“What is it?” I ask.
Her eyes are steady, staring into the darkness. “This is the Blood Forest.”
I nod, following her eyes outward. “It is. Does that bother you?”
Her head shakes in denial, but I sense her fear as vividly as the sadness from before. I ease the horses through the thicket and toward the stream. I stop in a small clearing and dismount. As I turn to lend my hand to Briar, I find she is already down, opening up the satchels strung over her horse.
Willem pushes past me. “I’ll get some wood for the fire.”
I watch as Willem disappears through the trees to gather firewood. Briar lays out the bedrolls, keeping a polite distance between the three of us as if she and I weren’t tangled around one another a few hours prior. The absurdity of it all brings an honest smile to my lips. I tie off the horses close to the rushing waters of the stream so they can drink. As Briar digs through her bag, I pull my bedroll beside hers. The look of utter annoyance on her face causes me to chuckle lightly.
“For your safety,” I say smoothly.
She chews this over, but comes to the conclusion that arguing with me is useless.
A rustle at the edge of our campground turns both our attention. Huffing with annoyance, Willem returns with the firewood and throws it down in the leaves. He meanders about, not speaking, clearing a space in the center of the small clearing. As if he knows the damp air will chill Briar, he takes his time starting the fire.
Walking back to the bedrolls, I take a seat, glancing over at Briar who is staring up through the canopy. Dark clouds scatter through the crimson sky as the moon rises beyond the horizon. “And night has found us.”
Briar curls towards the fire when the first spark lights the kindling. She shivers slightly and pulls her cloak tighter around her body. “It’s a bit more nefarious from down here in the woods.”
Willem brushes his hands on his trousers and plops down on his bedroll, leaning back on his elbow. He stares into the flames with a cunning look on his face. “Did you read about the Beast of the Blood Forest in your books?”
“Beast of the Blood Forest?” Briar asks nervously.
I can tell she tries to keep the tremble out of her voice, but even without the soul bond, I would have been able to sense her fear. Willem crosses his arms over his chest and scoots back to the edge of his roll, leaning against a stump as he recants his tale.
“Legend states that many moons ago, a mindless soul wandered a bit too far into the Blood Forest. When he found himself charging in circles, he became more and more panicked. In his frenzy and fear he cried out for the gods to save him and help him find his way home. He thought surely the Gods could hear him in a forest where he was the only one crying out for them. But what he didn’t know was that the trees of the Blood Forest sing louder than his own hollow voice could carry. Their enchantment muffled his cries and filled his head with song. He became ensnared by this song, lured to a place only the lost can find, a place where he was cursed to roam the forest for eternity, his fear growing to an explosive and shattering point each and every night.” Willem’s voice drops and his eerie blue eyes flash in the night. “When his anger reaches a fevered pitch, he transforms into a hideous monster and devours anyone who dwell here for too long.”
I reach out with my shadows, smirking to myself as it creeps toward Briar. The cold touch of darkness brushes against her and a blood-chilling scream fills the air. Willem can't contain his laughter and the sheer terror on Briar's face sends me hurling over the edge with him. She looks between us, her face panicked and confused, until realization dawns. Her mouth drops open and she grabs a stone, throwing it in my direction. Her arms cross and she tries to give us an angry stare, but our laughter echoing through the trees tips her reaction. Her lips curl upward and she begins to laugh, the jovial spirit inside of her growing stronger until she too is toppling over with a bellowing giggle.
Her beautiful eyes sparkle as the flames of the campfire reflect in their depths. We all catch our breath and sit back up. Briar looks up at the fire, the breeze gently swaying her hair from side to side. "So, now that you've had your fun, I want to hear a real story."
Still holding a half grin on my lips, I shrug. “What do you want to know?"
"How did the two of you meet?" She asks.
Willem's eyes shift around the camp. He looks uncomfortable with the change in topic. I run a hand through my hair and turn toward Briar. "Do you wish to know how we became friends or when we first saw one another?"
Her beautiful pouty lips pucker. "I guess both."
I glance over at Willem, finding him staring at the ground. "We first met on the battlefield. I was preparing to inherit the title of Death and he was reaping his first soul. I suppose it was our nature that brought us together on that fateful day, but we didn't become friends until centuries later."
Willem jumps to his feet, ending the conversation right then and there. "I'll take first watch. Get some sleep. Your wounds might be healed, but you're both still recovering."
He stomps through the underbrush and out of sight.
Briar furls her brow but I can feel her suspicion fade almost instantly, exhaustion taking its hold. She pulls back on her covers and slides into her bedroll. I ball up
