The air feels as if it were the consistency of soup, heavy in my lungs as we trudge through the damp murk of slush and decades of leaf litter. Frozen and yet still, it sucks at the bottom of my boots. Laboring my steps, pulling my weight down to the earth with each footfall. I stick close to Verando, feeling Pascal on my heels comforting me in that my back was at least protected.

 Verando trails his fingers over the bark of an aged, blackened tree. His head tilts up, observing the sky as we head southeast. He pauses, rubbing his shoulder on the bark of one of the dark trunks. I dust the mildewed bark off his jacket, raising an eyebrow at him as it seemed quite out of character to dirty himself so soon into our journey. 

"Do you have a need? An itch?"

Rolling his eyes at me, he narrows his gaze down the overgrown path. Various branches curved outward like arms blocking the route. The overgrown weeds and dead sticks protruding through the slush and snow hinted at what used to be a road for no trees growing central to our path. 

"No, it's a scent marker so we can find out way back out of here. It might lead something to us but I think it's a risk we have to take. Any visual predator is going to be worse than something that finds us by smell.."

I find that I disagree with him, "You're a predator who hunts by scent and you think a human is scarier than you?" I ask him, amused. It earns me my favorite look and my face cracks into a smile in silent rebuttal. 

 Amused but irritated, he moves through the brush, pushing me behind him. "I'm not worried about humans in these woods." He finally admits. 

Pascal crosses her arms over her chest as if that might help prevent the chill of the almost frosted fog that rests to still in the air. There is little to see surrounding us, mere feet away were firs and darkened bark, but beyond that lay only the dense haze that seemed to encroach ever closer with each passing moment. 

"What could be out here? If one was to ask?" Pascal was brave, she would not give into the atmosphere so easily yet it would be difficult to lie and say the woods weren't eerie in their silence.

I'm not surprised that it's Gabriel who retorts, much as he was trying to play nice for the group he was still vile. Evil beings did unrighteous things when people were worried, he fed into the fear as if he wished to devour the bounty. It seemed to be only me who felt this way, everyone else was lured into the falsity that Gabriel was on our side. 

 "Many things." He murmurs dryly, not bothering to observe as Fadri pushes him from behind. "Shifters, lycans, vampires, mages..." My gaze rests on Verando's back, noticing that his shoulders remain square and taut. I knew him too well to think he accepted Gabriel's light assessment. My warlord feared none of those things. "Wraiths."

The lump forms in my throat as the word hangs in the air. Wraiths had lingered in the back of my mind since we nearly died in the Dead City, it would make sense that they would be here as well considering Gabriel harvested their power. 

 "There are no birds." Fadri murmurs. "Not a damned sound. I'm starting to think we've all come to meet our deaths."

"Save for all the talking, yes, it truly is silent." Verando snaps over his shoulder, sighing heavily. "If everyone would be quiet, I could listen." The distant snicker from Gabriel makes my skin crawl. This disjointed laugh was alien, not belonging to the man's lips. It was as if someone had poorly explained to him what the sound was useful for.

The man strokes his beard thoughtfully, "You won't hear a wraith unless it wants you to hear it. I'm afraid no amount of silence will give you much advantage. We should have brought a fire mage, then we might have stood a chance." 

As his eyes caught mine, it was a silent confirmation that he knew exactly what was in these woods. 

We had not thought far enough ahead of the elements that we would need. With two cold-weather wielders and a shapeshifter, not counting Gabriel, we were underpowered by anything of the dark arts. I focus on the wet thunk of my feet in the snow, envisioning myself on my red mare and wondering how that would sound. 

A horse would not be turned away should one wander up and offer a ride.

 The familiar ache of physical exertion on my body was no stranger to me but with my newfound heart restrictions, I could feel the toll. My skin felt chilled, my limbs heavy, and my vision weaved in and out as I tried to focus on my breathing. I focused on the task of getting to my home, only then would this nightmare be over. Then we could begin to rebuild and I could gut Gabriel for his treason against our kind.

It was hardly an hour before my chest began to throb. What had started as panting had slowly proceeded into a rolling cough that took every ounce of air from my lungs. Doubled over, the icy air felt like fire in my fatigued chest, I gasped for oxygen and it felt as though I might suffocate just by the humidity alone. 

When I glance to the side, Gabriel is not feeling much better. He breathes heavily, looking as though he wished he had left his cloak behind. 

Flashes of a vision flicker before my gaze and I struggle to keep the cry for relief to myself. The splitting head ache rang in tune with a rusty snarl from the recesses of my mind. We were in the dark and surrounded. Blood. So much blood. 

We were powerful magic users, we were not meant to walk long distances, not anymore.

 "Should have used a portal." Gabriel spits, the first bit of anger I've seen from him. Without his sedation, it would appear he was acting much more human. It might open up an opportunity for me to expose him, to show Verando that the man was not actually on our side. To do that I would need time, time that was worth more than any jewel. 

I had to make Gabriel tired, then perhaps he would slip.

Verando kneels before me, his eyes tinted with concern. I want to tell him to get out of the slush but I can't form the words as I use the precious air to regain my senses. "I'm sorry, darling. I didn't think of your heart when I made the plan to walk... I should have brought another lycan to carry you." He wants to touch me, his hand hovers in the air as if he can't decide if I would appreciate the contact or not. 

"One lycan is plenty," Fadri murmurs only to silence himself at the darkening glare. 

He could not carry me and defend us, the only option would be to put me against his chest which would render him useless. Besides, I was not willing to be subjected to the indignity of such a thing. The warmth and the comfort wouldn't be worth the risk of exposure or giving Gabriel his opportunity. I would have to press on. 

"It's fine, I'm okay." I wheeze as I straighten, this wouldn't do, I couldn't keep slowing us down like this.

 Considering my options, I gesture for him to step back and fashion myself a board made of ice. A thin slab with an upturned front to spread the snow from my path.

If I could stand on it, I could propel it with the wind and save myself some walking. It had seemed like a good plan until Fadri promptly smashed the thin sheet with his foot. The loud crack echoed around us much like a gun going off, not even three hours into the dreaded forest and we were making more noise than my warlord felt comfortable with. 

"Fadri!" I gasp as he grits his teeth at me. 

"Are you insane?!" Fadri snarls, harvesting rage from his lycan skin. Verando is instantly between us, jaw tight, body erupted into an inferno. His arm moves to block me from Fadri, I soak in the heat before placing my hands on his body. Much as I wanted to, killing Fadri was not on the list. 

The shifter holds his ground, glowering back at the silver-haired man. "Using is going to draw anything in these woods straight to us." The Kestrel look-alike had a point.

"Go near him again and I'll show you who you should be afraid of." The threat in Verando's voice is very real, his hands clenched at his sides as Pascal wedges herself between them to shove them apart. The drop in octave coupled with the menacing downward tilt of his eyebrows, Fadri would have to have a death wish to stand against that opposing force.

"Boys! Put your dicks away please!" She sighs, pleading with me for help as I pull Verando back by his jacket. Gabriel seems at least slightly amused, once more in the chaos, his eyes are only for me. He watches me so intently, highly focused on every opportunity and every slip-up.

If I wasn't mistaken, it was as if he were learning just how exposed I was when these outbursts happened. 

Charging my fingertips, I stare right back at him in a silent challenge but he makes no move to near me. He would bide his time. Verando shushes us, ignoring the snarl from Fadri at such a request. 

His eyes search the darkened tree tops, I lean closer to him, slipping into his opened jacket to harvest some warmth while he was still. 

"Did you hear that?"

"There's nothing to hear!" Fadri demands. 

Verando holds his hand up to him, taking a slow inhale. "Something spoke, it was not a voice I recognized. I don't smell anything though, this fog is too heavy. I suppose it was more of a whisper." 

Pascal rubs her biceps with the chill, her breath freezing before her at the exhale. "Do you feel the temperature drop?"

Pursing his lips, he tightens his hold around me. "We need to get moving, I'd like to be as close to Dezna as we can be before nightfall. Night travel will be impossible with this tree cover, it will be pitch black once the sun goes down."

Shuddering, I pry myself from his side. I reach out with my magic as we begin to walk, feeling nothing in the distance. I had learned from our time with the wraiths in the Dead City that excessive magic use drew them. Much as I wanted to carve us a path, we were safest hiding our abilities if there truly were such creatures walking this forest. 

The closer we drew to our destination, the heavier the atmospheric pressure seemed to be. It was hard to tell what was real and what was flashing before my eyes. Every step sounded like a plea. 

"Turn back."

"Go away."

"Outsssiderssss." 

The familiar hiss caused me to pause. "Parcival?"

"Parcival?" Verando questions. 

Stefan's indentured spirit would not have been able to go with him when he left his home. It might be feral now that it had been on its own for so long, but, it might still be under the command of those who knew its name. "Parcival," I command again. "Come here."

"Who are you talking to?" Pascal questioned, I remember thinking of the resemblance of her name to the creature. I don't bother to answer as I unravel my scarf from my neck, preparing myself for the appearance. With a defiant hiss, the spirit flickers before me and as fast as I can manage I wrap it in the scarf much to its shrieks and screams. 

Pulling it roughly to my body, I stuff it in my coat as my group runs to me in a panic at my insanity for capturing the spirit. 

"Releassseee me!" It screams, ringing my ears at the pitch.

"Shut up!" I command and the spirit goes quiet. The scarf vibrates as the spirit chatters its teeth in a quiet threat. The steady whine of a whimper rolls from the jittering lump. "This is Parcival, do you remember?" I ask Verando who watches me as if I've gone mad. "It was Stefan's servant. It can help us as to what's in these woods. As long as it's wrapped in cloth, it can't escape."

"Nottttt ssssafe." Parcival hisses. "Deeeeemon." The raspy voice is all to clear. "Turrrrn back."  

Fadri wrinkles his nose in disgust. "Is it calling us demons?"

I shake my head, uncertain of what it means. Spirits couldn't lie, not these anyway. "This is a helper spirit, it's just scared. It wouldn't call us demons, it must be trying to warn us." I hold the scarf up to my face, keeping a firm hold on the edges. "Parcival, what's out here?"

"Morte."

"Morty?" Pascal raises an eyebrow.

Verando frowns. "It means death."

"Wraiths? Bandits? Dead people? I need more Parcival. I'm going to let you out but you must be calm." I speak as gently as I can to the shivering spirit. 

"Yes. Yes. Pleeeasssee. Out."

Flickering a warning glance to the group, I slowly open to scarf, and the shimmering spirit flickers like a light as it pops its head out of the bag. "Nicccollass."

"Salut, Parcival," I tell it in Romanian. "Where are all the animals? The people?"

The large, white eyes stare into my very soul as the creature threatens to dive back into the scarf at the question. "Theyyyyy toooook them."

"Who?" Pascal encourages, though she looks as if she feels ridiculous for speaking into a scarf. "What is out here?"

The spirit shrieks, curling into a ball as if it were in pain. I hear chanting and look over my shoulder to see Gabriel's outstretched hand. "Stop!" I command him, Verando moves quickly to disrupt the man, shoving his hand down and delivering a firm shove to his shoulder.

 Gabriel blinks as if he weren't in control, but as his eyes catch mine I know his intention. Parcival flickers dimly, wheezing short-breathed squeaks. 

"Why did you do that?" Pascal demands of the bearded man. 

"He doesn't want us to know what the spirit had to say." I accuse, taking my opportunity as those purposeful eyes fall on my face. Pacivial vanishes, and the scarf falls limp. "Why, because you created this wood for your use? To harvest wraiths?"

"It was lying!" Gabriel responds lowly, his shoulders square. "It was feeding us misinformation to keep us from the unicorn."

"Helper spirits can't lie! You would know that if you cared at all about what they taught us in the school." I snap back at him shortly.

This sparks a nerve and he takes two quick steps towards me, eyes wild with rage. "Don't you tell me what I learned in school for it is you who left me there to rot. I'm here to help you, not to receive a lecture from a dying man." He exhales as the cool steel of the loaded gun presses to his temple. "Verando.."

My warlord stands ready to end his tyraid, I will him to do it. I plead with him with my eyes. We would find another way, any other way. "Step back from him immediately." There is no alternative. 

Gabriel bows out, backing away in two quick steps. He knew better, he knew Verando was his only leverage to stay close to me. "Pull that stunt again and you'll face your execution. You work for us, you don't act without my permission. Understand?"

Gabriel nods. "We need to get out of here. We've spent too much time in one spot."

Pascal grimaces, "I don't like the sound of that. What do you feel?"

A low howl echoed in the distance, unlike any wolf I'd ever heard. It causes Verando's face to pale, true concern settling in as he turns quickly to survey the land. "We need to go."

"Lycans?" I ask.

"No. Lycans don't howl like that.. it's.. there's no way possible it could be but..." Verando almost stammers over himself, trying to make sense of the vocalization.

Gabriel hides a smirk beneath his concern. "Werewolves, and I bet they aren't alone."