The cold was excruciating.

Asher awoke sprawled across the rocky ground, head twisted to the side, one arm stretched out before him. He dug his shaking fingers into the dry dirt, gathering the earth into his fist. A bitter wind clawed past, tugging his hair out of his eyes. Asher shivered and tucked his legs to his chest, wrapping his free arm around his knees. Something heavy shifted across his shoulders, and some cloth bunched up beneath his shin. Confused, he dared to open his eyes.

Darkness, freezing and impenetrable, greeted him. Dim starlight adorned the dead leaves above; it illuminated nothing else. A cloak, thicker than the one Asher already wore, had been flung over him. He tugged the wool closer, curling up tighter as a wave of ice shot through his veins. Every shadow, every movement sent a pang of terror through his heart.

"Welcome back."

Asher stiffened and turned his head. Rivas was sitting against a tree mere feet away, knees drawn up under his chin in an oddly vulnerable position. Shadows clung to the man's cloak, as if trying to consume him.

"H-hi." Another chill broke through Asher, worse than before. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, trying and failing to summon the strength to sit up. When he found his voice again, the words were hardly even a whisper. "I feel so cold."

"I know." Rivas glanced around them; with a start, Asher realized that the Valkir was shivering, too.

"What..." An image of the Raek flashed across Asher's mind, its broken body half hidden in the shadow of a tree. A curse flew from his mouth, and he struggled onto one elbow. "Saev, w-where is it? Wh—"

"Stop." Rivas reached out, resting one hand on his shoulder. Asher flinched and met the Valkir's eyes, heart pounding in his ears. "It's gone."

"No," Asher panted, his gaze roving between the trees. "I can feel it."

"Raek twist the magic around them. Being too close to one... well, the affected magic clings to us. The effects will fade. Eventually." A tremor ran through Rivas' arm, though his expression remained carefully neutral.

"Where are the others?" Asher asked after a long moment, looking around again. It was too dark; he could hardly see more than a few feet in every direction. "Where are we?"

A few flames flickered to life around Rivas' other hand; he held up his arm, allowing the light to cut through the shadows. Asher followed the man's gaze to Idris, crumpled beneath a tree some distance away. Her hair was strewn about her face; her cloak was tucked around her shoulders. She seemed to be deeply asleep, though her breathing was quick and shallow.

"It nearly caught her," Rivas explained. The flames died, and darkness drenched the forest once more. Rivas' shoulders drooped, as if the fire had burned up all of his energy. "But she'll be fine. Kain is scouting the rest of this place. And we haven't gone anywhere. It's only been about twenty minutes."

Asher gnawed at his lip. "Are there more of those... those things?"

"No. I'd know."

Eyeing the forest, Asher dared to relax a little. Then he realized that Rivas' hand was still on his shoulder. "Don't touch me," he hissed, glaring at the Valkir.

Rivas blinked and released him. Asher let out a shaky breath, his attention drifting to the blackened sky. The wind picked up again; he wearily sunk to the ground and tucked his head into his arms, burying his face into the makeshift blanket. He felt like a child, but at least it gave him some warmth.

With a harsh cry, a bird darted between two trees above. Rivas jumped; Asher cried out, raising his arms above his head in a weak attempt to protect himself. With a sudden flash of light and warmth, fire roared to life around Asher's hands. He gasped and jerked upright, nearly toppling into Rivas, his fear momentarily forgotten as the flames licked harmlessly at his cloak.

"What..." Asher raised his hands in front of his face, staring at the gold-white flames twining around his fingers. Slowly, hesitantly, he reached for the magic. It flickered to life around him, a subtle, silvery current that he sensed more than he saw. He noticed the awful, unnatural chill of the Raek twisting through the air, wrapping itself around him and Rivas and everything else with even a scrap of life. Asher's fingers twitched. He wanted nothing more than to destroy it like he had the Raek, but the cold was, as Rivas had said, merely an aftereffect. It would be like trying to scrub dirt from a busy street: not impossible, but meaningless when one could simply let the rain wash it clean.

"Hmm."

Rivas. Asher's heart stopped. Like a man caught stealing, he dragged his eyes back to the assassin. The man's face was guarded; a knife had appeared in his right hand, wickedly sharp in the darkness. He twirled it absentmindedly, tilting his head.

"What will you do now?" Rivas continued mildly.

Asher quickly looked around, desperate calculations flooding his mind. Rivas wouldn't have done this if he thought Asher could escape. Kain was still out there. Asher was weak. But... so was Rivas, and Idris wasn't even awake. It would be his best chance.

"What are you trying to do?" Asher finally said. He shakily clenched his hands, and the flames sputtered out.

Rivas seemed wary, but his shoulders relaxed. "I'm not—"

The Valkir didn't have time to finish. Shoving aside the weariness and pain and cold and fear, Asher drew upon the magic and let it break free. A blast of jagged lightning shot from one hand, a brilliant, scorching burst of heat. Rivas hissed in surprise and rolled backwards, raising one arm. The thin bolts twisted around his arm, condensing into a loose sphere.

Asher kicked himself free of the cloak around his legs and scrambled away. The cold surged as he got to his feet; he whimpered and doubled over as it shredded through him. Rivas stalked forward; a blinding flash, and then lightning seared through Asher's veins as well. He collapsed, screaming until his voice gave out. Thankfully, the agony was brief. He lay still for a moment, locked in a haze of pain as the lightning faded away.

"Don't do this, boy," Rivas muttered, stalking over to him. "We have worse enemies."

Asher grit his teeth and lashed out with a wave of fire. Rivas stumbled back and raised one hand, his eyes hardening. A root burst from the earth, wrapping around Asher's right wrist and wrenching it down. Before he could react, another pinned his other hand to the ground. With a desperate cry, Asher blindly kicked out at Rivas' leg. The assassin sidestepped his attack and knelt beside him; in an instant, the freezing blade of his dagger dug into Asher's throat. Asher froze, pressing the back of his head into the dirt to avoid the metal's sharp touch.

"I said you'd do something stupid," Rivas panted, a low growl lacing each word.

"It was worth a try," Asher bit back. Blood, fresh and metallic, coated his tongue; some trickled down the side of his mouth as he spoke, tracing a path to his ear.

"Was it?"

Asher clenched his jaw, tears stinging his eyes. "Always." He gathered his strength and released another burst of flames, trying to burn through the roots. Rivas leapt back; a flash of silver, and Asher's grip on the magic slipped as excruciating pain ripped through his left arm.

"Stop," Rivas snarled, once more placing the dagger against Asher's throat. "Now."

Waves of pain coursed through Asher's arm, so intense he felt he might pass out. He twisted his head; a clean, deep gash traced the inside of his elbow to his shoulder. He sucked in a breath and redoubled his grip on the magic, preparing.

"Stop." Rivas shifted, pressing down on his arm. Asher cried out, words tumbling from his lips as the agony doubled.

"Okay, okay, please..."

With a heavy sigh, Rivas slowly sat back. His hand moved to hover over Asher's arm; the wound knitted itself back together in moments, leaving nothing but an angry red line and a few drops of blood. Asher sagged against the ground, gasping for air.

"This cold," Rivas said after a long moment. He tiredly ran a hand through his hair, taking a shaky breath. "It hurts, doesn't it?"

Asher only stared. Yes, it hurt. Even now, he was still shivering.

"I can use the drug to remove you from the magic, but you'll be even more vulnerable without natural protection. It will become much, much worse. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Asher mumbled. He'd noticed that the magic within him provided a semblance of warmth.

"Do you want me to use the drug?"

Asher pressed his lips together, unable to bring himself to even shake his head. Rivas stared at him, calculations running through his flinty eyes.

"If you get past me, Kain will find you. He is stronger than any of us right now, and he is not gentle. Do you realize this?"

"Y-yes."

"You do as I say," Rivas continued, "exactly as I say, and you can keep your magic for now. There will be no tricks, or you'll have to deal with what's left of that Raek without any protection. Agreed?"

"I..." Another shudder wracked Asher's body, and what was left of his defiance shattered. He closed his eyes, willing the tears away, and nodded. "Agreed."

Rivas' dagger vanished, and the roots went limp. Asher quickly yanked his hands free, rubbing his wrists. The darkness seemed to rush in on him, and he twisted his hands together to keep them from trembling. He'd forgotten the Raek for a moment, but now he saw its twisted figure in every shadow.

Stiffly getting to his feet, Rivas made to walk to Idris. Before Asher could think, he reached out and grasped the man's cloak.

"Wait."

Rivas twisted around, his hand drifting to his sword. "What is it?"

"Just... stay here," Asher stammered, flinching as another gust of wind rippled through the forest.

"Am I not a monster, too?" Rivas asked, frowning.

"Doms es, rao ka oruma." Asher muttered, lifting his eyes to the Valkir's. A spark of anger wavered in his chest, keeping his voice from breaking. "Yes. But... at least you're human."

With some reluctance, Rivas sat back down and rested his chin on one knee. The man's hands were shaking; when Rivas noticed Asher staring at them, he tucked them inside his cloak with a slight scowl.

"The Raek," Asher said hesitantly, eyeing Rivas. "What was that thing? What did it do to us?"

"I know little of them." Rivas reached out, grabbed the cloak from the ground next to his feet, and tossed it at Asher's chest. "They are made from magic, and cannot be killed by—" He cut himself off, glancing at Asher. "They are made of magic. Warped magic, created by massive amounts of dark energy."

Asher looked up at the sky, where he knew the peak of the strange, twisted mountain laid hidden. He tucked the cloak around his shoulders, like a blanket. "They can't be killed by what?"

"I don't know," Rivas replied evasively. "They are merely theories."

"...Why did you say not to let it touch me?"

"Raek feed off of the magic of living beings. Our souls, if you will. To touch one is to die."

Asher opened his mouth, but something in Rivas' eyes told him there would be no more answers. Drawing the second cloak up around his ears, Asher huddled against a tree. He traced the path Rivas had cut across his arm, grimacing as a lingering ache came to life beneath his skin.

"Did I heal it right?" Rivas asked, cocking his head.

"Don't..." Asher shuddered. "Don't ever talk to me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're trying to take care of me," Asher spat.

"I am," Rivas replied quietly.

Asher was struck dumb for a moment. He sharply shook his head, muttering a curse at the ground. Not only was his captor his only teacher, but... "Well, you've done a terrible job of it."

"It helps when you cooperate. For example..." Rivas sighed, took out his water flask, and passed it over. Asher stared at the container, bile rising in his throat. "It's not poisonous, boy."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't fight you," Asher snarled. He snatched the water from Rivas' hand, skin crawling, and drank as quickly as he could.

"It makes things easier for all of us."

"Not good enough."

"Soren isn't going to kill you when you get to Crisea."

Asher laughed humorlessly. "I have a feeling whatever he wants will be worse than death."

"We might let our guard down." When Asher didn't reply, Rivas continued. "If you never give us cause for alarm, one of us may slip up and give you an opening."

"And why, exactly, would you tell me that?" Asher said, narrowing his eyes.

Rivas shrugged. "I don't think we'll let our guard down. But it's your best chance."

The man's words made sense, which only worried Asher more. He fell silent, gazing blankly at a tree.

"Did I heal it right?"

With a start, Asher realized that he'd brought a hand to his arm again. He glared at Rivas. "Sure. Yes. You did great. You're great. Thank you very much for healing the wound you created."

Anger rippled through Rivas' eyes. "If you are so intent on testing my patience, then perhaps I should leave you here."

"Please do," Asher snapped, shoving down the fear that swelled within him at those words. "I'll just start running."

Rivas clenched his jaw. "Right into Kain's arms? Or another Raek? Go ahead, boy. I won't stop you."

Yet another chill ran through Asher; he shivered and wrapped his arms around his knees. He spit out a few curses, but the terror coiled around his chest made it impossible to move. It was so dark. Kain would find him, or Rivas, or one of those awful creatures. He blinked away a few tears and took a deep breath.

There was no use.