Grey light crept across the tundra as the Long Dark retreated beyond the horizon.

  I stood at the mouth of the cave, watching the darkness give way to another day of survival in this frozen hellscape. The air bit at my exposed skin, but I barely noticed anymore.

  "Are we really doing this?" Mabel asked, her bone-white form emerging from my collar to coil dramatically around my neck.

  "Horn's Rest is our best shot at finding a way out of here." I replied, not taking my eyes off the horizon.

  "And probably people who would want to kill us," she added cheerfully. "Don't forget that part. It's my favorite."

  Behind me, Zo and Sadie packed our meager supplies. Three survivors with nothing but what we could carry and the abilities that had kept us alive so far.

  "Ready," Zo announced, slinging a crude pack over her shoulder. Her axe hung at her side, the metal gleaming dully in the early light.

  Sadie finished checking her spear, running her fingers along the shaft, playing with the balance. Her movements were delicate. "We should move while we have full daylight," she said.

  I nodded, stepping out onto the snow. "I'll take point."

  Neither of them argued.

  I knelt and pressed my palm against the snow. And watched as my worms flowed out of my skin like pale water, spreading in branching patterns across the ground before disappearing beneath the surface. Through them, I felt the terrain ahead.

  "Clear for about half a mile," I reported, standing. "There's a frozen stream we'll need to cross, but the ice looks thick enough."

  "Lead on," Zo said.

  I set a steady pace toward where Horn's Rest supposedly waited.

  "How's the arm?" I asked, nodding toward the bandage visible beneath Zo’s torn sleeve.

  Zo flexed her arm, wincing slightly. "Hurts like a bitch, but it works."

  Sadie walked several paces behind us, her spear ready, her eyes constantly checking our backs. Nothing followed us from the shelter, but Sadie watched anyway.

  The first hour passed smoothly.

  The tundra stretched before us, broken only by rocky outcroppings and scattered pine groves. The visibility was excellent, with no signs of predators or other threats.

  "This is sooo boring," Mabel complained, extending from my collar to swivel her eyeless head dramatically. "When do we get to the exciting part where something tries to eat us?"

  "Shut up, Mabel," I muttered.

  "I'm just saying, this peaceful walking thing is very out of character for you. Usually by now we've angered at least three different species."

  "Your worm talks too much," Zo observed, her lips quirking in amusement.

  "You have no idea," I replied.

  The terrain began to change as we approached a series of low hills. Rocky walls rose on either side, funneling us toward a narrow pass between stone cliffs.

  I didn't like it—it was too confined, too much coverage for ambushes—but the alternative was a much longer route around the entire formation.

  I sent more worms ahead, spreading them through the pass to scout for threats. The feedback hit me like a punch to the gut.

  "Stop," I said sharply, raising my hand. Zo and Sadie froze instantly, weapons raised.

  "What is it?" Sadie asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  "There are some vibrations ahead," I replied, focusing on the information flowing through the worm network.

  "How large?" Zo asked, her hand tightening on her axe.

  I closed my eyes, concentrating on what the worms were sensing. "Big... there is a small group of them… they're just lounging in the pass, not moving much. Probably resting."

  "Shit," Zo muttered.

  "Can we go around?" Sadie asked, already studying the terrain.

  I shook my head. "The hills extend for miles in both directions. Going around would cost us hours, maybe the entire day."

  "And put us out in the open when the Long Dark falls," Zo added grimly.

  We all understood what that meant.

  "Can you tell what kind of big bads they are?" Sadie asked.

  “No… not from here.”

  We stood in silence for a moment, each weighing our limited options.

  "We could try circling to their southern side," I finally said. "The pack is smaller there. If we're careful, maybe we can slip past without being noticed."

  Zo and Sadie exchanged a look. Neither loved the idea, but no one had anything better.

  "South it is," Zo said.

  We moved toward a gap in the hills that might offer a path around the monster infested pass. The route would be longer, and less direct, but potentially safer.

  I should have known better.

  Nothing in this frozen hellscape was ever safe.

  We moved south, seeking a path around the pack.

  Thirty minutes later, we found a winding path through a maze of boulders, it was narrow but passable. We moved quietly, weapons ready, avoiding the exposed ground.

  "This might actually work," Zo whispered as we navigated between two massive rocks.

  The worms pulsed a warning through my nervous system.

  "Get down," I hissed.

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  We dropped to a crouch behind a boulder as a shadow passed overhead—it was a drake—its wings extended as it glided between the rocks. It hadn't seen us, but it was close. Too close.

  "They're drakes…" Sadie whispered when the drake had passed. "They're not just resting here. This is their den."

  "Fantastic," Mabel muttered. "Just what we needed. Territorial lizards with anger management problems."

  We waited until the scout drake had moved on, then continued through the boulder field, moving slower now, checking the sky before each exposed crossing.

  The path began to open up, revealing a clear route, exactly what we needed. I sent worms ahead to confirm it was safe.

  There was more movement. Another drake, this one on the ground, prowling between the rocks ahead. It was alone, but directly in our path.

  "Change of plans, follow me." I said quietly.

  We backtracked and found a branching path that angled off towards the side. The new route was less direct but seemed clear of immediate threats.

  Until it wasn't.

  "Fuck… two more," I reported as the worms detected movement ahead. "Moving slowly, in the same direction we are. They haven't spotted us just yet, but they're blocking our path."

  "This is getting ridiculous," Zo muttered.

  We doubled back again, searching for alternatives.

  Time bled away with every detour. The sun climbed higher, and we had covered less than a quarter of the distance through the passage.

  I sent scouts in all directions, mapping the territory. The results painted a grim picture.

  "The entire area is crawling with them," I said, frustration edging into my voice. "Not just one pack, but several. Their dens overlap like a maze."

  We found a sheltered spot behind a boulder formation and paused to catch our breath. We had been moving for hours and accomplished almost nothing. Horn's Rest felt further away than when we started.

  I checked the sun again. It was past midday now. Roughly six hours until the Long Dark, maybe less. At this rate, we would never reach safety in time.

  "We need to figure something else out, and fast." I said.

  "We could go back to the cave," Sadie suggested. "It protected us last night. We could wait another day, try again tomorrow."

  I considered the option, but Cedric's memories supplied the counterargument. "Predators in Rajkovia don't disperse quickly from good hunting grounds. If anything, more drakes will arrive tomorrow, drawn by the scent of the carcass. Every day we wait, the situation gets worse."

  "He's right," Zo said, her expression grim. "Turning back doesn't solve the problem… it only postpones it. And postponing might kill us just as surely as fighting."

  "So what then?" Sadie asked, her voice tight with controlled frustration. "We can't fight six drakes at once. We can't circle around without encountering more. We can't wait without losing time we don't have."

  Zo's expression shifted, something dangerous flickering in her eyes. "What if we did fight through?"

  "Did you miss the part about six drakes?" Mabel asked incredulously. "I know you're tough, axe-lady, but that's suicide."

  "Not all at once," Zo clarified. "But maybe we could separate one or two at a time."

  I stared at her, seeing where her thoughts were heading. "You want to pick them off?"

  Zo nodded.

  I wanted to argue, but I couldn't find a flaw in the logic. One drake alone, ambushed, outnumbered three to one… the odds were manageable. Dangerous, but manageable.

  Sadie's expression remained carefully neutral, but I could see her calculating. "Do you know the best way to kill them?" she asked me, her eyes sharp. "Does your... consumed memory include information about their weaknesses?"

  Yes… it did. Cedric had killed drakes. Studied them. The knowledge was there, waiting to be accessed.

  "Yes," I said, the memories surfacing. "I know exactly how to kill them."

  I closed my eyes and let Cedric's memories rise to the surface.

  "Drake anatomy has three primary weak points," I explained, my voice taking on the tone Cedric used when teaching new recruits. "First, the scales are their main defense, they have overlapping plates that can turn aside most weapons. But their scales require gaps to allow movement. The joints are vulnerable."

  Zo nodded, absorbing the information. Sadie listened intently, her eyes never leaving my face.

  "The second weak point is beneath the jaw," I continued. "The scales thin there, protecting the throat but leaving the soft tissue underneath accessible from just the right angle."

  "And the third?" Sadie prompted when I paused.

  "At the base of the skull, where the spine connects, there's a gap between the protective plates. The scales can't fully cover the joint without restricting head movement. A blade driven into that gap severs the spinal cord, killing the drake instantly."

  "Sounds simple enough," Zo said, though we all knew it was anything but.

  "Drakes are fast, aggressive, and aware of their vulnerabilities. They keep their heads low, their backs protected. Circling around them is almost impossible, their speed and reach make getting around them suicidal."

  "Unless the drake is distracted," Sadie observed.

  Zo grinned, a predatory expression that reminded me she was as much a hunter as any drake. "I'll be the bait. My Origin is literally designed for taking hits."

  "I'll go for the kill," I said. My speed, enhanced by the worms, would let me close distance quickly. My blade could find the gap at the base of the skull. One strike, one kill—if everything went perfectly.

  "I'll provide support," Sadie said.

  "And I," Mabel announced grandly, extending from my collar, "will be the eyes in the back of your woefully inadequate human head. You're welcome in advance for saving your life. Again."

  We had a plan. It wasn’t a good one, but better than wandering in circles until the Long Dark caught us in the open.

  "Let's isolate one of them," I said.

  We moved with a new purpose. No more aimless circling, no more hoping for clear paths. We were hunting them now.

  I sent worms in expanding waves, searching for targets.

  The scouts found one within twenty minutes.

  A lone drake prowling between boulders, maybe fifty meters from the nearest pack members. Young, based on its size—three meters, give or take—old enough to be dangerous, young enough to be reckless.

  I signaled the others and described the situation.

  Zo was the first to move.

  She approached the drake's hunting ground from the opposite direction. When she reached her position, she stepped into the open deliberately, making no attempt to hide.

  The drake noticed her at once. Its head snapped up, nostrils flaring, eyes locking onto the human who had just announced her presence.

  I stayed low, using boulders for cover, my movements masked by the drake's focus on Zo. The worms spread ahead of me, alerting me to any obstacles.

  Sadie took position on a nearby boulder overlooking the frozen arena. Light gathered in her hands.

  The drake began moving toward Zo, its body lowering into a crouch.

  Zo held her ground. Her axe was in her hands, her stance relaxed but ready. She wasn't afraid.

  I reached my position behind the drake, hidden in the shadow of a boulder, maybe ten meters from its exposed back.

  The drake needed to commit to its attack. It needed to focus entirely on Zo, forgetting everything else existed.

  Zo took a deliberate step forward, then swung her axe in a wide arc… drawing attention to herself.

  The drake lunged.

  It was a blur of claws and snapping jaws.

  Zo stepped to the side at the last moment, letting the attack pass within inches of her body. The impact she absorbed from the near-miss was minimal, but she took it anyway.

  The drake recovered and struck again. This time Zo blocked with her axe, the force of the blow driving her back a step. Power flooded into her from the impact.

  I didn't watch the exchange. I was already moving.

  The moment the drake committed to its second attack, its back turned fully toward my position. The gap at the base of its skull was exposed, vulnerable, waiting.

  I crossed the distance in a heartbeat.

  My speed was enhanced, and I was burning essence to move faster than my body should move. The worm-sword formed in my grip mid-stride, the blade solidifying from pale flesh into an element harder than steel.

  The drake sensed me… but it was too late. It began to turn, began to react, but I was already there.

  I drove the blade into the gap.

  The sword punched through the thinned scales with a crack, sinking deep into the creature's spine.

  I felt the moment the blade severed the connection, a shudder that ran through the drake's entire body, then nothing.

  The drake collapsed.

  It crashed to the frozen ground, dead. Its legs twitched once, twice, then went still.

  I landed beside the corpse, my heart pounding, the worm-sword still buried in the creature's skull. For a moment, no one moved.

  Then Zo laughed, a sharp, surprised sound that broke the tension. "Holy shit. That actually worked."

  "Of course it worked," Mabel said smugly. "I was involved."

  Sadie joined us, her eyes scanning the surroundings for threats.

  The death screech of the drake, the impact of its body on the frozen ground, these sounds carried in the cold air. Other drakes would come.

  We needed to be gone before they arrived.

  "We keep going," I said, pulling my sword free. Dark blood steamed in the cold air.

  We pushed forward, using the momentum of our success.

  I scouted ahead, finding the path through the rocky terrain. Another isolated drake blocked our route, we killed it the same way.

  A third drake nearly caught us off guard, emerging from behind a boulder as we passed. Sadie reacted fast, launching a beam of hard light that caught it across the eyes, blinding it long enough for Zo to bury her axe in its skull.

  By late afternoon, we had cleared a path through the worst of the drake-infested territory. The rocky pass opened onto the Hearthlands.

  I checked the sun. Four hours until the Long Dark.