CHAPTER 43

  Lilly's Watch

  Lilly flew through the mountain pass, her wings spread as they caught the current. I love flying, she thought.

  After the battle, the glowy words said she could evolve. She could become human girl again, or something called a ‘Void Croak Raven’.

  She wasn’t really sure what Void Croak meant. It sounded kinda scary. But the important part was that she could still fly, so it was a no brainer.

  Her wings were bigger now, darker too. Pure black instead of the gray she’d been before. She liked it. It made her look cooler, a shadow in the sky.

  The wind rushed past her feathers, carrying her higher. Below, the camp was a toy village with tiny people. She could see everything from up here.

  She was so happy to have a new family and could barely remember her old one. What she did remember was that something bad happened, and she lived in a building with a bunch of other kids.

  She didn’t like thinking about those sad days, and besides… this new life was better anyway. She was a bird now, and birds were the best.

  Lilly had been living in this world since she was eight, and she was pretty sure she was eleven now. The first year, she did chores all the time. It was the worst. Then the scary guy with the ugly face had turned her into a Raven.

  Her joy felt strange sometimes, like it didn’t fit in with everything around her. People were always scared or angry. But Lilly had decided that being sad was boring and made her tummy hurt. So instead, she focused on the good things.

  Nora was her favorite. She rubbed her head and read her stories. Some of them were for babies, but Lilly didn’t want her to stop. So instead, she just tucked into Nora’s shoulder and listened to her pretty voice.

  Luis was always complaining, laughing, or doing other loud stuff. But at least he tried to help everyone, so she liked him for that.

  Patrick was the grumpy neighbor who always frowned. But he would sneak her treats when no one was looking. Dried meat and berries were especially her favorite.

  And then there was Bash. He had the greatest jokes and was super brave and strong, the same as every cartoon hero she used to watch on TV. She missed TV sometimes, but now she could fly, and that was way better.

  Lilly glided lower, looking over the camp. A lot of people she knew were hurt, and that made her sad. I know, she brightened, I’ll find Bash and have him tell me jokes. Or I’ll poke him on the nose until he plays with me.’

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  Usually, he was easy to spot. He moved differently than other people, all quick and bouncy. And he talked to himself a lot, which was funny. But as Lilly swept over the area, she couldn’t see Bash anywhere. That was weird. She had really, really good eyesight. Way better than everyone else.

  She dropped lower, weaving between the tents, her head swiveling back and forth. Nothing… Where was he?

  She spotted Luis sprawled on the ground near one of the medical tents. Perfect. Luis might know where he is. Lilly folded her wings and dove, landing right next to his head.

  Luis jerked back. “?Dios mío!”

  She hopped closer, tilting her head at him. “Luis?” Her voice came out in that weird croak. “Where is Bash?”

  Luis groaned and pressed both hands over his face. “I don’t know. Leave me alone. I’m dying.”

  “You’re always dying,” Lilly said, unimpressed. She’d seen people dying. Luis was just being dramatic as usual.

  He mumbled into his palms. “My bones hurt. I didn’t even know bones could hurt.”

  “Bash,” Lilly insisted, pecking at his sleeve. “Where?”

  “Ugh… Go ask Patrick or Nora. Someone who isn’t in agony.” He rolled over, turning his back to her.

  Lilly huffed and flapped back into the air. Fine. She’d ask someone else.

  Nora knelt beside one of the injured, her hands glowing faintly with magic. She looked tired. More tired than Lilly had ever seen her. Her hair was messy, and her face had that tight, pinched look that meant ‘don’t bother me right now’.

  Lilly hesitated mid-flap. Nora was doing important grown-up stuff, and asking about Bash right now felt wrong. So instead, Lilly turned and flew toward the edge of camp, where she’d last seen Patrick.

  She found him standing and looking over the camp, with his usual stern look. Patrick was always watching stuff, thinking it was the most serious thing in the world.

  Fluffing her feathers to make herself look bigger and braver, she landed on a nearby post. “Patrick,” she cawed.

  His head turned slightly, one eyebrow raising. “Lilly?” He looked her up and down, eyes narrowing slightly. “You evolved?”

  She puffed up proudly. “Where is Bash?”

  Patrick’s eyes sharpened, and he straightened, his gaze sweeping the camp. “Bash?” He frowned, scanning the area more carefully now. “Last I saw, he was over there.”

  He started walking in that direction, and Lilly hopped from post to post to keep up. But when they reached the spot where Bash should have been, there was no one there. Just a pile of clothes and armor and a half-empty waterskin.

  Patrick’s frown deepened. “Where the hell…”

  Lilly didn’t wait for him to finish. She was already bored with this. Old people took forever to figure stuff out. She would just find Bash herself. She launched back into the air, wings pumping hard as she climbed higher and higher, until the camp shrank beneath her and the wind howled in her ears.

  She circled wide, scanning every inch of the pass. But still, there was no Bash. Did he fall off a cliff, maybe? The thought popped into her head. Or fall into another hole? Bash was always falling into things.

  Stupid Bash, she thought, half-fond, half-annoyed. Why doesn’t he just learn to fly like all the other Players?

  She swooped lower, checking the cliff edges for any sign of him. As she banked around a rocky outcropping, something else caught her eye. Oh. That’s strange. There was a small patrol of marauders in the distance, maybe ten of them, shambling along the far edge. Their bones gleamed white against the dark rocks, and their eyes glowed with that weird green light.

  I thought we beat all the dumb skeletons. Curious now, Lilly angled toward them and climbed higher to get a better view. As she crested the ridge and saw beyond the valley, her breath caught.

  There was an entire army of zombies, too many for her to count, marching in eerie silence toward the pass.

  No, no, no, no, this couldn’t be happening! Lilly wheeled in the air and flew back towards the camp as fast as her wings could carry her. She had to warn Nora, Patrick, and everyone.

  Deep in the back of her mind, a small, scared voice whispered. Please come back, Bash. We need you.

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