Chapter 32: New Song Ranch

  The trio stepped through the mushroom circle, and the world changed with a quiet pop of dispced air. The sickly, jaundiced light of the corrupted Ani’cora was instantly repced by the warm, golden glow of a te afternoon sun. The air, which had been thick and rancid just moments ago, now smelled of pine and fresh soil, a scent so pure it made Amber's eyes sting. They stood on a worn dirt path that wound through sprawling, vibrant green fields. A small, cozy cottage sat at the end of the path, its roof bnketed in flowering vines and the porch adorned with carved wooden bears. Breezy had built this pce himself, every pnk and stone a testament to a life he was building away from the court. The gentle, rhythmic sound of a woman singing filled the air. This was the New Song Ranch.

  Stel—no longer Cassia, no longer Babs—took a deep, shuddering breath, a genuine smile spreading across her face. "I forgot what real air smelled like," she said, her voice full of a weary relief.

  Kuruk, a pyful, friendly mountain in this new setting, seemed to swell with pride. He trotted ahead of them, his massive feet kicking up small clouds of dust. "Home," he rumbled, and the word, usually so gruff, now sounded soft, almost tender.

  The ranch came to life as they approached. A young girl with bright, curious eyes and a shock of bck hair ran from the porch, followed by a smaller boy who clung to her hand. "Papa's home!" she shrieked, her voice a bell-like counterpoint to the song. The singing stopped, and a woman stepped out onto the porch. She was tall and broad-shouldered, with powerful arms and a face etched with both hard work and a deep, abiding kindness. Her dark fur was striped with white, and her ears were perked forward in curiosity. The children, however, had stopped dead in their tracks, their initial excitement at seeing Kuruk fading as their eyes fell on Amber and Stel. The girl's face, once beaming, fell into a look of clear disappointment. "That's not Papa," the girl whispered, her voice tinged with sadness.

  "No," The Lynanth woman, the older Lynanthi woman, about Amber’s age, said, her voice a low, melodic purr. "He's away on duty, my little flowers. Kuruk, who are they?" motioning to the two strangers in her midst.

  Kuruk’s nky, muscur arms reached out and gently pushed both of them forward. “Mistress Song, I was told to collect Master Song’s sister from a bad pce.” He then gestured to Stel. “This one was running away at the same time from the same bad, so she came too.”

  “I...uh…hi! I’m Amber. Amber River Song, Breezy is my big brother.” She met eyes with the maternal looking woman in front of her with two kits, Skye and Sunny, hiding behind her legs. A gentle smile just crept across her muzzle.

  "My word, so this is her," Star said with her mouth agape, her voice full of a gentle awe as she looked at Amber. "He's talked about you for months, been keeping tabs on you ever since you two found each other again. I didn’t know if you could ever escape that horrid pce." Star descended the steps and enveloped Amber in a hug that was both strong and impossibly soft. “Welcome home, Sister.”

  Amber sagged against her, the words hitting her like a physical blow. Home. It was a concept she had only ever yearned for, a pce she thought would always be out of reach. But here it was, given to her freely, without question. She was unbound by any magical contract or royal demand; she was simply family. “Thank you…Sister…” is all she could muster between the welling tears.

  Star's grip tightened. “It’s okay Amber, you’re safe now. Let’s get you all cleaned up and settled in.” She ushered the three weary travelers inside, the small cottage warm and bright. The children, Skye and Sunny, stared with open curiosity at the newcomers.

  Stel, finding herself in a room that wasn't a dungeon or a war-tent, looked profoundly uncomfortable. She sat stiffly on a stool, her hands twitching, her eyes darting to the windows. After a decade of hyper-vigince, the sheer safety of the pce was an assault. Skye, the braver of the two children, crept closer.

  "You look like the dies in Mama's stories," Skye said.

  Stel, startled, looked at the child. Then, the corner of her mouth twitched. To de-escate her own tension, she let her magic flow. Her dark, human eyes flickered, shimmering from brown to a perfect, sparkling green, matching Skye's. "Do I?" she whispered. The children gasped in delight. Stel felt a strange, unfamiliar knot in her chest unwind. This was the first time she had used her 'power' for something other than a lie.

  "You're all safe," Star said, her voice full of warmth as she pced mugs of broth on the table. "Kuruk, where is my man? Hopefully, he'll be back before nightfall."

  Kuruk, who was happily accepting a drawing from Sunny, looked up. “Oh, right! Uh, Master received a raven from the King, immediate summons. Not sure when he’ll be back. Told me to wait at the Ranch with Amber.”

  Star's smile faltered for a moment, but she nodded. "Then you will all stay. But Amber, sister... you look like you've seen a ghost. What happened back there? What put that look in your eyes?"

  All eyes turned to Amber. She opened her mouth, wanting to expin. She wanted to talk about the Dame, the Baron, the blood... but the only word that formed was a choked whisper. "Donny..."

  The kindness in Star's eyes, the safety of the room, the scent of home—it all combined to finally break the dam. The "fight or flight" adrenaline vanished, and the full, agonizing weight of her grief hit her. She colpsed in on herself, burying her face in her hands.

  "I left her!" Amber's voice was a raw, broken wail. "She must hate me... Oh gods, Star, she must hate me so much! I just... I ran!" The sobs tore through her, raw and violent. "It's all my fault. The Dame... she's going to... Donny can't die, but the Dame can still... oh gods, she's probably killing her, over and over again, just for the fun of it... just to punish me... It's all my fault! I left her with that monster!"

  Amber bawled, her words devolving into incoherent cries of guilt and terror. Stel looked away, her face grim. Kuruk and the children just looked on, their expressions full of confused pity. Star didn't say anything; she just moved in and wrapped Amber in a strong, maternal embrace, holding her tight as the storm of grief raged. She let Amber cry it all out for a long moment.

  "Oh, honey," Star finally whispered, her voice a deep, steady rumble against Amber's ear. "It's alright. You're safe." She gently pulled her up. "Come on. Let’s get you to a hot bath. The grief can wait for a clean towel."

  Amber sank into the steaming, vender-scented water, the heat doing nothing to thaw the ice in her soul. The moment the door clicked shut and she was finally alone, the verbal breakdown she'd had in the kitchen turned inward, becoming a crushing, silent despair. She had run. Stel's logic had been sound, her own survival instinct had agreed... but she had run. She had left her knight, her love, her heart, to be tortured, over and over, all because of her. A coward. She was a worthless, pathetic coward, no better than the beast she tried to deny.

  Her fur, matted with sweat and the memory of blood, slicked against her skin as she slid lower into the tub. The sobs returned, but these were silent, agonizing tremors. She must hate me. She's suffering, and I'm here, safe. I'm a monster. She closed her eyes, letting her head dip back. The water pped at her chin. It would be so easy to just... stop. To slide under the surface and let the silence take her. She let her feline head sink, the water closing over her ears, muffling the world.

  A name, muffled by the water and the door, cut through the silence. "Donny..."

  Her head snapped up, water sluicing from her fur. She was panting, her heart hammering. Had she imagined it? No. The voices were clear now. She held her breath, listening.

  "She's a wreck, Stel," Star's low, worried purr came from the main room. "She was crying her heart out enough to barely talk about it. Who is this 'Donny' she's crying over? What happened back there?"

  Amber froze, her paw clutching the side of the tub. She got to her feet, water streaming from her body, and grabbed a robe. She didn't bother drying off. She just wrapped it tight and stood by the door, listening.

  Stel sighed, her voice low and weary, ced with a new, profound respect. "’Donny’ is Amber's lover, her knight... her everything. They fell for each other hard. But she’s also Lady Beldonna of the Court of Wanderlust. More of a warrior than I could ever hope to be... but she's willingly tied to a monster—the Dame. She gave up her heart, her freedom... everything. She's a tragic, lost cause, Star. Amber's in love with someone who's already gone."

  Amber stopped breathing. Monster. The word hit her like a physical blow. She knew Donny saw herself as a monster ("I chose to be a monster"). But Stel was right. The Dame was the real monster. A hot, furious resolve ignited in her chest, burning away the grief. Her monster, her Donny, was trapped. And she would be the one to save her.

  She finished dressing, now filled with a defiant energy, and strode outside. The sun was setting, and the North Star, Poris, was just beginning to make its presence known—a brilliant, unwavering point of light in the chaos.

  Star found her at the pasture's edge.

  "I'm going back for her," Amber said. It wasn't a question.

  Star smiled, a deep, knowing smile. "I know," she said, pulling Amber into another hug. "That's the fire I was telling you about. The heart... it doesn't leave the ones it loves behind. I knew you'd made up your mind." Star pulled away. "You won’t…hate me for leaving so soon?" Amber asked.

  "I won’t lie to the kids. You’re getting your girlfriend so we can have dinner," Star said with a coy smile. "Sister, I will only hate you if you tell me you’re never coming back."

  Amber nodded, "I'll be back. It might not be immediately, but I’ll be back so we can share that meal.” She took her sister in for a long hug, holding on deep to her coppery fur as she felt the resolved welling in her heart, stirring the beast within to test the walls of her soul. It was craving as much as she was.

  She broke away from the dee embrace, and with a nod walked back to the house, her steps purposeful in each stride. She went to her room given room, clearly a guestroom, and began filling her worn travel pack. Just as she went to leave, a faceless woman stood at the entrance to her door. “You heard me, didn't you?" Stel asked, the voice emanating from nowhere.

  "She's not a lost cause," Amber said, her voice tight.

  "You're a fool, girly," Stel said, the old nickname softened with grudging respect. "But you're a strong one. I'm staying. This pce..." She gestured around the simple, warm cottage, where the kids were now showing Kuruk their toys. "After ten years of... her... I need to learn how to be in a room without checking the exits. I need to decompress."

  "Well I won’t rat you out, how do you want me to say you died?" Amber said, shouldering her pack.

  Stel let out a little chuckle. “Tell her the big guy got me. That’s believable, there’s no way I could take Kuruk one on one in anything but hide and seek.” Her face formed into the familiar brunette, but decidedly deceased. Pale skin, rolled eyes, the precise depiction of the gorgeous, capable woman, now frozen in rigor mortis. The sight made Amber jump and clutch herself. Stel cast the illusion aside quickly returning to her true , but eerily bnk face. “Okay okay, sorry. But seriously, what are you going to do, Amber?" Stel said, her voice rough.

  “I’m going to free her.” Amber said in a resolute tone, trying to push her way past the shapeshifter, who turned to let her pass. “I’ll figure it out once I know if she’s currently alive or dead. I pray I don’t have to make a deal to bring her back to life.” Amber walked out the door. She shared a final, knowing gnce with Stel, then turned away from the light of the ranch. She stepped into the shimmering, purple light, ready to face her destiny.

  Alone.