Page 101 of Duskbound

"What kind of price?"

"I don't know." His jaw tightened. "It's different for everyone."

"Why did you go to them before?"

He was quiet for so long I thought he wouldn't answer. Finally, he said, "Because I was young and desperate." The words carried a weight that made me hesitate to ask more.

Just then, the clouds parted, revealing a peak that seemed to pierce the eternal twilight itself. Its dark stone stretched impossibly high, edges jagged and cruel against the gray sky.

Aether signaled for us to descend, guiding Nihr toward a wide shelf of volcanic rock that jutted out from the mountain face. The ledge was barely large enough for both Vördr to land, forcing them to touch down one at a time.

Tryggar's hooves struck stone with surprising grace, though the impact still sent loose rocks skittering over the edge. I slid from his back, my boots finding the uneven surface. The shelf dropped away sharply on three sides, leaving us surrounded by nothing but air and distant peaks.

"We need to move," Aether said, already studying the rough cliff face that stretched above us. "The cave is higher up, but we'll have to go on foot from here."

I turned to Tryggar, who nudged me softly with his nose. "Stay out of sight, okay?" The beast pushed his head into my hands and I gave him a final scratch before turning to Aether.

He pointed to a narrow ledge about thirty feet above us. "There first. We'll have to move quickly—avoid plummeting to our deaths."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, but didn't allow myself to look down.

His form dissolved into shadow, rising like smoke before materializing on the ledge above. My heart thundered as I focused on my own transformation. The sensation was still new—that weightless feeling as my physical form became shadow. I pushed up through the air, forcing myself to move faster than natural. And just as I felt the shadows beginning to fray, I reformed on the ledge beside him.

"Good," he said, already scanning for our next landing point. "See that outcropping? The one that curves slightly to the left?"

I nodded, noting how the rock formed a small shelf about forty feet up. This jump would be longer—more dangerous if we didn't make it in time.

"Ready?" he asked, but he was already dissolving into shadow.

We continued like this, moving from point to point, each transformation draining more energy than the last. The higher we climbed, the harder it became to hold our spectre forms. One slip, one moment of lost concentration, and we'd fall hundreds of feet into the rocks below.

Finally, we reached a wider ledge that curved around the mountain face. The rough stone was littered with loose pebbles and debris that shifted under our boots. I pressed my back against the cliff wall, trying not to look at the dizzying drop beside us.

"There," Aether said, nodding toward an opening in the rock face about fifty feet ahead. The cave mouth was angular, its edges far too precise to be naturally formed.

"Last jump," he said, already gathering shadows around himself.

I followed his lead, pushing through the air as quickly as I could. My form began to waver just as I reached the cave entrance, and I stumbled slightly as I materialized on solid ground. Aether caught my arm, steadying me.

The entrance tunnel was pitch black, the darkness so complete it seemed to swallow the dim light from outside. A cold draft whispered from its depths, carrying a scent I couldn't quite place—something metallic.

For a moment, it reminded me of the Void.

I pulled out Vindskald's memoir, its leather binding worn smooth by time. "I guess this is it."

"Stay close," Aether said, his voice echoing slightly against stone walls. "The tunnels branch off in different directions."

We moved deeper, our boots scraping against rock despite attempts at stealth. The passage twisted left, then right, each turn taking us further from what little light remained. I pressed my hand against the wall, using it to guide me through the absolute darkness. My heart thundered in my chest—it was too fucking dark.

Then something strange began to happen. At first, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, creating shapes in the dark. But the shadows around us started to shift, to separate into distinct shades of black and gray. The walls emerged from the darkness, their surface rough and crystalline, glittering with tiny fragments of some mineral I didn't recognize. The tunnel ahead became clear—curving sharply about twenty feet ahead, the ceiling dropping lower at the bend.

I stopped, stunned. "I can see everything."

"Another gift from the Void," Aether said, turning to face me. Even in the darkness, his golden eyes seemed to glow.

"Is this how you see all the time?" I asked, taking in details Ishouldn't have been able to make out—the jagged patterns in the rock, the way certain crystals caught non-existent light, the subtle movement of air disturbing loose pebbles.

"Among other things." That ghost of a smile played at his lips. "Darkness becomes an ally rather than an obstacle. Though I suspect you're already familiar with that concept."

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