As part of Initiator training, every new arrival chose one primary and one secondary weapon. The Guild loaned them the money, and the Sundry Falls locals handled the orders from the Capital—the nearest trading city. Each trainee was encouraged to master at least one ranged weapon, one long blade, and one short blade. Firearms were, unfortunately, not an option in the Garden—at least, not for most people.

The initial loan covered only two weapons, so they had to choose. Fia, Mikael, Noah, and Akira all ordered swords—possibly because it was the weapon of choice for a majority of their trainers. Fia’s was a curved sabre. Mikael also got a crossbow, Akira a bow. Noah and Fia weren’t the best shooters, so they picked daggers as their second. Mikael’s aim still wasn’t as good as Akira’s, but Pekka had said, “a flier needs a ranged weapon,” to which Dara had only smiled.  

While waiting for their weapons to arrive, small hunting training continued. Training weapons were scarce, so no more than four trainees went out for a hunt at once, and everyone waited weeks for a turn. Even so, the Sundry Halls never ran out of fresh meat—barbecue nights had become routine since the hunts began.

The Pillars didn’t have any formidable prey, so after a few small hunts, the trainers planned to travel to the Five Sisters—a region rich with rivers, forests, and wildlife, known for supplying most of the Garden’s animal goods.

Then the new weapons arrived and finally the day for the trainees’ first hunt with their own weapons. After breakfast, all the new arrivals gathered outside the hangar-like training hall. Inside, Gayle stood by a large map of Grey Peak region, pinned to a blackboard. The other trainers sat on the wooden chairs usually occupied by their students. Around them, the hall was cluttered with sparring dummies, ropes, beams, and rows of potted plants.

The agenda was to finalize teams and hunting locations. Xs on the map marked the chosen grounds and four locations already had names listed beside them.

“This will do,” Gayle said, studying the map. “Not all of them are ready. Observe their skill, help if needed, and we’ll decide about the big hunt later.” A few trainers nodded, others just watched.

“Irene and I will stay with the rest today and finalize groups for the next two days,” she continued, marking a few more Xs. “Scout for new hunting spots while you’re out. If a place looks good, we’ll reuse it; if not, we’ll try these next.”

“This all sounds good,” said Hatim, a trainer who’d accompanied Noah from Dry Lands. “But maybe we should shuffle the six in the second group. They always train with the same people. Someone else should test their skills.”

The “second group” was Mikael, Akira, Fia, Noah, Pekka, and Dara. While the all six hadn’t hunted together yet, Dara had once taken Mikael, Fia, and Noah out, and all six often trained together in the unstructured sessions.

Gayle’s eyes narrowed. Raija and Pekka exchanged a glance. Dara just watched Hatim with mild interest.

Gayle set a hand on her hip. “Can you fly, Hatim?”

Hatim’s jaw slacked. “No, but—”

“Have you seen the name at the top of that list?”

“Yes, but—”

“Are you planning to launch yourself on an arrow after him if he needs rescuing?”

“Gayle, I think he can land. And anyway, my trainee from Dry Lands is in that group.”

“What you think is irrelevant. What matters is keeping them alive. If you’re so worried about your trainee, ask him to switch groups.”

Hatim cleared his throat. “You’re right, I guess. It’s best Dara stays with them. I certainly wouldn’t want to endanger any trainee. But perhaps we could switch trainers instead—I could accompany Dara. It would give them a chance to learn from others.”

“No,” Dara said.

Hatim turned. “Excuse me?”

Dara met his gaze. “No, you cannot switch the trainer in my team.” His tone was calm, final.

Raija bit her lip to hide a grin. Next to Dara, Pekka crossed his arms and sat taller—gaining about three inches over his friend, a gap that usually looked a lot less. Across the room, a few other trainers fought smiles. Everyone knew what Hatim was really after, and Gayle would sooner die than let him use this training to satisfy his curiosity.

Gayle had always had a low tolerance for nonsense. At the age of twenty-four, she had her first boy, followed by twin boys a year later and another boy a year after. At forty-five, just as she had raised these boys into men, she arrived in the Garden and knew before her own initiation training even ended that this was the role she wanted to play in her new life. 

She wasn’t partial to Dara, Pekka, or Raija just because they were from the Pillars—trainers were assigned randomly by the Guild. Raija mostly lived in the Pillars, but Dara arrived and lived in the Dry Lands, and Pekka arrived in Skadi and lived like a nomad for as long as most people remembered..

But Gayle had recruited the three of them over eight months ago—well before Mikael and Fia’s joint arrival. She had no reason to doubt their intentions unlike the other uninvited trainers who’d been collecting anecdotes about the so-called joint arrival for months now. It infuriated her that some still concocted schemes to get even closer. 

In fact, Gayle had already been considering pairing the joint arrival with someone from the trio when Raija reminded her that Dara was best suited to train Mikael. Gayle had decided then to use the wings as an excuse. She’d made a grand speech to Pekka and Dara about their duty to protect their trainees from the scourge of the Garden. The two men weren’t born yesterday and knew exactly what she was doing, but had agreed anyway—likely because she wasn’t wrong.

“Alright, good talk!” Gayle said briskly, unclipping the map. “I’ll post this in the blue inn’s main hall. Gather your teams and get out; we start practice in half hour.”

The group dispersed, Hatim with a scowl on his face.

Raija sauntered over to Dara and Pekka, a smirk playing on her lips. “The staring contest’s over.”

“I know,” Dara said, one eyebrow raised. “And I won.”

Pekka smacked his shoulder, and Dara gave a quiet laugh.

---

Dara and Pekka reached the crowd of trainees where their four team members stood in a loose circle—sheathed swords in hand, bows slung across the backs of two.

“Fia, Akira, Mikael, Noah,” Dara called. “Grab your gear and check the map at the blue inn. Then meet us on the road out. Let’s go hunting!”

Their faces lit up, and they scattered to obey. 

“They’re so bright,” Pekka murmured as he and Dara walked away. He didn’t mean their minds but the colours of their robes—purple, scarlet, teal, and a paint-streaked off-white.

Dara smiled. “Too bright.”

---

Despite their hurry, it was nearly half an hour before Fia, Mikael, Akira, and Noah came running to the meeting point. Dara and Pekka were already there. Dara was sketching something in the dirt with the tip of his boot, hands clasped behind his back, while Pekka studied it intently, hands in his pockets. Dara nodded to the trainees from afar, then swept his foot across the drawing and set off down the road. The four slowed to a brisk walk a few paces behind, excitement thick in the air. Fia glanced at the ground as they passed—only a faint corner of a chequered grid remained.

Their destination was the forest by the big lake. The base of Grey Peak met another mountain curling around the far side of the lake—a region known for the peaky elk. The name, like most in the Garden, was misleading. Gardeners used only the names of Earth animals, applying them—often haphazardly—to local creatures that bore the faintest resemblance. In this case, the peaky elk shared little with the original besides size and grazing habits.

Mikael and Noah speculated better suited names for the animal. Fia listened with one ear, watching the backs of the two trainers ahead.

“I’ll be right back,” she announced, speeding up.

“Ugh, let the man be, Fia,” Mikael pleaded.

Fia slowed and turned to walk backward. “How do you know I don’t have something important to ask?”

“If you did, you’d ask us first,” Noah said. “You clearly don’t.”

“Go, Fia, go!” Akira cheered with fake enthusiasm.

Mikael glared at her. “Don’t encourage her.”

“Go, go, go!” Akira continued, and Mikael threw his head back in despair.

“I’ll be right back,” Fia said with a wide grin, breaking into a jog.

“Hey!” she said as she caught up.

“Hi,” said Dara. Pekka only nodded.

“So, what are we hunting today?”

“A peaky elk,” said Dara. “But you already know that.”

She grinned. “Yeah, I do. I wanted to show you my sabre.”

Dara leaned to look at the weapon hanging from her hip. It was standard issue—black sheath, black blade, brown leather hilt—except for a scarlet tassel with a black bead she’d added herself. She drew the sabre, and Dara straightened.

“What do you think? Does it suit me?”

“It looks the right size,” he said. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.”

Dara’s smile broadened. “I think it suits you a lot.”

Fia beamed and sheathed the sword with a clunk, then eyed their weapons. Dara’s sheath and hilt were an almost black deep blue trimmed with bronze; he had a matching dagger strapped to his boot. Pekka’s was plain charcoal and black—refined but unembellished.

“It’s not personalized yet, like yours,” she said. “I’ll do that when we go to the Capital.”

“I got mine at Dragon’s Breath,” Dara said. “It’s where you’ll find the best blades.”

“Then I’ll wait till I go to Dragon’s Breath too,” she said brightly. “I like yours too, Pekka.”

He gave her a blank look, long enough to make it awkward, then gave a single slow blink.

Fia laughed nervously and looked at Dara, whose eyes were laughing even if his mouth wasn’t.

“I should go back to the others,” she said.

“Okay,” said Dara.

She spun around and ran back.

“You are so brutal,” he said when she was gone.

“I don’t mean to be,” said Pekka.

Dara chuckled. “That’s what makes it funny.”

“I’m never ready for her questions. She’s not here to talk to me—why does she even bother?”

“Maybe she doesn’t want to make it that obvious.”

“I thought she enjoyed making it obvious.”

Dara frowned, still smiling. “They’ll have harder days ahead. Let them have their laughs.”

Pekka said nothing.

---

It had been several hours since the hunting party reached the forest. Fia knelt and inspected the undergrowth for tracks. Dara stepped behind her, silently observing. 

“Nothing,” she said, glancing up at him. “Are we just bad at this, or are there really no large animals here?”

“It’s not you,” he said. “We haven’t found anything either.”

Fia sighed, dusted off her knee, and joined Akira and Mikael, who were looking equally frustrated. Noah and Pekka soon wandered over.

“Anything?” Fia asked.

Akira shook her head. “Nothing.”

Mikael exhaled. “There’s maybe three hours of light left. At this rate, we’ll be going back empty-handed.”

“If we don’t catch anything today, will we get another chance?” Fia asked Dara.

“Of course,” he said.

“I don’t think today’s our day,” said Noah.

“We should go off track,” Pekka said in a monotone. 

“The burrows,” said Dara. 

“Yes.”

 An hour earlier, they’d passed a human-sized burrow that Pekka had found fascinating. He’d guessed it was made by a beaver-like creature known to live in these parts, roughly the size of a bear. Herbivorous, skittish, and fast—a challenge, but manageable for a first hunt. Dara had agreed but they’d skipped it earlier for lack of torches.

“Ok,” said Dara. “Let’s make one last effort not to go back empty-handed.”

“Tree-sap torches?” Noah suggested.

“No,” said Pekka.

Fia squinted at him. Pekka’s cryptic sentences were an acquired skill to interpret.

“Tree sap smokes too much,” Dara explained. “We’ll take lamps instead.”

Within minutes, their cylindrical water flasks lay empty and dry in a pile beside their cork lids. Mikael slit the corks with Fia’s dagger, and she threaded wicks made from rags through the cuts—they all carried rags for cleaning weapons. Noah filled the flasks with animal oil they’d distilled during training, and Akira sealed them. Then she held one out to Pekka for inspection, who was idly munching on a fruit he’d picked along the way. They’d perfected lamp-making weeks ago with Irene and probably did it better than him by now. It took a moment but then Pekka took the lamp, shook it and nodded his approval. Fia and Mikael stifled their smiles as they stripped bark from birch-like trees and patted mud over the wounds. 

Meanwhile, Noah found long, straight branches. They tied the bark strips to a stick’s tip so they fanned out like petals, and fixed one of the flasks in the center. Akira tested the makeshift torch with a few swings, then held it out to Dara, who’d been picking berries earlier. He blinked, looked from lamp to Akira, then slowly nodded approval. He and Pekka exchanged an amused look and continued to inspect the other lamps, their munching somehow growing louder with each.

Then, they started back towards the burrows, with a lamp in everyone’s hand except Dara, who preferred not to carry one. 

“You’re like a super hero,” Fia said. 

Dara gave her a puzzled look. 

“You can float without wings,” Fia clarified. 

“Nice!” Dara said. “But no.”

They’d gone from persuading Dara to fly to guessing how he did it. 

“They’re invisible!” Akira said.

“How can they be invisible?” Mikael said. “We would feel them when we move around him.” 

“Maybe they disappear,” said Akira. “And come back only when needed.” 

“Mmm, you may just crack it, Akira,” said Dara.   

“They retract into your body,” Noah said. 

“Noah.” Dara smiled. “Always the wisest.” 

“So, I’m right?” said Noah. 

“You’ve hyped them too much,” said Dara. “You’ll be disappointed and I’m afraid to fly in front of you now.” 

“We should hold him down and strip him,” Mikael said. 

Fia’s hands shot straight up. “Yes!” 

“Fia!” said Dara. 

“Bit much?” She ducked her head.

Dara shot Mikael a reprimanding look and he shrunk his neck down like a turtle. 

“We should throw Mikael down a cliff,” said Akira. “Then he’ll have to go and save him.” 

“Mikael can fly,” Noah reminded. 

“We should tie his wings and then throw him down,” said Fia.

Mikael pulled a face.“We should throw you down instead.” 

“We’re here,” Dara said, and the topic was forgotten.

Pekka crouched at the mouth of the burrow and plucked a few strands of coarse black-and-brown hair, each thick enough to stand upright, some nearly the length of a human hand. He handed them around.

“You think it’s that mammal?” Noah asked.

Pekka nodded and rose. “I haven’t hunted one before, but I’ve heard of it. The burrow will have multiple entrances. We should expect a family—two to six, maybe. They’ll have the advantage inside so we must draw one out. The rest will be easy.”

“Pekka and I will hold the front and rear until we get a feel for the place,” Dara said. “You can take the lead once we know more.”

They nodded.

Pekka went in first, followed by Fia, Noah, Mikael, Akira, and finally Dara. The tunnel was just tall enough to stand upright. The floor was mostly dry, though patches of mud glistened under their lamps. Roots dangled from the ceiling. The air smelled faintly of smothered flowers and pine—wet, but fragrant.

“Most mammals stink,” said Noah .

“Not all, it seems,” said Fia.

Pekka paused at a fork and looked around at Noah. After a moment’s thought he pulled out his longest knife and signalled to Dara. Dara signalled back. Pekka raised his torch and picked a path.

“How do you decide which way to go?” Fia asked.

He glanced back at her. “I guess…”

“You guess what?”

Pekka looked over his shoulder with his usual blank expression. “I guess the path to take.”

A chuckle came from behind her. Fia bit her lips. She should’ve known better than to expect Pekka to use figurative speech.

The tunnel opened into a spherical chamber just big enough for all of them to stand huddled together. Another arched opening on the far side led them into a narrower corridor that spilled into a vast, pitch-black space.

Pekka signaled for them to stop and raised his torch. The light barely touched the walls and vanished before reaching the ceiling. A mud wall, knee-high and stretching endlessly in both directions, ran across the room. They crouched behind it.

Dara shaded his eyes from the glare of the lamps and squinted into the dark, then looked at Pekka and shook his head. Pekka made a hand gesture that meant nothing to Fia—but Dara nodded, and without a sound, Pekka vaulted over the wall into the chamber.

The others pressed closer to Dara.

“What did he say?” Mikael whispered.

“He’s checking it out,” Dara said.

“What do you keep signaling?” Fia asked.

“It’s a language we invented.”

Fia stifled a laugh. “Every day, I find one more reason to be impressed by you.”

Dara grinned but didn’t take his eyes off Pekka, who was moving low and slow towards the center. He froze mid-step. Everyone tensed. Raising his torch, he revealed what he’d seen—furry mounds huddled together. Five, maybe six.

“They look small,” Noah said. “Are they babies?”

“Unlikely this time of year,” Dara murmured, brow furrowing.

Pekka gestured again.

“He thinks it’s a smaller animal,” Dara translated. Another gesture. “He can see six. He’s going to take a closer look.”

They watched as Pekka circled the lumps—right, then left—before inching forward.

“SAATANA,” Pekka roared and slashed his knife. “VITTU! VITTU!”

Everyone’s heads snapped toward Dara.

“You don’t want to know,” he said, already rising. “Run!”

Pekka dropped the knife, drew his sword, and struck backwards. The torchlight caught two fur-covered tentacles unfurling from the dark. Fia’s eyes went wide as more tendrils slithered into view.

“Stay up front!” Pekka shouted—meant for Dara. Dara drew his sword and ran. The others followed. 

The creatures—likely nocturnal, still shaking off sleep—were waking fast, their movements sharpening. A tentacle lashed for Pekka’s legs and Fia yelped. Pekka sprang clear, their drowsiness his only advantage.

At the head of the line, Dara reached the narrow arch—and stopped short. Mikael crashed into him. Dara twisted aside, and Mikael landed on his bottom.

“Seriously?!” Akira said, darting past as Noah grinned and followed.

Fia slowed.

“Don’t stop!” Pekka barked.

She sprinted again, diving through the opening just as Dara yanked Mikael up by the collar.

“FUCK YOU, DARA!” Pekka shouted, flying past them.

“Fuck you, Dara!” Mikael echoed, staggering after him.

Dara pursed his lips and followed. The scurrying behind them grew louder.

“Akira, duck!” Pekka cried as they reached the spherical chamber. He sprinted up the wall, vaulted through the arch above her, and landed running on the other side, returning the trainees to the middle. Fia looked around to see Mikael and Dara land into the chamber and then climbed in after Akira.

While the others had little time to think about anything except running, the same thought burned in Dara and Pekka’s minds. They had to get everyone out alive and in one piece. Dara had been lucky once—there was no room for another mistake.