The following days bled together in a haze of pain for Valen. He drifted in and out of sleep, each waking moment anchored by Mona's presence. She was a silent vigil beside his bed, her ears twitching at every ragged breath he took, her gaze so fixed on him it felt like a physical pressure. The room smelled of poultices and candle smoke.
Fioré had come, her eyes grim, to lay out the stark reality. Their only path forward was an alliance with the former hunter, Cassian. From his bed, Valen watched Mona process this. Her brow furrowed, her tail giving a single, agitated flick against the floorboards. She said nothing, but the tension in the room tightened a notch.
---
The cobblestones of Calamor gave way to dirt as Cassian urged his horse toward Grinter. The ghost of Luna's shattered expression rode with him. Gala's words, a truth he'd spent years drowning in duty, now echoed with damning clarity. The abstract concept of "the beastfolk plight" was a living fire in his chest. He finally understood.
He had been Aldric's useful fool. The memory of Luna cradling her sister's body was a brand on his soul. His grip tightened on the reins, the wind whipping tears from his eyes as he rode harder, a newfound purpose burning away the last of his bitterness.
---
Cassian found them in a dim room at the inn. Valen was propped up in bed, his face pale and etched with pain, but his eyes held a grim, unbroken light. Mona stood beside him, her posture rigid. When her gaze met Cassian's, it was like staring down a cornered animal—all suspicion and hardened survival.
He didn't waste words. "Valen. Fioré told you." It wasn't a question. "The truth is uglier than I feared. We must move swiftly."
Mona took a half-step back, her tail bushing out. She had to ask. Now. "The bounty on my head," she said, her voice low and wary. "What do you know?"
"I know Aldric has a particular… interest," Cassian said, the word tasting foul. "Gold-furred females are a rarity. The price you would fetch outweighs a few year's worth of Calamor's tax income." He met her stare, refusing to look away from his own complicity. "He spun a tale that you were a fugitive, and that your capture would usher in a new era of prosperity. A lie I helped spread. I see the truth now. I stand before you as an ally."
"And what makes you think we need your help?" Mona's ears flattened. "We've managed fine on our own."
"You're right to doubt me," he conceded. "But you are not fighting slavers in an alley now. You are challenging a lord who commands the city guard and wields magic I scarcely understand. Alone, you are prey. Together, we can be a threat." He looked from her to Valen. "I can offer you protection. But we must be decisive."
A hoarse whisper came from the bed. "I'll do it." Valen's grip on Mona's hand was white-knuckled. "Whatever it takes to keep her safe." He coughed, wincing. "I've been part of this world's cruelty too long to stand aside."
Mona's eyes searched his. The frantic lashing of her tail stilled, and it curled around his wrist. "We're in this together," she murmured. She turned her sharp gaze back to Cassian. "But no more secrets. You tell us everything."
Valen listened, his expression hardening as Cassian detailed Aldric's enslavement magic. "It's not just greed," Valen spat. "It's about keeping his city 'pure'. A fancy word for cruelty. We'll shatter it."
"We will," Cassian agreed. "But to do that, I must return and play the loyal captain. I will find those in the guard who still have a conscience." He paused. "When the time is right, I will need one of you to be my 'prisoner.' Bait to draw Aldric's eye. It is the only way inside."
"No." Valen's protest was immediate. "Not her. It's me."
Cassian studied their bond, the silent conversation that passed between them. He gave a slow, grim nod. "As you wish. But remember, this is a dance with a viper. If he sees through the ruse for even a second, he will order your head struck off without a second thought."
Before he turned to leave, Cassian paused. A genuine, weary smile softened his features. "Valen. Looking at you both… it reminds me of a bond I once had. Her name was Gala." The memory was a fresh ache. "When I first saw you, I saw only my failure. Now… I see the man I once hoped to be." He met Valen's gaze. "From now on, call me Cas."
The name was an offering. A promise.
Mona watched him go, the rigid set of her shoulders easing just a fraction. A flicker of something—not trust, but a sliver of respect—took root in her chest.
The door clicked shut, and the room seemed to deflate. The brief surge of adrenaline that had carried Valen through the meeting vanished, leaving him hollowed out and aching. Every bruise and cut protested as he sank back into the pillows, the grim reality of their plan settling over him like a shroud. Playing the prisoner meant walking directly into the lion's den, unarmed and weakened. He looked at Mona, who was staring at the closed door, her ears still angled toward it. He would do it. He would walk into a thousand dens for her. But the cold dread in his gut was a stone he couldn't dislodge.
Once Cas's footsteps faded entirely, Mona turned to him. "You can't," she whispered, the defiance she'd shown the knight gone, replaced by raw fear. "Not like this. You can barely stand."
"You're the one they want, Mona," Valen said, his voice gravelly with exhaustion. "You're the symbol. I'm just the fool with a whip who finally learned which way to swing it." He reached for her hand, his own trembling slightly. "This is how I keep my promise."
Her tail wrapped tightly around his wrist, a silent, desperate anchor. She didn't agree, but the argument died in her throat. The cost was written in the pain on his face.
---
Cas returned to Calamor, the moon his only confidant. The next days were a delicate game of whispers and coded looks. He pulled aside Sergeant Kael, a man who'd served with him for a decade. "The orders regarding the beastfolk… they're changing," Cassian murmured, watching the man's eyes for any flicker of loyalty to Aldric. "I need to know who I can trust when they do." Kael's slow nod was the first thread of a lifeline. The next guard, a young recruit eager for promotion, eyed him with unsettling ambition. Cassian gave him a standard patrol assignment and sent him on his way, his own smile feeling like a crack in a mask.
He played his part for Aldric, detailing the "fugitives'" imminent capture.
"Ah, Cassian," Lord Aldric purred from his throne. "Your dedication to our city's purity is commendable. How do you plan to address the… undesirables?"
Cas kept his gaze lowered. "My Lord, the dungeons near capacity. We must prioritize genuine threats. Filling cells with beggars leaves us vulnerable." He chose each word with care.
Aldric's gaze sharpened. "Do not let compassion become a liability. That filth is a stain. Any who cannot contribute must be… relocated."
The euphemism was a blade. "Of course, my Lord. The streets will be cleansed." The lie dripped from his mouth.
The moment the chamber doors closed behind him, Aldric's gaze flicked to a guard. "Watch him," the lord murmured. "His mercy is becoming a problem."
---
A soft knock jolted Cas from a restless sleep. He was at the door in an instant. A single parchment lay at his feet.
He unfurled it.
'Aldric grows suspicious.'
The handwriting was familiar—one of his best officers who had shown true loyalty to the people. But that only made the dread he'd been stifling surge forward. They were out of time.
He didn't bother with his armor. At The Crescent Moon, he gave Fioré the signal—a single, sharp nod to her as he entered. She was gone in a flash, a shadow melting into the darkness toward Grinter.
She didn't stop. She reached Valen's door breathless, her heart hammering.
A soft tap. "Valen? Mona?" she whispered.
Inside, Valen was awake in an instant. Mona stirred in her own bed.
"Fioré?" Valen murmured, already moving.
The door opened to reveal a Fioré they rarely saw—hair disheveled, eyes wide with urgency. "Aldric suspects something," she breathed. "It's time. Now."
Valen's face set into grim lines. "We leave at dawn." He took in her exhausted state. "Take my bed. Rest. We need you sharp." He began gathering their few possessions. "We'll slip out early. How is Luna?"
Fioré nodded, a storm of emotion in her eyes. "Luna is under watch at the Crescent Moon. She is... stable. The guilt is a heavier cage than any I could build." She sighed, hesitating. "Valen… I am sorry. I thought my sanctuary was enough. That by hiding from the world, I was not a part of its evil." She looked down, her hands trembling. "I was wrong."
Valen placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've saved more than you've harmed. But now," he said, his voice firm, "is your chance to make it right." He offered a faint, tired smile. "Rest."
As he turned to Mona, his expression shifted entirely, filled with a protective, fierce love. It was time to end this.