A Cursed Rage

Chapter 7

Echo collapsed to the ground as the shadows dispersed. Taking a moment to catch their breath, their eyes fell on Tango's body. Echo scrambled to their feet, dashing and sliding to a stop on their knees right beside where her body lay.

"Please be alright." They begged, emotion creeping into their voice. They held her up, searching the tiefling's body with glazed over eyes for signs of life. Nothing moved. Then a raspy chuckle.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Tango croaked. Echo relaxed their shoulders, giving in to a slight smile. Tango's eyes squinted open, her smile revealing her pointed canines. "Did I scare you?"

"Yes." Echo sighed in relief. "Please do not do that again."

"Let me have my fun." Tango joked as the old elf began to help her to her feet.

Cara continued to stare into space. The demon had gone. It was over. But they made a deal... She looked at her hand, trying to detect anything wrong.

"What have I done?" She muttered to no one.

"You just told off a demon!" Tango stumbled over, supported by Echo. "But I may have drifted out after that part..."

"I made a deal with them." Cara muttered, audible only to herself. She continued to inspect her hand. Was it still her own? Or did it belong to someone else? The words of the deal replayed in the back of her head. "Sai!" She gasped. She ran over to where they had collapsed and lifted them into a seating position against the wall. "Sai, wake up. Please!"

"Why are you shouting?" Sai rasped, propping themself up properly. "I just took a hit like a thousand times before." They winced as they sat up straight, clutching at their side. "Maybe a thousand combined..."

"I'm just glad you're alright."

"What happened after I was knocked out? Are they dead?" Sai looked hopefully around the group. Echo looked as if they were about to say something when Cara cut in first.

"They fled." She reassured them.

"How? Why?"

"I'm not certain." She lied. "The most important thing is, how do you feel now?"

"Genuinely?" Sai took a moment to truly reflect. "Like a weight has been lifted." They smiled.

Tango let out a blood curdling scream. She darted across the room, back over to where she had fallen. She looked around then picked up two bits of broken wood. "My lute! It's broken."

"Don't worry. I can fix it." Cara carefully took the broken pieces and positioned them together. Her hand glowed with a faint light that spread down the body, filling the cracks. The light faded. Cara held the repaired lute by its fret, out towards Tango, who grasped it and began to cradle it.

Echo glanced around the edges of the cave, craning their neck to scan the ceiling. "This place only has bad memories now. We should leave." Coming to a unanimous decision, the group left the cave behind, the fire burning as bright as they had arrived.

Sai had insisted that they give their father a proper burial. With their combined strength, they carried the body outside. The fog had dispersed, leaving the ground malleable, perfect for burying the past and leaving it behind. After a moment of recollection, the group joined the road.

The trip north while keeping the mountain range to your right is a long one during the approach to winter, getting colder with each step. Until you reach the warm embrace of kinder civilization, you will find only contact with the frost that blankets the rolling hills. As such, every travelling group must have warm hearts to make it through the night. But a burning fire would help the most.

The group made their own fire, settling down for the night as the sun dipped beyond the horizon. Cara and Sai were left huddled around the fire, listening to the constant crackle and the increasingly loud snores coming from Tango's direction.

"Thank you." Sai turned to Cara.

"What for?" She asked, her gaze briefly wavering from the fire. A voice deep inside began to cause panic. DId they know about the deal? What would they think?

"Thank you for believing in me." Sai watched the fire, not noticing the tension release from Cara's body. "We didn't have to divert from your mission to your temple."

"It was something that needed to be done." She poked at the fire with a stick. "The temple could wait."

"But we wouldn't have even got out of that cave if you hadn't done something." Sai chuckled. "I don't know exactly what you did but it definitely saved us."

"I just did what needed to be done." Cara couldn't meet Sai's eyes. She brought her cloak tighter in around her shoulders and screwed her eyes shut against the searing light of the fire. Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest as thoughts swirled around inside her head. How long could she go without telling Sai the truth? Would they hate her for it?

"You should rest." Sai interrupted her thoughts.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" She finally met their eyes. She searched them, looking for any of the darkness she had seen before. Finding none, she hoped that her deal was worth it.

"I'm certain." Sai nodded. "You can count on me." Reassured, Cara began to settle down. She shut her eyes and searched for sleep, fighting back the anxiety-inducing thoughts.

Cara stood back in the cave.The fire burned behind her, the warmth gnawing at her back. Tango lay still. Echo stared into space, face contorted in pain. Sai was still slumped against the wall. The shadows began to gather and coalesce into a solid form. Soon, the grey-scale replica stood in front of her once again. They extended a clawed hand. Without thinking, Cara found herself grasping it, like she had in that moment of desperation. They grinned, their blade-like teeth pushed their lips beyond the boundaries of their face. The smoke they emitted began to fill the room until all that was left was darkness, their smile, and the hellfire behind her.

"I told you I would see you again. Get ready for the trip." Their grip tightened and Cara was thrust forward, deeper into the darkness, away from the warm light.

Cara shot up with a gasp. The night was quiet, except for the reassuring crackle of the fire. Echo now sat at the fire, staring at her with blank eyes.

"I know." They said in a monotone.

"Know what?" Cara asked.

"About your deal." Their face remained stoic.

"My deal with who?" Cara struggled through the words, hating each second that she used to deceive.

"You are a terrible liar." Echo sighed. "In what felt like an eternity of pain, all throughout I heard you make that deal with the demon." Cara struggled to compose a sentence in response. Echo raised a hand. "I understand. You did what had to be done. I would have done the same."

"I don't think it's quite the same-" Cara started.

"A parent-child relationship." Echo interrupted, raising a finger. They gestured towards Tango. "A romantic partnership." They gestured to Cara and Sai, who snored softly. "Both hold control over our emotions." They let the statement hang in the air.

"What do I do about it?" Cara wrapped their cloak tighter around their shoulders.

"It seems to be beyond our control." Echo's attention turned back to the fire as they continued to poke at the broken kindling. "It is in the hands of the gods."

"Maybe we could ask for help. At the temple?"

"At the temple." Echo agreed with a nod. "If an answer was anywhere, it would be there."