Page 64 of Mate Night Snack
They bound the unconscious rogues with zip ties from Maeve's tactical kit, then began the trek back toward town. The forest seemed different now, less welcoming, as if the violence had awakened something dark in the ancient trees. Every shadow could hide an enemy. Every rustle of leaves could signal another attack.
"You think there are more out there?" Maeve asked as they navigated a particularly steep section of trail.
"Definitely." Emmett paused to check the mate bond, feeling for Katniss's presence like a lifeline in stormy seas. She was still safe, still at the inn, but there was something else coming through the connection. Anxiety. Fear. The kind of emotional turbulence that usually meant she'd seen something in her visions. "The question is whether they're planning to hit us today or if this was just reconnaissance."
"My money's on reconnaissance. This felt too controlled, too calculated. Like they were following specific orders about how far to push."
They emerged from the forest onto the main road just as Varric's truck pulled up, the elder's face grim as he took in their bloodied appearance.
"Report," he said as they climbed into the cab.
Emmett gave him the details as they drove toward town, watching Varric's expression grow darker with each revelation.
"He's building up to something big," Varric said when Emmett finished. "This level of preparation suggests a complex operation, not just a smash-and-grab attempt."
"Any word from the other patrols?"
"Callum found similar signs on the eastern perimeter. No direct contact, but evidence of long-term surveillance. I've called an emergency Council meeting for this afternoon. We need to assume Ashwin's timeline has accelerated."
They pulled up in front of the Hearth & Hollow Inn, and Emmett was out of the truck before it fully stopped. The mate bond was pulling him toward Katniss with an urgency that spoke of more than just his need to see her safe. Something had happened while he was gone.
He found her in Miriam's kitchen, sitting at the scarred wooden table with a cup of tea cooling untouched between her hands.
It was her eyes that stopped him cold. Wide and haunted, they held the kind of knowledge that came from seeing too much.
"You're hurt," she said the moment she saw him, rising from her chair to examine the bandages Maeve had applied to his shoulder.
"Just scratches." He caught her hands in his, needing the contact more than he wanted to admit. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not." Her fingers traced the edge of the bandage with gentle precision. "And neither is Maeve. The one who attacked her had a scar across his forehead, didn't he? Shaped like a crescent moon."
Emmett went very still. "How did you know that?"
"Because I saw it." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "All of it. The ambush, the fight, your injuries. I saw it in a vision hours before it happened."
The bottom dropped out of his stomach. "Katniss..."
"I tried to warn you, but you'd already left. And I wasn't sure if it was real or just my imagination playing tricks on me." Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. "But it was real. Every detail was exactly right. Maybe you could have been more prepared. Maybe you wouldn't have gotten hurt."
"Maybe. Or maybe knowing would have made us hesitate at the wrong moment and gotten us killed." He pulled back to look at her, his hands framing her face. "Your visions aren't a guarantee, Katniss. They're just information. What matters is what we do with that information."
She leaned into his touch, drawing strength from the solid warmth of his presence. "They're getting stronger. Moredetailed. I can see things that haven't happened yet with perfect clarity."
"That could be useful."
"Or it could drive me insane." Her laugh held no humor.
Outside, he could hear Varric and Maeve discussing security measures, their voices carrying the urgency of people who knew time was running out.
"We'll figure it out," he promised. "All of it. The visions, Ashwin, whatever's coming next. But right now, I need you to know something."
"What?"
"Those scouts we fought today? They were just the beginning. Ashwin's building up to something bigger, and when it happens, your abilities might be the only thing standing between this town and disaster."
She was quiet for a moment, but when she spoke, her voice was steady with determination.
"Then we'd better make sure I'm ready."
