Ethan was right. That hurt. On the bright side, they were all officially in the guild now. It wasn’t often that Ruth found herself intimidated by someone. Even the Zenith party incident hadn’t really scared her that much. However, when she stood before the guildmaster to receive the moonstone pendant, a signature to mark her as a member of the guild, she found herself feeling quite small. It didn’t matter that she was at least two feet taller than him. There was something about that man, Kyzer Ayberk. The way he just exuded power and effortless dominance over the guild and its members sent a chill of dread down her spine. It was a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time. One she had hoped to avoid feeling again.

  Fortunately for Ruth, she was able to distract herself with other matters, such as wondering why this Lithika character had such a disdain for her favorite warlock. Or the giant gash in her side where that stupid rogue had managed to land a cheap shot. She could thank the throbbing ache for reminding her. The guild’s healers had done a wonderful job with treating her and the rest of the party. Especially Mary. Ruth hated to admit it, but Mary made her nervous. Not because the guild’s best healer was rude or powerful. But she was still nervous nonetheless. It was really her own fault for getting hurt. Ruth knew she couldn’t win her fight, so she had focused much more heavily on making sure her squishier friends didn’t get hurt too badly. It wasn’t too hard to keep Cassius from getting hurt since no one really seemed to be trying too hard. Except for Lithika. Ruth had never seen such a brutal cleric.

  All three members of team REC were currently resting in their shared suite. First glancing at Cassius, who was passed out in his cot, Ruth chuckled. She had always been amazed by how easily he fell asleep at night. She knew from seeing Ethan in his sleep that he definitely had nightmares. Ruth did too, no matter how hard she tried to stop them. That was probably part of the reason she found it so funny. Anywhere they went, Cassius could just fall asleep like it was nothing. Bed, sleeping roll, straw. It didn’t matter. He was out. She had even seen him fall asleep on the floor once.

  However, Ruth did notice that he was starting to get a little close to the edge of the cot, so she got up. As she gently moved him back to where he was supposed to be, she decided to also check on Ethan. As usual, he was tossing and turning in his sleep. Reaching out, she rested a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. As she soothed the warlock, Ruth looked at his horns. She knew enough to know that he had to have made a deal with something. That was how a warlock functioned after all. However, she still didn’t know what Ethan had formed that pact with, nor why it marked him with those horns. For now, she simply watched his movements slow and stop before pulling the covers up to cover him again.

  “Get some rest, little guy.” She spoke quietly, returning to her cot to face her own demons.

  If nothing else, the beds were comfortable. The soft silken sheets felt foreign and unnatural against her rougher skin, but undeniably nice. The outer layer of blankets, stuffed with treated wool, provided a bit of warmth, warding off the chill of the night.

  Frankly, Ruth didn’t want to sleep. She wanted to stay awake for as long as possible. Then again, if she didn’t get some shut eye, she could potentially be groggy and fail at a crucial moment. Despite that rational reasoning, her brain refused and chose to focus instead on the day’s mysteries.

  Naturally, her mind drifted immediately to the team’s interaction with the Zenith Party and specifically Lithika. The animosity from her to Ethan was undeniable, but she couldn’t figure out why. Sure, clerics and warlocks didn’t tend to get along, but Ethan had always been friendly. At least he had with Ruth and Cassius. All she knew for sure was that Ethan and Lithika clearly knew each other, and she hated him for some reason. Making a mental note to ask him about it in the morning, Ruth rolled onto her side and tried again to get some sleep.

  She wished she had stayed awake. There was no rest in sleep. Ruth found herself in an open field of grain. Around her in the seemingly endless wheat were dozens of other people. Orcs, humans, dwarves, even a halfling struggling to carry the large satchel of wheat he had harvested. The one thing they all shared in common was the ‘X’ slashed into their backs. A target for the cruelest of men whenever they turned their backs. And even now, even when she knew he wasn’t there, Ruth could still feel him breathing down her neck, waiting for the slightest slip up. Anything he could use to justify what he did to them.

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  A familiar sound filled her ears; a wicked crack as she watched one of the others in the field fall victim to this man. But things would be different soon. Gripping the handles of her rusted hatchets, Ruth tensed, preparing for what she knew was coming. She trusted her craftsmanship. It had never failed her before. She spun around into a vicious swing, a guttural yell surging forth from her lips. Then came the crack, the searing pain, and the feeling of someone grabbing onto her shoulder.

  Jolting awake, Ruth hit Cassius right in the face with a haymaker of a punch.

  “Gah-!” The satyr sputtered, stumbling backwards and gripping his face. “Right. My bad. Shoulda seen that coming.”

  Mortified by her own actions, Ruth quickly got up and went to her friend.

  “Cassi! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!” She apologized, helping her friend to sit down on his bed and inspecting him for any injuries.

  “I know you didn’t. You think I’d be this calm if I thought you meant to do that?” He joked, allowing Ruth to look over his now very sore face. “It’s fine, really.”

  Satisfied to find no permanent harm had been done, Ruth sat back and sighed heavily.

  “I really am sorry. If I knew it was you, I wouldn’t have done that.” Ruth mumbled before looking up again. “Why are you awake?”

  “Just checking on you.” Cassius answered. “You were squirming a lot. Making lots of noises in your sleep. Same dream?”

  “Yeah.” She responded quietly, her fingertips brushing against the ‘X’ on her back, as if reminding herself of its presence. “Same dream.”

  “Wanna talk about it?”

  “Not really.”

  “Tea?”

  “Tea.”

  By the time she had answered, Cassius had already started the process. Concentrating his magic through the old, gnarled wooden staff, he made tea leaves sprout from the end. Ruth recognized them. Her favorite. The sounds of brewing tea filled the small room for a moment, the quiet bubbling of the boiling water, the hiss of steam from the kettle.

  “Your tea, madame.” Cassius spoke, playing up a fake fancy accent as he handed Ruth the cup. It got a chuckle out of her, a moment to not think about the things she had seen and been through.

  As the warmth seeped into her body, it soothed her nerves and allowed her to remain calm, no longer worried about the man in her dreams.

  “Tea?” Ethan murmured groggily as he sat up.

  Ruth couldn’t hold in her laughter. Of course he woke up. That little guy could sniff out tea from the opposite end of Wyrmroost. She didn’t mind it. In fact, she preferred it this way. Just her and her friends, drinking tea together at an ungodly early hour of the morning. Amidst the laughter and the recounting of their past efforts together, the door to their room quietly opened.

  As they all turned to look, they found Mary, the guild’s medical specialist and current healer for the group. She was a petite human woman with long, curly brown hair and normally bright blue eyes behind her round glasses, although her eyes made her look more tired than Ruth was at the moment. A light dusting of freckles covered her cheeks, completing the look and making her look quite nice. Very pleasant to look at.

  “Oh, you’re all awake. Sorry, don’t mind me. I was just checking to make sure you were all healing well. Is everyone doing okay? Can I get you anything?” She asked softly, glancing around the room.

  “I think we’re all doing fine.” Cassius answered with a shrug. “What about you guys?”

  “I’m doing about as well as I really can be.” Ethan agreed. “Thanks, Mary.”

  “Yeah. I’m uh… great.” Ruth finally answered.

  “Alright. I won’t keep you guys up any longer then.” Mary said, stretching into a yawn. “If you need anything, you know where to find me. Good night.”

  As Mary turned and left, Ruth started to say something. Started to invite the healer to stay with them for a bit longer. However, the words died on her lips. She could only watch as Mary closed the door again, dreading and knowing exactly what she was about to see when she turned her head. Sure enough, she looked over and Cassius had a shit eating grin on his face. Damnit. He knew exactly what Ruth was thinking. He knew her too well.