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Nirako’s gaze traveled over my extensive markings, which were far more developed than when I’d first awakened with them after the crash. Where they had once been faint silver lines beneath the skin of my arms, they now formed intricate patterns across my entire body, visible even through clothing when activated. “These patterns... they are more developed than those I have seen on other human females.”

“They changed during our escape. I can interface with the ancient technology now—it’s how we got out.” I didn’t mention the cost—the searing headaches, the moments of sensory overload when too much data flooded through the connection. “When I interfaced with Hammond’s crystals, something... awakened.”

A flicker of recognition passed over Nirako’s face. “Like the Sound-Seer. The one called Jen.”

Hope surged through me at the familiar name. “Yes! Jen’s at the Eastern Settlement? We’re trying to reach it.”

Nirako signaled to his companions, a complex gesture involving both hands and a tail movement I couldn’t interpret. The warriors lowered their weapons slightly, though their posture remained alert. “Show us this warrior.”

I led them to Ravik, feeling the weight of their stares between my shoulder blades as we crossed the clearing. The dew had begun to burn off in the morning heat, steam rising from the vegetation to create a shimmering haze. Ravik had managed to straighten himself despite his obvious pain, one hand braced against the boulder for support.

His tail was positioned in what I’ve come to recognize as a formal greeting posture, though it trembled with the effort.

The patrol’s reaction was immediate. All three warriors stopped short, their eyes widening at the sight of Ravik’s blue skin and distinctive clan markings. Their tails went rigid with surprise, then moved in rapid patterns I couldn’t follow.

“Shadow Canyon,” Nirako breathed, the words carrying a weight I could feel even without understanding their full significance. “I thought your kind never left the western territories.”

“Circumstances... have changed,” Ravik replied, his voice stronger than it had been all morning, pride clearly driving him to show strength before his fellow warriors. His lifelines briefly strengthened despite his weakened condition. “Hammond captured me while I patrolled the border of our sacred grounds. He seeks the Nexus key.”

The words meant nothing to me, but they clearly impacted the patrol. Nirako’s tail went rigid with alarm, and his companions exchanged glances of clear concern.

“The human knows of this?” he demanded, his posture shifting to higher alert.

“He has fragments of knowledge, corrupted by his paranoia,” Ravik said, his breathing becoming more labored with the effort of speaking formally. “But his experiments draw closer to success. He must be stopped before he destabilizes more of the environmental systems.”

Nirako approached, studying Ravik’s wounds with a warrior’s experienced eye. His expression shifted from suspicion to grim assessment as he took in the extent of the damage—the deep lacerations from the guardian automaton, the energy weapon burns, the signs of infection spreading through the tissue.

“You need immediate medical attention,” he said, his tone softening slightly. “The settlement is two days’ journey, but we have a communication relay at our patrol camp. We can call for transport.”

Relief washed over me so intensely that my legs nearly gave out. I steadied myself against the boulder, feeling the rough surface scrape my palm. Through our bond, I felt Ravik’s answering wave of emotion—gratitude, hope, and lingering worry about what awaited us at the settlement.

Nirako turned to me, his expression guarded but no longer openly suspicious. “Your connection to this warrior... it appears to be a bond. Is this correct?”

I glanced at Ravik, unsure how to answer, but he spoke before I could formulate a response.

“We are bonded,” he stated simply, his golden eyes meeting Nirako’s without wavering despite the fever that burned through him. “It was... unexpected. But it is true.”

The patrol warriors exchanged looks I couldn’t interpret, a silent communication passing between them. Finally, Nirako nodded, his tail making a fluid motion that seemed to indicate acceptance, if not understanding. “The Council will want to hear of this. It is... unprecedented for one of the Shadow Canyon clan.”

Two warriors constructed a stretcher from branches and their cloaks while Nirako made a call on a device that resembled the communication crystals I’d seen in Hammond’s lab, but more elegant, better integrated with organic components. The crystal glowed with internal light as he spoke into it, his words too quiet for me to hear.

When they carefully moved Ravik onto the stretcher, I felt his pain spike through our bond, sharp and bright like shattered glass. I moved to his side instinctively, taking his hand. The contact soothed both of us.

The patrol noticed, their expressions ranging from curiosity to discomfort at this visible manifestation of our connection.

“The transport will meet us by nightfall,” Nirako said, returning to where we waited. “We should move immediately. These territories are still dangerous.”

As the warriors lifted Ravik’s stretcher, I walked alongside, maintaining contact with him. His fingers curled around mine, his grip weaker than before but determined. Through our bond flowed mutual relief, but also apprehension about what awaited us at the Eastern Settlement.

Ravik would be an anomaly among his own kind, just as I was among mine. Both of us existed now in an unprecedented middle ground—no longer fully part of our original peoples, but something new. But at least we would face whatever came next together, away from Hammond’s shadow.

The thought sent a chill through me despite the warmth of the day. Hammond had survived. He would rebuild.

And he wouldn’t stop hunting us—not after what we’d taken from him, not after what we knew. His obsession with the markings, with controlling the ancient technology, would only have intensified after our escape.

But for now, rescue was at hand. Ravik would receive the medical care he desperately needed. We would find safety, if only temporarily.

The next challenge would come soon enough. For now, I focused on the path ahead, on the steady presence of Ravik through our bond, and on putting one foot in front of the other.