The forest was still in the aftermath of the battle.
Jorn and Ruirk were the first ones to rush in.
Ruirk knelt beside Elara. "Damn, impressive with that bow. Hold still. That wound on your arm looks bad."
Elara was still shaking badly, and her eyes looked unfocused.
"Nice job," Jorn said, kneeling beside Thalos. "You used the best gear well."
He reached into his pack and pulled out a roll of silver cloth.
"You'll need plenty of this." Thalos inspected it. "What's that?"
He flinched. Even talking sent jolts of pain through his body.
Jorn began wrapping where the hound had torn through him. The moment the cloth met his skin, the pain numbed.
"These are Frostbind bandages."
He pulled the bandages, and Thalos could feel them tighten on their own.
"We make these from silver silk moths. Pretty impressive, huh?"
Thalos couldn't believe it. The blood stopped. The pain was still there, but it was manageable now.
It was almost like magic. Wait, this actually was magic.
He moved to Thalos's arm next.
"These too hold magic. When wrapped, it is almost like a layer of frost is applied, and it numbs the wounds.."
Jorn pulled the bandage tight. "They are harvested from moth larvae when they spin their cocoons. But the magic is faint. The effects only last around thirty minutes."
He slowly stood up. There was a light throbbing, but he could move with little issue.
He watched Rurik tend to Elara, Torren patch himself up, and his father walk toward them.
"This was your first battle," Eryndor observed their injuries.
"It will not be your last, but you both did well. You should be proud."
His father turned and walked back to the others. He felt like he just did something important.
Ruirk went around pulling arrows from the fallen hounds. Hagan was standing over the ones he had slain.
"The attack felt planned. Are they somehow working with the fairies?"
He looked toward Eryndor. "They shouldn't even be this far south. The last sightings were near the mountain pass."
He swung his axe downward, spraying remnants of blood from it. "Something is very wrong."
"Maybe we should turn back?" Torren suggested using his spear as a crutch.
Jorn shook his head. "We can't go back empty-handed, especially since we lost Eirik."
The group went silent.
"We have to go look for him!" Thalos forgot in the midst of everything.
He watched the hounds jump on him, tear at him, and drag him away, and hearing his name brought his mind to that moment.
"He could sti…"
Jorn placed a hand on his shoulder. "No. He is gone."
Elara walked up. "We can't even look for him?"
Jorn lowered his eyes.
Thalos spoke up. "He might still be alive!"
Hagan didn't hesitate. "In the north you only get one chance."
His tone was not gentle. "Do you want to save your friends or go looking for a dead man?"
He looked down.
Hagan pressed him. "Tell me, boy."
He clenched his teeth. He didn't want to make that choice. Why was it up to him? If he picked his friends, he would be leaving someone to die. But he couldn't… His thoughts were interrupted.
"Give me an answer." Hagan stepped closer.
He looked up. "My friends"
And with that, they pushed deeper into the forest. The lights still darted between the trees, weaving in and out of branches.
The fairies were still playing, but they were not as bold. Every time a fairy got too close, Eryndor would swing upward, so fast Thalos could never see.
A blue orb split in two, its light dying as it plummeted to the snow.
Some that were high into the trees were taken down with a single arrow, Rurik's bow humming after every shot. From what Thalos had seen, as small as the fairies were, he never missed a shot.
One by one the fairies were taken out.
Then the laughing started again, and the blue orbs retreated in the same direction.
Until they vanished completely. He noticed it. He could tell the others did too.
The wind stopped, the forest grew quiet once again. It felt as though nature itself was holding its breath.
Everyone halted. The air around them turned almost electrifying. A throbbing started in his head.
Then the world shattered.
far ahead a blinding flash of blue light shot into the sky, so bright that it erased every shadow.
The laughter erupted. It sounded like hundreds of children giggling over each other.
The light split like thousands of blue fireflies scattering into the night.
Then in an instant. Nothing. It all vanished.
The silence returned.
Torren swore under his breath.
Rurik and Hagan were rubbing their eyes.
And Eryndor yelled.
"Move now!"
No Footprints Left Behind Part 2
Brynn had her fingers outstretched.
The figure would accept her. She could almost see everything.
Then something grabbed her shoulder and yanked her back hard. She spun around and saw Garrick.
Before she could say anything, the voices were already talking.
"See, He was just waiting to take this from you."
She clenched her fist tight.
"He follows you, doesn't he?"
Brynn knew what it was saying.
"But he doesn't follow you because he is your friend."
They are always right. He is just waiting, waiting to take everything away from her like always.
Her friends? No, they were obstacles, and they were in her way.
Garrick's voice interrupted her thoughts. "This isn't right, Brynn. We need to go."
She gritted her teeth. "Leave me alone!" Her hands were clenched so tightly her knuckles were turning white.
Garrick took a step back. "Brynn, I am just tr…"
"LEAVE" Her voice was sharp and threatening.
Orin, who was just behind Garrick, spoke up.
"We are your friends. Something is very wrong. We need…"
"YOU WANT IT FOR YOURSELVES!"
She screamed the words, so harshly they tore from her throat.
Garrick's eyes widened. "What the hell are you talking about!?"
They were against her. She knew it all along, she just could never see it.
She turned, the figure was still a few feet from her, still extending her hand.
"They won't let you have it.
Brynn's breath shook. They wouldn't. She knew it. She had always known it.
Why were they still here? Why were they still following her? They weren't going to take this from her. She had earned this, she had fought for this. And she would fight them too.
She slowly stood back up, her lips curled upward in an insidious snarl, and her eyes were like two blazing pits of coal.
Garrick could feel the intensity from her gaze and shifted.
"Come on, Brynn. We all just want to go home." He was stammering.
But she wasn't listening anymore. They tried to trick her, and now she had her chance, and she wouldn't let anyone steal this from her.
"They can't stop you." The voice confirmed what she knew.
Her snarl turned upward to a smile as she turned back to the figure.
"Brynn, please stop!" A hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She ripped herself free and spun.
Garrick's face was pale. His eyes were wide.
How dare he stop her again?
"Look at what I found!"
Orin stepped forward. "This isn't right. This isn't real!"
His voice was trembling, his eyes darting through the lush field in front of them.
Why were they always doubting her? always holding her back?
The fairies' voices curled around her thoughts. "They want it for themselves."
Brynn raised her hand. She knew. She had always known.
Garrick took a small step back.
"Please, I'm scared."
Lies.
They wouldn't take this from her, wouldn't steal this from her.
She stepped forward and pushed Garrick as hard as she could, and he fell.
"What the hell, Brynn!" He got back up quickly and grabbed her arm, pulling her forward.
The force of the pull sent her stumbling and falling into the grass. Garrick instantly let go.
"I am sorry I didn't mean to. Please stop causing trouble."
He let out a nervous laugh. "You're messing around too much. Let's go home."
Trouble…Trouble…Trouble…
She was always causing trouble. That's all anyone thought.
She saw him laughing. Were they mocking her?
She stood up, her vision tunnelled, she swung her fist hard into his ribs, with a crack.
Garrick's body buckled, and his breath got caught as he twisted on the ground.
She smiled. Because he wasn't laughing anymore.
She took a step forward, kicking him again in the ribs, and again, she could see him crying on the ground writhing.
And she didn't care.
Orin yelled at her, but she wasn't listening.
Another kick. And another.
She saw Orin as he was coming up on her, she turned to push him.
He stepped back, tripping on something, his body landing on a rock, and hitting the ground with a loud "thump".
And she smiled. She had won.
She turned back toward the figure, the mighty warrior. the hand before her had been waiting for her, promising everything she ever wanted.
"Ple… stop. Bry…n" Garrick was twisting on the floor, coughing up blood between his words.
She ignored him.
She reached out her hand. She could almost touch it. The air around her started to shift, the world around them flickered, and from the edges of her vision blue orbs started to appear, their soft hum guiding her forward. The whispers grew louder, and the figure grew clearer.
Then a blur of motion. It was too fast.
Something yanked her back, tearing her from the light. It was so strong she couldn't react as she was thrown backwards.
Her body hit the ground hard, she blinked and saw Orin standing over her.
His stance was tall, his cloak was gone, and his body was toned and strong from working years at the forge.
She wasn't going to let him have it. She had won, so why? Why was he in her way?
She stood up. Taking a step forward, raising her fist.
"YOU PIECE OF SH…"
And she saw it.
where she stood just moments ago, Orin stood.
The blue lights engulfed him, a torrent of light like a rising storm.
The air vibrated. The glow spiralling upwards. And through everything she saw it.
Orin smiling, his soft usual smile.
The same one he'd give her every time he'd help get her out of trouble
Brynn's rage shattered.
Along with the illusion.
The cold returned, her lungs stinging. The soft give of the earth was replaced with frozen ice.
They never left the forest.
What was happening? Where was she?
Her stomach twisted, a strong feeling of dread crept into her bones.
Then a scream came from behind. "ORIN!!"
A scream of pure desperation, of a child when all hope is lost.
And as if listening. The forest grew silent.
The wind stopped.
And the world watched.
Brynn spun and saw Garrick on the ground, blood pooling out of his mouth, one arm outstretched.
She knew he couldn't do anything.
If only he were stronger.
If only he wasn't hurt.
If only…
But she can still save him.
She can still reach him.
She is still there.
Her heart was pounding. This was her moment. This was what she had wanted.
To protect.
To save.
To prove herself.
She was going to show them.
She reached out her fingers. Leaping forward in the air, she could almost touch him.
She was strong, just like the figure.
Just like everything she was meant to be.
Then, in a flash of blue light, it exploded into the sky.
The pulse erupted outwards in a blinding flash.
Brynn blinked once.
And she was wrong.
Because just as quickly as the light vanished…
So did Orin…