The silence that followed James's quiet admission felt strangely heavy. His words, though soft, carried the weight of everything they had endured so far. Walking beside Derrin, the two were drawn closer together in a bond forged in the flames of their shared struggles.

As the rest of the group moved along behind them, the rhythmic crunch of footsteps on the undergrowth seemed distant, drowned out by the pounding of James's heart. He couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that hung in the air—something was still wrong, something they hadn’t yet figured out.

Leena’s voice pierced through his thoughts, drawing his attention to the present. “We can’t keep pushing on like this,” she said, her tone clipped but concerned. “We’re running low on supplies.”

Derrin, ever the practical one, nodded grimly. “I’d say it’s getting to the point where we’ll need to find food or risk pushing ourselves too far.”

Rook, always observant, kept his gaze focused on the trees ahead, his posture tense. “That’s not our only problem,” he muttered under his breath. “We don’t know what’s out there. The swamp… this place is not natural. Every time we take a step further in, it feels like we’re being watched.”

James couldn’t help but agree. The hairs on his neck had been standing on end for hours, ever since they left the mire behind. Something about this forest—the way it seemed to hold its breath, its eerie stillness—was unnerving. He reached for the map, a small piece of hope that, at the very least, they might have a better sense of where they were headed.

“Let me take a look,” James said, holding out his hand for the map. He spread it out before them, the edges slightly worn from days of use. As he traced their path, his finger landed on a point just shy of the marshlands where they had first crossed into the darker regions of the forest.

“We’re close,” James muttered. “Rivenfall isn’t far off. Just a few more days’ travel if we keep moving.”

Derrin leaned over, his finger joining James’s on the map. “But we can’t keep going at this pace. Look at this,” he said, pointing to the markers that represented their dwindling food and water supplies. “We’ll run out before we even get close.”

“I know,” James replied, his voice soft but firm. He folded the map and tucked it into his pack. The weight of their situation was becoming all too real. “But we don’t have much of a choice, do we?”

There was a quiet agreement in the group, but it was Vance who spoke next, his voice heavy with the knowledge of what was to come.

“James is right. We’ll make it to Rivenfall, and we’ll figure it out there,” Vance said, though his gaze was distant, as if already thinking about his own departure. “But once we get there, I’ll be leaving. There’s… there’s someone I need to find.”

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

James turned to him, surprise flickering in his eyes. “What do you mean, someone?”

Vance didn’t answer right away. Instead, he glanced at the rest of the group, the unspoken understanding passing between them. “I’ll find a wife,” he said finally, his words quiet but resolute. “I’m getting old, and it’s time I settle down. But we’ll be okay until then. Just a few more days.”

There was a shift in the air as his words settled over the group. Leena, usually so focused and practical, seemed to soften at the mention of Vance’s plans. Even Rook, who rarely showed much emotion, nodded slowly as if contemplating the weight of Vance’s decision.

“Maybe we all need to think about the future,” Leena said quietly, her voice almost a whisper as she gazed off into the distance.

James felt a pang of unease at the thought. What future? There was too much uncertainty for him to even consider what might come next after they reached Rivenfall. The idea of Vance leaving made him question their whole journey—what would they do without the elder’s wisdom and experience? Could they survive on their own? What was waiting for them at the end of this?

A sudden, sharp cry pierced the air, snapping James from his thoughts. It was low, primal—more animal than human.

The group froze, their eyes darting around as if expecting an ambush. James’s hand instinctively went to his blade, but it was Derrin who acted first. His eyes locked onto the path ahead, his posture tense, but there was a sudden understanding in his eyes.

“It’s… it’s a baby,” Derrin said, his voice a mix of disbelief and concern. He crouched down low, his eyes scanning the underbrush. James’s heart skipped a beat. He had no idea what he had expected to hear, but it certainly hadn’t been that.

A small, fragile cry echoed again, and this time James saw the infant, lying on a patch of grass just off the path. It was swaddled in rags, pale and thin, its face streaked with dirt and tear stains. But it was alive. That much was clear.

The sight of the baby in this forsaken place hit James like a cold wave. What had brought it here? Who had left it in such an unforgiving land? And why?

Derrin moved first, his hand extending toward the child. “We can’t leave it,” he said, his voice filled with determination. “It’s a child. We have to help.”

James, however, hesitated. The forest around them had been silent up until now, but he could feel the shift in the air. It was as if something unseen was watching them, waiting for them to make their next move.

Before he could respond, his eyes landed on something that sent a chill through him—lying just a few paces away from the child was a corpse. Its face had been gnawed away, the skin peeled back as if the thing had been devoured by something or someone.

“Stay alert,” Rook warned, his voice low but laced with urgency. “We don’t know what’s happened here.”

James took a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever was to come. The group gathered around the child, but a new sense of caution swept through them. This wasn’t just an innocent find. It was part of a much larger, darker picture.

“We can’t stay here long,” James said, his voice tight. “We need to find shelter, figure out what’s going on, and get out of this place before whatever did this comes back.”

Derrin nodded, gently scooping the child into his arms. “Let’s move. We can figure things out later, but right now, we stick together.”

As they began to move cautiously down the path, James couldn’t help but feel the growing sense of dread. Whatever this forest held—whatever secrets lay hidden—it was far from the safe haven they had hoped to find.

But one thing was certain: they were no longer just fighting for survival. They were in the middle of something much larger, something far more dangerous.

And the only way out was forward.