Dhara’s smirk faltered, turning into a grimace. “I have been lenient thus far. That you would cast aside your job, your duty, in pursuit of aiding your old family…”
Mavka stepped towards her. “Dhara, please, she’s grieving—”
“And this is why, when we enter the Huntress’s service, we cut all ties,” Dhara snapped. “I warned you of this.”
Mavka shrank back. “Dhara…”
“No. I will not hear you defend her again, sister.” She turned back to Aloisia. “You are a huntress. You have been for almost ten years now since you first starting your training full time with us. Once you entered our guild, you became family. We are your family, your sisters.”
“Of course you’re my family,” Aloisia said. “You, Mavka, the other huntresses are all my sisters. But my ‘old family’ is also my family, and always will be, regardless of traditions. And, right now, my brother needs me. Right now, I need to do this.”
“Right now, you have a job to do. You have a duty to our people. A duty to provide food for those in poverty. They look to us as pillars of their society, respected figures who aid those most in need. It is not an easy thing to live up to, I know. But at least try. Regardless of what you are feeling, you must fulfil your duty. Right now, you are casting them aside. You are failing them. You are failing us. And, if you leave, if you fail in your duty, you are not worthy of your title.”
“Dhara,” Mavka warned, “you cannot be serious.”
“I am very serious. And I expect you not to undermine me.” Dhara cut her a glare. “If it were any of the others, you would do the same as I. We cannot let her be an exception. Not even now. Especially not now.”
The other huntresses gathered at the stables, watching the exchange with wide eyes.
“What are you saying?” Aloisia asked.
“If you walk away, you relinquish your title of Huntress. You will be cast out of the guild, out of your home, and out of this family. The choice is yours, Aloisia. I hope you choose wisely.”
Mavka lifted her chin. “Is this your final word?”
“It is.”
She gave a nod. “Then so be it.”
Dhara pointed at Aloisia. “I expect you at the stables in no more than ten minutes, with your mare saddled and ready to leave with us.” She turned, tugging Kaja with her to the stables where their sisters waited.
Ten minutes. It could be enough.
Aloisia burst into a run towards the Dead Woods.
“Lis, no!” Mavka raced after her. As the taller of the two, she quickly gained on her, catching her at the waist and forcing her to stop.
“You heard her. I have ten minutes.”
“No. If you leave now, if you still run into those woods, after what she said… She will cast you out. And I will be powerless to stop her.”
“Mavka, please.”
“Listen to me.” Mavka gripped her shoulders, pinning her in place. “If you leave, regardless of the ten minutes she says you have, you will no longer be a huntress. If I stand up for you, I will compromise my position here. I will no longer be a huntress. If neither of us are huntresses, then we have no standing. If we have no standing, we cannot intervene in the trial. We cannot help Fynn. Do you see? Your position here allowed you to step forth at the trial today. Without it, you cannot partake. Without it, you are powerless.”
Aloisia’s shoulders sagged.
“If it were up to me, I would let you go. I would let you sit this one out. It may be misguided, but Dhara thinks she’s helping. She sees the hunt as a distraction for you, to take your mind off everything else. Of course, she didn’t expect you to run off. I can hardly blame her for the reaction. We run this guild jointly, and I cannot stand against her. I cannot show favour for only one of our huntresses, either. Stop and think of your actions. Think of what you are compromising for this one lead, whatever it is.”
Aloisia considered her words. She wasn’t wrong. Their positions were all that allowed them to intervene, to partake in the trials. Without them…
“The Dead Woods is going nowhere,” Mavka said. “Whatever you saw, whatever you need to go in there for, will still be there when you get back.”
Aloisia nodded. She hoped it would. After all, she had little choice.
“Come on. Let’s get your mare saddled.” She kept a hand on Aloisia’s back as they walked to the stables.
Aloisia kept her head down, even as Kaja squeezed her arm as she passed. Shame flared on her cheeks. Her sisters had witnessed the whole exchange. She didn’t feel in the right frame of mind for a hunt, especially with the blue flames occupying her thoughts. Perhaps Dhara was right, and it would be a welcome distraction. With the lead huntress’s threat weighing heavy on her shoulders, she had no choice but to join them.
