“Yep Ember, you definitely screwed up.”

  Spitting out the ash flavored fruit I grab another one from a nearby tree I had jumped to and try to eat that one as well, also tasting ash and death from the usually too painful to eat fruit.

  “I don’t know how but this has to be from that shadow… or Aith. Probably that shadow, I did mention food to it and not Aith. I think.”

  I’ve been running myself ragged the last few hours due to the fact that I can’t taste anything other than ash and death from everything I’ve eaten, from water to nuts and also a small tree squirrel. Finally settling on the fruit one only eats to survive because they physically hurt to eat.

  They call them spike fruit because they feel like your mouth is being stabbed. Yet I get nothing from them.

  “Oh ya play nice with the shadow, that will help… listen to the strange pretty lady gooooooood job Ember.”

  Feeling eyes on the back of my head tells me that my unwanted companion has returned. Feeling too tired to hate it I turn my head to it sitting unblinking at the end of my current branch with a piece of paper rolled around one of the smaller branches next to it.

  “Is that the map?”

  Shockingly it slowly nods it’s head yes, in its first show of movement.

  “Have I given you enough food yet?”

  Slow shake no.

  “Can’t I just give you food instead?”

  “Not an exchange if there is no effort on your end.”

  It’s voice sounds like an amalgamation of several others without ever settling on just one.

  ‘Definitely screwed up… it’s talking to me now.’

  “What are you?”

  “I’m you, but also not. You are there, I am here. Forever separate, forever together.”

  “Why are you interacting with me now, and never before?”

  “Never made a deal before, now we are intertwined.”

  “So when I exchanged food?”

  “You made a deal.”

  ‘Great job, yep greeeeeat job.’

  “So how do these deals work? What are the limits?”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Limits? None. All deals are based on what it’s worth to you. If it’s worth your everything to you then you shall have everything. You won’t be around to enjoy it then, so do exercise some caution. Seems to be why our race is so self-destructive, we’re all soooooo Passionate.”

  “You seem to not care though.”

  “Why should I care if you don’t? I’m you.”

  ‘I liked you better when you didn’t talk.’

  “So how much food is that map worth? I don’t think starving to death is conducive to the both of us living.”

  “A lot, but will be paid off sooner due to you being ignorant of its worth.”

  “How nice of you, but isn’t that a really one-sided deal then if I get off easy?”

  “All deals are inherently one-sided. You are negotiating with yourself. It will be repaid in other ways, the old one requires balance.”

  “Who’s the old one? Aith?”

  “It is best not to speak the Breakers cursed name. No she is not the old one. I will speak no further.”

  Disappearing abruptly with that declaration leaving behind the map, I get the feeling it’s not as far away as I think it is.

  ‘Hit a sore spot. She’s the one who asked me to call her that though. At least I now know how to get rid of it if it’s pissing me off. Now why is that map worth so much to me? I only half cared about getting it, definitely missing something with these so called deals. Unless the terms really are that awful. Maybe Aith is right and I am paranoid.’

  “That’s how I continued to survive.”

  Hearing the tell-tale signs of tracking in the short distance I start moving towards them in the same manner to throw them off, no natural predator or prey moves like that. Canvasing and retracing their steps over and over in a giant circle so that their quarry doesn’t notice.

  Eventually I end up above them still hiding among the trees. A group of four, one well in the lead doing most of the tracking. Not trained to look up though. Nobody ever looks up. Checking over my shoulder I see my shadow again, continuing that dead stare like it’s daring me to do something.

  ‘Why hunt me, I never, check that. I haven’t done anything they are aware of. I’m obviously not a threat, if I wanted their towns gone they’d be gone already. Why push me.’

  Continuing to watch for what feels like long enough I break off and head back towards the Twin Towns to leave them to their fruitless endeavor. Sitting down and leaning against the wall I unroll the provided map to see if I recognize the location of Bayze in relation to where I am.

  It’s written in a language I don’t recognize.

  Turning my head to the shadow-

  “Are you joking with me right now?”

  “Joking?”

  “I can’t read this you miserable asshole! I ask for a map that shows me where Bayze is, you literally take food out of my mouth and then provide me with a map that can’t be read.”

  “Learn. Or you can ask. Whichever you choose.”

  ‘Just breathe.’

  “Fine. Which marking on here is Bayze, and which marking is where we are?”

  “No marking for this town, it didn’t exist yet when this map was made… this is about where we are, and this is Bayze.”

  Pointing on the map I had laid on the ground with a stubby paw it shows me both locations.

  “Let me guess, Bayze isn’t what the city is named now?”

  “Very good, I knew we were smart. The passage of time has passed the Breaker by. The area is now named Shale for the rock upon which it is built.”

  “She wants me to go to Shale? Shale the area wrecked by plague? Shale the- I should have known.”

  “You don’t have to go. She is merely providing you with a deal in her own way I assume.”

  “Ya a deal to burn out the area. The only reason I’d be useful.”

  “Maybe… maybe not.”