My eyes widen. I don't think we're in the same village as before, but nearly every tree surrounding us is engulfed in flames. A few abandoned buildings are burning nearby as well, and it looks like everything is only going to get worse.

I'm not sure who the little boy in that village was, but the fire from that nightmare is very real and might just end up killing me after all.

On the plus side, I successfully made it back to the second dimension, despite my doubts about Star magic. Now I just need to live long enough to learn more about it.

"You're hurt," Maddox croaks. He gently brushes his hand against the bruised side of my head. My skull is still aching terribly from Dolion's earlier assault, but I shove away from his touch and rise to my feet.

I don't want him healing me. I want him to show me how to do it so that I can help Orion once I get back, but first, we need to get to safety. 

"We need to move, Maddox. The fire is spreading," I say firmly before covering my mouth with the collar of my tunic. The smoke is drying me out and making it harder to breathe with each passing second. "Hurry!" I demand through my muffled clothing.

The fire from a nearby tree suddenly blazes across the grass and wraps around our vicinity, threatening to torch the both of us to ash. 

I whirl around, frantically searching for a safe escape, but the fire is everywhere. I don't think we can escape without getting burned at this point. I would try the ice spell Atlas used when we were trying to swim away from that sea snake some days ago, but I don't know the incantation, and I had never seen him use a spell like that before. Maybe I could try mimicking his movements without the chant?

A line of orange dashes in my direction suddenly. I bolt out of the way and nearly fall over Maddox's body in the process, then I turn to see that the flame I narrowly avoided has kissed a nearby tree with its fury instead. The barren branches begin to tumble down piece by piece, spreading even more destruction by the minute.

Running is not an option now. Fire is dancing fiercely around us in every direction. We're trapped and, the heat is closing in.

Shakily, Maddox lifts himself up and onto his feet, but he looks like he might topple back over. He just woke up, same as me, but it's more than that. Something is hindering him... but I don't get it. If he's hurt, why doesn't he just heal himself? 

Realization raises my brows. Maybe he can't. He couldn't heal my burns, so maybe he burned himself at some point and can't do the same for himself either!

My eyes scan his body for any sign of injury. Nothing. He looks perfectly fine, all things considered. "Are you hurt?" I accuse.

He shakes his head as he glances around at the chaos surrounding us from all sides. "Er, no. I'm just running on fumes, honestly. A lot has happened since you were last here." His eyes search over my body with worry, and I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes.

I'm not an idiot. Stop pretending to care about me, is what I want to say.

"Do you happen to know that ice spell Atlas used when we found him in the ocean?" I inquire hopefully. The flames are getting closer with each passing second, making me antsier and antsier.

His lips curve downward. "Shouldn't you know? He's your brother."

I wipe a thin layer of sweat from my forehead and sigh. "I never saw him use that spell until then, and I couldn't make out what he was saying out on the ocean. Not that I would've remembered anyway. I was too worried about that sword." My eyebrows raise again, but this time in remembrance. I look around expectantly, but I don't see the sword anywhere. "Uh, where is my sword?" I blurt out worriedly.

"In the ocean..." Maddox replies, sounding confused.

I shake my head. "No, I found it after that. I brought it here with me. I just had it!" I exclaim in frustration. That sword is our only way out unless I find Nova before she loses her magic. Even then, I can't stand to part with the sword in general. I need it. "Where is it?" I wonder aloud. 

"Love, I don't think we have time to worry about that right now." Before I can question him, he tugs me by the arm and away from the impending flames that have silently crept up behind me.

The imperfect circle of fire surrounding us is closing in more and more. If magic isn't an option right now, I'll have to think like a mortal.

I pull away from Maddox and reach for the canteen propped against my hip. It isn't much, but maybe the water can diminish the flames enough for us to pass. 

He watches me with a curious gaze, but doubt clouds the light in his eyes. He doesn't think the water will be enough, but we don't have many other options, so he doesn't object. I find the shortest section of the fire and dump the contents of the canteen over the persistent flames.

Hopefully, I can find more water elsewhere. It's a shame that Vivian's generous gift had to be used so quickly.

The water dwindles the height of the flame slightly so that it is just above my knees. I'm still not sure if I'd be able to make the jump over it, but I have to at least try. If I wait too long, the fire will regrow in size. I throw the empty container back over my shoulder and back away from the wall of fire in preparation for a run and jump.

"Don't," Maddox commands authoritatively, taking me off guard. "Just wait."

I'm about to go for the jump anyway, not interested in wasting any more precious time, but he is in front of me in an instant. His bare back is turned to me, revealing that he has removed his tunic. A large, nearly faded scar etched across his shoulder blade catches my eye. It looks like an old burn mark, rather than a cut. I wonder how it got there. 

He stoops down to smother the weaker flames with the thick article of clothing, and it works! I'm not sure how his tunic managed to put out the fire, rather than stoke it, but I'm not complaining. Well, the fire doesn't completely extinguish, but it's barely above his ankles now. I run over to him, gluing myself to his heels as we step over his tunic and the short batch of fire with ease. But we still aren't safe yet.

An oversized tree branch drenched in fire collapses in front of us, nearly taking out Maddox. He steps back into me to avoid the danger and nearly knocks me off my feet, but he catches my hand with his own before I fully lose my footing. I throw my free arm around him to right myself, but I can barely keep a good grip on him with no top clothing to hold onto.

Once we're both steadied, our hands interlock like clockwork. 

It's unspoken between us, but holding onto one another is what keeps us safe. Well, maybe that's not true, but it certainly feels that way. This is the way we traversed the darkness of the castle; now we must find our way out of the most dangerous form of light together just the same.

I don't know how Maddox ended up unconscious on the ground in the middle of a forest fire, but he's surely seen more of these surroundings than I have, so I let him lead us. 

I keep my nose and mouth covered with my free hand as we scramble through the smoke and fire, but he's unable to cover his face. Instead, he's forced to choke down the black clouds coating the air. I almost feel bad for him.

We continuously weave through and leap over several piles of burning debris for what feels like forever before we finally reach a section of the forest that isn't ablaze. 

The more distance we put between us and the fire, the less visibility we have and the more my heart sinks upon abandoning my sword once again.

The sky of the second dimension is full of stars, and the vast amount of trees is intensifying the darkness, making it impossible to see much of anything, so we stop running once we're a safe distance away from the mayhem. We don't stop walking though. There's no telling how far out that fire will spread, so we have to keep going.

But between still trying to catch our breaths and the inhalation of smoke, nobody speaks for several minutes, as we're both exhausted and our throats have become dried husks.

Each breath I continue to take is another stab at my ribs, making it harder to keep walking, and each heartbeat that pounds against my sore skull reminds me why I shouldn't trust people, especially Dolion Locke.

Maddox is the first to break our long silence when he asks, "Where did you go?" I turn to him but I can hardly see him, so his expression is unreadable. When I don't say anything, he adds details to his question. "Before, I mean. You disappeared in the castle. I couldn't find you anywhere."

With the adrenaline gone and the memory of my conversation with Dolion resurfacing once again, I drop my hand from his. "Um, I passed out, I think. When I woke up, I was back on the island." I haven't told anyone about the mysterious man who resembles my father, and I'm not sure if I want to break the trend for Maddox or not. Telling people a familiar stranger from my subconscious rescued me sounds insane.

"You did pass out, and then you were... gone." Refusing to be pushed into giving more information, I bite my tongue. He can think I'm vague all he wants. It doesn't matter what happened to me. I'm back now, aren't I? I can hear the frown in his voice when he speaks again. "I was worried is all," he admits sheepishly.

For a fleeting second, I believe him and guilt tugs at my heartstrings. But then I remember what Dolion said: 'Maddox is loyal to his people because he knows he can control them, but it's all an act when it comes to anyone else.' It's an act! I can't let him manipulate me. 

A part of me wants to just say that Dolion is the liar and Maddox is genuine, but I can't get caught up in wishful thinking—not again. For the sake of safety, I'll have to assume that Dolion told me the truth... even if he didn't. Better safe than sorry.

And to be even safer, I can't give away that I know anything about Leo to Maddox. At least not yet. Now that I'm here with him, every fiber of my being wants to confront Maddox about everything. And I will after I know that Nova is safe and that I will be able to heal Orion on my own. After all of that, I can then ask him about Leo before making my getaway.

"Well, I'm fine." My tone is too cold. Do better. I clear my throat and speak in a much softer voice this time. "I'm just really tired."

"You're not fine, Love. I can see when you're hurt, remember? I doubt a few lovetaps caused those injuries."

I cross my arms when a cold breeze rushes by. It was so hot around the fire that I didn't even realize we were in a chilly climate. "I meant nothing happened to me when I passed out. I just woke up back on the island and then I came back for you as soon as I could."

Another chill gusts past us, making me shiver. I run a finger over the goosebumps on my arm. In hindsight, cutting the sleeves off of my shirt probably wasn't the brightest decision. The island may be sweltering, but the second dimension of the Autolycus Cage loves to torment me with less-than-warm weather.

"Wait, so you got hurt on the island, then? What happened?" he presses, sounding weary.

A sigh escapes me. "Look, not everyone wanted me to come back for you, alright? Can we just leave it at that?" I ask impatiently. I don't want him to know that Dolion is the one who hit me. When I do confront Maddox, I don't want him to be able to use it to manipulate me into believing any lies.

"If I did something to upset you—"

"You didn't," I interject, keeping my tone light. "Like I said, I'm just tired, Maddox."

He stays quiet now, which makes my shoulders tense. What is he thinking? Did I give myself away somehow? Oh my Moons, I wish I could see his face right now. 

I bite my tongue. Don't say anything. Don't say anything.

He doesn't say anything either, and the silence stretches on. The only sound to be heard is the earth crunching beneath our boots for the next few minutes. 

The tension in the air only breaks when Maddox finally murmurs, "Thank you for coming back for me, Callie."

My heart lurches but my unshakable resentment for him squashes the feeling almost immediately. I clench my fists, then take a deep breath. I should change the subject. "So, what caused the forest fire?" Silence. I freeze when I realize he's not walking next to me anymore, and my heart starts to pound rapidly again. "Maddox?" I whisper.

My ears are met with an abrupt thud and the sound of leaves rustling from behind me. Knowing that Maddox must've fallen over, I rush over to him and reach out into the darkness until my hand meets skin. 

"Maddox? Maddox, tell me what happened," I behest, but he doesn't answer me. I roll him over so that he's lying on his back, rather than his side and jostle his shoulder. "Maddox," I repeat firmly. Still no response. I hold my breath in anticipation, take his face into my hands, and lean down to listen for breathing. 

My shoulders sag in relief when his warm breath tickles my ear.

I pull away after a moment, letting myself breathe again. I guess he wasn't kidding when he said he was running on fumes. I wonder if he's slept at all since I've been gone? Or did the nightmares keep him tossing and turning like they did for me last night? Or did the monsters that loom around the dimension even give him the chance to try and sleep?

As if reading my mind so that it will be on cue, something lurking around in the trees grumbles deeply, startling me, and then the forest is silent again. 

My heart rate slows. Maybe I was imagining things...

Something growls once more, proving my theory to be incorrect. The sudden sound of scuttering and branches snapping tells me that something is coming for me—fast!

Is this the same monster that stalked me in the castle? The same one that left me bloody and broken after failing to kill me? 

I shake Maddox's shoulder again, but his steady breathing remains disrupted. Why isn't he waking up?

My breathing hitches, and I know I'm on the verge of a panic attack.

Stop. Don't panic. Bury the fear and just think.

The boiling spell I learned from Maddox is my best chance. I may have burned my hand in the process, but it still saved me last time. As if to push something away, I outstretch my arm in the monster's direction to prepare myself for the spell. The mysterious beast slithers off into the unknown before I can say the incantation, but more snarls and rattling meet my ears. 

I defensively hold out both of my hands in opposite directions, but I still don't cast my magic. I have to be certain that the beast is my only target. I can't risk casting the boiling spell and taking out a tree instead. That would probably cause another fire.

But I can't tell which way the threatening sounds are coming from anymore! It sounds like the monster is everywhere—surrounding me from all sides just like the wildfire that nearly ensnared both Maddox and me.

Then, the realization hits me, and dread constricts my chest.

There is more than one creature stalking me from the shadows.

Even if I manage to take down one of them, the others will surely pounce on me before I can do anything else. Attacking doesn't feel like such a good idea anymore, but what can I do then?

Still sitting at Maddox's side, I keep my hands held out in front of me, hoping the threat of an attack will be enough to keep the monsters at bay, but the ominous rumbles are getting closer. It's only a matter of time until one of them strikes.

I keep one hand up and use the other to bat at Maddox's face. "Maddox, wake up. We have to run. Now!" I whisper harshly. Silence. The sound of slithering and thumping becomes unbelievably loud, and I know that one of the creatures is about to take me. I can feel it breathing. It's right in front of me! I scramble over Maddox's immobile build but trip when something wet ensnares my leg. "Maddox!" I finally scream. "Maddox, wake up!"

I wrap both of my arms around one of his and to my surprise, the beast attached to my lower half slowly releases me. I lean my head up to look over Maddox's body, in the direction of my attacker, but it's too dark to see anything.

"Callie?" Maddox asks, barely conscious. The sound of his voice reverberates through his chest. How is he just now waking up after all of that? Is he deaf? Did he hit his head or something?

I'm about to speak, but I hold my breath instead when two reptilian eyes that are bigger than my head suddenly pop open just inches away from us. The pupils dilate and then shrink as the monster's gaze zeros in on me. It grumbles softly and then hisses after several minutes of staring before skulking back off into the trees. 

The sound of the other monsters retreating can be heard after a moment, but I doubt they'll stray too far away from us.

"Maddox?" I whisper after my breathing returns to normal. "Please say something."

"What would you like me to say?" he asks dumbly, still sounding half-awake, half-asleep.

I sigh in relief and sit up, but freeze when I hear rustling from the trees as soon as I let go of Maddox's arm. My heart rises to my throat again, and my body tenses. "Those monsters we saw in the castle are here, Maddox. We need to move," I urge quietly.

"Callie, you said you feel safer in the dark when you're not alone or if you have a light on. I don't have a lantern this time, so if you keep separating yourself from me, they will come back. That's how we were able to get away before in the castle."

"That thing in the castle never fully left us alone," I counter defiantly. "And I'm not afraid of the dark."

A small cough escapes him before he remarks, "Evidently not."

The scuttering returns, grabbing my attention. The monster is making another move for me.

I hold out my hand defensively, but I jump when Maddox grabs it suddenly. He tugs me down so that I'm forced to lie against his side.

He swiftly fastens an arm around me and tightens his hold to keep me in place. I try to peel his arm off of me immediately. I didn't like him invading my space before, and I certainly don't like it now that I know he's secretly plotting to kill me.

"Let go," I order rigidly. "What are you—"

"Stop being a twit and listen," he commands through clenched teeth. I stop fighting him, but I think my eye twitches at the word 'twit'.

Apart from the sound of crickets chirping and Maddox's gentle breathing, the forest is completely silent. The monster must have scurried off again when Maddox grabbed me. As much as I hate to admit it, I know he's right.

The closer I am to Maddox, the further away the monsters will be.

"Love, I haven't slept in days, and I can barely keep my eyes open. I don't think I can keep walking tonight. As long as you stay here, you'll be safe, alright?"

I don't reply. I don't know what to say. We nearly burned to death, and I was almost ripped apart by monsters, but Maddox wants to take a nap? I know that he's been through a lot—that much has been made clear, but I'm ready to get out of this place sooner rather than later. 

A defeated sigh escapes me after a few moments. I can't just expect him to carry on after days of not sleeping. A lack of rest will only hinder us both.

Begrudgingly, I rest my cheek against the warmth of his bare shoulder. "My name is Callie," I grumble, correcting him for the umpteenth time.

I wait for a response of some kind, but I'm only met with the sound of deep breathing. He's asleep again. My words are the last thing spoken between us for the night, and I don't even know if he heard them.

How am I supposed to lay here for eight-plus hours? I'm fatigued after yet another near-death experience, but I'm not tired. It may be nighttime here, but the day was a little less than halfway over back on the island. I've only been awake for a few hours.

But still, I didn't sleep too well last night, so I'm sure a nap would be more than possible for me if my body wasn't on edge right now.

It's bad enough that I'm being circled by deadly, violent creatures in the middle of the night and that I have to wonder if the wildfire will catch up to us, but I also have no idea if Nova, Stella, or any of my siblings are safe. And to top it all off, my only hope of not being killed by the said creatures is to stay curled up against a shady Moonborn who doesn't know that I know that he wants to kill me.

Not to mention, buried underneath all of those frantic and troubled thoughts is an incessant voice in my head that won't stop begging me to get up and go back for the sword... but I know that's out of the question. 

I squeeze my eyes shut in frustration, then sigh. For once, maybe it's a good thing my mind won't shut off. Sleeping next to a man who plans to kill me is foolish. It's safer if I stay awake.

The man in question is still fast asleep, leaving me alone with the sounds of the unsettling forest and my paranoid thoughts, but with him tangled around me, the unnatural sounds completely vanish after a good ten minutes pass. 

I feel a little safer now that the beasts are nowhere to be heard, but I don't dare move. No matter how uncomfortable or restless I am, I keep still, listening to Maddox's even breaths for what feels like hours before my body finally relaxes ever so slightly.

My eyelids begin to droop, betraying my decision to stay alert, and I feel myself slump further into the man beside me. My sore ribs protest painfully against him and Astrid's journal, which has still managed to stay tucked away beneath my tunic, but I grit my teeth and bear it.

Maddox's warmth and the rising and falling of his chest prove to be my downfall as the night goes on. Soon enough, I'm too tired to stay awake any longer either.

I would never admit it to anyone, but there is something content about being this close to someone. Well, not just someone... Maddox. Being this close to him feels safe when I don't let my mind run rampant. 

Several more minutes pass before I finally nod off completely, and I can only hope that I am the one to wake up first in the morning.