Eryx shouted for help.
His voice carried through the trees, echoing into the darkness beyond the village. For several seconds, nothing happened. Aric leaned heavily against him, his injured arm pressed against his chest, while they waited for a response.
Then came the sound of movement.
Doors opened throughout the village, followed by hurried footsteps and muffled voices. Before either boy could say anything, the villagers began pouring into the street.
"We have visitors! We have visitors!"
They rushed toward the two boys with bright smiles and an enthusiasm that seemed entirely inappropriate for the middle of the night. An elderly woman hurried to Aric’s side, a man clapped Eryx on the shoulder, and several children peered at the strangers with open curiosity.
"Oh, look at the state of you!" the woman exclaimed. "You must be exhausted. Come inside, both of you. We have food and beds."
Aric glanced at Eryx, whose eyes remained fixed on the villagers gathering around them.
Neither of them trusted this welcome. The villagers were too eager, their smiles too wide, and not one of them seemed concerned about the fact that two injured strangers had stumbled out of the forest in the middle of the night.
Unfortunately, suspicion alone would not mend Aric’s arm or give either of them the strength to continue walking.
"Thank you," Aric said, still wary of their unexpected hospitality.
The villagers immediately surrounded them, guiding them toward a house near the centre of the settlement. Aric and Eryx had little choice but to accept their assistance, especially when the pain in Aric’s arm flared with every few steps.
The house was surprisingly comfortable. Lanterns illuminated the wooden walls, a fire crackled in the hearth, and a table stood ready with bowls of soup and freshly baked bread. Someone had even prepared a bed in the corner.
"Sit down, dears," the elderly woman said, gesturing toward the table. "You must be starving."
Aric lowered himself onto a chair while Eryx took the seat opposite him, keeping his eyes on their hosts. The woman placed a bowl of soup in front of Aric and a plate of bread before Eryx, then stood beside the table with the same cheerful expression.
"Go on. Eat while it’s warm."
Aric lifted his spoon and tasted the soup.
It was warm, but that was all he could say about it. There was no saltiness, no hint of vegetables or seasoning, nothing to suggest that it had been prepared with any particular ingredients. He tried the bread, only to find that it was equally tasteless.
He glanced across the table.
Eryx had not touched his food.
Instead, he was watching the villagers gathered around the room. The man who had greeted them stood beside the door, smiling at nothing in particular, while two children sat near the hearth, whispering to each other. Every so often, one of them would glance at the boys and grin.
Aric set down his spoon.
"So, what is this village called?"
The elderly woman tilted her head.
"This is our village."
"Yes, I gathered that. I meant its name."
She continued smiling.
"It is our village."
Aric waited, expecting her to elaborate, but she simply looked at him as though she had answered perfectly well.
Eryx leaned forward.
"How long have you lived here?"
"All our lives," the man by the door replied.
"And your parents?"
"All our lives."
Eryx stared at him.
"That doesn’t make any sense."
The man merely smiled.
Aric exchanged a glance with Eryx. Neither wanted to push the matter too far, but the conversation was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.
"We were attacked on the road," Aric said, hoping to steer it somewhere useful. "We ended up in the forest and we don’t know where we are."
The woman’s expression remained unchanged.
"That is terrible. Still, you are safe here."
"What’s the name of here?."
"You are safe here," she repeated.
There was no sympathy in her voice, nor any genuine concern. She sounded as though she were repeating a line she had memorised long ago.
Eryx pushed his plate away.
"Thank you for the food. We should rest now."
"Of course, of course. You mustn’t exhaust yourselves."
The villagers began filing out of the house. The elderly woman lingered at the doorway, smiling at them one last time.
"If you need anything, we are just outside."
She closed the door behind her.
Eryx waited until their footsteps had faded before rising from his chair. He crossed the room and cautiously pulled aside the curtain covering the nearest window.
"They’re still here."
Aric joined him, peering through the narrow gap.
The villagers stood scattered across the street, perfectly still. None spoke or moved. They simply faced the house, their smiles visible beneath the lantern light.
Aric watched them for several seconds before stepping away.
"Perhaps they’re waiting to make sure we’re settled."
"Then they can stop watching the house like that."
"You’re being paranoid."
"I hope so."
Eryx let the curtain fall.
Aric lowered himself onto the bed, wincing as his injured arm shifted against his chest. The pain had settled into a persistent throb, but any attempt to move his fingers sent another sharp pulse through his forearm.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on his mana core. Whatever strength remained was nowhere near enough to repair his injuries.
He opened his eyes with a frustrated sigh.
"I still can’t use magic."
Eryx looked over from the door.
Eryx sat on the floor beside the door and rested his back against the wall.
"Can’t you mages speed it up?."
"If I could, don’t you think I would have?."
"Alright...how long will it take?"
"I don’t know, Eryx. I’ve never emptied my reserves casting a lightning spell before."
"Wonderful. We’re injured, lost, and staying in a village full of suspicious people, and our survival depends on a timetable you can’t even give me."
Eryx stared at him.
Aric managed a faint smile before resting his head against the wall. The humour helped distract him from the pain, though it did little to ease his exhaustion.
For a while, neither spoke. Then Eryx broke the silence.
"Why didn’t you run?"
Aric turned his head.
"What?"
"Back on the road. Why did you keep fighting that woman instead of running when you had the chance?"
Aric stared at him for a moment before answering.
"Why didn’t you?"
Eryx frowned.
"I did run."
"You came back."
"That’s different."
"How?"
Eryx opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Aric raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly."
"Don’t look so pleased with yourself. I came back because I don’t like owing people."
"Of course. The food, the carriage, the healing. Wouldn’t want your debts getting out of hand."
"Precisely."
"Nothing to do with the fact that leaving me behind would have made you feel terrible?"
"I would have slept wonderfully."
"Then you must be exhausted from all that wonderful sleep you missed."
Eryx scowled at him, but Aric caught the brief hesitation before he looked away.
Neither said anything more about it.
After a moment, Eryx drew his knees closer and rested his arms on them.
"The woman was too strong. Your knights couldn’t even scratch her, and that bald bastard nearly took your head off. What were you expecting to accomplish?"
"Something better than dying."
"Brilliant strategy."
"I wasn’t aware you had a better one."
"I had the brilliant idea of running."
"And then you came back and tackled me off a cliff."
"You’re welcome."
Aric let out a quiet laugh, immediately regretting it when the movement pulled at his injured arm.
"When do you think your family would start looking for us?"
"They probably are looking for me already" Aric laughed "but since I changed route it will take a while"
"Thank Goodness for the nobleman."
For a brief moment, the room felt almost normal. Two exhausted boys trading insults while trying to make sense of a disastrous day.
Then Aric remembered the villagers standing outside.
His smile faded.
"We should keep watch tonight."
"Already on it."
"You need to sleep eventually."
"So do you."
"I can’t do much with this arm anyway."
"Exactly. If something comes through that door, I’ll protect you."
Aric glanced at the chair beside the table.
"With what? That chair?"
"If necessary."
"How comforting."
"I could always throw you at them."
"Try it and I will haunt you."
"At least your ghost might make itself useful."
Aric shook his head and settled back against the pillows. He was too tired to continue arguing, and his body desperately needed rest. Eryx remained beside the door, watching the room with a wariness that suggested sleep was the last thing on his mind.
Aric closed his eyes.
The mattress was soft, almost unnaturally so, and the fire cast a gentle glow across the walls. Yet the room never seemed to grow warmer. Even the air felt strangely empty, carrying none of the familiar smells of smoke, wood, or cooked food.
He shifted slightly, trying to find a comfortable position without disturbing his arm.
Something was wrong with this place.
He had felt it since the villagers first rushed toward them, but exhaustion had made it difficult to think clearly. Now, lying still in the silence, he found himself listening for the ordinary sounds of a village at night.
He heard nothing.
No footsteps outside, no voices drifting between the houses. No wind rattled the windows, and no insects chirped beyond the walls.
The silence was total.
Aric opened his eyes. "Eryx."
Eryx was standing beside the window, staring through the narrow gap in the curtain.
Aric carefully pushed himself upright and crossed the room, keeping his injured arm close to his body. When he reached the window, he looked outside.
The villagers were still there.
They had not moved from their positions in the street, but their attention had shifted. Every smiling face was now turned toward the forest, toward the darkness beyond the final row of houses.
And between the trees stood the creature.
It was impossible to mistake its towering silhouette, its elongated limbs hanging almost to its knees, or the ragged black material that clung to its narrow frame. Its face remained hidden beneath the shadows, though two faint points of light seemed to watch the village from beneath the darkness.
Aric felt a chill creep down his spine.
The creature had followed them.
"What do we do?" Eryx whispered.
Aric had no answer. His mana reserves were nearly empty, his arm was broken, and whatever had happened to the village was beyond anything he understood.
Before he could suggest anything, a soft creak came from behind them.
The door was opening.
Both boys turned sharply.
The elderly woman stood in the doorway, her hands folded neatly before her. Her smile was as wide and pleasant as it had been when they first arrived.
She looked at Aric, then at Eryx, before turning her head toward the creature standing among the trees.
"Oh," she said cheerfully. "Our other guest has arrived."