The next day, we had our opportunity. The Threstian Gap was even more breath-taking up close. The other half of Threstia loomed an intimidating distance away, the chasm appearing much wider from a closer perspective. It had an air of finality to it, like we were standing at the edge of the world.
The last remaining settlers had vacated it many years ago, unable to reliably transport supplies across the unforgiving cliffs, leaving a handful of rope bridges in varying conditions. Some had collapsed entirely, others looked reassuringly stable.
Tucked behind the shadowy mountains, we’d discovered a surviving bridge. Most of its planks remained, though there were several gaps along its length. It swayed gently in the wind, and I felt every movement in the pit of my stomach.
Silas rubbed the fraying rope between his fingers, frowning. “Is this safe?”
I peered down, suppressing a shudder at the crevice’s depth, the cerulean water of the stream below only just visible. It was a long way down and there would be little chance of survival if we slipped. “I guess we’ll find out. Unless you’ve changed your mind about accompanying me?”
“Nice try.”
I didn’t let my relief show. If he’d left me at this point, it would be like losing a part of myself. His presence was a constant reassurance, even if it was distracting.
Silas paled as the bridge wobbled with a particularly strong gust of wind. “Let me go first. If I watch you cross, I’ll lose my nerve.”
“Be my guest.”
He took a tentative step onto the wooden plank, wincing as it shuddered beneath him, amplifying the shakiness of his legs. “If you ask me, this bridge is in dire need of repair.”
He wasn’t wrong. No one had maintained them since the settlers left, and there was no telling if they remained strong enough to support our weight. But we had come too far to give up now and the end of the mission felt tantalisingly close.
“Are you going to spend all day criticising the quality of the bridge, or are you going to cross?” I said. There was no bite behind the words, but with every moment I waited, I found my own resolve faltering.
Silas moved, albeit slowly, his legs trembling beneath him with each step he took. “I suppose this is a bad time to mention I’m scared of heights.”
“That would have been useful to know beforehand,” I replied. When he was several paces ahead, I joined him. With the extra pressure of my weight, the bridge swung from side to side, and I clenched the rope support so hard my knuckles turned white. Silas wailed, nearly slowing to a stop in front of me.
I tried to ignore the glimpses of the stream below visible through gaps in the wooden planks, but several of them were loose, unstable as I stepped onto them. I couldn’t afford to look away. Putting one foot out of place would mean certain death. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”
He didn’t speed up, but he kept moving forward at least.
“Since these may be my final moments, can I tell you something?” he said, his voice wavering.
“What is it?” I asked.
But I never found out. One moment he was shuffling gingerly across the bridge, the next he trod on a loose plank, the wood plummeting into the valley below. My heart caught in my throat as his legs plunged through the gap, dangling over the chasm sickeningly. His desperate hold on the rope was the only thing keeping him safe, but even as I watched, his grip started to slip.
“Willow!” he shouted, but I was already launching myself across as quickly as I dared, not wanting to do anything to jeopardise his balance. I sank to my knees, wrapping my arm around his waist, gripping him tightly. The planks beneath us creaked, threatening to fall as the other had.
“Don’t let go,” I said, distributing my weight carefully. I’d have to act swiftly but cautiously, otherwise we’d both end up in the ravine. But panic had me in its clutches, and it was difficult to think past the all-consuming fear with Silas’ life hanging in the balance.
“I wasn’t planning to,” he panted, his face set in a grimace.
I couldn’t lose him, even if it put my own life at risk.
The bridge groaned loudly again, and I knew it was now or never. I threw myself backwards, using the momentum to pull Silas up. His body lifted out of the gap excruciatingly slowly. It was a painful endeavour, my bow stabbing into my back as I heaved him upward to safety, my arm burning from supporting his weight. A muscle twinged in my shoulder, and I bit down a cry.
By the time he was free, both of us were shaking and drenched in sweat.
“Thank you,” he breathed, his whole body trembling. I laid my hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in what I hoped was a reassuring way.
“You can do this.” I needed to get him back on stable ground urgently. Every quiver of his body was sending vibrations through the fragile bridge. “We’re nearly on the other side. I’ll go ahead of you, and you can hold on to me. Would that help?”
He nodded gratefully, accepting my hand to help him to his feet. I stepped carefully, testing the structural integrity of every plank as I went and holding the rope even tighter. I didn’t dare relax until our feet were on the other side, my body swaying like I was still on the bridge.
Silas fell to his knees, panting for breath. I clapped him on the shoulder. “Well done. It’s over now.” At least until the journey back to civilisation.
“Thank the gods for that,” he said, getting to his feet. He looked rattled from the ordeal.
“What was it you wanted to say to me?”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”
I studied him for a moment, but Silas remained tight-lipped.
“Do you know where we’re going?” he asked.
“Not exactly”. Dorea hadn’t narrowed down a specific area, but I’d completed enough scouting missions by now to know what to look for. Tracks left uncovered, remnants of campfires, disturbed vegetation. Few fae took precautions to mask their presence, and with the isolation here, I doubted it would be different. “I’ll know it when we see it.”
There was nothing but cracked earth and withered trees littering the horizon. If the dark forest was dying, Threstia was already dead, the smell of rot cloying, sticking in my throat. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to leave this place and never look back.
We trudged on, a tense silence hanging over us at the sight of what the curse had done. The scenery remained unchanged as far as the eye could see. Every fissure in the rocky ground was a reminder of what was lost.
“There’s nothing left here. What are you hoping to find?” More questions. The breadcrumbs of information I’d been feeding him evidently weren’t enough.
I considered my options. The bargain I’d made when joining the Night Ravens forbid me from sharing any details about my orders. But those had ended back in Valtarra when I’d taken matters into my own hands. There was nothing preventing me from telling Silas about the researchers, provided I trusted him enough.
I gazed at my companion, the one who’d conquered his fear and risked his life to get this far. He deserved to know why, at least.
“I’m helping someone. She was working here when she was injured by something that’s causing her a great deal of pain.”
I told him of the inky black veins that snaked up Dorea’s arm and the suffering she’d endured, omitting the details of how I’d become involved.
“How did it happen?” he asked, his face shining with concern. The compassion he showed for someone he’d never met caused a pang in my heart. It was lucky that I’d found Silas when I had. This cruel world would have ruined him, making him just as jaded as I’d become.
“That’s what I’m here to find out. She was hired by a team of researchers, but that’s all she could tell me. A bargain prevented her from telling me more.”
“Researchers?” His eyebrows rose in surprise. “What could they be looking for here? It’s just dead trees and some boulders left.”
“I’m not so sure.” There was something more to it, a heaviness that lingered in the air.
“Do you think they could be researching the curse?” He asked, his face lighting up with interest.
“It crossed my mind,” I said. “I won’t know for certain until we find their camp.”
We continued on, pausing occasionally while I examined the terrain for signs of disturbances, and Silas adjusted our direction. It wasn’t until several hours later, our legs tiring as darkness fell, that we saw it.
“It’s not possible,” I whispered as I struggled to process what I saw.
“What is that?” He said, his jaw hanging open.
Tents were set up on the rocky plains, but this was no mere camp. It was a city, a bustling hive of activity, large enough to house the Old Keep several times over. Hundreds of fae scurried between them, protected within the confines of a heavily guarded settlement. This had to be the researchers Dorea had mentioned, but it was far beyond the scale I’d imagined.
“Nothing good.” The tiny part of me that hoped they had pure aims despite the way they’d treated Dorea shrivelled into nothingness. The resources needed alone to sustain an operation of this size were enough to know that. Guards paced the perimeter of the site, the sharp blades of their swords glinting in the sunlight. They wouldn’t go to such lengths to protect the research unless they had something to hide.
I’d known that investigating Dorea’s illness wouldn’t be easy, but I hadn’t expected anything like this.
“I don’t suppose I can convince you to stay here?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Not a chance,” he said. It was a relief, but something still twisted in my gut. If something happened to him, it would be my fault.
We’d need to sneak into the site, find out what they were researching, and escape without being caught. I hadn’t attempted anything on that level before, and Silas certainly hadn’t. We would need an airtight plan to succeed, and that would require time and careful thought.
“This way,” I said, dragging him towards a cluster of rocks perched on higher ground. It provided a crucial vantage point where we could monitor the activity within the camp without revealing our presence, and, more importantly, carved into one of the boulders was a secluded nook offering us shelter for the night.
I set about my usual task of organising our sleeping arrangements while Silas watched our target. We didn’t dare risk a fire in case the smoke gave us away, relieving him of his camp duties. The element of surprise was all we had and if we lost it, this would all have been for nothing.
After a pitiful meal of leftover berries, the portion too small to satisfy our hunger, we settled down for the evening.
It would be a long night of suffering. I could feel every lump of the hard ground beneath me, digging into my back uncomfortably. Shivering, I curled up as tightly as I could under my threadbare blanket. It did nothing to stop me from shaking as the cold clung to my skin like a wet cloak.
“Get over here.” A voice cut through the quiet. Silas.
“Excuse me?” I was sure I’d misheard him.
“I can hear your teeth chattering from over here. My blood runs hot. I can keep both of us warm if you don’t mind the company.”
He wanted us to cuddle up? My heart betrayed me as it raced at the thought.
“Absolutely not.” That was a bad, bad idea. It was hard enough to keep my head clear in his presence, let alone in such an intimate position. Opening up to him had been dangerous. Sharing a bedroll would be playing with fire.
“Willow,” he said, like he was chastising me.
“Silas,” I replied, matching his tone.
“Must you be so stubborn?” His voice softened. “You won’t get a wink of sleep shivering like that. Let me help you, please.”
I tossed and turned on my bedroll, but I knew he was right. And with so much ahead of us, a good night of rest was essential.
I sighed. “If I even suspect you of having wandering hands, it will be the last thing you do. Understand?”
“Whatever you say,” Silas said. There was a rustling noise as he picked up his bedroll and brought it over to mine. He slid in next to me, under my blankets, the delicious heat from his body providing immediate relief from the bitter cold. His scent was intoxicating, the heady mix of earth and vanilla filling my nose, easing the tension that plagued me. He wrapped me in a gentle embrace, keeping his touch purely functional. It didn’t matter. The feel of his skin on mine had already caused enough damage, my every nerve lit up in awareness at his proximity.
I shifted, attempting to find a position where it was easier to forget he was pressed up against me.
“Stop wiggling,” Silas said, his arm snaking around me to hold me still. With him so close, it took all my determination to resist nuzzling against him. It was an effort to keep my breathing even. To not show how much he affected me. But there was no time for complications. I needed to stay strong, if not for myself, then for all who relied on me.
I lifted his arm off my chest, letting it fall back against his side, before shuffling into a better position. “I’m trying to get comfortable.”
“And I’m not trying to prevent that,” he said, “but you’re rubbing against me and it’s a little distracting.”
“I just need a moment.” I was so close to finding the perfect spot where his warmth enveloped me, but I could still think clearly.
“I’m serious. Every time you squirm like that, you’re grinding against my cock. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but it’s not very conducive for a night of rest.” His voice was like silk in my ear, the admission sending chills rippling across my skin and making heat pool between my thighs. My body ached, every place where he was touching me burning, not only with the warmth of his Blessing, but flames of desire. We were treading towards dangerous territory and there would be no turning back.
My skin was flushed, need thrumming through me, and Silas’ strong arm locked around my waist. It was so tempting to throw caution to the wind and writhe against him, teasing him mercilessly until he snapped, losing control and igniting this temptation between us.
But this was all just a harmless flirtation for him, a fun diversion that lacked deeper meaning. As much as I would enjoy crossing that line, I knew my heart would get too involved. It would only end in hurt for me.
After everything I’d shared with Silas, I couldn’t bear that.
I settled for a more subtle gesture, shifting slightly so the curve of my rear dug into his groin.
In a flash, he pounced, wrapping me in a tight grip and pinning my arms to my sides. I couldn’t move, a thought that thrilled me and annoyed me in equal measure.
“There, that’s better,” he said, ignoring my growls of frustration. “Sweet dreams, Willow.”
When I woke with the sunrise, I discovered we’d moved during the night, locked in an intimate embrace. I was snuggled up against Silas, my legs entwined with his. My hand rested on his chest, and I could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my fingertips.
His arm had slid around me, resting on my lower back, holding me against him, and there was a hard shape pressing into my stomach. The realisation of what that was brought a furious blush to my face. He was still asleep, thankfully, and I got to work extracting myself from him.
“Just five more minutes,” Silas said, his voice thick with sleep.
I persisted in freeing myself, disturbing him in the process.
He scowled at me as his eyes snapped open. His hair was a mess, forcing him to push it back from his forehead. “Spoilsport.”
I ignored him, packing away our belongings instead, trying to forget how safe his embrace had felt. How right I’d felt in his arms. This was a dangerous game and it would only end in heartbreak if I carried on. I knew better than this.
“How’d you sleep?” he asked, rubbing his eyes, still half-asleep.
“Terribly.” I wanted to answer, but the words stuck in my throat, preventing the lie. “Thank you for the help, but it will never happen again.”
Silas wore a lopsided grin that made my heart skip a beat. “If you say so.”
I ignored him, retrieving a few scrolls of blank parchment from my pack and beginning the arduous task of plotting our next move.