Spirit's Fortune

Chapter Eight. The Breath from their Pale Faces .

"This is our fault." Thalia looked over the village, illuminated with the glowing nyndis fungus that'd been scattered on the sides of the road and against walls and windowsills. The sight that was once familiar now had an eerie air. There was no laughter, no music, nothing.

"It's the human's fault," Fen said quietly. "All souls have their right to choose, and those choices cannot be pinned on someone else."

Rea sniffled. "Men like them don't have souls, Fen."

"Everybody has a soul," Fen argued.

If Thalia squinted, she could see the bright light that could only come from a campfire, at the center of the village.

"I agree with Rea," she said, clenching her fists. The three of them stood on an oprus tree, the bark was pale white, like bone, and the leaves had a lavender color. More importantly, the branches were wide and sturdy, and they could hold their combined weights with ease.

"Those men are corrupted, not soulless."

"Whatever you say," Rea grunted. "You believe in the Elements too much."

Fen frowned, and his voice grew solemn. "It is the way of our people, Rea, you will not make me ashamed for believing."

"Not saying you should be ashamed, just that you shouldn't apply it to those humans."

"They-"

"Enough," Thalia said, placing a hand on Fen's shoulder. "This is not the time for that. Look, Trevith is back."

Fen and Rea both looked at each other as if they wanted to say something else, but they held their tongues and stared ahead. Trevith moved silently on the dark forest, stepping lightly on his hooves, once he reached the bottom of the tree he looked up, and Thalia could see the doubts on his expression.

"Well?" she asked, crouching on the pale branch.

"They have wards up, just like you thought," Trevith said, not having to raise his voice to be heard from below. "And they do seem more alert than they were before. The villagers-well, I couldn't see them, I think they put them in one of the houses."

Thalia pursed her lips.

"That, or they're dead," Rea said, speaking exactly what was on Thalia's mind.

Trevith shuddered. "I don't think they're dead, we would've noticed, right?"

"Perhaps," Thalia said. "Hey, Burek, what do you think?"

Burek sat with his back against the oprus's bark, a massive silhouette of bone and carapace armor. Thalia saw him shrug. "Either way, we will kill them, no?"

"Our priority is to rescue everyone."

He nodded, looking thoughtful. Burek often avoided thinking things through unless they were explicitly brought out to him. "Nightshade poison, then."

"Won't work," Trevith said. brushing hair out of his face and revealing one of the curved horns that sprouted from his forehead. "They're extra careful with their food now, and their wine."

"So no poison," Rea said, sitting on the branch next to Thalia, legs dangling, "and no faun lullabies. Great. Where does that leave us?"

Fen hadn't moved, his eyes were lost on the village ahead, though from their position they could see little more than the empty entrance and a few houses.

"We call the pixies?" Trevith asked from below. "They've helped us with humans before."

"Will take too long to reach," Burek said. "And we should not bother them on a Moon Night."