If they were being followed, Gareth didn’t glimpse anyone among the trees. Soon, he no longer heard whoever it was, leaving him and Thea to walk through the snowy forest in silence, other than the crunch of the snow under their boots. By the time night came, the sky had been dark with clouds for a while. A harsh wind blew the snow at the two of them, making them stumble into each other. With the darkness and snow, they couldn’t go any further. Gareth look at Thea, but could barely see her.

He could barely see the remains of the houses around them. The remains of Frostberry village. There was no choice. Thea made the first move, stumbling toward the house with the most of its stone structure still standing. The door even closed most of the way. It was blissfully still inside, even if it was frigid. The window by the door was cracked, but not broken. Half the room was filled with rubble.

Thea and Gareth got a fire going in the hearth. By the light, the two inspected the room. It didn’t look about to collapse further. It would be a good shelter until morning or until the snow stopped. The two of them settled on the floor by the fire, eating their dried meat and stale bread in silence. Gareth looked at the stone fragment when he put his water flask back in his bag, but it wasn’t glowing more than usual. At a strange grunt, he looked at Thea.

“What?” she asked.

The grunt came again, or more like a snort, but this time he was sure it came from outside. Thea went over to the window and Gareth followed, but she turned around quickly and pulled him down to his knees. This close to the cracked window, Gareth heard something breathing hard out there. He slowly stood just enough to see out, his blood running cold as he lowered himself back down. The snow had stopped, but there was a monster outside.

Thea crept back over the fire, putting it out with water from her flask. Gareth moved closer to her, away from the door. He kept a hand on the hilt of his sword. She had a hand on hers. The creature outside moved closer, in clear view of the window, even with the two of them near the floor. Its white fur was frosted with ice. It was the size of a bear, with a short snout, long fangs, and eyes that glinted in the moonlight like those of a cat. It raised a paw to scrape at the door with long, sharp claws. A strangely long, white furred tail whipped around in the snow behind it. It was just like the stories.

“The Forveth…” Thea whispered.

It stopped moving, crouching down in the snow and out of sight of the window. Had it heard Thea? Could it smell them through the crooked door and the cracked window, or had it seen them through the glass, crouching in the shadows? He thought of what stories he’d read and heard, but there wasn’t anything all that helpful for facing the actual creature. They didn’t know how intelligent it was, or even if there was more than one. The stories said the Forveth was a cursed creature that there was only ever one of.

A horrible sound wrenched through the silence as the Forveth ripped through the door with its claws. The swipe of its paw took part of the front wall with it, pulling the stones free. Thea grabbed Gareth’s hand and ran, the two of them darting out through the fallen wall as the Forveth shrieked and lunged, its claws barely missing them. Gareth and Thea drew their swords, turning to face the beast. Thea struck, but the Forveth swatted the blade hard enough to take it out of her hand. It landed near the rubble of the house’s front wall.

The back of the Forveth’s paw smacked into Thea, throwing her into the snow. Gareth stumbled back as the Forveth came closer to him, its foul breath washing over him. He lunged, but his blade slid off the ice in the beast’s fur. The Forveth raised its claws. At this distance, there was no way he could get out of the way in time. A flash of dark blue swept in front of him. The Forveth screamed, stumbling back, red dripping into the snow from a deep gash in its foreleg.

The Forveth let out a low whimpering whine before running into the forest. The person wearing the dark blue cloak with the hood up turned to face Gareth, blood dripping from his blade. His face was hidden in the shadows of his hood. Thea was already on her feet and came to stand next to Gareth swiftly, sword in hand. A breeze blew past, blowing the cloak enough Gareth saw dark blue and black clothes and a dark cuirass, as well as the surprisingly slight build of the man in the cloak.

“Do not linger in Frostberry,” the man said. “Now that the Forveth has taken an interest in you, you won’t be safe until you’re out of the mountains of Acantha. I will hold it off as long as I can.” He ran into the forest without another word.

Who was he? And that cloak… Was he the same person Gareth had bumped into in Votum? The same person he had seen in Rime?

“Let’s go,” Thea said quietly.

Gareth shivered. At least the snow had slowed, but it was a bitterly cold night. The two took their bags from the ruins of the house and set off. Neither said anything as they walked through the night. When the sun rose, it was a little warmer, and they stopped to rest briefly. Gareth had never been so tense, or so hungry. What was this hunger? The next day was worse. He barely slept and didn’t eat, not hungry for what food he did have. The day after that, he barely felt like himself. It was hard to focus on walking.

The forest was warmer now, with hardly any snow on the ground. A warm breeze blew past, even with the sun setting. They reached the edge of the forest, rocky plains spread out ahead of them. This was the country of Lachra. Gareth stared at the plains, breathing hard, every muscle clenched.

“Are you alright?” Thea asked, taking a step closer.

At her movement, Gareth turned sharply, a low growl rumbling in his chest. Had he just growled?

“Sorry…” he muttered, barely getting the word out.

The two stopped for the night on the plains, not needing a fire with the warmth, and there were no Red Wolves to worry about in Lachra. Thea pulled his bag closer to her, taking out the journal, watching him closely. Gareth lay in the grass with his back to her, having little hope getting the journal away from him would help. Sure enough, he didn’t feel any more himself in the morning. Not only that, but there was short, dark, bristly hair all over his right arm and hand.

Thea put the journal back in his bag after she ate breakfast. Gareth didn’t eat anything, and he had barely slept, but he didn’t feel weak from hunger or thirst, just on edge. He had to keep reminding himself Thea wasn’t his enemy, and that she wasn’t his prey. These thoughts scared him, but he didn’t know what to do about them.

“Were either of your parents from Lachra?” Thea asked. “Or their families?”

Gareth couldn’t answer. He feared if he kept trying, all that would come out was a growl or a snarl.

“Did your mother ever mention a family curse?” Thea asked.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Gareth still didn’t answer.

Thea got up slowly. “We should keep going.” Her voice shook a little.

Gareth stood as well, trying not to look at her, trying to keep a hold of the thoughts that were his.

“Pity.” The man in the dark blue cloak still had his hood up. He stopped at a distance, but Gareth hadn’t noticed him approaching. “Clearly you’ve inherited the curse of your mother’s family. Perhaps the fragment woke it up.” He reached up and lowered his hood. His long hair was tied back, and it was white, but he appeared maybe in his twenties. His eyes were the same dark blue as his cloak.

Thea stiffened, moving closer to Gareth, with a hand on the hilt of her sword. “Lencius.”

The man grinned. “Yes, I am Lencius. God of Chaos.”

“You really were just using Gareth to get what you wanted,” Thea said. “You used his father as well. I knew it wasn’t likely you would work with a human.”

What did she know about Lencius? Why was the God of Chaos following them?

Lencius laughed. “So my suspicions were correct. Varus sent one of his precious Knights of Corruption to find out if Gareth was working with me knowingly.” He smirked. “What are you planning to do about it?”

“What are you after?” Thea asked.

Lencius’s sneer vanished. He moved suddenly, shoving Thea aside, but only hard enough for her to stumble. He put a hand on Gareth’s head. Gareth growled, but the sound died out in his throat. The haze in his mind cleared away like clouds in a stormy sky. His entire body relaxed, leaving him exhausted, thirsty, and starving. At least this hunger was normal. Lencius let go, backing away when Thea drew her sword. She moved between Lencius and Gareth.

“You shouldn’t turn your back on him,” Lencius said. “I’ve suppressed the curse as best I can, but it won’t last. Seek out your grandmother, Gareth. She will know how her family kept the curse suppressed all these years.” He turned and walked away, raising the hood of his cloak again. He was heading back toward Acantha.

Neither Gareth nor Thea called out after him. Gareth wanted answers, but he wasn’t about to go after the God of Chaos to get them.

Thea turned to face Gareth, sheathing her sword. “He didn’t hurt you?”

“I don’t think so,” Gareth said. “I feel like myself again.” How long would it last? The bristly hair on his arm and hand had gone.

Lencius had said maybe the fragment set the curse off. Was this why the fragment hadn’t affected him how it had his father?

“My mother never mentioned a family curse,” Gareth said. “My grandmother visited us once, but she didn’t mention it either.”

“Does she live in Lachra?” Thea asked.

Gareth nodded. “My mother was named after her. She’s Una, one of the Elder Three who rules over Lachra.” He had always wanted to visit Lachra and visit her, but this was not how he’d thought it would go.

Thea sighed. “It’s not well known, but Una’s family is cursed. I don’t know who did the cursing or what the curse entails, only that something was done to stop it, or apparently suppress it. That might be what protected you from the fragment.” She crossed her arms and took a deep breath. “Much as I hate to say it, doing what Lencius said is the best thing to do, even if it means doing what he wants.”

The two of them started walking. Gareth glanced back, but Lencius was already out of sight on the rocky plains. What did the God of Chaos have planned for him? What had Lencius wanted with his father?

“Varus thought I was working with Lencius?” Gareth asked.

Thea’s steps slowed, but she didn’t stop. “We couldn’t ignore the possibility. As you figured out already, I’m a Knight of Corruption. I didn’t tell you before because I didn’t know if you were working with Lencius. Varus suspected Lencius was up to something, and that it has to do with Obsertus. Lencius has apparently been obsessed with the fallen city for many years now, but it also hasn’t escaped his notice that Varus has been keeping an eye on him. I’ve been watching him for Varus.”

They walked in silence while her words sank in.

“Why would a god be obsessed with Obsertus?” Gareth asked.

“The gods are eventually consumed by their purpose,” Thea said. “When that happens, the other gods must end them. They return an unknowable time later without their memories. Usually, the god informs the other gods that their time has come, so they can be stopped before anything bad happens. Lencius has been distant from the other gods for some time now, which was why Varus first suspected he was losing himself. But Lencius hasn’t told the other gods if he is losing himself.”

Gareth didn’t know if gods thought like humans, but he could see how Lencius wouldn’t be happy with his fate. To be consumed by his purpose, killed by the other gods, and then return without his memories. Over and over. How many times had it happened already since the beginning of time? Sometimes gods left their cities in Hari for years on end before returning, leaving things in the hands of their Knight Captain. Maybe this was why.

“Maybe he doesn’t want to accept his fate,” Gareth said, half to himself.

“Maybe,” Thea said, “but that makes him even more dangerous. What do you think will happen if the God of Chaos is consumed by his purpose? He’ll bring chaos and destruction everywhere he goes. The entire world of Kelareth will be in danger from him.”

Gareth had a bad feeling, and it wasn’t just her words. “Then his plans that have to do with Obsertus could be about bringing destruction. Do you think he wants what happened in the fallen city to happen again, but across all of Kelareth?”

“He might start smaller,” Thea said, “but that’s as good a guess as any. He might start with destroying one city, or one country, but his hunger for chaos would only grow the longer he’s lost to it.”

Gareth almost tripped on a rock, his boot sending it skittering away through the grass. He and Thea walked in silence a while longer. Whatever Lencius had done, the effect was already fading. Gareth felt restless again, but so far nothing more. And maybe it was just everything Thea had told him that had him on edge.

“How long have you been a Knight of Corruption?” he asked, partly to take his mind off the curse, but also because he wanted to know.

“Varus saved me,” Thea said. She was silent for a moment. “It was two years ago. I didn’t have any family left in the city of Pax, so I set out on my own, but I was attacked by Red Wolves. I managed to light a torch and scare them off, but I would have died from my wounds if Varus hadn’t found me, hadn’t saved me. There’s only one other Knight of Corruption. We keep our appearance hidden most of the time because the other gods don’t know that we aren’t like most knights of the gods. We aren’t bound to Varus by the Oath, and we are no longer human. The rest of Varus’s knights are the hollow knights, those who were hopeless or otherwise lost and willingly gave themselves to Varus to find peace. Their bodies remain, but their souls have moved on.”

A shiver ran through Gareth. “They chose that?”

“They did,” Thea said.

When night came, the two stopped on the plains, not needing a fire that night either. By morning, Gareth was restless again, but he had slept most of the night. How long before the curse would surface again? And what was the curse? He thought of the bristly hair and the hunger. It was like he’d been becoming something else. This thought helped him walk faster. They would stop for the night in Seaview, but it would be another day after that before they reached Pineseed, the main village.

“Are you still yourself?” Thea asked while they walked.

“For now,” Gareth said.