The Eldest is usually such a quiet and reserved person that you wouldn't think he's capable of such a thing."

  "Have you ever seen him use starfire?", Loys asked.

  "No", Zod replied and turned away. It was a habit that Loys had also noticed in recent weeks, leading him to suspect that this was not the whole truth. "It was a first for me, too. I doubt we'll see that again anytime soon."

  "Assuming Altona has nothing to do with it", Loys interjected and sighed. Sometimes he would like to tie Zod to a chair and force him to tell the entire truth. "It's quite convenient that the High-Magicians are coming to Bellator anyway."

  "Please don't be so suspicious of them, Loys", Zod replied in a serious voice. "They have…"

  "I know, I know", Loys simply waved him off. "You don't need to say it again. We'll see what King Leonhardt has to say on the matter and then we'll see."

  Zod seemed dissatisfied, but did not probe further.

  When they were back at camp and Loys returned to work, Zod took over guarding the prisoners-including Jonat Paseru. Around noon, a soldier brought him something to eat and informed Loys that the children would be picked up shortly.

  All the while, however, Loys continued to observe Jonat Paseru. The Frignezer sat silently among the prisoners, and as they slowly woke up, Loys could clearly see how uncomfortable the situation was for him. Until Zod finally called him over and allowed him to sit next to him.

  Not a single soldier objected to this action, and Loys no longer felt it necessary to say anything.

  

  When evening came, the prisoner transport finally arrived, which Loys would also accompany. So he had all his documents brought to a separate carriage and had his horse brought to him. As he caught up with Julius, Zod, and Jonat Paseru, he could overhear their conversation from a distance.

  "You do realize that Sir Paseru can break the bars, don't you?", Zod explained amusedly when Julius asked him why he hadn't locked him in the carriage. "He doesn't need Zurakekama for that."

  "But let him ride your horse?"

  "Should I let him walk by foot?", Zod asked in surprise. "That will slow everyone down."

  "If you think so", Julius replied, not particularly convinced by the statement. "Can you manage it? You're... not the best rider."

  "I'll be fine, yes", Zod simply confirmed as Loys appeared behind him.

  "You can't ride?", Loys interjected, visibly surprised by the statement. How had he traveled so much around the world without using a horse? The journey to the north alone would take a year on foot, which seemed absurd to Loys.

  "I can ride, just not as well as you Sylver. I've rarely done it."

  "Then how did you get from A to B? On foot?", Loys inquired.

  "Mostly, yes", Zod confirmed, helping Jonat Paseru mount his horse.

  "Mostly?"

  "You really are impossible to figure out", Julius muttered quietly. Behind him, a soldier arrived, holding his horse by the reins and handing them to Julius. "Ah, thank you very much."

  "Where there's a will...", Zod announced, swinging himself onto the back of the large steed with a skillful movement. "... then there is a way."

  "Did you ride on CREATURES?", Julius suddenly blurted out, which made Zod laugh so hard that everyone turned in his direction.

  Although Zod did not respond, Loys wondered if there might be some truth to the statement. Or perhaps Zod was significantly wealthier than he let on.