I slowed to a stop and tried to catch my breath. All around me was the towering trees, patches of brambles, and lush greenery of the Darkmoss. Where the hells had everyone gone? I would have sworn Mallika and Brent were right next to me. I tried to slow my breathing and strain my ears. Someone was yelling. I located the direction of the voice and took off, trying to get close before whoever it was faded away. When I stopped, I heard nothing. I sat down and waited. I wasn't going to be able to hear shit with my blood pumping through my ears. Once I was calm, I listened.

The sound of large bipedal creatures marching through the forest drew my attention. "Hello!" I yelled, my hands cupped around my mouth. The walking stopped.

"Hey. Follow the sound of my voice."

I think that was Kark. "Coming!"

"Don't run." The voice called back.

Sure enough it was Kark and also Un who stayed silent most of the time. Kark, like the rest of us except Un and Harbinger, was dressed in the long tunic and hide skirt Harbinger had picked out a while ago.

"What happened?"

"Not sure. I lost track of everyone almost as soon as we started running."

"Same. Then I got turned around once or twice."

"I think Un has an idea, but I can't understand her."

I gave the Hornless woman a slight bow. She returned it and started marching on. "Does she know the way back to camp?"

"No idea." Kark admitted. "But I'm lost, so I'll just follow her lead."

We entered camp an hour or so later. Harbinger looked up, noted us, and asked, "seen Brent or Seig?"

I shook my head. Kark said "no," and Un started speaking in that baby talk common to Anorians. Harbinger nodded along.

"Okay, from now on nobody runs unless it's an emergency. Neesha and I will go search for Brent and Seig, the rest of you prepare for dark." Harbinger gave Un some instructions and she nodded.

"What happened?" I asked as we wandered into the forest toward where we had started the experiment that had gotten us all hopelessly lost.

"Not sure. Un seems to think it's some forest spirit trickery and I've heard enough about this place to believe it."

"Are we in danger?"

"I doubt it. Think you can walk a straight line?"

"Maybe."

"You head east, I'll go north. Give it about thirty minutes and head back."

"Got it."

About an hour later I made it back to where I started to find Harbinger and Brent.

"Back to camp. If we're lucky Seig will already be there."

Seig stumbled into camp while we were discussing if we should search tonight or wait until morning. With everyone accounted for, we could continue with the original plan. Which was to start clearing the area of trees and brush. It had taken nearly a week to find a decent spot within walking distance of home, about a four hour walk each way. Harbinger and Saito had worked up some plans for a structure that I was going to call a fort. Circular in design, it would have a single entrance that led into a central courtyard. Actual rooms would be set against the walls, the roofs of which would function as the ramparts. I wasn't confident that we could actually build the structure in just a couple weeks, but once we had most of the materials collected and prepped, someone was going to go back and fetch Saito for the actual construction.

Morning was for checking the traps, collecting water, and preparing for the day. After that was training with Un. She was currently running through shield wall tactics and basic discipline. The rest of the day was spent preparing the site, eating, and general comradery. We had a nightly poker game going. The lush green world around us full of food and materials was a far cry from the Hornless ruled lands to the east. If all went according to plan, in a month we would be bringing in weekly runs of pelts and trading with home for spices, salt, and personal needs. Setup was a lot of work, but I can’t say I wasn’t enjoying it. The only Hornless we were dealing with was the two Anorians and they always seemed oblivious to us as different people. Un spent most of her freetime carving what looked like a mask. Saito joined in and generally lost in our nightly game. And Harbinger, honestly I keep forgetting he isn’t one of us.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

***

I took a few more steps forward before I had to stop. The structure in front of me loomed like a giant ready to strike. The plant covered and overgrown walls threatened death in all the worst ways. Something in my very nature told me to turn and run.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Harbinger yelled back from near the entrance.

We all just looked at him, as if he and Un were mad for even approaching the ruin.

"Come on." He turned and walked through the large archway where there had presumably been a massive door.

I looked back at the others. They had stopped as a group some twenty paces behind me. Mallika shook her head and Brent took a sizable step backward. I looked at the entryway, at the maul that wanted to consume me. I ran. I'm not supposed to run in the Darkmoss, but I did. It was the only way I was going to fight the looming dread this place filled me with. I opened my mouth to scream as I crossed the threshold, but it disappeared as if someone had very suddenly removed a heavy load. I panted, trying to catch my breath and calm my racing heart. What the hells? I looked back at the others and waved. They shook their heads and backed off. Weird actually, it's just a crumbling building.

The entranceway was a good three strides thick, a true fortress. Once I passed that threshold a new and equally unnerving sensation hit me, like every fucking stone was staring at me. It put the little hairs all over my body on end.

"What's wrong?" Harbinger asked, looking past me at the retreating others.

"What do you mean, what's wrong?" I shot back.

He gave me a funny look. "Well you seem on edge and the others look downright scared. So what's wrong?"

I spread my arms out to indicate everything about the ruins around us. "How are you okay with literally everything watching us?" This was frustrating.

Harbinger looked around at the ruins, then spoke to Un who only shook her head. "We don't feel anything watching."

So this was just a me thing? I looked back out the entryway. Or just a Horned thing?

I looked around and took in the ruins since I was here. There wasn't much to see. The round walls were covered in mosses and vines, small bushes growing out of them in random places. The ground was raised, likely due to the collapse of whatever had been above the walls. It was now overgrown with grasses, bushes, and full of trees reaching upward to the sky above. I approached a central pillar where Harbinger and Un were. The pillar flared upward covering a massive statue from the elements. A massive stone woman stared down at me. She wore an elaborate headdress that entangled jewelry into her horns and she held a large orb in one hand. Her mouth opened as if she was going to take a bite of something that would never come.

"Hey!" Alek started, but his next words were in the Anorian baby talk. Un had been scratching something into the stone orb and apparently Alek was taking offense to it.

I carefully approached though I swear the statue was following my movements with its eyes. The stone orb was a bit weathered and discolored, but otherwise in decent shape. Un was scratching in lines near a finger on one of the rougher parts. Hesitantly, I reached out and touched the rough stone surface half expecting the statue to move.

"That's the north sea." Alek said.

"What?"

He pointed. "The flat parts are the water, you're currently touching the north sea." He moved his finger down onto the deliberately textured part. "We are here."

"It's a map." I whispered to myself, but Alek agreed. I had to step back and take the whole thing in. "It's a huge map."

"Yeah, and Un is defacing it to put in her own damn country." He sounded annoyed, but didn’t stop her.

"That's Anoria?"

"What? No. That's Mizu-something-or-another. This flat spot next to it is the Anorian sea. Everything around that is Anoria."

That was a lot. Either Anoria was fucking huge, or the map I was staring at wasn't that big. "What about our country? How big is that?"

Alek examined the orb for a moment then put his hands on it revealing a rough square. It was half the size of Un's country. "Whoa."

"Yeah." Alek agreed. "Our most accurate maps come from these things. Fucking weird."

"Who is she?"

"Who? The statue?"

"Yeah."

Alek shrugged. "No idea. What makes you think their a she?"

"I… I don't know. It's a woman. I'm sure of it."

"Huh."

"I wish she would stop staring at me."

"It's a sculpting trick. Something to do with how the eyes are cut."

"Good to know it's not just moving to follow me."

Alek apparently grew disinterested in the woman and started exploring the ruins further. Un finished defacing the orb and made to join him. There was no way I was sticking around alone when every fucking brick in this place was watching me, so I followed Un. The other hand hadn't been covered by the flare in the pillar and at some point it must have fallen. It was weathered and broken into several pieces, but it clearly depicted a struggling Tel’ani. A Tel’ani that was clearly destined for the giant woman's mouth. Fucking creepy. I never want to go near another Narzgog ruin again.

***

Home. Home was a mixed bag. On one hand I could fall back into the easy familiarity of a normal routine. I was back to making breakfast in the mornings and caring for the horse. The rest of the day was mine except for the hour or so I helped Saito with learning my own language. He was getting good. On the other hand, Raiah was still grope-y and bossy, and I kind of missed the others who stayed in the fort. I was sorta the odd man out. I did well enough in Un's shield wall drills, but I was a terrible hunter. The group seemed to assume I was Harbinger's right hand, which left a bit of a Rift between us, primarily me and Mallika. Back home though, it was a good feeling. Especially to be left alone this month. It would have been harder surrounded by seven men.