Jorren says, “Being immortal doesn’t mean we don’t get hungry. Humans can live to a hundred, but that doesn’t mean that forgetting to eat for two weeks when you’re twenty doesn’t kill you. Our lifespan is just… longer.”
“I’d say we get even hungrier,” Rurik says. “What’s better than good food and a good tankard of ale when you’ve lived a lifetime already?”
“Sex is better than food,” Isola says just as seriously as when we were talking about how to deal with demons.
Darian chuckles. “I won’t argue with that.”
A piercing shriek rings out. Then another, and another. They’re not the shouts of demons that will put out flames, and I don’t think they’re from the other teams. They’re too… animalistic.
The hair along my arms stands up straight as more and more shrieks pierce the silence. “What in the thirteen hells are those?” I whisper.
Darian shakes his head and makes a motion that can only be interpreted as a need for quiet. Everyone slowly stands up, and a shadow rushes past the branches hiding us from the rest of the world, blotting out the moonlight.
My heart’s racing in my chest, and my hands move to the sheaths at my hips. The Infusions I took earlier are spent, but I don’t want to take any more if I don’t have to. I’ve only brought six of each since that’s all my pockets will hold.
More shrieks ring out, but they’re further away. Darian lets out a breath as if he’d been holding it for a long time. “Only whispers,” he says.
Jorren turns toward me. “They’re veilrunners. They’re like wolves but smaller with oily black coats. They travel in packs of twenty to thirty and are native to Nyxthos’s Realm. If youhaven’t noticed, the sun hasn’t risen. It seems like we’re not in Nyth anymore, so veilrunners may be commonplace here.”
The thought that we aren’t in Nyth anymore terrifies me, but it changes nothing. I focus on what matters. “Each of you could kill dozens of humans without a thought. Why would you be worried about a bunch of dogs?”
“Because they can shadow walk,” Isola says softly. “And their bites send anything other than flesh into the Void. Nothing, not even steel armor and blades, can protect you from their teeth.”
That sends a shiver down my spine. “They sound terrible.”
“They are,” Darian responds. “Luckily, they have short attention spans. They were drawn to our scents, but since they couldn’t find us quickly, they moved on. The cave was an excellent idea.”
There are nods from the rest of the team. There are shouts of pain in the distance along with more shrieks from the veilrunners. Darian sits down again, and the rest of us follow his lead.
“It’s probably a good idea for us to get some sleep. We’ll take watches in teams of two. I’ll sit with Jorren. Fi with Rurik. Elara and Isola will take the last.”
The corner of Rurik’s lip curls up in a smirk. “Is this everything you’d hoped for, Fi? Sitting in a cave while we hide from monsters?”
“Sounds like the human experience. Just another day.”
He laughs, but it’s much quieter than normal. Even Rurik seems keenly aware of how tenuous our survival is. I lay down and bunch up my cloak to use it as a bit of a pillow. My bow and quiver lay atmy side, though I doubt I’ll have any actual use for them until we leave the cave.
And I try to get some sleep.
Chapter 39
Khorra was a game created by Rivena herself to help her champion embrace strategy even in her leisure time. Lucine is good, but she’s not nearly as good as my brother. Sometimes I wonder if Darian would have been a better champion than I am. Our mother didn’t think so, but then again, Darian didn’t get his mind from her.
~Ainslee Emlyn, personal journals
Fiona
The silence of this place within the trial has become overbearing. It’s a weight none of us can completely shirk. Even Rurik’s constant smile has faded.
The only one who seems completely unfazed by it is Darian, as we sit across from each other. He hums as he moves a card across the bridge that he’d gained control of last turn. Khorra has become a sanity-saving game for the lot of us, even though we all lose when we play against Darian.
But losing at cards takes our minds off the occasional shrieks of pain and cries of battle that we’re doing everything in our power to stay away from. It’s been forty-eight hours since we appeared in this forest. We’ve had no food and no water. Maybe the Godforged can go without sustenance, but I feel like someone’s wrung every bit of life out of me.
I turn to look at the leaves and branches covering the opening to our cave. “I miss sunlight,” I say, ignoring the fact that Darian is about to win this game, as he’s won every other. “How do you even know when a day’s passed if there’s no dawn?”
Isola mutters, “Humans…”
“Your turn,” Darian says with a grin. “Watch out for the Abominations.”
