When Eben decides to rob the isolated town nestled deep in the woods, he could never have predicted that he would be forced to atone by serving Adder, the powerful and terrifying gorgon charged with protecting the town of Nǣdre Tor.
However, as Eben...
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Adder's whirling thoughts do not evaporate with the rising sun. They only fester in his resentment, even as his companions begin to stir and wake with the gentle morning light. If there is one blessing, though, it's that their roadblock has lifted with the twilight. Adder looks out at the path as he packs. The evergreen has shifted to the right, freeing the way home. It shimmers ominously in the distance, wavering hypnotically like silk in the wind.
Not all is well, however, as Adder learns while waking Zarek. He groans, unresponsive, clutching his side. Immediately, Adder notes something is wrong as he reaches out to touch the man's shoulder. A putrid scent, sharp and cloying, makes him recoil.
"Zarek?"
He groans again, more pained this time. Adder's heart quickens, carefully pressing two fingers to Zarek's neck. A flutter of a pulse is present, but it's weak. Fading.
"Fern! I need you over here!"
Fern dashes over at the urgent call. "Oh, oh no. It's progressing much faster than I hoped."
"What's wrong with him?"
"The dark mark—its spread. It's nearly covering half his chest now. This is definitely a curse of some sort. I was hoping we'd avoided whatever the trigger might be."
"Is there anything we can do?"
"Basil will know how to treat it. We need to make haste."
Adder nods, lifting Zarek into a secure hold. He groans in protest, face tense with pain.
"Zarek, can you hear me? Hold in there, we're almost back home. Eben, we need to go! He's deteriorating!"
Adder places Zarek in the caravan as gently as possible, joining him shortly afterwards. Eben follows quickly behind, stowing away the bedrolls before hopping on Fairy. "What's happening?"
Fern rides up to Eben's side, nervously stroking Daisy's fur. "He's going to die if we don't get back before sundown. This is much more of a severe case than I previously thought."
"Shit! Let's go then."
Adder jolts as the caravan starts forward abruptly. It shakes as Eben pushes Fairy to her limit, causing them to thunder down the path at break-neck speeds. The trees and underbrush mesh into one blur of green, swaying as Fairy brushes past them.
Adder looks down at Zarek. His face is pallid, eyes sunken in with spidery black veins creeping up his neck. Adder tries his best to monitor him through the day, carefully counting each beat of his heart. Much to Adder's dismay, though, Zarek's condition worsens with each minute they spend on the road. By the time they have traversed half of the journey, the snaking dark marks have begun to kiss Zarek's chin, staining tanned skin with an uncomfortable purple-pink.
Soon, the sun is uncomfortably low in the sky. Adder's anxiety grows as the call of the night bugs signals the impending dusk. Worse yet, Fairy is panting and sweating, exhausted by carrying her burdensome load for so long.
