The next day began without a word. Struggle and desperation awaited them, and more than likely death, but before all that they had to climb. Redmun gave a sullen look at Jessa's backside as she climbed ahead. The shivering Layla watched on. Waiting on him, like the useless child she was.

“Alright,” he said, flexing his still-mangled hands, stretching out the bite on his shoulder. He'd prefer not to have to even carry himself up that height, but there was nothing for it. He stepped toward Layla. “Let's-”

Layla shrieked. The Banshee's claw appeared around her, ethereal and massive, and in one motion hauled her up the cliff, depositing her gracelessly on the grass. Once done, Jessa frowned down at him from on high. “Come on, time's wasting.” Grabbing Layla by the back of the dress, she yanked the girl up, and disappeared.

Redmun laughed, the smile lingering even as he struggled his own way up the cliff. By the time he was up they were already ahead, Layla struggling to follow Jessa's harsh march. He dashed to catch up, falling in beside the marching Jessa. Suddenly things felt a little better.

Ahead Lutmouth looked nothing more than a hole dug into the side of a mountain, a single sharp peak piercing the earth and sky before them, miles away. A few of those sudden rises and falls littered their path, and there was no Great Tree in between. That meant no protection from the Sky-Stars above. Their only hope was to move slowly, and carefully; It was unlikely, but they just might go unnoticed. If that didn't work… They'd see just how fast Layla could run.

Jessa knew the plan, Layla did not. The first worry was how long it would take until she realized they weren't going to make it before nightfall. Actually, the first problem, Redmun thought, is whether or not she makes it alive during the day. He glanced back at the sickly woman. She'd awoken that morning with a hacking cough, and looked like a lost soul wandering through a fog, her eyes barely even registering what was before her. Worse, she kept falling behind. They'd have to carry her, before the day's end. There was no doubt about it.

Redmun kept glancing upwards, hoping to gauge just how many of those revolting things were inhabiting the tree. Sky-Stars had limited mating habits, making them one of the rarest species in all of the Howling Plains, but just one of the things could be suicidal odds. It was early still, and none were visible. He could hear some faint sounds, but the thing was too damn tall to be sure how strong this nest would be.

“Layla,” Redmun said, making himself look away from the treetop. The woman didn't respond, still gazing at the ground, shuffling her feet along. “Layla?”

The woman's eyes snapped up with a gasp, and searched about. “What? What?”

“Shh,” he said, gritting his teeth. He glared at Jessa before she could glare at him. This isn't going to work. She isn't going to make it. Why am I bothering? The thoughts intruded in his mind, unwanted but necessary. Mercy killing wasn't something he was used to, but neither would it be his first time. What else could they do, really? Even so, he wanted to save someone, to prove he wasn't just a waste of space. He was a Possessor. One single, miserable life saved shouldn't be that hard for him. So, why was it? “Quiet, Layla, it's alright. I need to talk to you.”

“Yes?” the woman asked, her ghostly voice barely reaching his ear, her eyelids heavy. “What is it?”

He peered back over at the tree. Some shadows, circling high above near the clouds. “The Evils in the tree behind us are… We're going to have to run, very soon.”

Layla's eyes shot open. She lunged, grabbed at his collar and breastplate as if for dear life. “Run?” Her breaths came in weak, crackling gasps. “From what? I can't run!”

Redmun swallowed, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her along. They needed to keep moving. “I know. We'll probably have to carry you. But you need to be quiet, do you understand?”

“I…” She blinked up at him. “Yes. Yes, I think so.” Her eyes returned to the ground for a moment, and she began to murmur. “Please…. Don't let me die.”

Redmun hesitated, and glanced at Jessa. She was glaring at him, hard and with meaning. He knew what she wanted. The moment was coming, fast. He had his dagger, and Layla wasn't looking. He could make it quick. Then they could fight without worrying about her, if it came to it, or run without having to carry her. She was a burden, and she might just get them killed.

But he wouldn't. This one he would save, no matter what it took.

Very noble of you.

Redmun ground his teeth, hiding his face. He breathed deep until the fury at the Evil's intrusion on his thoughts was at least manageable, before he spoke. “We won't Layla,” he said, grabbing her hand. “We won't. Just walk a little longer, and we'll take care of the rest.”

Layla nodded, but didn’t look up.

Jessa lead them around a small promontory, a single oval-shaped bluff only thirty meters at its widest. The deep calls rang out once more, this time clearer, and Redmun spotted a creature almost without comparison writhing its way through the air.

He swung his head back, and kept walking. The thing was massive. He'd never seen one so big before – not that he'd seen many. Had it been coming towards them? He didn't want to look. That could provoke it.

Things wouldn't have been so bad if they had their horses, or at least their weapons. As it was they were slow, starving, and practically unarmed.

They approached the next rise. Redmun climbed as swiftly as he could while not seeming in a hurry. Jessa tossed Layla up with a gigantic Banshee-hand, and scuttled up herself. Redmun peered back once he reached the top. More of them, a few small ones, at least one other adult. They weren't following, but they were watching. Redmun was sure of it.

“We need to move faster,” he said. He picked Layla off the ground – shocked at her feather-like weight – and hauled her over his shoulder. Redmun could feel Layla's fiery heat through his jacket. A fever, and she was murmuring again.

They ran for a minute, maybe more, before the strange sounds of the things reached them. He ran harder.

The wind raged at their sides, daring them to misplace a step and go tumbling. The deep, rolling groans from atop the tree continued to grow. Layla's weight shifted as she looked upward, then suddenly back down. Her jagged fingernails dug into Redmun's ribs in fear.

A hunk of acid landed to Redmun's left, carving a crater twice the size of a man's head. Redmun veered a little away from it, and Jessa moved in kind. The dodging shouldn't be so bad, but that was the sign. The chase was on.

They came to the first drop, with an equal rise immediately after, like someone had cut a level groove into the earth a hundred-foot-wide and a mile long. They leapt, and Layla screamed. He tried to toss her into the air for Jessa, who was already summoning the Banshee's hand to catch with. Layla struggled, kicked off his shoulder, sending his flight askew. He fell head first towards the ground.

He tucked his head and pulled his legs in close. His arms, however, moved too slow. As he struck the ground, his left arm got caught between his breastplate and the ground, and cracked.

“Aa-!” he barely caught his cry, desperate to stay quiet. A proper break, he could feel where the bones were no-longer aligned, even under the incredible pain that threatened to paralyze him.

I could teach you not to worry about such things, Frail Redmun, the voice whispered, the only other sound in his ear besides his desperate gasps. Jessa had the sickly woman now, sprinting with all their might towards the next rise. Redmun struggled after them, arm tucked to his side. The burning light began to pulse through his veins.

Not now! He screamed inside of his mind, pushing away the Light.

Then when? The Evil said, sounding… displeased. It had never been that way before. You promised to accept my help. You can fix your broken limb. Will you fight without it?

QUIET!

They approached the next rise, and Redmun set to it with his single arm, his lungs aflame with the energy, and the effort. Though he knew not quite how, Redmun managed to crest the cliff just behind Jessa, with Layla following. Jessa spared a frown for Redmun's mangled arm, and grabbed Layla again.

The wind shifted, now at their back, bringing the sounds, and the smell, of the Great Tree's residents. It was a slick, slimy smell, and Redmun's mind came blank for any sort of comparison. All he knew was that he had to resist gagging, and even from that distance, it seemed to cling to his skin. The rolling calls, something between a distressed cat's meowl and rumbling earth, were closer now.

They were just about to scale the next up-shot section of earth when Redmun, taking the opportunity to turn, saw that their time was up.

There were three of them. Three enormous creatures, slithering their way through the air like a snake through water. The thing's pale, flat shape was pudgy, and wider than two carts abreast, shaped vaguely like a star with its arms cut short. From their soft undersides sprang gently flailing tentacles of varying sizes. And at the front of the thing, a thicker collection of tentacles circled the mouth. It glistened with acidic slime.

His stomach twisted in his abdomen, and he rushed up the bluff. He somehow improved upon his previous time, beating Jessa and Layla to the top. They were coming, and they were defenseless. His arm was still broken. It made him sick to have to consider it, but the Evil was right.

Fine, he thought in his mind as he glanced up. They only had a few seconds.

The Light rose up from his chest, burning, agonizing, beautiful. He clamped down on that last thought, not letting the disgusting seduction of the thing's energies get a foothold in his mind. He guided the power through his veins and into his arm, as he set the bones right. The power swam into the injury, and seemed to cauterize it healed.

Excellent, the Evil whispered in his ear. With its power rushing through him, the sense of it being right behind him was even more intense, and he had to struggle not to shiver. Now, if you wish to use my power in this fight, might I suggest-

“I know how to use it, Evil,” Redmun muttered aloud, and took a stance, readying his dagger. Beside him, Jessa was similarly posed, Layla sprawled on the ground behind them. The three Star-Fish were just seconds away. “Just stay out of it.”

If you insist. It spoke with just a hint of amusement.

The first Evil approached. Its mouth compressed, then released. Redmun was just quick enough to dodge the acid-spit, but as his roll completed, the side of the Evil's body struck his ribs, knocking him flat.

The next one moved to pass above, its under-tentacles reaching. Redmun struck out, wreathing his hand – and only the hand – in Light. He touched each grasper as they arrived, and his hand felt almost nothing as it passed through. Where flesh was, ash fell. The creature cried out, and rose up out of his grasp.

Redmun rolled to his feet, seeing all three circling back around them. The third – the one that had gone for Jessa – had several long gashes along its side, one of its star-like limbs curled in, wounded. The other two had barely a scratch.

Not good enough, Redmun thought. What else…

He curled the fingers of his light-wreathed hands together, and focused the light within. It was as if his arm was on fire, but that hardly mattered right then. The light poured from his fingertips, coalescing into a glowing sphere, barely the size of a pebble. It was blinding, and the power he had to funnel to create the thing seared his entire being, its sweet sensations threatening to overwhelm his mind. He'd handled more, once, but still he cried out from the struggle.

The next Sky-Star dove, it's drooling mouth open wide. Redmun stepped backwards, and threw.

His aim was true, and the tiny, sun-bright spot flew straight into its mouth. It detonated.

The thing bulged, ash dripping from its mouth as it dropped like a stone. Redmun leapt aside as it crashed to the ground, slipping over the edge, a trail of smoke and flame-less ashes left in its wake.

Redmun had just a moment of joy at his success. The other two were baring down on Jessa and Layla. He broke into a sprint towards the dying woman, curled into a ball in the grass. She didn't even see the thing coming towards her, didn't seem to hear its strange moans rolling through the wind. He pressed his legs faster with all of his strength, but he wasn't going to make it.

He thrust his hand forward, throwing the light blindly from his palm. It burst ahead, brighter than the sunlight, erupting into a cone before him. It hit Layla and the thing both, and their cries mingling in the swirling winds. The Evil veered away, soaring higher into the air, but not before its tentacles grabbed at Layla.

“NO!” Redmun leapt, grabbed her arm, and dug his knife into the earth to try and hold on, yet the thing had a good grasp on her ankle. The knife began to drag through the ground, his arms stretching painfully from the struggle to stay connected to the ground. Layla's hand barely held onto his own.

There was only one thing to do. He let go of the knife and brought his hand forward. He funneled light into his hand – careful not to use too much, lest he lose control – and released.

The light exploded from his palm like God-rays from the sky, searing the outer layers of the beast once more. The beast cried out, shriveling up and cringing away in the air, but it kept up its grasp, and its pace. They were only a few meters away from the cliff now, and the twenty foot drop there. Redmun kept funneling the light out, despite how it hurt, despite how glorious it felt. But it wasn't working. He didn't want to use more, and yet-

A ghostly hand the size of a horse appeared above the creature. Its claws dug deep into the thing's hide, plucking it from the air. Layla's ankle dropped, and her body swung over the cliff.

Redmun slammed his fist back to the ground, grabbing all the grass he could, holding onto Layla for dear life with the other. His legs, which had been set against the ground, finally met the edge.

He caught the earth with his elbow, his entire body straining with his own weight, and Layla's.

“Quiet!” he yelled down at the screaming woman, but she didn't notice him. She was looking back towards the tree. More were coming. Two more, and Jessa's claw was no-where to be seen, the Sky-Star it had been hassling turning back for another sweep. “Gods.”

It is not enough, Redmun! The power flooded from his heart like a volcano exploding in his chest. He felt it in every part of his body, behind his eyes, assaulting his mind, scorching it like acid and fire combined.

No! Redmun tried to push it down, but the heat was rising. He moved, refusing to use it.

Scrambling onto the grassy plain, Redmun rolled beneath the first sweep of the wounded Sky-Star, pulling Layla up at the same time. He spared a single glance for Jessa – she was losing her own battle, a wound on her arm bleeding and hissing – before pushing Layla to the ground. “Stay there!” he shouted, and grabbed his knife from where it lay imbedded in the dirt.

The Sky-Star dove once more, its pale, fleshy appendages twitching in anticipation, or anger. It was hard to tell on something without a face. It came in low to the ground, its wriggling appendages dragging along the earth. He charged towards it, knife in hand.

Just before they met, Redmun slid under it. He curled up, covered his face, and thrust out his knife hand.

The blade connected to the body above, slicing all the way down, but the graspers slid over him, trailing its acidic fluids across his arm, his shoulder, his face.

Redmun as he felt his skin sizzle and peel. It is not enough! The Light-Evil bellowed in his ear. He could feel it behind him, around him, consuming him. Use it, Redmun! Show them our might!

The Sky-Star slid past on the ground, coming to a stop, still twitching, but still moving. It flew up, keeping its distance, waiting.

The two new ones were coming, so close already. Jessa had been caught, her foot being slowly grabbed by constricting tentacles towards the Sky-Fishes waiting mouth. She screamed and struggled, clawing at the ground. Desperate to escape. It wasn't working. Layla lay on the ground, looking at him. Staring at him. Her head turned, saw the two others coming. Her head lulled back, her face utterly empty of everything but dread.

“Okay,” he murmured, and brought his hands together.

The Light seemed to come from every part of him, light a thousand burning whips cracking over every inch of his being. It coalesced in a shining sphere of pure…bliss. Redmun shook of the thoughts, groaning through gritted teeth with the effort. It was consuming his vision, that brightness behind his eyes, until it seemed like he was seeing a realm of infinite, blinding Light. More, he felt himself being sucked into it, the edge of sick pleasure the pain brought eroding his mind, until he was barely aware of anything but the pain, and the cleansing behind. Beyond that realm of light he could barely, just barely see the Sky-Stars coming. He had to hold on. Had to resist the torture for just a second more…

Redmun opened his hands, and the light spilled forth. A raging torrent of purest light, more intense, more beautiful than God-beams from the heavens. It raged forward, silent and blinding. His frame shook with the power of it. He aimed, barely able to see, but somehow he felt certain. First into the air, then towards Jessa's, all the time the Light whispering at his ear, his mind resisting its allure until, finally, the Light faded. He was empty. The ground came up to meet him.

Time passed. Senses began to return. The Light in his eyes slowly returned from blinding white, showing the sky. The ringing in his ears slowly reformed into the soft wind of the Howling plains. After what seemed an eternity, Redmun sat up, shivering, spent and confused. He cast about him with wide eyes, gasping.

A chunk of flesh thudded to the earth beside him, so sudden that he flinched. Did that mean… it had only been a few seconds? From where the piece fell, a puff of dust erupted. Where the flesh was missing, that same ashen wound flaked away pieces of scorched flesh, and stank of seared meat. That was all that was left of the three near him. There was nothing left of any of them.

Or Layla.

Redmun searched about. The ground where she'd been was but grey, husk-like grass left in the light's wake. Nothing more.

“I… don't get it,” Redmun spoke, his mind numb, trying to understand. He'd… been wielding the light. Why had he done that?

Screams slowly came to him as if from afar. He'd been hearing them but… Was that Jessa?

“REDMUN!”

He whipped around, and spotted her. At the edge of the radius of dead grass. She was struggling from the mouth of one of those things, its body half-consumed by his blast of light. He dashed over to her.

He got under her arms, dragging her the rest of the way out of the thing's mouth. Her foot came. Or rather, most of it did. Flesh up to her ankle was slopping off in chunks, and stank like ripe rot. Could he heal the wound, like he'd healed his own? Maybe, but it was too dangerous to try. He glanced back over to where Layla had been. Gods, why had he listened to the Evil? He should have known nothing good would come of it. Should have known. Layla was dead. Redmun had failed, again. The Evil had tricked him again.

A hand gripped his neck like a vice. “REDMUN!” Jessa screamed into his face, turning him towards her. “HELP ME.” Her eyes were as wide as they'd ever been. Redmun nodded, slowly, and hefted her off the ground and onto his shoulder. He spun until he saw Lutmouth's peak bursting from the ground, and moved forward.

He ran well into the night, mind buzzing with the shock of what had happened, registering nothing but one foot after the other, his grip on Jessa's form, and, eventually, the opening of a gate.

When that final sight reached his eyes, he collapsed.