The hours-long gallop had exhausted the horses, leaving them needing water, food, and rest, so they decided to take a short break.
William dismounted and looked around. The bamboo forest had a pleasant scent, but despite it being his first time outside of Ozhem, fear and anxiety kept him from enjoying the new sights. The prolonged darkness only added to his unease.
He turned to his father, who fed the horses a few carrot pieces. "It should've been daylight by now."
Julian replied, "Remember? The sun won't rise until the fifth day."
Catherine, having drunk some water, joined them. She handed the bottle to William and asked, "Is there any way to know who's been chosen?"
"No... unless Edmund sends a messenger. In that case, they'll find us."
Julian said, and Catherine, gripped by fear, said, "I don't like getting close to the Sunless Realm."
Julian took a deep breath. "We shouldn't expect any help. The Sunless are in no way friendly. We just have to hope no one notices our presence as we pass through."
William distanced himself from them slightly and took a bite of bread. He'd never been in the bamboo forest before, so he didn't know what should or shouldn't be there. Still, the silence over the forest unsettled him as if something unexpected was about to happen. But nothing did aside from a flock of crows suddenly flying out of the trees.
He changed direction and started toward his parents when a sudden burning sensation on his neck stopped him. He reached up and touched the spot where it felt like he'd been scratched. One drop of blood. He assumed he'd been bitten by an insect, but his vision blurred, and he collapsed to the ground.
***
Griffin raised Vince's hand, lying motionless on the stone slab in the chamber, and pricked his finger with a needle. He quickly caught a drop of the blood in his chalice, adding it to the mixture already inside.
A bit of honey, a drop of the glowing blood of a young Ozhem native, and an extract from the rare Lotus flower.
He swirled the chalice and took a long, deep drink. Standing before the mirror, he smiled. "I feel... powerful."
As he savored the sensation, the familiar sound of crows cawing at the window caught his attention. He approached them, running his hand over the head of his favorite crow, Donald, who had once been a red-headed boy before Griffin had transformed him into a jet-black crow.
Griffin spoke softly, "Well, boy, what news did you bring?"
He held Donald's head, closed his eyes, and saw everything through the crow's eyes— the announcement of the sacrifice, Will's collapse in the bamboo forest. Griffin's smile widened, pleased that his predictions were coming true.
He turned to Vince, who had been in a deep slumber under Griffin's spell for centuries. He stood over him and whispered, "It's time to wake up, Vince…"
Griffin reached into Vince's chest. Vince's body jerked violently as he silently screamed, unable to make a sound after so many years of silence. He gasped as he opened his eyes, trying to understand where he was and why. But all that escaped his lips was the name of his lost love, "Anthony..."
Griffin stroked Vince's glossy hair. "Get up, boy. We have much work to do."
Vince's tears fell into his hair as Griffin wiped his face with his long fingers. "Five hundred years of waiting... now it's time for revenge."
***
Will had been awake for a few minutes, but all he could see was darkness. The air smelled of damp earth, and he couldn't move his hands or feet to explore his surroundings.
A sound, like wood scraping against wood, broke the silence, and moments later, the dim light of a candle flickered. The first thing he saw was the face of the candle's owner—a slight girl with black hair like Leo's, starkly different from the pale, tall girls of Ozhem.
The girl lit several more candles, and the entire room was dimly illuminated.
William looked around. From the hanging roots, he guessed they were underground in a small, dug-out house with a door, table, chairs, and bed. Strips of dried meat hung on the opposite wall.
William finally spoke, "Who are you?"
The girl didn't answer. She was busy shaking snow off a coat that looked made of bear fur. Completely soaked, she hung the fur on a chair and grabbed a piece of meat from the wall. She started a fire in a small pit, skewered the meat, and held it over the flames. Will had never seen dried meat cooked, but she liked it burnt and smoky.
Will tried again, "Did you bring me here?"
Still, the girl remained silent. Her skin was tanned, with tiny freckles on her cheeks, and her hair was braided in an intricate style.
As he studied her and the tiny house, he remembered how worried his parents must be by now and became agitated, "Hey, let me go."
He struggled a bit.
The girl took a bite of the meat, still smoldering from the fire, and finally looked at William.
He hadn't noticed how her brown eyes seemed to turn reddish in the firelight until now.
Will was frustrated and constantly distracted by the striking appearance of the girl in front of him. "I'm talking to you. Let me go. Hey..."
The girl stood up, took a seat opposite Will, and finally spoke, her voice calm but firm: "They've taken your parents. Do you want me to turn you in, too, or are you going to shut up?"