The Sage's Vow

23.1 || Under the Dome

JOSH NEVER THOUGHT he'd miss the desert, but as they slunk through the forest, he would do anything for dry heat and dirt. The drizzle had slowly transitioned into a deluge, and even though they stuck close to the trees to steal protection from their thick canopies, rain still assaulted them.

A few hills interrupted the otherwise flat land. Still, whenever Josh glanced down, the accumulated water trailed downward, as if sliding along an unseen incline. He couldn't decide if they somehow had an illusion placed over their senses, making it so they didn't know they always climbed upward, or if something like a water-magnet continued to pull the fallen rain toward it.

He squinted upward, trying to see through the rain and fog. That could have been the curve of glass peeking out, but maybe it was the light reflecting off the fog. Ugh, if they had passed the test with these stupid fear-eating jellyfish, why couldn't they just go away already, taking their dumb fog with them?

Despite his griping, he knew why. Cale, Mara, and Mateo. They were only safe because of Josh's and Kaitlyn's presence. The fear devourers likely lingered within the forest still, ready to strike should their metaphorical shield leave the others behind.

Kaitlyn's dragon—Odema, he'd learned—kept in consistent contact with the other Elder Dragons, and she kept Kaitlyn updated. The others were having a grand time. None of them had been injured, but they'd had a lot of temporary grabs by fear devourers. Apparently, the Sages had convinced the Paladins that, should anyone fall into the visions, they'd have five minutes to escape on their own, and if they couldn't, the free Soul-Bound would slay the fear devourer.

Josh could see the logic behind the plan, but his skin crawled imagining it. Even if he didn't know what the others had seen, based on their haunted expressions and his own experience, he couldn't imagine willingly enduring that longer than necessary.

And now you won't have to again, Boomer reminded him.

Tightening his grip on his sword, Josh nodded. That was right. He wouldn't. Still, he hoped for the best for the others. They'd also been in a swampy area, and the waters chased closely at their heels.

They found a small cave and ducked inside to escape the rain. It wasn't as if they would magically dry, and Josh couldn't deny the chill creeping into his bones, but it was nice to escape the constant pelt of the water.

"The dome looks to be less than half a kilometer ahead," Cale said.

Mateo sat on a large rock and stretched his neck. "So," he said, holding out the final syllable. "I hate to be the one to ask, but what if we get there only to find that there's no way in?"

Josh paused, halfway to lowering himself onto the ground. Oh. That hadn't even occurred to him. He dropped down the rest of the way and resisted groaning. Between the whole fear devourer disaster, being wet, and this new thought, he was done with the day.

Mateo shot a sympathetic smile his way.

"I've thought about that already." Cale rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands and left them there for a moment. "Alright. We need to be sure that we have an entrance into that dome," he said, dropping his arms. He fixed his eyes on Kaitlyn. "I can't go out there alone, and there's no point for all of us to go for a quick scouting run. Kaitlyn, you'll go with me, and everyone else will wait here with Josh."

Mara shifted, and before she even said anything, Josh realized why. It had nothing to do with her, though. Mateo, resting on the opposite wall from Josh, flinched and dropped his eyes.

"Can't I go with you? It would be better for the ones out in the forest to be better guarded, right?" she asked.

"No." Cale's voice was sharp, leaving no room for argument.