Chapter 112

Chapter 112
Ioannis took Nickolas's offered hand, feeling the gentle squeeze of reassurance as she stepped into the transport. The pendant warmed against her skin as she turned back to face the children, noting how Ellie's body remained tensed like a coiled spring, ready to grab Micha and run at the first sign of danger.

"It's alright," she said softly, keeping her voice gentle. "Nickolas just wants to make sure everyone gets safely inside."

Lucas climbed in next, seemingly unconcerned about Nickolas's presence now. The difference between his reaction and Ellie's spoke volumes about what the girl might have endured at the facility. The pendant cooled slightly against Ioannis's skin as she observed Ellie's wary assessment of Nickolas.

Through their bond, she felt his careful control, his instinctive desire to protect these children warring with the knowledge that his very presence might frighten them. He moved deeper into the transport, giving the children space to enter without feeling cornered.

"You can sit by the window," Lucas told Micha, patting the seat beside him. "You can see all the trees from here."

Micha looked up at Ellie, clearly waiting for her permission before moving. When she gave a small nod, he hobbled forward, wincing as his injured feet touched the transport floor. Ioannis fought the urge to help him, recognising that unwanted physical contact might trigger panic in these traumatised children.

Ellie entered last, her dark eyes scanning the transport's interior with tactical precision before allowing Micha to sit. She positioned herself between the smaller boy and the adults, and Violet still clutched protectively against her chest.

"The journey takes about forty minutes," Emma explained as she climbed in after them. "There are snacks and water if you're hungry."

Micha's eyes widened at the mention of more food, though he made no move toward the supplies Emma indicated. Ellie's expression remained carefully blank, but Ioannis noticed how her gaze lingered on the water containers.

"You're probably thirsty," Ioannis said, passing a container to Ellie first. "The mountain air can be very drying."

The girl accepted it with cautious hands, examining the seal before opening it. She took a small sip to test it before passing it to Micha. The younger boy drank deeply, water dribbling down his chin in his eagerness. The pendant warmed against Ioannis's skin as she watched Ellie carefully monitor everything the younger child consumed.

As the transport hummed to life, Nickolas settled into a seat opposite Ioannis, careful to maintain distance from the children. Through their bond, she felt his tactical mind cataloguing their conditions, Micha's injured feet, Ellie's protective vigilance, the signs of malnutrition in both their thin frames.

"The healers will want to check you both when we arrive," Nickolas said, his voice kept deliberately gentle. "Just to make sure you're both healthy after your time in the forest. Nothing like the tests at the facility."

Ellie's shoulders tensed at the word "healers," her fingers tightening around Violet. "What kind of checks?" she asked, suspicion evident in her clipped tone.

"Just to make sure you're not hurt," Lucas explained before any of the adults could answer. "They listen to your heart and look at your eyes with a little light. And they fix anything that hurts." He glanced at Micha's feet. "They made my cuts better with special cream that didn't sting at all."

Ioannis watched as Ellie processed this information, her dark eyes flickering between Lucas and the adults. The pendant pulsed with gentle warmth against her skin.

"Do they take blood?" Ellie asked, her voice dropping to a near whisper.

Through their bond, Ioannis felt Nickolas's controlled fury at the implication behind this question. These children had clearly been subjected to invasive procedures regularly enough that it was Ellie's first concern.

"Only if you're very sick," Ioannis answered honestly. "And they would explain why first and make sure you understand."

Ellie didn't look entirely convinced, but she nodded once, her arm slipping around Micha's thin shoulders as the transport began moving through the forest. The younger boy leaned against her, his eyelids already drooping with exhaustion despite his efforts to keep watching the trees through the window.

"You can rest," Ioannis told them softly. "You're safe now. We'll wake you when we arrive."

Micha's eyes closed almost immediately, his small body going limp against Ellie's side. The green wolf remained clutched in his arms, making occasional soft, soothing sounds that seemed to deepen his relaxation. Ellie, however, remained rigidly alert, her dark eyes moving constantly between the adults and the passing landscape.

"I'm not tired," she insisted, though the dark circles beneath her eyes and the slight tremor in her hands told a different story.

Lucas, sitting on Micha's other side, reached out to pat Ellie's arm. "It's okay to sleep," he said with the solemnity of someone much older. "Shadow keeps the bad dreams away. Violet will too."

The pendant warmed against Ioannis's skin as she watched this interaction. Lucas had only been with them for a short time, yet already he was beginning to trust, to feel safe enough to sleep. Would Ellie allow herself the same vulnerability?