As she had expected, Ruli didn’t fill in the details about Aera, but the little Envy divulged made Kire wonder what tragedies she had experienced. As Narda returned, the two Amrian warriors observed the exchange between Ruli and Zeke. “[i]How are you feeling?[/i]” Narda asked Kire. “[i]No weird blood magic after-effects?[/i]”
“[i]No, Nard. I’m more worried about what those elves would have done to Ed if they did find him.[/i]” Kire smiled, despite the thought. “[i]But if the scrying led them to the Raielwen, that means he’s there. He’s alive.[/i]” Narda still looked skeptical as Zeke went to them to tell them what to do.
The list of things he told them made both Amrians frown. While Kire understood the situation—a group of armed strangers infiltrating your territory would elicit such a response—neither of them liked being vulnerable in that way. Kire glanced at Ysaryn when Zeke said she would need to be shielded, knowing the elf would take issue with that. Kire had thought at first that having an elf who spoke their tongue would be an advantage, but remembering the fates of the Five children of the Moon God, she realized the mistrust between even elvenkind was probably expected. 

The first thing Kire and Narda heard was Ysaryn’s swear. Alarmed, Kire turned to her, then looked about them, her hand almost darting to her blade, expecting an ambush. But when it was clear it had been a mishap with the thorny underbrush, Kire put down her hands. Already just the deceptively simple instruction of keeping her hands away from her weapon annoyed her. She pushed the annoyance aside, however, in order for her to concentrate. “Not yet,” she said, her gaze cast forward. “[i]Nard, cover me.[/i]” 

She took a step forward, looked around them for signs of hidden enemies, then closed her eyes, breathing deeply, trying to get a sense of anything unusual. There was something faint, up ahead, but she needed to get closer to be sure. She crouched down, touching the soil. “Ahead,” she said simply, standing up. “And closer to the slopes.”