The tail end of the elk herd hurried off, noisily running deeper into the forest nearby.

We hadn’t stumbled upon them, they had stumbled on us. Liora and I had stood still for a bit as to watch the herd run past, and surprisingly it had taken a long moment for them to do so. There had been at least a thousand of them in the group. It was mostly cows, the female elk, and their calves. A few were surprisingly young for this time of the year.

“I didn’t realize deer were so big…” Liora whispered in awe as we watched the last few disappear into the thicket.

“Those were elk. A special kind of deer, bigger than normal ones,” I said.

“Oh… do we eat those ones too?”

“We do. You’ve probably eaten quite a few of those in your lifetime,” I said. Especially since she was the daughter of a wealthy family.

Liora hummed at that as I gently patted her back and stepped forward, to both let her know it was okay to move again and for her to join me.

We entered the small clearing, but didn’t head in the way the elk had just done. Instead we headed a bit more north.

My plan was to round Ruvindale completely, as to avoid humans, so we needed to cross over the river it rested upon. It was a few hours away from here. There should also be a path, a dirt one, not far from here. We’d reach it shortly, though wouldn’t follow it for long. We’d branch away once we neared the river.

A tiny hand grabbed my own as we neared the center of the small clearing, and I glanced down at the one who owned it. Liora was staring at the grass we were walking through, grass that had been partly flattened by the herd.

She grabbed my hand more often than she realized, I think. Did so without realizing it, also. She did it when she was both tired, and when she was unsure of the world around her… and this was the latter of the two. She shouldn’t be tired, since she had just rested for a few hours on my back.

“They were huge,” she said as she pointed at a hoof print. A part of the grass was a tad muddy, implying there was a bit of underground water in the area. It was seeping upward, forming a small bubble under the grass.

“Bigger than me, yes,” I said.

Liora glanced over at me, as if to judge if I was telling the truth of not. She frowned at me as she obviously realized I had been. “Are there lots of big animals?”

I nodded. “Many. There are even some as big as your home, or nearly so… especially out in the ocean,” I said.

“I’ve read about those. Sailor stories, mom said.”

“Some are. Others aren’t, or are simply stories based on truth. Sailors like their tales,” I said.

She hummed for a moment, and did so in a way that kind of reminded me of Renn.

I was glad we’d be seeing her soon. For many reasons. We were traveling slowly, of course, but slow and steady was still progress. I’d be back with her in a few weeks at this rate, as long as nothing odd happened.

“Vim,” Liora tugged lightly on my hand, getting my attention. She looked up at me as I nodded. “Are there… a lot of people like me? In the Society?” she asked.

“Saints? Yes. To a degree. There’s a handful of you now… which might not sound like a lot, but considering how rare you are that’s quite a lot,” I said.

“Why am I rare?”

“Your kind aren’t born very often anymore. Or at least, hadn’t been,” I said, flinching softly.

The obvious reason there were so many saints lately was very blatant. The gods were active again.

“Why not?”

She sure does ask why a lot. Renn does too, but at least she didn’t do so in such a childish way. “There’s less divinity in the world. Plus in today’s world you saint’s aren’t as appreciated. It’s why your mother had to hide you as she did, and why she asked us to take you in. You’d not be treated well by the general populace,” I explained.

“What would they do to me?”

“Well…” I usually wouldn’t be so honest with someone so young, but sometimes moments of honesty were needed. Especially for those like her. “Some would burn you alive. Claiming you to be a witch or something like it. Or some evil spirit, as they do my people. Others would kidnap you and use you to further their own goals and needs. Using you as a scapegoat or tool, claiming your prophecies for their own abuse and their own desires. Same with your powers, they’d force you to use them on display or something to make others obey and or even worship them. Or you. You’d effectively be a slave, or worse bred in hopes of more saints to be born. At best you’d actually be worshiped and revered, such as by the church, but then you’d be forced to play by their rules and faiths or else suffer their fury… and usually that ends terribly. Either way, you’d either be killed or contained as a prisoner by someone who doesn’t have your well-being in mind.”

Liora was quiet for a long moment, and I patiently waited for her next why. It took until we left the clearing before she found her voice again. “And… I’ll not be treated like that? With you?”

“No. The only thing saints are asked to do in the Society is to keep safe, and to inform the Society of any important prophecies you might have. Throughout the years many saints have lived within the Society, living full and normal lives. Most don’t even join the church, though many do,” I said.

“Church…?”

“The Society has a couple major faiths within it. The main one is the Church of Songs, or the smaller convent the Singing Sisters. A lot of saints join them, or one of them, in one form or another. Most of the reason is because it was originally founded by saints, Saint Celine being the main one, and as such saints are treated highly amongst them,” I said.

“Is your wife a saint?”

I shook my head. “No. She’s just a cute cat.”

“But…” Liora was about to say something, but stopped herself. I felt her small hand squeeze my fingers, likely because she had just flinched and internally chastised herself.

She had been about to say something I didn’t want to hear. A prophecy, or something like it.

I sighed softly, since I wasn’t a fool. I could tell what she had been about to say. Since I knew of the likely prophecy she had been about to comment on. The one where my child would be a saint. Instead of complaining, I instead smiled at her. “Thanks.”

She tilted her head at me, but then smiled and nodded. “Sorry. She has ears, right…? Does that mean she’s actually a cat? Just in human form?” she asked, changing topics a little.

“Our kind are very similar to you. We have divinity within us, a form of it. The divinity comes from our ancestors, creatures created by the gods called monarchs. Renn, my wife, is the descendant of a large cat monarch. She shares the blood of a great beast and humans, yes,” I said.

“Monarchs…” Liora whispered the word in a way that made my eye twitch.

She had recognized the word. And had not just heard it, but has said it before. Aloud.

Had… had I ever mentioned monarchs before her? I didn’t remember doing so…

“In a certain sense, you are a monarch. You have a connection to divine power within you, which is what makes your eyes glow and gives you the powers you have,” I said.

Liora hummed a bit as we rounded a very thick, and pointy, bush. “Can I take it out of me?”

“No. Even if it was possible it would just kill you. Creatures with divinity cannot survive that divinity being removed from them. Imagine it kind of like a soul. Once you take a soul out of a body, it stops working,” I said, explaining it in a way that hopefully she understood.

“Are you one too?”

“I’m unique.”

“Is that why I can’t feel you?” she asked as she tugged on my hand, as if to test it.

“Yes. Are you… able to sense everyone?” I asked. Some saints could. And would explain why she’d say such a thing. Especially since she shouldn’t have been able to sense anyone else back at her home, since no one else had been a saint or a monarch.

“Yeah…? You mean people, right? I can. There’s two that way,” she said as she pointed to our right.

I frowned as I slowed and glanced the direction she’d pointed.

I didn’t sense, or see, anyone. “How far…?” I asked, a little shocked. Not just that she had sensed someone, but that they were out here. Though they were likely either just hunters, or people traveling on the dirt road we were near.

“Um… I don’t know? A long way though, I can barely feel them,” she said as she stared at the forest around us.

“Hm… interesting. That’s another rare ability… how many more do you have?” I asked. Able to stop the rain, and now this…? She didn’t seem strong at all, based on what I felt… yet obviously she was more than she appeared.

“I don’t know?” she said, not realizing I hadn’t been outright asking her for the answer.

“That’s a good one to have though, will keep you safe if you focus on it,” I said.

“Better than stopping the rain?” she asked.

“For survival, yes. Others would argue no, I suppose,” I said.

She hummed at that, telling me she wasn’t sure if she agreed or not.

A distant howl of an elk filled the air and Liora glanced around. The call was deep and sounded odd in the forest. She didn’t seem too worried over it though, likely thanks to us having heard others earlier. “They must have settled and stopped running,” I told her.

“You can tell by their cries?” she asked.

“Just a guess,” I said.

“And you will…” Liora then went quiet as she turned to the right, once again looking in the direction where she said she had sensed people.

“What’s wrong…?” I asked. She’d stopped walking.

“They’re gone,” she whispered.

Oh…? “The people?” I asked.

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She nodded and squinted, as if trying to see them… or rather, sense them. it seemed she wasn’t able to do so.

“They’re really gone! All of a sudden!” she said as she looked at me.

I frowned at her worry, since it was very pure. That wasn’t just shock, it was genuine concern.

She was worried for the people who had just seemingly disappeared without reason. Because she knew, innately, what it meant for a person to no longer be sensed.

“Are you sure they didn’t just… leave your range? That they’ve not just stepped beyond where you can sense them from?” I asked.

She quickly shook her head as she looked back in their direction. “They were getting closer… then all of a sudden…!” she tugged my hand as she gestured with her own hands, as if to display to me that they had just popped and disappeared like a bubble would.

“Well…” I wasn’t sure what to say, since there really was only one answer to such a conundrum. If she had really sensed people, and they were indeed heading our way and not away from us… then there was only one reason as to why she’d suddenly stop sensing them.

“Ah… they’re back,” she said, calming down.

Oh…?

Liora visibly relaxed a little as she smiled and nodded. “They’re back…! Though… now there are more? Four…? Five?” she hummed as she tilted her head, trying to tell the exact number.

Sheesh she was good. I was kind of glad she had such an ability, because it really would let her survive better in this world thanks to it. Though it might also get her in trouble too… since obviously she was a good person.

She had been about to ask me to go check on them. To find out what had happened. That was why she had originally tugged on my hand. To go check on two random people, to make sure they were okay.

Liora the saint was a kind-hearted girl. Too kind-hearted.

But that was why I was here with her. Holding her hand. Keeping her safe… even from herself.

“There’s… a lot of them, all of a sudden. And they’re leaving fast,” Liora then said.

“Hm?”

Her lips pursed a little, as if frustrated. “A bunch of people showed up where the other two had been… then left. Here in a moment I won’t be able to sense any of them anymore,” she said.

Okay…? “Maybe the two had been waiting for their friends?” I suggested.

“They were heading towards us though. The others went the other way, after going to where the two were,” she said as she looked at me. Her face did have worry on it, but luckily most of her emotions seemed to be simple curiosity. She was curious, it seemed.

“Does it bother you?” I asked.

“A little… but…” Liora then looked back in their direction, pondered for a moment… and then shook her head. “They’re gone,” she stated.

“Something obviously bothered you about it… what is it? If it’s the fact there are people out here in the wilderness, don’t be too alarmed. We’re near a path, and not far from a large river. Humans stay close to those things when they venture out to hunt and forage, so it’s odd but not as uncommon as you might think,” I said.

“Well… I’ve only felt people disappear like that once before,” she said softly.

“Yeah…?” I had an inkling to what she was about to say.

The young saint looked back at me, and with glowing eyes of sadness she nodded softly at me. “One of our maids died. In her sleep. It was like that.”

“I see… and what do you think should be done, then?” I asked, to see what she’d say.

Liora blinked, and her eyes dimmed a bit as she went into thought… ten she slowly shook her head. “We should avoid them… right? If they were attacked and killed, then… oh.”

“Oh…?” I didn’t like how she looked like she just remembered something. Something important.

“Um… is this a moment of life and death?” she asked as she looked back at me.

Great. “The knights…?” I asked.

“I… I think it might be. Is the path ahead a dirt one with white flower things on the side of it?” she asked.

White flowers…? “Maybe…” I didn’t know, of course. I’d not been this way in years. But it was very likely.

“Then… this might be it. But…” Liora looked troubled, and I knew it was because things weren’t adding up in her head. To her, at least.

In her prophecy, the one where we encounter a group of knights as she called them, Renn was with us. And of course Renn was not here.

“Well… let’s say it is, for arguments sake. What should we do then?” I asked, to further see the kind of person she was.

The young saint perked up, blinked a few times in worry… and then stiffly grabbed my hand a bit tighter. “Um… avoid the road? Hide?”

Smiling softly at her, I reached over and patted her gently on her head. She didn’t have her hood on, since we were alone in the forest, so I was able to ruffle her hair a bit. “Good call. But… in this case, since I’m here, why don’t we verify it shall we?” I said.

“Verify…?” she asked worriedly as I stepped towards the direction she’d been focused on this whole time.

“If it’s those knights or not,” I said, as I gently tugged her by the hand to follow me.

She did so, but with a worried step. “But…!”

“Dangerous, yes. We’ll not engage them… we’re just going to see if it’s really what you think it is.”

“Why though? They might hurt us, and…!” Liora didn’t seem to really like the idea, and I was glad she didn’t.

She was young, but not stupid. And not only was she not stupid, she seemingly had the self-preservation instincts necessary for a saint too. It meant, as long as no one corrupted her or made her weird, she’d be someone I could safely and comfortably allow into the Society… and also maybe even at Renn’s side.

I’d been considering what I was going to do with the girl this whole time… weighing my options, and hers, as we walked and talked. And honestly, I was still unsure of what to do with her… but at the same time, I knew I had to make a choice.

Her options were limited. There was Telmik, of course, but also now Lumen… what with Light and her people there. The problem with there though was that Liora was not one of us, not a non-human, she was a human. That… changed a few things. To a point.

Then there were places that were a tad of a stretch to consider, such as the Keep or the Crypt. Either places far and devoid of people, or a location with another saint such as Narli. Although really any of them would work… I needed to consider what was best for the girl herself, and that was beyond just one’s survival.

Where would she be happy…? And where would she get to live as normal a life as possible?

The Keep and the Crypt were places she’d be safe at… as much as a human saint can be, of course, but would she be happy? Only the Keep had humans, and they were such devout believers in their faiths that Liora might feel uncomfortable there. They might not treat her as a person, but a religious artifact almost. The other saints who had lived there before had all complained, if only a little, over such a thing. They had felt not truly at home there because of how everyone else treated them.

Telmik would be the same. But it had far more humans. Enough to grant her the best option of a normal lifestyle… Since Lumen would be a place full of constant chaos, what with all the new members showing up. And she being the only human saint there might cause issues, if history was anything to go by. Though I knew Light and the rest there would at least keep her safe, and also treat her fairly…

For now though my plan was to take her to Renn. I didn’t want to have to take Liora to Lumen at the moment, that would take a long time at this pace, and I knew she’d be safe with Randle and Renn… and whoever else was there. There was even the possible option of taking her to Renn’s human friend, Elaine. Though that was far down on my list of current options at the moment, it was still an option.

And I was trying to ignore the idea, but I kind of liked the idea of having a few saints close to Renn… particularly one not already corrupted by Light and her people. That extra layer of security, especially right now with the gods threatening her and me, might prove crucial…

“Are you sure…?” Liora then asked worriedly as we passed some trees.

“Yes. All will be well; in fact I plan to not even confront the knights… I just want to see them from a distance, to confirm is all,” I said. Although I’d have no trouble facing a group of knights, I wasn’t so foolish as to risk Liora in such a way. Armored men would likely have bows, maybe even crossbows. I’d not risk her in such a foolish way.

“Seems risky…” she whispered.

“It is. To a point. Still sense them?” I asked.

“No. They’re still gone,” she said.

Well… the road should be near. “This way where they were?” I asked, confirming.

Liora only nodded as we walked between some trees, and sure enough I saw the forest thin a little in the distance and a path become visible.

As we neared the path, I stayed on alert… and noticed the beginnings of little white lilies begin to pop up.

“Ah…!” Liora finally noticed one as we passed a small group of them, and I decided to slow down a bit and become a bit more cautious. If they were indeed the flowers that Liora had seen in her prophecy, and this the road, then it was undoubtedly here that we were meant to run into the group of knights…

“Sense anyone?” I asked, since I didn’t. We were moments from reaching the dirt path and stepping onto it.

“No…” she whispered.

We stepped onto the path, and Liora worriedly glanced around as I looked southward. A few hundred feet away were bodies on the path. Lying motionless.

I didn’t see any knights, nor anyone else at all, but I knew better than to think that meant there was no one here and that we weren’t in any danger. Yet…

“Vim…!” Liora finally noticed the bodies, pointing at them. Her tiny hand squeezed mine in worry at the sight of them, and I wondered if… well…

Had innocent people died in place of us, maybe…?

Since we had not been here on the path at the right moment, had they fell prey and victim to those supposed knights…?

I couldn’t see too far, maybe half a mile at most, thanks to the path winding through the forest… but I couldn’t see or hear anyone else around us. No horses, no smell of metal… in fact I couldn’t even smell blood.

Maybe they weren’t dead…? Some kind of trap, maybe? But Liora claimed she couldn’t sense them anymore… and I didn’t doubt her. Though a child, she was still a saint. And such abilities were beyond the realm of man. They could no more trick her than a god could me.

“Vim…?” Liora whispered my name, and I decided to confirm it. I nodded gently and stepped towards the bodies, bringing her with me.

She didn’t seem to want to join me at first, but eventually complied. Liora stayed a bit back behind me, though kept our hands firmly locked, as we neared the pair of bodies… and I confirmed that not only were they dead, but they had died to sharp weapons.

“Spears, maybe,” I said as I studied the two. I’d stopped a dozen feet away, as to not force Liora up close to them. She had retreated behind me, grabbing at my cloak and pants as she studied them too.

“Dead…?” she asked worriedly.

“Yes,” I said. One had a huge pool of blood beneath them… which was odd. I could smell the blood now, but I hadn’t earlier. The other though hadn’t bled much, but was just as much dead. I could see the stabbed through throat from here, thanks to the way he was laying.

“Do… do you know them?” Liora asked.

“No. They look like typical hunters, or something,” I said. They both wore run down leather clothes, thick boots and had beards. The odd part was neither looked looted, not far from the dead man with a hole in his throat was a bundle of pelts and furs from foxes and other creatures they’d been carrying.

“Mhm…” Liora made a sad noise, and I knew it was because she didn’t like what was happening… but I was glad to have confirmed it.

“Were these two in your dream, Liora?” I asked.

“Huh…! Uh… um… no. I don’t think so. The knights who attack us have armor of blue,” she said.

Blue…?

Glancing away from the bodies I searched around for any signs of others. I saw nothing… other than the distant sound of birds in the trees, the sound of the white lilies swaying in the wind, and Liora’s worried breathing and heartbeat… I didn’t sense or see anyone or anything.

Strange.

“Are these the flowers… is this the path you saw, Liora?” I asked her gently.

She only nodded.

Great. Just great.

I could see how it had happened… if Liora and I had just been a tad quicker, it would have been us here on the path when the knights came looking for trouble. In fact I had even planned to have us follow the path for a few hours, just to make it easier for the girl since traversing through a forest wasn’t easy. Even one as calm as this one.

But… instead of us, others had died…

Why?

After all, even if we had been the ones attacked by the group… it wasn’t as if it would have changed anything. I would have slaughtered them as easily as I did any human, knight or no. And I would have done so without allowing Liora to get hurt… or at least, I would have done everything in my power to do so.

Which meant these men died for no reason. It wasn’t as if they had died to spare us, or something… so… why?

“What happened, Vim…? Or… what’s supposed to happen? Should we stay here? What if they come back?” she asked, finding her questions once more.

“Yes. Let us go,” I agreed. Though a distant part of me wished to avenge these men, who were likely innocent and had only suffered because Liora and I had not been there to take the brunt of it, I also didn’t want to risk Liora anymore than I already was.

Gently guiding Liora off the path, heading north once again… I sighed softly as I wondered what fate was playing at now.

Liora had seen us getting attacked by them. With Renn in tow.

Instead we circumvented it, by mere chance. If Liora had not noticed them at a distance, and I had not allowed my curiosity to get the better of me, I wouldn’t have even ever confirmed it either. We’d have never known.

“They are pretty…” Liora whispered as we walked past some of the flowers, sounding sad as she did.

“I have a friend named after them. Though slightly spelled a tad differently,” I said.

Liora perked up at that as she glanced at me, and I went ahead and told her about the dutiful owl who had soared beautifully.

Such a story was a great distraction from what had just happened… not just for the young girl, but for me as well.

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