Healing Ties (Ties, Book 2) | ✓

Chapter 23

Fanner followed Cookie through the dark woods. It was eerily reminiscent of his nightmare, at least until they got far enough from the settlement that Fanner felt safe throwing up a ball of magelight and it properly illuminated their surroundings. Interestingly Cookie also walked much more confidently now that they had light. Despite her lack of eyes, she didn't seem unaffected by darkness.

Fanner had assumed she navigated by echolocation or something. He didn't really know what that was, but he had read a book that said that was how bats avoided obstacles and found food in the dark.

The woods were less scary now that they had light, but Fanner was well aware that this was still extremely dangerous. There could be monsters lurking anywhere.

But... maybe these areas were less dangerous than some of the ones he had travelled through with Yore? He didn't understand everything very well yet, but it seemed like there were some territories that were actively inhabited by a group, like the area The Inn had been in or the area Yore lived in, and others that were blocked by natural barriers. It was the latter that they had run into danger in, both times.

Though, actually, Fanner wasn't sure whose territory he was in right now, if anybody's. In the dark, with Cookie leading him on a winding path through the cabins, he hadn't really known which direction they'd exited the settlement from. Maybe she was just leading him deeper and deeper into the wilderness.

This was a bad idea. He was going to get himself killed. But... maybe that was fine. Maybe he didn't care all that much anymore. As long as it was quick. Death was better than becoming a dangerous burden. It still made him feel sick to think about the fact that he'd killed Whelan, but if he had killed a child, if he had killed his own nephew... How could he have lived with that? If Jasper hadn't bitten him, he would have done it.

Cookie just kept walking. Every now and then she'd turn and lead him off in a slightly different direction, but she seemed to be moving purposefully. She was taking him somewhere... probably?

They crossed a shallow stream, scrambled up a rocky hill, and then Cookie stopped and chittered. Something stirred at the edge of the shadows.

A breath caught in Fanner's throat and he took a step back as he pushed his magelight forward, illuminating a large, naked man. The man lifted a bloody hand clutching a knife up to shield his eyes from the light. Fanner wanted to run, but Cookie stood calm and still at his side. He put a hand on her clammy shoulder and held on tight.

The man blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light and lowered his hand. "Oh, hey. What're you doing out here?"

Fanner couldn't speak. Should he run? There was a naked, bloody man holding a knife in front of him, but he seemed... friendly?

"Oh, you're Fanner, right?" the man asked. "Danya's brother?"

How did everyone know who he was? Fanner nodded.

"Yeah, Yore told me what happened. Crazy." He scratched his nose and then made a face when he remembered the blood on his hands. "Oh, Yore's my brother, by the way."

"Oh!" Fanner said. That made sense. Yore was a very large man and this man was also quite big.

"Nice to meet ya. I'm Slone." Slone looked down at himself and grimaced. "Sorry, I don't blame you for bein' scared. I'm a bit of a mess. I got a deer I was in the middle of gutting."

Fanner guided his magelight further towards Slone and it illuminated the figure of a deer hanging from a tree behind him."Oh! I'm Sorry, I—"

"Nah, nah, it's fine. No trouble. Is that Cookie, is it?"