Another day and the party marched ahead.

They were most of the way through the forest now, and coming up on the banks of the Yitka river.

The Yitka marked one edge of the Great Forest of Innik. On the other side of the river stretched the wide, ranging, grassy plains that came under the domain of the city state of Kalaghutta

The mighty river of Yitka, for most common folk, was the edge of the world.

For those who lived in Kalaghutta or its vast plains, the river was the line that divided the known from the unknown. For them - beyond the river - lay strange lands, mysterious woods, lethal mountains - from whence few returned and of which little was known.

Only the reckless and the desperate went out across the river and into the great forbidden lands beyond.

The first of these was the Great Forest of Innik. As lush and green as it was deep and mysterious. It was this forest through which the party now tread, silent and careful.

This much Elrik came to know in passing.

…

Another scenic, sun dappled glen opened up before the party.

Elrik still felt a twinge of fear every time they came out from wooded cover. The ambush at Elk’s cross still came back to him in moments - with all its suddenness and violence. In another world, he knew he’d call it post traumatic stress. Here.. somehow he felt this was something he just had to get used to.

He felt himself tense up - then felt a hand on his shoulder - it was Yena.

Yena nodded to him - pointing to Agrisu with her chin, “They’re good woodsmen - Agrisu and Senu. If there’s anything out here, they’ll smell it coming.”. She smiled. She seemed to understand. Elrik forced a slow breath and nodded.

Yena was a striking woman. With jet black raven hair and sharp, expressive eyes, her mouth that was always twisted in a wry smile or a quick retort. Sarcastic - but not sly. She didn't speak much. But her wit had a kind of dry scathing honesty to it that you couldn’t help but like her.

She came to watch him sparring with Sakka sometimes. She’d help bandage him up after particularly terrible sessions - but she wasn’t easy on his pride. The last time she’d watched them spar - she’d pointed out Elrik’s every mistake, with cutting clinical accuracy - as Sakka chased him around beating him like a rented mule.

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Part of Elrik was looking forward to her watching his next spar with Sakka - now that he’d ‘acquired spearsmanship’.

Elrik nodded back in acknowledgement.

...

The first sign was small. Strange, but easily missed.

As they walked through the clearing, Elrik spotted the little flower, like a star-jasmine, tucked into Yena's hair.

The flower looked out of place, but pretty. A pale delicate little thing in her black hair. He caught her eyes and gave her a quick smile, quirking his lips, nodding at it. He hadn't thought her the kind to put flowers in her hair.

Yena seemed not to understand, though. She followed his eyes, her hands reaching up, to find the flower in her hair. She gently pulled at it, curious. Clearly she hadn't remembered putting it there.

The flower seemed to resist as she gently tugged at it, as if attached. Yena frowned and tugged harder. Finally, as she pulled, the flower came away. Yena gave a short yelp of surprised pain. Elrik's eyes widened and he came closer.

Yena and Elrik both stared at the flower as it lay in her palm now, in growing horror.

It was small. White petals. Delicate, with a thin dark blue-green stem that ended in tiny pale blue roots. Roots coated in blood. A thin trickle of the same vermillion blood ran down Yena's face from her scalp as she stared at the thing she had plucked from her hair.

The flower hadn't been tucked into Yena's hair.

It had.. somehow.. grown from her.

...

The forest was silent around them. Elrik couldn't take his eyes away from the flower thing that had sprouted from Yena.

Suddenly Agrisu was there, right next to them, staring at the flower intensely.

For a long minute he stood there staring down at the pale bloodied flower, not speaking a word. Elrik could hear his breath coming hard and fast, tense as he stared at the pale thing.

Then with a grunt he was striding off, leaving Elrik and Yena standing where they were, shouting orders to the others “Lose the extra supplies. We march. Now. The Yitka by dawn"

He glanced back at Elrik, a snarl of a smile on his face, “Race for your life Kassi”

In scarcely a heartbeat, Sakka and Senu dropped their packs where they stood. They kneeled in unison to adjust their packs. They didn't question Agrisu or the order. They started dumping spare supplies and readjusting their knapsacks in quick, practiced movements.

Yena still stood where she was, unsure, the flower still sitting in her palm.

”Agrisu. What is this?”, Her voice was quiet, tense. To her credit, it only barely wavered.

Agrisu turned, his eyes deathly serious “The Grove sees us. We must leave these woods. Now. Tonight”

Elrik saw it then. Fear. Deathly, absolute terror danced at the very edges of the large man’s eyes. His hands were clenching and unclenching at nothing. The always smiling Agrisu wasn’t smiling any more. And he was afraid.

Jesus. What kind of twisted place was this he’d found himself in?

Yena rose and took hold of Agrisu's arm. She nodded to him, once, her eyes meeting his.

Then she was down and shakily taking her pack apart, casting away anything she didn't need.

Agrisu gestured to Elrik’s arm with a low growl, "Tear them out, root and stem before they take hold”

Elrik turned to look at the back of his hand.

A tiny, exquisite blue green leaf was budding from Elrik’s wrist.