The statuesque brute’s molten eyes flicked down to rest on the figure of his companion, strong and proud next to him. Her red and white coat blended into the night, the white on her body melting into the snow and the reddened hairs mixing with the dark hues of the twilight. Feeling his eyes, Loretta looked up and emitted a small whine, her ears lowering as she stepped in closer to him. She was unsure of what was happening to the world—all she knew, and all Archibald knew, was that they held no power from the Earth or Time gods. It was gone, sucked from their very cores and from every fiber of their being. Despite the absence of the great gift, neither felt weak. They were powerful before the magic; they would remain powerful without it. Lowering his muzzle, the Dauntless touched the shoulder of his bondmate to comfort her with all he knew: We shall remain.

Lifting his head and taking in a deep breath, Archibald bellowed out a call for the mare he needed. Circe. Loretta tipped her head back and emitted the same call, her long yips and barks grasping the perpetual night air with chilling ferocity. The Dauntless had been gone for far too long, and even now he had chosen not to go directly to the herdland. He needed to see Circe alone, outside of their home, before he stepped back into her life like a traitor. He had been on his journey from the Basin longer that Ophelia had been, breaking free from the group that travelled to the hills to survey the north further. He had not spent much time there in his residence of Helovia, and he now understood why. It was barren and cold and desolate—much like his heart.

The land that he took refuge in now, however, he liked very much. It was an unclaimed rift between the World’s Edge, the Threshold, and his Foothills. He stood on the edge of the forest, the snow almost to his pristine white knees, but he could still smell the delicious cedar of the trees and the small morsels of life-bringing food that they hid. At the thought of it, his stomach rumbled uncomfortably, and the Dauntless snorted. You sound like Evers. Loretta mused, No starving like the blue stag. Nodding in the direction of his bitch, the Dauntless turned his hefty body to find a bite or two, tail flicking behind him. ”Watch for Circe.”