Frey crouched high up in a tree. She was alone now— Eve was rushing the ambassador back to their base. And Frey was left solely in charge of keeping an eye on the prince's movements. 

It had been a strange affair so far. Twice the delegation had come across a huge wolf-like beast that Frey and Eve had never seen before, and the second time they almost thought they'd have to intervene. And apparently Ambassador Faizah could use magic. If she had a specialization then it was still unknown, and the two of them were unable to parse her skill level just by watching from afar, but it was still surprising.

Other general impressions from Eve: The prince was helpless. His immortal pet was a good marksman but somewhat easily overpowered. The knight was impressive.

Frey's shoulders slumped. She couldn't forget what she had done in Mavar Town. They had all been lucky enough to get away, but her plan hadn't been good enough, and that's why they'd gotten ambushed by the Hathorshan army. And now Eve trusted her even less. What would become of her and Molly if everyone started to hate her? She clutched at her collar. She had to redeem herself somehow. She had to reel in the big fish.

~ * ~ *~ * ~

Carter blinked. She was being shaken awake.

The bright beam of a flashlight was removed from her eyes, and she was able to see that Sephia's face was directly above her, and a wave of apprehension immediately went through Carter's body. But the knight's expression was one of concern. "Noelle? Are you okay?" she asked.

Carter sat up. How did she fall asleep? "Where's Astrid?" 

Jacob flung open the tent flap. "Gone. Was hoping you'd know something about why she left."

"Gone? Just like that?" Carter's eyes widened. "No way. No way. Maybe she just stepped into the woods for a bit. To do her business, or get some fresh air. Are you sure?"

Jacob gave a huff of a laugh. "Pack up, we're heading out." The flap closed and his footsteps trudged off.

Sephia turned to Carter. "Look around," she said. "The tent's empty. Faizah took all her things, and her footprints have already gone far forward. Towards the stronghold."

What? Carter shook her head slightly. She crouched forward and shoved past Sephia and out of the tent, into the cool night. The breeze stung her face as she looked around. She saw Astrid's small footprints leading away, and she followed them. Over the flat campground, then up a short hill where the prints became messier, and then up the apex, and then she could see them stretch far out, until they were too small in the distance to make out any longer, with the ring of trees blocking the horizon. Carter dropped to her knees. A blast of wind tugged at her hair. Abandoned. She'd been abandoned.

Was that a ridiculous assessment? She went back over the memories of what Astrid had told her, and how the meeting had been cut short through some magic trick of hers. It had simultaneously been impersonal yet personal.

In the midst of these thoughts, she heard Jacob's voice, telling her to get down from the hill and help pack up already. After a few moments, she stood.

~ * ~ *~ * ~

Sephia and Jacob listened as Carter ran through the general idea of everything Astrid had told her. The three of them were in a loose formation, moving quickly to try and catch up with Astrid.

"The old ambassador, huh?" Jacob said thoughtfully. "I sort of remember him. What about you, Seph?"

"Right, Ambassador Leon," she replied. "His death was greatly mourned. But… I only heard that it was an accident."

"Nothing to do with Astrid? Nevertheless it's clear what she's after. She wants to get the Zitaflora before us so she can revive this guy!" Anger flashed in Jacob's voice and eyes. 

Sephia wasn't feeling great about it either. She swallowed hard at hearing the conclusion out loud. It made sense, but really, Astrid… she'd been tricking and leading them on this whole time? And she would throw away the fate of the country like that? What if she'd been thinking about this for years, ever since Leon died? Had the person Sephia and Jacob known always been a traitor?

Enough. Sephia would deal with those feelings when she faced Astrid again. For now she had to keep Carter and Jacob moving.

After a long pause, Carter replied to Jacob's remark. "...That makes sense."

~ * ~ *~ * ~

A few minutes after entering the thick of the woods once more, Carter stopped and put out her arm, halting the others in their tracks. "Wait. I sense someone hiding. In the trees just up ahead."

“Huh?”

Sephia started, “We should—"

“Let’s keep going,” Jacob interrupted. “But stay alert. Carter, keep giving us as much info as you can.”

“Alright, your Highness,” said Sephia, drawing her revolver. Carter hurriedly strung her bow and then the three of them proceeded with bated breath. Carter's forehead creased with concentration.

“They’re to our left. Very high up. Holding something. Probably a weapon. Maybe a firearm,” she mumbled.

Sephia tensed and whipped her battered shield around, moving in front of Jacob and Carter. "Run!"

They dashed forward, trying as quickly as possible to pass the mysterious person in the trees. 

Jacob panted. "Carter, shoot!"

"But they didn't do anything yet!"

"Come on!" Jacob shouted.

"Urgh—" She had to do it, didn't she? Carter's eyes flared as she tried to make out distinctions in the vague body high above. She would aim for a hand— the general area where she hoped a hand would be. 

Carter nocked an arrow and released it with practiced ease. It soared directly to its target. But at the moment of Carter’s shot, the mysterious person reflexively leaped out of the trees and cascaded downwards.

“Huh?!” Carter shouted.

But that wasn’t all. As the woman descended, Carter could make out what she was holding in her hands. In one fist she held a rifle, and in the other was none other than Carter’s arrow. Based on the timing of her explosion out of the trees, there was only one explanation— This freak had caught the arrow in midair!

The short-haired woman landed gracefully on top of Sephia's shield and bounced off, landing several feet away. Then she tossed the arrow into some nondescript patch of snow and suddenly the pathway was flooded with smoke.

"Damn it! A trap!" Jacob shouted. "Carter!"

Sephia stepped in front of Jacob and fired off a round of bullets in what she thought was the woman's general location, but they pierced nothing but smoke before burying themselves in tree trunks. The woman was already charging towards them, weaving her way through the onslaught under the cover of the gas. She landed a well-aimed kick at the hand in which Sephia was holding her revolver. The knight clenched her teeth and, fingers still tight around the handle, swung the gun around forcefully, aiming for the woman's head. She was caught off-guard by this reaction but managed to protect her face, bracing the attack with her arm.

Carter yanked out her throwing knife and lunged at her. She ducked under the knife and used Carter's own momentum to hurl her off her feet, colliding her with Sephia. 

Carter groaned and started to lift herself from the snow. But Sephia uttered her name and Carter glanced at her. She was holding out her revolver.

Carter's eyes widened. Sephia couldn't see in all this smoke. So she was entrusting the shot to Carter's enhanced senses. Carter took the gun from her, shoving the throwing knife back in her boot.

Meanwhile, the woman was extracting a length of wire from her belt and throwing it. It looped around Jacob's arms and torso and she pulled it tight. He grunted and struggled but couldn't free himself.

But then a loud shot resounded, and drops of blood burst from the woman's shoulder. She staggered slightly and her eyes went as big as saucers. She'd been shot. But still she tugged at the wire and went forward to grab Jacob and presumably make her getaway. 

But it was not to be. A burst of electricity surged through the wire, firing itself into the woman's fingertips. She stumbled and fell over, paralyzed, smoke rising from her body.

As the gas around them cleared, Jacob wriggled the wire loose and dusted himself off, looking around as he did so. His eyes fell upon the revolver sitting in Carter's hand. She was staring at the woman, paler than usual.

"Oh, you shot her, Carter? Not bad at all. Maybe I should knight you," Jacob said.

"You missed her vitals," Sephia commented, addressing Carter.

"She bought me enough time to cast the electricity spell," Jacob said with a shrug. Then he smiled as he regarded the woman. "Our attacker doesn't match any of the three descriptions from Mavar Town. But she's holding a rifle, so we can assume that she's the alleged fourth member, the sniper."

Carter nodded. So… she was probably an immortal?

Jacob continued. "Sephia, end her life."

"What?" Carter turned. "N-no! She's not a threat anymore! So just leave her alone!"

Jacob raised his eyebrows. "Go on, Seph."

Sephia started crossing over to the immortal's body. Carter stepped forward and blocked her path. Carter tried pushing her back, but Sephia swatted her away easily. 

Sephia then drew her sword and pierced the immortal's heart.

Carter's eyes widened, and she was unable to stop the memories of her own last two deaths from flashing through her mind. Her stomach turned. 

She looked behind her to find Jacob holding his head in his hands. Then he started laughing. It was a loud and long laugh that seemed almost maniacal.

"What is wrong with you guys?!" Carter shouted, stepping forward and swinging her left fist at him. But to her shock, his own hand darted up and encased her fist before the punch could land.

"Saw that coming," said Jacob, still smiling as he peered up at Carter through his bangs. Then he made his face solemn. "Carter, I don't understand you. She's immortal. She'll come back to life; I doubt she even experienced much pain. Maybe you're taking this too personally. Are you reminded of your own grudge against me?"

The revolver slipped through Carter's fingers as she used her right hand to grab Jacob's collar. "You—!" She stopped and took a deep breath, trying to control the explosive resentment rising up in her. 

"You want to know what I've learned about you during this time, prince?" she said through gritted teeth. "You have no morality. I'm not just talking about killing her. You don't care about anyone, immortal or not. And you're only pursuing the Zitaflora because it's something you want to see. Isn't that right?" She let go of his collar and her voice became quiet. "All the power you have is wasted on you."

Jacob stared at her for a moment, then shook his head and smiled again. "You're right, Noelle. Everyone is a tool to me. That's the reward I get for being born a prince. And it's also correct that I'm unfit to have the role. Leagues more unfit than you know. But who's going to take it from me? You can only become the king by killing the king. Those are the rules."

He tilted his head. "Are you going to take it, Noelle? I'll warn you, in case you haven't noticed, moron that you are. That immortal was the one who cursed me. So, being that she's dead, my clairvoyance has returned.

"So take your best shot. I was born to be a prince, and you were born to serve me, and that will never, ever change!"

Sephia grabbed Carter by the shoulder and dragged her away from Jacob. "No fighting."

"Sephia, let go of her. If she wants to duel then we'll duel. If she wants to stick around without a fight then so be it."

But Carter was already done. She shook off Sephia and turned away. "I'm leaving."

Jacob's jaw dropped. "Wait, wh—", he began to protest, but it was already too late. Carter had set off at a sprint in the direction of the stronghold, leaping over an icy stream, and then speed building until moments later she was a speck in the horizon.

~ * ~ *~ * ~

Jacob stared after Carter for a moment, then Sephia spoke up. She'd picked up the revolver. "Are you alright, my liege?"

"I can't believe she really left," he said. "With her and Astrid both gone… and Astrid already inside the stronghold somehow…!"

"What?" Sephia asked. "Did you become aware of that due to your clairvoyance? Noelle and Faizah's desertion is troubling, but the return of your magic is a distinct positive, your Highness."

Jacob sighed. "You're right. We're still going to do this. Somehow. Even if I have to pry the flower out of Astrid's lifeless fingers." He crouched down and examined the roll of wire on the immortal's belt. "Help me tie her up and dump her gun in that stream, and then let's get out of here."