The Weight of a Torch

The sun had already set as Kaia approached a squat wooden inn, nestled right off the side of the Celias Way. It was the only structure for miles around, its battered, iron door opening directly to the road. When she approached the threshold, the door swung open, carving a path for the scents of spiced meat and hearty stew to meander into the night air. She lingered at the threshold, staring into an empty dining room, dimly lit with tallow candles.

She took a deep breath. “I am but a traveler, seeking rest, that we might hold together the fraying path.”

“Rest, traveler, for we hold back the dark,” said a gentle voice from behind the door. A bushy face peeked around, a deep grin knitting behind a blue-grey mustache. “Now that the formalities are out of the way, why don’t you come inside and have a nice meal? I’m Leif, one of the Wayholders here.”

Kaia looked the part of a regular traveler. Her raven hair, frizzled and frayed from the incessant wind of the day's trek, poked out from her crimson hood. The rest of her face remained shrouded in shadow, save her brilliant silver eyes.

She nodded and produced a wicked iron torch from her pack. It was forged from a single, ancient slab of oily, black iron. Sharp prongs jutted from the head, which made it look more like a weapon than a tool. She held the torch in front of her, so that it crossed the threshold before she did. It ignited, causing the man to flinch and stumble backwards.

He looked down at the torch and back up to Kaia, his expression transposing from shock to adulation. “Oh! You’re a Synchrony! We’ve not had one of you pass by in ages.” He turned around, shouted, “Kein, honey, we’ve got a Synchrony visiting!”

Kaia smirked as she followed the Wayholder into the next room. She repeated her title, Synchrony, over in her mind. It was the name for one who walks the path between the five cities, torch in hand, to reinforce Stability. A position of honor to most, though for Kaia it was a symbol of esteem. Proof that she was not who her sister thought her to be.

The Wayhold was a modest affair, no more than a dozen small tables for eating and twice as many simple cots lined against the other side of the room. Most of the tables were empty, save for a few occupied by roving traders and their guards. Conversations ceased as the patrons turned to scrutinize her, then went back to their business in hushed tones.

A short woman wearing a simple brown dress raised her hand in front of her face, palm out, and slowly pulled it down to reveal her eyes. Kaia returned the gesture, before sitting at an empty table. She placed her torch on the seat next to her, extending hidden legs in the handle that allowed it to remain upright.

Not long after, a tall blonde man approached Kaia’s table holding a massive platter covered with local varieties of meats, vegetables, and three separate piles of dust. He was lean and muscular, his dark blue eyes fixed on Kaia, measuring her reaction as he placed the tray gently on the table. Leif followed carrying a giant mug filled with golden, carbonated liquid. He placed his free hand on the other man’s shoulder and set the mug in front of her.

Reluctantly, Kaia looked up from the feast set before her. Both men wore broad smiles, practically humming. “Your hospitality honors me, Wayholders,” she said. “I fear this is too much for me to consume alone, would you join me?” Kaia spoke the words precisely, each practiced a hundred times before she left Senrienne and uttered dozens of times since.

“We thank you, Synchrony, for renewing the bonds of our modest Wayhold, that it may continue to enforce Stability, lest the path be consumed.” Leif replied. “Ah, I do love this tradition. Now everyone, let’s feast!”

The inn burst to life as all the occupants set to work moving tables and chairs around to form a massive banquet table. Soon everyone sat together, while Leif and Kein distributed fine, silver mugs and plates. Kaia remained at the head of the table, her torch still seated beside her. Someone had made a joke that the torch should also have a plate, and so it did. The two Wayholders took their seats next to Kaia.

The night passed quickly, everyone asking Kaia questions about her travels. Smiles spread on every face as they listened. How long had she been on the road? How many more cities had she left to visit? Why was she selected as Synchrony? Questions Kaia had heard countless times. She had long since grown bored of them, but she hid her annoyance well; it was unfitting of a Synchrony to be annoyed with the people. Regardless, she longed to hear an original question.

Like hers. The question burning in her heart that she longed to ask well before she took to the road, trapped in her chest, longing to break free. As the night drew to a close she turned to Leif and Kein and finally released it.

“Tell me, Wayholders,” she paused, her lips pressed tightly together. She inhaled sharply and continued. “The last Synchrony from Senrienne reported that the boundary had shifted near this Waystop. That there was some sort of odd structure out in the woods. Is this true?”

A pall fell over the room. Where once there had been idle chatter of happy people, there was now a dark silence. Only the crackling of her torch’s flame.

After a few uncomfortable moments, Kein spoke up. “Yes, Synchrony, the tale is true. Several years ago, the woods past Stability shifted. It was the first time I’d witnessed a shift; it was horrifying. Like the land was chewed up and spit back out, wholly different.” Leif rested his hand on Kein’s forearm, gripping him gently. “After that, a few of us went to see what had changed. What we saw… what I saw…” Kein looked down at the table, and placed his free hand atop Leif’s.

“You need not relive it, sir. All I needed was confirmation and, in the morning, a general direction to go.” Kaia said, reaching over to place her hand atop Kein’s. “You need not fear that place any longer.”

Leif looked up at her, and nodded slowly. He helped Kein to his feet and walked him gently to the back room. The rest of the group quietly moved the tables back to their original positions and one by one settled into their cots.

Soon Leif returned, showing Kaia to her quarters, a small detached building just behind the inn. It was well appointed, if a little dusty. A simple bed, small reading table, a few porthole windows, candles, and a small lantern. She extinguished her torch before entering, setting it gently down with the rest of her belongings.

Leif looked up at Kaia. “I didn’t know,” he whispered, “that Synchrony fixed places past the Stability line.”

“We don’t.” She replied, smirking, dim moonlight reflecting in her silver eyes. “This task is personal. Something I’ve wanted to do since the last Senrienne Synchrony passed through, and failed to act on your report.” She took a breath, letting her bitterness towards her predecessor linger in the air. “But worry not, Leif. I’m confident I can fix the problem.”

He nodded and left Kaia alone with her thoughts.

Kaia lay supine in the bed, staring at the ceiling. This was why she’d petitioned to become a Synchrony. A half-remembered (or imagined) dream that started when her sister, Jadi, had returned from her journey. Jadi had told the tale as she’d been told: a stone structure in the middle of the woods, a statue that none recognized, and a labyrinth below. A raspy voice. The smell of carrion. In a word, danger.

Jadi had spoken of the place in reverent whispers, regretful she hadn’t the nerve to see it for herself. The place disturbed the Wayholders and the surrounding homesteads, it was causing new problems, unknown to their people. Kaia told herself she just wanted to do what her sister failed to do: find the place and do something about it. But truly, Kaia was curious and she wanted a souvenir; proof she was just as capable as Jadi, if not moreso. Further, she wanted knowledge. Something to ignite her people’s stagnant understanding of Stability.

“A Synchrony shouldn’t think such things,” she said under her breath. As her eyelids grew heavy, Kaia wondered if there wasn’t something else behind the desire; something darker.

The doubt lingered in her mind as sleep slowly claimed her.

* * *

Kein and Leif were there to greet her when she awoke, handing over a small parcel of dried, salted meat and an apple for the trip ahead. They hiked with her to the edge of the Stability. Leif looked concerned, but Kein wore a look of determination. Kein hobbled towards Kaia, rested a hand on her shoulder. With the other hand he pointed off into the distance and said, “You’ll find what you seek in that direction, far past the Stability line.” He drew in a tremulous breath, and pulled her into a hug, forehead resting on her collarbone.

Kaia yelped in surprise, awkwardly patting him on the back.

He pushed her back from the embrace and looked up through her eyes, right into her heart. “Take care, Synchrony, I hope you find what you seek. Please, do not get lost.”

Hours later, Kaia was well outside of Stability, but she couldn’t tell how far she was from her destination. A thick fog had descended overnight, obscuring her vision. She kept the torch held up, now lit with an eerie green glow. The light bounced off the fog, making it even harder to navigate when combined with the morning sun overhead.

Her free hand instinctively moved down to a small leather pouch at her belt, one of many, but she stopped herself. “Best not waste it on something as simple as fog,” she said aloud.

Instead, she listened to the sounds around her, feeling for changes in the breeze. When that effort proved fruitless, she reached into her pack, retrieved a small rock, and hurled it in the direction where she thought the structure might be. Sure enough, she heard the dull crack of her stone striking a structure.

Soon she found herself facing a stone wall, cobbled rocks placed meticulously together by a hand unseen. It looked and felt ancient, though it could only be a few years old given it only appeared after the last shift. Things past Stability tended to look older than they could possibly be. Kaia didn’t know why, though a part of her longed to. This was another reason she became a Synchrony. Only a Synchrony had enough will to venture so far outside of Stability. It was up to people like her to map the uncharted, chase the glory of discovery.

Most Synchrony didn’t bother. They simply kept to the roads and made their journey between the cities as quickly as possible. Walking the path as a Synchrony took a toll, most died young. Kaia didn’t care about living a long life, only making a deep enough mark to be immortalized in the histories.

Kaia placed her right hand on the wall and began to walk its perimeter. She found an archway leading to a small courtyard, oddly devoid of fog. It was choked with decaying hedges and blanketed in dried leaves. A set of heavy wooden doors stood opposite the arch. Kaia crept forward, taking care not to crunch too loudly as she walked. Yet with each step she felt a growing unease, like something was watching her.

As soon as her gloved hand made contact with the rusted door handles, a single word came unbidden to her mind. “Finally.” As she said it, a small breeze whipped up, throwing back her hood, her hair lashing against her face. Swiftly, she shoved against the door, plunging into a narrow antechamber.

She reignited her torch and saw that the walls were built of carved marble, decorated with intricate designs shaped into whorls and geometric patterns; though all of it was meaningless to her.

Through an archway was a long corridor, slanting gently downward into the darkness. For the moment, Kaia was only interested in the carvings. She closed the door and set her pack down on the ground, alongside the upright torch. She stretched out her arms letting out a long sigh. Though it had been a short hike, being this far from Stability was exhausting. She entertained taking a break, but dismissed the idea as the room’s adornments enraptured her; she had some science to do.

Kaia retrieved a roll of parchment, charcoal, and an apple from her pack. She approached one of the walls, careful not to obscure them in her own shadow. Her stomach growled as she debated where to start, so she took a bite of the apple, and tucked it in the inner pocket of her cloak. Satisfied, she pinned the parchment against the wall and ran her charcoal over it until an accurate impression of the design manifested. Once that page was filled, she walked back to her pack and retrieved another roll.

She heard a thump on the door, and she quietly put down her implements and watched it. The torch, standing in the center of the room, danced to an inaudible rhythm, casting odd shadows around the room. Another thump, much louder, rattled the door in its frame.

A third thump, and the door burst open. A mob of gaunt creatures came shambling towards her over the threshold, their dry skin held the texture of dried wood, gangly limbs like fractured boughs. In place of where a face should be, was only a gaping hole.

Kaia knew what manner of creatures these were, her people had a name for them: the Others.

She was quick to act. In a well practiced motion, she grabbed for the pouches on her belt, pulled a handful of dust, and cast it into the torch flame. The flame flared, changing color to a deep azure. The Others shrieked and wheeled backwards out of the room, repelled and pained by the torch’s barrier.

Her heart raced, palpitating wildly. “Steady,” a thought rose to the front of her mind. She slowly exhaled, her breathing practiced and deliberate. Her heart responded to the exercise, returning to a normal rhythm. The torch pulsed in time with Kaia’s heartbeat.

Kaia pulled the apple out of her cloak and took another bite, holding her other arm across her chest as she studied the creatures. There were five of them at the door, and she could see more moving outside the courtyard, stalking past the archway. A few tested the barrier, pressing spindly claws into the bubble, their flesh popping and sizzling as the barrier pushed them away.

“Let’s see what kind of Other you are, shall we?”

Taking one last bite, she tossed the remnants of the apple at one of the Others, which caught it deftly in its claws. The apple shriveled and rotted away, then turned to dust. Kaia gasped. She pulled out a small notebook, frantically thumbed through it, until she landed on the page she was after. Written in cramped handwriting: Necrotic Otheric Entity — Blightstem. Rarity: Exceptionally Rare. Danger: Extreme. She compared the sketch one of her predecessors had drawn to the things standing before her. It matched.

Kaia paced, muttering, “Oh this is bad. What were you thinking, Kaia? You let yourself get trapped by one of the most dangerous Others ever recorded. Come on, come on, think….”

More of the Blightstems emerged from the fog, congregating in the courtyard whence she came. There were at least a dozen of them now, with more shambling forms lingering in the fog. More tried the barrier, pushing deeper with every attempt. Kaia yelped and tossed more dust into the flame, reinforcing it.

Fortunately for Kaia, the doors were within the radius of protection, so she shut them to buy herself a bit more time. She’d eventually run out of dust, and the barrier would fall; the Blightstems would be on her in a matter of moments. As she pondered her options, growing increasingly concerned, she heard a voice rise to the front of her thoughts once again.

“Come. I wait.” No longer her own voice, it was deep, raspy. Like if smoke had been given the power of speech.

Startled, Kaia turned towards the long, dark corridor. “Hello?” Her voice echoed down the hallway. There was no reply.

Outside, the blightstems pounded on the exterior door, Kaia threw one more handful of dust. Not much time left. Kaia pulled a hammer out of her pack, turned back to the wall she’d just taken meticulous rubbings, and sighed deeply.

* * *

Kaia blocked the door with crumbled carvings scattered about the room and ran down the corridor into the depths as quickly as she could, the azure light of her torch illuminating her way. She turned down side-passages, branching hallways, twist after turn until she was completely, utterly lost. She ran until she could no longer hear the Blightstems tearing away at the meager barricade up above; she knew they were right behind her, lurking somewhere in the maze. She ran until her lungs burned and her muscles seized and cramped.

Collapsing in a quiet corner, Kaia placed the torch in front of her. It had consumed the repelling dust already; she only had one more handful, leaving the flame an orange-red hue. She took a moment to take in her surroundings. The walls and floor were the same kind of masoned stone she had seen outside, and every section looked the same as the last. A labyrinth in the truest sense of the word. The only thing of note was a tall statue set into an alcove, several heads taller than Kaia herself. It depicted a man, with a long beard spilling out of his hood, a circlet carved around his forehead. The most remarkable feature, however, was a skull appearing to float beside him, attached with a tendril that had been carved to look like mist or smoke.

Kaia studied the statue from below, too tired to stand. She started eating the meal Leif and Kein had packed in silence, eyes locked on the statue. A clatter from down the hallway broke her fixation and she snapped around. It’d come from a fair distance, so she grabbed the torch, reducing it to a dull glow so as to only illuminate her immediate surroundings. She gathered her equipment, then squeezed into the alcove with the statue. Once she was confident she was sufficiently hidden inside of it, she extinguished the torch.

She languished in the darkness for what seemed like hours, but whatever had made the noise never came for her. Once again, a thought came to the front of her mind. Louder, clearer now. More coherent. “It’s relatively safe, you should get moving. Find me.”

Kaia thought she might be losing her mind. Were these intrusive thoughts a figment of her imagination, or a trick of the Others? She held her breath for an uncomfortably long time, then whispered, “Where are you? I’ll come.”

Silence.

Kaia sighed, pawed at the pouch containing the last of the shielding dust, and clicked her tongue, disappointed. Her hand moved to another pouch, pulling out dimly luminescent green dust. She fed it into the torch and the flame reignited to a bright emerald color. She held the torch out in front of her and moved it towards each wall in turn. Focusing on the tenor and cadence of the voice she’d heard, until she saw a glowing line appear on one of the walls, reflecting the torchlight. Resettling her pack on her shoulders with a stiff movement, Kaia followed the line deeper into the darkness.

Kaia wound down through the structure, descending further and further, until her ears popped from the increased air pressure. The line danced along the walls, tracing out the path she should follow. All the while, she heard Blightstems behind her; distant, but close enough to keep her on edge. Periodically, she came across a copy of the same statue from before, punctuating the otherwise monotonous walls.

“Why did I come down here? I could have just pushed past them using the torch,” she clicked her tongue again. “No, not enough dust for that, there were too many...”

As she said it, she turned the corner into a wide-open chamber, centered by a stone arch framing another massive statue. This one was more sinister than the others. The floating skull was massive, looming over the cloaked man who lay in repose. He rested upon a rectangular plinth, a single word carved into the side of it. A shame she couldn’t read the language.

Her curiosity peaked, she approached the plinth. She reached for the parchment roll in her pack, but thinking better of it she turned back around and stared into the darkness. She watched and listened, torch in hand, ready to cast dust if the Blightstems came in behind her.

After several tense minutes of silence, she turned back to the statue to examine the plinth more closely. Kaia realized she was not looking at a statue, but a sarcophagus. She traced her hands along the stone figure carved on the lid. This too, was worn beyond its years, it seemed to be centuries old, though that was clearly impossible.

A simple description of the tomb, accompanied by a sketch perhaps, would have been enough for the scholars. They’d be satisfied with something as ephemeral as that. But Kaia knew Jadi would want more. How could she turn away now, when the mystery was right before her? No, she needed something grand to take back. Something solid. Something valuable.

Kaia pressed her hands against the worn stone lid and dug her heels into the stone floor. She hesitated and let out a loud sigh.

“Are you worried about desecrating a tomb? Disturbing the dead? Perhaps you’re scared of ghosts?”

Kaia yelped. The voice was distinct, clearly not of her own thoughts. It sounded like a campfire, a soft hissing with crackling pops on stressed syllables.

“Well, yes, I suppose I am a bit worried about cracking open an ancient tomb. Not because of ghosts, though. Is that what you are? A ghost?”

“Not precisely. Let’s talk.”

Kaia regarded the figure carved atop the sarcophagus. It was impossible to make out its features, like they had been worn down over years of erosion. The floating skull was just as worn as the rest of the carving.

“So, what brings you to my humble chamber, dust-tosser?” the voice rasped, directly into Kaia’s mind.

“You led me here, didn’t you?” Kaia paused. “Wait, dust-tosser? I’d prefer Synchrony, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, my mistake. I meant no offense. I’ve only seen you tossing dust into that contraption, after all. I’d be happy to refer to you however you prefer, Synchrony. An unusual name, though.”

“It’s a title, spirit. My name is Kaia.”

“And I am not a spirit. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kaia Synchrony dust-tosser. You may call me Gregory. It’s not my name, but it’s my chosen moniker all the same. My actual name tends to send your kind into a gibbering frenzy.” Gregory chuckled. “Yes, I did call you to my chamber, but what I want to know is what you hoped to accomplish. You risked those monsters to get here, after all.”

Kaia extended the torch’s legs and gently set it upright on top of the sarcophagus’s lid. She pulled out her notebook and the rubbings she took earlier, held them aloft above the tomb. “Knowledge. The people suffer greatly outside of Stability. Understanding more about the nature of shifts and how to predict them, or stop them, would improve life for all. This complex is out of place. I hoped it contained clues.”

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no?’” Kaia flipped open her notebook to a page of sketches and scribbled writings, descriptions of different varieties of Others, and pointed it at the carved figure’s face. She pointed to a drawing that looked like a floating crystal of ice. “Synchrony have been collecting information for years. It’s part of our duty.”

“No. That isn’t what you desire, is it? You want something more. Knowledge is simply a means to an end, isn’t it?”

“Why do you say that?”

“You’re in a deep dark hole, talking to a disembodied voice, risking the wrath of ‘one of the most dangerous Others ever recorded,’ as you said? You could have lost them in the maze, but you persisted. One who simply seeks knowledge for learning’s sake would have left already. Some wish to save a loved one. Others have something to prove, or simply seek to gain power. Which one are you, Kaia?”

Kaia considered Gregory’s words carefully. The darkness hanging over her torchlight was pervasive, oppressive, barely held back. The tomb was silent aside from the dull crackle of the flame.

“I do want to bring something back, some new knowledge. Something useful to the people. But only because I want to prove them wrong. My sister, particularly. I am not a monster. I am not a threat to the order. I had thought becoming Synchrony was enough to prove that, but I was wrong. Jadi still looks at me like I’m a catastrophe waiting to happen. Someone to be kept at arm’s length.” Kaia took a deep breath, fixed her gaze on the sarcophagus. “So here I am, the place where she refused to go. Because she was scared. Because it wasn’t her duty. I am here because she refused to come, and I want proof that she failed to find something important. Proof that once again, she was wrong. Do you accept that answer, Gregory?”

“I was expecting something like ‘searching for treasure,’ but this is far more interesting. Yes, I accept your answer, Kaia. Though, I would love to hear more about why your family thinks you’re a monster.”

“That would take a lot of exposition, and I don’t think I want to stay down here that long.”

“Well, why not take me with you? You said you were searching for something to increase your people’s knowledge about this so-called, Stability. I happen to know many things about many things; I’m certain I can provide you with something that your people would find valuable. Plus, I would so like to meet your sister.”

Kaia pondered the offer. “Well a talking corpse is not exactly what I’d had in mind when I came here, but it is something the scholars have never seen. So… yeah. How heavy are you? Are you a pile of bones? Can I fit you in this pack or am I going to have to lug you out over my shoulder?”

“Ha!” Somehow his guffaw rattled her skull. “No, Kaia. I’m not the corpse. His name was Sir Kedrin, and I’d ask that if you do open the lid that you show his remains the proper reverence. I’m simply attached to the corpse. To carry me out, as you say, you only need to agree to let me join with you. Then we walk out of here. Hopefully avoiding your shambling friends on the way out. What do you say?” Gregory said.

“What do you mean ‘join?’ You’re going to latch onto my shoulder like a leach or something?” Kaia pointed to the carved skull on the sarcophagus’s lid. “Wait, is that you?”

“No, simply an… artist’s rendition, based on Sir Kedrin’s absurd sense of humor. I am invisible to most, including you. But clearly, you can hear me.”

Kaia held her chin, closed her eyes, considering her options. A clawed bark-like foot stepped out of the darkness, into the torchlight. The Blightstems had found her. An army of light footsteps echoed through the corridor leading to the tomb.

“I don’t mean to hurry your decision, but time is not your friend.”

Kaia snapped her eyes open and threw the last of the shielding dust into the torch, the flame reeled back, sizzling and popping as again it shifted to a radiant azure. “Augh. This is becoming tiresome... I don’t suppose you can do something about this?”

“Certainly, I can do many things, Kaia Synchrony Dust-Tosser. But I’ll need to be joined with you to do it. What do you say?”

More Blightstems ambled in, piling against the barrier. The torch flame flickered, already beginning to waver, shifting briefly between azure and orange.

“Well, Gregory, consider me your valet. Let’s go shock the scientific community!” Kaia made an exaggerated gesture and extended her hand towards the sarcophagus.

“Excellent.”

The lid flew off the sarcophagus, slamming into the ceiling; dark, viscous fog billowed out of it, crawling into Kaia’s mouth and nostrils. The torch raged, the flame searing brighter than she’d ever seen. The Blightstems reeled back, cowering from the surge of energy. Kaia wasn’t sure what she expected to feel, but she felt almost nothing. The fog went down smoothly, like a sickly, sweet incense. There was no surge of power, no feeling of grandeur, just an odd chill meandering down her spine.

“There we go.” Gregory said, still whispering into her mind, but somehow closer. Like he was coiled around her brain. “That torch you’ve got there is very interesting. Why is it siphoning your lifeforce?”

Kaia was suddenly aware of a small tug coming from the direction of the torch, as if a thread were tied to her wrist. She picked up the torch, the barrier remained steady and the flame felt stronger somehow, despite the meager dusting she’d given it. Something to worry about for later.

She uttered a silent prayer for Sir Kedrin, and turned to leave the room. The Blightstems shrank away from the empowered torch, vanishing back into the darkness. She still felt the dust burning away; they’d be vulnerable again soon.

* * *

The next day, Kaia returned to find the Wayhold abuzz with activity. A dozen people had gathered outside the building, staring in the direction she came from. They cheered for her as she approached, like a famed hero returning from war.

“Wonder what that’s all about.” Kaia thought to herself.

“Maybe they thought you were going to die in that spooky labyrinth?” Gregory replied, unbidden.

“Who, me? Have a little faith.”

As she got closer, Leif broke from the crowd and ran to greet her. “Synchrony! You did it! Everyone felt Stability shift last night in the direction you’d left. I confirmed the measurements on the instruments this morning. Thank you so much.”

“Of course, Leif,” Kaia did her best to hide her shock. “It is my earnest pleasure to help you and your people. In penance for our previous Synchrony’s failure to act. I’ve even recovered something which may help the Wayholds even further.”

“That’s wonderful! Kein’s inside preparing breakfast. Come, I’d love to hear all about it.” He led Kaia inside.

Minutes later, Kein set down a plate filled with meat cutlets and gray porridge garnished with a splash of bright yellow sauce. The meat tasted like ash, and so did the porridge. The meal was devoid of scent, and she realized she wasn’t hungry. Something had changed.

“… and so Evelyn came by this morning to tell us that her edge crop seemed more solid today.” Leif looked over to Kaia, concern painting his expression. “Synchrony? Is everything okay?”

Kaia nodded, struggling to swallow. She motioned for him to continue, hoping he wouldn’t notice her discomfort.

Leif concluded his tale, then said, “So what did you find, Synchrony?”

“It’s dangerous enough that I must keep it a secret, Leif. I’m sorry. But, I do hope you’ll wait for word and fondly think of me when the news of my discovery makes it back to your Wayhold.” Kaia stood, offering Leif a conjured grin. She addressed the room, “I thank the people of this Wayhold for your hospitality. With my passage, may you hold Stability another year. Be well.”

Kein poked his head out of the kitchen, bidding a wordless farewell. She returned the gesture, hurrying for the door.

“Be well, Synchrony!” Leif called behind her. “I’ll remember your visit fondly.”

Moments later on the road, Gregory’s haunting whisper rose to the front of Kaia’s mind. “Dangerous? I’m not sure if I should be offended or delighted.”

“Gregory, what have you done to me? Why did that meal taste like a fire pit?”

“Ah, did I forget to tell you about that? My apologies, it slipped my mind with the fleeing from danger and arduous trudge back to civilization. It’s a consequence of our joining. I wasn’t actually sure if it would manifest the same way as it did with Sir Kedrin.”

“So I’ll never be able to smell or taste again?”

“Oh, no. You can still taste, but not food. You must eat something far more sustaining now, or you’ll eventually crumble to bone yourself. Leaving me in a very similar predicament to how you found me.”

Kaia trod further along the Celias Way, the Wayhold shrinking behind her, until it was just a spot in the distance. She let those words turn over in her head for a while before at last she replied. “It’s life, isn’t it? You immediately recognized that the torch was draining my essence, as if you were familiar with the process.”

Gregory chuckled. “Very astute, Kaia. Yes. It is life. Whether a little or a lot, I cannot say until you get hungry. Sir Kedrin needed to drain a person dry to be sustained, though. I expect you will be similar.”

Kaia stopped, stared off into the late morning horizon. “You were afraid I wouldn’t take you with me if I knew.”

“Fine. Can you blame me? It isn’t every day someone wanders into a tomb. You were the first! I am fortunate it was you who came to me, Kaia. With your talent and with my knowledge, and immense powers, we can accomplish so much together.” Gregory paused, as if gauging Kaia’s reaction. After a few awkward moments, he continued, “Look, if you’re squeamish, Sir Kedrin developed a taste for criminals and other scoundrels. It aligned well with his moral code.”

“How long until I’ll begin to deteriorate?”

“Hard to say, Sir Kedrin could go several weeks between feedings, on average. Given that torch is itself feeding on you, I suspect it’ll be more often. Why?”

“And what would happen if you found a different partner?”

“I’d be fine, but the process would kill you immediately. Again, why?”

“I have to complete my journey through the five cities. If I fail to do so, Stability will unravel.” Kaia took a deep breath and adjusted her pack. “The next Wayhold is several days from here, let’s be on our way.”

Kaia looked back at the Wayhold. The sky was a bit brighter, the short grasses hugging the road a bit greener. She held those colors in her gaze for a few moments, then resumed her tireless march.

Art by Kim Holm, used under Creative Commons Attributions 4.0

About the Author:

Alex Ward is a Writer and Tabletop RPG Designer based in Portland, Oregon. When he's not writing weird horror fiction and surreal games you can find him discussing the finer points of tech and tabletop, usually with copious amounts of coffee in hand.