Page 139 of The Wishing Game

"That way." He points to an unbeaten track. "I remember from the map," he rasps.

I nod. There's no point in arguing with him now.

The vegetation becomes increasingly harder to traverse, the foliage thicker than before. We walk for another thirty minutes before he motions me to the right, down a windy path that gets us out of the thick vegetation and into a rockier environment.

Ze seems to get weaker by the moment, his breathing harsh and pronounced. But every time I ask if he's all right, he tells me he's fine and we should push forward.

It's some ten minutes later that we come to the location he had in mind—a big rock with a hidden opening in the back. How the map would have had this small detail is beyond me, but I don't question it as I help Ze inside the cave-like structure.

It's hidden enough from sight that we should be fine for a while. But the size of it is a little concerning. The mouth of the opening is small—so much so that we both need to get down on our knees to crawl inside.

"Wow," I whisper as we both make it on the other side.

Although the entrance was tiny, the interior is certainly not. The ceiling is high, with a few small holes on each side to let light in.

Ze slumps to the floor, dropping our bag next to him, and gets a sip of water. Leaving him there, I walk around a little, noticing some odd constructions that are certainlynotnatural. This makes me suspect that the entire rock is some sort of shelter, especially as I find a small pond at the end of the cave that leads into a subterranean river. Getting to my haunches, I put my palms together and take a bit of water to taste.

It's sweet. If we boil it, we might be able to drink it. If Ze's body will be weakened from the venom, then he'll need a lot of hydration.

Spending a bit more time looking around, I find some dusty cloth, some animal bones, and a few containers—signs that someone lived here before.

"We need to make a fire," Ze croaks. He gets to his feet, wobbling toward the center of the cave. We find some materials for the fire, after which Ze teaches me how to light one—in case he will not be able to in the future.

The more he talks, the more anxious I get that this is more serious than he's been making it out to be. Is he dying and he doesn't want to tell me because I might freak out?

As the sparks from the fire flare to life, the cave is inundated with light and warmth. That's when I notice some strange illustrations on the wall of the cave.

"Is that..."

"Language," Ze states. "The language of those who make P'davi their home."

"But you said it's an intermediary realm." I frown.

His lips twitch.

"Precisely. If you are not welcome in your world and if you cannot go to another one, what do you do?"

"You're stuck in limbo."

"Indeed." He coughs.

I hurry to his side, offering him a little more water. Seeing his wan complexion, I place my hand to his forehead, checking his temperature.

My eyes flare open in shock. He's...burning.

"Ze..." I whisper, my voice cracking with pain.

He did this for me—to saveme.

He grabs onto my hand, slowly looking up at me, his eyes now a light purple.

"I will be fine," he assures me.

"You better," I sniffle. "You can't die, you hear me?"

A sad smile plays at his lips.

"You know... You are the first person to tell menotto die."

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