"Not all," I say, stoking the campfire. "Some of us are good. Some of us less so."
The girl nods, knowingly. "So you're like us. You have good and bad people." Her eyes turn dark again. "The bad people kept raiding.
"They kept attacking the other villages, and our folk couldn't just stand by and let it happen. So they made a plan. I heard the Elder One tell my mother. They would perform a ritual, cast a plague upon the raiders. It would have a cost, she said. A big cost. And I was thinking maybe it cost a lot of money like the goats do. But mum told me it wasn't really like that. It was more like doing something nice for someone even if it wasn't too pleasant for yourself. Kind of like slowing down when we play Runner so the really young ones can keep up. Kind of like losing sometimes on purpose so they feel special. I hate losing."
She goes quiet after that. I don't prod her on. I don't do anything. The words will come in time. When she's ready.
Dean passes Romana another piece of meat, and she chews more vigorously than before. When she's done, she speaks. "I was playing out in the woods with my brother on the day of the ritual. We were supposed to be back by sun down, before the three moons be rising and turning full. He started to head back at the proper time, my brother did, but I wanted to stay and collect some flowers for mum. I lost track of things, and then, when I came back…"
Her lips tremble. Her eyes swell with tears.
"When I came back they were gone. All of them. And then I found the bones. All those bones. It was them. My mum and my pa. My brother…" Her words turn to sobs, and I wrap an arm around the girl, holding her close as I imagine Arianna would do. I make noises I hope are soothing.
Dean leans over and whispers in my ear. "You think this plague killed the raiders?"
"Maybe… but, the ritual would have needed a target. A campsite perhaps." I look at Romana. "Did anyone speak of where the raiders were staying? Where they were living?"
She nods, wiping tears off her face. "Down by the Raven Rock."
I caress the top of her head, smoothing her dark blue hair. "Do you know where that is?"
She nods.
"Can you take us there?"
She nods.
I stand, dusting snow off my clothes.
Dean grabs my arm. "And why are we going to this place where everyone is likely dead?"
"If there is a plague," I say, "we must make sure it is contained. Otherwise it may spread to Stonehill." I lower my voice so only he can hear. "And I do not believe that is the full of it. These villagers were taken by the Darkness. They didn't just die. Their power was absorbed by something."
Dean raises an eyebrow. "Metsi?"
I nod. "Varis told me she will do anything to win this war. He told me a madness has consumed her."
"So if we go to this Raven Rock, we might find Metsi. And if we find Metsi, we might find—"
"—Arianna," I finish.
We travel with renewed purpose, following the Fae girl through the darkness, carrying handmade torches. She has more energy than I would have expected, and she seems to fear the forests less than she feared her own village. She is now an orphan, homeless and parentless. If only Kayla would recover, she would know how to care for the girl. How to help her heal from this trauma. "It will be next to the river," she says, pointing forward to where a waterfall crashes down.
The sight makes me uneasy. Metsi is at her most powerful near the waves. But I do not suspect we will find her now. At most, we fill find a clue. A clue to where she may have gone.
When we come upon Raven Rock, I see that it is a cave. A perfect place to camp and hold out against the elements. Baron backs away from the opening, whining. Something seems to stir within.
A gust of wind hits us. And Romana clutches my leg. "It's here. The Darkness."
"Only the wind," I say, though I don't truly believe it. I glance at Dean. "Perhaps it best you stay out here with her."
He frowns. "And leave you to go in there alone? What if you do find Metsi? Or this… Darkness thing?"
I turn to Romana. "Baron will stay out here with you. Won't you boy?" His white head bobs between me and the girl, and I can sense his indecision. He doesn't want to leave me alone in the cave.
I kneel and pet his thick fur. "I'll be okay, boy. Take care of Romana. She needs you now. I'll be back shortly."
Baron reluctantly stays with the girl as Dean and I head into the cave.
Our torches are the only light, revealing walls of stone covered in markings. Runes I do not recognize. Drawings of beasts and men.
Dean studies the patterns, his jaw falling as he does. "This must have been an ancient dwelling. A place the Fae lived before they developed civilization."
I snicker. "Or these are just the ramblings of a mad man. An exile sent here to live out his days."
"An exile who knows ancient scripts?'
I shrug, carrying on until we reach something blocking our path. Roots thick and old.
Dean looks them over under the torchlight. "This would be no place for raiders. These roots are hundreds of years old."
I draw my sword. "Unless these roots grew here only after the ritual."
"You think," Dean says. "You think the Darkness made these?"
I nod. "Perhaps it has something to hide." I raise my sword and cut down, slicing through the roots. They fall away, groaning under my assault. I tell myself it is only the echoes, but the roots seem more sentient then I would like. I ignore their cries and cut until we are through their path. With the roots behind us, we step into a cavern, where the ceiling is breeched open, allowing moonlight to fall upon the ground. It is a memorizing sight, the light, dancing and twirling in the darkness. A moment later, I notice what hides in the shadows.