I never got to say goodbye to Drea. The thought gnawed at me, I knew she’d skin me alive the next time we met. But getting this power under control took priority, and I had no time to waste.

  Tarnath loomed ahead, the last flicker of civilization before the Veilwoods. It was the best place to stock up on supplies. We also needed any intel we could get.

  As Doug and I moved through the forest, he was unusually quiet. At first, I assumed he was just focused, but it quickly became clear that his blindness gave him a distinct edge here. He picked up on things I completely missed, reacting to the environment in ways I couldn’t predict. More than once, he rushed ahead mid-conversation, just when I thought he was listening to one of my rants.

  At first, I chalked it up to his usual unpredictability, until I noticed the body. Someone Doug had already incapacitated while I was busy fumbling with my vines. Sly bastard had been having all the fun while I was too distracted to notice. I couldn’t even be mad, his approach was the most efficient. He had been using me as bait for bandits, silently taking them out while I rambled on about the best apples in the forest. Completely oblivious to what was happening around me. Anyways, I’d made real progress. I could finally form basic weapons, including a whip.

  Any downtime we had, I spent constantly manipulating my vines, testing their limits in every way possible. I needed to understand them inside and out to use them efficiently. Creating new vines was another challenge. Surprisingly, doing so at will was more taxing than I expected, forcing me into a training mindset at all times.

  After three days of travel, we finally arrived at Fiora, a far-cry from my humble farming village. The town was bustling with life, its main street lined with dozens of merchant booths and citizens moving in every direction. It seemed our journey had been worth it. We’d separated for a bit, Doug met with his black market contacts. While I explored the city, mostly trying restaurants.

  After two long days of gathering supplies and probing for intel, we were finally ready to depart. As we left the city limits, a tall, formidable woman stepped into our path, a massive battle hammer slung over her shoulder.

  “Heard you’re looking for info on the Veilwoods ,”she said, her tone casual but sharp. “Humor me, and I’ll give you all the details you’ll need to not end up as fodder for it.”

  Doug tensed, already prepared for battle. I, on the other hand, was curious. “What’d you have in mind?”

  “A duel.” Her smirk widened. “People are saying there’s anew forest Eidolon user. I want to see for myself, up close.”

  I couldn’t hide my grin. “Careful what you wish for.“ I said as vines began to coil from my arms.

  She dropped her hammer and cracked her knuckles. Was she not taking me seriously?

  I sprouted two thick roots from the ground, shaping them into makeshift limbs to fight with. The moment the duel began, I lashed out with one, but she dodged with ease, knocking it aside like it was nothing.

  She moved better than I expected. Too well. This sequence repeated over and over until frustration got the better of me.

  “Are you just gonna run away!?”

  Big mistake.

  Before I could process it, she closed the distance in a flash. I barely had time to react, throwing my roots up as a barrier. Her fist came down like a hammer itself, shattering them on impact.

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  With my best defenses destroyed, all I had left were thick roots to try and bind her. What followed was a relentless game of cat and mouse: me desperately trying to snare her, and her trying to punch a hole through me.

  Then, she feinted.

  I flinched, completely exposed. This is it, I thought. She’s got me.

  But the hit never came. She stopped an inch from landing a blow.

  The fight was over.

  To think she was holding back. And that was without her hammer.

  “Not bad,” she admitted as she retrieved her hammer. “I can see why people are talking. But you’ve got a long way to go.”

  She tilted her head toward Doug. “And who’s the deaf one?”

  “Partially blind,” Doug corrected smoothly before I could say anything.

  “That’s Doug,” I added. “And I’m Trevor.”

  Her smirk returned. “Ciara. Guess I’ll be tagging along.”

  I was intrigued by our new teammate, Ciara. Her enthusiasm was infectious, but there was something enigmatic beneath the surface.

  “So, how does one get involved in black market trading?” I asked, half-joking.

  “You gotta know someone,” she said, her tone flat. “And not be an idiot.”

  “That doesn’t really expla—”

  “Huh? What’re you trying to say?” Ciara stepped closer, here yes narrowing.

  I raised my hands defensively. “No, I meant that your answer was a little vague.”

  She stared at me for a moment, then relaxed slightly. “My father used to deal with those guys. It’s not a world you want to be in for long.”

  I studied Ciara as we trekked through the undergrowth. Her energy was contagious—a brash, unapologetic force—but the way her fingers twitched toward her knife at every rustle told me there was more beneath the surface.

  “So,” I ventured, “how does one get into black market trading?”

  Ciara snorted. “You don’t get into it. It gets into you.” She kicked a rock. “And yeah, you gotta know people. And not be an idiot.”

  I opened my mouth—

  “What?” She wheeled on me, eyes flashing. “You calling me dumb?”

  I raised my hands. “No! Just—your answer was a little...vague.”

  For a heartbeat, her glare could’ve peeled bark off trees. Then—wham—her arm hooked my neck in a headlock.

  “Normally, I wouldn’t piss on a greenhorn like you if they were on fire,” she said, her breath hot in my ear. “But your boy’s clan?” She jerked her chin at Doug. “Even the underworld respects their fairness.”

  Doug’s grin was a sickle-moon in the dark. “You’re well-informed.”

  Ciara released me with a shove. “Yeah, yeah. So are you really deaf?”

  “Blind.” Doug’s nostrils flared. “But I can smell that mint you’ve been chewing. Stolen from a Capital merchant... last Tuesday?”

  Ciara’s smirk iced over. “The hell kind of blind guy—?”

  Doug shrugged. “Useful, right? ”I’d noticed Ciara swatting at her arms for the past hour. The Vielwoods’ insects were relentless. Without a word, I scraped my knife along a nearby trunk. Thick sap oozed out, glistening like honey. “Here. Rub this on your skin. Keeps the bugs off.” Ciara eyed the sap like it might bite her. “The hell is wrong with you? Just grabbing shit off trees? ”I blinked. “It’s just sap. ”“Uh huh.” She snatched the glob, rubbed it on her neck, then froze. “The fuck? It’s warm. ”Doug’s head tilted. “Hollow tree sap. Repels pests...but attracts larger predators. Temporarily.”

  Ciara glared at me. “You better be right about this gardener. ”The buzzing around her stopped instantly.

  The moss buffalo moved like a living river, their massive bodies carving a path through the undergrowth. Plus, when they moved through water, their moss hide made some camouflage as debris. Ciara’s intel had been solid—their migration route skirted the worst of the Veilwoods’ dangers. Even predators knew better than to stalk prey this close to the forbidden zones.

  Clever, I thought. Animals learn fast out here.

  But as we neared our destination, the air thickened. Mist coiled around dead trees, their skeletal branches clawing at the sky. The forest’s usual chorus of insects and birds had gone silent.

  Only the crunch of dry leaves underfoot reminded me we were still alive. I picked up a shriveled leaf and examined it. Strange, the forest should be teeming with life this time of year. It’s as if something instantly killed all the plant life in the area. I planted buds of the native species before we continued on.

  Ciara’s hand hovered over her knife. “Place looks like a graveyard.”

  Doug’s voice was barely a whisper. “Because it is.”