The group gazed at a cavernous gorge stretching far and wide. Trees did not dare tread closer, leaving a wide berth for the deep wound. Nicholas stood along the edge where brittle rock fumbled into the abyss from the briefest brush of wind. The fae peered into the shadows with little care. William wouldn’t dare. Even from where he and Charmaine huddled beneath the trees, he heard it. Whispers. Voices in the dark, hundreds or thousands of them speaking at once, urging him closer. They consumed thought and reason. 

“This would explain not being discovered by any of our scouts yet,” William said. Charmaine suddenly stepped forward. He clutched her shoulder.

“You’re hurting me,” she growled.

“Sorry,” he replied. “Don’t look at it.”

“I don’t know if that helps.” She pressed her forehead against his temple regardless.

“I can’t fathom what is down there,” said Arden with that typical fae excitement.

“Nothing good, and everything fun.” Nicholas skipped along the edge, uncaring of pieces knocked loose to be consumed by breathing shadows. “No doubt a creation of the Shadowed Disciples for reasons I would love to learn.”

He retreated with two hopped steps. His gaze scanned the horizon. William did the same. Arden walked in the opposite direction. His voice carried over the falling snow moments later, “I don’t see the end of it this way!”

“Neither do I,” Nicholas responded. He faced the gorge, one hand under his chin. The cavern had to be at least fifty feet wide. “We’ll go across. A bridge is easy enough to build for me.”

William rolled his eyes, but hoped for the best. He didn’t want to cross the gorge, but over would be quicker than around. He wanted away from this place, far from the gloom turning the snow into oiled sludge.

Nicholas stood close to the fall, hands outstretched. The forest responded to him. Roots tangled together, reaching further and further over the gorge. William watched, captivated and perplexed by such magic. Unnatural, yet helpful. Tainted, yet beautiful. Nicholas called to nature as if he weaved the roots beneath their feet. But then that beauty shuttered. Nicholas grunted and shook. The rose light under his skin brightened until he was a flame. The roots hovering halfway over the gorge struggled. They twisted up and out and down. He swung his arm to command more of the forest, attempting to steady the structure with new roots, but they became a mess of entanglement. The gloom of the gorge shifted upwards with shadowed hands. Nicholas took a step back, bewildered by the roots disappearing into the dark. After moments of crunching noises, the roots along the edge of the cavern broke. The shadows fell and the bridge disappeared below.

“Fascinating,” Nicholas muttered.

William did not agree. Charmaine either, based on the clicking of her tongue. A spell had to be upon the gorge or a dangerous curse. Fearworn was High Fae and a Shade, like Nicholas, he had the power to create such a monstrosity. More reason for them to escape far, far away.

“Walking it is,” said William. He nudged Charmaine to the right and they walked on. Nicholas and Arden followed, whispering to one another. Childish glee flickered in their eyes, attention pointed towards the gorge that kept their attention for a long while.

The four of them remained within the trees, keeping the gorge along their left flank. Though at some point, Nicholas broke off from the group, claiming he’d search for food. William didn’t believe that, but Nicholas’ momentary irritation made ignoring the whispers from the gorge easier. Distance provided some sanity, though he and Charmaine continuously shook their heads and spoke to one another about random events to placate the voices ringing in their skulls. She told him a story about her childhood where her cat went missing. She and her mother searched all day. They never told her father. He wasn’t a kind man and not interested abouts pets in the least. Turns out the little rascal was sleeping in her closet all day and came out for dinner that evening. William spoke of himself and his brothers building a massive snow fort in their yard after a terrible blizzard. They were snowed in, but the boys loved every moment of it. These memories kept them from stumbling towards the gorge that would swallow them in a breath, if they let it.

Then Nicholas appeared out of nowhere, practically dancing around them when he asked, “Is this not utterly fascinating?”

“Don’t surprise us like that,” Charmaine barked. Even her irritation had risen after the long trek. “And where is the food?”

“I found none,” he said, gaze drifting between them and the gorge. “The Deadlands are as decrepit as their namesake, and yet filled with mystery. This gorge, the monsters, and moving trees in the forest.”

“Damn you, make sense for once.”

“I am speaking sense. There were living trees. A grove of them tried to smother me with their roots. Once I got free, they shuffled off in the other direction. They reminded me of a time during my childhood when I became lost in the Forest of Whispers. An intriguing place in Faerie known for random disappearances. For months at a time, the forest welcomes all under the apple trees and within the fields of wheat. Then one day the forest wakes up, overtaken by an eerie fog and decay. Nothing lives.”

William sighed. “You walked right into it, didn’t you?”

“Of course, I was intrigued! None know how the Forest of Whispers works, when the change will come, or how the trees determine what souls to take or return.”

“I will regret asking this,” said Charmaine. “But how did you survive?”

“A combination of tree bark, roots, bugs, and decaying apples for three long months,” Nicholas declared far too proudly for someone spouting a story of stupidity. “But when the forest shifted and I saw vibrant apples on the limbs once more, I escaped and learned I had been gone for no more than two days.”

Charmaine and William shared confused glances that coaxed laughter from their fae companions.

“Time is a fickle thing in Faerie,” said Arden, nodding as if he had a tale or two to tell of time.

“I do miss our lands.” Nicholas sighed, exaggerated and dreamy. “Faerie lives and breathes, unlike your barren wasteland. Day after day, you see the same thing, but in Faerie you may fall asleep in a field of green and awaken along a sandy beach. You never know what tomorrow holds.”

“Yes, how riveting to be in unknown lands.” William glanced about at the unknown lands he wanted to run away from. “How about we refrain from going anywhere alone from now on? We don’t need anyone being devoured by a tree.”

“Oh, but it has made me wonder what it would be like to be devoured by a tree.” Nicholas danced around them, boyish as boyish can be. “Do they have stomachs? Would I be digested, buried, spat out as old bark, or become a tree myself? Would I know I was a tree and miss my fingers and toes?”

“Are you incapable of taking any situation seriously?” William snapped. He hadn’t actually meant to, but the lack of food and constant movement caused a headache that Nicholas worsened. “We’re exhausted, cold, and hungry, and here you are skipping.”

“Skipping doesn’t equate to treating the situation flippantly. I went out in search of food. There’s simply nothing here.”

“We’d still have those spion legs if you weren’t insistent on viewing a carcass.”

“That carcass was invaluable. We have information to give the Generals.” Nicholas walked backwards in front of them, that usual stupid smirk on his face. “You are exceedingly crabby today.”

“Because we’re fucking hungry,” Charmaine snarled. “William and I must eat. You may survive weeks without food, but we cannot.”

Nicholas shrugged. “It’s not my fault mortals are so frail.”

“I’m consistently reminded how regretful I am to have prevented you from abandoning us,” William said.

“You wouldn’t last a day without us.”

“Remind me who saved your ass against that first beast and healed you.” Though neither of them needed to think about how William would have killed him if the others hadn’t arrived.

Nicholas clicked his tongue. “Keep this up and I won’t share what I found.”

“You said you didn’t find food.”

“I didn’t.”

“If it isn’t food, we do not care.”

“Oh, I think you will.” Nicholas scurried towards the forest, gesturing for them to follow. Arden did so without question. Charmaine and William hesitated. They looked to one another, shared a discomforted sigh, then shuffled through the shade. Nicholas kept a slow pace, for once. They walked for a short time, then William caught sight of steam among the trees. When those trees parted, they stood along the edge of water; a hot spring.

“This is quite wonderful,” Charmaine whispered, taking a deep breath of the steamed air. The moment William did, too, a sense of ease washed over him. Walking away from the gorge did wonders, and the hot spring promised much more. Even the rocks beneath their feet warmed him through the soles of his ruined boots.

“We’ll take tu—” William was interrupted by Nicholas’ gleeful shout and a splash. The warm water splattered against them. Charmaine laughed and William stood there, grimacing when Nicholas’ head broke the surface of the water. He slicked back his mane of midnight hair, showing off a toothy grin that would convince many to make questionable decisions, to decide a night would be worth whatever happened come morning.

“Come along. We’re all disgusting, even after that last quick wash. At least we won’t stink each other to death,” Nicholas proclaimed, laughing when Arden jumped in, completely naked. William’s gaze swept to their left, discovering Nicholas’ clothes lay forgotten, too. When Nicholas stood up, the water reached slightly above his hips. William ignored his quick breath of disappointment.

“I’d rather take turns,” he grumbled.

“Aw, are the mortals nervous? Shy?” Arden snickered, then lowered into the water so the water reached his chin. “Fear not. All mortals are lacking in some form or the other. You will be no different.”

“Your poor attempts at comfort are unnecessary,” Charmaine muttered, then set her attention upon William to whisper, “I would love a bath, a warm one, and for all we know, Nicholas will curse the water to freeze while they’re out and we’re in there. Better to share the bath now.”

And with that, Charmaine let go to remove her clothes and slip in. She dropped into the water, releasing a relaxed sigh that William was unbearably envious of. He wanted to bathe. He didn’t typically care about being naked around strangers. The military made sure of that. But he thought of the many scars along his stomach, the ones Nicholas had already seen, and the ones he hadn’t along William’s back. He had plenty more but those; they were different. And Nicholas kept a firm stare on him, taunting without words, mere moments from making a smug remark. He’d probably ask and William didn’t want that.

“Come on, get in.” Charmaine tugged at the hem of his pant leg. “You’ll feel better. I already do.”

If William remained out of the water, Nicholas would prod at him with eyes and words. At least in the hot spring, he’d be soothed. Releasing a reluctant sigh, William slipped out of his clothes, not missing Nicholas’ attention, the same kind he gave back in the village, a look of ravenous hunger. He would have liked the look, if Nicholas wasn’t an abhorrent jackass.