Page 55 of Storms & Sacrifice
“I should be thankingyou, Ranger Broadedge,” Khazak answers before I have a chance, sitting next to me and running his fingers through my hair. “As you can see, if my pup goes too long without being serviced, he can get rather cranky.”
I turn and narrow my eyes at my owner. “I never should have taught you how tobe funny.”
“Who said I was joking?” he replies with a smirk. I can only grumble inresponse.
Chapter 11
“Can your magic heal sore feet?” All these hills arekilling me.
“I suppose that is one potential application,” Khazak chuckles. “Tell you what: if you manage to continue behaving today, I will do that before bedtonight.”
“Ialwaysbehave,” I lie.
It’s Ignisday, our third day in the forest and second full day on patrol. It’s late afternoon and the sky is grey, covered in a thick layer of clouds that hides the sun’s position, but we shouldn’t have a problem making it back to camp before it’s dark. Just like yesterday, all of today’s patrols have turned up absolutely nothing. I know we have four more days out here, but I was really hoping we’d have found something by now. We’re heading northwest, which explains all the fucking hills. I can see the mountainside off in the distance ahead of us.
Other than all the extra bodies and walking, this patrol week hasn’t been that different from the last one. Just with alotless free time. Which has been fine, because after me, Khazak, and Orim had our bout of fun in the tent, it’s been hard to make eye contact with Arik and the officer who overheard us. We haven’t had a repeat, mostly because I haven’t gotten as desperately horny again yet, but I guess the possibility is always there.
After our play time, I was feeling a little worried that things might change between me and Orim. It’s not like he’s the only friend I’ve had sex with since being here (Hello, Brull, Nylan, and Ragnar), but he’s the first one I made on my own instead of someone I met through Khazak. I’m happy to say Orim’s been acting like his regular old self, which makes me feel like I can dothe same.
“Have you noticed where we are yet?” Khazak askscasually.
“What do you mean?” I look around.Am I supposed to know this place?
“Look closer.” He smirks. “You and your friends were here six weeks ago.”
“What? This isn’t...” I look around us again as we continue to walk. Those mountainsdolook kind of familiar. “Are we close to the ruins?”
“Yes, very.” Khazak nods. “Follow me.”
We climb down the other side of the hill we are on and finally find some solid flat land. The mountainside is just ahead of us, a small dirt path along its base going east to west. Wait,nowthis place is starting to look familiar. Sure enough, as we move around the mountain and another comes into view, I realize this is the path my group took to get to the ruins. Coming up, I see where the mountains give away a little and reveal a small alcove with the entrance. When we finish turning the corner, there’s just one problem: I don’t see a cave.
“Wait, where’s the entrance?” I halt in my tracks, staring at the solid rock ahead of me.
Khazak ignores my words, only gesturing with his hand for me to keepfollowing.
“Your group actually managed to avoid tripping any of our alarms right until you strayed from the trail and moved north to get to the entrance.” He almost sounds impressed. “Of course, the only way to avoid them completely would have been to not to break in to ransack the place like thieves in the first place.”
“Hey, we’re not ‘thieves,’ and we didn’t know we were ‘breaking in’ anywhere!” I maintain that we’re at least innocent of that.
“Whatwouldyou call yourselves then?” We come to a stop in front of the mountainside.
I pause to think. “...Treasurehunters?”
He looks very unimpressed withmy answer.
“We’re all very sorry,” I tell him flatly. I know he’s not asking me to apologize again, but it still feels like I’m supposed to. “Are you sure we’re in the right place?” The mountain looks...mountainy? I still don’t see a cave anywhere. I am veryconfused.
Wordlessly, Khazak takes two steps forward—and disappears into the mountainside.Goddammit, it’s another illusion.I walk forward myself, coming face to face with a smirking Khazak and the cave in question, the entrance blocked by several boulders. Boulders that I seem to remember being around the cave the last time we were here, not inside of it.
“It does look very different with the illusion,” he reasons while looking atthe cave.
“Yeah, especially if you haven’t seen the illusion before.”Ofcourse,it looks different. “I guess the boulders are a good way to keep people out if they getpast it.”
“Yes, we replaced them after your group removed them from the entrance,” he tells me, looking at me funny. “What do you mean you have not seen the illusion before?”
“Exactly what I said. I’ve never seen this. This wasn’t here before.”What is he talking about?“What doyoumean about my group moving the rocks? Those weren’t there either.”
“Yes, they were.” He looks between me and the cave. “Or at least they were supposed to be. What exactly did this area look like when you first arrived herethat day?”
