“What’s got you in such a hurry?” the man asked in a gravelly voice.  

“Where’s Bo? I’m flying out to welcome in the other rider. I didn’t want the lookout to give false warning,” Anders said, noting the way the burly man held his broadsword by resting the flat of it against his shoulder.  

“Bo’s down helping with the ships. Apparently, the crew lost a few men,” he said, raising an eyebrow. 

“Right,” Anders said, seeing Zahara approaching, ready now to pick him up off the rooftop. “Well, keep an eye out for us...” he trailed off searching for the man’s name.  

“Sajaa,” the man answered quickly.  

Anders nodded, “Raffa is red-scaled and bigger than Zahara. If you see the black dragon, then,” he started, but Sajaa cut him off. 

“I know what Killdoor looks like young rider. Go on then,” he shooed at Anders as though he were a feral cat searching for food scraps.  

Anders frowned as he ran a few steps, jumped out and landed on Zahara’s back. When she headed east toward where they’d felt Maija and Raffa approaching, Anders glanced over his shoulder at the bearded man named Sajaa. Adjusting in his seat, Anders tried to contact Maija again, but her walls were still up. He distinctly felt a third mind with them.  

She’s getting better at protecting her thoughts, Zahara commented.  

I know, Anders replied. I wish she would open up to us. I want to know who’s flying with them and whether it’s something we need to prepare for.  

When they began to see the grassy border of the Bareback Plains, Anders finally made contact with Maija. As soon as she allowed her telepathic link to connect with his, he quickly asked, Maija, Zahara and I are coming to meet you. Are you being followed or is there some kind of danger nearby? 

Anders, she replied with warmth. I’m with someone, kind of. You’ll be eager to talk with them. I haven’t been able to so far, but I think you might be able to.  

So there isn’t any danger following you? he clarified.  

Maija paused, I don’t see or feel any.  

Anders saw the distant shape of a dragon flying in low over the plains and he suddenly felt a swarm of butterflies in his stomach. He didn’t think he’d be so nervous to see Maija again after only a few days. Anders suddenly realized that the nervousness, in part was his own, but more so came from Zahara. He’d been too distracted before to notice it, but Zahara was thrilled to be seeing them again. She’d given him his personal space when he and Maija were first together, so he decided he shouldn’t bother her about it, and said nothing.  

Approaching one another, Anders sent Maija an image of the golden-hued hilltop midway between them, We’ll land there. 

Seeing Maija’s tan face and amber hair brought him a sense of home. He knew she hadn’t ever been a part of his homelife before he began this strange journey, but there was something about her that made him feel secure. When she saw him waiting for her, she smiled and they rushed into an embrace. After reuniting in a way only love interests do, Anders looked behind Maija for another person, but he only saw Raffa and Zahara.  

Maija followed his glance and chuckled, “Look at them. I’d almost say they’re happier to see each other than we are.”  

Anders smiled briefly, then asked, “You said there was another person?” 

“Sort of,” Maija said, looking to the side. “It’s a bit complicated.” 

“How so?” Anders asked.  

“It’s about Ivan,” Maija said.  

Anders stiffened, blinking rapidly. “What? You said he’s with you?” Suddenly Anders understood that he’d recognized the familiar sense when he was searching for Maija and Raffa with his mind. He became light-headed and staggered. Maija caught him before he fell over.  

“Anders, are you okay?” she asked.  

Suddenly Zahara and Raffa were at their side as well, looking down at him with their massive heads, sniffing the air around him and trying to see if he’d been attacked by some kind of invisible force. He sat on the ground but could not recall how he got there. He tried to stand, but Maija stopped him.  

“I think you’ll want to be sitting for this,” she said and walked to her saddle. When she reached inside one of the smaller bags attached to the front, Anders noticed dried blood on her rider’s coat and armor. Meanwhile, she pulled out a wooden block, perfectly cubed and unstained. She walked back to where he sat.

His face creased in confusion, he asked, “Maija, the blood on your clothes, what happened?” 

She sat down cross-legged next to him, holding the wooden block in both hands, “I’ll tell you all about it after this,” and she handed him the box.  

Anders took it and a wave of Ivan’s presence filled him. He could’ve sworn that Ivan was standing right next to them. “Is there a crystal inside?” he asked, examining the wooden cube, now noticing a line where the top and bottom halves met. He gripped the two halves and tried to pull the box open. It stayed together, so he looked to Maija for an explanation.  

She shrugged, “I tried to do the same thing when I first saw that it was a box. I couldn’t get it open.” 

“Where did you find it?” Anders asked as he probed at the box with his mind, but he only felt resistance. 

“Natalia gave it to me,” she said.  

Anders looked into Maija’s brown eyes, “So you found them?” 

Maija nodded with a smile. 

Anders’ gaze lowered to the blood stains on her collar and leather armor. “And the blood?” he asked.  

“That happened after I left them; I should’ve come straight here, but I was so full of hope at the time.”  

“Why?” Anders asked, noticing that Zahara and Raffa had returned to their form of play.  

“Because Natalia told me who was coming to our aid,” Maija said, raising her eyebrows. 

After a moment's thought, Anders realized it, too. “She’s been in contact with Nadir,” he said.  

Maija nodded, “He escaped Cedarbridge with some of the elves.” 

“But it will take him a long time to run all this way,” Anders said. 

“He met the red shirts on their return with the dwarfs,” Maija said.  

Anders looked down at the wooden box in his hand, knowing roughly how many elves had gone before Merglan’s attack. “How many dwarfs are they?”  

“All of them,” Maija said.  

Anders looked into her eyes again and repeated, “All of them?” 

She nodded, “Natalia didn’t have all of the details because they didn’t know if Merglan was capable of listening in on their conversation.” Anders questioning look caused her to add, “Because he’s in the capital and has access to the mirrors.”  

“There are more like the mirrors Nadir had?” he asked. 

Maija shrugged, “Maybe? That’s why they’ve only been saying what they absolutely need to in order to form a plan.”  

“So they’re sailing here?” Anders asked. 

Maija nodded, “They’d planned to sail to the Rollo Islands and meet there, but now Natalia’s having the Rollo Islanders who came to the Ramhorn return to send the ships here.”