The rest of us remain silent as Rynthea breathes in and out rapidly, one of her fists clenching and unclenching. Finally, she spares us from the tense silence and looks between the three of us.
“Do you even have a plan?” Her question is drowned by reluctance. “The Shallows is not an easy place to navigate.”
Algar looks at Thane, who replies with, “We’re making it to that temple.”
“Well, if you’re going to make it, andifI decide to join you, I need to hear a fucking plan.” She scans all of us with narrowed eyes. “I know only one man personally who made it out of The Shallows alive. If we can speak to him, get some clear guidance, and figure out our chances of survival, then I’ll see if it’s worth joining you.”
“Really?” Torjack’s eyes light up as he gawks at his sister.
“Not now.” She points a stern finger at him. As she stomps up the stone steps to leave the bunker, Torjack grins as if he’s just won a grand prize.
Algar and I look at each other at the same time. He shrugs while I bite my bottom lip, unsure what to make of this whole situation.
We follow Rynthea out, and Torjack shuts and locks the hatch behind us before covering it up with leaves. When we near the inn, Penju is coming out the back exit, dragging a body by the ankles. He grunts as he places it on top of two other bodies to start a pile.
“Who were these people anyway?” Rynthea asks when we’re all inside the inn again. Her question is one I’ve been wanting to ask, too, but I can’t form the words while staring at the wreckage.
Orvena’s sake.
The place is a mess. Blood is sprayed on the walls, and nearly all the furniture is ruined. Several of the glass windows are shattered, and I don’t even want to count how many dead bodies are lying around with puddles of blood and guts surrounding them.
“They’re most likely with the Grim.” Thane steps over a headless corpse on the floor. I refrain from gagging at the smell of iron in the air and choose to stare at the barrels behind the bar instead. That doesn’t help much, though, considering there are streaks of blood there, too.
“Why are you mixed up with the Grim?” Rynthea stares at him like he has two heads.
“I’m not mixed up with them,” he retorts.
“And what about the one who got away?” Algar cuts in. “The one who wielded magic like you? Do you know him?”
“Maliek,” Thane grumbles, jaw clenching.
Wait…Maliek?
“What does this Maliek want with you?” Rynthea continues her interrogation.
“I don’t know,” he says, and I’m positive he’s lying.
Rynthea glowers at him, not buying it, either.
“So what will it be, Rynthea?” Algar probes. “You joining us or what?”
She places eyes on Torjack, who is examining the mutilated bodies, half disgusted, half fascinated.
“I’ll only agree if we speak to the survivor of The Shallows,” she answers. “Butonlybecause I’ll have to close the inn for nowandbecause I don’t want Tor going with the likes of you.Ifthis survivor can help us and the odds are in our favor, I will take the journey. He’s not far—only a couple of hours away, in Bernwood.”
“Fucking shadows.” Thane sighs. “As if we need more of our time wasted. We aren’t even supposed to behere.”
“It is wise to have a solid plan before reaching The Shallows,” Algar chimes in.
“I agree,” I toss in. “If it’ll only take a few hours to reach this person, I think we can spare it. Better to be safe than sorry.”
Thane gives his head a slow shake. After several seconds tick by, he says, “Fine.”
“So be it.” Rynthea sighs.
“We’ll clean up the place a bit, then we go,” Thane says. “Algar, help me get these bodies outside so we can burn them. Once we’re done, we’re leaving to find your little survivor, Rynthea, and we’ll have to make it quick because time is dwindling.” He eyes the lady minotaur before gripping an armless body by the feet and dragging it toward the hallway, leaving a trail of smeared blood behind.
“I don’t know how any of you can trust him,” Rynthea says when Thane disappears behind the wall. She inspects her fingernails with a frown. “Great. Those scoundrels made me break a nail.”
