Page 147 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“No more splitting up,” he said, standing once more and stretching out a hand to her. “They know we’re here now.”
Her eyes darted from his face to his outstretched hand and back again.
Corbin sighed. “I’m helping you stand. That’s all. There’s no debt to be owed. It’s a simple kindness.”
“Nothing is simple in Devram,” she retorted.
“Nothing is simple withyou, nightmare,” he said, but there was no bite to it. “I just watched you thrash on the ground, screaming to the Pits of Torment, for nearly ten minutes. I doubt you can stand by yourself.”
She huffed, but he had a point. So she placed her hand in his, letting him pull her to her feet. Then an arm slid around her waist when her legs nearly gave out.
“See? Help isn’t so bad,” he said, a teasing note to his voice as he led her back to the clearing. When had she even left it? The last she remembered, she’d been here throwing things out of the backpack.
“It’s rather pathetic that I can’t even stand properly,” she replied flatly.
“You look pathetic,” Lange said from where he sat beside a small fire, feeding it more kindling to help it grow.
“Thanks,” she rasped, slowly lowering beside him with Corbin’s help. Her entire body ached.
They were silent as Corbin continued to set up for the night, and she and Lange just sat, lost in their nightmares. Because that was what the Dread-Nymphs did. Forced you to live out your greatest fears. Paralyzed you so they could devour you.
It was only after Corbin had passed her a cup of hot water heated over the fire that she said to Lange, “So, one of your greatest fears is that I will betray you.”
It wasn’t a question; she’d witnessed it with her own eyes. Heard the words he’d hurled at her.
Neither of the males said anything, but she saw the look they exchanged. They were right not to trust her, but…
But if they did, even a little bit, maybe it wouldn’t have been a weakness for the Dread-Nymph to prey on.
“Was there another one? Or just the one I killed?” she asked, watching the flames flicker before them.
“Just the one,” Lange answered, sounding as exhausted as she felt.
“That’s uncommon. They normally only prey on one at a time.”
“I think it did,” Lange said. “When it found you, it let me go.”
“I think Eviana found it,” Corbin said, passing around some dried meat he’d heated over the fire.
“You went looking for the thing?” Lange asked in surprise.
“You were yelling and alerting every Spryte, Imp, and Nymph in the woods to our presence,” she muttered. “I needed it to let you go.”
“I see,” Lange said, biting off a chunk of meat. “No other reason then?”
“What other reason would there be?”
“None at all,bellana,” he said. “None at all.”
They stayed in that same spot for the next two days. She and Lange were too exhausted, and it seemed none of the other creatures wanted to venture too close to a space where a Dread-Nymph had met its end. So they’d spent the days resting, foraging for food, and resting some more, but tomorrow, they really needed to be on their way.
It was dark, the sun having set a good hour or two ago. She was stoking the kindling with a long stick when Corbin said, “You owe us some answers.”
She looked up, the two of them seated across from her. Lange had an arm resting on a bent knee, leaning back on his palm. Corbin had his legs stretched out, leaning against Lange’s side.
When she didn’t say anything, Lange’s eyes narrowed. “That was the deal,bellana. We get to these gods-forsaken woods with you, and you tell us what you know. Are you going back on your word now?”
“You should know by now that my word means nothing,” she muttered, once again focused on the fire.
