The following days bled together in a haze of pain for Valen. He drifted in and out of sleep, each waking moment anchored by Mona's presence. She stayed rooted beside his bed, her ears twitching at every ragged breath he took. Her gaze was so fixed on him it almost felt like physical pressure.
Fioré had come, her eyes grim, to lay out the grim reality. Their only path forward was an alliance with the former hunter, Cassian. From his bed, Valen watched Mona process this. Her brow furrowed, her tail giving a single, agitated flick against the floorboards. She said nothing, but the tension in the room tightened a notch.
***
The cobblestones of Calamor gave way to dirt as Cassian urged his horse toward Grinter. The ghost of Luna's shattered expression rode with him. Gala's words, a truth he'd spent years drowning in duty, now echoed with damning clarity.
'Don't be the hawk, Cas.'
The abstract concept of "the beastfolk plight" was finally understood.
He had been Aldric's useful fool. The memory of Luna cradling her sister's body was a brand on his soul. His grip tightened on the reins, the wind whipping tears from his eyes as he rode harder, a newfound purpose burning away the last of his trepidation.
Soon, Cassian found them in a dim room at the inn. Valen was propped up in bed, his face pale and scored with pain, but his eyes held that same frustrating light despite his state. Mona stood beside him, her posture rigid. When her gaze met Cassian's, it was like staring down a cornered animal—all suspicion and hardened survival.
He didn't waste words. "Valen. I assume Fioré told you." It wasn't a question. "The truth is uglier than I feared. We must move swiftly."
Mona took a half-step back, her tail bushing out. She had to ask, and this may be the last chance. "The bounty on my head," she said, her voice low and wary. "What do you know?"
"I know Aldric has a particular interest in you. Gold-furred females like you are a rarity. The price you would fetch outweighs a few years worth of Calamor's tax income alone." He met her stare, refusing to look away from his own complicity. "He spun a tale that you were a fugitive, and that your capture would usher in a new era of prosperity. A lie I helped spread. I see the truth now. On my honor, I stand before you as an ally."
"And what makes you think we need your help?" Mona's ears flattened. "We've managed fine on our own."
"You're right to doubt me," he conceded. "But you are not fighting slavers in an alley now. You are challenging a lord who commands the city guard and wields forces I scarcely understand. Alone, you are prey. Together, we have a chance." He looked from her to Valen. "I can offer you protection. But we must be decisive."
A hoarse whisper came from the bed. "I'll do it." Valen's grip on Mona's hand was tight. "Whatever it takes to keep her safe." He coughed, wincing. "I've been part of this world's cruelty too long, Cassian."
"No, Valen. We're in this together." She turned her sharp gaze back to Cassian. "But no more secrets. You tell us everything."
Valen listened, his expression hardening as Cassian detailed what he suspected was Aldric's mind-altering magic. "It's not just greed," Valen spat. "It's about keeping his city 'pure'. A fancy word for cruelty. We'll shatter it."
"Yes, we will," Cassian agreed. "But to do that, I must return and play the loyal captain. I will find those in the guard who still have a conscience." He paused. "When the time is right, I will need Mona to be my 'prisoner.' Bait to draw Aldric's eye. It is the only way I can get you inside."
"No." Valen's protest was immediate. "Not her. It's me."
Cassian studied them. A silent conversation that passed between them. He gave a slow, grim nod. "As you wish. But remember, this is a dance with a viper. If he sees through the ruse for even a second, he will order your head struck off without a second thought."
Before he turned to leave, Cassian paused. A genuine, weary smile softened his features. "Valen. Looking at you both… It reminds me of a bond I once had. A catfolk, even. Her name was Gala." The memory was still as vivid as two decades prior. "When I first saw you, I saw only my failure. Now… I see the man I once hoped to be." He met Valen's gaze. "From now on, call me Cas. Just Cas."
The name was an offering. A promise.
Mona watched him go, the rigid set of her shoulders easing just a fraction. The door clicked shut, and the room seemed to deflate.
The brief surge of adrenaline that had carried Valen through the meeting vanished, leaving him hollowed out and aching. Every bruise and cut protested as he sank back into the pillows, the reality of their plan settling over him. Playing the prisoner meant walking directly into the lion's den. He looked at Mona, who was staring at the closed door, her ears still angled toward it. He would do it. He would walk into a thousand dens for her. But the cold dread remained.
Once Cas's footsteps faded entirely, Mona turned to him. "You can't," she whispered, the defiance she'd shown the knight gone. "Not like this. You can barely stand."
"You're the one they want, Mona," Valen said, his voice gravelly. "You're the symbol. I'm just the fool with a whip who finally learned which way to swing it. I trust in your abilities, but I know even the two of us would be swatted like flies with one wrong step." He reached for her hand, his own trembling slightly. "This is how I keep my promise. To you and all the others that have been lost. The ones I walked past…"
Her tail wrapped around his wrist. She didn't agree, but the argument died within. The cost was written in the pain on his face.
***
Cas returned to Calamor, the moon, his only confidant. The next days were a delicate game of whispers and coded looks. He pulled aside Sergeant Kael, a man who'd served with him for a decade. "The orders regarding the beastfolk… they're changing," Cassian murmured, watching the man's eyes for any flicker of loyalty to Aldric. "I need to know who I can trust when they do." Kael's slow nod was the first thread of a lifeline. The next guard, a young recruit eager for promotion, eyed him with unsettling ambition. Cassian gave him a standard patrol assignment and sent him on his way, his own smile feeling like a crack in a mask.
He played his part for Aldric, detailing the "fugitives'" imminent capture.
"Ah, Cassian," Lord Aldric purred from his throne. "Your dedication to our city's purity is commendable. How do you plan to address the undesirables?"
Cas kept his gaze lowered. "My Lord, the dungeons are near capacity. We must prioritize genuine threats. Filling cells with beggars leaves us vulnerable." He chose each word with care.
Aldric's gaze sharpened. "Do not let compassion become a liability."
"Of course, my Lord."
The moment the chamber doors closed behind him, Aldric's gaze flicked to a guard. "Watch him," the lord murmured. "His mercy is becoming a problem."
***
A soft knock jolted Cas from a restless sleep. He was at the door in an instant. A single parchment lay at his feet.
He unfurled it.
'Aldric grows suspicious.'
The handwriting was familiar—one of his best officers who had shown true loyalty to the people. But that only made the dread he'd been stifling surge forward. They were out of time.
He didn't bother with his armor. At The Crescent Moon, he gave Fioré the signal—he entered, removed his helmet and gave a single, sharp nod to Lila as he entered. She was gone in a flash. Cassian left his horse for her to commandeer. Slipping through the gate, the two guards let her pass without issue.
She didn't stop. She reached Valen's door breathless, her heart hammering.
A soft tap. "Valen? Mona?" she whispered.
Inside, Valen was awake in an instant. Mona stirred in her own bed.
"Fioré?" Valen confirmed, already moving.
The door opened to reveal a Fioré they rarely saw—hair disheveled, eyes wide with urgency. "Seems we've got less time than expected," she breathed. "He's waiting for you. Move. Now."
Valen's face set into dour lines. "Understood. We should arrive at dawn." He took in her exhausted state. "Take my bed. Rest. We need you sharp in case things go sideways." He flashed her the first smirk he'd managed in weeks. "As they tend to do for me." He began gathering their few possessions. "We'll slip out shortly. How is Luna?"
"Luna is under watch at the Crescent Moon. She is... stable. The guilt is a heavier cage than any I could build." She sighed, hesitating. "Valen… I apologize. I thought my sanctuary was enough. That by hiding from the world, I was not a part of its evil." She looked down. "I was wrong. J'ai perdu la tête."
Valen placed a hand on her shoulder. "As was I. You've saved more than you've harmed, I admit. But now is your chance to anchor that." He offered a faint, tired smile. "Now rest, shat-on."
Fioré's mouth hung open. A second passed before she erupted, a squawking laugh that startled Valen. "Come again, Valen?"
"Shat-on," he repeated, looking away. "That fancy word you use with Luna and Mona. It means something sweet, right?"
"It's chaton," she wheezed, wiping her eyes. "And it means 'kitten,' you oaf. Stick to the common tongue, lightning-rod. You're too rugged for sentimentality."
"Right." As he turned to Mona, he squared his shoulders. It was time to end this.