"Here they are.
Tirk's voice came from the shadows at Kalen's feet.
Three silhouettes emerged from the darkness.
Two guys. One girl. All of them are from their academy. All of them are alive. Clean. Calm.
No torn robes, no bloodstains.
Even their faces look like they just came out of class, not from the damn forest.
Kallen stood aside. He was silent.
They didn't notice him; they were talking to each other.
"Well, if the three of us haven't been touched, then it's working."
— "The main thing is not to get caught. We'll say we ran away and went into hiding."
— "Who's going to check? These idiots are dying by the dozen."
Like a knife in the ear.
Kalen stepped forward.
"So you didn't die?"
The voices stopped.
They turned around quickly and froze.
He stood behind her, half a step away from the fire. His eyes were wide open, and the veins in his neck were throbbing.
"What the fuck are we silent about? Lost?"
— Uh, Kalen… We… We…
"Don't fuck around.
He came closer. And the whole forest seemed to stand still with them.
Shadows crept out from behind the trees. Spiders surrounded the camp.
"Which one of you sold the others?"
One guy backed off. The girl cowered. The other guy started pulling out a dagger.
"It's okay, kid," Ward's voice echoed from behind Kallen.
"You won't make it."
Kalen just looked. No emotion.
There was a storm inside, but his face was like stone.
"So you three are…
"You knew. You hid."
"While the others were fighting, you were sitting back. And now you want to go back as if nothing had happened."
"We were just... running away! We were... afraid..." the girl muttered.
— Those who didn't know are afraid. But you knew.
"I heard. The shadows heard. Everything."
Kalen approached the first man, the one who had pulled out the dagger.
Ward's shadow stepped out of the darkness, blocking his path.
The spiders hissed. Their paws scratched the snow.
"I only have one question," Kalen narrowed his eyes. "Who sent you? Who told you to stay put?"
Silence.
"Well?"
"We don't know," the girl whispered. "We've been told to just wait. We've been sealed. If we tell, we'll die."
— great.
He nodded.
He took a step back.
"Ward. Check it. Take it off. But be careful. I want them to stay alive."
The shadow nodded and disappeared.
A couple of minutes later, the three were sitting there, exhausted but alive.
The seals are off. One is unconscious. The girl is in tears.
They told me:
Yes, there was an order. Yes, one of the teachers. Yes, survive at all costs. And don't interfere.
"The rest are victims for evaluation. Whoever survives is worthy of continuing their education."
"I see.
Kalen turned around.
— Tirk. Take them. Temporary arrest. If they talk, hit them on the head. But don't kill them.
"Accepted, my king."
Kalen was left alone.
Eyes on the ground.
Silently.
"Bitch. They threw us in the pit from the very beginning. And they were watching to see who would float..."
The tattoo on her back was moving.
The shadow inside whispered:
— "You survived. You came up for air. But now you're coming up with a knife in your teeth."
Kalen chuckled.
"Not with a knife.
He clenched his fist. In his hand was a pulsating, black blade.
A sword from the Shadow. Summoned in silence. Secretly. Only for himself.
"I'll go up with this."