Page 114 of Elysian

“So there was never an easy way to reach other realms,” someone, I believe, Jude, said. “They made us believe that realms stretched across and into each other. That as long as one kept moving forward, eventually one would reach another realm.”

“Instead it led to deaths,” Archer added grimly.

It certainly had.

A screech pierced through what had become dusklight. Within the cover of The Barren, it had turned incredibly dark, with the faintest spears of orange light coming through sporadically.

An intense wave of fear fell over my shoulders.

“Hurry.” I quickened my pace, the crunch of leaves and stems cracking through the forest.

Familiar clicking swelled.

“Fuck.” I think that was Liadan who spoke.

The sharp zing of swords being drawn out reached my ears. A group of four of those massive crawling Hollows emerged from the forest, coming from whatever dens they lived within. Six-legged leather creatures with a beak-like mouth that were able to come out during dusklight.

One moved faster than the rest and lunged towards us. Cassiel slid the blade across its chest. It retreated with an ear-piercing roar.

Another Hollow arrived, and it clamped down on Liadan’s arm. He bellowed and stabbed its face until the beast released him. His arm dangled at an odd angle. Jude took over, slashing at it while Wilem came at its back.

Archer was busy battling with a third.

Cassiel kept me behind him at all moments, slashing and hacking at two Hollows that kept coming at him and retreating.

Archer lost footing and fell to the ground. My heart sank for Tabby. The Hollow lunged to bite his throat. He managed to roll to the side and the Hollow bit dirt and leaves.

It attempted to lunge at him again. I stepped between Archer and the Hollow, shoving my bleeding hand toward it as if that were any defense. My sudden presence seemed to shock the Hollow. It clicked, head tilting, obviously repelled by the scent of my blood. It gave Cassiel the instant he needed to slide his sword through its neck from behind. He beheaded it in a smooth swipe.

Limbs and innards sprayed across the forest floor, and across the dress I wore. My eyes flew to Wilem. The shout caught in my throat—everything happened too fast to warn him.

The crawling Hollow opened its maw and with sudden speed bit down on Wilem’s head. Blue gushed from its mouth as the head popped. The crawling Hollow wrenched to the side, tearing Wilem’s head off in a messy yank of tendons and flayed flesh.

I gagged, my stomach rebelling. Cassiel whirled around and, in a smooth arc, drove the blade through the middle of the crawling Hollow and upward, disemboweling it.

I turned away from the sight. Jude’s grief-stricken face caught my eye. Liadan closed his eyes.

The blood line had begun to fade. I could not let Wilem’s death be added to. Out of all the lessons I had learned since my journey began, the hardest one to accept was: there would be deaths and there was naught we could do to prevent them. I drew the blade across my healed palm, cutting deeper and stretching it wider to my wrist. The ground drank it in, and the line spawned.

“We must continue,” I announced, gritting my teeth and moving forward. I didn’t have the heart to look at any of them.

Those crawling Hollows came out during dusklight; we did not need to add the ones that stood upon two-legs.

Cassiel kept pace behind me, scanning the surroundings. I could not see him well in the darkening forest, but he seemed to have become paler.

Everyone remained silent as we trekked.

The mist coating the leafy ground thickened. More and more until I could no longer see my feet. I had to squint to see the guiding line. I cut my quickly healing hand again. The sting had become numb and easy to ignore, especially with how quickly the gashes had been healing.

A few more paces and I could still not see. I realized I could also no longer see the others.

“Cassiel?” I called. The fog seemed to be living and breathing. “Archer, Liadan, Jude!”

“—here—” Archer’s voice came from a distance.

Where was Cassiel?

The fog pressed against my skin. I rubbed my chilled arms.