Henry gazed deeply at a small symbol carved into a nearby tree. It appeared to be some sort of crescent moon with flames around it, and he had no idea what it implicated. Yet he felt relief that it wasn't the symbol of Inferum cantivat.
He distantly listened to the crackling of the fire and fought back the urge to curl up and close his eyes. His knees were resting beneath his chin and his arms were wrapped around his legs. An attempt to cover himself from the bitter breeze that kept getting worse every few hours.
His memory was hazy. He recalled being surrounded by trollbies, being bit by one, Eldon using his barrier, and that was about it. As he examined his hand now, he saw no traces of there ever being a bite, and he knew he hadn't imagined that part.
As Henry glanced over at the still body of his unconscious friend, guilt formed within him. He couldn't return the favor. He couldn't do anything for Eldon except ensure he was kept comfortable and warm until he woke up. He felt he was failing at that, too. The fire had begun to weaken, and he didn't have the energy to get up and search for more wood.
Goddesses, he was useless.
When Henry had awoken after being healed, it was to the harsh sounds of sniffling near his ear. He opened his eyes to find a wolf staring down at him. He'd screamed without meaning to, scaring the animal away. Then, after regaining himself, he noticed his fever had completely gone down. His sickness lingered, but it was at least bearable—for the time being. The second thing he'd noticed was Eldon lying beside him, and he'd nearly screamed again when he saw the trails of dried blood down Eldon's cheeks like tears. A closer examination showed him blood had also seeped out of Eldon's ears.
To say it was horrifying was an overwhelming understatement. Henry wanted to cry, assuming he wouldn't feel a pulse when he reached forward and checked for one. And then he still cried when he did locate a faint beating.
Eldon was alive... and he'd almost died healing Henry.
Henry then cleaned off the blood from Eldon and situated him in a more comfortable position before leaving to search for wood. That had been this morning. Now it was evening, and Eldon still showed no signs of waking up anytime soon. Henry had been checking on him every hour, and he noted how much stronger Eldon's pulse had become. Slowly, he would completely recover from using his magic. Henry merely had to wait until then.
And that's what made him miserable. All he could do was wait. He couldn't do anything to make any of this go faster. He was useless—worthless.
"Just as Victor says," he murmured to himself, bringing his hands to his face. But then he heard a soft groan to his right and he gasped, whipping his head in Eldon's direction.
Eldon lifted himself up into a seated position, slowly blinking his eyes open. Henry eagerly crawled over to sit beside him. Eldon looked exhausted—as if he'd gone days without rest. Yet he fixated on Henry with a light smile.
"Yer alive," he stated.
Henry gawked at him. "Yes," he responded. Perhaps a bit harsher than he'd intended, like a parent scolding their child. "You made certain of that! And you nearly lost your life."
Eldon glared in return. "What was I supposed to do, Henry? You woulda died. You don't got any idea how much it woulda hurt to lose you. I couldn't let that happen."
"And how do you think I would've felt waking up to find you de"—Henry stopped, his eyes watering once again. He'd woken up believing Eldon was dead. He pursed his lips and dropped his gaze to his hands.
"She needs you," he added, softly. "You are the one who needs to stay alive. It does not matter what happens to—"
"Shut it, Henry!" Eldon snapped, his unusually sharp tone taking Henry by surprise.
Henry couldn't even form a proper response. Eldon then huffed and rose to his feet. He brushed off his breeches and stormed off. Though dumbfounded and weak, Henry sucked in a harsh intake of breath, stood, and went after his friend.
"Why are you angry, Eldon?" he called out, struggling to keep up.
Eldon shook his head. "Why're you so negative?"
"I am not being negative! I am being honest." Henry slowed to a halt. Eldon eventually did the same, so Henry took the opportunity to catch up.
Eldon whirled on him, his brows furrowed, and the corners of his lips turned down. "Yeah? Well, yer honesty is shit." And resumed walking.
Henry followed again, ducking a few long branches. "It is the truth, Eldon. I'm not part of this, this destiny. The only ones who matter in this are you and Elouise. You cannot go risking your life for me. Eldon... Eldon, please stop and look at me."
Fortunately, Eldon obliged.
Henry almost didn't recognize him. He'd become so accustomed to Eldon being the one who was tough—who, even in the worst situations, always kept it together better than anyone else. However, right now, he was different. He was angry, yet also... he appeared broken.
Just as I am.
Henry took a deep breath, quickly searching his mind for what he wanted to say. "I need you to make me a promise—"
"No," Eldon immediately interrupted, shaking his head.
Henry continued anyway. "Should anything like that occur again... should it ever either be you or me again, I want you to—"
"I said no."
"Eldon—"
"No, you"—Eldon paused and turned away, running his fingers through his tangled locks. And when he faced Henry, fury had completely taken over. "If somethin' like that happens again, it's gonna be you who lives. It's always gonna be you." He then groaned and took a step back.
"Why would you even ask me to do somethin' like that, Henry? I can't let nothin' happen to you. I won't."
Though Henry desperately wanted to keep arguing against that, he instead forced a smile—fragile and short-lived. It was still something, and it was enough to soften Eldon's expression.
"Yer still sick, aren't you?" Eldon then asked, his tone lighter.
"I'm mostly better," Henry told him. "You managed to heal some of it along with the bite. I should be fine." He needed rest, except he doubted he would get any. There was no time to waste. They had to keep moving if they ever wished to locate Elouise... wherever she was at this point.
They put out the fire and went on their way, neither of them uttering a word. When they came across the ruins of a keep, Eldon broke his silence and suggested taking shelter because the wind was getting harsh. Although Henry didn't respond, he entered and hid himself up in the tower—the only part of moss-covered brick building that still most of its ceiling intact. He slumped against the murky wall and covered his face, releasing the whimper he'd been resisting for hours.
He had no idea how much time had passed before he heard voices outside. He wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand and peered out the window. Down below, he saw three people approaching, spears and bows in their grips and bags thrown over their shoulders.
Henry hurried onto his feet and ran to find Eldon who was on his way up to him. They nearly collided on the stone steps and gaped at each other before they both whispered, "Someone's coming."
"Well, three people are coming," Henry corrected, sniffling. Eldon eyed him curiously, remorse glimmering in his dark eyes, but he—thank Goddesses—didn't ask. He then handed Henry his sword.
"I want you to use it," Eldon instructed. "I can always just shield myself if anythin' goes wrong." Henry pursed his lips as he took the weapon, then carefully followed Eldon back down the steps that felt about ready to collapse beneath their combined weight. Although Henry assumed they were going for the element of surprise, Eldon simply exited the building and confronted the trio, head raised high, and fists clenched at his sides.
Henry lingered behind, keeping the sword low. Once he reached Eldon, he did his best to stand as tall as possible.
The trio was led by a young woman. Her wavy golden locks had tiny braids hidden throughout. She narrowed her eyes—inquisitive and gray—at them. Each cheek bore two black stripes, presumably smudged on with charcoal by her own fingers. And from her long black cloak to the lining of her leather boots, she was practically covered in fur.
Her two comrades—a man and another woman her age—halted by her sides and glared menacingly at them.
"You say the word and we'll shoot them," her female friend spoke, voice hoarse and deep. She raised her spear even though she hadn't been given the command yet.
"I've got the one on the right," the male jested, flashing them a grin that was strangely more charming than intimidating.
Henry waited for Eldon to give him the signal before doing or saying anything. The leader stuck her arms out in front of her friends. They stilled their movements and stared at her as she steadily approached Henry and Eldon, possessing such a collected and confident stride that Henry envied.
"Who are you?" Eldon demanded, his fingers twitching as he loosened his right fist.
The woman tilted her head, looking him over inquisitively. "He's one of the brown-eyed people Infernum Cantavit is obsessed with." Her brows rose, evidently intrigued by Eldon now. "I didn't think people like you actually existed."
Eldon merely scowled at her.
"The crazies were right about something!" her male friend jested again.
"Hush it, Ronan. I'm sick of your laugh." She then put her hand on her chest and said to Eldon, "My name is Iris. My friends and I are from the Umbra Suas." She pointed toward the keep with her small and sharp chin. "You've seemed to stumble upon one of our lookouts."
Henry glanced at the building over his shoulder. That certainly wasn't a safe lookout...
"Umbra Suas?" questioned Eldon, drawing Henry's attention forward. "What's that?"
"The first mountain settlers," Iris explained, taking one more step closer to Eldon. "This was our home. We lived peacefully until Infernum Cantavit began making their mark and tainting our grounds with blood." Henry was almost afraid to ask what she meant by that. Fortunately, he didn't have to. Eldon did it for them.
Iris' expression hardened. "You don't know? Then I'd advise you to leave these mountains now. You're one of the people they have been seeking for years."
"Hold on, Iris," Ronan spoke up, waving his hand obnoxiously. "Don't you think having him can work in our favor? We can make a deal with those crazies! They leave these mountains once and for all, and they can have him."
Henry choked back his gasp and pushed Eldon aside, covering him with his body. He swung the sword once and glowered at Ronan. "You may want to rethink that," he threatened, hoping he didn't look as foolish as he felt.
"Lower your weapon," Iris calmly demanded. "I wouldn't allow my people to make a deal with them, even if it gave us our peace. Although they've captured some of my people and used them for their sacrifices, we will, slowly and surely, rid these mountains of all of them."
"Sacrifices," Henry breathed, exchanging a worried glance with Eldon.
"Sacrifices to awaken their Almighty," Iris told them, rolling her eyes. "If the simple blood of those whose eyes are not brown is enough, imagine how valuable the blood of a brown-eyed warrior would be for them? I am not saying I believe in their nonsense, but they have dedicated their lives to their faith." Her gaze zoned in on Eldon. "And they would do anything to sacrifice you to their god."
Or... or Elouise, Henry thought with a violent shudder.
"We have to find her," he uttered, stumbling backwards and into Eldon. He spun around to face him. "We have to find her."
"What are you saying?" asked Iris. Henry ignored her.
Eldon nodded at him. "Let's go. Let's just go." He briskly moved around Henry and past Iris and her friends. Henry almost tripped over his own feet trying to keep up.
"Is there another like you?" Iris called out.
Neither of them responded.
Their jog quickly transitioned into a full sprint as they leaped over anything that got in their way.
Henry knew they had no idea which way they were going. But in his dazed and terrified state, he figured that maybe if they ran fast enough, they would eventually run into her.