A Shadow in the Ember

From the lake, Sera demands that the lurking presence reveal themselves. As she waits in tense silence, she notices a shadow behind a waterfall, and the silver-eyed god emerges. She questions his intentions. The god claims he was enjoying the night and stumbled upon Sera, which only irritates her. Despite their banter, she feels attraction. When she notes she doesn’t know his name, he says, “Some call me Ash” (142). Sera notices intricate tattoo-like markings on Ash’s back and is curious about their significance. He reveals they have impending company, and Sera becomes fearful when she sees more figures emerging from the woods.

The figures are dead-looking people with sewn mouths. Sera asks what they are, and Ash replies they are Gyrms, Hunters, that are looking for something. The Hunters attack Sera and Ash. Although he tells her to leave, she stays to help him fight. She smells stale lilacs again, like she did before Andreia Joanis’s revival. Ash and Sera continue to banter, and he reveals the only way to kill Hunters is to cut off their heads or stab them in the heart. A snake emerges from one of the Hunter’s mouths, the only animal that scares Sera.