Finn and Mayra made their way lower and lower down the mountain throughout the day. Realizing they wouldn't make it to the city gates before nightfall and would have to camp outside the city regardless, they chose to make their stay in a small cave at the base of the cliff.
The girls made a small fire at the mouth of the cave and independently reminisced about their previous days around the campfire as they traveled to Klain before.
It had been around such a fire that Riley had confessed feelings for Finn. It seemed years ago that had happened. So much had changed. Finn wondered how much he himself had changed during his time in the military. She hoped he was all right, wherever he was.
They hadn't seen or heard from him since he'd brought the news of Roland's... well, not death, as they now knew. Finn would try to write him a letter to tell him everything and hope the military could deliver it to him despite the ongoing mission.
"Seeing that Gabriel's all right was wonderful," Mayra said at length, "but it kind of hurts too."
"What do you mean?"
"As long as we're going around, having these adventures, trying to save and help people... it doesn't hit as hard. But... my family's in the Dark Place. Gabe said they're treated better now, but all my little brothers, and my mom, they've been there, this whole time. While I've been baking and helping you and teasing Jimmy and--" She broke off into a sob.
"Shhh," Finn put her arm around the younger girl. "Beating yourself up over this is not going to help them. We're doing our best. Better than our best. Normal people would not have hiked off into the mountains in search of mythical beings to try to help stop a war."
Mayra sniffled. "That's true, but it only helps a little. I should be doing more. I should be constantly consumed with getting them free, helping them, worrying about them."
"Which would accomplish exactly nothing." Finn sighed. "We're making progress. Worry does nothing. Cry if you need to get it out, but we need to pull it together before we enter the city tomorrow. Who knows what's going to happen then."
______________________
Riley arrived at the gate just before it was time for it to close. He was exhausted. Tired, sweaty, and dirty, he and his horse were the last let through before the sun set. He was thankful to be back in the city.
Though he wanted to ride straight to the Shermans' to see Mayra and Finn, it was his duty to head to the General first. After being on his horse for three days, he decided to dismount and walk through the city streets.
He was practically dead on his feet, but being on them kept him slightly more alert than sitting in the saddle. He had learned the art of dozing lightly while riding, which was a bit dangerous given that slipping out of consciousness completely could lead to a nasty fall.
Looking down at his grimy self, he wished he'd taken the chance to wash off in a stream before coming into the city, but that might have made him miss the closing of the gates. He was frowning at the state of his uniform when he plowed unwittingly into another pedestrian who was equally preoccupied with their own thoughts.
"Oh!" He merely stumbled, but the other soldier had fallen to the ground. Thankfully, Riley been promoted after his efforts against the wolf attack, and as a corporal he outranked the short private he'd just knocked over. At least he wouldn't be subject to a court-martial immediately upon arrival.
"Sorry, sir!" A familiar voice chirped at him in the twilight, and his eyes widened.
"Ashley?" He dropped the loyal horse's reins to help her up.
"Bear? Is that you?" She took his offered hand, ignoring the pulse of heat that ran up her arm. Looking left and right, she pulled him hurriedly behind the nearest building into the narrow pathway that ran between it and the next. The horse snatched a mouthful of grass pushing up between two cobblestones and chewed tranquilly, content to wait for the humans to return.
"What--" Riley began, and then Ashley turned and threw her arms around him, almost knocking him over.
"You're back! You're safe! I've made such a mess of things, Riley!" She cried out. His arms came awkwardly around to hug her just as she pulled away.
He didn't know whether to drop them or not, so shocked was he at this display. He was sure that in his smelly, dirty state, no one would want to be near him for long.
They slowly returned to his sides as she stepped backward, though there wasn't far to step in the narrow space. Her head was still tilted back to look up into his higher face.
He tried to focus in the quickly darkening light. The street lamps were already lit in preparation for the evening, but this little side area was shrouded in shadow.
"What exactly did you make a mess of?" He asked. She was so close that his breath teased the stray wisps of her golden hair when he spoke.
"Everything!" Her eyes filled with tears. "Riley, you're the only one left! Well, Peter too, but he's not here, is he? Did he come with you?" She momentarily brightened a bit until he shook his head. He was a bit perturbed at how disappointed she seemed, though he didn't know why. Wasn't his presence good enough? Did she need Peter too?
"Tell me what's happened? Is it your father?" Riley tried to direct the conversation to determine the exact nature of the problem, so that he could solve it.
"Yes, and no. Finn and Mayra, they were trying to help me!" Riley frowned, but nodded. He had expected as much of the two. "And then, they went to visit my mother, and she told them my father was a traitor, and he didn't want them interfering anymore and threatened them. When Finn tried to talk to me, he exiled them. They've been gone for weeks--" She stopped on a hiccup, clearly upset.
"Weeks? They've been missing for WEEKS?" Riley took a deep breath to steady himself. Mayra was the only family member he had who he had known for sure was safe. Thoughts of her were his comfort in his so-far futile efforts to rescue his mother and brothers. And Finn! He swallowed and tried to remain calm.
Having seen how hard she'd taken news of Roland's death, and knowing now that the man had survived, Riley had come to terms with the fact that Finn would not ever be his.
He also had a distinct distaste for competing against the man who'd saved his life, and was now risking it again on a dangerous spy mission for the sake of his mother, brothers, and all of Klain. Roland clearly loved Finn, and the thought of trying to steal her from him made Riley recoil.
Even so, Finn was dear to him and the prospect of her being in danger made a small amount of panic rise in him.
"Where did they go? There's not anywhere safe out there, the attacks are unpredictable and occur without warning!" He spoke quickly, trying to take a mental census of all the villages and towns he knew had been hit by the Rhone. Had the two young women already been captured?
"They came back," Ashley put her hand on his chest to calm his panicked words. He glanced down at it, briefly confused, and she drew it away in embarrassment. "They were gone, but they came back, and Father had the Peacekeeping forces arrest them! They're being held in the jail!"
Riley felt a rush of relief followed quickly by a wave of disgust. They were safe, and inside Klain away from the attacking army. They were held in jail at the behest of a traitor.
"If your father... that is, if the supposed victim of a crime is discredited, will the accused go free?" Riley asked.
"I don't know, I've never had much interaction with the peacekeeping trials," Ashley admitted.
"I need to get to the General with a message," Riley said. "I'll do whatever I can for Finn and Mayra."
Ashley's mouth quirked up as she remembered him making a similar statement when she was called away from the training camp.
"Thank you, Bear." She said.
"I told you I'm not that big, or that hairy," He defended himself half-heartedly. "And I'm your superior officer now, so you should be respectful." There was no actual censure in his words.
"Oh, yes, I did notice that you're awfully superior," She nodded solemnly and his jaw dropped.
She giggled and he snapped it shut. "You little..." he raised one finger to chastise her, but she was looking up at him now with large, comically apologetic eyes.
He tried being mad at her but wound up laughing instead. Apparently his extensive time in very serious only-male company had dulled his famous banter. He would have to sharpen it to match wits with Ashley in the future.