Everything was well. Rosa kept talking to Norori about her travels and asked how the kingdoms she hadn't seen in ages were doing. The dwarf was talking animatedly and Rocco would chime in on the subject every now and then, when he wasn't hindered by his companion's angry mumbles. But Val couldn't relax, she looked at Hobin's slumped shoulders with a sinking heart.

Night came quickly, which made the trip less exciting. As the hours passed, Valorie began to feel the accumulated sleep weighing on her head, and she realized that the others, despite being more rested than she, had slipped into the boredom that a peaceful night could cause. And as for Hobin, the elf hung her head every two minutes.

"She's so stubborn!" Val thought with an annoyed sadness. At least Rocco and Dom were side by side with her, ready for a potential fall. Both were nocturnal and seemed the least affected by the monotony.

Clop, clop, clop… The rhythmic footsteps of the horses and the wagon wheels over the dead leaves were a satisfying noise in Val's ears. Sleep was taking over her.

- You want me to lead the horse? - she heard Rosa's voice behind her.

Despite the proximity and the queen speaking in a normal tone, to Valorie it sounded as if she were very far away. She only noticed when the other's hand, which until then had been leaning on the saddle, slid to the reins, hugging Val in the process.

- W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING? - she shouted, breaking the silence of the forest.

- Calm down, lady! You were almost falling asleep, I was going to hold the reins.

- What was that scream, Val? - Norori asked. The other three who were further ahead stopped to look.

- It was nothing, she scared me...

- You were almost asleep!

- DOM!

The three turned in the direction of the scream. Hobin had slipped down the side of the horse, on the side where she was escorted by Domenic. Rocco held the horse's reins while his partner tried to support the elf.

The remaining three approached and dismounted. Rocco helped Domenic get Hobin to the ground. Val immediately knelt down and opened the Minstrel's good eye. Under the light of the lamp, the healer saw her leader's pupil dilated, felt her weak pulse and small tremors in her body. The woman was burning with fever.

Val asked Norori to hold Hobin's legs a little above her head and began mixing a mixture of herbs to bring down the temperature.

- Will she be okay? - Rocco asked nervously.

- She just fainted. The pulse is already returning to normal. I'm more worried about the fever… I think the wound is contaminated.

The others remained silent as Val worked. Gradually the elf's breathing returned to normal, but she barely regained consciousness. The doe supported the other's head and made her drink the contents she had been working on. Hobin sipped without resistance.

- Rocco, do you remember what we talked about before?

- Yeah.

The half-orc lifted its leader and, with Val and Dom's help, mounted the horse.

- What are they doing? Where are they going? - Rosa asked, alarmed. - Isn't it better for her to lie down?

- Indeed, in a warm and protected place, preferably in a bed, not in the middle of this cold forest where we can be attacked at any moment - replied Val, irritated.

By this time the elf was already well trapped in her friend's arms.

- Be careful - Dom said to his boyfriend.

Rocco kissed Dom's forehead and galloped off, leaving the others behind.

- What are you doing? Won't you go after them? - Continued Rosa astonished.

- Of course we will- Norori replied. - Only at a slower pace, unfortunately we have to take the wagon.

- What is the importance of this wagon?! Your friend is suffering!

- And she's in very good hands - Nori said calmly. - There's nothing we can do now that hasn't already been done.

The queen was getting more and more electric, she turned to Valorie and looked deep into her eyes. Such was the aggressiveness and determination on Rosa's face, that for a moment the deer thought she was going to be attacked.

- You don't want to go after them?

- It's safer for them for us to stay he...

- That's not what I asked you.

- I…

- If you won't go, I will.

Rosa started to run towards Hobin's horse.

- OH, BUT YOU'RE NOT! - Domenic shouted, preparing his bow.

- DOMENIC! - Norori threw himself towards the other, but the bat man had already sent an arrow towards Rosa.

The queen fell, as did the dwarf on Dom.

- I didn't shoot to kill her, you fool! - complained the bat pushing Norori to the side.

Valorie ran towards the queen to assess the situation. Her blood boiling, with the boldness, with the action, and with the fear that it had all been for nothing. In fact Dom had hit the arrow on the dress between Rosa's legs, which pulled her fabric and caused her to stumble. No blood could be seen, only hands and knees scraped from the fall.

- WHAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH YOU PEOPLE? - began the queen.

The deer woman didn't feel her hand fly towards Rosa's face. Without realizing it, the slap had already occurred and the words came out of her mouth like a torrent.

- Do you not realize the seriousness of what is going on? Is this a game to you?

Rosa was looking at her, her hand on her face, dumbfounded. The deer, true to her breed's reputation, was quiet and shy, but her years with the Minstrel had taught her to have a firm hand when it was needed. And that queen was making things so much easier. Val looked at her sternly, but she couldn't identify the emotions that the redhead was expressing at that moment. They seemed a mixture of boldness, anger, worry, guilt and doubt.

- I just can't stand here while she's in danger! - Rosa replied, pulling herself together.

By this time the other two were approaching.

- There's nothing you can do to help her - Valorie said, more to herself than the queen.

- And if you do something like that again, there won't be a next time. - Dom threatened Rosa. - The next arrow will be in your head!

Rosa ignored Dom's threat and focused her eyes on Valorie.

- You're the healer, shouldn't you be with her?

- Rocco is taking her to a better healer than I am.

- Let's do it this way - Norori interjected. - You two clearly want to see how Hobin is doing, so go ahead. Me and the hothead here will patiently take the wagon.

- You are crazy? - said Dom. - This queen will escape!

- Val wouldn't allow her - replied the dwarf.

- I won't run away - said Rosa - I asked to come with you because I have nowhere else to go. I know you don't believe it, Domenic, so give me that vote of confidence, I'll go with Valorie to the Vale and I won't do anything else to raise your suspicions.

- You dare say something like that after trying to steal Hobin's horse? You want me to believe you?

- Trust me then - Val said. - Norori is right, I want to be beside Hobin at this moment, not arguing in the middle of a forest.

- She is more than capable of taking down the queen if something happens - Norori continued. - And she can help Zini take care of Hobin.

- Do what you want. - replied Domenic, heading for his own horse. - We're just wasting time here.

***

The main road into the Valley was rough enough, but the path they chose was worse. Trying to attract less attention, they took an old trail used for patrol in wartime. When the girls finally arrived at the “hideout”, the sky was already starting to change color.

Rosa watched Valorie get off her horse as she did the same, they hadn't exchanged a word on the way there. The deer girl had surprised the queen, both with the slap, incredibly strong and heavy, and with the attitude, it seemed like two different people when compared to her attitude in the cave. Or maybe she really did get past the point. Rosa wanted to be seen as an equal within that group, she tried to convey confidence and naturalness, but apparently she was only getting things complicated.

The doe headed for the door of the little house, closely followed by Rosa. She had already been to Stone Valley in her travels and was well acquainted with the stone houses and those carved into the rocks. However, to that particular one, on the outside, she would not have given even a silver coin.

Valorie made sure no one was looking at them before giving a coded knock on the door. An eagle-woman, in her 40s, opened the door, with a big welcoming smile (which was quite odd for Rosa, given the presence of her beak).

- Val, my dear! Let me open the door for you.

- Hi Zini! It's so good to see you!

The lady headed for a small garden at the back of the house.

- Isn't the door already open? - asked the queen.

- Is that the newbie Rocco was talking about? How beautiful you are, dear! But no, that's not the door you're going to enter.

Rosa looked at Valorie for an answer, but the other didn't even look at her. The human shrugged and followed the eagle woman. The little house was so close to one of the walls of Stone Valley, that the small garden behind it hardly looked like a corridor, it was well hidden behind fruit trees and vines. Zini got into those plants, with the two close to her, she touched the wall squeezing different places of the big rock that was part of the Valley and in the end she gave a push. That's when Rosa's surprise began. The stones that were pressed sank and, when the woman pushed the rock, a noise of metal being dragged was heard. In a few moments part of the stones were sinking into the wall, giving a passage big enough for one horse to pass at a time.

Zini started laughing when she saw Rosa's open mouth.

- I love the expression of those who see this for the first time. Too bad it's not very common.

- If it were, it wouldn't be our hiding place - Val said, in a lighter tone, as she guided her horse into the gap.

- Nor do I want it to stop being on - said the lady - but who knows one day, when all this is over, this place could be something else?

- That's all we want.

Rosa, after an inviting gesture from the hostess, guided her horse to the opening. She noticed that beneath the moving rocks was a track, which explained the noise of iron she was hearing, there were also gears and a counterweight, which she guessed were activated by the pressure points Zini had tightened earlier. An ingenuity she had only seen once, in a mine far away.

When she entered the cave, she was surprised that the place was so bright. In addition to lamps, there were also holes in the rocks above, which allowed the entry of natural light. It was hot and a little stuffy, probably because of the fire and the amount of plants that, somehow, thrived in that environment, all very well cared for and well distributed. Certainly Zini's secret garden, she thought.

Valorie had tethered her horse beside another one, which Rosa identified as Rocco's, so she did the same, listening to the eagle woman talking to Val.

- How is she? - asked the girl quietly.

- The fever has gone down, but that cut is very ugly. I didn't think twice about using my most powerful blend. The ingredients are kind of rare, but is the Minstrel we're talking about.

- You will be well rewarded, master.

- It's not for the money that I help you.

- It's not just for the money, you mean.

The woman laughed and clapped Val on the shoulder.

- Nobody lives without money, dear. She's in the room on the right, go see her.

- Thank you, Zini, I don't know what I would do without you.

- From what I could see, you did a great job, my dear. What certainly made it worse was the exposure to the cold night and the lack of rest, but now you can all rest for a few days while she recovers.

Valorie gave the woman a hug and walked deeper into the cave. Rosa didn't know if she should follow her or keep company to Zini, who stayed in the garden. But her desire to see Calandiel got the better of her and she followed the doe.

As she went deeper into the cave, the natural light faded. The corridor leading to the rooms was completely lit by lamps and had a faint smell of earth and mildew. However, the room where Calandiel was did not have that smell, but that of ashes. Lit embers could be seen in pyres throughout the room, probably a measure to ward off mold and warm the room a little, without the excess smoke that a fire would cause in that airless environment.

Otherwise the place looked very clean, it had rugs on the floor, chairs, cupboards full of jars and jars, as well as several narrow straw beds. Cali was lying on one of those beds, being watched over by Rocco and now Val. The doe had knelt beside the other and began to stroke her black hair.

At that moment, Valorie looked older than any other. Worry lines creased her young face, the fatigue of the journey was also visible. She watched over Cali deconstructed, with none of the composure she'd had so far in the woods, as if she'd finally allowed herself to grieve for her friend.

Despite all the urge Rosa felt to throw herself at Calandiel's side and do the same thing, she restrained herself from it. The elf seemed to sleep peacefully, at least, but her condition was due to what the queen had done to her. So what right did Rosa have the right to touch Cali, in that same way, after all that? As much as she wished for Cali's well-being.

Rosa's eyes met Rocco's. He shook his head slightly, looked at Val, then back at the queen. He got up and gently guided her by the arm out of the room.

- Let's leave them alone for a while, okay? - he said in a low tone.

- I want to see her.

- I know, there'll be time for that later.

Rosa nodded and allowed herself to be guided, grateful for the excuse of not sharing that intimate moment Valorie was in and which had awakened feelings she was ashamed of.