Aaspaelwin's legs protested, heavy and leaden. His heart slammed against his ribcage and his lungs burned. Sweat ran down his face and back. They'd never make it. They'd die.

Sekafi and Aaspaelwin ran full tilt after the small figure ahead of them. How could the goblin move so swiftly? Another crash of a tree shook the ground. The monster had closed in on them. He sucked in a breath and jumped across a small hollow, lucky to have spotted it in time.

Fall now, and you're dead. We're all dead. They'd never make it. He glanced back, glimpsing the red scales of Hiaashaqwi some way behind them, glowing in the morning sun. Sir Hapow ran by his side, staring straight forward. And behind them. The monster. Eyes, so many eyes. Black and huge, tentacles flailing, maw slavering, and clawed feet tearing along. Unreal in the warm sunlight. Aspen stumbled, tottered, and would have gone down if not for a strong hand pulling him back up on his feet.

'Stay sharp, Aspen,' Sekafi panted.

He nodded, too out of breath to reply. Keep moving.

'There!' Mirok pointed ahead, towards a rocky hill, covered in dry brambles, dying trees, and shrubs. 'Hide. Hurry.'

Aaspaelwin willed his legs to move faster but nothing happened. Like moving through thick mud, the more he tried to speed up, the slower it went. A panicked yell built up in his chest, but he bit his teeth together, expecting the claws of the monster to rend his back any second. Branches slapped him. Face, arms, legs. Everything burned.

Mirok vanished, and Sekafi threw herself down a second later, at the base of a hill. A hole of some kind. A tunnel. But it was small and tight. Sekafi blocked the opening.

With a desperate whine, Aaspaelwin threw himself at her full speed. The sudden shove sent her tumbling through the opening and Aspen scrambled in after her, gasping for breath. They crawled as fast they could further in, darkness and falling dirt blinding them. Before long, they stopped and looked back towards the opening. Dark shapes moved and blocked the light from outside. A shrill howl echoed down the tunnel, cutting into their ears.

'Holy huntress,' Sekafi growled beside him, making him jump.

He nodded in the blackness, still gasping for air.

'Come, come, move,' Mirok whispered behind them. 'Cave.'

On shaking arms and legs, Aspen and Sekafi resumed their crawling through the narrow tunnel, feeling their way with their hands. Hiaashaqwi and Sir Hapow grunted and muttered behind them. Every now and then growls and shrieks followed.

A light flared, and everyone squinted their eyes at the sudden brightness. The goblin held a torch aloft, lighting a low-ceilinged cave. They couldn't stand upright, but at least they didn't have to crawl. They sat with their backs against the rough stonewalls, the humid air cool after the heat outside. Hiaashaqwi and Sir Hapow entered through the tunnel and stopped. The air thickened with tense silence.

'There they are, cowards and backstabbers,' Sir Hapow growled. 'You should b –'

Hiaashaqwi silenced him with a tail slap, and Aspen choked back a laugh. How could he laugh in this situation? It was absurd. Still, hysterical mirth bubbled and threatened to escape.

'Why're you looking so smug, half-breed?' the man snapped.

'You watch your tongue, guard, or I'll filé you where you stand,' Sekafi rumbled.

Odd how threatening she could be, Aspen thought, sitting in a cave so low she'd have to stand doubled over if she tried to rise. How she'd be able to filé anyone like that was beyond him. The thought nonetheless cracked him up and laughter spilled out, echoing in the cave. Everyone stared at him. It didn't help. He slumped to the floor, shaking.

Sir Hapow drew his sword and screamed, charging forward on all fours. Aspen gulped and scrambled back. Hiaashaqwi threw himself on top of Sir Hapow, flattening the man to the floor, and pulled the sword from his hands.

'Stop it, Jaki. Drakaw! You're not yourself. Jat lieewo.' His tail whipped back and forth as he struggled to keep Sir Hapow down. Sekafi hurried to help, and they soon had the enraged guard disarmed and tied down.

Mirok stared at them as if they'd all lost their minds. Then she shrugged as if to say it wasn't her business. 'He sick. He kill you if not treated.'

Aaspaelwin got up into a crouch and headed over to her. 'Mirok?'

'Yes?' She flicked an ear and watched him with an impassive face, her eyes glowing with reflected torchlight.

'What's wrong with him? Sick? What do you mean?'

'Did he eat... bad food? Here?'

'No. We brought our own. But we fought a deer. It bit him. Could that be it?' He glanced at the guard. He cursed and screamed at them to let him loose so he could kill the traitors.

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'A black deer?'

Aaspaelwin turned back to the goblin, wondering what she knew. 'Yes. A black deer. It charged us a few days ago.'

'Did it have arrow in back?'

Aaspaelwin nodded, recalling the black-fletched arrow. He looked at the bow and quiver she carried and lowered his voice to a whisper. 'Sir Hapow has become more and more aggressive since then. Was he infected? Can we help him? You said something earlier...'

She watched him for a while, chewing on her lower lip. Then she sighed. 'The deer, I hunted. Shot with arrows. Is sick. They go crazy, try to kill everything.' She nodded at Sir Hapow. 'Like him.'

He nodded, having already suspected it. 'Can it be cured?'

'Yes. We have cure.'

'Listen, I know you have no reason to trust us, or help us. But please, we want to get rid of the monster. We won't manage that with him on our heels, trying to kill us. Is there anything we can do? Can you help?'

She set the torch in a scone on the wall and sat on a small outcropping of rock. Pulling out a small pouch, she opened it. Green balls of rolled up herbs filled the bag. She picked one out. 'Boil one in little water. Not too long. He drink and be good as new.'

Aaspaelwin smiled. Good as new. Like a piece of furniture or something. 'Thank you. You're a godsend.'

She cackled. 'Not your god, half-elf.'

'I don't care which one.'

They shared a laugh.

Sekafi crawled over and sat beside them. 'What's happening now? We can't go back out that way. Do you have a plan?'

'I have plan. Always.' Mirok grinned.

'Can you help us find the last of the stones?' Aaspaelwin asked. 'We need to copy the magical symbols on it to be able to banish it. And I'm not sure I can find it now.' He glanced towards the tunnel. They still heard the monster growling at the other end. A constant reminder of the danger. 'And I'm not sure how to avoid that either,' he muttered.

'You kill The Many Eyes?'

'Yes, that's the plan.'

She ruffled her hair and sucked on a tooth, her eyes sweeping the small cave. 'I help. Don't want it here.'

Aspen and Sekafi smiled in relief. 'Perfect,' he said. 'How can we ever thank you?'

She stood. 'You keep people away. Fix him.' She nodded at Sir Hapow, pulled up the cowl of her hood, and went to the back of the cave.

Aaspaelwin watched curiously as she felt the walls. 'I'll try.' He'd speak to Lady Hennaja about it as soon as they were back. If people decided to move this way once the monster was banished, the goblins would probably be chased off or killed. It didn't sit right with him.

A scraping noise made his heart jump into his throat. Mirok pulled a small door in the wall open and vanished into the dark behind it.

'What's she doing?' he asked and glanced at Sekafi.

She shrugged. 'Opening a secret door?'

Aaspaelwin snorted.

Mirok returned with a pot and some firewood. He understood. Treat Sir Hapow first.

They boiled the herbs and forced Sir Hapow to drink it, though he screamed and put up quite a fight, yelling about poison and traitors throughout the process. He fell asleep soon after. They spent the rest of the day in the cave, resting and preparing. Mirok told them she knew the way to the stone and could lead them there. But they had to wait for the herbs to work, or they would have to fight Sir Hapow the entire way. With the racket he'd make, the monster would be upon them in no time. She told them her people lived nearby, and they kept close watch on the monster. They sometimes ventured inside the circle to hunt for loot. Many people had died there, leaving their treasures and weapons behind.

Aaspaelwin nodded. He'd found his knife there after all.

Around midnight, Sir Hapow woke up, disoriented and confused but calm. He couldn't remember anything but the flight from the monster. And that, only in glimpses. They filled him in on the details and told him of the plan. Embarrassed, he grumbled an apology, and retreated to Hiaashaqui's side, refusing to speak more of it.

They readied up and followed Mirok out the secret door.

The party sneaked through the dark forest, following the goblin on small paths between hills and through hollows. Staying low to avoid detection. Once, the monster roamed close enough they could glimpse its shadowy form on top of a hill. They froze and barely dared to breathe for several minutes. Then it disappeared from the hill again. They waited some time before continuing. At least they didn't have to worry about missing the stone, Aaspaelwin thought.

With the moons high in the sky, shedding their pale lights, the party arrived. Mirok stopped them with a raised hand, and Aspen crept up beside her. Sekafi followed right behind. Mirok pointed. The stone stood out in the open, in the middle of a small glade.

'We wait,' Mirok whispered. 'Keep watch.'

He nodded and licked his lips. He had intended to do this in daylight, and not when the monster was roaming about, aware of their presence and looking for them. At least he thought it looked for them. This time they were five, though, and might have a greater chance of fighting it, should it attack.

'I'm coming with you,' Sekafi whispered.

'Wouldn't it be quieter if I went alone?'

She snorted. 'As if I trust anyone but me to keep you safe.'

He smiled. Of course, she didn't trust the others to warn him, or to get to his side fast enough. Having her back with him boosted his confidence and relaxed his tensed muscles. He stole across the open ground, making sure to avoid stepping on dry branches, leaves or loose rocks that might give him away. At the slightest sound, he stiffened and held his breath, staring at the wall of tall dark trees around the patch of open ground.

He reached the waystone and glanced back at the others. The goblin's eyes gleamed, and the moonlight reflected off the guards' steel helmets, and the samandar's scales. But he wouldn't have seen them if he hadn't known they were there, hidden mostly in black shadows. He met Sekafi's eyes and she nodded. She'd keep watch. Like old times.

He pulled out his stylus and the parchments Master Owadro had given him, and started copying the first rune.