Chapter Twelve

  “The exact origin of the Rot is as yet unknown, however, it appears it has only sprung up within the last hundred years. An investigation into the point of origin is advised.”

  – Private correspondence sent from professor Ronan Corwen to Magistra Saranna Featherstone of Her Grace’s Order of Radiance

  ~*~

  Over the next four days, Liv and Kaedric fell into an easy routine. He would gather forageables in the morning, she would sort them upon his return and afterward, they’d go over the specific names, uses and processing methods of whatever it was he brought back. Liv would ask questions over breakfast and together, they would follow up their meal with a trip to the barn. Her actual riding lessons hadn’t started until day three, but there had been plenty for her to learn in the days leading up to her first turn around the pasture.

  Whatever down time she had was either spent studying the various books Kaedric had given her or reading the energy and attributes of anything and everything she could get her hands on. Plants, trees, insects; nothing was safe. She scanned them all. Sometimes, more than once.

  Studying the unique energies of the flora, in particular, was strangely addicting. It wasn’t a high, necessarily, but the little boost of positive energy she sensed in most every plant was surprisingly satisfying. And more productive than watching cake decorating videos on repeat or scrolling through r/oddlysatisfying.

  Using her detect decay skill, on the other hand, was a bit of a mixed bag. Depending on what she was looking at, the polarity of the energy tended to vary in ways she hadn’t expected. Kaedric’s compost pile, for instance, had a positive aura despite being a literal mound of decaying waste while a vegetable that had started to turn all on its own skewed toward the negative. There were only a handful of occasions where her scans actually resulted in something closer to what she’d initially anticipated. Like when she’d used her ability on what she’d assumed was some sort of fungal infection in a rosebush or an affliction called blossom-end rot in one of the squash plants Kaedric grew in his vegetable garden.

  There was a spoiled edge to the energy, one that lined it with an almost oily sort of film. It left her senses fouled, in a way, and herself more than a little nauseated. She always felt like she needed a shower after encounters like those, but they were mercifully few and far between.

  On the morning of the fifth day, Kaedric had woken her up early and while she was initially reluctant to leave the warmth of her bed, she’d had to remind herself he’d done so at her own behest. He’d deemed her fit enough to travel the night prior and so, after nearly a week in this new world, she was eager to explore something other than his cabin. Ralencia awaited and while she’d hounded him for the details for days, she still couldn’t quite visualize what to expect. Largely because he was a man and thus, most of his descriptions were minimalistic at best. Tall stone buildings and usual city stuff wasn’t exactly much to work with. Not that she supposed it mattered now. Within a few hours, she’d be able to see it all for herself.

  All she had to do was endure the ride.

  For all her early reservations, riding on her own was not as frightening as her mind had made it out to be. There was still a level of intimidation, for horses were far larger than the sorts of pets she was used to, but repeat exposure had helped take the edge off. Despite sharing a certain attitude common among red heads of any species, the horse Kaedric had picked out for her was gentle and tolerated her many blunders with little more than the occasional aggrieved sigh. Or sour face, depending on how far her patience was tested.

  “If you get me to Ralencia in one piece,” Liv bargained, “I’ll buy you an extra apple or two for the trip back. How’s that?”

  Ember tipped one ear in her direction and huffed.

  “I mean it, no funny business,” she said, holding up a finger in warning.

  The mare ignored her.

  “Ready?” Kaedric asked.

  “I think so. Does the cinch look right to you?” She asked, holding the stirrup aside for his inspection.

  He checked it with a hand and nodded, “You’re a quick study. Well done.”

  “The risk of bodily harm if done incorrectly was a good motivator.”

  “It usually is,” he said, mounting Kelsa with a practiced ease she envied.

  She patted Ember’s neck before doing the same and following them out to the main road. The sun had been up for less than an hour by that point, leaving the world fresh and new and bathed in watery light. A blanket of fog had settled further down the valley, obscuring the farms and whatever lay beyond in a veil of white. For a moment, the sight reminded her of home, for the bay was often prone to similar weather. Though, she had to admit she preferred the view of the mountains to the skyscrapers. Especially when the rising sun turned the mists to gold. Liv had always been more of a night owl than an early bird, but she could understand why some people insisted on seeing the sunrise.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “You’ll want to pay attention as we pass through the fog,” Kaedric said, “experienced as our mares are, they’re still prey animals.”

  “No daydreaming. Got it.”

  “Spooking happens. The best thing to do is stay calm. If you overreact and make a fuss about it, so will they.”

  He’d given her this speech before, but there was something to be said about drilling a concept into someone’s head. It made her more conscious of her actions and in a way, forced her to relax and actually think things through. So long as she did as he’d instructed and kept her wits about her, she’d be fine.

  About an hour into their ride, they’d cleared the worst of the fog and emerged at the far end of the valley without issue. It narrowed along the river, then began to veer east through the slopes of the mountains. The trees drew in close the further they travelled until eventually, their path became more a tunnel than a road. Thin shafts of sunlight filtered in here and there, lighting the cobblestones in uneven patches. It wasn’t exactly claustrophobic, for the trees appeared to be well maintained, but it did make her feel as though something might pop out and surprise her if she wasn’t paying attention. Which may not have been as much of an issue, if her little sphere of detection extended more than five feet in any given direction.

  The lack of sensation she experienced along the road was strangely isolating and she often found herself steering Ember toward the edge in order to feel something of the plant life. It earned her the occasional questioning look from Kaedric, but he didn’t bother reprimanding her or asking what it was she was doing. He’d probably already guessed the reason and just chosen not to comment.

  From time to time, he’d quiz her about some processing method or another, or ask her what herb was best for a particular ailment. Overall, though, their ride was quiet. Kaedric wasn’t particularly loquacious unless he had to be, which was fine by her. She’d always preferred comfortable silence to pointless small talk, anyway, and imagined he was more keen to listen to the sounds of the forest like the hunter he was.

  The birds were fairly active around this time of day, so despite being alone on the road, there were plenty of lively songs to keep them company. Liv couldn’t name any of the birds or calls to save her life, but they were nice to listen to. Every now and again, a bright blue bird with black tipped wings would flit across their path or hop along a branch, providing the only movement beyond the idle swaying of branches whenever the breeze picked up. Sometimes, they’d even chase one another. They were a common enough sight that eventually, they lost their novelty.

  There came a point, though, when their absence became apparent. The utter lack of activity drew Liv from her thoughts and had her glancing around even if she wasn’t sure what it was she was looking for. When had the woods gone silent? Ember tensed beneath her, the surety of her steps faltering and growing hesitant as she slowed.

  “Hold a moment,” Kaedric said quietly.

  She reined to a stop beside Kelsa, trying and failing to spot whatever he was looking for as he scanned the treeline to their left.

  “What is it?” She whispered.

  “I’m not sure,” he said and deftly swung down from the saddle.

  He led his mare to the other end of the road, then crouched and pressed his hand to a bare patch of earth. Nothing happened for several seconds and with his back to her, she could see nothing of his face. Her worry began to stray toward unease as she waited. Was he using that stonesense of his again? She was about to ask when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye.

  Someone was standing in the middle of the road behind them.

  When she turned to face them, they didn’t wave or try to say hello. They just stood there. At this distance, it was hard to make out much in the way of details, but whomever they were, they were alone. There was no horse, no wagon, just a solitary man. She wasn’t even entirely sure he was clothed. He was more silhouette than anything, bald, lean and spindly in a way her mind couldn’t quite comprehend. And the longer she stared, the more she began to piece out the peculiarities.

  His arms were too long, his legs too short and there was a roundness to his back that suggested he wasn’t accustomed to standing straight for long periods of time. When he bent forward onto all fours, the hair along the back of her neck stood on end. His knees bent in the wrong direction.

  “Kaedric,” she said warily as Ember danced sideways, “What is that?”

  He followed her gaze, then froze.

  “Shit. We need to get out of here. Now. Go!”

  She hesitated, but then the creature behind them sprang into motion. Kelsa was already moving, lurching forward as Kaedric leapt onto her back. On instinct, Liv braced before Ember tossed her head and surged after them. She pitched forward onto the mare’s neck, the motion nearly jerking the reins from her hold. Somehow, she managed to snatch them before they slipped through her gloves and shoved herself back into the seat. How she managed to stay on at all was beyond her.

  She clung to the saddle as they flew down the road at a dead sprint. Ember stuck to Kelsa’s flank, head low, ears flat. Liv chanced a glance over her shoulder, only to find that thing gaining ground at an alarming rate. The closer it drew, the more she realized it was the shadow of the canopy that had obscured its coloration. Its lithe body was black and ropey, as if all the skin had been removed to expose the muscle, sinew and bone beneath. Deep, violet light faded in and out along its body at fixed points where small, crystalline growths sprouted from its flesh like tumors. And its hands . . .

  “Don’t look back, just run.”

  Liv didn’t argue.

  The deranged laugh that sounded behind them chilled her to her core and for a moment, her panic almost won out. It was going to catch her, tear her apart and when it did, there would be no coming back. Not for her. Her throat grew tight, skin clammy and as her fingertips began to prickle, she nearly lost her hold.

  “We’ll get through this,” Kaedric assured, “just stay with me.”

  She desperately wanted to believe him, but she could hear the creature closing in. She wasn’t sure when he’d drawn his bow, but she flinched when she heard the first arrow leave the string. The shot clacked as it bounced off the stone, so he drew another and this time, he was rewarded with a shriek.

  “We should be coming up on a field to our right. Get off the road and keep going. I’ll be close behind,” he said.

  “But what if Ember–”

  Another arrow, another screech.

  “She’ll listen, all you have to do is guide her.”

  Liv steeled what nerve she had left and as they came upon the breadth of open space, she took it.