The Sage's Vow

22.1 || Not Alone

THEY SPENT THREE minutes searching for Gamal's dagger before Kaitlyn gave up. They would need it at some point to detach the seal from this temple, but they would have to come back to find it. Too much time had passed already, and the others needed them. Josh was all too eager to agree, and so they set out in the direction she said that Cale had been in.

The entire time, he couldn't get the imprint of the fallen bodies out of his mind.

"Outside of this illusion, they're alive. Boomer, your family, your friends. They're all alive."

Kaitlyn's words echoed through his mind like the steady beat of a drum. He clung to them like they were driftwood keeping him afloat in turbulent waters. Even after reaching out to Boomer the moment that he could, he still felt that gnawing ache in his heart.

I'm here, Boomer assured him. It wasn't for the first time. It likely wouldn't be the last, either.

Josh wrapped himself in Boomer's nearness, using it as armor against the sickening image of him from the vision. Josh almost wished Kaitlyn hadn't taken the fear devourer out. Sure, it kept it from reattaching, but he wanted to ram his blade straight through its disgusting mouth.

"He should be near here," Kaitlyn whispered after they'd walked for about ten minutes.

He nodded in acknowledgement but faced forward. As much as he understood why he'd needed her nearness in the moment of returning to reality, he couldn't shake the embarrassment of the moment. Or the fact that she had seen his greatest fear laid out before her. As well as his reaction to facing it.

That wasn't something anyone else should get to see. But she had, and she'd faced it with him.

A faint drizzle of cold rain had started during their walk. Despite that, his cheeks grew warm.

"I am tired of this stupid fog," Josh muttered, searching for some sign of Cale through the thick cloud. "And considering how we've not seen a single fear devourer on our way here, there's no way they could be putting out this much, right?"

It had been strange. Or perhaps unbelievable luck. Kaitlyn had sworn at times she felt a fear devourer nearby, but every time she thought she did, its presence vanished before she could be sure. If their other friends had been caught so quickly and the fog could be so thick, Josh would expect dozens of these creatures to be around.

"It also appeared far too abruptly," Kaitlyn reminded him. "More than likely, it's something influenced by the temple—there!"

Josh snapped toward her, adrenaline flaring, and following her pointing finger to where he expected a fear devourer to appear. None did. Instead, a human-shaped silhouette moved through the fog. Now that Josh noticed, he picked up on the swish of blades and controlled huffs of breath coming from the same direction.

"It's Cale," Kaitlyn said with absolute certainty. She marched forward, and Josh had no choice but to follow.

Sure enough, Cale's familiar form took shape as they approached. He moved through a practiced sequence, swords slashing out at nothing. Josh was familiar with these types of practice drills. He had even seen Cale perform them multiple times, but he'd always had more grace then. Each swing held more force and jerked with unsteady movements.

Cale had also never had tears flowing from glossy eyes the other times Josh had seen him.

He should have known that being under the devourer's influence didn't make everyone shut down like it had him. Mara had attacked because of whatever her fears showed. For whatever reason, it made Cale go into training mode.