Page 102 of Wraithwound

“In the barracks. You didn’t think the handful of tunnels you saw was all of it, did you?” she said smirking.

Indeed, Lena knew there was more to this place than what she’d been shown. After all, they had to keep livestock somewhere to feed all of these people.

“I’m coming, too,” a small voice sounded from behind Riley, and when she stepped aside, Laney stood there. “I can help you find it faster.”

Laney’s face was pale, and she’d grown thinner since succumbing to the turn, but behind the exhaustion, it was Laney.

“Are you sure?” Lena asked.

“Yes,” Laney said.

She’d survived Pirn Point and wraithdom. Lena would not underestimate her.

“Let’s head to the stables,” Riley said.

“Have any of you seen—” Lena started when she heard chittering from nearby. The eleuth scampered ahead of Riley, leaving them all behind. Lena figured the eleuth knew the tunnels better than any of them. It’d roamed freely during their stay here, only coming near enough to “check in” on her and sleep.

They exited the underground corridors at ground level where their horses were waiting for them, expertly packed and ready to go. Lena knew it was Cross who had readied theirs. She doubted he would trust anyone else with Kharon. The eleuth sat on its hind legs next to her, and its wet nose twitched cautiously as it sniffed the air around them. Taya stepped out from the corridor dressed in leathers, a familiar dagger tucked into a sheath at her thigh and a short sword strapped across her back.

“Our scouts have reported strange phenomena throughout Reimar. Everything from bizarre weather to alterations in the terrain. It’s not hard to imagine whatever is causing that”—She gestured at the visible planets in sky behind her—“may be the reason. Soulbound, you’ll ride out front. Riley and I will flank you. Lena and Laney in the gap.”

“I do not take orders from you, General, but I’m willing to collaborate to ensure Lena makes it to the gate safely,” he said, mounting Kharon in one swift move.

In the distance, lightning flashed through the clouds as Kharon reared up, rendering a striking image of the warrior Cross kept leashed behind his calm demeanor. The others mounted their horses with ease.

“If you spot danger, call out,” Taya said, ignoring Cross. At this, the eleuth screeched loudly.

“It’ll be our eyes up above,” Lena said, translating.

“We need to head Northwest,” Laney said.

Cross nodded in response and locked eyes with Lena before he turned Kharon and set off.

It wasn’t until they’d cleared the shadow of the imposing structure that was the jutting plateau that she understood the scout’s report. Reimar was almost unrecognizable. The air was noticeably heavier, and there was an eerie, grey shadow cast upon the land from the suppressed sunlight that made the rocky terrain appear sickly and pale. The animals had gone silent, and even the plants, while scarce, seemed to shrink into themselves. Scattered rocks littering the ground trembled as they rode past, but Lena couldn’t decide if it was from the horses’ pounding hooves or something else.

The dancing colors of the auroras, twinkling stars, and celestial bodies above made it difficult to see the eleuth. Lena’s only clue that it remained with their party was a brief punctuated screech, as if it too sensed things unseen.

Lena’s skin prickled slightly, and she sat up straighter, reaching for the emerald broach newly fastened to her cloak. She could tell the others felt it too, their bodies tense as they rode.

The shifting terrain soon revealed a column of swirling black dots on the horizon. As they got closer, she realized the spiraling column was comprised of birds, the peculiarity of the display interrupted by the acrid smell of burnt flesh that floated toward them on the wind. Lena crinkled her nose at it to keep the stench from stuffing its way in. Cross shifted course up ahead, and the group followed. Still, Lena could see the column of birds frantic in their spiraling descent, but it wasn’t until they got closer that she realized some were breaking off and diving towards a small body of water below. No. Not water.

The mirrored surface looked oddly viscous and seemed to attract them. The birds dove in headfirst only to smash into it, a tangle of broken wings and flesh that burst into flames.

Lena’s gaze shot up to the sky. The eleuth. What if it, too, became attracted to the reflective surface? When after a moment, she still hadn’t spotted it, her desperation grew, and she shot her hand into the air, hoping it might see. The creature didn’t have a name, so she couldn’t exactly call it down.

“What’s wrong?” Laney asked from beside her.

“The eleuth, I haven’t seen it,” she said.

Each second that passed made her chest grow tighter until she felt the desperation might eat her alive. The thought of the eleuth being lured into the metallic lake was too much. She whistled loudly, drawing panicked looks from the others, but she didn’t care. Lena turned her gaze upward, hoping it would make its location known. After what felt like an eternity, she saw a winged shadow descend from above. The eleuth dove from the sky, its bright orange eyes trained on her.

The relief she felt quelled the rising panic. Nearing, it swooped around her and Laney, and she could see the inquiry on its face. She turned her gloved palm upward and it grazed her hand, flapping with effort to return to the skies. Following its ascent, Lena spotted another airborne creature making a beeline for the eleuth. She shouted after it, but the eleuth didn’t look back, already having spotted the incoming threat. It shifted midair. Its wings now trailed black shadows, and claws extended from its paws. Lena realized her mistake: in her panic, she’d alerted others to their position.

The eleuth screeched, a warning cry, and Lena’s skin began to prickle in earnest. By the time she looked to the group, both Cross and Taya had drawn their swords, and Riley held a dagger in her hand. Cross shouted, pointing his sword west to where a company of troops had appeared from the horizon, and rode toward them. There were so many she couldn’t count them.

A quick glance upward revealed the eleuth locked in battle with a falcon overhead, but the two creatures were obscured by the eleuth’s black shadows.

Cross shifted course again, leading their group away from the oncoming company of men. Lightning flashed and brilliant red forks cut through the sky above. The eerie glow momentarily gave the appearance of the earth bathed in blood. The rumble of thunder that followed shook the ground and reverberated through Lena’s bones. The company of men had gained on them, their horses diverting like a stream towards Lena’s group.