Сhapter 9

I reached the northern gate; the one where Madeline usually stood on duty. I’d hoped to see a familiar face. To feel her presence, even if only for a moment. But she wasn’t there. Instead, another warden stood watch; someone I barely knew.

Still, she seemed to know me well enough to read the question on my face.

“They left. About half an hour ago,” she said, without me even asking.

“Where?”

“To the Temple of Ere. She and Heles went with a group of wardens; to reinforce the guard, replace the ones who went missing.”

Her words hit me like a stone. Heavy. Unavoidable.

She was gone. And I’d missed her. I didn’t know what threw me off more; the fact she wasn’t here, or the fact that lately... we’d barely seen each other at all. Like part of me had been hoping to make up for all those lost days, months, years.

All the time we barely spoke. After she joined the Watch, Madeline had become like the wind; impossible to catch, only felt for a second as it brushed your skin before vanishing again. And I was a fool who stopped chasing that wind, let it slip through my fingers, replaced it with other currents; routine, duty, indifference. I could’ve accepted it. Could’ve told myself it didn’t matter.

That they were just out on business. That I’d see her later. But that was a lie. She was out there; on the move. So what the hell was I still doing here?

***

Hesitating was stupid.

I cut through the side paths that wove through the sparse woods, slipping between trees still dark with morning fog. The air was damp and cold, but that didn’t stop me. I ran; not giving myself a second to second-guess. Half an hour. That wasn’t much.

They couldn’t have gone far. I could catch up. I wanted to catch up. But why was I even in such a rush? It was pointless.

We hadn’t arranged to meet. This wasn’t life or death. But I didn’t want to wait. I wanted to see her. To know how she was after the swamp.

That thought lodged somewhere in my mind like a hook. I tried to shake it loose; but it only sank deeper. Madeline. That stubborn, unshakable presence. Those seemingly indifferent movements, hiding a sharp, almost predatory precision.

That voice; calm and collected, until she let it slip into biting sarcasm. And if someone was dumb enough to truly anger that demoness? Even the Gods wouldn’t save them from what came next. How long had it been since we just… talked? No duty.

No missions. No fights? I was so lost in thought I didn’t even notice the root snaking out of the dirt. My foot caught. Balance vanished.

Next thing I knew, I was crashing down the path. Shit. Elegant as always. The moss softened the fall, but the branches and rocks scattered along the ground were less forgiving. Something scratched my cheek.

My left arm slammed the ground; hard, but manageable. I barely had time to push myself up when a voice rang out.

“Kai?”

I looked up; and there she was. Heles. Her pale eyes swept over me, pausing on the fresh signs of my glorious descent.

“Wow. Running from a ghost?” she teased.

But there was a note of genuine curiosity in her voice. I stood, brushing myself off quickly.

“More like chasing one…”

“So what’s the hurry?”

Her lips curled into a grin. I raked a hand through my hair and glanced toward the group standing a bit farther down the road. They’d clearly stopped to watch the whole mess unfold. Great.

At least Madeline couldn’t see me like this.

...Though, what a stupid thought. Better if she could. She’d never laugh or mock; unlike the others who were already snickering under their breath. But her head had tilted slightly in my direction, and her fingers had brushed the hilt at her side; habit, reflex. She knew I was here.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Heard me before I hit the ground. Before I said a word. I stepped toward Hel, who was still eyeing me with that same amused glint.

“Guess I don’t need an invitation anymore?”

Heles snorted.

“Did you ever wait for one, sneak?”

She gestured ahead with a graceful wave.

“Come on. We’ve got a long way to go.”

I just nodded and fell in line. Madeline said nothing.

But as I moved beside her, her fingers brushed my forearm. Light. Barely intentional. But not to me. I matched her pace, trying to salvage what little dignity I had left after my graceful entrance.

The laughter from the others finally began to fade, and Heles gave a pleased grunt before nodding forward.

“Well, since you’re already here; try to keep up.”

Madeline, as always, stayed silent. But that touch…

It still lingered on my skin. Invisible. Weightless. And somehow, more important than any words she could’ve said.

***

We kept moving.

The Temple of Ere was far outside the city; the farthest of the three. A sharp wind wove through the same paths we followed, slipping under our clothes and making some of the wardens hunch their shoulders. Heavy clouds hung low on the horizon, promising rain. I walked beside Mads, trying to figure out what exactly I’d hoped to say when I’d taken off after her like an idiot. But the words wouldn’t come together.

How are you? What did you do after the swamp? Are you even thinking about it? All those questions hovered in the air; unsaid, unfinished. Madeline moved with steady purpose, as if she knew the way by heart.

Her sense of space always struck me; like I was seeing it for the first time, every time. She always heard things no one else could. Hel slowed her pace and turned her head toward me.

“Well, since you’re already here… mind telling us what ghost chased you this far?”

I glanced at the group. The wardens were back to chatting among themselves, not paying us much attention. Mads didn’t react either.

She just walked; like the conversation didn’t involve her at all.

“Nothing special...” I said, shrugging as I looked ahead.

“Really?” Heles gave me a sly smile. “So you just felt like going for a jog?”

“Something like that... Kristin said she might need my help with prep for the trip.”

Even to me, that excuse sounded pathetic. Heles rolled her eyes.

“You know, I’m no oracle, but sometimes you’re painfully obvious.”

“That’s new,” I grinned. “Most people say I’m too mysterious.”

“Not to anyone who’s known you longer than five minutes. You chased after us all the way to the Temple, where we’ve got plenty to do; and no actual need for you.”

I let out a short grunt. Guilty.

But before she could go in for another jab, Madeline spoke.

“He wanted to ask how I was doing.”

Her voice was calm. Emotionless. But those words made my ears burn for just a second. Heles arched a brow; the kind of look that said now she definitely understood. Not that she didn’t before.

“Well then,” she said, “how are you, little sister?”

Madeline paused, as if genuinely weighing the question, then shrugged.

“Good enough not to worry about it.”

“That was the vaguest answer possible, my dearest sibling,” Hel sighed.

“But true.”

I couldn’t help myself.

I cut in.

“Do you always dodge real conversations like that?”

Mads turned her head slightly toward me.

“If the conversation’s pointless; why not?”

I took a deep breath, but there was no use arguing. Heles just laughed.

“Alright, let’s not turn this walk into a full-blown debate on the meaning of ‘pointless.’

We’ve got time; and probably plenty of reasons to talk later.”

I gave a silent nod. Madeline offered a faint smile, then turned and kept walking. Strange. Even with her cold, distant tone; something in the way she spoke, or moved, or didn’t pull away…

...made me feel like she was glad I was here too.

***

The sky had darkened — heavy, low clouds swelling above, ready to split and drown us in rain.

The air turned thick with the bitter scent of damp soil and old leaves, and the wind began to howl between the trees in long, wet breaths.

I looked up, catching the way darkness pooled in the canopy.

It felt like the forest itself had gone quiet, holding its breath.

We kept walking, each of us slipping into our own thoughts.

I glanced at Madeline — and immediately noticed the shift in her posture. Her steps slowed. Shoulders tightened.

I knew her well enough to recognize the signs.

She’d heard something.

A moment later, she raised her hand in a sharp motion — halt.

I froze. So did everyone else.

“What is it?” Heles whispered.

Madeline didn’t answer right away.

She tilted her head, listening.

Her fingers brushed the hilt of her dagger — but she didn’t draw it.

Not yet.

We stood still.

Everything around us looked the same — the same trees, the same wind whispering above.

Then... The faint crack of a branch. Soft. Dull. But not random.

Then — footsteps. Distant. Uneven.

At first, I thought it was nothing — maybe the wind twisting between trunks, tricking the earth into groaning.

But the sound came again. Clearer this time.

Not one.

Multiple.

The steps didn’t match, but they were moving together.

Different rhythms. Different weights. Same direction.

“Hel... you hear that?” I whispered, barely turning my head.

She squinted into the shadows beyond the path.

“Yeah. And I wish I didn’t.”

Her hand dropped to her weapon.

The wardens around us sensed something too, even if they didn’t yet understand why.

“What the hell is that?” someone muttered.

“Shh… Wait,” Madeline said. Quiet. Steady. Her voice cut through the tension like a blade.

She stood still, listening — then murmured almost silently:

“Whoever they are — they haven’t noticed us yet.” Heles clenched her jaw. “But they will. It’s only a matter of time. Stay sharp.”

I kept my curses to myself.

Whatever this was... it was coming.