They moved swiftly through the forest, dashing between trees and thick brush with the ease of properly trained soldiers. As they moved, the voice only grew closer. Someone was in distress, yelling for their life.
When they made it to the clearing, Lexi's instincts kicked in the moment she laid eyes on them. A shiver ran down her spine, and her bloodline pulsed, whispering to her.
Darkspirits…
Three infected clawed at the base of a single tree in a clearing, their ruined bodies thrusting upward at something. Lexi didn't need to look to know what that something was. Prince Darrin clung to the top of the tree, throwing items from his pack down at them, waving his sword toward the infected that was climbing after him.
Under any other circumstance, Lexi might have mocked him for acting so cowardly. But this was not the time. This Darkspirit was difficult to defeat in combat. And the bodies it was utilizing were particularly grotesque.
The bodies were the remains of villagers, long passed away. Even from her distance she could see the rotted flesh hanging from the bone. Lexi could hardly look. The smell alone was enough to trigger a gag, even from such a distance.
Valen charged anyway, his sword positioned behind him in an attack.
Lexi hadn't known the Prince of Wildburn long, but between the stories she'd heard of him, and in their short travel together, she'd come to know a few small but important details about him. Among those details, she knew he was no fool.
And yet now, he was certainly acting like one.
Lexi centered her focus past Valen, on the Darkspirits. She closed her eyes, activating the darkness within her. She could feel the pulse of their lives beat to the same rhythm as her own heart. The distress within them was palpable — the pure desperation.
But why..?
And for a moment, she hesitated.
Valen closed in on one, plunging his blade deep into the living carcass. He had met the infected pack before, so he knew that alone wouldn't be enough.
Idiot, Lexi thought. He's not even thinking!
She couldn't spare a moment longer, even if that meant relying on the darkness inside.
She felt the monster's icy palm grip her shoulder. Even without looking at its ugly, distorted face, she could feel its wide grin — its amusement at her expense. This leach of a being felt what she felt — including her inner conflict.
It practically fed on it, using her turmoil to entertain itself.
She hated it.
And yet, she needed it.
Until the Darkspirits were gone, she would use this being as it used her. And then, she would spend the rest of her life ignoring its presence. At least, if she could.
Lexi took a deep inhale.
"Interite!"
Her voice cracked across the field like thunder, echoing all around them.
And then the Darkspirit hosts went limp.
Valen's blade slid out of the corpse, and he turned to face Lexi. And when he did, he met the face of anger. Lexi pushed him against the tree with incredible force — one he didn't know she had.
His eyes widened when he made contact with the tree. Valen was far enough from her and Ariel that he hadn't expected her to be so close. Her speed was unbelievable.
"Are you dumb!?" She yelled, the pupils of her eyes burning a deep red. "Or are you just trying to die!?"
"I-" Valen tried to say but Lexi didn't give him the chance to respond.
"I don't want to hear it!" She interrupted. "You're going to get it together. I will not have your death on my conscience! Just because you saw something that made you upset does not mean you can act like this!"
She paused, her breath heaving. Lexi was angry, but she didn't realize just how angry she was until that moment.
"We might not have known each other long, Valen," she continued, gripping his hand in hers. "But right now we're a team. Lean on us when you need to. We'll get through this together."
Valen's breath calmed, his gaze softening. "I'm sorry. Whatever happened in that forest… it showed me something awful."
Lexi nodded in understanding, "We'll discuss that later. I promise."
Following Lexi and Valen's abrupt confrontation, Prince Darrin climbed down from the tree and explained.
"They came out of nowhere," he said, biting back tears. "I made it to the second checkpoint and then…"
He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to say more.
"And that's when you three showed up," he continued, a hollow look in his eyes. "I just don't understand what…. or how…"
Lexi and Ariel shared a glance and explained their knowledge of the situation.
"I'm so worried about my family," Prince Darrin whispered. "My mother has been acting strange for weeks now. I can't believe I didn't notice…"
"If anything goes awry, Maren and Cora will take care of things at the castle," Lexi affirmed. "But we cannot leave it all up to them. If we go back now, we'll accomplish nothing. We must do our duty and make our way up the mountain. That's the only way we can truly help them."
Darrin nodded, and turned his head past the mountain edge, toward the castle walls in the distance.
"I just hope Selma is alright…" he muttered.
***
Deep in the heart of the old library, buried within a secret room hidden behind old, rotting walls, the dim lamp light flickered. The bookish princess turned the page with her thumb, immersed in the odd pages found in the book.
Selma had heard the creatures before they smashed their way through her doors. She'd slipped into a secret space she found behind her wardrobe as a child. That crawlspace led to a winding pathway between the palace walls — her perfect escape.
But that night, she'd found more than just a safe passage out.
Selma had wandered the secret corridor for most of her life, mapping out the hallways. She knew their paths like the back of her own hand. But that night, as she fled for her life, something different happened.
The wall at one of the first short halls that usually had a dead end, opened. The crevices between each stone brick glowed with a brilliant golden light.
And then, suddenly, it was gone, leaving behind nothing but stone.
Selma approached the end of the hallway, investigating it with her eyes. She knew nothing of magic, but she knew the room had somehow responded to the chaos in the castle.
And so, she reached out.
Placed her hand on the stone.
And fell right through.
She stumbled into a secret room. The tiny space smelled of dust and wood rot. But inside the cramped space sat a little wooden desk with a chair, neatly tucked in.
And behind it, a small shelf with books as old as the empire were lined up as if they were waiting on her.
The Princess instantly began analyzing the books.
She knew it was magic that allowed her to enter the room but she would not allow herself to shy away. That room opened to her for a reason.
And when she found the mismatching pages, she understood why.
"These are pieces of the first Starblessed's diary," she whispered, her eyes flicking ravenously over the words.
"Their powers…" she muttered again, eyes wide. "It all makes sense — why they're so weak…"
Selma tucked the book softly in her bag.
If they were to have a chance at saving the castle, the Princesses needed to know.