Curious insight? Conflicting theory? Double click the text and share.
I welcome all scholarly debate... within reason, of course.
Eshlyn and I raced through the city until the southern gate loomed ahead. Its iron-bound doors cracked open just wide enough to let individuals slip through into the mist-soaked forest and silver river beyond. A ghostly guard leaned against a wall, holding a spear that phased in and out of his hand. I've hardly been acknowledged by any of the gate guards on my trips in and out; however, I felt a bit nervous this time, letting out a deep sigh when we finally passed.
Beyond the walls, the river shimmered like a mystical ribbon, curling into the distant trees and continuing farther than I could see. I paused at the threshold, glancing back toward the city. The fog hung heavy today, softening the ground as well as the view. A small part of me still hoped I’d spot Val jogging down the main road, armor clanking, some sarcastic complaint on his lips.
No sign of him, and I’ll never hear the end of it if I ghost him without a word.
Eshlyn slowed beside me, her foot tapping softly against the packed dirt. “What’s the delay?”
I hesitated, pulling the folded note from my pocket, the one Val had left me with the armor. “I was supposed to meet someone here. Some hours from now. He’ll be pissed that I left without him, but more so if I make him wait out here all afternoon.”
Her gaze followed from the note to me. “Someone important?”
“Kind of.” I turned to the stone gatepost. “We were gonna go see Dent together, him and I. For a job.”
Eshlyn’s brow creased. “I do believe you mentioned something about a half-dead skeleton in-keeper on our trek over.”
“Yeah, yeah. Undead sightings, northwest wall. Durnan offered a payout if we poked around.”
“And now you’ve decided to run off without your partner?”
“Dent could be infected,” I said bluntly. “If this parasite does what you said it does... I’m not waiting around.”
Eshlyn was quiet for a beat. Then she folded her arms. “So. You’re standing up this man whom you agreed to help, and expecting him to do what? ...follow us anyway?”
“I’m not standing him up,” I muttered. “I’m leaving... a breadcrumb.” Then dug around my bag for something to write with.
Eshlyn eyed me thoroughly. “The parchment will surely fly away before he reads it, and I hope you're not dumb enough to scrawl a note into the gate.”
“It’s either that or carve it into the stone wall with my dagger. Besides, this city loves its creepy aesthetic. I’d just be contributing to the ambiance.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering something under her breath about “unrefined methods,” Before stepping forward and raising a hand to the stone. Light bled from her fingers, pale and sharp-edged like glass. Lines unfurled into sigils and then to words, a delicate language written directly into the weave. The silver letters bloomed across the stone in delicate strokes like moonlight being etched into ice. The script pulsed once before settling into a soft, steady glow.
“Had to leave early. Follow the river's edge to catch up.” - Remy
“Aether-Scribing,” Eshlyn said while brushing her hands off. “Spell-script embedded in the surface. I imbued it to dim with time and disappear by tomorrow.”
“Fancy,” I muttered, blinking at the words. “A little dramatic.”
She tilted her head. “Well, you intended to leave a message. I just made it legible.”
“I’d have included a bit more detail,” I smirked. “…But imagining him walking for hours, without a clue as to why… that’s pretty great too.”
She gave me a side glance. “You make it sound like you’re abandoning a date.”
“Oh please, he’ll be fine,” I said with a tinge of guilt. “And he’s the last person I’d ever want to date.”
Her lips twitched, almost a smile.
I gave the post one last glance, imagining Val’s scowl when the message inevitably glowed in front of him. “Alright then. Let’s move.”
Eshlyn nodded, and we turned toward the tree line.
Mist swallowed our footprints as we followed the river’s edge, the city walls fading like a dream already past.
                                     …
The forest leaned in around us as we hiked, sunlight filtering through the twisted canopy above. The river to our left whispered as it flowed, its current fast and clear, glinting like polished glass in the morning light. Roots curled up like fingers across the path, and dry leaves crunched like bones under my boots.
Eshlyn kept pace surprisingly well for someone in layered robes. “You don’t slow down, do you?” she muttered through labored breaths, brushing a purple curl from her face. Her skin shimmered like polished sapphire where the light touched, cheeks flushed with heat.
“Not when someone I care about could be dying,” I replied, eyes scanning ahead before thinking to myself. Why do I care so much? I suppose he was genuinely kind to me, saved my life without asking for anything in return…“Try to keep up, princess,” I added, stealing one of Val’s lines while I tried to push down the worry.
Her eyes went wide for a moment before scoffing. “I suppose I could be comparable to a princess, given your squalor… Though I’ll admit, you’ve shaped up nicely since our first encounter.”
“Never thought I’d get a compliment out of you, but… I guess I’ve come into some good fortune recently.”
“Mhmm.” Her voice was laced with sarcasm. “Amazing what a shower can do.”
“Right…” My eyes rolled. “Let me guess… You’re noble-born, educated, stuck-up, and allergic to hard work,” I teased, pushing aside an overhanging branch. “Miss anything?”
“You almost had it,” she said, somewhat amused, “but I’m only allergic to fools.” Her tone sharpened with each word, lips curving ever so slightly. “And this plan of yours, I’ll say, is hardly backed by rational thinking.”
“I’d rather just see how he’s doing than sit around overthinking everything.”
“Ah, yes,” she mused, carefully sidestepping a root. “Winging it… truly the mark of a brilliant tactician.”
“Whatever, rich girl… Just try not to fall out before we get there.”
I could feel her eyes roll as we hiked in silence for a few beats. Leaves rusted overhead in a breeze that smelled of pine and damp soil, before finally, I thought of something she might like. Turning slightly, I flicked my fingers through the air, summoning a small spark of green light that hovered above my palm, flickering like a firefly. I pushed it to dance between my fingertips before letting it vanish into thin air. “See?” I said, beginning to pant, given the quick pace. “Told you I knew a few tricks.”
“That’s hardly aether control,” she responded flatly. “...But it was a very pretty firefly impression.”
I summoned another one to flick at her face. “Not all of us had the luxury of growing up with private tutors and magical textbooks.”
“I’m sure you have many excuses,” she muttered. “Have you tried using a focus? Something symbolic to help your intent manifest?”
“What? Like a wand?”
“Not necessarily. Could be an heirloom, a weapon, or gemstone… anything you emotionally anchor to.”
I glanced down at my daggers. “Does sarcasm count?”
“No, but it explains a lot.”
I laughed under my breath, and she cracked a smile in return.
We followed the river through a clearing, its widening banks sparkling like silver veins that cut through the landscape. Our breath puffed faintly in the cool air as we pattered on, pace prompt.
“So where are you from?” I asked, more curious than I meant to sound.
“Floor three,” she replied with a breath. “A city beneath the ocean, built like a dome. Currents, lights, tunnels, and pressure wards. It’s a delicate ecosystem, but quite elegant.”
“Damn.” I blinked. “That sounds kind of terrifying.”
“It’s beautiful,” she said, her eyes distant for a second. “Dark water above, glowing towers below… sea creatures gliding past the windows.”
“So a nightmare with flair.”
“If you say so.” She breathed heavy. “Why don't you tell me what floor five is like?”
“Perpetual spring,” I muttered. “Leaves painted with color. Plenty of greenscape. Trees, flowers, gentle wind. The wildlife is adorable. The people… less so.”
“Why’s that?”
“Pretentious spring elves think they’re better than the other seasons, like winter, for instance… They love to talk down on the snow folk.”
“I’d say that explains your lack of social acuity,” she responded with a pretentious pull of her own. Then followed up, “Is that what you are? Half-spring-elf?”
“Honestly, I have no idea.” I motioned, trying not to linger on how little I knew of my birth family. “Half-elf something, I imagine.”
Her lips barely parted in response before a crash of leaves cut through the riverbank. I spun on instinct, pulling an arrow from my quiver as Val burst from the foliage like a sweaty, armored tornado, hair stuck to his face, breath ragged. He looked like he’d just fought a bear and lost.
“Gods be damned, do you walk everywhere this fast!?” he gasped. “I thought I might die before catching up.”
“Holy shit, Val.” I raised an eyebrow. “Did you run the whole way?”
“...No...”
My head shook with a reluctant grin. I instantly knew he was lying. “You’re unbelievable.”
Eshlyn stepped beside me, arching a brow. “This him?”
I nodded. “Eshlyn, meet Val. Val, Eshlyn. She’s helping me check on Dent.”
Val gave her a quick once-over, eyes lingering a second too long before offering his hand. “What do you mean, check on Dent? What’s wrong with him?”
“Long story.” I turned back to continue the hike as Eshlyn clasped his hand. “So I heard you like to cut these off.”
“Listen.” He smirked, arms gesturing. “Whatever she told you… It’s probably a lie.”
“Oh, I already filled her in on how delightful you are,” I muttered sarcastically.
Val turned to me, mustering all the sarcasm he could. “Well, aren't you exceptionally yourself today, and that graffiti on the city wall was very subtle.”
“It worked, didn’t it?” I said, walking past him. “You’re here.”
“You could’ve added more detail! I still don’t know why you left in such a hurry.” He said shrilly.
“Sure, but then we wouldn’t have the joy of your suffering,” I called over my shoulder.
“Nah,” he said, falling into step. “Just being around you is suffering enough.”
Eshlyn blinked at us. “Is this how you two always communicate?”
“When we’re trying to be nice.”
Val gave her a sideways look. “Remy’s a real piece of work.”
“You’re one to talk,” I said with a chuckle before nudging a rock off the trail.
The forest trail turned rocky again, snaking through moss-covered roots. We eventually found a rhythm, uneven but steady. Eshlyn’s staff clicked softly with each step. Val adjusted his sword straps every so often.
I let out a long breath. Dent’s strong. He’ll be fine, I thought to myself before looking at the two of them, trotting beside me, focused but present.
Maybe these two aren’t so bad after all.
                                     …
Â
Â
We arrived just as the sun began casting the trees in shadows spanning east, staining the forest in streaks of gold and grey. Dent’s camp came into view slowly, nestled in a patch of green that was once vibrant but now overgrown and wilting at the edges. Fruit trees hung limp, branches drooping as if the plants themselves had sensed their keeper’s decline. The neat rows of vegetables he once cultivated were choked by creeping vines. The air was still and quiet.
Oh no! I thought before rushing past the treeline's edge. Eshlyn and Val following closely behind.
Dent lay slumped in one of the hammocks, his large frame barely held aloft by the woven fabric. Even from a distance, I could tell something was wrong. His skin, normally sun-bronzed and flush with life, had a grayish cast. Sweat clung to his brow, and every breath seemed like labor.
Panic caught in my chest as I ran ahead, “Dent!”
He looked up at the sound of my voice, managing a weak smile. “Hey… look who’s back.”
A held gasp brushed my lips, “You look awful,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady to not raise unnecessary alarm, before kneeling beside him.
“I have been a bit down lately,” he admitted, trying to chuckle before coughing violently. “But the squirrels have been good company.”
True to his word, three of them were huddled at his side, one carefully draping a broad leaf across his chest like a tiny blanket while another pressed a berry into his palm. The third just sat near his head, tail twitching anxiously.
Eshlyn finally made it to him, placing a hand on Dent’s forehead. “He’s burning up,” she said, already setting down her pack and pulling out a small glass vial filled with pale blue liquid. “Try this. It’s a concentrated healing salve, high purity.”
Things probably worth a fortune… I couldn’t help but think to myself.
Dent took it with trembling hands before gulping it down. “Thank you, I am grateful.” For a second, I thought it might help. His breathing slowed, and his eyes cleared a bit, but the moment passed as the color came and went from his cheeks.
It hardly had any effect at all.
“I’ve tried everything I know,” Dent muttered, shaking his head. “Herbs, healing, even shifted into a wolf to try and outpace the fever… That last one’s probably a myth, but still, nothing’s worked.”
“Let me examine you,” Eshlyn said, already pulling on gloves and kneeling at his side.
Dent shrugged weakly. “I’m glad to have some non-squirrel company… sorry for the mess, my garden has seen better days.”
“Stop talking like that, Dent, we’ll all be munching on your quality rabbit food in no time,” I cut in, trying to lighten the mood.
“Looking forward to it,” he responded, holding back multiple coughs.
Eshlyn began peeling back the loose fabric of his shirt, revealing the wound beneath, twisted and black-veined, like something had rooted into his abdomen. The flesh pulsed faintly with each heartbeat. Dark streaks spread outward in branching tendrils.
I winced, covering my mouth.
Eshlyn’s face was calm, but her brows furrowed the more she examined him. She muttered a few soft words under her breath, her palm glowing faintly with blue light as she traced it over the wound.“It’s spreading quickly,” She sat back on her heels. “The parasite’s taken root… Its assault on the nervous system is coordinated and adaptive. Your immune system is hardly slowing it down.”
“It looks like a hive,” Val said grimly.
“Exactly,” Eshlyn responded, “...and the only way to understand it well enough to counter it is to obtain a fresh specimen. The earlier the stage, the better.”
“So there’s a cure?” I asked with hopeful eyes, keeping my gaze locked on Dent.
“There might be,” she replied. “...or I could craft one, but I’d need a clean, fresh sample, preferably from the original source.”
Dent met my gaze again, his eyes were half-lidded, and his breath shallow.
You saved me. You didn’t have to. You could’ve ignored me completely, could’ve let that troll tear me apart and walked away without a word… but you didn’t. You fought. You fought for me, you provided for me, you kept me safe and warm… and now… “You saved my life,” I whispered to him. “Now it’s my turn.”
Dent’s eyes opened to fully embrace my gaze. “Remy…”
“I mean it,” I said, gripping his hand tightly. “I’m going to fix this. We’re going to fix this.”
Eshlyn looked between us, then slowly nodded. “Can you take me to where you encountered the troll? If we can track its path, we might be able to find the origin of the parasite.”
I stood up, eyes narrowing. “It’s just a few miles ahead, I remember it thoroughly.”
Val took a good look at Dent before crossing his arms. “Then let’s get moving. No use wasting time.”
“Just a moment…,” I said, turning towards the river. I slipped away from the group and dipped a large container into the stream just behind the camp, attempting to fill it with the coldest water I could find before returning to Dent’s side. Then held it to his lips as he drank slowly. I wiped the sweat from his forehead with a damp cloth before finally placing the container beside him in the hammock. One of the squirrels hopped onto my arm and curled its tiny paws into the sleeve of my cloak, as if giving me a small blessing. “Just stay hydrated and rest, alright?” I whispered to him gently, taking his head into my hand so he could peer back into my eyes. “We’ll be back before you know it.”
Dent managed a soft nod, “Don't worry about me, I've been through worse.”
I stood up and turned towards the woods with fire in my chest. “Let’s go.”
Eshlyn and Val gave me an approving nod as we slipped into the forest.
You’ve got to hold on, Dent. If for nothing else, I still need you.
                                     …
Â
Â
The track was wide and deep. Too wide for a deer or bear. The soil was pressed in hard with long grooves, just like the ones I’d seen before the troll nearly gutted me.
“This way,” I said, rising and pushing ahead through the forest.
The strange goo helped. As wrong as it felt, it always left a faint trail, a sort of dark, pulsing residue that clung to tree roots and pooled in the crevices of bark. It wasn’t blood, not quite slime either, but somewhere gross and in-between.
The forest changed as we moved deeper. It wasn’t sudden, but gradual. Subtle. The way the birds stopped calling. The way the wind no longer rustled the leaves. Like the trees were holding their breath, waiting for something. Even the air grew thicker, heavier with every mile, like wading through invisible water.
“I don’t like this,” Val muttered behind me, one hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword.
“Join the club,” I said under my breath, crouching near a faint indentation in the mossy earth.
Eshlyn clutched her staff tightly as she walked beside me. “This part of the forest has been corrupted. I can feel the tainted aether in every breath. It’s warped and unnatural.”
“If that’s not bad enough,” I added with a warning. “It's getting darker by the minute. If it gets much later, I won't be able to keep the trail.”
As if Eshlyn cited a prophecy, the farther we went, the more twisted the landscape became. Roots grew upward like ribs out of the earth. Trees leaned in an abstract direction, almost as if they knew to recoil but didn't agree on how. The branches were bare here, brittle, skeletal. There were no insects. No birds. Just the crunch of our boots and the distant, irregular sound of… dripping, like the forest itself was bleeding somehow.
Val broke the silence, “I am not as adept at tracking, Remy, but I can't help but notice we’ve been moving in a similar direction for a while now.”
“We’ve been heading north-west for the most part, yeah,” I confirmed, holding onto the last tendrils of light, quickly fading through the treetops.
“I feel something,” Eshlyn cut in, scanning the brush. “Something’s nearby.”
I nodded towards them both, continuing to move slowly, eyes trained on the patterns the sludge left behind, like arteries across the earth. The direction was clear. Whatever we were following wasn’t subtle. Suddenly, the trail narrowed through a dark thicket. I slowed and raised a hand, halting the group before inching forward, peering through the branches.
A clearing.
And in the middle of it, standing still as statues, were three humanoid shapes.
They looked like corpses at first. Torn flesh. Glowing veins. But then one twitched its head in our direction and I realized its eyes weren’t hollow; they were focused, watching… Waiting.
I readied an arrow just before the three of them spoke in unison. The voice wasn’t clear. It was more like a wet whisper with a tone like cracking glass. “New… meat…”
My breath caught as Eshlyn stepped up beside me. “They’re not mindless?”
“I thought you said they’d be puppets,” I hissed.
“It must be evolving,” she whispered back, eyes narrowing. “The parasite is learning.”
Then they moved, with alarming quickness.
Val drew his blades without hesitation. “Incoming!”
The first one lunged at him, gnarled hands swinging with shocking strength. Val met it with steel, as I loosed an arrow into its chest, the clash ringing through the trees, but the embedded arrow had little effect on its movements.
Another charged me, but I pivoted to the side in a low crouch, slashing up with a dagger across its ribs. I turned my face away as black goo spattered my cloak, sizzling on contact. Val stepped in quickly, driving the end of his blade through its skull before yanking free, and barely dodging a swipe from the one with an arrow still in its chest. This time, the corpse collapsed straight to the ground beside me. “Aim for the head!” Val proclaimed.
“Keep your distance and don’t let them touch you!” Eshlyn called out before muttering a quick incantation under her breath. Her palms glowed as lightning lanced from her hands, striking the furthest creature in a long arch, electricity crackling over its undead body. It shrieked in a shrill voice like a hundred overlapping cries before ceasing all movement.
The one I’d shot was still thrashing wildly, even as ichor poured from its side. “Ssstronger now…” it gurgled between swings.
I stepped in, kicking it back a few feet from Val, who was now panting. “Okay, yeah, that’s new!”
Eshlyn swept her staff through the air, summoning a burst of wind that knocked it off its feet, giving me just enough space to plant an arrow into its soft skull, dropping it with a thud.
All three of us moved into a triangle when the last one collapsed, backs to each other, breathing heavily with wide eyes. Scanning for any sign of continued danger.
“I’m not sensing them anymore,” Eshlyn said between breaths.
“Let’s hope that was all, then,” I let out a sigh before dropping my bow to my waist. Then took a long look at the bodies. They twitched even in death, the goo slowly retreating from them like spilled oil trying to find its way back home.
“They’re not just reanimated,” Eshlyn muttered, voice low. “They’re being restructured, improved even.”
Val wiped sweat from his cheek. “Whatever it is, we need to destroy it… and fast.”
I nodded and turned my focus back to the direction of the clearing. It matched the trail, but now there was no staggering to it; everything led to one place.
And then, like something ominous had been waiting for us, the trees parted enough to reveal it in the distance. A sunken stone structure, half-swallowed by the earth. Moss clung to its walls, roots cracked through ancient bricks. Its entrance, blocked by a massive, slanted slab of stone, like a lid to something better left buried.
The trail ends here. That’s got to be the source.
“Good tracking, Remy, it seems we found what we were looking for,” Eshlyn whispered to me with a slight smile. “Let's get what we need and get out of here”.
                                     …
Â
Â
The forest had grown unnervingly still. No birds. No crickets. Not even the whisper of wind through the trees. Just silence, thick, suffocating, unnatural silence.
I slowed my pace as we reached the small clearing. At the far end, half-sunken into a moss-drenched slope, was the structure of ancient stone. Cracked pillars jutted from the ground like broken teeth, twisted vines clinging to their surface, pulsing faintly with veins of that same corrupted black ichor.
A slab of stone blocked the entrance. Old. Heavy. It looked like it hadn’t been moved in decades, maybe centuries. But it wasn’t the stone that made my skin crawl. The air here was thick with something worse than rot; it hummed with tension. The aura itself felt… warped. Like we were being watched by something behind the veil.
My stomach twisted as a chilling breeze passed. The night air had grown cold.
We have to press on for Dent. We don’t know how long he has.
Val stepped up beside me, hand already on one of his sword hilts as if trying to feed confidence into me. “Can we move it?”
I didn’t answer right away. My hand hovered above the stone. The structure pulsed, just like the moss, slow and irregular.
Eshlyn ran her hand just above the surface. “It's not fresh enough here, but the sample is reacting to something nearby. Whatever we’ve followed to get here… we’ll find more of it in there.”
“We have to go in then,” Val said, already placing a boot against a rock for leverage.
“No,” Eshlyn said firmly, stepping between him and the entrance. “Not yet.”
He scowled. “What do you mean, not yet? We didn’t come all this way to camp outside!”
“Do you not feel it!?” Eshlyn snapped, voice rising slightly. “The aether here is wrong. Twisted. Something’s corrupted it. If we go in now, in the dead of night, with no preparation, we’re just going to die. All of us.”
Val turned to me, clearly expecting backup. I swallowed hard, heart pounding in my chest. I wanted to go in. Dent was back at camp, barely able to sit upright. I knew we didn’t have time to sit around.
I want to fix this, here and now, I thought, but even I could feel it. The thrum of the earth. The heat rising on the back of my neck like a warning. I took a shaky breath. “I know undead are more active at night, stronger even, but… Let’s just see what’s behind the stone. Then we’ll decide.”
Eshlyn peered at me, unconvinced, “Fine, but only because I know time is of the essence.”
Working together, Val and I pushed against the stone slab, while Eshlyn stood guard behind us, staff in hand. The ground trembled as it shifted. It took all our combined strength to move, but with a deep groan, the stone rolled enough to reveal a staircase leading down into pure darkness.
That’s when I saw them. Eyes. So many eyes. Glinting faintly in the dark below the steps, dozens of undead, their bodies twisted in the moonlight, each corpse laced with the same goo we’d been following. They weren’t shambling. They were huddled together, waiting, still and tense.
Eshlyn’s eyes widened at the sight.
Then, as if given the order to charge, the undead jolted towards us with wicked speed. The swarm charged up the staircase in a tide of bone, rot, and glistening black veins. Clawed fingers reached from the shadows as blood-curdling screeches filled the once eerie silence.
“CLOSE IT!!!” Eshlyn shouted in a panic before slamming her staff into the ground. Water burst forth in a roaring wave, spiraling into a torrent that surged down the stairs. The force knocked the leading undead backward, cascading like a waterfall into the corridor, but I knew that would only slow them down.
“CLOSE IT NOW!” Eshyln screamed.
Val and I braced against the slab, slowly inching it back into place, the stone ground and scraped with a deafening resistance. Just before it sealed, one of the undead reached out, grasping its claws toward us. Eshlyn intercepted, sending a pulse of air blasting it backward with a flick of her wrist. The corpse returned just as the slab thunked into place, an undead hand now wiggling through the small opening.
Panting, soaked with sweat, and wide-eyed, the three of us stood there in silence, the oppressive air closing back in.
“I told you,” Eshlyn said finally, voice trembling but firm. “It’s the middle of the night and we’re not ready.”
Val pressed a palm to the stone, breathing hard. “Okay, I admit that could have ended badly… but I still think we could have taken them.”
“Dammit all,” I whispered under my breath before voicing, “No… we couldn't have.”
The silence settled again.
“We wait for morning and that's final,” Eshlyn said, tone brooking no argument. Her eyes caught my blank expression before adding, “We’ll try again at first light.”
Val growled under his breath, knuckles white on the hilt of his sword, but he didn’t argue.
I only stared at the stone, lingering. My heart was a battlefield, urgency warring with fear, hope with logic.
What if Dent can't last the night… Could we even survive fighting all of them… I swore I’d save him.
I couldn't help but worry as I stared at it, deep in consideration, before turning to gather wood for camp.
Hold on, Dent, just a little longer… please.
                                     …
Â
Â
The fire crackled softly, casting long shadows that danced along the base of the stone wall. Just beyond it, the entrance to the catacomb pulsed with a dull, sickly light, as if the building itself were breathing. Not quite alive, not quite dead. Just… waiting.
We craddled our camp at the far side of the clearing, close enough to watch the entrance, far enough not to feel like it might reach out and grab us in our sleep. Dinner, if you could call it that, had been quiet. Some dried meat Val had in his pack, berries Eshlyn foraged along the trail, and whatever rations I had pulled from the market. They were bland survival food, but no one commented on the lack of seasoning.
Eshlyn sat near the fire, legs tucked beneath her robes, poking the flames with a thin stick like she could force meaning from the embers. Her emerald eyes reflected the light in eerie shards.
Val sat on the opposite side, sharpening one of his blades with the steady scrape of metal on stone. The sound grated after a while, but no one told him to stop.
I leaned against a log, arms around my knees, watching the flickers, trying not to look at the stone entrance still visible between the trees. “We shouldn’t be sleeping here,” I said finally, voice low.
Eshlyn looked up, brows lifted. “We’ve already had this conversation.”
“No, I mean…” I hesitated, unsure how to explain the weight in my chest. “It doesn’t feel right. This whole place, I mean, it just… doesn’t sit well.”
“It’s the aether,” she said. “It’s off here. Twisted, as I said. I'm sure even Val can feel its rancid aura.”
Val stopped sharpening but didn’t look up. “That’s what happens when you let death fester without interruption. I've seen the same on floor six.”
Eshlyn glanced at him. “Your home?”
“Not anymore,” he said in way that didn’t invite follow up before sliding a blade back into its sheath. “Places rot when no one’s watching.”
Eshlyn wrapped her arms tighter around herself. “I don’t like that thought.”
We fell into silence again, this time longer. The only sound was the fire crackling and a distant owl that didn’t sound quite right.
I found myself picking at a seam in my glove. “We really might not all make it out of there.”
Val looked up at that, his eyes unreadable in the firelight. “You having second thoughts?”
“No,” I said too quickly. Then, quieter, “I don’t know.”
Eshlyn's voice softened. “We won’t leave anyone behind.”
“Nice sentiment,” Val muttered. “Let’s hope we don’t have to test it.”
I wanted to snap back, but I didn’t have the energy, so I just poked at the fire with a stick, watching embers drift upward. There was a question that had been chewing at me since we left the city, so I finally let it slip out. “Why are you two even doing this?” I asked, not looking at either of them. “You didn’t know Dent. You don’t owe him anything, or me for that matter… and now that we know how… bad it is… I just mean, why don’t you walk away?... That’d be the smart thing to do.”
Val grunted softly. “Yeah, I know… call me sentimental, but it’d eat me up inside if I let you die while I sat on my hands… that and I still owe you.”
“Oh, please, you already gifted me this armor. Any debt you could have had has long been paid,” I retorted.
He looked up at me with those sharp, icy eyes. “Doesn’t work like that. Not with me.”
I snickered before turning to Eshlyn. “And you? Wouldn’t you agree this is a bit foolish of us?”
She was quiet for a moment, arms still wrapped around her knees. “I suppose I don’t really have a quality answer… I guess I just feel like this matters…” she said finally. “...because letting someone suffer when you could have helped… I feel as though that is worse than being a fool.”
I stared at her as she met my gaze evenly, like that was the simplest truth in the world. Then nodded slowly, a lump in my throat I didn’t expect. “Thank you,” I said, voice low, “To both of you.”
Val rolled over with a mutter. “Don’t get all sentimental. We’re not dead yet.”
Eshlyn gave a soft chuckle. “He is truly delightful, isn’t he, really knows how to ruin a moment.”
I wanted to laugh, but couldn’t. I let the silence hang before digging into my pack, pulling out a flask of water, and tossing it to Eshlyn. “Here, you should drink up before bed. You’ll thank me in the morning.”
She caught it clumsily while giving me a curious look, but drank anyway.
“I’ll stay up for a while, make sure nothing's going to creep up on us,” I motioned blankly.
Val stood, stretching with a grunt. “Fine, but feel free to wake me if you get tired.”
“Don’t expect me to be gentle,” I muttered.
“I doubt you could even if you wanted to.” He smirked. “Not with those bony fingers of yours.”
I almost smiled but didn’t respond as he wandered to the edge of the firelight and dropped into his bedroll like a felled tree. I could have sworn he was already half asleep when his body hit the fabric.
Eshlyn stayed up a little longer, sitting near me in silence. Her head tilted toward the flames like she was trying to memorize their shape. Eventually, she stood, brushing ash from her finely woven robes. “If you see movement near the tomb, don’t investigate on your own. Wake us.”
I nodded, and she paused before adding, “Thank you… for including me in all this.”
I didn’t know what to say to that or even if I understood it fully, but she didn’t linger before setting her pack against a log and pulling her robes over herself like a make-shift blanket. I recognized that trying-not-to-shiver look.
Something tells me, rich-girl didn’t consider the possibility of us spending the night, especially not this deep in the dead forest.
I pulled my cloak tighter around me and stared out at the trees. Never thought I’d see the day when Eshlyn thanked me for something.
We’d be walking into that ominous place at first light, and I couldn't shake the feeling that not all of us would make it out. So I looked around. Maybe this part of the woods is actually better to sleep in, considering the lack of wildlife.
The fire cracked, low and lazy, but enough to keep the edge of the night at bay. I sat cross-legged by the flames, daggers and bow close at hand, shoulders hunched beneath my cloak. The wind whispered through the trees like it had secrets to tell, and every so often, something creaked deeper in the woods. The ancient stone adjacent to us continued to pulse faintly; I could feel it like a second heartbeat in my chest.
I stayed up longer than I wanted to, longer than I should have. Finally crawling into my bedroll, I couldn’t help but watch as Eshlyn sat stiffly on her patch of grass, arms wrapped around herself, her fancy robes now visibly lacking in insulation. She’d tried to make a little nest out of her pack and satchel, but I knew it wasn’t working. Her teeth chattered lightly as if a gust of wind would turn them to frost. I sighed through my nose. She thoroughly reminded me of that first night I slept in Dent’s hammock.
“You know,” I said quietly, hardly turning to look at her, “you’re not fooling anyone.”
Eshlyn met my eyes through the soft shadows, and I could tell she was trying to act dignified even while shivering. “Whatever do you mean?”
I pointed at her pack with a nearby twig. “You didn’t pack a bedroll, did you?”
There was a long pause. Then, “...I thought about buying one, but didn’t think I’d need it, not like we planned on sleeping out here.”
“What, no emergency blanket spell in your noble collection?” I muttered, maybe a bit cold-heartedly.
Her lips twitched, but she didn’t laugh. “I’ve studied elemental manipulation, not… wilderness survival.”
A slight chuckle left my lips. “Great. So if we need to electrify a stove, you’ve got us covered, but sleeping comfortably is beyond you.”
She scowled faintly, but I caught the glint of something like embarrassment in her eyes.
“Look… I have a new bedroll,” I sighed before continuing. “And it’s big enough. If you’re going to freeze your ass off out of pride, at least do it knowing I offered to help.”
She hesitated. I can almost hear the gears grinding in that fancy brain of hers.
“I’m not… ” she started, then stopped. The wind picked up again, and her shoulders curled instinctively. “Fine!” she muttered. “But only because the alternative is hypothermia.”
I tossed her a half-smile. “Spoken like a true princess.”
She rolled her eyes, approaching with the cautious grace of someone who wasn’t used to close quarters, eyeing the bedroll like it might bite.
I shifted to one side, lifting the flap open as she slid in beside me, still stiff, her back barely touching mine at first.
“You’re freezing,” I murmured.
“I’m adapting,” she replied through clenched teeth.
I let the silence settle, only listening to the soft rustle of the fire and the distant creak of wind through branches.
After a minute, she let herself lean into me slightly. “I’ve never camped before.”
“Could have fooled me,” I teased.
“I suppose it’s not awful,” she said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself. “Aside from the bugs. And the dirt. And the chill. And the possibility of dying.”
“Yeah,” I said, half-laughing. “Welcome to the squalor life, your-liege… but just so you know, this is the nicest bedroll I've ever had.”
She let out a quick breath but didn’t respond. After a moment, her breathing began to slow, and her shoulder relaxed against mine.
I glanced over to find her eyes closed, expression softer than I’d ever seen it.
Must have been tired.
I was too lost in thought to sleep soundly, so I caught Val’s silhouette across from the fire. I could tell he had woken up at some point and was now just lying still, watchful on his side. He hadn’t taken his eyes off us… but he didn’t say anything… didn’t need to.
Eventually, I peered back down at Eshlyn, now tucked thoroughly into my bedroll, and let my own eyes slip shut.
How is it that I always end up sharing a bed with someone?