Bound Evil

“We need to go back; he may still be alive!”

Ashe’s voice trembled as she braced against Emily.

“Ashe, we can’t go back. We’ll end up just like him,” said Emily.

Ashe’s eyes were clouded with worry, disbelief etched in every line of her face.

“He can’t be gone. He was just here…”

Alex’s gaze swept the surrounding trees before he moved closer to Ashe, lowering his voice. “I’m sorry for your friend, Ashe. I should have been more careful, but we can’t go back. It’s too dangerous.”

Ashe met his eyes, calming the longer she looked into them.

“I understand, damn it, but he… didn’t deserve that.”

Alex nodded, glancing at Emily with a serious look before glancing at Ashe.

“We need to keep moving. It’s only going to get harder from here. I need to know you can keep going.”

Ashe’s face cycled through emotions finally coming to rest on a quiet resolve.

“I can still channel some power today. A few more fights won’t be a problem.”

“Then let’s keep moving.” Alex's gaze flickered back to the direction they came from, concern briefly shadowing his features.

He led the way, melding into the trees, while Emily and Ashe walked side by side. The silence that followed was thick, almost suffocating, but Emily felt compelled to break it.

“I’m sorry for the loss of your ally,” she began awkwardly. “Did you know him long?” Ashe frowned, meeting Emily’s gaze.

“I only knew Journ for two weeks, but he was a good man. That’s why it hurts so much. I should have made him stay.” Emily hesitated, unsure how to comfort her.

“...Well, you should know that he died protecting you. His choices led him here, and you’re alive because of them. To think otherwise… would be an insult to his memory.”

Ashe’s eyes filled with unshed tears as she bit down on her lip. Silence stretched between them until Emily, desperate to lighten the mood, blurted out, “So… was that magic you used to stop those rocks?” Ashe looked over at Emily, clearly seeing through her clumsy attempt at distraction.

“...Yes. That was runic sorcery. Sadly Green magic does not boast the destructive nature of Red, or things may have been different back there.”

Emily nodded as though she understood.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly is runic sorcery?”

Ashe shook her head and wiped her eyes with her palm, looking thankful for a subject that could take her mind off their current situation.

“It's… it's the primary branch of magic. There are many rumors surrounding Mages that are untrue. Many of which people don't bother to check. But the basics are simple, like any title, the nature of our abilities are determined by our bridge. Mine is Green, so I can tune into the earth’s flow of energy and draw on it when needed.”

Emily nodded and indicated for her to go on.

“I use that energy in my spells by guiding the outcome with basic runes using my hands. Wards use this very language, but they can be far more complicated than I can make alone. Of course, if I draw too much energy, that's when things get dangerous.”

Emily hummed to herself and was about to ask another when Ashe beat her to it.

“Now if you don’t mind me asking, I have a couple of questions of my own.”

Emily looked at Ashe and indicated for her to go on.

“You’re traveling with Alex, right? Does he really know the location of a layline? I just have to know that this wasn’t for nothing.”

Emily blinked sheepishly at first and then nodded. She had never even heard Alex mention the word, but it was in all likelihood what had gotten Ashe to join them in the first place.

“Yes, he does, I’m guessing that's what he promised you?”

Ashe nodded in turn, looking somewhat relieved. Emily cleared her throat and continued.

“Well, we’ll need to get out of here first. I really can't wait to leave these bloody woods behind me.”

“By the five, I couldn’t agree with you more, but before that, I’ll get some justice for Journ.”

The two of them devolved into more quiet banter as they continued keeping an eye on their surroundings.

Emily learned that Ashe was heading to the keep in search of work. Green mages were in high demand anywhere, as apparently, they were incredible builders. Bigger still was the fact that her sister had been exiled out here, and she wanted to reconnect with her.

Their conversation was cut short when Alex came sprinting back towards them a small group of elves on his tail.

Ashe Seemed only too ready for a fight and produced a coin. It looked to be a round which she flicked it in their direction. Its speed accelerated to incredible speeds and tore through several of the creature's skulls. Now that they weren't running for their lives, Ashe’s ability to weave the deadly piece of metal amongst them was impressive. Only needing a few hand gestures to change the direction of the deadly projectile.

Emily moved to meet up with Alex, and they then turned on the remaining creatures.

Emily got two for herself and managed to impale the first one on her blade, but she had to wrestle the second one to the ground and beat it until it stopped moving. She was once more made aware of how ill-suited blades were for her. If she had the energy right now she’d be able to clear these little shits all at once.

Alex had dispatched his with ease, by the time Emily climbed up out of the snow. He’d been watching her in case she needed help, but when she got up he gave her a slightly amused snort. She just shot him a glare, that told him exactly what she thought of him.

The area had fallen quiet again and they kept moving but Alex began to speak.

“Okay here’s where we’re going to have to make a decision. The area ahead is near the core of this whole mess, if we decide to brave it, we may have a large fight on our hands. The alternative is to go round, but that will add hours onto our journey, we will have to travel through the night, but it would technically be safer.”

Emily glanced through the trees ahead to see what he was referring to.

When she caught sight of the area she frowned.

The first noticeable difference was the large scar running across the landscape. Trees had been ripped down, creating a space devoid of canopy, and exposing the strip of land to the late afternoon sun. There was no road in sight, but the clearing ahead blocked their path, stretching out in either direction. It was choked with burrows clustered upon one another reminding Emily of a wasp nest bulging from the ground.

Ashe looked over at them worriedly.

“Um, I could probably collapse a good few of the tunnels, but then I’d be at my limit for the day. I think we should go around.”

Alex nodded and looked at Emily as he began to speak.

“I’m of the mind that we should chance it. If we can get through without gaining their attention, it will save us a lot of time and we’ll be able to sleep safely tonight.”

Emily hadn’t been able to take her eyes off the clearing. She even thought she saw forms shifting in the burrows but couldn’t be sure what awaited them.

Emily was always up for a fight, but in their current situation, the odds were stacked against them. She didn’t have much power left and by the looks of things, the way forward was a death trap.

“Hmm, I’m going to have to agree with Ashe here. The smart move would be to avoid this area completely. I think we should go around.”

Alex frowned as he glanced back at the clearing. Emily got the feeling he’d been hoping she’d back his idea, but his ‘deadline’ was of no concern to her. Whereas making sure the two of them survived, was.

“Alright… this way.” Alex mutterd.

They retreated from the strait silently, moving parallel to it in an attempt to navigate around, unfortunately, the burrows stretched even further than they first anticipated.

Hours ticked by, and while they encountered many small groups of creatures, Ashe’s magic made for the perfect ambush, allowing them to silence the rest before they could alert their scraggly neighbors.

Alex began looking increasingly frustrated as they made barely any headway through the forest.

When they found a tall outcropping of rocks, they stopped for a moment to gather themselves. Ashe was looking drained and welcomed the break, but Alex's eye flickered through the trees. The evening was fast approaching and they looked no closer to their destination. Making a fire or even resting for too long was out of the question, as even now they could hear the sounds of elves scampering nearby. Emily climbed up onto the outcropping and lay flat against the cold stone. Ashe followed her up and pushed herself into the opposite corner, allowing her eyes to lull closed and resting her back against the jagged wall.

Alex was the last to climb up, his eyes darting through the hungry shadows. Then to Emily's surprise, he came and lay down beside her. The small ledge was by no means big but there was still enough space that, they could each have their own.

He didn’t say anything at first, just kept looking out over the forest, so Emily decided to.

“Is she okay?” inclining her head in Ashe’s direction.

Alex glanced over at the dozing woman, lowering his voice as he did so.

“...she’s reaching her limit, drawing too much more will begin affecting her. That's why we should have crossed when we could.”

Emily shook her head.

“Are you still on about that? Look, you saw the same thing I did, that was a death trap. I’m all for killing those little shits but there were hundreds of the things.”

Alex’s jaw tensed as he looked down toward the trees below. He looked like he was done with the conversation, but Emily wasn’t, her frustration burning a hole in her patience.

“What’s so damned important is that you’re willing to put us in more danger. Is it the layline?”

Alex’s head snapped back to Emily, his eyes searching her face for something, but when he didn’t find it, he sighed.

“She told you about that? It doesn't matter. No, that's not the reason, and to be honest, as of now it’s none of your business.”

Emily froze her temper flaring in her chest.

“Oh really? Cus, I didn’t drag your ass out the fire for nothing. You owe me at least this much.”

Alex's brow twitched as he turned on her.

“Like hell, I do. Once we get to the keep, our partnership ends. You’re not Eva, I knew that from the first day, but I just kept hoping… the fact that you asked me why I’m doing all this proves it, she's not in there.”

Emily's anger cooled to a simmer. She knew he’d suspected something was off, but this much? Then why had he stayed with her all this time? Was it just to see if any part of Eva remained?

A group of high-pitched cries echoed off in the distance, punctuating the silence between them.

When Alex spoke again he sounded exhausted.

“Look… just tell me this, did she suffer?”

Emily studied Alex, she could deny it, but if she was tied to this man then he would figure it all out eventually.

“...No, she offered herself up willingly.”

Alex searched her face for even a hint of a lie but when he found none, he shut his eyes, when he opened them, they were cloudy with some emotion Emily couldn’t pinpoint.

“Figures. It would be just like her to do something so reckless. Well then, what did she ask of you? I know how these contracts work, her title would have allowed nothing less. She gave you something, it would not have been for free”

The itch at the back of Emily’s neck –which she was now realizing was her bridge– flared up stronger than ever before.

Emily swallowed as the words tried to force their way from her throat.

“We- I- At the mid-winter feast…”

Alex's eyes narrowed

“She asked you to do something at The Winter festival?”

The itching grew in intensity but Emily nodded anyway.

“Yes I’ve got to get there to carry out her last wishes, but the rest is between us.”

Alex’s shoulders drooped as he stared up at the darkened sky.

“Shit, Eva, you never made anything easy did you…”

When he refocused his gaze on Emily his eyes were clearer.

“Fine, we’re going to have a real talk about this when we’re somewhere safer, but for now, our partnership-”

A sudden roar tore through the night, startling both of them. Ashe straightened awake glancing about for the threat.

All three of them gazed over the edge of the outcropping as the trees began shifting with a sudden gale. Carried on the breeze was the sound of leathery wings beating to a slow rhythm.