Then, Asher’s voice broke the stillness, low and steady. “Zee, I am incapable of being any help.”

Zee pulled back, his tear-streaked face twisting with frustration. He turned to the spirit, his voice rising in desperation. “Weren’t you once a powerful spirit? Your stories—can’t you do something? Can’t you?”

He faltered, his breath hitching as he tried to steady himself.

Asher’s gaze remained somber, his ancient eyes filled with quiet resignation. “I have hidden your presence from your pursuers. That is the limit of what I can do in my current state.”

A faint glow drew our attention downward. The pendant hanging from Asher’s neck lifted gently, as though carried by an unseen wind. It detached and fell to the ground with a soft thud.

“This is all I can give you for your journey,” Asher said. “Pour a drop of blood on it, each of you.”

Zee hesitated, wiping at his eyes before nodding. He pulled a small knife from his pouch, its blade crude but sharp enough. With a quick motion, he sliced his finger and let a bead of blood drip onto the pendant’s surface.

I reached for the telepathic connection I had shared with Asher before, relieved to find it intact. ‘Why would we pour our blood onto it?’ I asked, the thought brushing against his mind.

The spirit’s gaze remained fixed on Zee as he replied. ‘It is an artifact of my tribe. With it, you will be able to communicate across distances. It will bind your voices to each other.’

The weight of his words settled over me as I stepped forward. Beside Zee, I lifted my hoof, using its edge to press into my coat until I felt the sting of blood. The crimson droplet smeared across the pendant’s surface, joining Zee’s.

“Put the pendant on, Zee,” Asher instructed.

Zee obeyed, slipping the pendant over his head. It rested heavily against his chest, the faint glow of its runes casting soft shadows on his skin.

The moment the pendant settled, I felt it—a pull, similar to the telepathic connection Asher had forged with me. Tentatively, I reached for it, plucking at the invisible thread and sending a thought across.

“Can you hear me, Zee?”