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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The forest was never silent. The air was filled with the chittering laughter of brightlings, voices echoed in the breeze. Their feet snapped dry branches and twigs underfoot. Eerie howls wailed in the far distance, long mournful sounds. The cat had transformed back into a small girl again, sticking close to Tavor as they pushed through the thicket. The crow perched on her shoulder, scroll clutched firmly in his talons.
"So..." The girl's voice floated up, soft and uncertain amongst the harsh chatter of the forest. "When we find Nestani...what's your plan?"
Tavor glanced down at her. Her gaze was straight ahead, concentrating on the route ahead of them, as if she'd just spoken to herself.
He realised he didn't know. He'd been so resolute when he'd first entered the forest. But back then, the answer had been simple. Kill Nestani, break the curse, return home. Now, the route ahead was murkier. Messier. There was no clear road for him to take.
But he wasn't sure he wanted them to know that yet, so he shrugged. "It hasn't changed."
Her eyes flicked to meet his, just for a second, then returned to the ground. "Okay," she said. "Then...can I ask you a favour?"
"You can ask."
"I just...I know your experiences with Nestani haven't been good ones." She wrung her fingers together. "But there's so much more to her than what you've seen. What the villagers have told you. So I just want...you know, when we meet her...just give her a chance to explain herself. Listen with an open mind. Just so you know for sure that the decision you make is one you're truly comfortable with."
Tavor frowned. What would be the point? But unlike the crow, she'd only ever been kind to him. She'd protected him and comforted him. And she wasn't asking him to change his mind. Only to listen. Surely, he could spare her that much.
He nodded slowly. "Alright."
"Really? You promise?"
"I promise."
Her shoulders relaxed, like he'd just released some great pent-up burden. Once again, he had to admire their devotion to Nestani. He felt an odd longing in his heart as they walked. He didn't like to admit it, but part of him wanted to share in that feeling, too. To have someone he trusted and cared for completely, knowing they did for him as well.
They pressed on. The map was faithful, and after half a day's walking, they finally arrived at the Tower. From a distance, it seemed little more than a huge tree, branches twisted round each other as it rose high in the centre of a dead clearing. Nothing surrounded it, only cracked soil and dry, gnarled branches. A thin mist hung in the air, an eerie, diaphanous film that made the firelight flickering through the Tower's windows seem like like gleaming yellow eyes raking the darkness. Twisted branches reached outwards from the uppermost floors like angular spines.
Blackened trees huddled around it a safe distance away. Even the ever-present canopy overhead had pulled away here, afraid to touch the Tower's imposing silhouette, revealing a rare patch of sky. Tavor craned his head to look up, marvelling at the colours above him; soft blue, overlain with diffuse bands of clouds gilded pink and gold with reflected sunlight. He'd taken such sights for granted back in the village. But in the Eylderfell, the dense foliage choked out the light, shrouding the forest in perpetual gloom. He hadn't seen the sky in days.
"Alright," the crow said. His usual authoritative tone had faltered. Perhaps the Tower's stern aura had cowed even him. "We've reached our destination, and with time to spare. Things may well turn out well for us, after all."
It wasn't like him to be optimistic, Tavor mused. Perhaps they really were close.
They found the entrance, a battered wooden door overgrown with vines. It took a while to yank it open, but once they'd cut the plants free the door scraped open, and they were inside.
The space seemed much bigger indoors. Staircases stretched upwards, curling round the edges of the tower, criss-crossing over each other on their route to the top. Tunnels branched off from the sides, leading down gloomy, torch-lit passages.
Tavor took the map and laid it on the ground. It unfurled at his whim, revealing the layout of the building. Despite himself, he felt a shiver of exhilaration. How simple it was, when you laid aside your reservations. The world aligned to fit your demands. He thought of his life up to this moment, how different it would all have been if he'd embraced the power. No more running, begging just to exist around those that hated him, constantly at the mercy of those around him...
He caught his line of thinking and unease shivered over his skin. It really was that easy to let the promises of power take over. To let it corrupt him. He had to stay vigilant.
The crow glanced down at the map before them, shaking his head. "I can't make any sense of this."
Even when Tavor focused his mind on a clear map of the Tower, the paths shifted and rearranged themselves. The route was ever-changing.
"We could be here for ages," Tavor said.
The crow glanced outside. The shadows outside were getting longer as the sun dipped in the sky. Soon, it would be nightfall. He hopped along the edge of the map, feathers ruffling. "We should split up. We'd cover more ground separately."
"Are you sure?" the cat said.
"We don't have much time. Whoever finds Nestani can ask her to get all three of us out." The crow peered at the map. "It seems certain routes are simply decoys. They always seem to loop back on themselves. Avoiding these paths seems a good course of action." He looked at the cat and pointed out one of the passageways with his talon. "You go this way. Tavor, you take this path. I shall go down here."
"Got it." The cat got to her feet and stretched. She turned to glance over her shoulder at Tavor before she left. "Remember your promise?"
Tavor nodded. "I'll hear her out."
"Okay," she said. "Stay safe!"
She was gone, leaping silently into the shadows. Tavor watched them go.
You too, he thought, then gathered up the scroll and started up the nearest staircase.
