Or at least, the old version of him would have, she reminded herself as her smile faded, slipping into a frown.
“I’m sure you’re fine. There was no blood in the vomit.” She turned away before he could respond. “Let’s go. We need to reach the regiment as soon as possible.”
“Rynna, wait!” Kaelith called after her, quickening his pace to catch up. “Do you even know where you’re going?”
“West.”
“That’s it? ‘West’? Surely you can do better than that. Unless you want to walk us straight into a horde of the fighting dead.”
Instead of slowing, Rynna picked up the pace, her stride stretching into a light jog. They’d cover more ground this way and still be ready for a fight when they got there. But he wasn’t wrong, either. She forced the swirling storm of emotions down, quieting them enough to focus on their surroundings.He’d just love it if I walked us blindly into an enemy trap and had to save him.
They continued in silence, the dense underbrush snagging at her boots as rocks slid beneath her feet up and down the slopes. And all too soon, the sun began its slow descent, casting the rugged landscape in deep oranges and purples. Kaelith kept pace beside her, not saying a word. He knew better than to push when she was in a mood, and somehow, that only irritated her more.
Finally, as the last rays of the day dipped below the horizon, Kaelith spoke. “We should camp soon unless you think the army is close.”
She slowed to a stop and pulled out her canteen, taking a quick swig before handing it over to him. “You’re right. I hoped we could make it today, but I think it’s still another couple of hours.”
“Don’t trust yourself with me for the night?” He took the canteen.
She rolled her eyes and snatched it back. “Just go find us a spot that’s less rocky.”
“As you like.” Kaelith grinned, giving her an exaggerated bow before disappearing into the trees.
Rynna sighed and sat on a nearby log, the rough bark digging into her legs as she settled down, the cold mountain air biting at her skin. The distant rustle of pine needles surrounded her, their scent sharp and earthy.
Do I trust myself with him, alone, all night? She shook her head.I love Fenn. It was simple. The past was the past, and it didn’t matter anymore.
But it’s no longer in the past, is it? The thought crept in, unwelcome and insistent.
Whatever, her fingers drummed against her knee. But before she could delve deeper into the spiral of doubt, a hiss cut through the stillness, faint but unmistakable.
It echoed through the woods, low and serpentine, coming from the direction Kaelith had gone. Rynna’s body tensed, and in an instant, she was running, her hands reaching for the twin short swords sheathed at her back. That wasn’t just a hiss of annoyance or even anger. No, that was ashit’s gone to hellhiss. Kaelith was fighting for his life…without the Source.
She ran harder, her heart pounding against her ribs.Don’t die, don’t die, you stupid fucking snake. The thought raced through her mind, a frantic mantra as her feet pounded the uneven forest floor.
Bursting through a thick wall of bushes, she entered a small clearing near a glade. It would have been a peaceful, almost romantic spot for a campsite if it weren’t for the bodies littering the ground. At least forty walking corpses, twisted and decayed, were scattered across the open space in various states of decomposition.
At the center stood Kaelith, hunched protectively over the limp form of a young woman dressed in shredded Hollow-born garb. A bloodied bandana from the Alliance Army was tied around her arm, her face pale and slack. Kaelith was barely standing, his body covered in deep slashes, blood dripping from gaping wounds that crisscrossed historso. A few arrows jutted from his back, the fletching shaking with each labored breath, though he didn’t seem to notice.
The idiot didn’t even have any weapons!What the hell is he thinking?
“Kaelith!” Rynna yelled, her grip tightening on her swords as she prepared to cut her way through the undead mob.
Around him, the animated remains of former Hollow-born circled. Their uniforms were torn and caked in mud, and the medallions that once marked their allegiance hung loosely around decaying necks. Despite the advanced deterioration of their bodies, flesh rotting from bones, limbs twisted unnaturally, the dead moved with eerie precision. Each step they took was poised, their movements swift and calculated, as if death hadn’t robbed them of the skill and speed they possessed in life.
“Stay back! There are too many!” He clutched his side, wheezing through clenched teeth as blood smeared his fingers.
But he didn’t retreat.
Before Rynna could move to help, a flash of white burst from within his sleeves, and a sleek, pale serpent coiled itself around the nearest revenant. The snake constricted tightly, its body winding around and squeezing the corpse’s throat.
But the revenant didn’t falter. Its hand jerked up, and it plunged a knife into its own throat, cutting through sinew and bone to shred the snake away in a spray of black flesh and stagnant goop. The serpent writhed, and before it could slither free, the dead man stamped down hard on its head, crushing it beneath its withered heel.
Kaelith staggered, his body convulsing as if the blow had struck him directly. He coughed, and blood sprayed from his lips, the color draining from his face. She didn’t know how he’d managed the attack without access to the Source, but it didn’t matter. It had cost him dearly.
As Kaelith bent over in pain, the dead swarmed, and Rynna’s heart lurched.
No! Red blurred her vision.No!
