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"Maqi, don't." Echanon's voice stopped the boy mid-step. Fifteen, Morgan's protégé, and devoted to the Duke more than to anyone else, Maqi wanted to follow his role-model. Was spotted a moment too early, though. "Everyone stay where you are." Echanon looked around, but nobody else even tried to move.

They were in the woods occupied by the enemy forces. It was a danger on it's own, to run about in the forest. It was a danger to sit too long at this clearing, damn it! But they needed a few moments to catch their breaths.

Chasing some mysterious forces, however, was a whole new level of dangerous and stupid. From what they knew about sophy, it could be no more than a myth. In such case it would be beyond absurd to risk getting caught by the Hadena raids, because of some old lady's tales. Then, if the myths were true, and Morgan encountered them, he was as good as dead already.

Wolf felt their presence, that alone meant sophy was real, Echanon trusted Wolf's instinct. Perhaps they could find Morgan before sophy found him? -- he hoped agains hope.

But--

"They're gone," the mage whispered. "They just disappeared."

"Where's Morgan?" Echanon asked, louder than he intended, and his voice sounded coarsely against Wolf's soft tone.

"Not far." The mage was ready to go into the woods after the hot-tempered Duke, but Echanon's palm on his chest stopped him.

"You stay."

"No!"

The chief ignored his protest.

"Lehtar and Ahmos get him from the south, Karanach--" The large knight looked up, awaiting his orders. "--go after him. Me and Ijana will take the route from the north. Get back here before dark."

"Echanon--" Wolf started again, but the chief cut him off.

"You stay. With Elin, Maqi and Tay. No argument here." He looked firmly at the said three and none of them protested. Only the mage tried once more, but eventually shut his mouth and turned away angrily.

Left behind when the most important things were happening, as always! He was the one who felt the magical presence, he should have been there to warn them, had the sophy returned. But no, Echanon gave in to his superstitious beliefs that the mage wouldn't manage. How did he do that still, after Wolf had convinced him so many times that he was as good in the field as anybody else?

The mage felt Elin's presence right behind his back. Her not-quite-fear, not-quite-eagerness. All emotions were "not-quite" when it came to Elin, as if she kept them to herself stronger than anyone else.

The petite girl feared for Echanon, that much Wolf knew for certain, better than she knew it herself.

"He doesn't think you of no value--" she started, probably trying to be supportive; re‑igniting his fury instead.

"Like he doesn't!" the mage uttered through clenched teeth. "And it's not even about that, not this time," he denied, though he knew how thin his lie was. "It's about sophy, you don't understand--"

"I do understand sophy," she said blankly and all her vague emotions disappeared completely, like she had none, never.

Wolf berated himself internally. Of course she understood sophy, probably better than anyone alive.

But this-- This was a moment for him to understand this mystery a little better, and Echanon had denied him that!

"They don't know how to fight it!" Wolf tried to find some rational argument that would allow him to disobey an order from his chief.

"Nobody knows that," another frightened voice tried to refute this one. Tay, the medic. What did he know, anyway? "Nobody who ever fought it, survived."

"But I can sense it. I might warn them!" Yes, that was it. They did need him. "I have to--"

"If you're going, I'm going too," Elin said suddenly. That one Wolf did not expect. He wanted to protest, but he knew how hypocritical it would be.

Tay didn't even attempt to stop them, he knew it would be futile. Soon he and Maqi were the only ones left at the clearing.

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t.b.c.