The trees were thick. They were so thick that it was almost impossible to see the stone ceiling from beneath their leaves. The three of us picked our way through the forest, following animal trails when they presented themselves. Mostly, it was a slog through heavy brush and sticker bushes. It kept my mind off Natalie, but she broke into my thoughts often enough that the sick feeling in my gut never really left.

Amber had a little trouble making her way and would offer directions for us when I pointed the way we had to go. It seemed she knew this forest well from her childhood, which made sense. Wilkits were very close to their lands.

Brandi was not having a good time. Sticker bushes seemed to jump out at her as she passed, catching and tearing into her skin and clothes. By the time we reached a river, she had half a dozen nicks on her hands and exposed arms. One bad gash on her cheek continued to bleed, and she hissed in pain each time she wiped away the blood.

“I think I can take care of that,” I said as we paused beside a stream. “I mean, I don’t know that I can because I haven’t used healing magic since the duel, but I can try.”

She sniffed in annoyance and wiped her blood slicked fingers on her pants. “It’ll heal on its own.”

“Probably,” I said and went to her, taking her arm. She pulled away, but I tightened my hold and brought her against me. She glared, her eyes fierce. “But I’ve been wantng to try out these spells.”

“Then try it on her,” she said and jutted her chin toward Amber. The fox girl stood back a bit, watching with mild amusement.

“I don’t mind,” Amber said. “But I haven’t been so clumsy as to get all cut up, so it would be a bit meaningless.”

“She’s got a point,” I said, and kissed Brandi’s forehead just to annoy her even more. “So, for once just let someone do something for you, huh?”

She went to protest and then seemed to think better of it and dropped her head a little. I lifted her face back up and muttered the words for the spell on my MBD. A glittering line threaded out before me from thin air and, like a snake, it wiggled its way to the cut on Brandi’s cheek. As it slid across, the cut sealed behind it in a shimmering yellow. It sucked the blood up as it went. That done, it went to work on her other cuts, breaking into pieces to match the size of each cut that it healed. In moments, it had finished and faded back to nothing.

Brandi rose her hands and looked them over in surprise. She then grinned. “That’s a hell of a thing.”

“I’ll say.” Amber came over and took one of Brandi’s hands. “Not even a scar. That’s some magic there, pup.”

“Do you have to keep calling me that?”

“What?”

“Pup. You’re only a year older.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Is that so? Sorry, I call all guys pups. It’s not meant as an insult.”

“I bet it isn’t,” I said and turned to follow the stream to our destination. I heard rocks shift and rattle as they hurried to catch up.

It wasn’t a hard trek when following the stream, but it felt like a long one. The orange light had already faded some, and I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before we were standing in a dark forest without much in the way of gear.

I adjusted my pack and looked at the map again. We were maybe ten minutes from our designated spot, which was a cliff that overlooked most of the spice fields. It didn’t seem like an ideal place for some creature to make a try at the spice, which meant that Cassie gave us one of the easier places because of our small size.

“Hold on,” Amber said, her voice just above a whisper and the tone made me freeze in my tracks. I turned to see her sniffing the air, her nose twitching a bit and her eyes closed. Her mouth parted, and she pressed her tongue against one of her fangs. “Well, they didn’t waste no time.”

“What?” I asked. She glanced at me and took a step into the running water of the river. “Amber… what’s going on?”

“A group of Trabogish. They’re nasty little critter and are addicted to the spice.” She took a few more steps, the water over her ankles, and her stance changed. She tipped forward and then did a complete flip, a splash of water following the arc of her feet. That water was caught by a strong, spinning wind that pulled more water into it until it was a water funnel taller than her and five feet wide.

With a quick kick, she sent the funnel of water toward the forest. The water funnel slammed into the trees and then exploded in size. The whirlwind tore out the trees in a sizeable chunk and exposed a group of creatures that were slightly bigger than dogs. They were covered in spines and their long claws dug into the dirt as the wind continued to gain in strength.

The wind became too much, and they were pulled from the ground and thrown about in the whirlwind's core. Blood splashed across the water and quickly turned the whirlwind maroon. The bodies of the creatures were tossed out as the whirlwind died down and a few landed in large splashes in the river.

“W—wow,” Amber said with a deep breath of surprise. “I’ve seen the whirlwind spell used before, but it never… it never did anything like that.”

“Yeah,” Brandi said and crossed her arms. “Apparently he supercharges our seeded spells. Try not to use them unless you have to, huh? If there are other, nastier creatures around, then we’re going to need our seed magic to fight them."

Amber shrugged as she went to one of the creatures and picked it up. “Not a huge deal, I can just suck him off and get my magic restocked.”

“Uh—” I began, but Brandi cut me off.

“Trying to seed magic that way in the middle of a fight isn’t that smart, Amber.” She stepped in front of me. “And I won’t have you draining him dry before we even get into actual fight.”

Amber eyed her. “I thought so.”

“What?”

She shrugged and grabbed a spine near the back of the creature. In one quick motion, the entire skin came off. “Nothing, but it’s understandable. He’s fun.”

She tossed the Trabogish over her shoulder and came out of the water. She took notice of our looks and grinned. “It’s for dinner. Trabogishs are said to help a male come. Old bitch’s tale, but hey… worth a try.”

I rolled my eyes. These girls were going to kill me if they kept it up, and I wasn’t sure if they would mind as long as I seeded their magic. Amber patted my shoulder, and they both walked off.

It wasn’t long before we were in the clearing that Cassie had ordered us to. It was a smaller clearing with a cliff on the one side. I stood on the edge and looked down. It wasn’t a large drop, I could have probably survived the fall, but it wouldn’t have been fun. It made sense now why we were to guard it. It wouldn’t be hard for most creatures to make the leap and find their way to the spice.

“How about you get some firewood?” Amber asked Brandi as she tossed the carcass to the ground and gathered up the few sticks that littered the ground. “I’ll take care of getting the fire started.”

I turned to see Brandi glaring and Amber ignoring her. “Come on, I’ll help you.”

“No, you can stay,” Amber said as she built a ring of rocks.

“You got this. Besides, you know this place better than anyone. She doesn’t, so it’s better if I go too.”

“If her magic wasn’t already seeded I’d think you two were sneaking off to go bang.”

“Maybe we are,” Brandi said and stuck her tongue out before stalking off into the forest. I lingered for a moment.

“Can you try not to provoke her?” I asked while watching Brandi disappear into the brush. “You two were getting along pretty well in the bedroom.”

“She’s got a nice tongue on her,” Amber said. “It ain’t my doing, pup. She’s got to get her own thumb out of her ass before I’ll go near it.”

“Maybe, but you can make things easier.”

She shrugged. “Not really my skill set. Best get on with her before she falls into a bit of briars.” She giggled to herself, her tail dancing behind as she finished the stone ring.

I followed Brandi, at a loss on how to keep them from taking jabs at each other. I wondered if I really had to. They were grown adults, so what if they poked at each other like siblings? This was new to all of us, so it shouldn’t have surprised me that there would be some friction.

Brandi stood a few yards into the trees and picked up sticks. I moved beside her and helped. She said nothing, only acknowledging me when I first arrived. We worked quickly until we each had a good amount between us.

“Think this is enough?” I asked. Brandi looked up from picking up another stick.

“I guess,” she said and looked back to where Amber worked. “She’s cooking already. How much you want to bet that brings more creatures than the spice would.”

“I wouldn’t take that bet,” I said. “Besides, it could be a bit before anything more shows up. Might as well fight on a full stomach, right?”

She turned to head back without a word. When we arrived, she dropped off her wood beside the fire that burnt steadily just beneath the carcass Amber had skewered.

We settled down around the fire and looked out across the valley. It was strange to see so much life underground, and I actually stopped noticing the rock ceiling before long.

“Here,” Amber said and dropped a wooden plate into my lap with a sizeable chunk of meat on it. She handed me a cup of water before grabbing another plate and giving it to Brandi. “Eat while it’s still hot, it’s kind of chewy when it cools.”

Amber sat down with her legs crossed and tore into the meat with her fingers. She ate quickly, almost as if she were starving. Every few bites she would lick her fingers clean and wipe her chin with the back of her hand. I looked down at the meat on my plate and didn’t see the appeal.

I took a long sip of water and then relaxed back against a stump. I watched the girls eat, picking at my food from time to time. I couldn’t stop wondering why things were so quiet. I expected a lot more insects and other creatures calling.

It was as Amber cleaned up that we heard something new. An explosion echoed throughout the entire area, the sound almost deafening. I stood up and move to the edge of the cliffs. The girls joining me, and we watched a section of the spice fields burn. Flashes of magic flared in the smoke. Throughout the valley before us more spells went off, creating light among the trees and spice.

I looked back at Brandi and Amber, not sure what to say. Neither of them noticed as their were focused in shock on everything. I turned back to our camp, and that’s when I noticed a movement among the bushes.