"What are you doing here?" Rowan's voice was low, flat, stripped of any warmth. He didn't look up from Lyrielle's body. His hands were buried in her stomach, blood coating his fingers up to the wrists, the wet sound of his work filling the ruined space.
Koby stood frozen for a moment, the weight of the scene pressing against his chest. The smell of blood and smoke and something else—something rotting, something chemical—filled his nostrils. He forced himself to speak. "We followed this path. It seemed the shortest. Then we noticed the sounds." He turned and gestured to the others, a quick wave of his hand. Safe. For now.
Aries, Kai, and Koby filed into the broken cottage. The walls were shattered, the roof partially collapsed, the floor littered with debris and ash. A fire crackled in one corner, casting long shadows that danced across the destruction. And there, in the center of it all, was Lyrielle.
She lay on a makeshift bed—a broken table propped up on rubble, covered in cloth that was already soaked through. Her face was grey, her lips pale, her eyes half-closed. Low groans escaped her throat from time to time, sounds of pain so deep they barely registered as human. Rowan knelt beside her, his hands inside her abdomen, tearing away at flesh that was already blackening, already disintegrating. Elixirs and herbs were spread around him, empty bottles scattered across the floor.
Aries's voice cracked. "What the hell are you doing?"
Rowan didn't look up. "What does it look like? I'm trying to save her life." His hands moved with precision, with desperation, with the practiced efficiency of someone who had done this before. Then he stopped. His head lifted, his eyes scanning the room, counting. "Where's Axle and James?"
Silence.
Koby exchanged glances with Kai, with Aries. No one wanted to speak first.
Rowan's voice dropped, colder. "I'm waiting for an answer."
"They left for the cottage," Koby said finally.
"Why?"
"Axle had to get something." Kai stepped forward, laying Raya on a pile of rubble near the wall. She was unconscious again, her face pale, her breathing shallow. "James suggested following. For backup."
Rowan's brow furrowed. His jaw tightened. His hands hovered over Lyrielle's wound, still dripping with blood. The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating. He was thinking—calculating, assessing, running through possibilities. Silas wasn't here. He couldn't feel his presence anywhere in the vicinity. That meant he was still out there, still hunting. And if he wasn't here, if he hadn't come to the cottage yet, then he was somewhere else. Somewhere Axle and James might already be.
He squeezed his bloodied hand into a fist, then forced himself to relax. He couldn't afford to panic. Not now. He put his hand back into Lyrielle's abdomen, searching for the last pieces of disintegrating flesh, the final traces of poison that needed to be removed before her healing could finish its work.
Koby, Kai, and Aries watched. The sight was grotesque—Rowan's arm buried in her guts, the wet sounds of tearing, the way Lyrielle's body twitched with each movement. She was barely conscious, barely aware of their presence. Low groans and grunts escaped her pale lips, sounds that made Aries flinch.
Aries moved to Lyrielle's side, settling onto the rubble beside her. She reached out and touched the elf's forehead, her fingers gentle against the clammy skin. "Is she going to be alright?"
Rowan's voice was soft, bitter. "I hope so." He poured the last drops of an elixir into the wound, watching as the liquid bubbled and hissed against the poisoned flesh. "She used too much of her powers. The seal caught her off guard. Now she doesn't have enough aura left to heal herself." He set down the empty bottle and reached for another, then paused. It was empty too. They were all empty.
"The elixirs should help," Aries said, though her voice was uncertain.
Rowan didn't answer. He shifted away from Lyrielle, tearing a strip of cloth from his own shirt and wiping the blood from his hands. The fabric came away red, soaked through in seconds. He tossed it aside and turned to face the others.
His eyes landed on Raya, unconscious against the wall. "She's still out?"
Kai nodded. "She's been slipping in and out. Mostly out."
Rowan crossed to her side and knelt, pressing his fingers to her neck, checking her pulse. It was weak, thready, too fast. Her skin was hot to the touch, her forehead burning with fever. She had used every drop of aura she had—holding Vexxagorath in place, summoning the sunflower, healing Koby when he should have died. There was nothing left. And now her body was shutting down.
"This is my fault." Rowan's voice was quiet, almost to himself. "I didn't anticipate an attack. I thought Lyrielle would be able to heal her as soon as we got back." He looked up, his eyes moving from face to face. "Koby, Aries. You two take Raya to the nearest town. Get her help. Now."
He turned to Kai. "You stay here. Watch over Lyrielle."
Kai nodded.
"What about you?" Koby stepped forward, his voice tight. "What are you planning to do?"
Rowan stood, crossing to the corner where his sword leaned against the wall. He picked it up, tested its weight, and slid it into his belt. "I'm going after the intruder. He may have already caught Axle and James. I need to move fast."
"I'm coming too." Koby's voice was firm.
"No, you're not." Rowan didn't even look at him.
"James is out there." Koby stepped closer, his hands balling into fists. "I'm coming."
Rowan turned. His eyes were cold, hard, the eyes of a man who had made too many decisions that ended with people dead. "Listen here, kid. There are two boys out there who may or may not be hostages by now. There's no way I'm adding one more kid to this unpredictable situation."
Koby opened his mouth to argue, but Rowan cut him off with a sharp gesture.
"It's final. Get Raya some help. She needs it now."
He moved toward the door, his boots crunching on the debris, and disappeared into the trees without another word.
Koby stood outside the ruined cottage, staring at the spot where Rowan had vanished. The forest was dark, the trees pressing close, the sounds of the night filling the silence he left behind. His hands were still shaking. His thoughts were a storm.
Kai appeared beside him. "I know that look. Don't even think about doing what you plan on doing."
Koby didn't turn. "What do you mean?"
"You have your defiance look on. The one where you're going to do whatever you want, no matter the consequences."
"But James is out there—"
"Rowan will handle it." Kai's voice was tight, frustrated. "He says he will."
"What if he can't?"
"Then you being there won't make a difference." Kai stepped in front of him, forcing Koby to meet his eyes. "Why are you so hell-bent on going? You let James follow Axle."
"No, I didn't."
"Let him die." Kai's voice was quiet, but the words hit like a blow. He was repeating what Koby had said in the clearing, the words that had sent James walking away. "You may not take Axle to heart, but you know how James is. And you still said it."
Koby's jaw tightened. "It was a moment of weakness. I intend to fix it."
"We can't fix all our mistakes." Kai placed his hands on Koby's shoulders, gripping them hard. "But we can learn from them. And you learning would be not going. Help Aries take Raya to safety. Lyrielle needs you here too."
Koby stood in silence, the weight of Kai's words pressing down on him. He replayed the moment in the clearing—James's face, the disappointment, the way he had turned and walked away. He should have found another way to convince him to stay. He should have tried harder. He should have said something else, anything else.
But he didn't. And now James was out there, in danger, while Koby stood here, running to safety.
It didn't feel right.
He couldn't just sit here. He couldn't just let Rowan go alone. He had to save James. He had to apologize to Axle. He had to make this right.
He turned to face Kai. His eyes were heavy with regret and stubbornness, but there was a small, sad smile on his lips.
"I'm sorry, Kai. But I can't just sit here. I can't go to safety while James is still out there."
He turned and ran into the trees.
Kai watched him go, his hands falling to his sides. The forest swallowed Koby's figure in seconds, leaving nothing but silence and shadow.
He let out a long, slow sigh.
Everyone was going in different directions. Kai was staying with Lyrielle. Aries was taking Raya to the town. Rowan was hunting Silas. Koby was running after James. Axle and James were out there somewhere, maybe already caught.
No one was together. No one was safe. And there was nothing Kai could do about any of it.
He turned and walked back into the cottage, the weight of helplessness settling over him like a shroud.