I staggered to my feet, every inch of my body aching like I'd just been trampled. I could feel the strain in every muscle, a reminder of Lenny's brutal training session. "Grizz, I… I don't know if I can even move from this spot," I admitted, barely managing to keep upright.
Grizz chuckled, a soft, gravelly sound that almost sounded amused. "Did Lenny really work you that hard?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You'll be alright. My lesson's less about breaking a sweat and more about using your head.
"I don't know how you and Lenny do it. You both seem so… unstoppable," I muttered, feeling a twinge of longing as the words slipped out. The silence lingered a litte before he finally spoke.
All you have to do is walk. Think you can manage that?"
I nodded, though reluctantly. My legs felt like they could give out at any moment, but if this was part of my training, I had to push through it. "Yeah… yeah, I can manage," I muttered, willing myself to put one foot in front of the other.
The settlement was quiet under the night sky. Lanterns flickered around us, casting a warm glow across the rugged pathways and the worn-down buildings. Shadows stretched long, fading into darkness beyond the light.
A mother, her face that of a fox, clutched her child tightly as we passed, and an old man, with a face that of a mouse, gave Grizz a wary nod before retreating into the shadows. A pang of guilt twisted in my chest, and I thought of my own mother. She must be frantic by now, wondering why I hadn't come back from the school trip. The thought gripped me hard, and I had to look away.
My gaze drifted upward, catching sight of the moon—a deep blue, haunting and strange. It reinforced what I already knew but didn't want to accept: I was in another world, far from everything familiar. The drive to go home swelled in me, an ache as fierce as it was lonely.
But no one here knew me, except Wayne, Grizz and Lenny. They were the only ones who talked to me without wanting me dead. I took a breath, pushing back the ache. This training, all of this—it was supposed to get me back. I'd have to trust them, at least for now, if I wanted to survive long enough to see home again.
We walked in silence, Grizz's footsteps barely making a sound despite his size. His quiet presence was somehow reassuring; he didn't say much, but I felt safer with him than I ever did with Lenny's loud encouragements. I found myself wanting to know more about him. There was something about Grizz that was… steady, like an anchor. And after everything I'd been through, I needed that.
"So… how long have you been here?" I asked, trying to sound casual, though I could feel my curiosity pushing through. "In this realm, I mean. And how did you… you know… end up here?"
Grizz didn't answer immediately. He glanced down at me, and for a moment, something softened in his eyes, like a memory had caught him off guard. But then he smiled, a small, closed-lipped smile that gave nothing away.
"Tell me, Jeremiah," he said, his tone almost playful, "what was the boy we just passed holding in his hand?"
I blinked, thrown off by the question. I quickly looked around, trying to spot anyone nearby. Had we really just passed a kid? I hadn't seen anyone. My gaze darted around, but I came up empty. Grizz tilted his head forward, as if nudging me to remember.
"I… I didn't see a little boy," I admitted, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Remember, you're training," Grizz said, his voice gentle but firm. "See as much as you can in one glance. Take in everything without looking like a tourist lost in a new land. The more you can observe without drawing attention, the better your chances."
I sighed, feeling the weight of his words settle over me. Lenny had drilled me on strength and speed, but this was different. Grizz's lessons were subtle, quieter, but no less important. I glanced around, trying to piece together the details I'd missed—the sounds, the shadows, the faint movements.
Then I caught it, just at the edge of my vision—a boy, perched on a low branch above us, a sharp rock clutched tightly in his rabbit- faced hands. His face was unmistakable, with twitching whiskers and a small nose that seemed to quiver with each breath. He had the look of a kid about to do something reckless, his arm drawn back, ready to hurl the rock.
But Grizz just looked up at him, a calm, steady stare that seemed to freeze the boy in place. The rock fell from his hand, landing with a soft thud on the ground. He stared at Grizz, wide-eyed, before scrambling back into the shadows, disappearing as quickly as he'd appeared.
"How… how did you know?" I asked, staring after the boy.
"Eyes open," Grizz replied, tapping his forehead. "Always. Not just for danger, but for the small things. Every detail matters. And you'll learn, eventually."
I couldn't help it—I had to ask. "I guess kids learn to survive young here. Grizz gave a brief, almost weary sigh. "Everyone here learns the hard way, Jeremiah." And just like that, he shut down any further questions.
I tried to process what I'd just seen, feeling a new respect for the level of awareness Grizz had. "You've been doing this a while, haven't you?" I ventured, hoping he might finally share something about himself. "I mean… you've got that look like you've seen everything. Have you… ever had people back where you're from? Like… friends?"
Grizz's eyes softened just slightly, and I could tell I'd hit on something. He just nodded for me to keep walking, silent as ever but somehow sharing more than any words could. We walked a few more paces before I broke the silence again.
"Back home," I started, my voice barely above a whisper, "I didn't have many friends. I was… bullied a lot. Just when I thought I might've been close to making real friends, I got pulled into all of this." I gestured vaguely to the village around us, to the alien landscape, the deep blue moon. "I don't know… I thought maybe… maybe I could be friends with you and Lenny?"
Griz stopped in his tracks, turning to look at me. His gaze was intense, serious in a way that made me suddenly nervous. "We aren't your friends, Jeremiah," he said quietly. "If Radamar asked us to kill you right now, we'd have no choice. There's no benefit to protecting you. Remember that."
I get it…" I managed, my throat tight. "I just thought… maybe…I felt a pang of sadness, like a sharp twist in my chest. The words hit hard, and I suddenly felt small, isolated. My throat tightened, and I swallowed hard, searching for something to say. "But… but I could be the one to save these people… from all of this," I stammered, feeling desperation creep into my voice. "Isn't there… isn't there a prophecy?"
As soon as the words left my mouth, I saw it—a flicker of something in Griz's eyes. Not just anger, but fear. His face went rigid, colder, sharper than I'd ever seen, and I felt the weight of what I'd just said hit me like a stone.
Griz's eyes flicked toward the dark trees, his entire body going still. The cold wind stirred again, brushing past us like a warning. "Quiet," he hissed, his voice sharper than I'd ever heard it.
I froze, my breath catching as he stepped closer, his massive form blocking me from view. "What's wrong?" I whispered.
"Shadows," Griz muttered, his gaze scanning the tree line. "They move differently when someone's listening."
A shiver ran down my spine as I followed his gaze, seeing nothing but darkness. "Who would—"
"Quiet!" he hissed, glancing around sharply. Before I could process what was happening, he had me by the arm, moving us away from where we'd been standing.
"I didn't think… I didn't realize it was that serious," I stammered, trying to keep up.
Grizz barely glanced back, his voice a harsh whisper. "You don't understand yet. Talking about that… it's practically a death wish."
"Who else have you told about this?" he demanded, his voice low, barely above a whisper.
"No one," I managed, my heart hammering in my chest. "Just… just you."
Griz let out a slow, controlled breath, but his expression remained tense. "Keep it that way. If you'd said that to Lenny, he'd have no reason not to eat you on the spot. You're basically threatening Radamar's life by just saying that. If anyone overheard… you'd have a lot more to worry about than the training we're doing."
I swallowed hard, feeling the gravity of his words settle over me. My heart raced as Grizz, with a swiftness I didn't think was possible for someone his size, scooped me up in his arms and dashed down the path, heading toward the cover of the forest. His grip was strong, unyielding, and I clung to him, barely able to catch my breath.
As the shadows of the trees swallowed us, I realized just how serious he was. The calm, steady Grizz I thought I knew had been replaced by someone I didn't recognize—someone fierce, protective, and, for the first time, genuinely afraid.
"Grizz…" I whispered as he finally set me down, his gaze scanning the darkness around us. "I… I didn't mean to… I just…"
Grizz's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing as he leaned closer to me. "Do you understand what you've just done?" His voice was low, each word landing with a weight that made my stomach twist. "Talking about a prophecy here… that's dangerous, Jeremiah. Prophecies come from the Fae, from one of us with the Sight. The Sight to see into the future, and what they see… it's almost never wrong."
I swallowed hard, my mind racing, but all I could manage was, "I… I didn't think it was… I mean, I've seen movies and read books. Usually, the prophecy's about stopping the bad guy before he can destroy everything."
Grizz's gaze hardened, his eyes flicking briefly to the shadows around us. He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a sharp whisper. "Maybe that's true in your world, but here, even mentioning a prophecy tied to someone like Radamar… you can see why that's a problem, right? He doesn't just tolerate threats. If he even suspected that he was part of a prophecy, he'd stop at nothing to destroy anyone connected to it." Grizz paused, letting the words sink in. "You're not just some oddity to him anymore, Jeremiah. We haven't seen a human in this realm for millennia, and at first, that curiosity kept you safe. But mention a prophecy tied to him? That changes everything. You're a danger now. And you've seen what he does to things, to people, that threaten his way of ruling."
The weight of Grizz's words hit me like a blow, the realization finally sinking in. I'd put myself in danger—real, deadly danger—and it wasn't just me. Grizz's eyes held a new tension, one that told me he knew he'd been put at risk, too. As his warning settled over me, I felt cold fear spread in my chest, a chill that went straight to my bones.
Before I could say anything else, Grizz grabbed me by the arm, his grip firm but urgent, and yanked me off the pathway, pulling us into the trees. "Move," he muttered, his voice barely audible. "We can't be overheard. Not here."
I stumbled along as he led me through the forest, ducking under branches and over roots in a frantic hurry. My heart pounded in my chest, matching the thundering of my thoughts. Was it that serious? I hadn't meant any harm… but the look in Griz's eyes, the absolute urgency in his voice, told me that whatever I'd done was more dangerous than I'd realized.
We finally came to a halt in a small clearing, the trees forming a dense wall around us, shielding us from any wandering eyes or ears. Grizz scanned the area, his eyes sharp and vigilant, and only when he seemed satisfied did he turn back to me. His face was grim, shadowed with a mix of anger and… was that fear?
"Are you absolutely sure this prophecy is about Radamar?" he asked, his voice steady but urgent, as though the wrong answer would send us spiraling deeper into trouble.
I shook my head, struggling to keep my voice steady. "I'm not… I mean, I'm not even sure it's about him," I stammered. "It was vague—something about a 'youth' rising. It didn't even specify if it was a boy or girl. It just sounded like… like it might be talking about this place."
Grizz's jaw tightened as he absorbed my words, his eyes narrowing as if he were weighing each one. "You're saying it was that vague?" he pressed, his tone softened only slightly but still filled with tension. "And this came from someone you trust?"
I hesitated, the memory of those huge, black-feathered forms rising in my mind. "Three Birds," I whispered. "They looked like giant crows."
The moment I said it, Grizz's entire demeanor changed. His usually calm face went rigid, and he clenched his jaw. "Three Birds?" His voice was thick with urgency and dread. "This is worse than I thought. Much worse." He gave a quick, sharp glance to the shadows around us, then back at me, his face grim and tense. "You need to go. Back to Levi's shack. Now."
"Grizz, I—"
"Quiet!" he snapped, his voice a harsh whisper. "You've already said too much. We can't risk anyone hearing. If anyone did… we'd both be in serious trouble." His words carried an unspoken threat that sent a fresh surge of fear through me.
A soft wind rustled through the trees, brushing against us like a warning, and Grizz's head snapped around, his eyes scanning the dark forest. His stance shifted, his body tense, alert. "Who's there?" he growled, his voice low and dangerous, ready to act.
For a tense moment, the silence stretched, and my heart pounded as I strained to see through the dim light cast by the moon. Then, slowly, a figure emerged from behind the trees, stepping into the open, their face hidden in shadow.