Narda frowned down at the pathetic man, then glanced at the mayor. Both men seemed fidgety, and she wasn’t sure if it was for the same reason. Gods, if only she could shake the fog from her mind away. “’Specialist’?” she repeated, the word sounding inappropriate when it came from his lips. 
“Y-yes, we are to—we are—” Daryll yawned, blinking through the haze of sleepiness. “Take her, yes.” The wave of sleepiness was stronger now, and Daryll found it hard to stay on his feet. 
Narda grabbed him by the shoulder, shaking him, even as she felt that same wave of drowsiness trying to overcome her. “Where is she? Bring her out.” She looked at Ysaryn. Only she seemed to be clear-eyed and wide awake. 

--
Gavin shook. He didn’t even hear Envy’s cry, or feel the Kartaian let go. The image of the woman, and the ominous declaration, the foreboding feeling l that made his blood run cold, that was all that filled his mind then, until he felt someone grab him in retreat. Then he was yanked back into the present, with Ruli, Kire—[i]no Envy.[/i] His eyes widened in fear and panic, and when Ruli snarled at him Gavin flinched, an old reflex telling him to make himself small and to steel himself for an inevitable blow of a fist. “I didn’t do anything!” he cried out, arms shielding his head. But instead, Ruli paced in a panic, calling for their foster father before disappearing even as Kire, too, looked like she was about to bolt in search of him.

“Gavin, what did you see?” Kire asked, her voice firm but not angry. She could see plainly enough that whatever it was that he had seen had frightened him. 
“I—I saw a—” Gavin cleared his throat, forced himself to speak straight, “there was a dead woman. Looked my age. She was dead, and then she turned into—like those mages around the Tower. All crystal. And the voice—she—it? I think it’s blaming me for it. Or it feels that way. Said blood follows everytime a Wyvern and a Gemini meet.” He covered his face with his hands, as if willing away the image of the dead girl from his mind. He had never seen her before, but something about the body frozen in death struck him so hard, like his heart would shatter if he saw it again. 
As sorry as she felt for the lad, Kire held his shoulder and shook him gently. “Gavin. Tel me right now. Are you in any condition to continue so we can look for Envy? Because I will return you—” 

Ruli returned then, but before Kire could stop him he had sprinted off, going deeper into the forest. “Ruli! Wait—Gods-be-damned,” she hissed. “Gavin, are you coming or not?” 
“Coming!” Gavin replied, frowning. If he lost Envy here, after he broke down from a vision, he wouldn’t forgive himself. The two of them ran after Ruli, Kire concentrating on his signature and on Gavin’s beside her as he ran. If Envy was within the vicinity, she should be able to feel him, unless the goddess obscured her senses again. But even as she struggled to maintain focus, something else triggered her senses. 
[i]Other signatures.[/i]
There it was, the [i]burning[/i]. Not exactly the same as the boy’s, but each distinct signature had that [i]flavor[/i] of bitter smoke. “Ruli! Stop!” she called, just about ready to summon a portal in front of him to force him back when she finally saw the source. 
People. [i]Villagers?[/i] “Gavin, watch your back.” Her hand on her sword hilt, Kire raised her other hand. “Stand down. We are here to look for our companion.”
“Do not trespass,” the other figure said. “Please. This is holy ground now. The others will take your friend to you.”
[i]Holy ground?[/i]
Kire took another step forward. “Not too long ago this was a town under the Crown’s protection, my protection. We can discuss this later, but right now, I need to find my—” 

The flare of a nearby signature—several of them—made her turn and draw her sword, only to be met by flame. Kire, on instinct, jerked her other arm up, pushing the person away, her dragon-strength tossing the person several meters away from her.
“Kire!” she heard Gavin shout, just as she disappeared in a blue flash, reappearing beside Gavin. The portal had put out the flames, though she could still feel the heat of it on the arm she had raised to protect herself. The lad’s eyes were on her, wide in shock. 
“Warn Myka,” Kire said. Before Gavin could object, he was swallowed up by a portal. She looked around; five men and three women, their hands aflame, surrounded her. 
“This is holy ground,” they said. It seemed to her then that they were looking through her, all of them having the same expression on their faces. No anger, just—blank. Until she knew what was going on with these people, Kire couldn’t fight them like this. 

As the group lunged at her, the flames surging in their hands, they, too, disappeared, the other end of the portal spitting them out a ways away from the forest.  Kire, too, disappeared, reappearing in a run near where she had last seen Ruli run off. “Ruli!” she yelled.