It took Taiga and Telania several hours to bind the remains into sheets. While they did, Field, Mouse, and Mimi prepared a bonfire. Once night fell, they lit the fire and burned all body parts they could find.

  One of them, the arm of a child, still clutched a small torn doll. Taiga burned the doll with the remains. Field sobbed through their simple ceremony. Mimi and Taiga took charge of the remains and, as the only two with knowledge of rituals for those passed, spent the early part of the night whispering to the fire in hopes the stars would accept those passed on, even if only part of their bodies could be sent to them.

  When the fire died itself out, Mimi spent time finding the remaining bones and burying them out by a willow tree down by a small creek. For centuries, willow trees were thought to use their long sweeping branches to pluck any remaining bits of the soul from the fragmented bones and release it to the stars. So even though the willow stood a short ways from their place of death, it was a respectful gesture to those with a brutal end. While they did, the rest rummaged for passbooks and identification papers.

  Taiga planned to persuade the mercenaries to keep moving through the night, in case the demons returned, but found he had no need to. No one wanted to stay even a moment longer. Once the people at the rest station were laid to rest, the six of them, their two horses, and Sweet Bun continued on.

  “After this and the attack on Winolin, I’m sure of it,” Field started, “it’s a shifter.”

  “What? What makes you say such a thing?” Ku scratched his head, nibbling on a biscuit Mimi had given him.

  After having walked in silence for an hour or so, Taiga had hoped they could have a solid talk while exploring theories. Though, he thought those theories would be backed by actual evidence rather than random conjectures of the unknown.

  “Think about Winolin. Demons don’t plan. They’re too stupid for that. And trying to raid a whole city?” Field let out a haughty laugh. “There’s no way they coulda thought of something like that.”

  Taiga hadn’t shared he and Mouse’s conclusion that the demons likely lured a large amount of mercenaries out of the city, leaving it’s defenses weak for the attack. That alone would have caused immense chaos. Because, like Field said, it was impossible for simplistic demons to have the intelligence to do something like that.

  “No. No way,” Telania dismissed Field with a shake of her head, “if there was a shifter in these parts, a bounty woulda been plastered on every building.”

  “But a shifter would explain everything.” Field raised his arms out, gesturing around them.

  “How so?” Taiga asked, noticing Mouse’s interest.

  “Shifters can change their form. They can look like demons, blend in with them. What if a shifter manipulated the demons into attacking Winolin. When that failed, they attacked the rest station.”

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  Ku contemplated, nodding slightly. “They’re unpredictable, lurk in the shadows, and are heavily self-motivated.”

  “Have,” Mimi hesitated, “have you met one, Ku?”

  Ku shook his head vehemently. “Of course not! I’m only saying, it’s in their nature.”

  “Nature?” Taiga held back a laugh, and his tone was taken more seriously instead.

  Ku continued, “just like it’s in a siren’s nature to stay to the ocean’s depths and the giant’s will always ignore anyone in need, it’s in shifter’s nature to cause trouble.”

  Mouse said nothing beside him, though his fingers clenched around Sweet Bun’s lead. She didn’t appreciate it, however, and snapped at him. He released it without a fight, and hunkered to Taiga.

  “One’s nature doesn’t dictate everything,” Mouse nearly snarled the words, whipping away from any eyes falling to him. He grabbed Taiga’s tunic, hiding behind him.

  “But come on, a shifter? Hah, they lie, scheme, and wreak havoc for pleasure.” Field snapped his biscuit loud, tossing half into his mouth.

  “They’re forbidden from entering Lanria. Unless one got in by underground tunnels… I mean, they can’t exactly waltz through the border.” Telania sighed, patting her horse when it whinied.

  “But they’re the only thing that makes sense. How else do you explain all this? Winolin? The rest station? We’ve been under siege by demons for years. Either smarter ones are getting through, or someone’s making them dance.”

  The demon wielding fire against Taiga came to mine. Its blue eyes had followed him even as they retreated. Field was right, something was driving the demons to attack. And it would only be a matter of time before they acted again.

  “Taiga,” Mouse tugged at him. “What do you think? A shifter?”

  Taiga dropped a few paces back. Sweet Bun slowed when she realized. She nearly chirped before realizing they were still walking, just slower. Mouse matched pace with him, eyes jumping around them in case one of the mercenaries wanted to engage in further conversation.

  “It’s not.” Taiga shook his head.

  “You’re sure?”

  “The demon that gave out orders in the attack was a demon and nothing more. Its magics blended too closely with those around it.” He couldn’t announce that, of course. Humans wouldn’t overlook the talk of magics.

  “And I’ve met a shifter before. The flow of their magic is entirely different.”

  Mouse furrowed his brow at him, “you have?”

  “Ganakri are a safe haven for all. A shifter stayed with my people for a time.” He spoke softly. Taiga could still recall the gentle yellows swirling around every movement the shifter made. He took the form of a falcon during most of his stay, until he felt it safe enough to descend into human form.

  Cautious yet adventurous would be how their magics felt to Taiga. It flowed gently, but overpowered once comfortable. The shifter used to tell stories of his adventures in the sky, though Taiga could no longer recall them.

  The mercenaries chatted to each other for a short while about their theories and ideas. Taiga found little credibility in them. Most were closer to folklore and ghost stories than anything tangible.

  They took a break early in the morning. Taiga and Mouse took the first shift, each of them getting four to five hours of sleep before the sun rose. As they packed up to keep moving, Telania sat on a rock, contemplating the wide expanse around them. “You know, not a single person has passed us the entire time we’ve walked this road.”

  No one said anything for a long time afterwards.

  As the sky turned to various shades of reds and purples, and light poured over the mountains, the outline of the first village came into view.