The chamber roared with the rhythm of the Heart. Each pulse rattled the cavern walls, shaking loose dirt and shards of stone from above. The air grew thick, heavy with sap-scent and whispers that burrowed into the skull like worms.
The sap-creatures lurched forward, their half-formed bodies sloughing gold ichor with every step. Their faces twisted and reformed—Aric’s mother, the girl’s father, the scarred man’s brother. Some bore faces Aric didn’t recognize, but all wore an expression of pleading. Join us. Give in.
Aric’s grip tightened on his sword. His blackened arm screamed with pain, veins burning as though molten sap pumped through them instead of blood. But he steadied his breath and raised the blade.
The scarred man moved with sudden fury, cutting down the first creature that rea
