Ezra held up his hand, motioning for silence. The eleven people behind him fell quiet. Collin stepped closer, brandishing his sword.

“More Onkrons, sir?” Collin asked, ready to viciously slaughter the horrifying creatures.

Ezra shook his head and placed a finger to his lips. Together, they listened. Night had fallen on the Wanderer village long ago, and most people were fast asleep. However, Ezra knew the broken people, the outcasts, would be found at night. In the dark, where no one could see how miserable they really were. His father’s voice was speaking to him in his head, and Ezra was also answering back in his head.

“Don’t tell me it’s another group of those hypocritical Lawmakers,” Esther growled. “They refuse to believe you are the Asynier.”

Ezra turned to his mumbling group, amused. “What part of quiet did you not understand?”

Embarrassed, the eleven believers hushed. Ezra held them in wonder. He defied every law and tradition the Lawmakers deemed the king wrote, holding fast to the true law of the king. These eleven were in mortal danger just by being in his presence, and yet here they were. Ready to follow him to the Jewel of Laridal. But were all of them ready?

A shrill wail of despair drifted on the wind. Ezra turned to his group. “Do you believe I am the Asynier?”

The eleven exchanged glances, murmuring to themselves. Of course seemed to be the general consensus. Why else would they be here?

“Do you wish to turn back?” Ezra asked. He was referencing earlier when nearly the entire village deserted him for his claim to be royal.

Collin scoffed. “Where else could we go to? You are the Asynier, and the only one who can set us free from Rarogan.” The other ten nodded in agreement.

Ezra smiled. “Then, follow me. We have one more to add to our team.” Ezra drew his sword and sprinted down the dark street, chasing the source of the wail. A few alleys later, Ezra motioned for silence.

Deep in the darkness, a shadowy silhouette slouched against the stone walls of a building. Ezra stepped into the darkness, and the light nearly blinked out. Ezra’s ring glowed as he approached the writhing figure, illuminating the dank alley.

The silhouette shrieked and backed away from Ezra. “Get away from me!! Ezra, prince of Nev, Asynier!!”

Behind Ezra, Collin drew his sword, ready to defend his rescuer. Without turning around, Ezra motioned for him to put it away. The silhouette retreated out of the ring’s glow, and Ezra stepped closer, ever so gently.

As Ezra stepped closer to the silhouette, the ring illuminated seven Onkrons clinging onto the body of what used to be a woman, digging their talons deep into her back and skull, dragging her under their spell. Now, the Onkrons had mauled and scarred her so much she was hardly recognizable as a Wanderer. The woman retreated until her back pressed again the wall. Dead end.

Gently, Ezra reached out and touched the woman’s hand. Instantly, his mind teemed with memories upon memories of rebellion against the king. All sorts of shame and secrets this woman had born for years flowed through his mind, not a single moment hidden. The woman snatched her hand away, quaking with fear.

“Don’t hurt me!!” she screamed. At this, Ezra’s heart broke. He knew this was not the Onkrons talking through her, but a desperate cry for help from the woman herself.

Ezra raised his sword, blade now gleaming with fiery compassion. “In the name of the king, be gone and never return.”

The Onkrons hissed defiantly, but they didn’t dare go against the Asynier. They threw the damaged woman to the stones and vanished into thin air. The woman lay sobbing on the stones, unable to move.

“Dalia, rise and follow me. I’ve come to retrieve the Jewel of Laridal, and I choose you to be my Jewelbearer.”

Dalia raised her head off the pavement. “You saw me. Exposed to the very last core. You, Asynier, know what I have done against the king. Why would you choose me?”

Ezra smiled. “Follow me and find out.”

Dalia hesitated but a moment. For years, no one would even come near her because of the Onkrons she’d let overtake her. All of a sudden, this man comes from nowhere and frees her?

She stood up, strength and peace flowing through her veins. All the raw wounds and scars softened into distant memories, and the familiar beauty of a Wanderer began to return to her face. “I am ready.”

Ezra glanced around at his ragtag crew. Collin, rescued from Onkrons. Aidan and Esther, former Lawmakers. Scarlett, an adulteress shunned by the people. Devin, a pickpocket. Troy and Artemis, twin stonemakers, the poorest trade. Trevor, a disavowed heir for his beliefs in the Asynier. Sam, Travis, and Arianna, all former murderers unforgiven by the people. And now Dalia, an adulteress who had dabbled in the ways of the Hermit. All had paid something dear for their lives, and all were willing to lay it all down to follow Ezra. In his head, Ezra could hear his father congratulating him. His Outcasts were formed.