Emberflame Ridge you know, it takes a village to raise a scheme

she didn’t attack. just looked surprised when they gave her what she wanted. her lifted brow turned immediately back towards barking orders, but off of riley and derg’s encounters, they’d expected the gentle taunt in their words to be the breaking point – maybe she’d started learning in the interim.

or maybe derg was more eager to start things than they’d thought. maybe that thing renard had drawn out from him under their teeth didn’t take nearly as much prodding as they’d offered.

they inclined their head to her, smiling the same knife’s-edge smile, and turned to vanish back up the slope. the back of the ridge dropped down into the valley between the mountains – a longer way around to the willows, but they had the time. perhaps donovan would even notice who had vanished in the interim.

they wouldn’t hold out hope.