Chapter 18: When There Is Only One Choice
Jamie smiled as she began Field Dressing the twelve brush pheasants the team had brought down during the remainder of the day's fighting. The familiar work brought back fond memories of two weeks ago, when she'd first woken up in this strange new world and met Ember.
Jamie paused and looked across the campfire.
Ember was playing with the Dire Wolf cub as Sentinel and Adelaide watched.
Their relationship still wasn't back to the way it had been. Ember still hadn't returned to her shoulder excluding that one time, and there was a distance between them that hadn't existed before.
But now, for the first time since Jamie had screwed everything up, she felt a little hope that their bond was salvageable.
Hope.
Jamie glanced at the cub again.
When Ember had named her, had that been intentional or just pure accident? Jamie hoped for the former.
Either way, the name had meaning now. Jamie felt hope, and it was clear Ember did too. She could feel it through their bond—the joy coming from her friend and something else beneath it. A sense of reclaiming a little of what she'd lost.
Jamie understood more about that loss now.
Days earlier, Mike had told her about Ember's past while Ember was off being thoroughly spoiled by the Royal Maids. Jamie had wanted to speak with him privately, without a pair of overly cute spirit-fox ears listening in, and the maids hadn't needed much convincing. The moment Jamie had said the words pamper Ember, they'd practically run her over getting to the kitsune.
At the time, Jamie had found it funny. What Mike told her afterward hadn't been.
From everything he'd said, Ember's father had died a hero. He'd given his life to protect his children, and Jamie couldn't imagine a greater act of love than that.
She watched Ember roll onto her side as Hope pounced on one of her tails. Hope was going to be an attacker, no question about it. She was already showing promise with her little mock attacks.
Was that part of what Ember was reclaiming? She'd lost someone who had protected her. Now Ember was the one doing the protecting.
Jamie had never seen this side of her before. Ember had declared herself Hope's guardian, and judging by today's fighting, she'd taken that responsibility very seriously.
Maybe a little too seriously. Not that Jamie blamed her.
Hope was just a cub. Someone needed to guard her while the rest of them fought. Unfortunately, that meant Ember wasn't filling the damage-dealing part of her role, and their team didn't exactly have damage dealers to spare.
Then there was Sentinel.
Jamie's little four-person team had somehow become six in the span of a single fight. One of those six was a Level 1 cub who couldn't fight at all.
Another was a Level 18 Dire Wolf who could fight extremely well. That should have been a good thing.
It wasn't.
Sentinel was an excellent tank, but they already had Adelaide. Worse, his level was absolutely murdering their experience gains. Jamie had noticed it almost immediately once they'd started fighting again. Apparently, the System took a dim view of using high-level party members to power-level weaker ones.
Their experience gains had slowed to a crawl.
And if today's results were anything to go by, the scout had been right.
This team wasn't going to get Jamie to Level 15 in time.
“I've only heard of people who focus on cooking as a profession taking the Field Dressing skill,” Tovin said appreciatively as he continued chopping several root vegetables into smaller pieces for the cooking pot.
“Yeah, looking back on it, taking the skill seemed like a good idea at the time, but unless we're camping all the time, it's really not going to get much use,” Jamie admitted.
“No, don't get me wrong, Princess Jamie. There's nothing wrong with taking the skill. It's a good one, just not something you normally see a fighter take, let alone a royal.”
Jamie thought about that for a moment. Twenty skill slots in total, and she'd already used one on Field Dressing. At the time, she'd been alone in the forest, trying to survive. It had made sense then, but now she couldn't help wondering what other skills she might have to pass up because of that decision.
It was a choice she hoped she wouldn't come to regret.
“Yeah, I saw it and thought the skill sounded useful. And look, now you get to see me cook for all of you.”
The water was already at a slow boil as Jamie slipped in the latest pieces of meat.
This was new for Jamie—having an actual pot to cook with—but Adelaide had come prepared. Not only was she a kickass tank, she was apparently a mobile kitchen on two legs.
Two very sexy legs.
There was something about a girl in leather pants that had always made Jamie's head turn, and Adelaide was starting to give her neck problems with how often Jamie found herself looking during fights.
Cast heal, shift into puma, bite, bite, bite, run back, shift, and—oh... hey... nice glutes...
Thoughts like that were going to get Jamie killed if she wasn't careful.
About thirty-five minutes later, the smells coming from the pot let everyone know it was dinnertime. Hope and Ember were both drooling by the time Jamie placed their portions into bowls.
For the first few minutes after everyone got their food, no one spoke. Everyone was too busy spooning stew into their mouths.
After about five minutes of this, Jamie cracked.
“Well... how is it?” she asked impatiently.
“This is, like, some of the best stuff I've ever put in my mouth,” Adelaide said between spoonfuls of stew.
Old Jamie would have commented on that one immediately. This Jamie let it go and simply smiled proudly.
See, Mom? I can grow. Hope you're looking down on me with a smile.
“Yeah, this is crazy good,” Tovin agreed. “spicy, but really good.”
Approved, Ember sent.
“What made you come up with the idea to put peppers into a stew?” Tovin asked. “Never heard of someone doing that before.”
“My mother taught me,” Jamie answered. “In another life,” she added under her breath.
Jamie shifted her gaze toward the two newest members of the team.
“Ahhh... did you two even taste it?”
Judging by the way both Dire Wolves' tails were wagging, they had.
Jamie sighed and spooned out a second helping for the wolves. They wasted no time getting back to work. Twelve brush pheasants might not have been enough.
“I gotta say, when you stopped to pick those things, Princess, I was starting to wonder about you,” Tovin confessed. He then held out his bowl for a second helping.
“And you said you’re calling this spicy pheasant-and-pepper stew?” Adelaide asked.
“Yeah. The key is letting all the flavors mix together. You know, really letting everything get nice and soft.”
“Wow, who would have ever thought the peppers people use to keep rodents away from the larders could make something this tasty,” Adelaide said. Then she too held out her own bowl in hopes of getting another helping.
“Glad you all like it,” Jamie said with satisfaction.
Later, after the last spoon had reluctantly been set down, everyone sat around trying not to look too stuffed. Tovin was doing a poor job of it as he patted his slightly extended belly.
“Okay. I think it's time we decide what we're doing next,” he said.
Jamie's good mood faded a little.
“I think we all know by now that this team is too imbalanced to continue as we are. The way I see it, we have three options, and I, for one, don't particularly like any of them.”
Tovin waited until he was sure everyone was paying attention before continuing.
“One: we keep doing what we've been doing. But it's pretty clear, Princess, that we're only going to get you to Level 13 at best, and that's assuming we start taking on more dangerous fights.”
Jamie frowned but didn't interrupt. With how little Ember was adding to the fights, it was going to be some long last few days of fighting.
“Two: we head back in the morning and grind out the rest of what you need to reach Level 12 on the way. I think we can manage that if we hit those two Dire Badger dens. With Sentinel helping us, I think we can safely take them now.” Tovin paused. “This is the option I'd choose.”
Jamie suspected she knew what the third option was going to be.
“And three...” Tovin frowned. “This is my least favorite, but I'll defer to the group—and more importantly, to you, Princess. We set up a camp somewhere in the forest, leave Hope and Sentinel there, and hope nothing attacks them while we're out grinding levels.”
“How far away would we need to be from them before Sentinel stopped affecting our experience?” Jamie asked.
“Half a mile. A little farther if we wanted to be sure.”
No! Ember sent immediately.
“Yeah. Ember is a hard no on that one, and I agree.”
“So do I,” Adelaide said. “Too many things could go wrong if we split up. Sentinel is strong, but other predators could see an opportunity if they find one adult Dire Wolf protecting a cub. Dire Wolves are strong because of the pack.”
Tovin nodded. “Then that leaves two options. Which one do you choose, Princess?”
Jamie hated the idea of failing to reach her goal, but she already knew what the right decision was.
The pack came first.
“We head back in the morning.”
It was the decision Jamie had already been leaning toward, but she was glad they'd talked through the alternatives anyway. No one questioned her choice. If anything, everyone looked relieved—or, in Ember's case, Jamie could feel the relief through their bond.
“You know what, Princess? Now that I’m thinking more about this, I think there was a fourth option,” Tovin said suddenly.
“Okay, let’s hear it,” Jamie said. If he’d thought of a better option, Jamie was all ears.
“It’s not perfect, but I think this might be the best thing to do. We still head back like we just planned, but we are heading back early.”
“That also means, Princess, you can head to the Magic Academy early, which gives you time to make longer stops on the way down.”
“You’re not going alone, right?”
“No,” Jamie said with understanding. “I’m going south with Royal Guards.”
“Yeah.”
Jamie finished Tovin's thought, beginning to understand what he had in mind.
“We set up camp early each day. The guards do what guards do best and keep the Dire Wolves safe while we go off and gain some levels while we travel.”
“Exactly,” Tovin said, looking rather pleased with himself.
“I like that plan, but you're forgetting one important thing,” Jamie said as another problem occurred to her.
“What's that?”
“The two of you weren't supposed to be coming with me. Are Ember and I going to be doing all the grinding alone?”
“Nope. We're coming with you,” Tovin replied, as though the matter had already been settled.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Oh, Goddess, yes! That's a fantastic idea!” Adelaide exclaimed.
Jamie looked between them. “Ahhh, not that I don't want you two coming along, but I thought you already had plans for after I left for the Academy.”
“Plans change,” Tovin said with a shrug.
“No, this is perfect. We're doing this,” Adelaide declared, practically bouncing with excitement. “And the best part is, if I'm traveling with you, my father will have to let me attend the Academy!”
Jamie raised an eyebrow. “He will?”
“Well, he'd have a hard time saying no if I'm part of your traveling party, wouldn't he?” Adelaide grinned, but the excitement in her expression softened a little. “I've always wanted to see the Magic Academy. I just never thought I'd get the chance.”
“Why not?”
“Because getting there would have meant risking being taken as a slave.”
Jamie's smile faded.
Adelaide glanced toward the fire before continuing. “Naiads in particular don't last long in the lands to the south without someone trying to grab them for a quick payday. We're worth too much to the wrong people.”
She paused, her expression darkening.
“That's how we lost my cousin two years ago. He was only eight.”
Jamie stared at her. “That's horrible. Do you know where he is now?”
“Yes. My aunt and uncle have been trying to raise enough money to buy his freedom ever since, but Naiad slaves cost a lot of coin.”
“Does your father know who's holding him?”
Adelaide nodded. “He does. My father and his sister have always been close, and he's putting up a large portion of the ransom himself. But the Elf Lord who owns Cassian keeps making more demands.”
“Cassian?”
“My cousin.”
Jamie waited, sensing there was more.
“The lord claims that releasing him would be an inconvenience because he'd have to find a replacement Naiad. Apparently, we're supposed to compensate him for that too.”
Jamie felt her blood begin to boil.
An eight-year-old boy had been taken from his family, and two years later, the people who loved him were still being forced to negotiate with the man who owned him.
“Do me a favor, Adelaide. When we get back, talk to your father and find out everything you can about this lord.”
Adelaide looked up sharply. “Why?”
“Because I want to know who we're dealing with when we go after this scumbag.”
For a moment, Adelaide simply stared at her. Then a determined smile spread across her face.
“I'll do it when I talk him into letting me come with you.”
“Are you sure you should even go?” Jamie asked. “After everything you've just told me, I don't want you putting yourself in danger because of me.”
“Oh, I'm going,” Adelaide said firmly. “And if we find this guy, I'm getting my cousin back. Mark my words.”
“We're getting him back,” Jamie corrected.
For a moment, Adelaide simply stared at her. Then a smile spread across her face, and Jamie could see just how much those four words had meant to her.
Neither of them seemed to have considered what they were getting themselves into. It was almost as if they'd just agreed to storm the castle together, and somehow, neither thought that was a particularly bad idea.
She'd only known Adelaide for a few days, but somewhere along the way, the excitable Naiad had become her friend. Jamie decided then and there that she would do whatever she could to help bring Cassian home.
“Well, if you're sure, I'd be happy to have a friend coming along,” Jamie said with a smile. “But seriously, how hard is it going to be to convince your father?”
“Quite simple, really. Barely an inconvenience.”
Jamie blinked.
Wait. Do they have that guy in this world too?
No way, right?
“If it's for the good of our people, Father will say yes,” Adelaide continued, apparently unaware of Jamie's momentary confusion.
Jamie shook the thought away and turned toward Tovin.
“What about you? Are you going to be okay living in the Elven Capital for a while?”
“I think I can manage,” Tovin replied with a smile.
“Aren't you worried about someone trying to put you into slavery?”
His smile turned bitter.
“Not particularly. Goblins aren't exactly in demand.”
“What do you mean?”
“We're not considered attractive enough for Elven or Human sensibilities. At least, not the sort of people who buy slaves.” He gave a humorless chuckle. “Besides, the Slavery Act of 4070 AF only permits Spirit-born to be legally held as slaves.”
Jamie frowned. “Wait. What?”
Tovin glanced at her, then seemed to realize something. “Oh. I suppose nobody's explained that to you yet.”
“Explained what?”
“Goblins aren't Spirit-born, Princess. We're Demi-Humans.”
Jamie stared at him. “Really?”
“Really. Goblins, Mur-folk, Lizard-men. We're all considered Demi-Humans. Different races, but the same general classification.”
Jamie considered that for a moment. She'd spent so much time among the people of Glenhaven that she'd assumed they were all part of the same group.
“So why do you live with the Spirit-folk?”
Tovin's expression changed. The bitterness faded, replaced by something quieter.
“Because they were there when nobody else was.”
Jamie waited.
“Thousands of years ago, during the Demon-kin Wars, the Demon-kin tried to wipe out the Demi-Human races. Our people were driven from their homelands, and the other races wanted nothing to do with us.”
“The Spirit-folk were the only ones who raised a finger in our defense. They took us in when we had nowhere else to go. Gave us shelter, land, and a chance to survive.”
Jamie listened without interrupting.
“So when the other races eventually turned against the Spirit-folk, what did they expect us to do?” Tovin asked. “Abandon the only people who'd ever stood beside us?”
He shook his head.
“We stayed. We've been allies for thousands of years, Princess. That's not something you forget just because the rest of the world decides your friends aren't worth protecting.”
Jamie wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there with her mouth open, but she closed it the moment she realized.
This was the first she'd heard of any of it.
She'd known the people of Glenhaven had suffered. She'd seen enough to understand that much. But she'd never realized just how far back their history went, or how many different peoples had been brought together by it.
And here she'd been thinking of goblins as just another kind of Spirit-folk.
There is so much about this world I still don't know.
The first Dire Badger den had gone well enough that Jamie knew she should be feeling more confident when Tovin signaled that they'd reached the second.
She didn’t. Jamie had taken a severe hit at the tail end of that fight. She knew why it happened.
Overconfidence, plain and simple.
Overall, things in this world had been going well for Jamie, if you boiled it all down to its simplest form. Sure, there were rough patches. The accidental killing of Kibb, for one. And that moment in the Crucible when Jamie’s own mind betrayed her. They had been real and hard lessons, but something about this last mistake really shook Jamie to her core.
She’d come so close to dying by simply making one tiny mistake.
Jamie could still feel the phantom pain that wound left behind. She still remembered the feeling when that Dire Badger's claw cut deep enough to reach her femur. The feeling when her femoral artery had been cut in half by that same strike. Back on Earth, a wound like that meant almost certain death if something wasn’t done quickly to stop the bleeding. Without a tourniquet or immediate medical intervention, she could have bled out before help ever reached her.
Here on Eldara, Jamie hadn’t used a tourniquet. She had used her healing magic, and it had been a near thing.
Even now, nearly an hour later, Jamie’s right leg didn’t seem to want to fully support her weight. The leg itself was now fully healed thanks to Regenerative Flow, but this scar wasn’t on the leg itself. It was soul deep.
If Jamie hadn’t leveled up that skill to Level 2, would she have survived? It was a question that she had been asking herself over and over again for the last hour. One choice had made the difference between life and death. Jamie was not okay.
She watched in silence as Sentinel and Adelaide took their potions in preparation for leading the charge.
She should say something before it was too late. There was still time to stop this, but Jamie just stayed silent as the two of them began to run forward.
Why hadn’t she said something? Let the team know she wasn’t in good shape. As she and Tovin followed behind their tanks, Jamie’s movements felt like she was moving in slow motion.
What was wrong with her? Get it together, dang it!
Jamie! Jamie! What are you doing? They need you to lock down the left flank with Poison Ivy! Ember sent from the far rear of the formation.
Jamie robotically did as she was told. Two walls went up, stopping four of the five Dire Badgers from attacking from that side, but Jamie had been a second too late in casting her spells, and one of them got through.
This time, it wasn’t going to be her who suffered the consequences of her mistake. It was Sentinel, who took the attack from the side. He had trusted her to cover that flank while he focused on the two Dire Badgers directly in front of him.
Dire Badgers were deceptively dangerous creatures. Standing barely two feet at the shoulder, their bodies were long, low to the ground, and packed with dense muscle beneath thick hides and coarse fur. Their broad heads carried powerful jaws, while their short, heavily muscled legs ended in enormous claws capable of tearing through flesh and leather with frightening ease.
But their greatest advantage was their sheer ferocity.
Unlike most predators, which instinctively avoided unnecessary injury, Dire Badgers seemed almost indifferent to pain. They attacked creatures several times their own size without hesitation, and once their jaws closed around something, getting them to release it was another matter entirely. Even a badly wounded Dire Badger could remain dangerous, twisting within its unusually loose hide to bite or claw an opponent that thought it had already secured a killing grip.
Sentinel quickly brought down two of the Dire Badgers attacking him. The first had died when the Dire Wolf caught it by the neck and shook it violently, while the second had managed to rake its claws across his chest before Sentinel crushed its throat between his jaws.
But killing them had cost him precious time. Two more badgers were pressing in, forcing him to divide his attention, and Jamie's delayed spell had left an opening for a fifth to attack.
The creature lunged into Sentinel's exposed flank, driving its claws into his side before clamping its jaws onto the thick muscle behind his foreleg. Sentinel snarled and twisted, trying to tear himself free, but the badger refused to release him. With its front claws anchored in his flesh, it curled its body beneath him and raked its powerful hind claws across his lower chest and belly, tearing bloody furrows through his fur.
Sentinel staggered under the assault, unable to shake the creature loose while the other two badgers continued closing in.
Jamie cast Regenerative Flow on the Dire Wolf just as Tovin fired his crossbow. The bolt struck the badger squarely in the forehead, a risky shot under the circumstances, but Jamie had yet to see the Pathfinder miss. Unfortunately, the creature's thick skull and tough hide absorbed enough of the impact to prevent the bolt from penetrating deeply enough to kill it.
Worse, the creature barely seemed to notice.
Jamie lunged forward and slashed the Level 14 badger's throat with her sword, finishing it off.
Across the battlefield, Adelaide had managed to bring down one of her opponents as well. The badger had lunged over the edge of her shield, exposing its throat just long enough for her to drive her sword upward beneath its jaw. The creature collapsed, but Adelaide had paid for the opening when another badger caught her sword arm with its claws, tearing deeply into the muscle.
“Jamie, Adelaide needs a heal,” Tovin called out. “Her arm is hurt badly.”
What should she do? Sentinel was still fighting two of these things, and now Adelaide needed Jamie to heal her. She couldn't think straight. What was the right choice? Which choice kept everyone alive, and which one could cost the team everything?
Panic. It was gripping Jamie as she couldn't decide.
A burst of siphoning strikes hit all five remaining Dire Badgers in the time it took Jamie to turn her head back toward Sentinel.
You're not alone. Trust me to have your back, Jamie. I'm right here behind you.
Ember hadn't sent that in words, but in her emotions. They had the intended effect, where words would have failed.
Cast, cast, Shift.
Before shifting, Jamie raised her wand toward Adelaide and cast Regenerative Flow, sending a fresh wave of healing magic into her injured arm. Before the spell had finished taking effect, Jamie turned her attention to the two Dire Badgers preparing another wave of attacks against the Naiad tank.
Jamie's second cast summoned a wall of Poison Ivy directly in front of the badger charging Adelaide from the right. Its speed and momentum carried it straight into the wall, an unfortunate mistake that would lead to its death. The ivy wouldn't be enough to kill the tough little terror outright, but the damage it inflicted would make sure Jamie's team could finish it in short order.
Now, with only one badger to deal with for the moment, Adelaide went on the offensive.
Shield Rush (Vanguard Skill – Attack / Mobility) — Lv. 1 — Adelaide charges forward behind her shield, using her momentum to strike and disrupt an enemy.
Time. Jamie had bought her teammate the time she needed.
Jamie didn't wait to see the outcome on that side of the battlefield. She knew her team knew what to do.
Her body shifted into that of a puma, and she launched herself toward Sentinel, who was still struggling to keep three Dire Badgers from getting around him. Blood stained the fur along his chest and belly, and although Regenerative Flow had closed the worst of his injuries, the constant attacks were preventing him from taking advantage of his greater size and strength.
Only moments ago, Jamie would have needed to stop and think about what to do next, but not now. Shifting back to cast another round of healing wasn't the answer. Sentinel didn't need more healing at the moment. He needed someone to take the pressure off him, and Jamie was going to do exactly that.
The Dire Wolf was a wall of muscle, fur, and pure rage. He had the strength to finish off the badgers. He just needed enough breathing room to use it.
As Jamie closed the distance, she became aware of Tovin's footsteps moving through the grass as he ran to join Adelaide's fight. She hadn't seen him move, but somehow, she'd felt it through the ground beneath her paws.
It was happening more often now. Her growing connection to the forest was giving her an awareness of the plants and creatures around her that went beyond ordinary sight. She could even sense the grass being crushed beneath Tovin's feet as he ran. It was almost like an echo sense, allowing her to understand what was happening nearby without needing to look directly at it.
Unlike Jamie, Tovin hadn't lost his head when the fighting turned ugly. The Pathfinder knew his craft, and he'd been doing exactly what his team needed.
Jamie hit the nearest Dire Badger at full speed.
Her puma form wasn't heavier than the creature she struck, but that didn't matter when she had momentum on her side. The impact sent the badger flying sideways, several feet through the air before it struck the dirt. Jamie followed it down, digging her claws into its shoulder and raking her hind legs across its exposed belly before the badger could recover. She had learned enough from the first den not to remain within reach of those powerful jaws any longer than necessary, and she sprang away just as the animal twisted around to bite her.
In her wake lay a dying Dire Badger, its guts and blood spilled across the ground. It wasn't going to get back up, but just as Jamie had expected, the creature continued flinging its claws wildly, hoping to take its killer with it in death.
Jamie was already gone.
She didn't need to stop being afraid. She needed to act and let fate decide whether she'd made the right choices.
As she ran the short distance back toward Sentinel, she watched him tear the throat out of the Level 17 Den Mother.
The hardest part of the fight was over.
All that remained was the cleanup.
“Princess, are you alright?” Tovin asked after the group had walked in silence for some time. “You seemed out of sorts during that last fight,” he added, not bothering to hide his concern.
Sighing, Jamie answered honestly. “I don't know, Tovin.”
She thought about that for a moment. “No, that's not true. I do know.
“I was afraid.”
“Afraid of making mistakes. Afraid one of those mistakes would get someone killed.”
“Afraid of dying,” she added softly.
“Jamie, only crazy people don't have fears like that,” Adelaide chimed in.
“It's how you handle that fear that matters,” she added.
As they walked, Jamie noticed Adelaide and Tovin exchange a look.
“What is it?” Jamie asked.
“We noticed something was off with you, Princess, before that last fight started,” Tovin confessed.
“Why didn't you say anything then?”
Tovin stopped walking and turned toward Jamie.
Jamie stopped with him.
“You're the Princess. You lead, we follow. That's how it goes.”
“If you say attack, we attack. If you say we don't, then we don't.”
Jamie made sure she had Tovin's full attention before speaking again. Looking into his eyes, she knew he meant every word he'd just said.
“That's not going to work for me. Not with you two.” She made sure Adelaide knew that meant her as well.
“I'm new to this. I need your help.” She paused.
“And I need to trust the two of you, even when I'm afraid of looking unsure.”
“That fight could have gone much differently if my mind had been in the right place.”
“I'm sorry. I failed the team back there. I can't promise that will never happen again, but I can promise to communicate my doubts and concerns from now on before a fight.”
“Sentinel.”
Jamie walked over to her Dire Wolf.
I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me. You saved us today.
For the pack.
Yes, for the pack, she sent back.
“Ember, you too. Your spells helped us win that fight.”
Pack, Ember sent.
Jamie just nodded.
“I'm ready to go home. How about you guys?”
“Yeah,” Tovin said.
“Yes, I think a day of rest is in order,” Adelaide agreed.
The Naiad turned to start walking again, but Jamie stopped her.
“Ahh, any chance I can get some cuddle time with my Dire cub?” Jamie asked hopefully.
Adelaide turned to look back at Jamie, Hope securely nestled in her arms.
“Is that an order, Princess?”
“No…”
“Then in that case, nope,” she said happily, bending her head toward the bundle of fur and nuzzling her face into the Dire cub's soft coat.
Jamie watched as her cub, nestled in the Naiad's arms, soaked up every bit of affection.
She's mine, Ember sent as she padded past Jamie, joining the others as they continued heading north.
Sentinel stayed close to Adelaide, who was carrying his cub. His ears constantly shifted, listening for any sign of danger.
Jamie allowed herself a small smile as she realized there was a giant-sized bundle of Dire Wolf fluff being completely overlooked by everyone else, and she fully intended to take advantage of that with some serious snuggling later.
Before following them, Jamie tilted her head toward the sky and closed her eyes for a brief moment, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face.
It was a simple pleasure, one she was still alive to enjoy because her team had her back today.
Jamie made a promise to herself right then and there.
Always take time to live in the moment.
She thought back to the last words her mom had said to her before she died.
Tomorrow is never promised.
Those words had never meant more to Jamie than they did now.