Chapter 4: Shadows in the Fog
The road to Vellhollow was long, winding, and draped in an unnatural mist that curled like grasping fingers around the hooves of the horses. Kain rode in silence, his grip firm on the reins as he kept his eyes trained on the path ahead. Beside him, Aric tightened his cloak around his shoulders, muttering something about the cold.
"You feel that?" Aric asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Kain nodded. "Something's wrong."
The others felt it too. The oppressive weight in the air, the way the forest pressed in closer than it should, branches arching like twisted ribs of some long-dead beast. The mist dulled the sound of their horses' hooves, swallowing everything into eerie silence.
Then, a voice. Soft, distant, and yet unmistakably clear.
"Turn back..."
Kain yanked the reins, bringing his horse to a sudden halt. The others followed suit, hands already drifting toward their weapons.
"Did you hear that?" Rhyssa whispered, eyes scanning the swirling mist.
Before anyone could answer, the fog shifted. Shapes moved within it, indistinct at first—dark silhouettes that flickered like candlelight. Then, a sudden rush of wind blew through the trees, and the mist parted just enough to reveal them.
Figures.
Pale-skinned, hollow-eyed, and utterly still.
The dead stood before them.
Kain's hand was already on his sword. "Aric," he murmured, "light."
Aric pulled a small iron pendant from beneath his tunic—a sunburst symbol of Pelios, the god of light. He whispered a prayer, and a faint golden glow pulsed in his palm, casting long shadows across the motionless figures.
The light barely reached them before they started to move.
Slow at first, like marionettes on tangled strings, their joints creaked as they turned their empty gazes toward the group.
Then, they rushed forward.
"Ride!" Kain shouted, spurring his horse into motion. The others followed, hooves kicking up damp earth as they tore down the path. The dead surged after them, gliding more than running, their feet barely touching the ground.
"They're too fast!" Rhyssa shouted, loosing an arrow over her shoulder. It struck one of the figures, but instead of falling, it simply kept coming, the shaft embedded in its chest like a forgotten wound.
Aric twisted in his saddle, raising his palm. "Ignis!"
A burst of flame shot forth, engulfing one of the creatures in fire. It shrieked—a high, keening wail that sent a chill down Kain's spine. But even as it burned, it didn't stop.
"They don't die!"
"We need to get to the bridge!" Kain shouted.
They could see it now—a narrow stone bridge arching over a deep chasm. If they could cross it and destroy the structure behind them, it might buy them time.
The dead were closing in.
Kain reached the bridge first, his horse's hooves echoing against the worn stone. "Go, go!" he yelled as the others followed.
The moment Rhyssa's horse crossed, Kain dismounted and turned, sword drawn. "Aric, can you bring it down?"
Aric slid off his horse, pressing his hands against the stone. "Give me a moment!"
They didn't have a moment.
The dead reached the bridge, their hollow eyes fixed on Kain. He raised his sword. "Come on, then."
The first lunged at him—a tattered corpse with gaping wounds. Kain sidestepped, slicing across its midsection. The blade passed through, but the creature barely faltered.
"Aric!"
"Almost there!" Aric gritted his teeth, golden light flickering beneath his palms.
Kain blocked another strike, shoving the creature back. Then another. And another. They were swarming now.
A crack echoed through the canyon.
The stone beneath the dead trembled, then splintered. A deep rumbling filled the air.
Aric fell back just as the bridge collapsed, sending the creatures plunging into the abyss.
Silence.
Kain exhaled, his sword lowering.
Rhyssa pulled her hood back. "What in the hells were those?"
Aric wiped sweat from his brow. "We need to keep moving."
Kain didn't argue.
As they turned toward Vellhollow, the mist swirled once more, and in the distance, a single voice whispered—soft, but unmistakably clear.
"You should not have come."