Everything blurred like winter mist rolling over a calm sea. Faintly, Josef could hear John and Claudius, but he felt altogether somewhere else. He could still feel the damp of the sewer floor and walls, but his internal vision had shifted.

Was Moonsneeze over? Was this how he was going to go out?

Josef then heard a whistling as a small oval object plummeted from an invisible sky. It was an olive-green egg. A crack fissured along its length, then a tiny beak ruptured the shell. The beak turned and twisted before the egg itself shattered and disappeared.

Josef felt absolutely bewildered. He was still alive, he was still in the sewers — he could still smell the sewers, but now a baby crow cocked its head at him. It stared, then gave a weak cry, downy feathers tufting up from its body. Josef looked on as it grew and aged before his eyes. Soon full-length, luscious feathers sprouted and draped down from its body and its wings.

The crow's black eye twitched. It focused. Josef felt himself being made into an object.

Its beak opened as it continued to grow. The crow spoke, "Goo-drinker, my name is Primfeather. I am an emissary from The Crow Meadow. Word of your valour has spread quickly throughout our feld and so hastily we contact you."

Josef stared at the crow afresh and felt himself relax while also become increasingly curious. He wasn't dying — at least not yet, but how was this crow talking to him? Could Claudius and John see what he was seeing? It was like his body had shutdown but his mind was clearer than ever.

"How…how is this even possible?" Josef asked, looking about the misted world within which the crow hovered. The crows wings were folded. It didn't move.

But then, almost cheerfully, it hopped towards Josef and splayed open its beak, revealing its pinkish tongue. "Please be quiet, goo-drinker. I must quickly speak what I have to say. Making contact as I am now takes untold resources and so I must hurry."

The crow was all business. "Understood," said Josef slowly, still bewildered over the fact he was communicating with a seemingly aging and ageless crow.

"As I said," Primfeather continued, "news of your valour has spread, but there is danger. The Crow Meadow has suffered a great blow. Out of wild fear, the brainsnake named Gupnit has taken a torch to our meadow. All of our trees are burning as we speak."

Images of leafless trees incinerating beneath ten moons flashed in Josef's mind along with brief snapshots of crows chained to the meadow and the trees themselves. They wouldn't be able to escape. A stream of sorrow trickled into Josef's chest and then throat.

The crow's voice briefly retreated, but then returned. "We have nowhere else to turn, goo-drinker. Our feldlings are too fearful of The Ba'ha Company. Our meadow burns. As we speak, fire crowds around Greytusk, our central tree. Please, we ask you, come and save our meadow."

Josef was stunned. He could still hear Claudius and John talking to him from a distance, but their voices were distorted and frail. He didn't know what to say. The crows knew he still had to get ratified. Were they asking him to sacrifice himself for their meadow?

Primfeather lowered his head. "We know what we ask. But we ask it anyways."

Josef paused and thought through what Primfeather was requesting of him. He'd already renounced their offer for ratification so they could live, but now it seemed it'd been for nothing. The Crow Meadow was in flames, burning away.

"If we went back. If we went back and did what we could, could you then ratify me? Or would my ratification still potentially destroy you?"

Primfeather stared at Josef. "No. We have not the strength. Between the fire and our contact now, our resources are nearly depleted."

"So you ask me to die," Josef stated.

"We ask you to use your precious time within the Lush Heap wisely, to save a sacred feld. Goo-drinkers perish. We've seen so many lose their way. Make use of the time you have left. Aid us."

Josef turned into himself. There was only silence. Was he truly destined to die so quickly? Claudius never stopped talking about how this was his best record. And the way John looked at him, like he was already falling into his grave. And now the crows, once again guiding him to what he didn't want to know.

After a moment's pause, Josef said what he had to say: "I can't. Back in the meadow, I chose to not endanger your small grove any further with my ratification. But now you ask me to sacrifice myself completely for you. I'm sorry, but I must ratify myself first. If I don't, I will die. I cannot help you."

Primfeather straightened, extending his black wings out into the white mist. Then the crow stiffened. Josef watched in amazement and fear as the crow's feathers began to fall from his body and into the mist.

"We knew the answer before I came," said Primrose, his body sinking, weakening. "But we had to try for our feld, for our feldlings."

A soft rush of sadness rose up within Josef as he watched Primfeather wilt away in front of his very eyes. He was leaving just as quickly as he'd taken life. More feathers fell, the wings drooped, his eyelids wavered and closed. His beak tipped skyward and then his frail crow body collapsed.

What have I done, thought Josef. But he'd had no choice. Their terms requested his death. He'd made his decision.

Primfeather wheezed, his voice barely audible. "In my place, a seedling will soon appear. Our meadow burns away into the night. We ask you replant it where Greytusk, our central, tree is now licked by flames."

Then, slowly, a green light, the same green light as in the meadow, shone out from the interior of Primfeather's wasted body. The feathers evaporated; the green light brightened and then flashed.

Primfeather was gone. In his place, Josef saw, was a shining seedling, rotating in the space of Josef's mind. He felt no need to reach out for it. He already had it.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

The white mist faded. External reality returned. His rag sack was wet once again from his collapse into a sewer puddle. Claudius and John were crouched beside him.

He heard Claudius's voice. "I think he's coming back…"

John cackled. "He's blinking that's a good sign, right?"

Josef brought his hand to his temple. His mind had just been hijacked. His vision trembled, he rubbed his eyes and looked from Claudius to John. Claudius's gills flapped steadily, but both the Sea Gwell and John were composed.

"Feldspeak," said Claudius slowly.

Josef pushed himself up from the sewer floor, peeling the wet rag cloth from his back and butt. He was still holding his short sword, but he felt like he'd just woken up.

"The eyes go white," explained John. "Thought you were ditching this world for a second, Josef lad. But then I saw the whiteness arrive and cloud out your iris and pupil."

"The crows. Primfeather. The meadow is burning," Josef said as everything tumbled through his mind.

Claudius's gills flipped straight upwards. Josef watched he sucked in a breath of air and then released it. "Slow down, Josef. You were just thrown into a feldspeaking. You need to think carefully if you should share what you've learned with us. Although we're probably past that point already."

"The Crow Meadow is on fire. Gupnit's lit it on fire. They want me to go back."

"Gupnit?" replied Claudius. "The brainsnake has lost it. He's just earned himself a twelve depropagations. This isn't good…if The Crow Meadow is out of commission then—"

But John cut Claudius off. "Can you move, Josef?"

Josef nodded. He was still a little out of it, but well enough to keep going.

"Then let's keep hustling. Mal awaits. Moonsneeze does not. I don't relish what's about to unfold for me when I arrive, but I'd rather see you live for a few more days than you leaving your remains all over these sewer walls."

"That was visceral," replied Josef as they once again commenced their dash towards Gangdrup. "I think we need to discover a more charming way to speak about my mortality."

"Sleepy time?" volunteered Claudius.

But Josef's thoughts were already turning back to the seedling. He could still feel it. It was there vibrating, available within his mind. He need to know more about what had just happened.

Suddenly a wetness sprang to life under his nose. Josef sniffed a familiar smell.

"It's the small things," said Claudius. "Some more Weaselscruff. Also, guess what. You're still alive!"

Josef couldn't decided whether he wanted to laugh or cry. But the Weaselscruff helped. He'd been holding his breath without knowing it, but now he could breathe, and he sucked in air tinted with scents of weasel fur and lettuce, or perhaps it was spinach.

A torch fluttered as they ran past it, its light splaying their shadows against the sewer's far wall. Josef reflected on what Claudius had said — what should he share with them? What was appropriate?

"Can I speak about it in generalities," asked Josef, splashing in every puddle as he ran. It helped him concentrate.

Claudius nodded. "Most presume it's allowed. Most."

"Well during this…"

"Feldspeaking," offered Claudius.

"Sure," Josef continued, "during this feldspeaking I was given an object."

John all of sudden skidded to a halt. "Here we are. A special detour for a special fishman and goo-drinker."

Josef looked at Claudius wanting to say more, but he saw the Sea Gwell's was absorbed by John's sudden halt.

"John, my dear sewerman, this is a wall" Claudius said sharply, tapping his foot.

John gave a short chuckle as he removed a rusted key from inside his cloak. He then craned his neck around to look at the backside of the torch flaming in front of them. Josef could feel its gentle heat washing over his face. He also could still feel, in the air, Moonsneeze's electric energy.

"One second," John said as he wrapped his hand around to the backside of the torch's brazier. Josef heard the key scrape. "Here we are." Something clicked. "Praise the sewers."

Josef took a step back in expectation, but nothing happened. The wall didn't move. Claudius sighed. Josef turned to John, even more confused. "Was that supposed—"

The wall remained still, but suddenly from behind them a great scraping sound emerged from within the sewer water itself. John whistled. "Sewerfolk secrets."

Both Josef and Claudius turned and watched as two massive walls surged up from the sewer water, blocking the water's flow. Next, the sewer water trapped between the two newly raised walls began to drain away. A series of stone stairs gradually revealed themselves as the sewer water rushed away. The walls on either side were pristine, but the entire staircase was covered in a green algae-like smile. A lone gujai flopped apathetically on the fourth stair.

"Get going!" shouted John, his hand holding the key in place. "I'll follow after." Josef took a hesitant step forward, but Claudius grabbed his goo-drinker's rag sac.

"Wait a second, Josef. I want to trust our favourite sewerman here, but he's done us wrong before. You first John," Claudius said, pointing a teal finger down the darkened staircase.

John pressed his lanky fingers to his temple. "Well one of you better grab a torch then. As soon as I release this key, we have only a minute to navigate the tunnel."

Claudius paused, looked at John. "This is how people die."

But Josef was already running back to the nearest torch. John had waved him away from the one with the key in it.

Josef pulled a flickering torch from its bracket and sprinted back down the sewer ledge. "Let's do this!" he said without stopping and began to descend the staircase.

"Josef!" shouted Claudius, casting a glance back at John. "You were supposed to wait—"

"Down, fishman!" shouted John as he turned the key. Claudius waited, however, until John had ducked into the passageway before following him down.

Josef waved the torch out in front of himself. Its blaze roared in the darkness. Random pieces of detritus littered the steps. He kicked aside a broken box as John pushed by him to take the lead.

"No time to waste, goo-glugger. Hurry on now!" John said as he flew down the stone stairs. Josef ran after him, pushing the torch out in front of himself, lighting the way. John had obviously used the passage before. The stairs terminated after about twenty feet and a long hallway then took its place.

On the last stone stair, Josef lost his balance, his leg flying up to his head for a short second, but he successfully stabilized himself. The sewer's slime coated everything, and Josef was tempted to slow down, but he'd already tried drowning on sewer water and it left much to be desired.

"I didn't think these tunnels were real," said Claudius, his voice echoing and then dying away.

John stopped and guided Josef firmly to the right. A spiral staircase burst into view. Its spiral was tight — the height of the steps longer than their width. Josef plunged onward, hopping down the spiral staircase while John called his name. Josef then heard the grating of stone.

He turned and watched as Claudius ducked into the spiral staircase as well. He'd done it just in time. Just as he slipped through, a stone wall ground against the floor, closing behind Claudius and locking them into the spiral staircase.

Claudius crouched and slammed his webbed hands down on his knees. "Holy void cakes. That was heinous. You sewerfolk sure know how to craft a death trap."

"I'll get swatted for showing outsiders these tunnels," said John under his breath, "but I think the situation calls for it."

Josef agreed, heartily, and dashed down the stone steps, spiralling deeper and deeper down. He felt like he was back on the ladder, fleeing the Ba'ha regiment summoned by the tolling bells. He couldn't believe he was still alive. Moonsneeze, he prayed, please last.

"For the record," John said, trotting down the stairs behind Josef, "we never built these tunnels — they precede us sewerfolk."

"Really?" replied Claudius. "They're from the monastery's time?"

"Older than that," John said in response, but he didn't volunteer anything more.

Josef then heard Claudius whispering to John. He slowed. He couldn't hear what they were saying. Why were they whispering?

Josef turned to face them. "What was that you just said?"

John turned his head away. Claudius's gills danced.

"Don't you worry one bit, Josef," Claudius said. "Everything is fine."