I drop the thing like it’s a snake, eyeing the malevolently glinting black object with wariness. I’m sure that it was in the corner when I went to sleep – more than a metre away. Yet somehow it got to my hand? Creepy as hell.

  Quickly activating my magic sight, I see connections between the stone and me only now starting to pull away. I shudder with revulsion, suddenly feeling like I need another bath. Thinking about that thing extending tendrils into me…?

  Not caring any more about the potential consequences, I use a rag to shield my skin while I pick the Core up between my thumb and forefinger and drop it into my Inventory. Considering that I’ve already been clutching it for who knows how long, I doubt that it’s going to do any more damage than it already has and I want the thing gone. If it can travel across the room to my hand, or somehow compel me from a distance to pick it up, it’s not something I want anywhere near me – or my Bound. I don’t even want to risk hitting it with a rock in case the shards somehow manage to stab me. If it’s ruined by being put in my Inventory, I won’t cry over it.

  For a moment I wonder if Flying-blade was being affected by the Core – were her actions truly her own? I try to push the doubt away – she’s dead all the same. And besides, she was antagonistic to me even at the Festival before she found the Core. At worst, it prompted her to attack where maybe she wouldn’t have, but she would have remained an enemy nonetheless. Though what if the other samurans who followed her were being affected in some way? Either intentionally or unintentionally?

  I shiver at the thought. Before I went to sleep, I would have said that I doubted any influencing would happen accidentally since the Core only put tendrils out when I held its woven handle. But now…. I decide that the captured samurans’ future actions will show me whether I’m being unjustifiably paranoid, or not.

  For now, though, I drop into my Core space, determined to discover if it did anything to me while I was connected to it.

  By the time morning comes around, I’ve gone over my internal matrix with a fine-toothed comb. Relief runs through me as I have found no signs of alterations, nor any hint of a Bond or something like that being formed. I can’t be certain that it hasn’t done anything – I’m no expert in soul-magic. But when I dropped into my Challenge space, I couldn’t see any signs of anything there either.

  The only thing I found – and healed – were the beginnings of corrosion to the tips of my absorption channels. That was nothing to do with Soul-binder’s artifact, though – I know it’s from spending too many hours in this room. Although it’s only half the density of Energy as it would be next to the Pure Energy stream, it’s still too dense for me to withstand for an elongated period. And I did spend a while soaking in my bath before I even went to sleep.

  At least I’ve earned a good amount of Energy towards my next level, though. I’ve decided that once I get to level twenty-six, I’ll work on increasing the length of the time the portal will be open. With only sixty days to go, I need to really turn my attention towards preparations to leave.

  Top among my priorities is making sure that the village is in a good place to leave behind – and dealing with the repercussions of yesterday’s attack is a part of that.

  I sigh, push myself upright and stretch, letting out a hiss of satisfaction as the tension in my muscles releases. Tidying up my mattress, I take a good drink of the fresh water coming in from the underground spring. Then, pushing the door open, I go to find the rest of my Bound.

  Outside it’s barely dawn, the sun’s rays beginning to light up the sky above my head even as the ground remains dark. Yet I’m not the only one awake – the three raptorcats and Lathani come to join me as I sit down. I pull out a carcass from my Inventory for my companions to enjoy, River, Fenrir, and Catch soon coming to join us. As we eat breakfast, I watch the play of colours across the sky. So familiar to a dawn on Earth, yet still completely alien: the increasing light reveals the massive trees which never existed on my home world; the dawn is heralded by calls of creatures which have greeted me every morning I’ve been on this world, and never before then.

  My attention is drawn to a massive body silhouetted against the brightening sky, wings stretched out as if to embrace the dawn. Raven is followed by his three children, the baby alcaorises not so little anymore, though Noir is only half the size of his siblings even now. Relief goes through me at seeing that nothing has happened to them. Whether or not their extended absence was also the hand of Flying-blade at work, they’re back now.

  ‘Raven!’ I call and the massive shape above me banks very slightly. ‘Would you come down here, please?’

  The adult alcaoris banks properly, but instead of descending, he starts gliding in a circle over the den.

  ‘I am tired. My children are tired. What do you want?’ he demands grumpily. His children have a completely different reaction. Letting out high cries which sound like an eagle on the hunt, they dive down towards me, flaring their wings at the last moment to pull up and drop lightly to the ground.

  Daphne and Ivor jockey with each other over who should be first to greet me. While they’re arguing, nipping and buffeting each other, Noir sneaks in past them and presses himself against me.

  “Hi little guy,” I say affectionately, scratching his face behind his eye-ridges and under his chin. He almost vibrates in pleasure, letting out an adorable faint squeak. Daphne and Ivor, realising that their sibling has beaten them to the chase, his small size giving him an edge of speed, let out protesting squawks and leave off arguing with each other to hurry over to me. Daphne hisses at Noir, using her greater size to push him away from me, despite his protests.

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  “Daphne,” I reprimand sternly. “Be nice to your brother.” I push her away from Noir, my eyebrows lifting as I feel her strength. She’s clearly made progress over the last few days – it won’t be long before she’s stronger than I am. The female alcaoris chirps in protest, dipping her head and side-eyeing me with her neck arched. Plaintive apology comes over the Bond from her and she grudgingly gives way so that her smallest brother can still press against me.

  I scratch her in her favourite spot at the base of her head in reward. Ivor nudges at me demandingly, so I focus for a moment and manifest a third arm made of earth to scratch at him. He grumbles a little in response, the Bond making it clear that he’d rather have my real hand scratching him, but subsides when I remind him wordlessly that he could have no scratches if he prefers. And since I’ve only managed to do this with earth and fire, I don’t have much choice since I don’t want to singe his scales. I do add a touch of fire to the third arm of combined rock and soil, though, giving it a little bit of warmth. Ivor sighs in pleasure at the change.

  A massive gust of air blows my hair back as Raven lands not far from where I’m surrounded by his offspring.

  ‘Apparently my hatchlings have decided for me,’ he sighs resignedly. ‘Was there a reason you hailed us when we are only just returning from an exhausting hunt?’

  “I mostly wanted to check that you were all fine, and that the hunt wasn’t anything you weren’t expecting.”

  Raven eyes me curiously.

  ‘That is an odd thing to ask. Many hunts do not go as expected.’

  “I know, but what I mean is that it wasn’t out of the ordinarily…unexpected.” I give a wry smile at my inability to put things into words. But I don’t want to risk putting ideas into his head about it potentially having been rigged if it wasn’t. Flying-blade might not necessarily have known about Raven since I don’t usually visit him over-ground but tend to take the route beside the Pure Energy stream. Less because I’m trying to avoid demonstrating our association, and more because it’s a far shorter distance.

  ‘It was a difficult hunt, both in finding our prey to begin with, and then in taking it down as I wanted my hatchlings to do the work. But not unusually so.’ Raven evidently decides to oblige my oddness.

  “Well, good,” I tell him with even more relief. I then relate what’s been happening in his absence.

  ‘It appears that you have had an exciting time,’ he observes when I’m finished. I laugh humorlessly.

  “That’s one way of putting it,” I respond, my mind replaying images of the village when we first arrived with all its destruction and death. “Would you have helped if you’d been here?” I can’t stop the question from slipping out.

  The alcaoris looks at me levelly.

  ‘You have helped my hatchlings beyond what I thought would be possible. Once so deformed that my brothers denied them access to the hatching grounds, they are now growing and developing the way hatchlings should. Two of them, anyway. And the third is still alive, against all odds. Yes, if what you hold dear to you is threatened, I would defend it. I regret that I was not here at the time. I did not know you were gone.’

  Warmth spills inside me, affection that I hold for Raven’s three children expanding to include the alcaoris who once was an enemy I feared would be our end.

  “Thanks,” I say, my voice thick. I avoid his gaze and focus on giving the three young alcaorises the best scratches I can. I even add a little more heat and softness into my earthen arm to more closely mimic my flesh fingers, even if that takes more concentration.

  I regret approaching Kalanthia the way I did yesterday, for all that I had good reasons to ask the question. If I hadn’t started firing accusations at her, would she have reacted like this? After all, she and I have far more history than I have with Raven. The only reason I felt safe enough to be angry at her, I realise. That she didn’t strike me down for it is probably her own declaration of affection.

  Then I frown to myself. Didn’t I tell Raven that we were going? I’m sure that I intended to do so and I know I told Kalanthia…but perhaps with everything that we needed to do to prepare, it slipped my mind. Regret settles cold inside me. If only I’d remembered…! But that way lies madness – and I was warned at the end of the festival not to pick up old burdens once more. Blaming myself for things I can’t change is definitely an old burden.

  “Alright,” I sigh once I’ve finished battling with my emotions. “It’s good to hear that you’re all fine. I guess we’d better go and see how things are in the village.”

  I pull away from the hatchlings and dematerialise my third arm. The alcaorises chirp in protest.

  “I’m sorry, guys, but I have to go.” The chirps increase in volume from Ivor and Daphne, but Noir nudges me with his head and lifts it so he can look me directly in the eyes. He pushes an impression over the Bond. I frown. “You want to come with me?” Noir nods definitely in a very human gesture that he must have picked up from me.

  Daphne and Ivor, suddenly paying attention, start clamouring too for the same thing. I look at Raven. He just appears tired. After a long moment of thought during which Daphne starts chirping at him too, followed swiftly by Ivor and then Noir, he answers.

  ‘I wish to sleep and they are clearly not nearly as tired as I am. If they want to join you, I will permit it,’ he agrees. The hatchlings begin crying in triumph, the sound loud enough to make my ears hurt. I glare at them until they quieten down, their outside appearances subdued. I know better, though – I’ve got Bonds with them that reveal the glee and excitement bubbling inside them.

  Though it’s not the first time they’ve visited the village, I can probably count the number of times they have done so on one hand. Maybe taking hatchlings into the village when I’ve just absorbed a whole load of new Pathwalkers and Warriors – not all of whom are Bound – isn’t the best of ideas, but they can take care of themselves. They’ve grown massively – from the size of greyhounds, they’re now the sizes of a pony in Noir’s case, and horses for Daphne and Ivor. Equipped with sharp teeth, claws, and able to leap into the air at a moment’s notice, they should be fine against the Warriors if any attempt to hurt them.

  “Alright, you can come with us,” I tell them, wincing at the increased volume that earns me. “As long as you’re careful and stick close to me. Not everyone there will be friendly to you, OK?”

  Daphne gives me the impression that my warning has mostly gone in one ear and out the other, but Ivor and Noir both send me solemn assurance that they have paid close attention.

  Looks like we’ve got three young alcaorises along for the ride.

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