None of us knew what to expect when we put Tetra on the stump, but time was short and we had to do something, at least. The Merrik had not been explicit in how soon the threat would arrive, but the sense that I got from it was that his version of ‘very soon’ was anywhere between minutes and hours – he hadn’t seemed to think we should relocate, for example, and had simply chopped down a nearby tree, told me to place my ‘sin’ on the stump, and then left.

Seeing how he cut down the tree had been… pretty cool actually, and it might give me some inspiration for my own cultivation powers, if I somehow survive this. The Merrik had walked up to a large tree, glanced in the direction of Wulfric and Tetra, then simply reached out and slapped the trunk. There had been a resounding crack, a burst of air, and then there was a stump with a perfectly flat top where the tree used to be, while the upper part of the tree was nowhere to be seen.

I had told Jesvae that time was tight, and that we had to get Tetra on the stump before something happened (or she woke up, which would also be pretty terrible, all things considered). Then Wulfric and I had worked together to lift Tetra up onto the stump, placing her feet on it and then just holding her in place, not sure what to do. There was maybe just barely enough room to lie her down on it, but, as I have noted several times before, even the largest trees here were smaller than I might have expected, and finding one with a diameter the same size as a person’s height was incredibly rare (even for someone on the shorter side of things, like Tetra).

Luckily, something started to happen after just a few seconds, as dozens of thin wooden tendrils sprang up from the previously smooth surface of the stump and started to rapidly wind their way around Tetra’s legs. It wasn’t long before they had reached her torso, and by the time they were approaching her arms Wulfric and I had tentatively tried to let go of Tetra – the latticework of wood held, seeming easily capable of supporting her weight.

And then there was a popping sound, as though the air pressure around us had suddenly changed, and The Merrik was back. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed, and it took a few moments for us to even realize he had returned. He was covered in fresh blood, which was a new addition to his look, and the transformation in his appearance was drastic. Previously, he had looked like an old hobo covered in dirt and wearing ratty clothes… now he looked like an old hobo who had just finished murdering, and eating, an entire family.

Jesvae was the first to spot him, but all she did was curse quietly under her breath. Wulfric let out a startled gasp and stumbled back a few steps, his gaze darting wildly between the new arrival and the tree stump that was still in the process of covering Tetra’s still form.

As for me… well, I simply looked at my duplicate, who was looking back at me, and tried to think how in the name of the spirits we could get out of this alive…

***

Jesvae watched as the Merrik – the same one who was seen as a spirits-sent savior – sat on the ground, covered in blood and other assorted filth. He didn’t look dirty in the way someone who had just rolled in the mud might look dirty, no… he looked more like someone who had been working in the forest for weeks and hadn’t had time to care for personal hygiene. If before he had smelled like the forest floor, now he smelled like the forest floor after a battle.

She had seen this before, years ago, when a squad of warriors had gotten lost in the mountains during a large-scale attack that was led by a nascent beast. They had been gone for months, and by the time the survivors returned there were only two of them left. Both of them had been in bad shape, covered in dirt and accumulated filth from dozens of battles, and riddled with injuries. And that is what the Merrik looked like now… except without the injuries, so none of the blood was his…

The first to break the silence was blacksmith Heller, who spoke quietly with ice Heller.

“I’m going to try and leave a message for Wo-ooahhhhhh uh,” he said, his voice trailing off as he glanced in Jesvae’s direction briefly, “I mean, you-know-who.”

Ice Heller nodded, also darting a glance towards her for some reason, “Right, I’ll try to deal with things here.”

Jesvae sighed, shaking her head and wondering what the beast was going on. It had to be important, as the Merrik didn’t just show up randomly for no reason, and there seemed to be serious danger involved, judging from the actions of her young charges over the last few minutes.

“Heller! Front and center, and explain what is happening, now!”

Ice Heller, the one still wearing the uniform and armor that House Spiritwind had given him, gave her a serious look and moved closer after taking a last look at the vanishing form of Tetra.

“To be honest, Lady Jesvae, I’m not really certain… all I know is that there is…” He paused, looked back at the Merrik, and took a deep breath. “There is some force, a powerful one, that was able to sense what was done to give Tetra and Wulfric their powers, I think, and now it is tracking them and me.”

She took a moment to mull over that information before continuing her interrogation. “And the tree stump?”

“Oh, that is to hide my… uh… my friends, but only one of them. He can only hide one of them, and apparently the other one, and I, are going to die. So, it could be that only Tetra will be left, of the three… I mean, of the four of us.”

Jesvae felt her world tilt, her breath catching in her throat, and if she didn’t have the soothing chill winds of her cultivation she felt like she might even need to sit down. If they lost Heller now… no… all of her plans… all of her dreams… all of her people, everyone, even those inside the city… would be doomed.

Heller carried on, ignorant of the storm he had just set off in the mind of the first Heir to House Spiritwind.

“He won’t answer my questions, so I don’t know what to do… I don’t even know if it is safe for you to stay here.”

Jesvae’s eyes widened as a thought occurred to her… diversion tactics.

“Heller, listen to me carefully. This enemy, whatever it is, is hunting you and Wulfric, correct?”

The boy nodded, his own eyes widening as he, perhaps, came to the same conclusions as her.

“There are two of you, Heller. Can you not both hide, and flee, at the same time? Surely, if one of you leaves alongside Wulfric that will draw the attention of your enemy, unless… unless they know that you have this… counterpart… somehow.”

It looked as though Heller was about to reply, when without warning the Merrik was standing beside him. Jesvae took a startled half step backward, and there were gasps of and exclamations of surprise from Heller (both of them) and Wulfric.

“Yes… Soulbinder… flee… with… your… sin… to… perish… and… hide… with… your… sin… to… survive…”

Jesvae’s mouth gaped open, the shock finally overwhelming her normally flawless composure, as she heard the Merrik make noises and move his mouth… but she couldn’t make out any words. Was he talking? And if so, could only his apprentice hear it?

“Did… did he just speak to you, Heller?” She asked in a subdued voice, her hands still half raised and her muscles tensed, as though she was ready to defend herself or flee at a moment’s notice.

Ice Heller looked at her, eyebrows raised. “You can’t understand him? Oh… that’s why he sounds… right, anyway, yes! He said if I flee with Wulfric, then my duplicate can stay here with Tetra!”

The boy sounded excited, though Jesvae was pretty sure he had just volunteered for a suicide mission, if she was understanding this right…

“Go… soon… and… go… far…”