14 Runaway

The Lost Hand spreads out and discovers many new things...

***"You can't go unnoticed."***

Pulling Sientelle along, Gale chases Mnemon Seppe as he flees to the woods. She catches up to him before he manages to lose her, and they have a stand-off. Seppe does a poor job of hiding that he's working for Juwinn. Before Gale can seize him to try and get more out of him, he suddenly disappears. Sientelle is pulled into the air and wrapped in a cocoon of silk within seconds, and then Juwinn descends, pushing back Gale's strike. Juwinn demands Gale lie down and surrender. Gale chooses to bide her time and not die in a futile struggle against a superior foe. Juwinn offers Gale, Pyres, and Oresta a chance to meet her later in the day, provided they come alone and tell nobody. Gale agrees, and Juwinn leaves. After Gale frees Sientelle, they make their way back to the school.

In the infirmary, Garavel drops in to warn Oresta and Pyres that the staff has decided to send all the 5th years to a naval exercise that will last the entire year. It's not a trap, but it is a move intended to get the most at-risk students out of the way. He tells the Lost Hand to make whatever preparations they can in the short time before this is announced to the entire school.

When Gale and Sientelle make it back, they tell the rest of the fang about the meet with Juwinn. Sientelle is quite unhappy about letting Gale go without as much protection as possible, but she agrees to stay back in order to not break Juwinn's terms. She encourages Gale to prioritize survival by promising her a kiss upon return. With plenty of time to go before the meeting, and many mysteries about the school, the Lost Hand splits up to take care of other tasks.

Gale and Oresta enact a daring plan to infiltrate Bracken's office. Oresta manages to draw Bracken out to peruse Oresta's collection of books, and Gale darts in as the door closes. Inside Bracken's office, Gale finds a coded message by Juwinn, a number of books on Gateway that have no business being outside the library's main collection, and a lock on the inside of the office door enchanted with power. Unfortunately, Oresta's distraction does not keep Bracken away long enough for Gale to make a better search, and she quickly covers her tracks and flees the scene before she's spotted. While this goes on, Pyres and Sientelle hang around the school trying to lay low. Pyres fails utterly to avoid notice, in spite of his best efforts.

When darkness falls, Gale, Oresta, and Pyres go into the woods to meet Juwinn. Though she does not reveal herself, she offers the Lost Hand a few more explanations. The Heightened Sense, the ship sunken a few weeks ago, was operated by some of Juwinn's realm allies, who have now been exposed. The children of those allied families were the expelled cadets. Only Gale, Oresta, and Pyres had enough presumed innocence for Juwinn to convince the inquisition to spare them the expulsion. When the Lost Hand reminds Juwinn of the apology Juwinn asked them to pass to Bracken, Juwinn says she has no recollection of doing so. Her uncertainty betrays an affection for Bracken that neither of them had made public. After the exposition is done, Juwinn's voice fades, and the Lost Hand is alone again.

After the three return, Gale and Sientelle run off to enjoy their promised kiss.

### Student Comments

The following are reactions from viewer's non-canon students.

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