The air outside the Catacombs hit like a slap—freezing and clean after the choking heat of the fire ghosts. Chloe stumbled, lungs still burning, arms shaking as she helped Vaelira drag her father away from the dark cracks in the ground.
Elias was dead weight. His heavy leather harness was scorched black with thick stone plates that had taken the worst of the blast, were cracked and radiating a sickening dry heat. Deep burns streaked across his chest, and thick blood seeped from the severe bruising on his back where the armor had been crushed against the cave wall.
Vaelira let out a sharp whistle. A moment later the six-legged Void-Strider emerged from the shadows. Together they hauled Elias onto the beast's broad back.
"Hold him steady," Vaelira said, taking the reins.
They rode hard, leaving the lower levels of the market behind. They pushed past floating stalls and strange merchants until they reached a quiet structural cave built into the white stone walls of the city. Glowing blue roots hung over the doorway.
A healer stepped out—a massive Beast-Kin with thick gray scales covering his skin. He took one look at Elias's pale face and the bright red human blood soaking his clothes, and frowned.
He held a clawed hand a few inches above Elias's crushed chest, sensing the heat.
"I can't use my medicine on him," the healer grunted, voice rough. "His body is too weak for it. Human veins aren't used to raw magic. If I put our salves on those burns, the shock may boil his blood and stop his heart."
Chloe's throat tightened. "Then what do we do? He's dying!"
"He isn't dying," the healer said calmly, lowering his hand. "He's unconscious. His mind shut down to protect him from the pain of the crushed armor and the burns. The human body is fragile, but its survival instincts are fascinating."
"So how do we fix him?" Chloe asked, voice shaking.
"You don't," the healer told her flatly. "Any magic it medicine from this world will only make it worse. He has to heal on his own. Rest, clean water, and time. That's all his body can handle right now."
Relief crashed over Chloe so hard her knees nearly gave out. The tight knot in her chest finally loosened. He wasn't poisoned. He wasn't cursed. He was just in pain and asleep, and he needed time.
"When will he wake up?" she asked, wiping a mix of sweat and dirt from her forehead.
The big healer shrugged. "I can't tell you that. It depends entirely on his own strength. It could be days. It could be a week. Keep him safe, and let his body do the work."
Vaelira tossed a heavy gold coin to the healer. Her gaze swept the crowded, noisy streets of the market.
"We can't keep him here," she whispered, voice low and serious. "I don't trust the people in this city. They're greedy. An unconscious human is just rare merchandise to them. We need somewhere safe—far from the market."
They turned back toward the Void-Strider. As they walked toward the city exit, the shadows shifted. A tall man in a dark, torn cloak stood near a weapon stall. He wasn't looking at Elias. His eyes were locked on Chloe.
He had sensed the violent burst of purple sparks she had accidentally released back in the caves. He smiled, the scar on his lip twisting upward.
"She is different from the others," he whispered to the three armed thugs waiting in the alley behind him. "Follow them. When the silver-haired warrior drops her guard, grab the girl."
Completely unaware they were being hunted, Vaelira steered the Strider out of the city. They left the canyon and looked out over the wild, open lands of the Tiers.
"Where do we go?" Chloe asked. She kept her hands pressed flat against her father's back to keep him from sliding off the saddle.
Vaelira looked up. High in the sky, above a giant volcano, massive islands of gray rock floated in the air. Huge rivers of crystal-clear water poured from the edges of the floating stones, falling thousands of feet before crashing onto the mountain below.
"There," Vaelira said, pointing her spear at the roaring waterfall on the mountain's peak. "The mist will hide our tracks, and the sound of the water will cover our noise. We'll hide behind it."
The climb was brutal. As they started moving up, the air grew thinner and colder. The glowing grass at the base gave way to sharp black rocks and twisted tree roots.
Elias was still bleeding heavily from his back. Chloe saw the old, ruined silk robe from Earth still wrapped around the waist. She pulled the dirty fabric out and tore a long, thick strip from it. Leaning forward, she wrapped it tightly around his chest, pressing it firmly against the bruised and bleeding flesh.
They finally reached the top.
The waterfall filled everything. A great river of clear water poured from the floating islands high above, crashing down into a deep pool with a deep, steady roar. Cool mist drifted all around them, soft and thick, wetting their hair and clothes in moments. The air felt fresh and cold, carrying the clean scent of wet stone. Every breath was sharp and clean. The sound was huge, but somehow peaceful too—like the mountain itself was breathing.
Vaelira guided the Void-Strider carefully along a narrow ledge of smooth, wet rock. They walked right behind the shining curtain of falling water. The mist touched their faces gently, and the powerful rush of water made the stone tremble just a little under the beast's feet. Then, all at once, the roar softened as they stepped into the wide, hidden cave beyond.
The cave was naturally lit by streaks of glowing blue rock in the ceiling. In the center of the floor lay a circle of stones filled with old, cold ash.
"An old campfire," Vaelira noted, kicking the gray dust with her boot. "Someone was here weeks ago. Until they come back, this is our home."
Deep inside the cave, away from the cold mist of the entrance, they found a wide patch of soft, glowing green moss. They carefully lifted Elias down and laid him on the natural bed. He didn't move, but his breathing sounded a little steadier in the cool, clean air.
Vaelira walked to the edge of the cave and scooped up a handful of thick, wet mud. As she pressed it gently over Elias's worst burns, memories of old days with her warrior companions drifted back to her.
She remembered the quiet nights after battle, when the campfire burned low and the wounded lay close by. They had no grand healers then—only steady hands, clean water, and the simple gifts of the land. Mud to cool the heat, leaves to bind the cuts. She had cared for them the same way, with the same quiet patience.
Now she packed the cold mud carefully over Elias's skin, drawing the fire from his burns just as she once had for her own.
"He will rest here," she said. She sat back and pulled a handful of roasted mushrooms from her bag, handing some to Chloe. "Eat. You've been through a lot today. Tomorrow we go into the forest to hunt. If we're going to wait for him to wake up, we need to keep our strength up."
Chloe sat in the cool blue light, chewing the tough mushrooms. She watched her father's chest rise and fall in a slow, steady rhythm. For the first time since they had been dragged into this terrifying world, they were hidden. They were safe.
Or so she thought.