Chapter 15

Rain'swarm fingertips in mine were the only heat I felt in this place. Our footsteps were the only sound echoing off the cave walls.

What lurked beneath the soil was such an odd thing to me. Up there, on top of the grass and clover, there was so much life. Foliage, and animals, and light, and heat, and home. Safety.

We weren't meant to be in places like this. It was the bedrock of our world–– its foundation––but like the rocks that held up a home, we didn't need to interfere with it. It was our root, not our flower. Nothing that breathed could thrive in this environment.

Supposed that was why they chose it.

They may have breathed, but they didn't live. Life required foliage, animals, light, and heat.

No matter how uneasy it made me, though, there was something beautiful about it. To see the underbelly of the Earth, the core and plates and rock beds that allowed the life to bloom, was fascinating. But only in the same way that the stars were. As fascinating as it may have been, we weren't meant to be here.

When I'd asked what we were walking toward, Rain's mouth opened, but no words came out. Ezra had said, "It's something you'll need to see for yourself."

I accepted that answer as enough. Then I walked behind Laila and Jeremy, holding Rain's hand, with Warren, Ezra, Jake, and Amara at my flank.

I was grateful for the silence. Partly because I didn't want to talk to Warren, and partly because of the shame.

How hadn't I realized they were gone? On the flight, Laila had said it was a good thing I hadn't. I did what I had to do back there. I protected my people. I fought, and because I had, we had no true casualties. Those we lost would be resurrected by Ramona and Luci back at camp within the hour.

But the person I cared most about stood beside me, unaware that I had momentarily forgotten her existence. She should have been my priority. Rain, Ezra, and Warren should have been my priorities. Rain may have been the only one I was in love with, but we were all soulmates. Two of them were in danger, and I had paid it no mind.

Rain squeezed my hand, her warm brown eyes concerned. What's the matter with you?

Forcing a smile, I raised a shoulder. Nothing.

I know you better than that. She circled her other hand around to stroke it up and down my arm. You're upset about something.

I was worried about you.

But I'm fine, and you're still upset.

I'm not upset.

She frowned. Don't make me dig for it. Just talk to me.

A deep breath eased from my nostrils. I didn't realize you were gone.

And I stayed back to explore before letting you guys know I was okay.A teasing smile. I guess we're both horrible partners.

Chuckling, I traced my thumb along the back of hers. It's not the same thing, mo stoirín.

No, it's not. Mine was a conscious decision. Yours was an adrenaline-fueled brain fog.

Maybe I should be the one who's offended.

She smirked. Maybe you should.

But I wasn't. One of the many things I adored about Rain was her independence. She never really needed me, and that always made me want her more.

I was the opposite of her. Each time she went out without me, I worried for her until she returned. I came to her rescue whenever she called. Sometimes, even when she didn't.

Rain still smiled at me, but it was a little sad. And then we grew up.

Playfully, I narrowed my gaze. I didn't give you permission, lass.

And I didn't give you permission the thousand times you dipped into my thoughts.Her smile only got bigger. Don't like the taste of your own medicine, huh?

A quiet laugh escaped me.

That wasn't healthy for you, Graham. Her tone in my mind was softer now. I'm grateful for it. I know it was always out of love. Not to mention obligation. Jake told you to take care of me before he died, and you did. But then we got older. We fell in love—real, adult love—and that wouldn't be worth much if you were just my bodyguard.

It's not that I think I should be. I just—I should have been paying attention. I should've at least realized.

It wouldn't have done you any good. I'm glad you kept fighting. And I'm glad you trusted that I could handle this.Things went down like they were supposed to. I'm okay, you're okay, Ezra's okay, Warren's okay.

I must have made a face at that, because confusion pinched her brows.

What was that for?

What was what for?

That look in your eyes when I mentioned Warren.

I didn't have a look.

You did.She slowed her pace, glancing back at me. What happened?

We're big boys. We'll work it out.

She stopped. Spinning around, she said, "Wa?—"

Laila told us to be quiet, I said into her mind, using my hand to guide her ahead. She clenched her jaw, but resumed her pace. We can talk about it later.

We can talk about it now.

Rain—

If you keep avoiding it, I'm gonna go talk to him instead, because this can't happen. There can't be conflict between a few of us that we don't address with the others. If there's tension here, I need to know how to handle it.

Rubbing down the bridge of my nose, I let out another deep breath. He was angry that I didn't realize you to were gone. We got into it a little bit. The others broke it up, but… Yeah, I don't know.

Wait, broke it up?Her eyes widened. As in, you guys fought. You physically fought.

Not really, no.He grabbed me by my shirt, and I shoved him, and then Jeremy broke it up.

Her jaw dropped.

This was between us. Don't fight with him about it. Me and Warren, we'll work it out.

She looked ready to fight me about that, but then remembered we had to stay quiet. Silence sat between us for a few footsteps. Eventually, she thought, Are you sure? I'll talk to him if you need me to. Out of all of us, you're already in the most unfair situation, and I don't want you to think anybody is ganging up on you.

I chuckled. The thought was sweet, but I never worried about that. Did I see where she was coming from? Sure. I knew the potential of being a fourth wheel. Warren and Ezra had been married for decades, and they were both as in love with Rain as I was. Yes, it was a logical thought.

But it had never been an issue. All four of us were adults, capable of recognizing when we were wrong, and when the ones we loved were wrong. Above all else, we were friends.

Friends didn't dance around their opinions. We were honest with each other, sometimes too much so with Ezra's sensitive nature. But we were also fair. And anyone with a set of eyes could recognize that the way Warren behaved was unfair. Even if, on a moral level, he was right, his behavior was still wrong.

I expected Ezra to react the same way Rain had. Warren must've felt similarly, since he'd already attempted to apologize multiple times.

If anything, I was worried about him being ganged up on.

I'll handle it.Another squeeze of her hand. But thank you for worrying.

Always.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Jeremy said ahead of us.

"I said the same thing," Ezra muttered.

"Did you really?" I glanced behind me to meet his gaze. "I don't think I've ever heard you curse."

"On occasion," Warren said.

"Just about any reaction to this is rational," Rain said.

"Is that—Ah, fuck?" Disgust rippled through Laila's voice. "Please tell me this isn't what I think it is."

I couldn't tell her anything, because Jeremy was an inch or two taller than me and had a big head with an even bigger volume of hair.

"I think it is," Ezra said. "I think it also explains the… odd odor."

A few steps forward, and we were in an opening. Couldn't have been more than eight feet high, as my head wasn't too far from hitting the ceiling. Large enough to stand comfortably, but I couldn't call it a living space. More like a teenage hangout spot. The bare minimum of necessities. A roof that kept the weather away, a few benches, a fire pit, and a?—

"What the fuck is that?" I asked.

No one answered.

Meat. It looked like nothing more than meat, dangling from the ceiling like a pig in a butcher's shop.

Then I saw the skin. The pale white, dark hair dusted skin. Skin not too different from my own.

A groin, legs, and feet.

"Well," Laila murmured, approaching the body, "I guess they take that whole ‘go eat a dick' thing seriously."

I snorted.

"Laila." Jeremy's voice was almost parental.

"What?" She hooked a thumb in my direction. "He thought it was funny."

Insensitive and bordering on cruel, yes, but also funny.

"Why the fuck would they do this?" Warren stood a foot or two away from my left, staring at the body in disbelief. "What purpose does it serve?"

"None that I'm familiar with," Laila said. Gently, she reached onto the tips of her toes for the rope that bound his feet together. A heavy gust of wind rushed through the tunnel behind us. Settling around him, she released the rope. The wind formed something of a tornado around the remains. It supported his weight as she lowered him to the ground.

A rumble moved through my stomach, but I held my breath, and it settled. I walked in her direction. "Me neither."

Kneeling beside her, I brought a flame to my hand for light. She gave me a nod of thanks, then looked down at the mutilated corpse.

Too low for anyone else to hear, in Elvan, she whispered a phrase that does not exist on Earth. In English, it translates best as, "We'll avenge you."

That had always fascinated me about Véa in the texts, yet it was hard to see it hold true now. She remained upbeat through the worst of times. But if you looked closely, you could see how much the gravity of things like this, the terrors people committed against one another, weighed on her.

With gentle fingers, she examined his flesh. She spoke in Elvan, but it was old, and some of the words didn't make much sense to me. I recognized the rhythm, though. It was a spell. Didn't know what it was for, not until his skin glimmered. Glittering light shined in the path her fingertips had traveled from his hip to his knee.

"What are you doing?" Rain asked.

"Looking for a trace of something. Help me flip him, Graham," Laila said. I did, and she continued. "If they used him as some sort of sacrifice, there'd be something remaining."

"Could you teach me that spell?" Rain asked.

"When we finish this mission, just remind me." She started at the top again—his ass—but didn't touch his skin until she made it to his upper thighs. Slowly, she brushed down his knee and onto his calf. The light glowed brighter. Instead of the line her fingers had followed, shapes began to form. "We've got something."

I squinted at the markings, but then Laila's white light obscured the body. When she lifted her hand away, it became clear. Still, I didn't understand it.

They were shapes, trailing parallel midway down his calf all the way to his toes. Triangles, squares, circles, with intricate lines throughout them. Some resembled mandalas while others weren't much different from symbols I knew well, like a triquetra and the triskelion.

That wasn't what surprised me. Magic often included symbols I wasn't familiar with. The surprise was Laila's face.

Her breath hitched, and her eyes softened. Tears even burned in them.

"You know what that means?" I asked.

"I know it's cuneiform." Swallowing hard, she shook her head. "But no, I don't know what it means."

"Then what's that face for?" Warren asked.

"Because I know where it comes from," she said. "And no one alive should. It's half a million years old, maybe more, and a long dead language."

Jeremy took a few steps forward, looked at the markings on the man's legs, then cursed under his breath. "You gotta be shitting me."

"What?" I asked. "What's going on?"

It was hardly noticeable. I only realized because I was sitting so close to her. But her fingertips trembled. She clenched them into fists. With a clear of her throat, she reached into her cloak. When she put her hand back on his thigh, bands of green snaked out from beneath her palm.

In Elvan, she recited the rites. From the ground, our flesh has come; to the ground, our flesh returns. Rest now, find your place amongst the stars.

With each word, the vines snaked around him, wrapping every inch. By the time she was finished, every bit of his flesh was coated in vines.

"Aye," I murmured.

"Aye," Jeremy repeated in the same melancholy tone.

Should we say that too? Rain's voice sounded in my mind.

Bringing Ezra and Warren into the chain of thought, I said, It'd be respectful if you did. It's a part of our death ceremony.

So, in unison, the three of them said, "Aye."

"Warren, Ezra," Laila said, turning her gaze on them. "I need you to carry him."

"Sure," Ezra said.

"Of course," Warren agreed. "But I… Are you going to explain?"

"There isn't much to explain. I don't know what I'm seeing, Warren." There was an edge to her voice as she stood. "I just know it isn't good."

"But you know something, don't you?" His voice was much more passive than I was used to from Warren. "Those symbols, that language, it means something to you."

"It does. And I don't understand why it's here, or what it means, or what the fuck we're going to do about it." She started past the others toward the exit of the cave. "Be careful with him. If we can figure out who he is, I'd like to return him to his family for burial."

"Of course," Ezra said. "But could you at least give us a vague idea why you're worried?"

Approaching the spot we'd come in from, she halted. A deep breath echoed through the cave. Once again, a bleakness overtook her bubbly personality, and she turned our way with an expressionless face. "The worm in the wood." Her eyes settled on me. "You can explain to them what that means."