Dominic had never felt so helpless before. Neither he, nor Victoria had really noticed that Natalie and Corey had fallen so far behind while they were talking. Not until a sudden explosion of violent coughing had made him jump, the both of them whirling around to find the source.

At first Dominic was simply confused. Sure it was obvious that something had disturbed the dust that was scattered beneath their feet, but what could his friends have possibly done to cause it? The next thing he knew, he was being thrown aside as Victoria drew her blade, hissing in a low voice, "Stay back!"

A moment later, the dust exploded in front of her, a creature launching itself forward with enough force to stir up a white trail behind it. Dominic's first confused impression was if a hermit crab had given its shell over to a manta ray. It had the day's flat wings and a short, spiraling outer shell, but as he took in the creature, he realized that was as far as the similarities went.

The first thing he noticed, as the beast started to viciously attack Victoria, was the bladed front limbs. Hooked like a scythe, they slashed in quick succession, making Dominic's jaw drop as each strike was met with a clash as Victoria parried them with inhuman speed, backing up rapidly, until there was a few feet between the combatants and the cowering boy.

The lower limbs on the creature were closer to what one might expect to see on a millipede, if it were the size of a large dog. Dominic couldn't see teeth or eyes, but his imagination was filling in the blanks well enough. In his terror, it took a few seconds for him to register that Victoria was yelling instructions to him, ordering him to try and guide his friends out of the dust storm, with growing urgency.

A sharp stab of fear down his spine sent the boy running to the edge of the dust cloud, shouting, begging for one of his friends to answer him, but as the coughing subsided, and still neither of them responded to his pleas, he became more and more afraid. On a whim, he shrugged his bow from its place on his shoulder, talking it in hand and nocking an arrow.

The weapon warmed in his touch as he drew the string back, aiming forward and beginning to breathe quickly. He needed to help them, he needed to take the shot. His friends were in danger, they could be dying. They could be dead.

The thought froze his mind for a few moments, and his grip loosened on the bow string, ready to send the arrow flying.

What if they weren't, though?

Doubt had him hesitating as his fingers began to cramp and his arms shook from holding the draw. A figure dashing by him in his peripheral had Dominic recoiling, sending the arrow flying haphazardly into the cloud of dust, miraculously opposite of where Victoria vanished.

A few seconds later, he heard a crunch, and just like that, it was over. The wildly flying dust started to settle, and white figures emerged as Corey stumbled out, wheezing heavily, and Victoria followed, though Dominic couldn't make sense of her appearance. She was misshapen, too many limbs flopping about, with no distinction between any of them.

As she bent over, though, Dominic's stomach sank as Natalie's prone form fell to the ground, and his body went numb, the cold bow falling from his fingers. He could only stare as Victoria pulled a scarf from where it covered her nose and mouth and leaned over Natalie, working to revive her with quick and precise actions.

Both boys were still and silent as the woman started to mutter under her breath as a minute passed. The angry words grew louder and more distinct, and Dominic realized that he couldn't understand a word she was saying, although some of the words were familiar, resonating with some similarities to the language they used today. He was even able to understand that the woman was cursing, and doing so furiously.

His fear grew with each passing moment, making him tense until he felt like a light touch could snap his bones, so Dominic jumped clear from the ground when an explosion of coughing burst from Natalie with enough force that she started retching. Corey rushed forward to help Victoria flip her onto her side, his face paler than Dominic had ever thought possible as he tried to get his limbs to work, to rush to his friend's side, but it was as if his brain and body had disconnected from each other, and he was simply frozen in place, watching while Victoria supported Natalie, holding her up with soothing assurances and Corey held her hand.

Dominic's legs finally unlocked after it occurred to him that he should be holding her other hand, she should know that they were both there for her, that as miserable as she seemed, she wasn't alone. He stumbled forward, taking her free hand and clasping it in both of his. The coughing fit lasted what seemed like forever, before Natalie finally stilled, her eyes closed and her breathing just a little too fast and too shallow to be normal.

"Is she…?" Dominic's voice cracked with fear as he broke the tense silence.

"She'll live," Victoria answered quietly, "But we need to get her to the cottage as quickly as possible, she needs a safe place to rest and recover. You, as well."

Corey barely blinked when the woman turned her eyes on him, the dust covering him giving him a ghostly appearance, his attention fixated on Nat, but when Victoria slipped her hands under her to pick the girl up, he blinked and his eyes refocused to look first at Victoria, then at Dominic.

"Are you okay?" his voice came out in a croak, his throat raw from choking on the dust. Dominic stared at his friend in disbelief, as Corey stood and looked him over after getting no answer. How could he possibly be concerned about anyone other than himself and Natalie, who actually deserved it?

"I'm fine." The smaller boy finally muttered, unable to stand the overwhelming concern on Corey's face, turning away to follow after Victoria, the woman having started moving with Natalie in her arms.

Natalie didn't so much as twitch while they walked, and Corey broke the silence only a few times to ask after her state of mind. Otherwise, they traveled in silence, the passage remaining clear and crystal, yet not once did Victoria falter in her stride or hesitate at a crossroad. Corey's eyes remained on Natalie, reassuring himself with the occasional moments when she would take a deep and shuddering breath. Dominic stayed back a couple feet, only watching the ground beneath his feet while he continued to dwell on his self-inflicted failings, with his bow held in a loose grip at his side. By luck or fate they discovered no more of the creatures in the dust, and when Victoria finally broke the silence, it was enough of a surprise to the younger boys that they both flinched at the sound of her voice.

"We're here."