The cave's stench still clung to them as they emerged into the pale light of morning. The forest canopy swayed above, whispering with a breeze that felt almost too clean after the suffocating dark.
Herbert staggered as soon as his boots hit soil. Daren caught him with a grunt, hauling the old man's weight across his shoulders. His skin was clammy, his breath shallow, the venom burning through him faster than any of them wanted to admit.
"We don't linger," Daren said, his tone like iron. "Ironvale lies east. Their guild can treat him. If we waste time, he dies."
Rael stood a short distance away, Elara's hand clasped tight in his. The girl pressed close to him, wide-eyed, as though afraid the cave's shadows would follow them out.
Alice stepped forward, her brow creased with worry. Her eyes flicked from Herbert's pale face to Elara clinging to Rael. "Then come with us, Rael. Once Herbert's healed, we'll all take Elara back to her people. It's safer if we stay together."
For a heartbeat, silence stretched between them. Rael opened his mouth, but before he could answer, Daren cut in, his voice sharp and unyielding.
"No. That can't happen." His gaze fixed on Elara, hard and pragmatic. "An elf child walking into Ironvale? She'll draw every vulture within sight. Do you know what men pay to own one like her? They'd chain her before nightfall and sell her in a market."
Elara flinched, shrinking closer against Rael.
Daren's tone softened only slightly, but the weight of it still pressed heavy. "She doesn't belong in human walls. She belongs with her own kind. And Rael's the one to see her there."
Alice's lips parted as if to protest again, but the words caught in her throat. Her eyes dropped to the ground, shoulders tightening.
Herbert gave a rasping laugh that turned into a cough. "Hnh. He's right. The boy has his burden, and we have ours. No arguing will change that."
The group shifted uneasily. Lyra looked away, her smirk absent for once. Even Alice couldn't mask the frustration in her silence.
Finally, she turned back to Rael, her voice softer, almost pleading.
"Then… promise me. If you make it to Ironvale, come to the guild. Ask for me."
Rael met her gaze. For a moment, his usually steady expression faltered, then he nodded. "I will."
Alice held his eyes a moment longer before stepping back. She turned quickly, as though afraid to say more, and moved to Herbert's side.
Daren adjusted his grip on the old man, giving Rael one last curt nod. "Take care of the girl. We'll handle the rest."
With that, the three of them — Daren, Lyra, and Alice — started eastward, Herbert's coughing echoing between the trees until distance swallowed it.
Rael stood in the clearing, Elara's hand wrapped tight around his. She looked up at him, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Rael… are they going to be alright?"
His jaw tightened, but his voice came out calm, steady.
"They'll make it. And so will we."
The Wilds stretched before them, vast and uncertain. East for the wounded. West for the lost. Their paths had split, but the same shadow loomed over them all.