There was not much more to learn from the body of the scout, and while some part of me felt the impulse to, I don't know, bury the body or something, the two women that had led me here showed no signs of such inclinations. Kara was busy fondling the gem she still had in her hand and Tonja just looked into the darkness with a blank face.

"We have to move." She finally said. "The scream has not gone by unnoticed."

And so we left the scene, walking into the darkness at a brisk pace. I could feel the forest awaken around me. Creatures of the night stretching their limbs, filling the air with their noises. Suddenly Kara stopped and turned to us. She tossed the little amber-like gem to me, which I fumbled to catch. She lifted her head up as if listening, then threw a meaningful look to Tonja who nodded immediately and seriously.

"We have to leave the path." She said. I had not even known we were on a path. 

And we did, ducking under the branches, trying to move through the thick underbrush as silent as possible. Kara looked at us again, laying a finger to her lips. She then sat down and produced a bone-club, a scepter even, carved with symbols and ornated with feathers, rocking back and forth while humming a little tune.

"Come this way." Tonja whispered, gently dragging me away from her, until we had a rock at our back, where she let me go, intently watching the [Shaman]. We watched the strange, little woman for a while until she swept her club in front of her. A little gust of wind wandered past me, following the motion, rustling through the woods in a faint whisper.

"There were a few light sleepers I had to calm." Kara said and got up walming over to us.

"Sleepers?" Tonja asked, gripping me tightly, as if in fear. "Is it done, then?"

Kara nodded. "All done."

"Then what..." I began to ask but got interrupted when I heard Tonja muttering something.

"[Soothe the Nervous Mind]." She whispered, still gripping me tightly. What was she...? A wave of calm hit me, turning my body into lead. My mind began to drown into a world of muted silk, noises suppressed, my vision swimming. It felt good. Time slowed down to a crawl. I felt Zero moving over my body, looking at my face. I just grinned at him. Someone somewhere said "[Control Plants]", and I fell. Zero flew through the air in slow motion, grabbing a nearby tree. I fell down a hole that suddenly opened up under me as if the roots I had been standing on just moved out of the way. Wait. That was exactly what had happened. A cave under me, with a little entry hole, disguised by a net of roots. I could not feel anything. No anger or fear. I just calmly tumbled down, unspooling because Zero had fettered up top and was still wrapped around me, tightening up trying to break my fall. He finally caught my leg, pain racing through the pudding that was my awareness under the influence of that strange Skill. I dangled a couple of feet over the root covered ground of a cave. It was dark, and I could not bring myself to activate any Skill, not even [Eyes to Pierce the Darkness].

Then a light floated down, illuminating the cave. The walls of the cave were covered in giant eggs. Hundreds of translucent eggs, in which I could see black shapes floating. But worst of all were the spiders.

Large, black, and hairy spiders, as large as dogs, just sitting in silence, unmoving. They had a white mark on their fat bodies, looking like a skull. Sleeping? Unmoving in any case. With a snap, the influence of the Skill left me and reality returned in all its gruesome clarity. As I looked up I could see roots growing out of the sides of the hole, covering the hole like a net.

"I would be very very still." Tonja's voice came from above, cold as ice. "Skullhead Spiders are very easily disturbed. A swarm of those can devour a moose in 16 seconds, bones, and all. Kara sent them to sleep, but a wrong move and they wake up."

And I stopped every movement I had planned, staying very very still. Those spiders looked like every nightmare I ever had as a child. I was not dead yet, acts of desperation could wait.

"Tell your chain to not make any mistakes, human." Kara hissed.

"Zero, be calm." I whispered. "Calm, calm, calm." Some motion above - no idea what was going on - had made me swing back and forth a little bit, bringing me dangerously close to the spiders. "Just hold me here."

I then tried to lift my head, where all my blood was rushing to, looking around. Slowly I reached for the chain with my hands, gripping Zero. "Let me go." I said. As silently as possible, Zero eased his grip, and I slipped out of the knot, landing on the soft ground under me with nary a sound. My hand was on the handle of the Ravenbeak, while I slowly turned, watching the spiders.

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"Let's talk a moment, shall we?" Tonja said from above.

"What are you doing?" I could barely keep silent in my anger.

"The Mad King is a kind creature, and not attuned to the ways of the world anymore. But we see you. I read you. A human in the Wyld? I saw the darkness in your soul. The guilt you feel. The death you think you have brought. I will not let you bring demise to those under my care."

"Not to speak of the life you took in the forest. A scout of the Snake Clan?" There was the hissing of Kara again. I could see their shadows moving above the hole in the ceiling. "We know the clans are in turmoil. The fires of the clans burn for us as bright as for any other Wyldling. But I am of the Snake Clan, and demand an answer. That man was not slain but butchered."

"If you have access to the fires, then you should know of me." I hissed back. "Hannibal Raven, brother in spirit to Cogar Firehand of the Bear Clan."

"There is no [Fire Keeper] here to read the flames, we have nothing but your word. But the song of the Wyld sings of the darkness you unearthed."

"Does it now? And how would you know? I heard you don't have the control yet."

There was a muffled conversation above. Kara asking angry questions to a defensive Tonja. Finally, Tonja said: "You don't know what you are talking about. The Mad King is overprotective. Keen on never allowing others to make the same mistakes he did."

"Let me get this straight," I spat, "you interpret your own madness and let the Wyld be the judge of me? And call it just?"

"Kara read the song and I read your guilt." Tonja said. "You have done something. Tell us true or die. We will not let you live as a danger to the Mad King and those under his protection. And you are not judged yet."

My mind was racing, searching for a way out. This hole had just one opening and it was covered. Zero still dangled from a tree. I had nothing. There were too many spiders around, and they looked vicious. I presumed to be one quick thought away from an angry swarm rushing over me. I had not enough time to do anything else but be as honest as I could.

"First of all, I truly am a brother to Cogar Firehand, brother to the Bear Clan and travel on their behalf and those of every Wyldling following the old ways. You would do well remembering that. If you do not know what has happened to your home, let me up and get you up to speed in detail." I took a deep breath. "But get me the fuck out of this fucking hole."

"No." Tonja said. "We saw what you did to that Wyldling back there. You are too dangerous. You are safe where you are unless Kara stops protecting you. Do nothing rash and no harm will befall you."

"Now answer our question. I am getting tired. And you don't want that." Kara declared. "Now, what have you done?"

I saw no other way out. I was caught. "All right, you got me." I sighed, mind racing to form my argument. "I have done nothing but to fight for my life. Nothing that happened was done out of malicious intent, or any intent at all. I found myself in the deepest pits of the Divide, the mountain range to the west. I killed something that was dead already."

I had done nothing wrong. It was the truth. I felt guilt of course, I did. But not because I made a wrong choice, I never had one, to begin with. I felt guilty because my actions had set other things in motion I had not an ounce of control over. So I told them the story of the silent city, keeping a few details out of it. But I told them of the creature that lurked in the darkness and the mist, the shadow-touched beasts that hunted the nights of the Wyld now, clashing with the Nightmares. I told them of the troubles of the clans, which were ground to dust between darkness and the Wyld. I told them of Cogar Firehand and his fight with the White Beast.

"It is Barak Bloodbraid who found the strength for the Snake to devour the other totem beasts. Eldritch magics that use the power of human sacrifice, or sacrifice of your people, that led to the victory over the humans beyond the mountains and the departure of the Snake Clan. He found what he was looking for in the Broken Lands or beyond. I am looking for a way, the Wyldlings of the old ways can take to survive, Bear is my witness. We are on the same side." I finally pleaded.

"I am on no one's side but the Mad King's," Tonja stated "but I see the truth in your words. Kara?"

There was a long minute of silence between us, while Kara was in thought.

"The totem beasts have been devoured?" She finally asked. She was very calm. Too calm. "How? How could I not see that coming? I knew Barak to be rotten to the core, but the Snake? If you say his words are true, Tonja, then they are. I trust your empathy."

"And what do you want to do with him?" Tonja asked. 

"Let him out. We have to speak to the Mad King."

And I climbed Zero, pulling myself up to the level of the women. We stood there, exchanging frosty looks.

"I will not apologize for taking the protection of my people seriously." Tonja said with determination, but as if she wished to say something else. 

"Nor will I for demanding answers over the death of one of my clansmen." Kara agreed. 

Both stared at me challengingly. I was very wary of the two now, touching the steel of my weapons, while Zero had returned to me, rising over my shoulder and likewise watching the women very carefully. 

"You have shown a poor way to earn a friend's trust tonight." I was disgusted by their ploy. I knew the Wyldlings to be uncivilized, but the lack of honor they showed and the lack of dignity they allowed me, was hard to forgive - especially for a nobleman. "I am not in the business of being vindictive, and I have bigger concerns than your honor, but neither am I quick to forget such things." 

The reaction was a little underwhelming, and not worth the anger. Kara was already looking around, listening to wind rushing through the trees or whatever else she was hearing, and Tonja looked at me with a perfectly plain face, showing me nothing. 

"Get moving." She said, indicating with her chin which direction she wanted me to take.