Page 67 of The Curse Between Us

Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Edric allowed himself to surrender to the feeling of gravity pulling him back, pushing him into the rough stone wall behind him. His hands wrapped around Abyss’s wrists with all the remaining strength he could muster, and for the first time, he felt the strange vulnerability of it—like a sudden rush of cold air meeting the warmth of his skin. The bones beneath Abyss’s skin felt fragile, almost brittle in his grip, but still, it didn’t hurt. That was strange.

He wasn’t holding Zephyr. No, he was holding Abyss.

Abyss hissed, and the faint scent of ashes in the air grew stronger, clinging to the cavern like a foul presence. Edric’s hands were burning from the pressure as the inky substance started to crawl up his arms. The black tendrils that had been spreading from Abyss’s wrists began to reach into his own veins, winding through his blood like poison. Edric shivered violently as it crawled up his arms, but he didn’t let go. This was it—the only chance he had. He imagined pulling Abyss out, like drawing poison from a wound, and he could feel it—it was the key.

Abyss hissed again, louder this time, its rage flaring like a beast cornered. And yet, something else stirred within it: fear. Edric could feel it in the tremor that went through Abyss's form.He smiled grimly. Yes, it feared him. And that fear would be its undoing.

His grip tightened, and with all the remaining energy in his body, Edric pulled. The tendrils of blackness thickened, running up his arms, crawling under his skin, pulling on his body like they wanted to drag him down into the abyss itself. His entire body shook from the force of it, the sensation both searing and freezing all at once.

“Are you with me, Zephyr?” Edric asked, his voice barely a whisper, but loud enough for Abyss to hear. The words were an act of defiance, of belief that he could still reach him.

A shudder ran through the dark figure of Zephyr’s body, and then, a voice that was unmistakably Zephyr’s but laced with a raw, determined power broke through the clouded barrier of Abyss’s influence. “I am with you.”

A surge of warmth broke through the freezing cold in Edric’s chest. He held on, even as the black tendrils grew thicker, tightening their grip on his veins. Zephyr’s voice rang in his ears, an anchor in the storm of chaos.

The light returned to Zephyr’s eyes, burning fiercely as they turned to meet Edric’s gaze. Zephyr’s hands, still caught in Abyss’s grip, twisted in Edric’s hold. The black tendrils seemed to retreat just slightly, but Edric knew they weren’t done. Not yet.

“Do not take too much of it,” Zephyr said urgently, his voice a strained whisper through clenched teeth. “We must strike the correct balance, so we can both share its presence equally.”

Edric nodded, his body shaking as his hands gripped Zephyr’s wrists with everything he had left. “Tell me when to let go.”

Zephyr grimaced, his face contorting in pain. “Soon. I can feel it, coiled in my mind, its claws dug deep. But it is losingground.” His eyes opened again, and this time the light within them was fierce, unyielding. “Now, Edric!”

With all the force he could gather, Edric released Zephyr’s wrists, collapsing back against the wall in exhaustion. The last remnants of the black tendrils retreated into his body, slipping under his sleeves, and though the energy drained from him, it felt like a victory.

Zephyr’s eyes were still shining with life as he took a long, deep breath. Edric reached a shaking hand up to his brow, wiping the sweat that had gathered there as his heart slowed.

“I can hear it inside me,” Edric said softly, his voice ragged. The sound was faint, but still there—the distant sound of screams, gnashing teeth, and wordless, frustrated babbling. The distant sound of Abyss's fury still rang in Edric's ears, but now it was nothing more than a dull thrum, a distant murmur in the back of his mind. Zephyr's presence beside him was a solid comfort, though both of them felt the lingering pressure of Abyss’s essence. It was contained, for now, but the weight of it pressed down on them, filling the space with an unsettling heaviness.

“Do you still hear it?” Edric asked.

Zephyr nodded slowly, his eyes distant, still shadowed with the remnants of Abyss’s grasp, but also something else—determination. “Yes. But not so loud as before.” He exhaled slowly, the breath shaky, as if the effort of holding onto control had nearly been too much. He took a step toward Edric, his legs still unsteady, and the flicker of exhaustion caught in his features. “I believe I can keep it caged, for now.”

But his legs gave way beneath him, and Edric reacted instinctively, reaching out to steady him. Together, they slumped to the floor, too tired to care for anything but the fact that they were alive. Edric tilted his head back, resting it on the cool rock, letting the relief flood through him in waves. Thedanger wasn’t over, but for the moment, it felt like they had somehow won a battle.

Zephyr settled beside him, close but not touching. The quiet space between them felt like a comfort, an unspoken understanding that neither needed to bridge just yet. Then, Edric felt it—a faint pressure on the back of his hand. Zephyr’s touch, light but there. It hurt, just slightly, but not nearly as much as he might have expected after the strain they’d both endured.

“How did you know?” Zephyr’s voice was quiet, tinged with the rawness of the struggle they had just survived. It wasn’t a question of blame; it was a genuine inquiry, a search for understanding.

Edric rolled his head to the side, offering him a rueful smile, his lips curved in exhaustion and weariness. He had done something reckless, something that had nearly cost them both. But it had worked. "I didn’t," he admitted, the weight of his decision catching up with him as he spoke. “I only knew I couldn’t let you go without a fight.”

Zephyr let out a shaky laugh, the sound tentative but genuine, and despite the grimness of their situation, it was the most comforting thing Edric had heard in a long while. "Thank you," Zephyr whispered, his eyes still heavy with the remnants of their shared struggle. Even in the dim light, his face looked so much like himself, though tinged with exhaustion. The shadow that had loomed over his features before had finally gone, replaced with something softer, more human.

“As much as I hate to ask—" Zephyr’s voice was hesitant but steady. "Now what?"

Edric sighed deeply, the effort of the last several moments draining him of his remaining strength. He tilted his head to the side, letting it rest on Zephyr’s shoulder. It was the simplest of comforts, and it felt like everything he needed in thatmoment. The touch was warm, familiar, and it grounded him, even as the uncertainty of what came next weighed heavily on both of them. After a few moments, he felt a careful hand thread through his hair, brushing the tips of his damp strands with a tenderness that took his breath away.

“Give me a moment,” Edric murmured, his voice low and raw. He let himself lean into Zephyr’s touch, the soft comfort of it a balm to his troubled mind. “And then we can see about finding a way out of here.”

Zephyr’s hand stilled for a second, the faintest hesitation, and Edric could feel the weight of his thoughts behind that pause. Then Zephyr nudged him lightly with his shoulder, a soft jostle to bring Edric back to the present. “As a matter of fact, I do have the solution to that most immediate of our problems.”

Edric raised his head slowly, frowning at him in mild confusion. “You do?”

Zephyr smiled then, a small but triumphant thing, as though the very fact of it gave him strength. It was a smile full of hope, and it gave Edric a glimmer of something more than exhaustion. “Yes,” Zephyr said, the corners of his mouth lifting. “Abyss was boasting about the tunnel out of here. I saw it in my mind as it spoke of it.” He gestured back through the archway, pointing toward the main section of the cavern. “The way out is further down, not up. We journey under the mountains and emerge at the base of the waterfall.”

Edric’s frown deepened, but the thought of escape sent a surge of relief through him, if only for a moment. “Likely, that is how it was able to damage it,” Zephyr added, his face tightening at the thought. Edric’s heart squeezed at the implication, and instinctively, he leaned against Zephyr, offering him the silent comfort that they both needed.

“If it could do all that just from here—” Edric trailed off, his mind swirling with the possibilities. His gaze met Zephyr’s,and in that brief, silent exchange, they both understood the weight of the question.

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