As they began their journey toward the ruins, Cedric walked beside Tamsin, gently asking more about what had happened.
"I was the village healer," Tamsin explained quietly, her voice steady but filled with a quiet sadness. "I'm not a fighter. My magic is… well, it's not like yours. It's healing, small things mostly—cuts, broken bones. But when the bandits came, I couldn't do anything to stop them. All I could do was heal the people they left behind."
Cedric frowned. "That's still important."
Tamsin shook her head. "Not when it's not enough. I couldn't protect the children. They took them, and no one could stop them."
Maeve, who had been listening nearby, chimed in. "Sounds like you did your best, Tamsin. Sometimes healing's all you can do."
Tamsin glanced at her, offering a faint smile. "Thanks, but I should have done more. I should have protected them."
Lira, who had been walking ahead, slowed her pace to join the conversation. "Not everyone is meant to fight. Your role was to keep people alive, and you did that. Don't take on guilt that doesn't belong to you."
Cedric could see the wisdom in Lira's words. As tough as she was, she understood the weight of responsibility, and hearing her offer some of that wisdom to Tamsin made Cedric feel the bond between them strengthen. He placed a hand on Tamsin's shoulder. "We'll get them back, Tamsin. You're not alone in this."
Tamsin nodded, wiping her tears. "Thank you. I'll help however I can."
---
They arrived at the old ruins by dusk. The crumbling stone walls jutted out from the base of the mountains, half-covered in vines and shadowed by the looming peaks. The air was thick with tension, and Cedric's senses were on high alert as they approached the entrance.
Lira held up a hand, signaling for them to stop. "Bandits won't be far. We need to be careful."
Cedric nodded, glancing at Maeve and Kellen. "Maeve, can you distract them?"
Maeve's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Oh, I think I've got just the thing."
Kellen, always quick with a joke, leaned in. "Don't blow us up along with them."
Maeve grinned. "No promises."
As they prepared for the rescue, Cedric felt the weight of the mission ahead. He was no longer wandering aimlessly—he had people to protect, and a group that relied on him as much as he relied on them.
The feeling of a family, a found family, settled over him. Whatever came next, they would face it together.