Chapter 028

You weren’t really intending on climbing into that Aberrant haunt, were you?

Their first steps into the den were dusty and dry, filled with hardened dirt and the smooth grooves of the serpent’s passage. It didn’t last, as the tunnel dipped further, funneling deep enough that the cool air started to get warmer.

It’s humid. What’s providing the heat?

Plants clung to the ceilings, a type of ivy Harker recognized as an intrusive vine called a red creeper. The leaves were a favored hiding spot for their lesser kindred, and here the vines were thick enough that even a giant Aberrant could get the drop on them. One of the reasons the creeping coralsnout was named as it was, not to mention its crimson color.

Harker made sure to keep pulsing his Talent. The sensory information it provided was far inferior to sustaining it, but it kept him aware. Just plants. Let’s hope it stays that way.

“This is horrendous!” Stillwater spat out a red leaf and clawed his stubby hands at the other vines within reach. “What use could anyone have for such vile growths?”

Red creeper had many purposes, though mainly it was their roots. They were quite delicious if stewed or fried, especially when paired with roasted black gar. Just the thought of it set Harker’s stomach to rumbling, but just like Stillwater’s continuous complaints, he ignored it.

Time enough to eat when we get out.

The den was far larger than it had any right to be. Cut into a network of caves that were remarkably similar to its reservoir, forming a maze of tunnels, all of them connecting at strange angles. As they wound deeper, even the ceiling had holes in it.

“Salt and stone, imagine fighting that beastie in here,” Adhira said, staring up at a tunnel nearly completely concealed by red creeper vine.

Harker could imagine it well enough, and was happy they’d lured it out. “It would have hit us from any angle at any time. A nightmare.”

“Hm. But it would have been fun.”

He glanced at her, but she was already moving on.

What is with this girl? She seemed more interested in battle than sense. She takes far too many chances and throws herself into danger.

His mother had a term for such people. Called them wave-seekers, those that hunted out the largest and most violent of waves before hurling herself at the waters. All for the thrill of it.

I should’ve kept traveling alone.

Even with the Aberrant dead, walking the den would have been concerning without Sovereign Sight. Even pulsing his Talent gave Harker a great sense of relief. Each foot step was known, from the firmness of the earth and vines underfoot, to the scraped-smooth stone of the nearest tunnel sides, Harker received an ongoing impression of his surroundings. It was a bit foul tasting, and the smell left much to be desired, but that was where the limited detail benefitted him most. It was the best he could do until he could learn to block some of his senses. If that were even possible.

Ancestors grant me that mercy.

He’d had the Talent for only a few days and already had enough foul memories to last a lifetime.

Adhira brushed aside some hanging moss in their path, slicing it free with a casual flick of her huge axe. “So what is your Talent, exactly?”

“What’s yours?”

She barked a laugh. “I suppose that was rude of me. It’s just, I can’t quite pin down what you’re doing when you manifest. It’s maddening.”

Harker raised an eyebrow. “Am I so mysterious?”

“Mysterious? You’re a far cry from that, farmboy. I’m just curious, is all.”

“Curiosity is good for you. Almost as good as unanswered questions.”

Adhira pursed her lips. “Fine. I suppose a fair trade is in order. My Talents for yours.”

Harker glanced sideways at her, only to find the girl staring at him, a distinct challenge in her gaze. “Do we have to do this now? Here?”

“There’s no danger anymore. What’s the harm in sharing?”

Knowledge is power. You know that as well as anyone, I imagine. But there was no easy way to refuse any longer. Harker sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”

Her grin all but lit up the tunnel. “Excellent! My Talents are called Torpor and Bulwark. One slows my target, and the other creates earthen walls.”

“So esoteric and elemental focuses?”

“Exactly.” She eyed him. “You seem…unimpressed.”

“Do I?” Harker shrugged, stepping through a thigh-high swell of creeper leaves.

“Most people are more, I don’t know, energetic when they find out I have Dual Talents.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“I doubt it,” she muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

Harker frowned, but didn’t bother looking at the noble. Was she really upset that I didn’t…what? Shout in amazement? Grovel at her feet? His frown only deepened with each thought. The Sea will burn before I ever do that.

“What of you, then?”

He didn’t answer immediately as they ducked through another curve in the tunnel. Telling the truth about his Talent was pointless if he planned to keep his disguise going, but lying was out of the question. If Stillwater was to be believed, it was the only thing holding his Stature together.

The creature waded close by, almost covered by the leafy vines. He watched Harker, his stupid face split by an amused grin.

“It is an esoteric focus,” he said. “Same as your Torpor. So far it’s mostly about finding the best way to hit things.”

Not a lie, but he was cutting the specifics close. Inside his chest, his Stature clenched but ceased only a moment later. As far as Harker could tell, it remained hale and whole.

“The best way…is that how you found the Aberrant’s reservoir?”

Harker nodded.

“Esoteric indeed.” She cleared her throat. “I didn’t hear the name.”

“No you didn’t.”

Adhira rolled her eyes. “Stingy. Still, I’ve got a measure of you now. You’re an interesting sort, Harker Shoalborn.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The way she said his name… Harker had never heard it pronounced that way. Without derision.

It was unnerving.

“Cleverly done,” Stillwater muttered as he passed close. He almost sounded impressed. “You skimmed the very edge of the truth without an ounce of Stature lost.” His grin grew wide once more. “Will you be able to keep it up when she starts asking the real questions?”

Harker wanted nothing more than to snap back at the little cretin, but Adhira was far too close. Instead, he tried to let both of their reactions wash off his back as they explored the tunnels. The powerful always sought reactions from the weak, and Harker had no intention of giving either of them the satisfaction.

They walked onward, the tunnel sloping in ever more convoluted passages. Adhira spoke, often of nothing, but Harker gave little in return and focused entirely on pulsing his Talent. Eventually, even her eagerness faded to silence as they delved deeper and found a great deal of nothing.

Fifteen minutes in, Harker stopped moving. Adhira noticed immediately. “What is it?”

“Bones. A lot of them.”

A few steps ahead, half hidden in the vines, were splintered off-white chips. Adhira poked her haft into the nearest pile and they clattered loudly. “Broken and worn down to bits. There must be thousands of skeletons down here. Giant serpents get hungry, I suppose.”