Chapter 6:Hex
He didn't ask her to wait, she wouldn't have even if he did ask, anyway. So he stood, took her advice, and followed her.
She moved faster than he'd expected, but it was understandable, given his current state.
She went farther away from him with each step, but he continued struggling to catch up.
Her boots were soft against the broken ground, her cloak brushing past hanging vines. The fog parted around her as if it were used to her presence.
He limped, slower with every step, dragging pain up his leg. His ankle was sore, now swollen tight, but he didn't stop moving.
Something about her made him feel safer—not really, but close enough, and the pain was easier to ignore with her around.
They continued walking without speaking. The silence was strange, like the empty woods he found himself in.
Eventually, the trees thinned out again, and the path opened into a forgotten glade, stone ruins peeking from beneath mud-covered weeds.
Broken columns leaned sideways like old giants. A crumbling arch stood at the far end, half-swallowed by roots. The air was still heavy with the stench of dead bodies, but it didn't matter much anymore.
She stopped just ahead of him, glancing back at him once. Then she sat on a chunk of moss-covered stone, her sword balanced across her knees.
He limped toward where she was and sat opposite her, his knees weak from the continuous walk, hands trembling slightly as they rested on his lap.