Curse Breaker (2)

39

Casimir lies slumped against the side of the cave, jolting in his sleep as I skid around the corner. A sixth sense to my panic as his eyes dart straight to me, sleepy and red. I gasp to catch my breath.

"What is it?" he asks. "Freya?"

Beside a now awakened Lei, Juem rises to his feet. Their eyes rest on me as they wait for me to deliver the news.

"Somebody is here," I pant. "In the cave."

Casimir reaches for his dagger. "The shifters?"

"No, somebody else." A beat of silence passes as Juem and Lei exchange a glance, my words sinking in. "Killian told me to get the map and hide. I-I don't know who they are."

Casimir picks up the bag with the maps, slinging it over his shoulder and collecting his weapons. Each move is calm and thoughtful, a contrast to my erratic rushing to put my still damp coat around my shoulders. Juem helps Lei to her feet. She clutches her arm to her chest, concealing a grimace as she moves to Casimir and I.

"Go help Killian," Lei orders Juem. "I'll stay with these two."

Without a word, Juem disappears in the direction I came. Lei unscrews one of our flasks and tips the water on the fire, enveloping us in complete darkness. My heart still pounds, half from the run and half from Killian. But I try to shove him from my mind as the immediacy of the situation takes over.

There's somebody here.

"Come on," Lei's voice finds me through the darkness at the same time Casimir's hand wraps around mine. "Let's get closer."

"Killian said to hide--"

"We'll stay hidden," she says. "But we need to be able to hear what's going on. To know if we need to run."

I shudder.

"Run where?" Casimir asks. "The shifters are outside."

"If there are people out there, alive, that means the shifters can't be anymore." Her voice turns dark. "Quickly."

We sneak through the cave, keeping behind Lei. As the light from the opening starts to seep through, Lei drops to her knees, scrambling along the ground. Casimir pulls me down with him. On our hands and knees, the dirt sinks into my fingernails. The stench of moss and earth fills my nose. The mist from the nearby waterfall adds a humidity to the air that clings to my skin. Rounding the corner, Lei halts just behind a large boulder protecting us from reveal.

I sneak beside her, on the inside of the rock, ducking my head just high enough to peek at the entrance. Killiam and Juem slink in the shadows, both with weapons brandished towards where shadows climb up the wall, threads of sunlight cascading through the sheets of water. With its relentless roar, the water drowns out all other sounds, muting the thump of even my heart. Yet, as it hammers the surface of the water, an eerie stillness settles in the air as the shadow lurks closer, becoming two.

A shiver crawls up my spine. Killian was right. The shadow is all human.

Finally, a foot breaks the harmony of the falling water. Time slows as the rest of their body follows. Casimir's hand tightens around mine, his other at his waist belt. The sun cascades behind the figure, clothing them in silhouetted light. I squint my eyes as Killian shouts an order.

"Who are you?"

"Now," the figure says, "that's no way to greet an old friend."

Friend?

They, she, steps further forward, the sunlight falling away. Without the light behind her, I can make her out more clearly. Young. Tall and thin, with white-blonde hair shaved to her scalp. Water drips from her heavy coat as two more come through the waterfall behind her. A man and another woman.