Beta || Iancorn (NaNoWriMo 2018)

Level Twenty-Four

It took them three days to find the witch. They'd all long since run out of salted beef, and had to depend on whatever animals they could find. Despite the fact that David knew the animals weren't real, he still had to look away whenever Mari and Wes skinned them, and could barely bring himself to eat them. Combine that with the fact that the long-hour treks were absolutely unenjoyable, and David couldn't be happier to see the long stone walls of the witch's lair.

Lair was putting it nicely. There wasn't that much to see. All the area consisted off were rough stones wall that circled a tree. Every few feet, there was a doorway carved into the walls. Some of them were stained red with blood, most likely from coven members who forgot to turn off whatever trap the passageway contained.

The most impressive thing about it, however, was the tree. It was humongous, far bigger than the plain's tree had been. Even from their distance, it's massive leaves sent shadows over them.

"I think that's the tree we're supposed to bury the heart under," Joven muttered, stating the obvious. Mari lightly punched him on the arm.

"Everyone, be as quiet as possible," she whispered. "We can't be noticed."

David didn't need to be told twice. He still remembered what it felt like to have that knife in his stomach, and that was an experience he did not want to repeat.

They silently started to circle the building, using bushes and the tree's shade as cover. David tried to stay on solid ground for as long as possible, to avoid any splashing. Thankfully, none of the coven members guarding the doors seemed to notice their presence, and kept chatting with each other.

It didn't take them long to find the door the coven member had told them about. For a swamp, it was surprising that only one door had vines on it, but here it was. Five coven members stood on guard, not bothering to keep their hoods drawn. All of them had the same red skin, and their skin was a pale green.

Now, they had to wait.

They had arrived in the morning, and had no choice but to wait until sunset, when the guard rotation would occur and they'd have a chance to slip inside. Unfortunately, that was going to hours away. And without them being allowed to speak for safety purposes, that left David with nothing to do but sit down against a tree and sigh.

So, naturally, he started thinking about Ian.

After they finished their objective, David would never see him again. And if he did, it would only be because someone died. Neither of those options seemed pleasant, but they were the only two that existed. And that made David sadder than he could describe.

The thought of never seeing Ian again, of never hearing him laugh or complain about potatoes or ruffle his hair or any of the other things David had grown to expect from the man, broke David's heart. When he closed his eyes, he could still feel Ian's head on his shoulder, or his arms around him. He'd never feel those things again.

He wondered if those thoughts were going to haunt him forever.

At some point, he must've dozed off, because next thing he knew Mari was shaking him. When he looked up at the sky, he found that it was orange.

"We have to go," she announced. "Now. We don't have much time."

David nodded and jumped to his feet to join the others, who were waiting for them in the water with their weapons already drawn. He pulled out his sword as they started walking, but after not using it for weeks, the weight of it almost made him drop it. He had to swing it around a few times to get used to it again.

They reached the door within minutes. Wes barged in first, with Mari hot on his heels. David followed them next, twirling his sword as he did. He was ready for this. He had to be.