Chapter 3 #3
Jagged walls loomed high above me, rough and uneven, like the very core of a mountain had been hollowed out.
The firelight did little to chase away the shadows, casting writhing shapes that seemed to move with a will of their own.
Around me, a crowd swayed, lost to the rhythm of something I couldn’t hear.
They moved as one, their bodies pressed close.
No one looked at me. No one heard me when I called out.
I was frozen in place, my limbs unresponsive as if they were no longer mine to command. Panic bloomed in my chest, but I could do nothing but stand there, waiting.
Then he appeared.
A shadow at the edge of my vision. A darkness that moved with silent intent. Every step was measured, the weight of his presence enough to set my pulse racing. I never saw his face, only the way darkness clung to him, shifting like living smoke.
But his eyes—his eyes I saw all too clearly.
They burned into mine, dark and filled with something deeper than rage. A hatred so raw it stole the air from my lungs.
I wanted to move. To run. To fight. But my body would not obey. I was bound by unseen chains. Trapped within the nightmare.
Then, the pain began.
Fire ignited along my skin, searing through flesh.
The agony was indescribable, a wave of blistering heat that peeled me apart, layer by layer, until all that remained was raw, exposed nerve and charred bone.
The scent of my own burning flesh choked me.
A scream tore from my throat, raw enough to split the world in two.
Then the darkness swallowed me whole, but still, his eyes remained. Watching.
I shook off the remnants of the dream, wiping a sheen of cold sweat from my forehead.
I need a distraction.
“I saw a river nearby.” I gestured behind me. “I think we could all use a wash.”
Theo’s lips twitched into a smirk.
“And not together, Theo.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Fine, but you don’t know what you’re missing.” He winked before sauntering toward the direction of the water.
I rolled my eyes but welcomed the light-heartedness, grateful for the way he could pull me from the edge of darkness with nothing more than a ridiculous comment and that infuriating grin. After a moment’s hesitation, I followed.
The cool water was like a blessing from the Heavens, washing away my sweat and fear. I dunked my head beneath the surface, letting the chill seep into my bones. My skin felt new again, no longer burdened with the grime of travel and nightmares.
Sunlight cascaded over the river, causing the water to glisten like scattered diamonds. I took a moment to savour it—to hold on to something beautiful before we continued our journey into the unknown.
I caught Theo trying to steal a glance in my direction, but before he could get away with it, Tavrik smacked the back of his head.
Theo cursed, rubbing the sore spot. “That was uncalled for.”
I bit back my smile as I waded toward the shore, wringing out my hair.
“That was amazing,” I said. “Thank you for coming with me.”
“You’re welcome,” they replied in unison before turning to glare at each other again.
I chuckled, patting them both on the back as I moved between them. “Come on, let’s go.”
As I walked ahead, I could still hear their whispered bickering.
I shook my head.
Men.
The wash in the lake kept me clean for all of a few minutes.
The merciless sun blazed down from a sky so blue it hurt to look at.
Every inch of my body was slick with sweat, my tunic clinging to my back like another layer of skin.
My hair—barely having dried—was damp again, strands plastered to my forehead and neck.
I dragged my feet, wincing as another blister formed on my heel.
The pull had become an insistent pressure against my chest. Too strong. Too demanding.
I glanced to Theo, who looked like death itself was about to claim him. His face flushed red, sweat streaming down his temples. Hours ago, he’d torn off his shirt and fashioned it into a makeshift turban around his head, the fabric now dark and heavy with moisture.
“How much longer?” Theo whined, stumbling over a rock and catching himself with a curse.
Tavrik—who somehow managed to make the hellish trek seem effortless—lifted his head, squinting against the harsh light. The corner of his mouth quirked up at Theo’s dishevelled state. “We should reach the Veil by tomorrow.”
Tomorrow.
My stomach clenched into a tight knot.
I had no choice. I’d rather die at their hands than let Zaheera harm my mother. The thought of her sitting all alone, wondering where I’d gone, sent a piercing pain through my chest that no physical wound could match.
“Do you have any family, Tavrik?” I asked, billowing my tunic in a desperate attempt to generate air. All it did was waft more scorching heat up toward my face.
He slowed his steps to fall in line with me. “I have no family left.”
Theo’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, his eyes distant. He was probably thinking of his own family that he’d lost.
“My mother passed a while back,” Tavrik continued. “No siblings. Just me.” He swept aside some branches, clearing a path for me.
His features remained carefully composed, but I could read the loss in the slight tightening of his neck and the subtle jump of muscle in his jaw. I had learned long ago that the greatest pains were revealed in the smallest tells.
I wanted to ask more, to know his story, but a sudden movement caught my eye—a blur of russet-coloured fur darting between the trees.
Tavrik’s hand flashed to his hip, seizing the hilt of his dagger. In one fluid motion he drew and released it, the blade tumbling end over end through the air with deadly precision. A soft thud followed as steel met flesh, and the creature dropped mid-stride.
I spun around to Theo with deliberate slowness—pivoting my entire body, arching one eyebrow so high it threatened to disappear into my hairline.
“Shut. Up.” Theo muttered, shoving past me, his shoulder knocking me into a dense bush.
I extracted myself with as much dignity as possible, plucking thorns from my sleeve while he examined Tavrik’s kill.
“I didn’t actually say anything,” I called out with fake innocence.
“Your face said enough,” he shot back without turning around.
I laughed and followed, my empty stomach driving me forward despite my reluctance to see a fresh kill.
The Zahran fox lay on its side, unnaturally still. Its coat gleamed like burnished copper, beautiful even in death, with yellow eyes now glazed and vacant. A small trickle of blood matted the fur around its neck where the blade had found its mark.
Tavrik knelt beside the fox, retrieving his dagger with practiced efficiency. He wiped it clean on his trousers before returning it to the sheath at his hip.
“I feel sad now,” I admitted, wrapping my arms around my middle to quiet my obnoxiously loud stomach. “I want to eat it and cry at the same time.”
“Don’t be.” Tavrik reached down and carefully pried open the creature’s mouth. The fox’s lips pulled back to reveal razor-sharp canines, unnaturally white against the dark muzzle. “One bite from this and you would’ve had a slow death. Muscles seize. You can’t breathe. Takes days, sometimes.”
My eyes widened.
“So…” Theo chimed in with unexpected cheerfulness. “Are we eating this thing or not?”
Tavrik and I turned to stare at him.
“What?” Theo crossed his arms defensively. “The poison’s probably just in the teeth, right?”
“I wouldn’t eat it if I were you,” Tavrik said, pointing to the fox’s paws where visible black lines traced the fleshy pads like dark veins. “Venom sacs run through the entire body. Cook it wrong and you’ll be paralysed before you finish swallowing.”
Theo let out an exasperated sigh.
We moved on, stepping carefully around the beautiful but useless fox. With each passing hour, our hunger grew from a mild discomfort to a gnawing presence. The handful of berries we had gathered earlier sat in the pit of my stomach like pebbles.
The sun began its slow descent, the unbearable heat giving way to the first whispers of an evening chill. Thankfully, we found a small space among the trees to rest for the night.
Theo and Tavrik moved with purpose, gathering armfuls of dry twigs and branches from the forest floor. They built a large pile, and soon a crackling fire blazed before us, its warm light pushing back the gathering shadows and promising our chilled bones comfort for the long night ahead.
The flames danced hypnotically, small sparks shooting upward like dying stars against the darkening sky.
I scooted closer to the heat, stretching my hands out to capture its warmth.
My skin tingled as blood returned to my numb fingers.
Despite the glow, all I truly wanted was to be home.
I wrapped my arms around myself, my hair falling forward to create a curtain between me and the world.
My mind drifted to my mother—to the fine lines that had appeared at the corners of her eyes. To the way she hummed while crushing herbs, to how her arms felt wrapped around me, safe and certain.
A tremendous snort-wheeze-rumble shattered my thoughts. My head snapped up.
Across the fire, Tavrik had already surrendered to exhaustion, his back propped against one of the tree trunks.
I pressed my lips together, trying to contain my laughter, but when his exhale whistled through his nose with the force of a teakettle, I snorted.
Beside me, Theo silently mimicked Tavrik’s facial expression—mouth slightly open, head lolled to one side—and pretended to saw logs with exaggerated arm movements.