Page 44

Return to Selas

T he march back to Selas was quiet and surprisingly uneventful.

At first the entire party was filled with tension as we entered the Whispering Woods once more, waiting to be driven crazy by their voices.

The only people who seemed to be at ease were the RSB soldiers.

But the whispers never came. However, I soon realized why when my magical senses picked up a sort of bubble surrounding us.

At first, I thought it was a spell, one stronger than the Twilight Veil, which seemed odd.

But the further we walked, the more I was convinced each of the RSB soldiers had an item, much like our pendants, that kept the whispers at bay.

The only difference was, theirs were a hundred times stronger.

They didn’t just keep the whispers back, they silenced the woods completely.

The RSB had never needed us to explore the ruins at all. Everything Captain Boromia ever told us was a lie.

How many newbie scouts had died in those woods because the RSB was unwilling to share their protection? Rumors of the danger were well known in Selas, and yet I’d never once heard of an item that could silence the monsters.

I wanted to scream, to cry out about how unfair it all was.

To demand an explanation for why we’d been tricked and sent to die.

Was it all just because we made a few gold as newbies?

Did we upset the order of the world? Or were we just in the wrong place at the wrong time?

I wasn’t sure and no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find the answers I sought.

My thoughts consumed me, spiraling deeper and deeper until the trees began to thin and the fiery glow of the setting sun drew my attention upward.

Without realizing it, we’d passed completely through the Whispering Woods and found ourselves back on the outskirts of Selas.

I breathed a sigh of relief to see home once more.

The moment I did, I remembered what Captain Boromia had said.

Selas wasn’t a refuge. Not this time. Instead, it was the place we’d wait until he got back from the ruins and decided what to do with us.

For now, Selas was hardly more than a prison.

We were stopped for only a moment to untie the ropes bound between us.

Those who had their hands bound were released, but Kuro was still forced to carry all our gear.

And after the long trek through the woods, he looked far too exhausted and haggard to be his usual troublesome self.

Sky was looking worse for wear too, his hand clutching his side where his wound had been.

I’d healed it enough to close it up, but it still needed more internal work to make him fully functional again. I hated seeing him in pain.

“You will speak to no one,” the female soldier said as we started toward the walls of Selas once more. “You will keep your heads high. If anyone should suspect you are being detained, the captain will be extremely displeased upon his return.”

I nodded silently along with my friend, my mouth set in a grim line. What choice did we have but to comply? As we approached the main gate, the guards posted there straightened at the sight of the RSB soldiers. They exchanged quick salutes before we were waved through without question.

The evening bustle of Selas enveloped us—merchants packing away their stalls and tavern doors swinging open to welcome weary workers.

It all felt surreal, like watching a play from behind a glass wall.

These people had no idea what lurked in the woods beyond their walls, nor the deception perpetrated by those sworn to protect them.

Or maybe they did, and they didn’t care.

Maybe that’s just how things were in Selas.

“Keep moving,” the soldier behind me growled, nudging me forward when I slowed to watch a group of clearly fresh newbies that had just arrived in Cindersea.

They had no idea what they were getting into.

We were marched directly to our barracks, the run-down shack tucked away from the rest of the RSB barracks.

Part of me wondered if we’d been placed there on purpose to begin with.

It was out of the way and quiet, the kind of place nobody would visit or wonder why the previous occupants had gone missing.

If Captain Boromia made us disappear, I doubted anyone would ever think twice about it .

“Get in and stay inside,” the soldier barked as we walked through the front gate to the small building we’d attempted to make into a home.

“Scouts will be posted at the gate to make sure you don’t leave.

If you need supplies, let the scouts know and they’ll get them for you.

But you will not leave until the captain returns and makes his decision. ”

“But—” I started to protest, but the female soldier cut me off with a sharp glare.

“That’s an order. And a threat . Consider yourselves lucky you’re not behind bars or worse.”

With that, the soldiers turned and marched away, leaving us standing in the small yard before our dilapidated house. The gate clanged shut behind them, and I noticed two RSB scouts taking up positions outside. Our jailers, dressed as comrades.

Once inside, Kuro dropped our gear with a groan and collapsed into one of the chairs. “This is ridiculous,” he muttered, his usual bravado completely drained. “We survived that hellhole only to be treated like criminals.”

Sky limped to the corner of the room, his wolf ears flattened against his head in pain and anger. He leaned against the wall, sliding down until he sat on the floor, one hand still pressed to his side.

“Let me look at that,” I said, moving toward him.

He growled softly. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine,” I insisted, kneeling beside him. “And if we’re stuck here, you might as well let me finish healing you properly.”

After a moment of stubborn resistance, he gave in. “Fine,” Sky muttered, finally moving his hand away from the wound.

I gently lifted his shirt to reveal the hastily healed gash.

The skin had sealed, but the angry red line and surrounding bruising told me there was still significant damage beneath.

Calling on my healing magic, I placed my hands over the wound, feeling the warm, familiar energy flow through my fingers.

“This might sting a bit,” I warned as the blue light pulsed from my palms.

Sky winced but remained still, his blue eyes fixed on some distant point beyond the wall. As I worked, I could feel the torn muscle knitting back together, the damaged vessels repairing themselves. His breathing gradually eased.

“How did they know?” Kuro suddenly asked from his chair, head thrown back as he stared up at the ceiling. “About us being at the ruins, I mean. It’s like they were waiting. ”

“Because they were,” Sky said through gritted teeth. “This whole thing stinks of a setup.”

I finished my healing and sat back, feeling the familiar drain of magical exertion. “But why? What would they gain by sending us there only to drag us back?”

“Maybe they needed someone to pave the way,” Mira suggested, her voice quiet and trembling.

“They already knew how to get there,” Rhia answered, shaking her head. “Getting to the ruins wasn’t the problem. It was the guardian and the dungeon.”

“I think you’re right,” Kai nodded. “They needed us to clear the way.” He paused, looking up from all of us. His eyes were bloodshot, his brows furrowed in anger. I’d never seen him like that before. “How many?”

I stared at him, unsure of what he meant.

“How many others have been sent to the ruins before us to achieve the impossible?” His voice grew louder. “How many have been sacrificed?” He was nearly shouting now. “How many people, thinking they were being heroes or helping the greater good, were thrown to their deaths for no fucking reason?!”

His voice rang through the house, echoing off the walls.

A cold streak of anxiety surged through my body, making the back of my neck tingle.

I’d never seen Kai upset like that or even heard him raise his voice.

He was always the pinnacle of calm collectedness, the rock that our group leaned on to stay alive in this crazy, terrifying world.

To see him lose it so suddenly… it felt… hopeless.

“Kai...” I whispered, reaching toward him.

He shook his head, taking a deep breath as he ran his hands through his hair.

“I’m sorry. I just—” He closed his eyes for a moment.

“The RSB is supposed to protect people. That’s their whole purpose.

But they’re using us… using everyone like pawns in a game that only they can win.

And the rest of us… we just lose, no matter what. ”

“They always have,” Sky muttered, testing his side with careful fingers. The healing had taken effect. He moved with less pain now, which was a relief. “That’s why I stopped trusting them when my party died and they did nothing. The RSB takes and takes, and we’re all just meat for the grinder.”

Mira huddled deeper into herself on one of the rickety chairs. “What do we do now? If the captain decides we know too much...”

The unspoken end to that sentence hung in the air between us like a blade .

“I don’t know,” Kai said at last. “But I don’t think there’s any chance of sneaking out without getting caught or killed. For now… our only choice is to stay put.”

“But that—” Kuro began.

“I’m going to bed,” Kai interrupted, suddenly pushing himself to his feet. “All of us are. We’ve been through hell and back and none of us are thinking straight anymore. We need rest.”

The room went quiet as Kai slipped into the boys’ bedroom, leaving the door open behind him.

Kuro, heaving a great sigh that said everything all at once, followed him immediately.

Mira and Rhia sat there for a moment, both of them huddled close before Rhia stood and took Mira’s hand.

Together they slipped away into their room for the night, shutting the door behind them.

I stood as well, going into the boys’ room only for a moment to collect my meager blankets. When I returned to the main area, I pulled the door shut behind me. It was just Sky and I now, left to ourselves for the night.

He remained on the floor, his back against the wall, eyes fixed on the dead remnants of our last fire before we went away to the Whispering Woods.

It dawned on me that this was the first time he’d seen the inside of my party’s home.

I found myself wondering what his looked like, what kind of bed he was missing now that he was stuck with us.

The silence between us felt heavier than usual, weighted with all we’d survived and the betrayal we’d uncovered.

“You don’t have to sleep out here,” Sky said finally, his voice low enough that it wouldn’t carry through the stone walls. “Your bed is in there.”

I settled onto the threadbare rug near him, spreading my blanket over my legs. “I know. But I wanted to check on you first.”

His wolf ears twitched slightly, and I noticed how his tail curled tighter around his body. A defensive posture.

“I’m healed,” he replied flatly. “You did a good job.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Sky’s blue eyes finally met mine, and in them I saw a storm of emotions… anger, fear, resignation, and something else I couldn’t quite name. The usual wall he kept between himself and the world seemed thinner tonight, worn down by exhaustion and pain. I wished I could ease some of it.

“I’m sorry we got you into this mess,” I said at last. “If we hadn’t flashed that gold around… none of this would’ve happened.”

“No, it would have,” he said, not giving my words a moment to linger.

“It might’ve been a stronger party first, but eventually you all would be the last ones left alive.

Then it would be your turn to go to the meat grinder too.

That’s the way it works here in Selas… in all of Cindersea.

” He glanced up at me. “Ever wonder why you don’t see kids around?

Or anyone over the age of forty besides high-ranking members of the guilds?

It’s because nobody out here survives long enough.

And all of them are forgotten, their bodies lost to the wildlands without so much as a grave.

” He shook his head, resting his forehead on his knees as he pulled them close.

“We’ll all end up as nothing in the end. ”

I reached out, resting a trembling hand on his shoulder. “You’re not nothing to me Sky,” I said softly. “If something happened… I’d never forget you. Ever.”

Sky’s head snapped up, his blue eyes locking with mine. There was something vulnerable in his gaze, something raw and exposed that I’d never seen before. His wolf ears twitched forward slightly, focusing on me with an intensity that made my heart race.

“Don’t say things like that,” he whispered, but there was no bite to his words. If anything, they sounded almost pleading.

“Why not?” I challenged softly, my hand still resting on his shoulder. “It’s the truth.”

He looked away, his jaw clenching. “Because it makes things complicated.”

“I think things got complicated the moment we entered those ruins together,” I replied, shifting slightly closer to him. The warmth of his body radiated against mine in the cool evening air. “And more complicated when you decided to kiss me.”

A heavy silence fell between us, filled with all the words we weren’t saying.

Outside, I could hear the distant sounds of Selas settling in for the night.

Tavern songs slowly faded, and merchants’ carts rattled over cobblestones one last time.

Inside our prison-home, it was just us, breathing in the same air, sharing the same fear.

“I’ve watched too many people die… especially ones I cared about,” he said at last. He looked up at me, his eyes fixed on mine. “But I don’t know if I could live with myself if I tried to push you away.”

I leaned in instinctually, my hand wrapping around the back of his neck. “Then don’t push me away.”

“Oliver… we… we shouldn’t.”

“Why not?” I asked, surprised by my own confidence. “We’re living on borrowed time, even without the mess with Boromia. What’s the point of holding back? ”

“It… It could hurt,” he said softly in a moment of tender vulnerability.

“Then let it hurt,” I whispered. “You’re worth it.”