It had been hours, perhaps days of running and the three Figments now mostly stumbled through the depths of the forest. They could not return to Mikill, there would be a warband waiting and they would tear them limb from limb on Overseer’s orders. They had never left the hollows that the Forgotten called home before. They knew not were they fled but some of the others had said “mountains meant sanctuary”.

The snarls and howls caught their attention, fae hounds had caught their scent. They ran for the white peaks they saw rising from the trees ahead of them. The beasts burst from the undergrowth behind them snapping at their heels. It was only a matter of time before they were going to be devoured now that they tired.

It was then, as a large overhanging branch crossed their path, they noticed three other fae standing, weapons drawn, on the make shift bridge. The Figments braced themselves waiting for their inevitable demise only to breathe a heavy sigh of relief as the three waved them through.

As they crossed under the bridge they turned back and, now unblinded by panic, stood dumbfounded at the three fae that had come to their rescue.

The pack of fae hounds continued to charge down their prey when the Nobilis, Figment and Changeling dropped from the branch each moving in unison with their polearms, striking upwards to crack the jaws of the first wave, then elegantly spinning round to crush the sides of the skulls of the second wave.

Enigma, Guide and Watcher

It was unthinkable, impossible even, but it was them with a pile of the dead, mutated dogmen at their feet.

Guide looked over to them first “I think we’re safe for now, I can’t detect any other fae nearby”

“Good, this trudging through the forest was getting tiresome,” Enigma replied “I am going back to camp, when you’ve got their jaws off the ground I’ll see you there.” He vanished, Watcher scowling at him and glancing uneasily towards Guide.

“It’s ok, it wasn’t an order. He knows he’s not the leader here” Guide responded looking towards the equally confused group of figments.

“I know this probably makes no sense. After all he’s tried to sacrifice me, exiled me, cursed me to die, helped the mortals save me, hindered the mortals in saving me, saved me from the forest, tried to kill me and saved me from Overseer. Some of those over a space of 5 minutes. I don’t entirely trust him either. However, right now, we both want to stop that monster from destroying the people we care about.”

Watcher nodded to emphasise the point. He still didn’t look happy about it though.

“We’re not asking you to fight, or to swear loyalty to anyone. Just know that my sanctuary is open to anyone who needs it and Overseer and his followers will never find you there.”

The Figments looked at each other nodding in agreement. “We would follow you anywhere Guide.”

Watcher grinned, a big, almost childish grin. Guide remembered the child she rescued what was it? A century ago? She often forgot he was once mortal.

Guide took a smooth stone etched with markings from a pouch on her belt and handed it to them.

“That stone will send you to the sanctuary in the Stennentbergs once. Use it when you’re ready” she told them. “By the way, you’re lucky we found you, you were running towards the Ghosts.”

The figments turned and began heading east. One stopped and turned to Guide “About Overseer….there’s something you should…..” their voices tailed off as the gathered fae collectively raised their eyes to the sky.

A storm tore across the sky from the north plunging everything in its wake in a black vale of night. A foul taste caught in Guide’s mouth of ash, smoke and evil intent. It grew ever stronger.

“Watcher, get them to the Sanctuary. Now”

He nodded and gathered the fae activating his own portal stone to take them away just as snarling laughter erupted from the now shifting pile of corpses. Guide called thorned vines from the ground to pin them down. Not for long but long enough.

She cut her palm on the blade of her glaive, spilling a sparkling crimson across her palm. She pressed it the tree closest to the layline.

“Home”

The now flaming eyed creatures broke free of the vines as she vanished through the trees.
Guide came to on her back at the foot of the home tree looking up at Enigma’s largely grim expression.

“Everywhere?” she asked

“Everywhere” he responded

“What do we do?” she asked.

He did not answer.