“Then we fight like hell to get that fragment,” I said, answering in Logan’s place. My voice was steadier than I expected, but it echoed with a conviction I wasn’t entirely sure I felt. Someone had to say it, and, for better or worse, I was the one holding the orb-the one they were counting on. “Whatever happens, we don’t stop until we succeed.”
Logan nodded approvingly, his golden eyes glinting with something akin to pride. “That’s the spirit.”
“Yeah, rah-rah, go team,” Mal muttered, standing up and stretching. “If we’re moving, let’s get on with it before my better judgment tells me to run the other way.”
We moved quickly, gathering our meager supplies and breaking camp. Liam took charge of re-drawing the protective runes to cover our tracks as we left, his movements precise and deliberate despite the growing weight of the situation. Mal scouted ahead with the efficiency of someone used to hostile terrain, her knives never far from her fingers. Logan stuck close to me, though his presence was more grounding than stifling. Every so often, I’d catch him glancing my way, as if checking to make sure I hadn’t decided to bolt.
The river wasn’t far, just a short trek through the thinning woods. When we reached it, the sunlight glinted off the water in jagged patterns, its surface deceptively calm. I could feel the orb’s hum intensify slightly as we neared the bank, a reminder that time was ticking, and the void wasn’t waiting for us to catch up.
“Looks peaceful enough,” Logan said, crouching near the edge to fill a canteen.
“It’s not,” Mal replied flatly, staring down the river’s winding path as if daring something to emerge. “Peaceful things don’t survive in places like this.”
“Comforting,” Liam murmured, stepping up beside her. He scanned the water, muttering something under his breath as his hand hovered over the surface. A faint ripple spread outward, and the air around us seemed to grow heavier. “The void’s definitely touching this place. Not fully overtaken yet, but… it’s close.”
“Then we move fast,” I said. “No distractions, no stopping unless we absolutely have to. Agreed?”
Mal smirked faintly. “Look at you, giving orders now.”
“I’m serious,” I replied, shooting her a sharp look. “This isn’t a joke.”
“Never said it was.” Mal’s smirk softened into something less taunting. “Relax, Audrey. I don’t make it a habit to die on other people’s watch.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Logan muttered under his breath.
“Save the sibling squabbles for later,” Liam interjected, already stepping into the shallows. “We need to stay ahead of the void. The further we go, the harder it’ll be to stay unnoticed.”
Mal followed without hesitation, her footsteps silent even on the slick riverbed. Logan and I exchanged a glance before stepping in after her, the water icy but manageable. The current was faster than it looked, tugging at my boots with an almost insistent pull, but I kept my focus on the path ahead.
Hours passed in tense silence. The forest around the river grew denser, the trees twisted and gnarled as if protesting the void’s encroachment. The air thickened with a sense of wrongness, like a storm brewing just out of sight. Every so often, Liam would pause to cast another spell, his brow furrowed as he confirmed our direction.
“Anything?” I asked during one of these stops.
He shook his head, though his expression was grim. “The void’s closer than I thought. It’s-” His words cut off abruptly as a chilling sound echoed through the woods: a low, guttural growl that seemed to vibrate through my bones.
Mal’s knives were in her hands instantly, her posture tense but controlled. “Company.”
From the shadows of the trees, shapes began to emerge-hulking, twisted creatures that looked like they’d once been wolves or something close to it. Their eyes glowed with an unnatural light, their movements jerky yet eerily coordinated.
Voidspawn.
Logan stepped in front of me before I could react, his golden eyes narrowing as a low growl rumbled from his chest. “Stay behind me,” he ordered, his voice sharp and commanding.
“We don’t have time for this,” Liam said, already weaving a spell between his fingers.
“No,” I said, gripping the orb tightly. Its hum grew louder, resonating with an energy that made my skin tingle. “We end this fast. We can’t risk letting them delay us.”
The voidspawn charged, and chaos erupted.
Mal was a blur of movement, her knives slicing through the air with deadly precision. Liam’s spell burst forth in a cascade of light, forcing several of the creatures back. Logan lunged at the largest of the pack, his movements almost inhuman as he tore into it with feral strength.
I held the orb out, its power surging through me as I focused on the nearest voidspawn. Heat flooded my veins, and a pulse of light shot from the orb, striking the creature and disintegrating it instantly. The sheer force of it left me momentarily breathless, but I steadied myself, unwilling to let the power overwhelm me.
“Keep going!” Logan shouted, his voice strained but unyielding. “We can take them!”
The fight raged on, but the voidspawn were relentless. For every one we cut down, two more seemed to take its place. The air grew heavier, the darkness pressing in around us as the void’s influence intensified.
“Liam, can you open a portal?” I called, my voice nearly drowned out by the noise.
“Not here,” he replied, panting as he cast another spell. “Too unstable. We’d risk-”
A deafening roar cut him off, and I turned just in time to see the largest voidspawn lunge straight for him. Before I could react, Logan intercepted it, his claws sinking deep into its twisted form as they tumbled into the river.
“Logan!” I screamed, the orb’s energy surging wildly in response to my panic.
The voidspawn thrashed, its glowing eyes locked onto Logan as it tried to drag him under. He fought back fiercely, but even he was struggling against its sheer size and strength.
“Help him!” I shouted, my voice breaking.
Mal and Liam moved as one, Mal’s knives striking the creature’s neck while Liam sent a burst of energy through its chest. It let out a final, guttural snarl before dissolving into ash, leaving Logan coughing and soaked but alive.
“Still think this is a good plan?” Mal asked, pulling Logan to his feet.
“No,” he replied, shaking water from his hair, “but it’s the only plan we’ve got.”
“We need to keep moving,” I said, gripping the orb tightly as its hum steadied once more. “The void isn’t going to stop, and neither can we.”
Despite their exhaustion, no one argued. Together, we pressed on, the river carrying us closer to our destination-and whatever lay waiting in the heart of the void.