Judeau stared out through the tiny sliver of window that he could see from his prone position. The small moon had moved almost all the way across it, and was now casting its faint glow into only one of his eyes. That pale light was probably dividing his face neatly down the middle, right about now.

Which meant, if he remembered correctly, that there was only about one hour left until midnight.

You�re wasting time.

A slight frown creased his brow at the unwelcome thought. He didn�t want to think right now, but the insistent little voice kept sneaking into the meditative emptiness of his mind.

The curse-remedy will be finished in the morning, it said. You�re almost healed. Samina and Steelwing will soon wake up. It has to be now.

A small sigh escaped him and his frown deepened, as more unwelcome thoughts began slipping through his defenses.

�I just wanted to be a part of something great�

�Now, I can�t be a part of anything, anymore.

�Griffith�

His left hand slowly tightened into a hard fist, but he still did not move from his position, nor did he take his eyes away from the waning sliver of moon in the window.

Griffith might have failed to kill him, that day, but he sure had succeeded in taking his life away. Judeau finally closed his eyes and allowed the thoughts and the memories to flood in on him.

Do you know what was so great about being a Hawk, Griffith? The string of thought manifested itself like a rope, a lifeline through all the turbulent, desperate, hopeless feelings that came welling up. He grabbed on to it and let it carry him away to wherever it was going.

It was you, you know. Not you as a person, a commander or a friend, but your presence � the way you spoke, walked, carried yourself� It compelled a kind of belief.

Yes, of course you knew. Looking back, it seems obvious to me now that you did. Very clever, very calculated � just like everything else about you. Just another useful tool, to keep all your other useful tools in check.

And it worked so well, didn�t it? Oh, Griffith� you gave us something so much more precious than a soldier�s pay and a place to sleep� Somehow, you could make us all believe that we could be more than what we were born to be. In your presence, watching you, listening to your words, even the lowest of serfs could lift his head and dare to hope� dare to reach for his dream� dare to believe in himself and his own ability to change his fate.

And that was why we were undefeated. You knew so well, Griffith, that though a man might die for a Cause, nothing will make him fight with such fierceness and unyielding dedication as a chance to realise his own dream� and to defend his feeling of self-worth. We simply could not afford to lose.

Through you, we all fought for ourselves. Through you, we all fought for our own, personal goals, because you made us� no, you let us all believe, that if we just helped you gain your kingdom, your grand dream, we would be able to fulfil our own dreams.

And me� I just wanted to be a part of something great. I just wanted to be someone that someone like you could appreciate. I fought with the dream in my heart that once everything was said and done, once there would finally be peace after over a century of warfare, and once you had finally gained your kingdom, I would be there. Somewhere around you � Hell, I would settle for the far back of a crowded ballroom, as long as I could just see what you had accomplished and� and feel that in some way, no matter how small, I was a part of it.

I wanted, just once in my life, to feel that I was a part of something truly extraordinary.

Judeau heaved a sigh that made his ribs ache dully, and opened his eyes again, gazing up at the pale moon-sliver in the window.

How vain of me.

The pale, shimmering disc reminded him of Griffith in so many ways. Distant to the point of unreachable, somehow otherworldly and supreme in its lofty position � yet casting a light down over everything and everyone within its sight that changed the entire world in the way it illuminated the darkness and lent every detail a soft, surreal glow.

You were the light that we all gathered around, the roaring bonfire to which we brought our own little torches, thinking they might one day burn as brightly as your grand dream, if they only got the chance.

And you welcomed us all, and gladly let us put our flames to yours, until nothing remained of them but the illusion � That image that sticks to your eye and won�t go away for a long while after the flame has been put out - or swallowed up. Our dreams only served to feed yours, and we wanted so badly to believe what we saw in you that we blinded ourselves to that fact. Our dreams became your dream, just as easy as that.

I really thought there was a place for me in your dream. So did Caska, and Rickert, and Corkus, and Pippin. So did we all. We bled and fought and died, we lost friends and comrades and we even lost ourselves, sometimes, but we went on � always on � to the next battlefield and the next victory, and the next, and the next� and all the while, you let us believe that we were a part of something extraordinary and incredible, something that would change the world and our places in it forever. You let us believe that everything we did for you made a difference � made us part of something bigger than ourselves. You let us believe that we had a value, a right to live, a right to strive for a brighter future for ourselves� right up until the end, when you proved us all wrong.

Was it so, Griffith, that the only real value we ever held in your eyes was how useful we could be to you? To your dream?

That great, beautiful, magnificent dream was never really meant for us common thugs, was it? It was yours, exclusively�

�If even that.

I think I see now, Griffith, something I hadn�t thought about before� That day, in that horrid place, you sacrificed everything, didn�t you? Not only us, but also yourself� after all, you weren�t of any further use to your dream, either�

I was so blind, so helplessly convinced by what I wanted to see in you, that I could never accept what I really saw� or think I saw� maybe even long before things started to go wrong�

�That your dream was so great, it consumed you, too.

Judeau slowly, thoughtfully brought his hands up over his chest and absently traced the demonic brand with his fingertips.

But whether I�m right or wrong about that, I�ll never know, will I? And it doesn�t matter, anyway. I can never forgive you for what you did, even if it claimed you too, in the end � even if maybe we brought it on ourselves by wanting so desperately to believe in you.

It doesn�t matter. They deserved better, Griffith. They deserved better than to be disposed of like so much garbage. After everything they did for you � after everything they won for you.

Their dreams� our dreams might not have been as grand and all-consuming as yours, but they were ours. With what right did you take them all away?

With what right did you kill them?

I risked my life to save you, you know. Don�t I feel stupid now.

His fingers continued their absent-minded exploration up his arm, tracing the jagged, puckered lines of his scars.

I still wish that I could have saved you, Griffith. I just don�t think there was anything I could have done, anymore. Even if we had somehow been able to come for you sooner, while you wasted away in that tower, or in greater numbers, I still think that things would have turned out the way they did � because none of us could have done anything to save you from yourself.

A sharp stab of grief shot through his chest and his fingers convulsively tightened around his arm, his left hand balling up into a hard fist.

I couldn�t save you.

I couldn�t save my friends.

I couldn�t save Caska.

Pulling in a deep, ragged breath, he tried to focus on breathing slowly, barley noticing how his fingernails dug into his scarred skin.

I couldn�t even save myself.

He finally managed to push the sharpest edge of the pain away and got himself back under control, angrily blinking the few, traitorous tears away and carefully relaxing his grip. He glared up at the cool, waning moon-sliver in the window.

Just so you know, Griffith, he thought, feeling that smouldering anger burn away the worst of the remaining grief, I�m never going to forgive myself for that, so why should I ever forgive you?

It was high time to start moving now, if he wasn�t going to be discovered. Judeau sat up with a last, angry sniff and began unwrapping the bandage around his chest.

You took my past, my love, my dreams and my life away, Griffith. I�ll see you in hell � If they�ll let you in.

Then he decisively pushed the hurt and the anger away again and forced his mind to focus on the task at hand.

He left the bandages neatly folded on the bed and got dressed as stealthily as he could. Sure, he was quite certain now that dwarves had a really bad sense of hearing, but the door to the other room was open just a crack, and both Taskkarr and Thirgynn were sleeping in there. He could hear Taskkarr�s hoarse snoring from here, and somewhere in the background, Thirgynn�s only slightly quieter breaths. They both sounded like they were fast asleep, but it was always better not to take any chances.

Before he slipped his boots on, he walked over to the Healer�s table and searched a little through the different bags and small, wooden boxes. Finding the pouch he was looking for, he guiltily emptied it of some of its contents and placed it in his pocket, then he took his armour under his arm, along with the saddlebag that contained his other meagre belongings, put the helmet on his head and quietly pushed the door open. Some of the pale moonlight fell in through the crack, painting a strip of the floor with a silver blue glow.

Shammael�s outside door had a creak to it, he remembered, and he managed to stop its swing right before it hit the treacherous angle. Waiting in the shadows just inside the door, Judeau strained his ears to the limits of their usefulness, but heard nothing outside except the gentle rustling of wind through heavy branches and the occasional, distant call of some night-active woodland creature. He surreptitiously leaned out and peered towards the silent tents at the far end of the cabin, but nothing seemed to stir over there.

The sky was perfectly clear, and though the big moon was only visible as a distant, hazy light beyond the trees to the east, the small one stood proudly in the middle of the sky and provided more than enough light to see by. At least it felt that way to Judeau after coming out from the Healer�s dark house, and he felt terribly exposed.

Keeping a watchful eye on the tents, Judeau pushed the door closed as slowly as he had opened it. It swung shut with a very soft �thump�, and Judeau�s heart almost jumped � but he remained perfectly still, listening intently for any sound that was not his own racing heartbeats. Only when he was sure that the silence and his own wariness had made the sound of the door seem louder than it really was, and that nobody seemed to be coming to check up on it, did he slowly exhale and allow himself to relax a little.

So far, so good.

Treading as softly as only years of scout practise could teach, Judeau made his way out of the revealing moonlight and in between the shadows of the trees.

*
Acting purely on scout instinct, he made a slight curve in his course and came up on the forest-glade-turned-pasture from the side. As he silently approached the rickety fence, he saw Kariss� huge, white, ghost-like shape rise from its sleeping spot and make its way over to him, snuffling loudly and making odd, low-key coughing noises.

�Hey there, boy,� he whispered and held his hand out over the fence so the beast would recognise him. Only when Kariss� wet nose pressed against his palm did Judeau see the other two murvels. They were standing where they had been sleeping next to Kariss, Thirgynn�s grey beast carefully snuffling at the air, and Taskkarr�s black steed - almost invisible against the dark background of the forest - standing perfectly still, watching him with a steady, slightly threatening air to it. He waved at them to approach, as he�d seen the dwarves do during their journey here.

�Hey to you, too. Come here. Um� Zshyk.�

Kariss seemed to recognise him and butted his hand lightly, making small noises in the back of its mighty throat. Thirgynn�s grey steed cocked its head to the side at the not-very-perfect dwarven command, but approached slowly, curiously. The black beast remained stock still where it stood, but made no more threatening moves as Judeau carefully climbed over the fence.

He let the grey beast sniff his hand as well, scratching the rumble-purring Kariss� head with the other, mumbling quiet, calming nonsense-words to the both of them.

��And guess what I�ve got for you guys!�

From his pocket, he fished out three hazelnuts. He didn�t like the thought of taking anything from the old Healer, but if he was going to do what had to be done, he would need something that would placate the murvelbeasts and make them responsive to him � or they might very well get in his way. And hazelnuts should be easy enough for Shammael to replace.

At the sight of the hazelnuts, Kariss immediately stopped purring, instead whimpering eagerly and pacing its heavy paws against the ground. Thirgynn�s beast stretched its neck up, snuffling incessantly at the treat, and Taskkarr�s dark murvel finally began to move towards them � at first cautiously, but then it seemed to catch a whiff of the nuts, and hurried its plodding. Judeau made sure that each of the beasts got one hazelnut, and scratched their shaggy heads � eliciting a short, quiet purr even from the black one.

�Good, good� that was good, wasn�t it? Now�� He snapped his fingers and they all looked up at him, expectantly. He made a quick, decisive downwards push with the palm of his hand, and put as much command into his voice as he dared without raising its volume too much:

�Gzu-hokk!�

They looked at him. He remained still, staring down at them with a stern, serious frown on his face. Just as he thought that they�d called his bluff, Kariss and the grey murvel slowly, hesitantly began to lie down, keeping their dark eyes on his face. He carefully kept his �dwarf mask� in place, but gave them a slow, brief nod of approval and turned an expectant scowl on the black beast.

The beast remained stubbornly standing, staring up at Judeau with eyes that were indistinguishable in the black fur. Judeau�s scowl deepened further, and he began slowly, purposefully turning towards the beast, raising his hand above his head�

�And slowly, reluctantly, the black beast lowered its head and its great bulk to the ground, giving up a deep, defeated sigh. Judeau mentally exhaled. If his bluff had worked as it should, the beasts would stay low and quiet, and wouldn�t rise up again until someone commanded them to. He patted each shaggy head once more and told them they�d done good, and then he walked over to the horses.

Steelwing�s slender elfhorse sped over to the other end of the pasture when he approached, tossing its head defiantly and keeping a watchful eye on him � but, thankfully, didn�t make any noise. In fact, aside from a few, strange-sounding huffs, Judeau had never heard it make one.

Well, at least it would stay out of his way.

Blaise and Sock acknowledged his presence with a tail-flip and a quiet huff respectively, and paid him no more attention, but Packer recognised him immediately and greeted him with a soft, friendly headbutt in the chest, readily allowing Judeau to lead it out of the pasture and put it in reins. He�d just returned from the tiny tackle-shed with Packer�s saddle and hung it over the horse�s back, when a voice from behind almost caused him to jump out of his skin.

�Where do you think you�re going in the middle of the night,� it said calmly, and he swivelled around to face it, ��with my horse?�

From out of the deep shadows underneath a mighty fir tree stepped Samina. In the all-black outfit that she nearly always wore, it looked for a moment as though only her pale, disembodied face came floating out into the moonlight � but as soon as the worst of the adrenaline-rush had worn off, Judeau could see her outline against the slightly darker background.

�Sam-Samina� how� how did you�?�

She heaved a small sigh and walked up to him, fixing him with a somewhat weary look.

�Let�s just say I had a hunch. You�ve been brooding, Judeau. You were very good at hiding it, but not always� and when you woke up after the minotaur-attack, you seemed like you had made some sort of decision, so�� She looked away from him and patted Packer�s neck gently. ��Since you didn�t talk about it, I was afraid that it would come to something like this. I�ve been standing watch here, at night, just in case��

Samina frowned and heaved another light, uncertain sigh. Then she looked back at him, her eyes gently questioning.

�What is it, Judeau? Is it me and the Void? Is it Steelwing and his threat? Is it the dwarves?� She took a hesitant hold of Packer�s saddle and shook her head slightly. �If it is, then I can understand, just� please, Judeau, don�t leave without an explanation. I think I can ask for at least that much.�

He sighed and looked away from her.

�It�s not you, Samina,� he murmured quietly. �It�s not any of you. Believe me, if I had a�� He interrupted himself and rubbed his lips awkwardly. He had so hoped that he wouldn�t have to confront anyone, and now he didn�t really know what to say. Leaning back against Packer and turning his side on Samina, he studied the newly fallen leaves at his feet � some of the first of the season � and tried a different approach:

�Shammael said it, once: I am a people-person. More exactly, he said that I belong in the cities where people mill about� and he was right. I have always had an easy time making friends, and that�s because� I need them. It�s that simple. The more friends I have around me, the happier I am � and that includes you guys. I�ve really enjoyed my time with you � You�re good people, if maybe a little bit on the weird side, but good people nonetheless � and hey�� He looked over at Samina�s mildly confused face and smiled. �What�s a few death threats between friends?� She uncertainly smiled back at him, and he looked away again, gazing off at the distant treetops and carefully holding onto the smile.

�I have never been really alone before, just by myself, but there�s got to be a first time for everything. I think it�s time I gave it a shot. Grew some backbone, you know. Learned to stand on my own.�

�Huh.� Samina didn�t sound at all convinced. �If that�s all, then why are you sneaking away like a thief in the night, jumping like a child caught in the act of pick-pocketing at the sound of my voice?�

He looked down at the ground again and sheepishly rubbed his nose. �Well... I didn�t think you would let me leave.�

In the short silence that followed, Judeau saw Samina change position out of the corner of his eye. She seemed to relax a little, putting more of her weight on one foot and leaning slightly against Packer. She turned her face to gaze over the small horse�s neck, out at the moonlit pasture, and sighed again.

�If I had any sense in me at all, I wouldn�t. And I don�t understand why you would want to. Here, with Mr Shammael, you�re safe� but going away on your own, with that rune on your hand� it�s basically the same as suicide.�

She looked back at him. He didn�t move, nor speak, and he couldn�t keep the smile on his face. He heard the creak of leather as her fingers tightened their hold on the saddle behind him, and an unmistakably hard edge had crept into her quiet voice when she spoke again:

�Suicide is the coward�s way out, Judeau.�

�I want to live.� The words had almost spoken themselves, and it was as if by making themselves heard they had broken some kind of dam inside of him, making more words, quiet but clipped and angry, come over his lips before he�d really gotten a chance to think them through:

�I don�t want to die, I want to live. I have a right to. But as long as I have this damned curse on me, I can�t. I can�t go to a city, because I will bring the demons and the undead down on it and its people. I can�t stay here with Shammael, because his Healer�s aura and my Brand are cancelling each other out, just like Thirgynn said, and that�s keeping me safe, yes, but it�s making Shammael sick� and it�s taken away the only real protection he�s got against the minotaurs and the trolls and whatever other dangerous beasts lurk around in this damned forest. That�s why the minotaurs attacked us: �Taurs can feel the Healer, but taurs don�t feel you�. It was because of my presence there, with you, that you and Taskkarr and Thirgynn got hurt. Because of me - Because of my Brand. And that�s why I have to go. I�m going to try to find a way to remove this curse, and��

He finally caught up with himself and stopped, but realised with a sigh that he�d already said everything else. He might as well finish the sentence, too.

��And maybe find a way to go back.�

Samina�s voice was surprisingly calm and gentle. �Back? To where?�

He turned his head to look at her. �Back to my world. There�s�� He shut his mouth and straightened up, turning to Packer � But when he reached in under the small horse to get the saddle-girth, he finished that sentence too, for some reason.

�There�s someone I want to find.�

~
Samina watched Judeau begin to strap the girth in place, but she didn�t let go of her hold on the saddle. He was very determined, there was no doubt about that, but she couldn�t let him go through with this. She had decided that much after only a short internal debate in the shadow of the fir. She just didn�t know what she could possibly do to stop him.

At least he seemed to respond to calm reasonability. She decided to see what else she might learn, as long as it lasted.

�Caska�?� she prodded, and he immediately froze and turned his head towards her so fast that his ponytail whipped around his neck.

�Where did you hear that name?� he asked quietly. She tried a lopsided little smile.

�You�ve been saying it a few times� when you were confused.� This was an interesting reaction. There was something very strong going on inside him � there had to be, for him to be doing something this desperate � and it was linked to this, somehow. Maybe if she could find out just what it was, she could find a way to convince him to stay. She dared to prod just a little deeper, turning her voice softer, gentler, �You really loved her, didn�t you?�

He held her with his gaze, and she could almost see his internal conflict as a small wrinkle slowly became visible between his eyebrows. Then he looked away and let out a short breath.

�Yes.� He remained still, and Samina remained quiet, anticipating the words that had been left unsaid in that statement. Her silence was soon rewarded as Judeau, still facing away from her, began speaking very quietly, as if to himself:

�I still do. And I�m not going to lie and say that I wouldn�t look for her if I found a way to get back there, because I would� but I actually wasn�t thinking about her��

Samina nodded absently to herself.

�The man who betrayed you, then,� she whispered. �Griffith.�

He turned back towards her with a very sober and quite annoyed frown on his face, and leaned one elbow against Packer.

�What else have I been talking about when I wasn�t paying attention?� he asked irritably.

Bull�s eye. She gave him that lopsided little smile again, only slightly more genuine, and shook her head reassuringly.

�Nothing much coherent, don�t worry. I�m just smart enough to put two and two together, sometimes.�

He made a short �Hm,� -sound and turned back to the small horse again.

�I hope you will forgive me for taking Packer with me, Samina,� he said. �It�s just that everything goes a lot faster on horseback, and� I will probably have to outrun some really nasty things. I�ll be needing him.�

And that was it � the opening was gone. She�d blown it by that last guess. She couldn�t keep prodding him any more now, without insulting him and making him even more defensive.

Oh well, she�d just have to find a way to make him see reason, anyway. She leaned more heavily onto Packer, putting her arm right across the saddle.

�But Judeau,� she said softly, as reasonably as she possibly could, and almost whispering since she was so close to him now, �All of this� we can help you. We�ve already taken care of one curse, after all, and your chances will be so much better with us.� He looked up at her and she saw the courteous refusal in his eyes, so she didn�t give him the opportunity to speak.

�Listen," she quickly continued, "I�ve never been very religious or anything, but� with all that�s happened since we met you in the Great City, I have to admit that I�m almost beginning to believe in destiny. Too many coincidences: We have just managed to remove an enormously powerful curse, and you happened to have the final key to our complete restoration. Then it turns out that you, yourself, have an enormously powerful curse on you � and one that attracts demons and the undead, at that! Just the sort of unholy creatures that our group is specialised in taking care of! Seriously, with Steelwing�s blades, Taskkarr�s expertise, Thirgynn�s magic, my immunity and your own skills, there is no doubt in my mind that we�d be able to handle anything that might come after us.� She held his gaze and pleaded quietly with him, �Please, Judeau, don�t throw your life away. Stay with the team. Let us help you. We want to.�

He hesitated for a short moment, raising one eyebrow in question.

�Can you really speak for the whole team like that?�

She nodded solemnly. �In this case, I know I can. Trust me, we�ll gladly help you out of this mess.�

He didn�t look away from her, and the silence dragged out between them. Then he gently shook his head.

�Believe me, Samina, there was a time, not too long ago, when I would not have hesitated to use you and your team. Everything you�re saying makes perfect sense, and I� do know� that my chances alone are pretty damn slim. I just can�t let you do that. I just can�t risk, or let you risk all of your lives on a quest that only I can benefit from in the end. I don�t want to be that kind of person.� As he�d spoken, his eyes had grown harder, his body tenser, and Samina knew that she�d finally found the core of his trouble. But he composed himself again, and all the anger and hurt that she had seen him radiate sank back and disappeared, like the spikes on a sheathed porcupine. In a matter of heartbeats, his eyes were gentle once again. Gentle, and regretful.

�I hope you can understand.�

She couldn�t quite keep the sadness out of her voice when she quietly whispered back:

�Some day, I wish you�ll tell me the whole story� of what happened to you.�

Judeau sighed and finally looked away from her. �Maybe. Ask me again if we ever should meet.� He took a hold of her arm and politely tried to pull it off of the saddle. �Let me leave now, Samina.�

She did not let go. �No, Judeau! Come on, listen to me: You won�t be using us, we volunteer! We want to do this � Taskkarr hunts demons for a living, and Steelwing�s life mission is to destroy evil. Trust me, you won�t be the only one to benefit from this quest!�

To her great surprise, his hand left her arm and gently landed on her hand. His fingers even lightly, reassuringly caressed hers. She tried not to let her surprise show as she looked up into his face.

And she hadn�t noticed just how close it was to hers, before.

He gave her a small, confident smile that lifted the corners of his eyes and somehow made them come alive. There was that spark in them again � that elusive something that she just couldn�t peg.

�I�m sorry, Samina,� he said. �I have thought long and hard about this, and it�s not an easy decision � believe me� but I know I�m doing the right thing. I have made up my mind, and there�s nothing you can do or say that will make me change it. I�m sorry.�

For some reason, she couldn�t think of a single thing to say. She barely felt her fingers go lax, but she did feel his warm hand tightening around hers and beginning to lift it away.

But the moment was abruptly interrupted when a deep, rumbling voice spoke behind them:

�Maybe she can�t,� it said sternly, �but I sure can.�

Startled, they both turned around to find Taskkarr standing in the moonlight, with Thirgynn and Steelwing right behind him. The elf�s eyes glowed dimly green in the deep shadow under his helmet, and both Thirgynn and Taskkarr were frowning.

The short, sturdy demon-hunter took a few more steps forward and resolutely crossed his arms over his broad chest, giving Judeau a very serious scowl.

�What is it that you want, manling? A chain around your neck? �Cause I�ll bloody well make you one, if you force me to.�

Samina blinked. �Taskkarr? How long have you been awake?�

�Since Steelwing kicked me,� the dwarf grumbled, sending the tall crusader a withering glare, which was duly ignored � Then Taskkarr snapped his gaze back at Judeau again.

�As a member of the demon-hunters� guild and by the oaths I have sworn as a dwarven demon bane, there is no way in Demonicum that I could ever let you go off on your own. Not as long as you have that rune on your hand. You are far too dangerous to be let loose in the world without supervision.� He raised one non-existent eyebrow and pointed at himself for further emphasis. �My supervision.�

Judeau blinked twice and opened his mouth as if to object, but Taskkarr did not give him a chance to speak.

�In other words, should you at any point try to leave this team, I would have to hunt you down and restrain you. And sure�� Taskkarr�s voice became lighter for a moment and he nodded agreeably. ��You could run. You could hide. But I happen to know one of the best human bounty-hunters on this part of the continent, and I would not hesitate to pay her enough to hunt you to the ends of the world.�

~
Surprised and stunned, Judeau glanced over at Samina. For a brief moment she blankly looked back at him, but then something lit up in her eyes and she leaned back against Packer with a smug little smile.

�Well,� she murmured, stroking her chin thoughtfully, �It�s true that it�s my job to find people who don�t want to be found� and to be honest, I most often do find them� and for a friend like Taskkarr, I would put my very best effort into it.� She straightened up and gave him a grin so feline that he could almost see the fangs, before calmly walking over to stand beside Steelwing.

�But if you feel up to taking me and an ardent demon-hunter on, go ahead and leave.� She made a small, generous gesture with one hand. �I�ll even give you a few hours head start.�

He looked between her grinning face and Taskkarr�s scowl.

�But� listen, I��

�Mr Judeau,� Steelwing�s impeccably calm voice interrupted him. �As a Crusader, I must insist on staying close to you.� The tall elf stepped closer to him and pointed with one long, slim finger at Judeau�s left hand. �The magic in that rune might be classified as a curse, but for a Crusader such as me, it is indeed more of a blessing.� He took one more step forward, so Judeau could see the darkened parts of his very serious, yet otherwise expressionless face. Steelwing�s voice lowered just a little but sharpened nonetheless:

�The demons and the undead will seek you out, so I will not have to find them. Do you know what this means? I can choose the battlefield, instead of constantly having to adapt to theirs.� The green glow in his eyes almost seemed to intensify for a brief moment. �It is a great advantage, and I cannot let it pass.�

Behind Steelwing, Taskkarr nodded reluctantly. �Yes, well� that, too.�

Looking between the four of them, Judeau could see nothing but determination in their faces. He felt his lower lip begin to twitch in a peculiar way, and before he knew it, he was laughing. Real laughter, straight from the abdomen, like he hadn�t laughed since the reappearance of the brand, over a week ago.

They all looked at him with varying degrees of puzzlement, and he managed to contain his mirth again, chuckling:

�You�re just not going to let me get away, are you?�

�Damn right we aren�t!� Taskkarr rumbled. �I thought I made that perfectly clear!�

Samina smiled and walked back to his side, patting his shoulder in mock compassion. �I�m afraid you�re not getting rid of us that easily.�

Judeau smiled, the laughter still bubbling within him. He�d never thought that being denied to go through with such a carefully plotted plan could feel so good. He shrugged and heaved a small, theatrical sigh.

�Ah, well. Since you leave me with no choice whatsoever, I guess I�ll just have to suffer you.�

Taskkarr grunted something in dwarfish that made Thirgynn chuckle, and turned back towards the cabin.

�Are we just about finished here, yet? Some of us have to sleep at night, you know.�

~
Walking back towards Shammael�s cabin, Samina fell in behind Judeau. He made a joke about how, if she wanted to make sure that he wasn�t going to suddenly dash off into the forest, she could just ask Taskkarr to make a leash for him. She smiled, not so much at the joke itself, as at the obvious happiness and relief in his demeanour. The life and liveliness that had been missing in him for the past week or so had returned again, and it felt good to see.

You were more right than you think, Judeau, when you said that you need friends around you in order to be happy.

Her hand twitched a little, and for a brief moment she thought she could feel the warmth of his hand against her skin again. She frowned. Just what had happened back there, anyway?

He had caught her by surprise. She�d expected him to hesitate, or argue, or maybe get mad at her, but� She sent the blond ponytail in front of her an irritated look and huffed quietly. Why won�t you stick to the script so I know what to expect from you? �Hopping unpredictable man�

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