I didn't expect it.
Strangers — not gnomes, not even close — managing to convince my parents.
And yet… they do.
There's something about them. Something grounding. Reassuring.
"Your son is in love," says the boy I was sure hated me. "And when someone you love is in danger, you do everything you can to save her. That's only right."
"Thaaat's trrrue," rumbles the giant at the doorway.
He's so tall he has to kneel just to fit, only his face peeking inside the house.
He looks strong. Solid.
"And besides, he's a gnome. He knows these lands. Everrry path. Everrry stone. He'll be invaluable."
My parents exchange a look.
They hesitate.
Thank you, giant guy.
"Please," adds the girl whose skin seems to glow softly.
"I beg you. For my people. For our entire world. Let Asher come with us."
Her people…?
What does she mean by that?
My mother bows.
My father… bows too?
What the—
"We would be honored, Your Majesty," my father says.
Wait.
Your Majesty?
"There's no need to bow," the girl replies calmly. "In times like these, we stand as equals. We'll take our leave."
Your Majesty.
She's too young to be a queen. Which means…
A princess.
And she bowed her head for me.
For a stranger.
This is worse than I thought. Much worse.
She spoke of our world.
I understand Majory is in danger, but… trolls? Orcs? Fairies? Sirens?
Why should they care?
I don't understand any of this.
"Make us proud, son," my father says, resting a hand on my shoulder.
My mother pulls me into a tight embrace.
Then she looks at me, serious, and nods.
I nod back.
Too overwhelmed to speak.
And just like that, I follow my new group outside.
Under my parents' watchful eyes, the giant — Grogher, I learn, an orc-troll — lifts me onto the back of his enormous lion.
Then he climbs up behind me.
He's so high.
My stomach flips.
At least he's right behind me.
If I fall, he'll catch me. Probably.
The Princess mounts her unicorn.
The boy swings onto his black stallion.
Then they all look at me.
"Well then," the giant behind me growls, "show us the way."
This is my moment.
I nod. Steady. Certain.
"We need to head down the cliff. Halfway between Slavjia and Lachlan."
"Can we fly?" the boy asks.
"No," I say. "It would be faster, yes — but there's nowhere to hide in the air. And let's be honest… gnomes aren't exactly discreet. If you're going to meet the Witch Major, it's better to avoid awkward questions. We move through the undergrowth. At least for now."
They agree.
The boy clicks his tongue.
And we set off.
-----
The days keep dragging on.
Relentless.
And there's still no sign of the Witch.
I'm exhausted.
My hands are blistered raw. My legs ache from hours in the saddle—
I keep wondering if the pain will ever fade… or if this is just how my body feels now.
Wooded paths give way to rough mountain tracks, each one worse than the last.
The cold seeps in slowly, quietly.
The damp settles deep in my bones.
At night… thank the skies we're all together in the tent.
Wrapped in Dorcha's arms, we manage to steal a bit of warmth.
If I were alone, I'd be terrified.
Mist rises from the crevices below, slow and heavy, turning the forest into something bleak and oppressive.
It grows so silent that every single crack or rustle feels like the warning of an ambush.
Maybe I'm just imagining things.
Who would even attack us out here?
The real danger isn't enemies.
It's the land itself.
Time has started to feel wrong.
Days blur into each other. Seasons shift too fast.
When snow falls, everything becomes muffled—
even quieter than before.
And somehow… that's worse.
Even Asher seems out of his depth now.
He insists he knows the way to the Witch's home, but sometimes…
sometimes I get the feeling he has no idea where we're headed either.
Yesterday, if not for Sidae, we would've plunged straight into a gorge.
It opened without warning.
Right in the middle of the path.
Deep.
Dark.
Like a curse carved into the earth.
One of Raertha's hooves struck a small stone.
It rolled in… and never made a sound.
I felt sick.
We had to detour along a slope so steep I silently thanked Aeltiàfisar and Baelkers for giving Hercules wings—
and for gifting us Raertha and Sidae.
Without them, this journey would be impossible.
At least for me.
So far we've only glimpsed two villages from afar, between one bend and the next.
Orhàji—much farther than I'd imagined, reached only after two magical days of travel.
And then, four magical days later, Achgla.
It blends so perfectly into the vegetation that I never would've noticed it if Asher hadn't pointed it out.
The forest keeps me on edge.
Every sudden sound makes me flinch.
Like this morning.
A fox burst out of a bush and I screamed so loudly an entire flock of birds exploded from the treetops.
I couldn't breathe.
Not for a few terrifying seconds.
Now, riding atop Hercules with Dorcha guiding him just behind me, I finally feel like I can breathe again.
I miss my clouds.
So much.
Asher looks completely worn down too.
I honestly don't understand how Dorcha and Grogher never seem tired.
My Dorcha…
I lean against his chest.
"Feeling any better?" he asks softly.
Of course.
And yet there's no time to stop.
No time to complain… or rest.
"Always," I murmur. "When I'm with you."
Maybe… just maybe… there's time for this.
Rocked by the steady rhythm of our pace, by Dorcha's calm, unwavering presence,
I let myself drift into a light, healing sleep.
-----
The Princess has fallen asleep.
I don't blame her.
She must be exhausted.
I wonder how Majory is doing.
If only I had gone to her birthday party too.
If only I hadn't been so stupidly shy.
I would've told her.
I would've said it out loud.
Majory… I like you.
Maybe she would've said yes.
I would've asked her to take a walk through the village with me—
and she would never have gone down into those stupid underground tunnels.
And if she'd said no…
or if she still wanted to go down there anyway—
I would've gone with her.
I would've protected her.
Saved her.
Maybe, if I'd been there, nothing would've happened to her.
Maybe she would've killed me instead—and now she'd be free…
Or maybe she wouldn't have killed me at all, because she doesn't like me.
Either way…
at least I would've been by her side.
Instead, I hid inside my useless fear.
And now…
Now all I want
is to hold her.
-----
Ten days.
That's how long we've been marching.
How much farther can it be?
We stop in front of a rock wall—
smooth as ice.
I lift my gaze.
It stretches all the way up the cliff, jagged stone outcroppings scattered here and there.
Something stirs inside me.
Something's there.
But the path ends here.
No openings. No cracks.
The gnome must be lost.
Again.
What an idiotic idea, trusting him.
We'll never make it.
Grogher presses a hand against the stone, then leans in, ear to the rock.
"Is it trrrue?" he asks, curious.
"Yes, Grog," I say. "There's life on the other side."
"And now?" Aileen asks. "You're sure you're not lost, Asher… right?"
Exactly.
"No, no—actually, we're close," Asher says quickly. "Look up there. Do you see the treetop?"
The treetop…
I raise my head again.
Aileen does the same. So does Grogher.
And yes—
far above us—
there's a tiny plateau. And on it, a single olive tree.
So?
We stare at him, confused.
"Behind the tree there's an entrance," Asher explains. "It's narrow, but tall enough. Even Grogher can fit. From there we go inside. Fheall's home isn't meant for everyone—you can only reach it through tunnels carved into the rock. It'll be the hardest part… but we're almost there."
"Fantastic," Grogher mutters.
Yeah. Fantastic.
"There's just one thing," Asher adds.
"What?" we ask in unison.
"From the entrance onward, we'll have to go on foot. Without the animals."
"What?" Aileen blurts out.
"It's already difficult getting through the opening. Inside the cliff it's worse—paths are narrow, the ground unstable. One wrong step and you fall. A paw like Sidae's wouldn't stand a chance."
What the—
"Fall where?" I snap.
"You can't fall inside a cliff. Rock is solid."
"Not there," Asher says quietly.
"Fheall shaped that section of stone with one of her spells. You'll see soon enough. Come on."
Hercules, Sidae, and Raertha lift us with a few powerful wingbeats.
They land lightly on the plateau.
The gnome wasn't exaggerating.
This place is a hole.
I stare at the narrow fissure we're supposed to squeeze through.
It's not comforting.
Aileen turns to the animals.
"Alright… you rest here. Wait for us."
Then Asher leads the way.
We press ourselves against the rock and inch forward, sliding through the crack.
The stench of damp stone hits me immediately.
Aileen shivers.
I don't blame her—it's freezing in here.
I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close.
"You okay?"
She nods, but her lips are already pale.
I look ahead.
The gnome wasn't lying.
Before us stretches a passage so narrow and so long it opens straight into nothingness.
I step closer, peer down—
There's no bottom.
Just darkness.
"If we fall…" Aileen murmurs, realization dawning, "that's it."
She's so scared she starts laughing instead.
I need to steady her.
I grip her shoulders, meet her eyes.
"Don't be afraid. Stay close to me and nothing will happen. I won't allow it—
not even if it costs me my life. And Grogher's with us too. Right, Grog?"
Grogher is pale as white marble.
I've never seen him like this.
"Uh-huh," he manages.
"Well?" Asher calls from ahead. "Are you coming or not? Changed your minds?"
We turn.
He's already halfway across the narrow stone bridge.
Calm.
Of course he is.
He's a gnome. This kind of path is normal to him.
To us?
Not at all.
"W-we're coming," Aileen stammers.
She grabs my hand, clutching it so tightly it hurts.
I squeeze back.
Then I move in front of her.
Grogher positions himself behind her.
We start forward.
Slowly.
One step—
—then another.
Eyes forward.
Never down.
Seconds stretch into hours.
I kick a pebble.
It drops into the abyss.
No sound.
Cold sweat trickles down my forehead.
I hear Aileen's breath, fast and shallow.
Feel her trembling hand in mine.
I grip tighter.
"There!" Asher calls at last. "We made it!"
I lift my eyes—
By all the storms!
A rope bridge.
Unstable. Swaying.
At least five hundred more meters long, ending on a slab of cracked stone balanced atop a thin, eroded pillar.
And on it…
A shack.
Crumbling.
Hideous.
Even orcs wouldn't live in a dump like that.
And what are those things circling above it?
"Bats…" Aileen whispers, clinging to my back like a limpet.
Bats?
I look closer.
They're enormous.
Shrieking loud enough to make my ears ache.
Black, white, gray, brown and red.
And every single one wears a matching ribbon around its neck.
Madness.
I study the house again.
The curtains in the windows look like spiderwebs.
Smoke and sparks curl from the chimney.
"Guys…" Aileen murmurs, barely audible, "…maybe we should turn back."
Asher glares at her.
"If we turn back, everything we've done is wasted! And we can't—Majory's life depends on this!"
If I weren't afraid of falling, I'd punch him.
How dare he talk to her like that?
Obnoxious little gnome.
"And what about our lives?" Aileen fires back, swallowing hard.
"We're already here," he insists. "Just one more push!"
I feel Aileen steady her breathing.
She nudges my side gently.
I move forward again.
We all do.
In silence.
From stone bridge to rope bridge.
Hands clenched so tight around the ropes our knuckles turn white.
Each sway steals the air from my lungs.
Please—
let Aileen and Grog hold on.
Come on.
One step.
Another.
Another—
Finally, my foot hits solid rock.
"We did it!" I shout.
My legs still shaking, I turn and grab Aileen.
Then help Grogher across.
"I can't believe it—we made it!" Aileen almost cries, throwing her arms around me.
"Shhh!" Asher snaps. "Fheall doesn't like noise."
That's it.
"Enough," I growl, hand already on my hilt. "Watch your tone, boy."
I feel Aileen's hand settle on my arm.
"It's okay," she murmurs. "Nothing happened."
Oh, something happened.
This ends now.
"Don't ever talk to her like that again," I say, locking eyes with him.
He's gone pale.
The bravado is gone.
Good.
"I'm sorry," he says quietly. "I'm just terrified for Majory. I can't stop thinking that something horrible might've happened to her. I feel like I'm losing my mind."
I lower my hand.
There are bigger things right now.
A sudden, eerie creak cuts through the air.
Right on cue.
The shack's door
is slowly
opening.