Outside once more, Nuyani sat before the skull with her fingers fidgeting as she looked from her hands to the horizon as the morning light grew brighter. The rasp of wind in the open space was almost as loud as the confines of her home. The witch looked back toward the skull.

  ‘This can work, right? There has to be something. Something beyond these cliffs. If the howlers came from somewhere else, then we should’ve too,’ Nuyani thought to herself. A shiver traveled through her body. A sense of shame wore on her as the idea flew in the eyes of their people’s beliefs, the very core of her strength. The lingering questions about the possibilities left a sense of unease stirring within her. ‘I have to know. We can survive, right?’ She grabbed her left forearm, trying to steel her nerves as she considered the scars running down the limb.

  She had been battling an enemy only she could face in the past three nights, and one she doubt would care if the sandstorms blew through the area. Looking to one she understood, Nuyani turned to the half-buried skull in the dirt.

  “To’anu. To’anu. Please, I must speak with someone,” Nuyani said as she jabbed the skull with a finger. Silence. The witch took a deep breath and released a single beat from her core. The ethereal wave radiated through the area. Nuyani could feel the small beads of life from the shrubs and insects around her on the surface of her core as if they were drops of rain resting on her skin. The heaviest yet was the spirit residing inside the skull. With a clearer sense, Nuyani saw the weight of To’anu’s spirit was comparable to a small bowl of water yet condensed to a smaller space. “To’anu, we must speak. I have a plan. I just want your thoughts.”

  She could feel sloshing about within the confines of the skull. Her brow creased. With a strike of her core, Nuyani released another pulse that coursed from her being and into the skull. Stronger than the last, it forced the spirit to slosh about. “To’anu, listen to me,” Nuyani said.

  Removing her hand, the top of the skull began to glow white. The pressure shifted against the surface of Nuyani ‘s core, following the rise of a white flame flying into the air. The light then burst forth as the visage of a man appeared. Nuyani gawked for a moment, focusing on the deceased hunter’s expression. The spirit was weeping. Tears trailed from red eyes.

  “To’anu…. You cry?” Nuyani asked.

  The spirit scowled at her. “Why are you here, witch? Did you not like the new demons you’ve brought?”

  Nuyani glared at To’anu. “I’m not here for games, To’anu. I think I have an answer…” Nuyani stopped as the spirit turned his attention toward the east, facing the village miles away from them. “What’s wrong? You’ve never… I’ve never seen…”

  “My brother, Deyunca, has died…because of you!” To’anu whipped his head around and gave Nuyani a piercing glare.

  The woman’s stomach twisted. She held a hand on her stomach as her thoughts returned to last night. Several people died despite Nuyani’s efforts, as her new abilities allowed her to dispatch the four howlers.

  “S-sorry. I couldn’t stop them all in time. I barely was able to move around the village…” Nuyani started but was interrupted.

  “No. He died this morning,” Nuyani froze, staring at the spirit. “His life echoed through Kelvert’s land as if it called me. The world seems hollow. I didn’t even think I ever noticed such a thing until you came around.” Nuyani slowly rose and glared at the man. Her grip on the knife tightened. “If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have tried to rally them…” The spirit fell silent as he looked to the ground.

  Nuyani’s hand shook. “You blame me for a man’s death that was trying to kill me during the closing days to the storm?” To’anu said nothing. “Fools. You and your brother are fools. I hope it does not carry in your blood because it will taint your sons.” Nuyani looked to the side, breathing heavily as her own eyes grew red. ‘They must blame me for the spirits. But why haven’t they tried? No, not now. There’s a chance to flee the storms and spirits,’ Nuyani thought. She then turned toward To’anu with wide eyes.

  “Listen, To’anu. I need your thoughts. There may be a way to keep everyone safe. I think there’s land we came from passed the cliffs. If I find proof, we can lead everyone there, and the spirits won’t bother us.” To’anu looked back at Nuyani through narrowed eyes, remaining silent until he turned away and looked to the east once more. “I’ve already tried to help and fight even when you murderers tried to come after me.” The spirit lowered his head, Nuyani watched his face seeing the corner of his eyes close. “I-I learned one more thing, To’anu. I can free you.” This caught the man’s attention. Most spirits who lingered in the drylands were kept by heavy guilt preventing them from passing on. Nuyani could never tell what was anchoring him to this land as he stayed within his skull for the past three years. Whether it was his hatred for her, a sense of regret, or worry for his family, it did not matter. She drummed her core, letting the vibrations course through her body and focused into her hand. Nuyani then extended her hand to To’anu.

  “To’anu. I can free you.” The man’s eyes widened as he looked back at her like she had gone crazy. Yet, he began to gawk when the waves emitted from her stirred his form. She said nothing as she waited for the spirit to respond. To’anu said nothing as he turned away. The white light around him brightened and condensed to the same small wisp before descending into the skull. Nuyani sighed. The woman lowered her hand before looking to the east as well.

  ‘Who would want help from the witch?’ she first thought before the faces of Odaru, Caluu and Lamoy rose. The three villagers had shown her kindness and were willing to help when she was nearly caught in the village. ‘By the Great Lord, I will protect them. I will do what I can, mother,’ Nuayni promised as she turned toward the west and sprinted off. Dust clouds trailed behind her rising taller than herself. The brush and sand dunes fell into a blur around her as she made her way toward the demon gate. Within moments, Nuyani crossed dozens of miles through the red lands as she jogged up the gradual stone slope of a cliff nearing the mouth of a cavern. Nuyani made her way toward the ledge and looked onward at the endless desert, the sands glowing gold in the morning sun.

  Before, she thought herself a demon dwelling in the same mountains as the other beasts praying every day to Lord Kelvert for the forgiveness of her cursed soul. With the presence of the spirits, she no longer concerned herself with such thoughts remembering the coursing power she held dispatching the first howlers she encountered.

  ‘There must be a better way,’ Nuyani thought as she turned and marched toward the tunnel entrance.

  As she passed through the tunnel, the soft gray glow of the vine flowers filled the path from above. Once at the end, Nuyani saw the morning sun streamed through the small hole in the eastern cliff wall, barely cutting through the darkness covering the dozens of gray bricked huts at the back of the cavern.

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  ‘I have to get everything ready,’ Nuyani thought, pushing herself to rush.

  She then descended from the shelf to the lower floor and moved to the storage hut adjacent to the shelf. It was even darker within the small home. Nuyani struck her core, releasing a rhythmic beat with distortion on every third or fourth pulse as the energy fed into her eyes. Soft glowing silver outlines of the hut’s interior form. Nuyani smiled as she could see the various pots, urns, and baskets revealed to her along with the mortar and bricks.

  ‘I can see better than the first time,’ she realized as he moved to the first basket and rummaged through its contents. Filled with random tools and parts, Nuyani pushed aside old pouches, twine other leather works, until she felt for a bundle of tarp. Pulling it out, she then retrieved some twine, an extra pouch, and an ax before ducking out of the small hut. Climbing back onto the taller shelf, she turned to the western wall and stood before the draining indentation. Dried blood remained from the charge-horns along the paths leading to the lip of the ledge where Nuyani placed her urns. She put aside the items before untying one of her pouches.

  In retrieving her crystal, Nuyani took a step back and held the stone toward the western wall. In squeezing the clear stone, white lights gleamed from it and trailed along the ground before the charge-horns spilled from their confines and lay on the ground before her. Nuyani narrowed her eyes and held her breath for a moment as the pungent stench of the larger beast wafted toward her once more. Ignoring the odor and rotting hump of the beast. Nuyani went to work cutting into the animal once more. As she cut into the lower sections of the stomach, her eyes glanced at the neck wounds where dozens of arrow shafts protruded.

  Loud chops from her ax sounded through the cavern until she severed a large portion and set it on the ground. Retrieving the tarp, she unraveled the piece and placed the meat on it before binding it within the cover. Tying it closed, Nuyani placed the bundled meat to the side. Nuyani retrieved the stone and gripped it once more. The light gleamed over the charge-horns before both carcasses stretched in their forms and poured into a thinning spiral toward the stone. Within seconds, they were gone. Nuyani took a deep breath as the smell of rot slowly eased, and she looked down at the stone for a moment, remembering that she found it when she first entered the cave. She never knew of its origins or found another, but it had been years since she had found out about its ability to carry living things with its light making hunting far easier. She had not yet learned the crystal’s limits, wondering if it could house a full heavy-horn or two. Pushing curiosity aside, Nuyani put away the small crystal and rebound the pouch to her tool strap. Collecting the bundle, she started toward the tunnel but stopped.

  ‘Prayer,’ Nuyani realized and placed the bundle on the floor.

  She turned toward the western wall and climbed to the open space. Though the sun had yet to meet that part of the cliff, Nuyani could not help but pray on the ledge with her mother’s spirit visiting in that very space. She glanced toward the west, looking at the expanse of the desert before turning back east. It was all she could do to feel a sense of normalcy. The world's dangers beyond the cliffs were now reaching the drylands, and with the new strength within her. Nuyani needed to prepare. Nuyani’s lips curled. ‘Is it right to pray now?’ she wondered before stopping halfway and rising. She looked out to the desert once more. Her mother called Nuyani’s curse the Great Lord’s gift yet, doubt lingered.

  ‘I can do this,’ Nuyani thought as she stood. Her mind dwelled on a fable searching for proof and safety from the violent spirits. Other than the demon gate, the only opening that remained was one toward the north where a lone river fed into the drylands yet, was teaming with blood-manes and blade-jaws warding off the hunters.

  Nuyani made her way down and collected the bundle of meat once more before heading out of the cavern. She raced through the land until she came to the closest river cutting deep into the red earth. She looked into the water seeing the water bites clamoring as usual for a meal as they gathered at the bank, their heads canted to the side just enough to keep swimming as they watched her with black eyes. As they splashed about, Nuyani kept her core active, releasing thin waves searching for any predators. She could sense the life surrounding the area, but none were heavy enough to draw any worry. Jogging along the riverside, her footing felt unstable as most of the riverbanks were covered in smoothened stones despite their incline.

  As she followed the winding river, a death snare patch rising from the bed of stones came into view. Nuyani moved toward a nearby cluster of brush. She measured the twine to match the distance from the shrubs to the vegetation. Nuyani added slack to the twine as she bound one end to the brushes and the other to the bundle of meat. When she was finished, Nuyani made her way toward the vegetation crossing from the red dirt to the stones with cautious steps knowing the network of roots hidden beneath the stones would signal for the death snare to act. Staying only a few paces away from the death snare, Nuyani tossed the meat onto the stones only a step away from the stocks.

  Almost immediately, a few of the dreaded fruit on the closest stocks began to swell, doubling in size before they burst, releasing clouds of white powder. Nuyani darted away, moving to the side as not to be downwind. Knowing of the powder’s effects, it was a vegetation most tried to avoid unless trying to burn to grow near the canals. Nuyani waited as the cloud passed by. The rustling sound reached her ears as the serpent-like stock rose from the center. It curled like a snake facing the direction of the bundle. In an instant, it shot forth in a blur opening its six sepals revealing the hundreds of barbs on each resembling fangs. With great accuracy, it struck the bundle taking several of the stones with it in its mouth. The serpent stock then pulled, retreating to the center only to halt when the bundle’s twine was taut.

  ‘Good,’ Nuyani thought as she started toward one of the stocks. As the stock continued to struggle, the sound of tearing roots made Nuyani freeze as the serpent stock moved further back into the vegetation. Her heart pounded. Nuyani dashed for her objective, pulling out her stone dagger before cutting into one of the stocks. The yellow fruit began to swell, making Nuyani’s eyes widen. Water and sap gushed from the stock base with a few slashes as the fruit receded in size. After two more cuts, the stock fell to the side. Nuyani stabbed into its stock and pulled it into the dirt.

  After taking the stock, Nuyani plucked several of the fruit and placed them within the spare water skin she had brought. Taking her other water skin, Nuyani began to pour some into the pouch bearing the fruit. The water disappeared almost on contact with the fruit as they steadily grew. Nuyani stopped as the water skin bulged. She wondered if the fruit would burst and held the bag outward as she waited for them to pop. After a moment, she found the fruit was still intact before closing both containers. She then turned her over hand. Shock colored her face as she saw several barbs stuck to her leather bindings. Her hand had brushed against the viper berries.

  ‘Viper berries fit too well,’ Nuyani thought. She used her knife to flick the barbs in between the strands from her leather. Each point in the leather was covered in a wet red paste. ‘By the Great Lord, this is the last thing I’d think to end me.’

  After collecting the fruit and tossing the stock back into the death snare, Nuyani’s brow furrowed. She looked at the serpent stock, which struggled to pull the bundle free. Strolling toward the twine, she looked at the brush finding the first one torn out of the ground as its roots dangled loosely. ‘It must be young. It shouldn’t struggle this long for something so small,’ Nuyani thought.

  Looking back at the stock, Nuyni then said, “I think this should be a fair trade.”

  Grabbing the knife, she cut the tether letting the serpent stock disappear into the depths. After retying both water skins and sheathing the knives. Nuyani then looked toward the northeast, where the other opening into the drylands lay.

  ‘Great Lord, please guide me with your light,’ she prayed before sprinting forward and leaping over the wide river toward the northwest.