Dana was hanging in the air, helpless.
I couldn't reach her.
The Forsaken swarmed me, overwhelming in number and strength. I couldn't lose her. I wouldn't survive it.
She met my eyes, and that look shattered me completely. I could feel her being drained, her strength slipping away.
"Dana!" I screamed, hacking at the forsaken with my sword as they closed in.
When she hit the ground, something inside me broke. My focus slipped for just a moment.
Then a blade pierced my gut, making me gasp.
Pain exploded through me as I struggled to stay up. The Forsaken gathered me and tried to overpower me, but I forced myself deeper, reaching to channel what little energy was left of me. Wind burst outward, throwing them back.
With the little strength I had left, I ran to Dana, grabbed her hand, and veil-walked us away.
I didn't think about Giselle.
We landed in thick bushes, night had fallen. Thunder rolled across the sky. I pulled Dana close, clutching her to me as terror surged through my veins.
I tried to pull us out of the darkness, back to my temple, but my power faltered. The wound in my gut was worse than I had imagined. Blood gushed out, warm and sticky, and pain slammed through me, stealing my breath. I pressed my hand against the wound, trying desperately to hold myself together.
Rain began to pour heavily. I lifted Dana and began to search for shelter, each step weaker than the last.
Just as I felt myself slipping away, a horse's neigh rang out through the night. I didn't know whether help or death waited ahead, but I had no choice.
The rider came into view.
"Please," I whispered as the darkness crept in. "Help me."
Then everything went black.
---
"Dana. No. Dana."
I woke up shaking, uneasy, my dreams replaying the moment Dana was being drained.
I didn't know where I was. I tried to stand, but the pain in my gut was excruciating, so I stayed in place.
I was no longer in my robe. It had been stripped away while my wound was wrapped in clean white cloth, leaving me dressed only in my hose.
How long had I been passed out?
I scanned the room, dread creeping in, and then it hit me — Dana was gone.
Ignoring the pain, I forced myself up and staggered outside the hut. The moment I did, I saw someone, and his face flashed in my memory. He was the one I saw before I passed out.
"Where is she?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
"The girl you were with?" He smirked before continuing. "Oh, she's fine. Come on, she's in the other hut."
The village was made of small huts set close together, and people moved easily between them. It felt less like separate homes and more like one shared space. They had dark brown skin, some darker than others. They wore loose cloth in different colors, some tied at the waist with leather, others strung with beads that clicked lightly as they moved. Their hair was braided close to the head or twisted into knots, decorated with bone pins, copper rings, or small carved charms. There was strength in their frames, with strange markings all over their bodies. Their eyes were calm and steady, watching me quietly as I moved.
He led me to her. The moment I entered the hut, I sighed in relief. She looked pale. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of her.
"Dana," I whispered.
She still hadn't woken up. I was worried. What had Balshak done to her?
"Will she be fine?" I asked the woman beside her as she pressed a cool cloth to Dana's head.
"I'm preparing a potion for her now," she replied calmly, "and a spell to wake her."
Who were these people? And why were they helping us?
I knew I needed help, but I had never believed kindness came freely. There was always a cost. Life had taught me that much.
The guy who helped me earlier stood outside the hut. I looked back at the lady tending to Dana and said gently, "Please, take care of her."
I stepped outside and approached him.
"How are you holding up?" he asked.
"How long have we been here?" I asked instead, ignoring his own question.
"Oh come on, relax. It's only been a night. I saw you last night, you were hurt, and you asked me to help you, so I brought you to my village. You're welcome."
"Where is this place?" I asked further.
"You're a paranoid one, aren't you?" He smirked again.
Gods, that smirk annoyed me.
"This is Krythmoor," he finally said.
Krythmoor? I had never heard of this place before. Perhaps...
"Inside the invisible cliff?"
"Yup, you've got that right."
We were still here. That meant Balshak was close by. I thought I had taken us farther away.
"Who are you people?" I finally asked.
He hesitated, as if searching for the shortest explanation. "We are a small village who don't like trouble, but if it comes to us, we will respond."
I had heard that sentence before, and then it clicked.
Were these the same people we met yesterday?
"Can I speak to the leader here?"
"We have no leader. We live communally and have been at peace that way."
"There was a man," I said. "A man I spoke with yesterday. If he is here, I'd like to speak with him."
He squinted, then grinned. "Come with me."
We stepped into another hut, and there he was — the same man from yesterday. If they truly had no leader, he at least spoke for them.
"Do you need something?" he asked, his tone calm but commanding.
"I want to thank you for helping me last night," I said.
"You should thank Kumbuye," he replied, nodding toward the man who had brought me here. "He was the one who saved you."
I looked at Kumbuye, who in turn began to leave the room, giving me and the man some space to speak. "Anyway, I have some questions, if you can answer them."
"Ask away," he said.
"First, who really are you people?"
"We're a small village..."
"I know that," I cut in. "What I want to understand is why and how you're here."
"You must be surprised that we share borders with the forsaken, yes," he said.
I waited.
"Our forefathers found this land and claimed it. We've lived peacefully ever since. You must wonder how the forsaken leave us alone despite sharing borders."
He paused, then continued.
"Long ago, we had a feud with Balshak. The war dragged on and became pointless. Many died. In the end, a spell was forged with the blood of our brothers who died in the war, to protect this land. No one can attack us here and leave unpunished. That spell has kept the forsaken away ever since. We don't fight them, and they don't come for us."
I still had many questions, but one mattered most.
"How do I get out of here?"
"The same way you came in, through the passage."
I planned to take Dana and leave at once. These people were too kind. I had never believed in such manner of kindness. To me, everything came at a cost. They could not know who Dana truly was. They could not know she was the guardian. We had to be careful.
When the conversation ended, I left the room and went back to Dana.
Kumbuye sat beside her, brushing his fingers through her hair.
My blood boiled. For a moment, I almost struck him. Then I remembered where I was. I held myself back and growled, "Take your hands off her face."
He turned, that same smirk on his face. "She's beautiful. I couldn't help myself."
I glared at him.
"She looks familiar though," he added. "Like I've seen her before."
"Where's the woman who tended to her?" I asked.
"She went to get some roots to finish the potion. What happened to her anyway?"
I ignored him, pushed past, and sat beside Dana. I wasn't leaving her again.
I held her face. She was beautiful, no doubt. I hadn't realised how deeply I cared until I nearly lost her. That moment had shattered me. I would never leave her alone again.
As my thoughts spiralled, she stirred.
"Dana..." I whispered, careful not to startle her.
Her eyes fluttered open, revealing those beautiful emerald orbs. My heart skipped a beat.
"D-Doya?" she murmured.
"Don't speak," I said softly. "Save your strength. You'll be fine."
She tried to sit up, her gaze scanning the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Where are we?"
"Just relax," I urged. "We're safe."
Her eyes drifted past me to Kumbuye standing behind me, and something in her expression changed.
"Bear guy…" she muttered, then slipped back into unconsciousness.
"Dana!" I shouted, my heart racing.
At that moment, the woman returned with the potion. All we could do was wait, hoping she would wake soon enough.