Anemone slumped and shivered as she groaned internally. It had been six hours since they started walking toward their goal. As her feet throbbed, she rubbed her knees, thinking about how to take her boots off. All she could imagine was being next to a fire with her toes free and warmed by a flame. It would be heaven if you could add a nice feather-and-straw-stuffed mattress instead of her thin quilted mat, which would be her bed for the next few days. The thought of the relief of not having circulation cut off from the boots was lovely. How they tightly strangled her feet for peak comfort made her want to cry. As Anemone groaned, the loud rumbling of her stomach pulled her attention. Her face flushed red instantly, but as her hand reached for her grimoire, her jaw dropped. Anemone fell to her knees and gripped her hair.

  “I forgot to restock my meals!” groaned Anemone. “That’s what I get for avoiding the tree of dominion…”

  After the first time, the delay of trials, Anemone had originally filled her grimoire with everything. However, a week has practically passed since then. Ever since Spriggan disappeared, Anemone had avoided going home and stayed with either Aronia or found an inn. And during that week, she had eaten everything. The thought had skipped her mind thanks to work and her being practically unconscious for a few days. Now she had to face the consequences of her actions.

  “I don’t believe this… life just had to ruin everything. I really don’t want Vespula guts for dinner,” she cried.

  Her hand covered her mouth as she gagged. Just thinking about that mold churned her stomach. Anemone rose to her feet and wandered around the area. The sound of her boots spoke in the damp soil. Her eyes looked into the distance as her nose caught the earthy wetness of the land. Blades of grass were almost knee high. The forest had opened up around them. Tree trunks were far narrower in this area than before. Many of the branches had needle-like leaves that draped downward. As the wind blew, a fresh woody smell replaced the wet, earthy smell. It was almost resinous and sharp.

  “The smell of fresh Pinus is almost refreshing.”

  Despite the earlier terror, this moment filled her chest with warmth. Tirno-Nog always had a dryer smell to it, but the woods out here seemed fresher. Anemone could tell that spruce or pine filled the surrounding woods. Tall patches of grass and shrubs reigned where moss did not cover the land. When Anemone’s gaze swept the vicinity, tiny luminous spheres appeared far off, much like the rears of burn bugs.

  “Will-o'-wisps… ‘Should you find yourself lost, follow them to the river and proceed west’, he would say. We must be much closer to the wetlands now.”

  A smile grew across Anemone’s face. Spriggan told her of the legends of how will-o'-wisps were the spirits of fae that wandered the wetlands. Anemone shook her head and focused on things she could forage. As she headed back to the denser part of the forest, Rowan caught her eye. He was not too far from her, and it seemed he was searching for something. His eyes, however, focused on something entirely different. In his hands was a cream-colored mushroom with a tan colored cap. One Anemone was quite familiar with—a gold-capped psilocybin mushroom.

  “I know it’s been stressful, Rowan, but doping up in the woods sounds like a bad call.”

  “How wrong of you to assume such a thing! I’m trying to figure out what’s edible!” He gasped. “But I guess you’re not as much of a stiff as you let on.”

  Anemone’s face flushed red as she stammered, “Don’t be foolish! If I grabbed such a thing, I would use it for a Phantasy-Ars!”

  A wicked smile grew on Rowan’s face.

  “Ah, but you and I both know… You are neither good at Apothecary nor Phantasy-Ars.”

  Anemone scowled as she turned her head. No one had ever guessed she had done something like that before. Sure, it was common among many of the citizens of Tir-noNog, but she would never admit to doing so.

  “Oh, relax. I won’t snitch on your stress relief, princess. We all cope with life differently.”

  A huff left her lips.

  “How did you know?”

  “I didn’t…” he paused and smiled again. “At least not until now.”

  “You—scoundrel!”

  “Hahaha. Yeah! I really am! But your secret is safe with me,” Rowan bowed. “How about you show me some tasty plants and spices, and I’ll whip something up as an apology!”

  As upset as she was, the moment Anemone heard her stomach, she had to comply. “Those on the ground next to the wilting Origanum are Quercus seeds. There's also portulaca oleracea next to the roots of the Quercus tree. To be safe, squeeze it to make sure nothing white comes out; it might be euphorbia. And those heart-shaped leaves are more than likely Asarum caudatum.” Anemone pointed.

  “Simple language, please.”

  As she leaned into her, Anemone nodded her head and then pointed at each thing.

  “Mint, acorn, hogweed, and a ginger variant.”

  “Oh yeah! I forgot about acorns… I guess I can just leech them with Undine, but I don’t think mint will work. I didn’t know there was a plant called euphoria,” Rowan rubbed his chin. “Sounds like a Muspell of a drug, and that last one you said… What is that again?”

  “Long-tailed wild ginger. The rhizomes and leaves are edible. And I said eu-phor-bi-a. Not euphoria.” Anemone pinched her brow.

  “Nice! I think I might have some potatoes and carrots—SOUP and salad it is!” Rowan shouted. “What else have you got?”

  Anemone smiled faintly. She called out as many nearby edible plants as she could, or at least things that would suffice as an ingredient. Rowan hopped around, pulling, cutting, and digging away at as many things as he could. Anemone puffed her cheeks as she thought about what had happened.

  “How dare he!” she fumed internally. “How did I fall for such a thing!? I guess he isn’t a total fool….”

  Anemone slumped her face into her hands as her ears reddened. Her teeth ground, trying to ignore his cackling in the background. It was almost hard for her to believe she had fallen for such a ploy. A conversation like that was a common tactic for phishing information out of someone, and she fell for it. Anemone couldn’t believe how much she had underestimated Rowan. It seemed he was more than a coy smile, complaining, and harassing. As she leered at him, Rowan sniffed about. His feet eased toward a plant with a cluster of circular, hairy leaves that coiled on itself. They were bright red with an almost shining bulb of sap on every hair. Anemone stroked her chin.

  “Droseraceae? But I don’t hear water, but that means we are nearing a fen or bog.”

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  As his hands reached out to grab one of its mucus-coated bulbs, Anemone called out.

  “Hold on! Those aren’t avian cherries! That’s a round-leaved Drosera next to it. Touching that sap will trigger it to shut close with enough force to snap your arm off.”

  “I’m kinda glad you said something,” Rowan wearily chuckled.

  “You should be more careful. These woods are dangerous, and I doubt anyone wants to see you hurt,” Anemone folded her arms.

  “Wow, that’s pretty considerate of you, princess. From Ru’s perspective, I thought you’d be worse.”

  A scowl grew across her face.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’re stuck up and stick to yourself, but I’ve dealt with worse.” He laughed. “You actually tried to save me.”

  Anemone turned away from him and spoke in a haughty tone.

  “Were on the same team, you dolt. Besides, Rubus likes you, and you like him. He likes Aronia….” Anemone paused. “And she likes him. That means you matter.”

  Rowan laughed at her words, and her face flushed red. She looked away, ignoring his laughter, but her eyes narrowed at how he mentioned Rubus. Anemone could not believe Rubus had any reason to speak of her positively, so she ignored his statement. Instead, she recalled the moment Rowan passed out during the written exam. Seeing him so careless, she could only imagine his test results. The idea of him doing well on it made her nod with disappointment.

  “You were half asleep in the exam, and now you can’t tell what plants can harm you. Are you ok?” Anemone raised her brow.

  “Of course!”

  He grinned with his thumb stretched high as he thanked her. In less than a moment, Rowan returned to a fool in her eyes. The frail, slender-looking Rowan was a bit of a character, but she almost smiled at his carefree attitude.

  “I guess I should be grateful… A free meal is better than no meal. I just hope it isn’t terrible.”

  A part of her wanted to jump for joy, knowing she would not have to worry about dinner. Anemone did her best to contain herself. Although Rowan didn’t look like the cooking type, she gave him a thumb-up, responding in kind. Rowan was strange beyond belief. From his demeanor, Anemone would never have guessed he was competent. His skillfulness in Ars didn’t match his flippant attitude. Along with his strangely chipper nature, she could only shrug her shoulders. Thinking back earlier, she recalled how Rowan summoned that barrier to protect Rubus in a matter of moments. Her jaw dropped at that moment. He was as competent as Timber, who had also saved her life. Anemone gripped her arm as she repeated, every time she had messed up in her mind.

  “They really are amazing… I hope I’m not entirely dead weight.”

  While Rowan was looking for food, Anemone noticed Rubus and Timber also searching the surroundings with Aronia. Aronia inspected the area for traces of insecta while Rubus looked for beast marks with Timber. Rubus stopped in his tracks, scanning the surrounding clearing area. The space had a wide opening with a few fallen trees and somewhat dry ground.

  “Judging from the scarring of the tree’s base, an axe or cleaver brought them down. Not claws,” Rubus called out.

  “Or mandibles,” Aronia added.

  Anemone walked toward a stump and rubbed it. The top was so smooth; she had to agree with Rubus’s ability to tell it was an aos-si. With no recent traces of other aos-si or beast-like footprints, Anemone sat down and slumped her body. Her hands rubbed together, praying this would be the place for camping. Rowan launched his hand upward, calling for the group’s attention.

  “All in favor of choosing here!?”

  “Did yoo even need to ask?” Aronia raised her hand as well.

  Anemone looked around, and Rubus and Timber also had their hands up. In fact, one of Rubus’ arms was already full of a bundle of branches to burn. It was as if everyone had unconsciously conferred among each other.

  “Hopefully, setting up camp won’t be an issue here,” Timber exhaled.

  “Less trouble does seem like a possibility,” Aronia sat on another stump near Anemone. “But we could run into lesser gallu-utukku, other Unseelie, or….” She pauses and starts creepily curling her fingers. “…Remnants.”

  Rowan cut in, “Remnants? Can’t we forget about them? Also, I was being rhetorical earlier when I asked for more things that can kill us.”

  Aronia leaned toward Anemone, “They’re ‘Lost Shells’ of beings roaming the lands… Searching! For the remains of their memories. They feed on all life in hopes! Of feeling alive, one…last…time!”

  Anemone chuckled at Aronia’s exaggerated movements and speech. She was spot on, mirroring Spriggan’s almost drama-like storytelling.

  “I heard someone else mention Remnants before. They are Old World creatures, aren’t they?” Anemone hesitated.

  “Forget ’em, Wingless. Remnants are just another fable of bloodsuckers,” Rubus interjected.

  “What bloodsucker do you know that has steel breaking crystal skin?” asked Rowan.

  Rubus shrugged.

  “Dragons, maybe.”

  “Relax, I hear they’re easy to track.” Aronia waved her hand. “Just whip out a compass and watch it dance as it does around pylons.”

  “I’d like to meet one. Knowing Remnants also absorb Ars makes them sound priceless.” Timber nodded.

  “Knowing how you worded that makes them sound like the next hot commodity,” Rowan scowled and pointed.

  “Who knows?” Timber shrugged.

  Anemone felt a crawling sensation run across her skin, and her limbs shook feverishly. She hugged her knees and clenched her arm trying to hold herself together. Anything that fed on Od or Ars was more than a threat to aos-si. Compounding that with impenetrable skin, Anemone knew that was a battle she couldn’t win. Real or not, other nocturnal creatures posed a threat. Now that they had set up camp, Anemone could feel the tension in her body slowly coming down. The pain in her body from being knocked around by insecta, the soreness in her feet from walking and bounding around, and her hands throbbed from crushing the handles of her weapons into her palms.

  “Today has been too long… I can’t believe it’s going to be like this for the next few days.”

  A groan left her lips, and she held her eyes closed for a moment, pointing her face into the air. The night sky was young, and yet the stars shone from above, lighting the sky. They caught her eye as she breathed deeply.

  “Every night I saw them from that window and yet…” her thoughts stopped.

  This was what she had longed for: a life of adventure in the Wilds. Everything moved like a whirlwind, and now that it was slowing down for the night, she recalled how much had happened. Anemone hung her head in her hands and took a deep breath. Meanwhile, she heard the rest of her group laughing. From behind her knees, Anemone could see that Rubus had already laid stones around the branches. As he stripped shaving from an old log for tinder, a smile grew across his face while a familiar laugh echoed. When Anemone raised her head, her eyes locked onto Aronia.

  Aronia always smiled, but something made Anemone’s heart run mad with green. Anemone sat frozen, star-struck by Aronia’s smile. A smile so wide it stretched ear to ear, with a playful shove to Rubus’s shoulder. Instantly, what had happened earlier today, peaked into Anemone’s mind. A bitterness gnawed at her chest as she watched them interact. Their words stayed muted, and she bit her lips, watching them smile and look into each other’s eyes without their masks on. Anemone hissed in silence.

  “I have to get her away from him….”

  Before she moved, the straight-faced Timber walked between her line of sight and messed with a somewhat troubled Rowan. They caught her eye as Timber pointed and jeered at Rowan, who covered his ears and flailed. You wouldn’t expect Timber to be the teasing type with his usually stoic expression.

  “I can’t believe they are all friends…” she stated.

  It was a surprise to see them cracking jokes and laughing with each other. Anemone raised her brows. Despite their clashing personalities, they were as warm as the fire that lit the camp. The fire that Rubus had made. The way Timber and Rowan beamed when they interacted with Rubus tore at her heart. A sudden urge to watch them indulge in each other made her want to turn away.

  “We used to be like that…” Anemone mumbled.

  After a few moments of their continued banter, Timber turned around and commanded the entire camp. His voice was firm, with a warmth that snapped her tension away from her thoughts.

  “Alright, before we get too comfortable, who’s doing the outer rings of the Three-Rings?”

  Anemone’s eyes returned to Rubus and almost wished it were him. And as her eyes met his, the tone on his face had shifted dramatically. His face was back to his usual dry scowl, but his eyes looked somewhat sullen. In that moment, the playful banter between him and Aronia had subsided rather quickly. The voice of Aronia tugged at the ear of Anemone with a beckoning call. The faint hiss that left her lips made Anemone’s head swivel as Aronia walked past her. A sudden lull in group conversations screamed in silence. Anemone shook her head as if dazed.

  “Hey, Nin! Help me set up the Three Ring-Barrier, will ya?” Aronia took her hand.

  “Huh? Umm, sure.” Anemone hesitated.

  “Do the two of you need help with the barrier?” Rowan called out.

  “No, you three have fun. Leave da hard work fer us, lasses!”

  As Aronia dragged her off, Anemone looked back at them. Rubus rubbed his face in his hands while Rowan pulled out his grimoire, and Timber walked off. Although she wanted to stick her tongue out at him, a string pulled in her chest. Anemone could not put her finger on it, but her gut told her that something was off.