The road wound quietly between fields of wheat. Twilight painted the sky in shades of violet and gold, the kind of peace that almost convinced Grave they hadn’t just fought a monster crawling out of stone.

Almost.

Ashen padded along the ditch, tail swaying. The dragon’s scales caught the fading light in flashes, too bright, too unnatural. Every few steps, its head tilted, nose testing the air.

Grave walked a little further from it than he meant to.

“So,” he said at last. “Does it…eat people?”

Sana laughed, quick and sharp. “Only if Rook tells it to.”

Grave looked at her, then at the armored figure leading their line. “And if Rook decides I’m more trouble than I’m worth?”

“You’d already be gone,” Rook said flatly.

Grave stared, trying to tell if that was a joke. The visor gave him nothing.

Sana smirked. “Don’t mind him. He’s been practicing deadpan since birth.”

Ashen’s tail thumped once, like agreement.

They made camp in a copse of trees off the road. Ashen coiled around them, massive body forming a ring, wings tucked close like fortress walls. Its eye blinked open every so often, gleaming amber in the dark.

The fire popped low. Sana strung up a charm above the flames, paper curling faintly in the heat. It released a steady glow, brighter than fireflies but softer than torchlight.

Grave chewed on bread from their earlier payment. Stale, but food.

“Do you ever wonder why we do this?” he asked around a mouthful.

Rook didn’t look up. “Do what?”

“This.” Grave gestured vaguely. “Marching into cursed towns. Fighting things no one else dares to name. Cleaning up for a King who probably forgets we exist.”

Rook’s voice was steady, clipped. “Because the King commands it.”

Grave snorted. “Is that really a reason?”

The fire popped sharply. For a moment, the only sound was Ashen’s low breathing.

Rook turned just enough that Grave’s reflection caught in the visor. “You think too much about things that aren’t yours to question.”

Grave’s jaw tightened. “And maybe you don’t think enough.”

Ashen growled low, tail flicking through the dirt. Sana waved a hand between them.

“Alright, boys. Save the philosophy for after I’ve slept. Preferably when I’ve gone deaf.” She turned to Grave, “And besides, you can hardly talk after just one successful mission with the Banner, can you?” She winked and turned away without waiting for a response.

When the food was gone, Grave leaned back against Ashen’s scaled flank tentatively. The dragon’s warmth hummed through his shoulders, steady as a heartbeat. He almost relaxed—until the beast rumbled deep in its chest.

“Still not eating me, right?” Grave asked.

Ashen cracked one eye. Smoke curled from its nose.

Rook said without looking, “He wouldn’t let you sit there if he planned to eat you.”

Grave groaned. “Both of you have the same sense of humor.”

Sana laughed. “Think of it this way—you’re part of the pack now.”

Grave wasn’t sure if that was better or worse.

The fire burned lower, and stars pressed through the sky, sharp pinpricks against the dark.

“Where’d you two come from, anyway?” Grave asked. “Before all this.”

Sana tilted her head, hair catching the glow of her charms. “I was conscripted. Royal edict needed a healer for ‘unusual cases.’” She twirled a charm between her fingers. “I said yes. Still waiting to regret it.”

Grave’s eyes shifted to Rook. “And you?”

Rook didn’t move. His armor gleamed faintly in the firelight, every plate still locked in place. Grave realized—not for the first time—he hadn’t seen the knight remove a single piece. Not when walking, not when resting.

Not even now.

The visor tilted toward the flames. “Sleep. We move at dawn.”

Sana rolled her eyes. “You’ll get more conversation out of Ashen.”

Grave sighed, lying back against the dirt. “Figures.”

The night deepened. Sana hummed an old tune, soft and lilting. Ashen’s tail flicked in rhythm. Grave stared at the stars, trying not to think about the letter still sealed in Rook’s cloak.

Rook sat unmoving, sword across his lap, armor glinting faintly.

A statue by the fire.

And a man who never shed his steel.