“There’s nothing we can see on the other side. The coast looks clear,” Vira said as she watched Askold slowly freak out over the door.
“How do we get in?” Benny asked.
Aurora pranced up to Askold and nudged him in the side. He looked down at the little Unipaca and jumped back, his face paling.
“Shit!” he said, looking at the others. “Thought she was about to bite me again.”
Aurora turned around and kicked the door as hard as her littlebody could, and the door splintered. She kicked it twice more, and it flew off the hinges onto the other side.
Holy shit,Benny thought as he cleared his throat.
“Damn, Askold. Be glad she didn’t use her legs on you earlier,” Benny said, chuckling when he saw Askold’s gaping mouth. He reached into the pack and pulled out another carrot, offering it to Aurora. “Good work.”
Aurora chewed the carrot happily as she waited for them to peer through the opening. Benny took a step forward and looked toward the other side.
A single raised gravel path ran through marshlands, flooded and stagnant. Bald Cypress trees were adorned with long, stringy moss that hung from their branches and pooled in the water. The air felt heavy here, smelling of decaying plants and algae. Benny looked at the water and saw the thick green slime floating in large patches.
“Smells like poop,” Askold said as he gagged beside him.
Sephyr’s piercing eyes scanned the area. “We didn’t see any Jotnar from above. I thought Praxis said there’d be a dead one here, but we didn’t see it. We need to be careful. I’ll fly and watch for movement, and Vira will remain on the ground in case something creeps out of the water.”
Askold muttered something again, but Benny walked through the door and ignored his complaints. He heard the owls hooting and saw a disoriented spoonbill in the distance, its long legs treading through shallow water and tripping, as if confused by the moon’s bright amber glow.
What time was it anyway?
“How far is Tuath?” he asked Vira, watching the water for movement.
“About twenty miles,” she responded.
They kept walking along the narrow trail, where in some sections only two people could walk side by side. Aurora remained at his heel, her feet softly crunching through the gravel.
Benny walked behind Vira. “Do you have any idea how the Jotnar got here in the first place? You’d think with that wall, they’d have come through Umbrea first.”
She quickly glanced over her shoulder at him before turning back and saying, “The gap between Dreadspire Crater and Tuath is crossed by water, but it’s not a long distance. The Jotnar do not climb Mt. Ebenveil.”
Benny recalled the treacherous hike up the mountain to reach the Wisps. Not only was it steep, but it was icy, and at the top…yeah, no wonder they didn’t go that route.
“So they just…swim?” he asked, which earned him a chuckle in response.
“Possibly, but I doubt it. They may be large, but they’re also pretty lazy. I’d wager they had a boat,” she responded.
“Do you guys hear that?” Askold asked from behind. They paused and looked back at him. He stood frozen, his head tilted, listening to the surrounding area.
Benny realized that the owls had silenced, and in their place, a low buzzing sound vibrated through the air.
“Shit,” Vira said, extending her claws.
“What is it?” Benny asked, slowly drawing his sword. He felt the hairs on his neck prickle as he listened to the buzzing sound that was slowly growing louder.
“Mosquitoes,” Vira whispered, glancing up through the trees.
Mosquitoes? Sure, it was a swamp. They were bound to have insects flying around, but Benny hadn’t felt a single bite yet. He lowered his sword.
“Don’t lower that! Be ready!” she hissed at him.
His brows drew together as he looked at her. What the hell was he going to do with a sword and a mosquito?
“Fuck!” Askold shouted as he whipped around. A mosquito, the size of a dog, flew down from the trees and circled around him. It was dark, with white spots that shone brightly in the moonlight, and it had a long proboscis that dripped with clear liquid.
