Day four began with the sound of rain. It tapped against the windowpane. It was a soft rhythm. It matched the beat of the clock on the wall.
Yoren sat in the same chair. He had not moved in six hours. His back was stiff. His eyes burned from lack of sleep. He rubbed them with the heel of his hand.
The light in the room was gray. The sun was hidden behind thick clouds. It made the shadows in the corners deeper. They seemed to stretch toward the cot.
Raith lay still. The blanket was pulled up to his chest. His breathing was ragged. It caught in his throat sometimes.
Yoren stood up. He walked to the cot. He placed a hand on Raiths forehead. The skin was hot. It was dryer than yesterday.
Yoren said, Still burning.
He walked to the table. He picked up the notebook. He opened it to the latest page. The ink was fresh. He wrote the time. He wrote the temperature. He wrote the pulse rate.
The numbers were not improving. They were stable. But stable was not good enough. Stable meant the fever was holding ground.
Yoren said, Come on, Raith.
He mixed a new dose of coolant. It was a blue liquid. It smelled of mint and alcohol. He poured it into a spoon.
He walked back to the cot. He lifted Raiths head slightly. He put the spoon to Raiths lips.
Raith swallowed reflexively. He did not wake up. He sank back into the pillow.
Yoren set the spoon down. He sat back in the chair. He watched the chest rise and fall.
The shadows in the room were quiet. They had not moved in days. They sensed the tension. They stayed low.
Yoren looked at the black ring on his left hand. It was dull. It had not hummed since the brew started.
He looked at the silver ring on his right hand. It was cold. It felt like ice against his skin.
He wondered if the rings were waiting. He wondered if they knew something he did not.
Yoren said, If you know something, tell me.
The rings did not answer. They never answered. They were silent partners.
The day passed slowly. The rain stopped. The clouds moved. The light shifted from gray to orange. Sunset came.
Yoren lit the lantern. The flame flickered. It cast dancing shapes on the walls.
He ate a piece of dried meat. He chewed slowly. He did not taste it. He ate because he needed fuel.
He drank water. He kept the pitcher close to the cot. Hydration was critical.
Night fell. The city outside became quiet. The patrols had passed. The streets were empty.
Raith began to move. His hands twitched under the blanket. His head rolled to the side.
Yoren leaned forward. He watched closely. This was new.
Raith said, North gate.
Yoren froze. He leaned closer.
Raith said, Sector four. Grid nine.
Yorens heart skipped a beat. He knew those coordinates. They were specific. They were not random.
Raith said, The hollow tree. The red stone.
Yoren stood up. He walked to the table. He grabbed his own map. It was hidden under the notes. He unfolded it.
He looked at the coordinates. Sector four. Grid nine.
It was a location in the Shatter Zone. It was a place where Yoren had found a rare herb last month. It was not on any public map.
Yoren said, How do you know that?
Raith did not hear him. Raith was still asleep. His voice was monotone.
Raith said, The shadow path. Follow the wind.
Yoren looked at the map. The shadow path was a term he used personally. It was a route through the Zone that avoided high density entity areas. It was not written down. It was in his head.
Raith said, Dont trust the silence.
Yoren put the map down. His hands were shaking slightly. He clenched them into fists.
He walked back to the cot. He looked at Raiths face. It was pale. The lips were moving without sound now.
Yoren said, Raith.
Raith did not answer. He slept on.
Yoren sat down. He stared at the wall. He thought about the possibilities.
Raith had never been to the Shatter Zone. He had never left Verrath. He had never seen a map of the outer lands.
Yoren had never shown him the maps. He kept them locked. He kept them hidden.
So how did Raith know the coordinates?
Yoren said, Is it the serum?
The Level One serum was supposed to enhance physical traits. It was supposed to strengthen bones. It was supposed to sharpen senses.
It was not supposed to grant knowledge. It was not supposed to access memories that did not exist.
Yoren looked at the vials on the table. They were silent. They held no answers.
He looked at the notes. The handwriting was looped and elegant. The writer was unknown.
Yoren said, What did you put in this?
The notes did not answer. The writer was gone. The writer was perhaps dead.
Yoren stood up again. He walked to the window. He looked out at the city. The lights were few. The darkness was heavy.
He thought about the Shatter Zone. It was a place of death. It was a place of secrets.
If Raith knew the coordinates, someone else might know them too. The information had to come from somewhere.
Yoren said, Who told you?
Raith muttered again. It was softer this time.
Raith said, The man in the gray cloak.
Yoren turned around. He walked back to the cot. He leaned over Raith.
Yoren said, What man?
Raith did not answer. He went silent. His breathing slowed.
Yoren stood straight. He felt a chill run down his spine. It was not from the cold.
The man in the gray cloak. Yoren had seen him in the Shatter Zone. He had seen him in Chapter 1. He had watched Yoren kill the Thornmaw.
How did Raith know about him?
Yoren walked to the table. He picked up the notebook. He wrote down the words Raith had spoken. He wrote down the time.
He closed the book. He locked it. He put it in the drawer.
He walked back to the chair. He sat down. He did not take his eyes off Raith.
The night stretched on. The lantern burned low. Yoren added more oil.
He thought about the implications. If the serum unlocked memories, whose memories were they?
Were they Raiths? Were they Yorens? Were they someone elses?
Yoren said, This is not normal.
Normal was fever. Normal was pain. Normal was recovery.
This was not normal. This was something else.
He looked at his hands. The rings were warm again. It was a faint heat. It was barely noticeable.
He ignored it. He focused on Raith.
Morning approached. The sky turned gray again. Day five was coming.
Raith slept on. The fever had not broken. The murmuring had stopped.
Yoren rubbed his face. He was exhausted. But he could not sleep. He could not leave.
He looked at the map on the table. It was folded. It hid the coordinates.
Raith had never been to the Shatter Zone. He had never seen Yorens maps. The coordinates he mutters are accurate to within ten metres.
Yoren did not know what that meant. He did not know if it was a gift. He did not know if it was a curse.
He only knew that the secrets were spreading. They were leaking from the serum. They were leaking from the rings.
He sat in the chair. He waited for the sun to rise. He waited for Raith to wake.
He waited for the truth.
A/N Thank you for reading Chapter 9! The mystery deepens as Raith reveals knowledge he shouldnt possess. Is the serum connecting them to something larger? Vote and add Ashes of the Twin Rings to your library to support the story. See you in Chapter 10!