For him to live, a witch must die.
Driven out of his village for the curse he possesses, Tavor is alone. With nowhere else to go, he must venture into the Eylderfell to hunt down the witch who cursed him.
But the forest is dangerous, wild with magic...
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Tavor awoke with a shout, wild panic raising cold sweat all over his skin. He hunched over, gasping like he'd been drowned. Dread curdled within him, the kind that sank like a stone to somewhere deep inside him, primal and urgent.
The cat looked over at him, concern in her eyes. "Are you okay?"
Tavor shrugged. Whatever he felt, okay certainly wasn't the word for it.
He was still shivering. Whatever he'd dreamt about, it surely had been terrible. But his body felt light. He sat up properly and looked around. They'd built a makeshift shelter in a clearing, logs leaning against each other to form a lean-to. Dim light washed the walls in a pleasant yellow glow.
Soon after, he found the source. A small lantern sat beside him. A ball of light whirled inside, so energetic Tavor almost thought it was alive.
"Where did you find this?" he asked.
The cat looked at the ground. "It's...it's your soul."
Tavor froze. "My...."
He tapped the glass with a finger. The light inside writhed, and at the same time he felt a sharp pang of emptiness inside, body suddenly aware of a great loss within him. His hands wrapped unconsciously around his stomach.
"The Elder will take any source of power it can. It got as far as pulling it out of your body before we chased it away," the crow said. "You're fortunate we managed to create a vessel for it in time."
Tavor looked at the lantern again. "Vessel?"
"You have to be careful," the cat warned. "If the lantern breaks, you'll die."
He shuddered. So fragile. His life force, trapped behind a simple pane of glass.
The crow hopped impatiently across the ground. "We're wasting time. Did you see anything from the trees?"
The cat shook her head. "Just more trees."
The crow sighed. "Then we're getting nowhere." He turned to Tavor, a sharp look gleaming in his eye. "You need to open the map."
Tavor shook his head. "I already told you, I'm not—"
"No. We've humoured you and your petty prejudice for too long. The Elder grows in power by the day. If we don't act now, we're all in danger. All of us. You and me, Nestani, everyone in your village. The Elder will claim them all."
"You heard what it said," Tavor said. "The more I use it—"
"Ah, right," the crow sniped. "Trust the words of the malevolent spirit over the familiars who just stopped your soul being devoured. Glad to see you're finally starting to think rationally."
"You work for the witch," Tavor muttered. "Why would I trust you?"
"Because we've been spending the better part of the last few days trying to keep you alive?" The crow shot back. "Come, now. One piece of magic won't kill you. But running from it almost certainly will."
