Page 107 of Dark Fate

Faderynclears his throat softly, ever the voice of reason amidst the banter. "Perhaps we should discuss our approach to theWhispering Woodscome morning? It would be wise to have a plan in place before we venture further into their depths."

I sit down besideDanion our makeshift bed, welcoming her warmth against my side as I listen toFaderyn's suggestions. His words are a grounding force amidst the Vales' eerie whispers.

"We’ll need to traverse the Northern Pass,"Erikfinally says, his voice calm but authoritative, leaving no room for argument. "It’s treacherous but direct, the quickest path through the woods."

"And boring,"Lucianinterjects while striking flint to steel, attempting to ignite a spark. "We could always scale the eastern ridge for a bit of excitement, add some spice to this dreary journey."

"Or plummet to our deaths," I counter dryly. "Let’s stick withErik’s plan, which doesn’t involve us risking our necks for your amusement."

Axilyanods in agreement, her expression serious. "The Northern Pass is wise. We should conserve our strength for what awaits us in the Whispering Woods. The challenges there will be formidable enough without us expending energy unnecessarily."

Lucianfinally manages to coax a flame from his efforts, grinning triumphantly as he feeds it with more wood, nurturing it into a proper fire. The warmth is a welcome respite from the Vales' chilling embrace, a small comfort in this haunted landscape.

Axilyagracefully stretches out her legs, her lithe form elegant even in repose. "Rest is essential tonight; we face more than just physical challenges ahead. The Vales will test our minds and spirits as much as our bodies."

After the meal, with the food we managed to carry along now settling heavily in our stomachs,Daniand I settle down on the scratchy bedroll, our bodies instinctively seeking each other’s warmth. I wrap myself around her, my larger form molding to hers as we draw near the fire, its flickering light casting dancing shadows across our entwined forms. Our closeness and the flames are the only defiance we offer against the cold embrace of the Vales, a small pocket of warmth and life amidst the eerie stillness.

Glancing down, I watch as the fog twists and curls around us like a nest of cold, slithering serpents, its tendrils reaching out as if to ensnare us in its ghostly coils. This whole place is chilling, a tingle creeping across the skin like icy fingers trailing down the spine. I pullDanicloser, a wordless vow to keep her warm, to shield her from this place's strange and unsettling touch.

I lift my head to look down at her, my brow furrowed with concern. "Are they... whispering to you?" I ask, needing to know that she’s not suffering alone, that I’m not the only one haunted by the Vales' insidious murmurs.

Her brow furrows slightly as she describes the sensation, her voice soft but steady. "It’s like a thousand pinpricks against my mind, a constant pressure trying to find a way in. But I’m holding them at bay, so they sound like they’re underwater, distant and muffled. It’s all just garbled whispers right now, nothing clear enough to understand." She meets my gaze, her eyes reflecting the firelight, a silent reassurance that she's still fighting with me.

"Good." I kiss her cheek, my lips lingering against her soft skin. "Get some sleep,baby. I’ve got you." I lay back down, squeezing her close, my arms a protective barrier around her, a silent promise to keep her safe, to guard her dreams against the Vales' ghostly intrusions.

Danica

49

"Danica!" The voice slices through the dense shroud of mist, laden with urgency and fear, a desperate plea that chills me to the bone.

Emily.

My heart drums a frantic beat as her distant cry pierces the heavy fog blanket, a lifeline in the disorienting white veil. Silence mocks me as I launch myself up, eyes darting through the impenetrable mist, searching for any sign of her, any hint of where she might be.

"Emily, where are you?!" I shout desperately, my voice raw with panic and dread. But my words are swallowed up, muffled as if shouting into a pillow, absorbed by the thick, cloying fog that surrounds me on all sides.

Then it cuts through again—Emily's scream, twisted with horror, a sound that chills me to the bone and sets my heart racing with a fear that's almost paralyzing. "Danica! Please...help—"

Panic's icy fingers tighten around my throat as I lurch blindly into the impenetrable mist, straining for any sign of her, any hint of where she might be. The cries for help become my anchor in the blinding void, the only thing that keeps me moving forward, the only thing that keeps me from succumbing to the despair threatening to overwhelm me.

"Emily!" My voice does little against the heavy blanket of quiet smothering each plea, each desperate cry for help.

Through the veil, I spot them—Rhyland and the others laid out in an unnatural sleep, their bodies still and unmoving, their faces slack and peaceful despite the horror surrounding us. Fear grips me tighter, a vise around my heart threatening to squeeze the life out of me.

Why can't they hear her screams? Why won't they wake up and help me find her?

"Dani!!" Emily's scream jolts me from my thoughts into motion, a bolt of pure adrenaline that sends me stumbling forward, my feet slipping on the damp ground.

Sentient mist writhes around me, obscuring the treacherous terrain, a living thing that seems to delight in my fear and confusion. My foot catches on a hidden root, and I stumble. The frigid air turns my breath to frost that dissipates into the thickening fog, a ghostly vapor adding to the surreal horror of the moment.

"Emily! Where are you?" I call, cupping my hands around the radiant orb sparking to life in my palms, a tiny sun pulsing with a warm, golden light. Under its glare, the world takes shape—trees dripping with dew, the slick ground beneath my feet, the twisting path leading deeper into the mist.

"Dani! Oh god...please!" Her blood-curdling scream nearly shatters me, a sound that's pure terror and desperation, a plea cutting me to the core.

I press on, my light carving a path through the fog, a beacon in the darkness that guides me forward step by fumbling step. "Emily! Hold on!" I call, my voice cracking with the strain of my own fear and desperation.

Even as I push myself to the limits of my endurance, even as I strain every sense for any sign of her, I can feel hopelessness creeping in, the sinking realization that I may be too late, that I may have lost her forever.

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