To a cave.

The woman led Christine and Erik to a densely forested part of the woods. By now, the sun was starting to rise, and the morning frost was beginning to melt. Still, the woman wanted to keep Christine covered. After an hour of travel, they eventually reached a cliffside. “We’re almost there,” said the woman as she started to untie Christine from the back of her horse.

Once Christen was loose, the woman helped Erik off of her horse and gently took Christine into her arms. Despite the warmth, Christine was shivering like a leaf.

“Will she be alright?” asked Erik with a great deal of concern in his voice.

“She’ll be fine,” said the woman as she led Erik to a small cave, “We just need to make sure she’s comfortable.” As the woman made her way into the mouth of the cave, Erik stopped and looked into the darkness nervously. When the woman realized that he wasn’t fallowing her inside, she turned to Erik and scowled at him. “What now?” she growled.

“Are,” he gulped, “Are you sure that it’s safe in there.”

The woman rolled her eyes, “I promise you I’m the worst thing in her, now come on.” She tried to start her way back into the cave again, but Erik wouldn’t budge. She groaned, “It’s either the cave or the goblins.”

Erik’s eyes went wide when he remembered the goblins and hurried to follow the woman inside.

The cave was dark and dusty, at least near the entrance. As they went in deeper, they could see hits of light and later signs of habitation. While the entrance looked like it was naturally formed, the rest of the cave looked like it had been carved out. The walls were held up by wooden struts, while a small number of dimly lit torches lit the cavern ahead.

After rounding a corner, they came across a large wooden door. The woman gave the door a few swift kicks, as her hands were full, then stepped back. A few seconds later, a slot on the door opened, and a pair of worn eyes peeked out. When he saw the woman, he narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice. “Password?”

“Open the fucking door,” she glowed at him.

The man rolled his eyes before closing the slot with a quick slam. For the next minute or so, the sound of locks could be heard on the other side of the door, along with the man grumbling to himself. The woman impatiently shifted her hips as she waited on the man while Erik scotched closer to her leg. The woman could tell that he was still on edge, and she couldn’t blame him. He did just watch his sister get **** and poisoned after all, and now he was alone in a strange cave with a woman dressed in black.

After listening to the man on the other end of the door trying to finger out if one of the locks was supposed to be turned left or right, the door finally swung open to reveal a huge bearded man. “Alright, Tera, what brings you back here,” he said in a thick Scottish accent. It was then he noticed the boy clinging to her leg and the young woman in her arms. “Blast it, Tera,” he groaned, “How many times do I have to tell yay, no pets allowed.”

Tera ignored his outburst, “They both had a run-in with Bear Claw,” she started, "and the nearby castle town is in the process of being sacked.”

“Sacked?” he said, arching his brow, “By who, lass?”

“Who do you think?”

The man’s eyes went wide, and his face turned pale when he realized who she was referring to. Quickly he looked back down the cave to make sure that they hadn’t being followed then motioned the group inside. “So, the Black Prince is actually when through with it then?” he said, closing the door and locking it behind him, “Do you know if the Gerard family survived?”

“At the moment, I only know of two survivors,” said Tera as she glanced down at Erik.

Erik’s face turned white as a sheet, “Wait? How did you know?”

Tera started counting off, “You both came from the castle, your sister is softer than most silk, and you are why too naïve not to be a noble.” Tera then turned to the man, “I would prefer that you didn’t tell anyone about them.”

“Aye,” he replied with a nod, “The last thing we need is some bugger letting the Black Prince know that we’re are harboring fugitives…well…more so than usual.” Suddenly he noticed that the girl in Tera’s arms was shivering. “They ran into Bear Claw, you say?” he asked Tera while looking at her inquisitively.

Tera nodded before saying through gritted teeth, “I’ll need a room, plus one for the brat,” she said, motioning towards Erik.

Erik glared up at her, “You are not separating me from my sister.”

Tera roiled her eyes the glared back at the boy, “Trust me, kid, what I’m about to do to your sister is going to feel anything but painful. However, it is something that your young eyes are not ready to see, and I’m sure that your sister wouldn’t want you to see what I’m about to do to her ether. Now do as you are told before I box your bloody ears.”

Again, the boy pouted before turning away. “You better not do anything to hurt my sister,” he stated before the large man started to lead him deeper into the cave.

“You know Casandra isn’t going to like you bringing political fugitives into the inn,” the man stated.

“I’ll be discreet,” said Tera as she followed him into the cave.