The silence didn’t last long as the soft rattling of dead, fallen leaves of red and yellow caused the birds of the forest to scatter, and all manner of woodland wildlife to scamper away shortly behind their flapping wings.

“Fox face!” Asema yelled, clearly still angry about the words the two boys had spoken to her. Red in the face, those two boys had clearly damaged her self-image, and in a true hotheads fashion, she lashed out at those around her. “Come out! Or, better yet, don’t. Go home, we don’t need you.”

I expected Saise to respond in anger, but the only sound that came in response was a gust of wind that sent a cloud of dust in my nose causing me to sneeze; it echoed across the valley of trees and Vekrem shot me a sly grin.

Turning towards Asema, he said, “Perhaps she is further in; maybe she found something of note?”

“Pfft, what does it matter? Your kind, the hybrids, don’t give a shit about us humans—even if you pretend too. Oh, you put on a strong visage, but I see right through it. You don’t care what happens to us, you just want another means to control our future.” Touching the Rot on her cheek with a gentle hand, she added, “You’ll see us all dead before you give us the means to free ourselves.” Looking up, she took a long inhalation of breath, holding it, and then releasing it up towards the sky. “I’ll make sure that we get that cure. Mark my words, I will.”

Vekrem shuffled towards her, reaching out a hand. “Asema, please—” But, as he came close, she turned, and was already walking away from him.

Stepping close to my friend, I said, “Let it go. She isn’t ready to trust you yet, and trying to force it will only push her away.”

Vekrem twisted, a hateful scowl locking onto me, causing me to take an exaggerated gulp. “What are you implying?”

Stepped back, I saw a distinct look of violence in the endlessness of his eyes, and I knew he wasn’t joking in his mannerisms. “Isn’t it obvious? You like her. Right?”

“Like her?” Vekrem laughed, but it sounded wrong and forced, as if it were more for himself than me. “I could never ‘like’ a human in that way. I have no clues as to what gave you such an idea.”

I shook my head, anger boiling up in me now. “Tell yourself whatever the hell you want; it’s clear as fucking day to me. Just as clear as the fact that you’re trying to hide it from yourself.”

Vekrem raised his hand as if he would strike me. I stared at his fist, trembling with untapped rage, but I suspected that rage was not intended for me. Slowly, he lowered his fist. “Let us go, and speak not a word of your nonsense to anyone else.”

Daring, I replied, “Or?”

Vekrem turned back, muttering, “Fucking human.”

His use of a curse shamed me, and while I’d said what I said from a place of annoyance, he still took it far more seriously than I’d intended.

Dragon rumbled in the back of my head. “Why are mortals so intent on setting boundaries on and within themselves? If one finds a partner in life that is of equal mind, equal heart, and equal soul, then nothing should break them apart. Not the laws of a realm, the rules of the powerful, nor the squabbling between races. Not even death.”

“Dragon, are you telling me love can transcend death?” I asked, truly curious as to the answer. “As in, Death Death?”

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“There are many things that eclipse death. To mortals, death is a word to signify the end, and yet, to an immortal being, death is merely another word for change. And change is inevitable for all. From the tiniest of insects, to beings that scale universes; all changes.”

I nodded to Dragon’s words and found that I stood alone beneath the falling leaves of a large tree. Looking around, I saw not a marker of where Vekrem and Asema had disappeared too. Looking down, I saw the scattering of leaves in a distinct path, as if someone had haphazardly kicked them as they walked. Vekrem. I followed the path he had laid out, but every tree to my own woefully sorry knowledge looked the same. Worse, when I tried to reach out to him via the Dragon’s link, I felt a sort of wall blocking me. It was as if Vekrem blocked me himself.

Could he do that?

“The rodent has a strong will,” Dragon said. “You could learn a thing or two from him. Perhaps, by the time this is over, you will.”

“And you could learn to mind your own fucking business.” At my insult, Dragon smoldered cold fury, settling back to his chosen position in my mind, and offering no additional comments. With the now eerily howling wind at my back, I asked out loud. “Now… where did you guys go?”

And, like the answering of a prayer, I heard a scream ring off in the distance. My legs carried me forward before my mind could react. Brush struck my face as I rushed haphazardly forward, unable to think, unable to stop, my body paying little care for the damage it sustained as sharp branches and twigs cut into my skin.

Eventually, the beauty of the forest gave way to a horrific sight—

A bone graveyard… of sorts. At least, that’s what I suspected at first. Slowly, I took in my surroundings, and found things were not exactly as I first suspected. While true that animal carcasses littered the area, their bones telling a tale of death and carnage, the trees of the forest told a similar tale—but one much older, their natural large and luscious forms gave way to an ageless rot and decay. My nerves were on edge as my eyes darted, looking for hidden enemies around every nook and cranny. Every hair on my body stood on end, waiting for the inevitable attack.

Slowly, I reached one of the animal carcasses, finding something peculiar in its decrepit form. The animal, a deer from the looks of it, was not just dead, it looked as if thick, thorny vines that wrapped around its body, had drained it of all nutrients. The entirety of its blood. The vines themselves were red as well, and they appeared gorged on the innards of the animal. Whatever manner of horror had done this, I wanted no part of it.

Another scream pulled me from my silent contemplation as I, once again, rushed to the source, a feeling of dread flooding me.

A primal fear enveloped my senses as I asked myself, Were they captured by whatever creature had done this?

I crept from around a corner to find the answer to my question. Vekrem and Asema were both bound by the same gnarled vines which had covered the deer before, and my heart fell into my stomach. Around them were three creatures that I didn’t recognize, but they themselves seemed to be made of the same reddish vines, gnarled and circling around to make vagueish body parts.

Those monsters of thorn and bone circled Vekrem and Asema, as if they planted the vines from their own bodies around them. And, with a sickening realization, I knew it was exactly what they were doing.

I pondered rushing forward, throwing myself into the fight, but fear grasped me in its icy grip. Holding a hand to my heart, I couldn’t help its perpetual drumming; so fast I felt faint to its constant—

Beat

Beat

Beat

“Dragon,” I whispered in my mind. “What should we do?”

“We?” he replied. “Use your gifts and save your companions. Is it not obvious?”

“Do you see those things?”

“I do.”

“Then how can you say that? They’ll fucking kill me.” I fingered my dagger. “Can I even hurt them with this stupid thing?” Dragon rumbled consideringly, but offered no additional support. Sighing, I added, “Worthless…”

My foot slipped, falling into a pile of dead, dried leaves which crunched loudly. The creatures lifted their heads, listening intently for their next victim.

I didn’t dare breathe as I waited for them to collapse on me, to tear me to shreds. I wondered silently if Dragon could take me home, then shame stopped me from even asking. Eventually, they returned to their gruesome work, finishing quickly, and then lumbering away from the two as to let their vines drain them dry, leaving them nothing but broken husks.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I made my way to them as carefully as I could, dagger in hand.