Dragoncrest Cliffs Buffany of House Bufflepuff

Had he known Vercingetorix meant to intercept him, it was likely Ephraim would have turned and fled right then and there. He was instead preoccupied by the phantom Rosalyn, who swept in close and whispered dark things in his ears that made his face scrunch painfully. She was right. All his faith and all his trust in his pack to keep him safe was slipping through the cracks of his soul, which had shattered with Heda's death and the realization that none of them were as immortal as he'd thought before.

Before he knew it, Verx was in front of him, imploring him to stay. The bridge of his dark muzzle wrinkled threateningly, but he had no intention of striking the Cheka, not unless he did first. It was empty. The hallucinations were gone... for now. They would be back. They would keep coming back, Ephraim felt, until he was away from here. He didn't know why, but he felt sure that if he continued trusting Drageda with his safety, he would never sleep again. It was almost as if the mad voice in him was telling him he was next. If he dropped his guard for even a second, he would die next.

I don't care anymore, he snapped, attempting to shoulder past Vercingetorix but knowing he wasn't large enough to do so effectively. Why should I stay here where it isn't safe? Natrona is an empty threat. Drageda doesn't do anything to them. Hadn't they let Wildfire, Kiwi and Sequoia go without so much as sparing a moment's search for them? Hadn't they released Rosalyn from their custody, letting their prisoner go for reasons Ephraim was too childish to comprehend? There was no threat in that. In fact, he now believed that the threat of another attack was greater than anything the Drakru could muster. They'd made themselves look too weak to take seriously now.

I can't stay here anymore. If he did, the dark shapes in the night would kill him, or his dreams would kill him, or they would let him die just like they let Heda die. They'd even be relieved, he thought, since he was the son of their enemy and surely they expected the worst of him now. Move, Verx.