They worked their way back outside.

"Casy bring us back!" Parcival said.

Who's Casy? Within moments they were all whisked away standing in front of a small home.

"Casy, we have her!"

"I'm glad everyone made it out alright," said Casy. He closed the door. 

Parcival put her down while eyeing her. "Can you talk yet?" 

"No guess not." He turned to Casy. "Do you have any rope?"

"What is going on here? What do you need with a rope?"

"Just bring it." He avoided looking her way. 

Casey's brow deepened.

"I don't like this, isn't right." He went outside.

A frightful rattling. He entered with a thick long rope coiled on his arm. He shoved it into Parcival's hands.

"The more she moves the tighter it gets."

Parcival wrapped it around her wrists tying it. His face was so stern. Guiding her to another room, he sat her on the bed, walked out locking the door.

She sat there all night, unable to sleep.

"Kill them." The last command from Kar repeated over riding out all other thoughts. The rope tightened biting into her wrists. She gasped. Any tighter and the bones will break. She moved to the door. 

It was a struggle to pull free a small dagger in her boot with her fingertips, it took forever but it finally clanked on the floor. 

Sitting by the door in a crouched tented position. She picked up and dropped the dagger most of the night. It was exasperating. 

Unnamed chuckled. As you are "resting" I will take of some energy. 

What? No not now, I need to get free!

You don't decide what I do spirit. What am I saying? Make it stop! Break this spell, you're a god, right? 

Its vines went further under down deep below the skin this time. She fell to her side shaking as he took a great amount. The times before were gentle compared to this. 

Arguing along the other side of the door, then the light that seeped from under darkened.

The morning light streamed in through the window. Come on get it. The sunlight warmed her back, as it did the command ceased.

Dust motes danced in the air. It was so quiet. She sat up panting. 

Han opened the door a crack. She scooted back. Coming in he carried a large mug of water.

"How do you feel?" His lip twitched.

She sat upright on the floor. His lip twitched again. Just what was so funny?

"You mean do I want to kill you both? No." She smiled a little. Ten minutes ago, however ...

He glimpsed at the dagger. Then at her red-rimmed wrists, frowning as he undid them.

"Here." He handed her the mug.

That water tasted better than any. So cold. It washed over her parched mouth. She gulped the mug down in short order.

Bending over she scooped up the dagger tucking it back in a boot.

Merryn followed Han into the kitchen.

Parcival took a sip of his tea and wrapped his hands around the cup.

Her ears twitched. 

His eyes peered over the brim. Now, what was he thinking?

"Thank you." he got up shaking Casy's hand.

"Follow me. The caves they start here."

Parcival stood stretching his hands, his fingertips brushed the thatched straw ceiling. 

Walking down the short hallway Casy pressed his hands into imprints in the wall. Red glowing runes appeared framing the entrance. The wall rumbled and slid to the left.

Water dripped inside. Shaking now, with clasped sweaty hands, she scooted over toward the threshold. What if there's a cave in? We'll suffocate. 

Parcival leaned into the entrance whistling sharply.

A creepy whistle. Pieces of it came back to her. A shadow two eyes just like the other day, and like the first time all those years ago. 

"Time to g—" Parcival's lips thinned and his brow deepened for a moment. He let go of the edge of the cave entrance.

"What is it, do you see something?" 

"No," she attempted to swallow, but her throat struck. 

Parcival walked over and pulled on her wrist.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. Though if you could it would be twice as fast."

Her cheeks cooled as did the rest of her body.

"No we need to hurry." She nibbled on some loose skin on her lip. "If there's a way around?"

How to do this? It wasn't proper to be so upset over this. She straightened her shoulders and attempted to look normal, whatever that is. Her ears twitched. 

"Well, we'll need to see."

She wiggled her fingers in a series of strange gestures. A small glowing globe emerged, at first just a mote. It gathered energy growing in size to that of a small globe.

Parcival coughed.

"How did you do that?"

She tilted her head. "A magi taught me." 

Raising her hand the globe raised with it. Part of her still wanted to run out of the room screaming. She breathed in and focused on making it brighter. Parcival's face glow caught her breath just for a second. She stole a quick glance. He didn't appear to notice, or wasn't showing if he did. 

He started talking, but it was hard to concentrate her thoughts like water in a bowl spinning. 

His voice cut though again.

Parcival turned and went inside. "Coming?" he held out a hand.

She froze in the chair. 

She got up and made her feet go to him. The fingers on his hand wrapped around hers. He squeezed them before moving on.

She smiled a little. A person like this was rare, have been too hard on him. She straightened her shoulders. All the more reason to ditch them soon. 

"Just move, it'll become easier if you keep going," Han said.

A passageway further down opened into a great cavern. The light ball streaked off ahead, illuminating the area.

Every corner and edge glowed, the shadows pulled back as the globe circled the area above them. Before them on the left far-off to the other side, there were several bridges. The encroaching shadows pulled away from the light.

Ladders reached up from the bottoms of pillars leading to even more bridges, these connected to more ledges, and linked to several flat-topped stone pillars. Some rocks looked like wasp wings. She jumped back a step.

"Keep looking straight ahead."

"Right. Ahead."

A large tunnel with glittering rocks, was at the end of the bridge. She let go of his hand and gripped the rope. Exactly like that day, when it all started. Mom should have listened to you. 

The scars had faded some, but were still fairly visible, she drew a sleeve down covering them again. That crystal bear could've, but it didn't. Why? She rubbed her arms.

"Merryn?" Parcival snapped his fingers in front of her. "Come on let's go."

Cold sweat drenched the back of her undershirt. She clamped her jaw as a whine tried to squeak out. Not today. Come on stop it. There's no way. I can't. I won't. What if another is in there? She pulled in rappid breaths through her nose.

Parcival placed his hands on hers. 

"It will be fine. Look I'll go ahead and show you."

He stepped away.

"Stay!"

He half turned his face winking before heading to the tunnel entrance.

Han patted her thy. "See it's fine?"

She glared at him.

He drew his hand back, eyes wide. "Sorry!"

Blurrrg. She shook her arms out. Uck! Usually some touching was alright, but not here! 

He went and sat on the damned rock. Crazy both of them. She stood there until her legs burned. She let go, but kept watch of the tunnel. 

At the end of the bridge she crouched down, tying a boot lace. Her fingers bloched any attempts to knot it. Doesn't matter. The area still spun so she played with it for a few minutes.

When she sat down Han raised a brow yet kept quiet.

"Let's make camp here, and proceed in the morning." Parcival pointed to a flat area off ahead, to the right of the sinister tunnel.

She slipped off her pack and sat cross-legged.

Taking some dry wood out of his pack, Parcival had a crackling fire minutes after.

Han sat on the other side writing in small fat book, dipping a quill pen into a inkwell on the ground. How old fashioned most used ink well sticks now, they broke less then those glass inkwells did.

"What are you writing?"

He looked over the top of his spectacles.

"The history of the word, mountains and such."

"How long have you been working on it?"

Opening a pouch she brought out a thin braided leather cord, then reached back for her hair and tied it.

"For quite some time now."

A sharp crack behind. 

She jumped and spun around. A stone from the ceiling splashed into the waters below. She scanned the area before relaxing again.

"Don't worry it's nothing. You should catch some sleep while you can." He stretched yawning.

"I'm not sleepy."

"Mumm-humm." He went to sleep, snoring soon after.

She scooted closer to the fire. It only happened to be closer to Parcival. He lifted an eyebrow and smirked. She toyed with a tie on her chest armor. 

Never had many friends, stayed in the temple until of late. Even after leaving it to train not many people were there, except for my magi. 

Wonder how he's doing? His mustached grin was infectious, can't help but smile back.

She yawned. These men seem honest. Too much so. Maxwell is sure to hurt them at some point. 

She took her daggers out, then drew out a cloth from a pouch; cleaning them. The red Adapt had imprinted them with hidden runes. She reflected the light, the runes shimmered blue and red dancing from tip to end. 

Red had showed how to use them to heal instead of harm. The only problem with that was it transferred the injuries to the holder. And only one time, after that they'd shatter. Have to be a complete loon to use that spell. 

The fire died down to embers. That must've been all the wood s there wasn't any nearby. Another yawn.

####

Later that night a noise jolted her out of a half-doze. What was it? Fell asleep. Idiot! A moaning echoed in the tunnel. She swallowed a shriek. Stop that, your an adult now. Her daggers sang out of their sheaths.

An humanoid outline came to focus. It struggled with something in the darknesses. It leaped out into the water with a splash.

She shook Parcival's shoulder. He bat away her hands.

It stepped closer. A furry arm with long fingers and yellow claws showed in the light. It screamed like a banshee before running away its footfalls fading. 

Parcival bolted up. "Meeff wha—"

He coughed clearing his throat. He clutched his chest.

"Why did you scream? You nearly gave me a heart attack"

"I thought I saw something." Was it really there? Hard to be sure. Better not say anything just yet.

"Come sit over here." He patted the ground next to him.

"I'm just fine right here." Lay with you? Ha! 

She scooted away. Should smack him one for that. She chewed lightly on her leather collar. Gerr ....

"I didn't intend it that way. If you want to get cold that's your problem."

"Noses held to high to see—grumble." He murmured something else, then laid back down facing away. 

Humans. Jez.

In the morning she followed him into the next cavern passageway. This became another tunnel that went on for twenty feet. It had no rocks thankfully. She raced past as soon as the light showed at the end.

She bounced on the pads of her feet. Sweet air. No more walls. She resisted an impulse to spin around. She grinned, then joined her hands in a soft clap. Alright. 

"Wait here."

Walking up ahead the pathway it wound up like a kink along the mountainside. This way was shorter, but the path could crumble at any time. She bent and dug under the snow to the raw earth. 

A handful of the dirt crumbled in her hand. Even in this cold it's treacherous. There should be an inn a few miles west. She nodded. Yea, even better can ditch them there.

She came back to where they were sitting. "It's not safe, it's too icy."

Parcival took out a water pouch sipping from it.

Now, how to get them over there without raising suspicions? Got it. Human females tented to complain often, that should annoy them.

"I want to sleep in an inn. It's been days since I smelled clean sheets, and had a cold ale. Time for a break."

"That sounds good." Parcival sat up. 

Can't believe he agreed so readily. The right side of her mouth twitched. Hea.

"I think a village is near."

Taking out the map she checked it. Ah, I know I'll take them the long way they won't want to keep going after that. No reason why I can't rest for a few hours too. Besides so sick of eating dried meat. The growing stomach didn't improve her mood.

"It's over to the west, just past that clump of trees."

She rolled the map back up and placed it back into her pouch. 

"Lead the way."

####

Several days later fine strands of dry webbing crisscrossed over the pathway. She cut through it with her daggers, the sticky threads stuck to her fingers as she pulled them off the blades edges. Not good, this is so not good! 

"Are you certain this is the right way?" Parcival said.

"Yes." It's just longer, didn't count on spiders being here. She looked around. Damn it, this is bad.

Parcival pulled strands of the webbing off of his sword while walking.

"The village isn't much further now." Still, this webbing wasn't here last time. There appeared to be an increase in the nocturnal creatures, she kept the thought quiet for now. 

A scratching behind almost made her jump out of her boots. She whirled around daggers in hand. 

Parcival jumped back. "Quit it! Are you trying to impale me?"

"Sorry." 

It was getting darker. "Walk faster we need to make camp."

A sliding sound above. The hairs on her arms stood up. Ordain it!

Poison dripped onto her forehead and started to burn. Always in the trees sneakier than a serpent.

"Run!"

Parcival and Han froze.

"No, don't look for it you ninny's, just move!"