The cool, damp air of the forest gave way to the dry warmth of the desert, tinged with the scent of sun-baked stone. Before them, the landscape sprawled—a labyrinth of jagged crags and yawning canyons, their forms painted in gold, ochre, and russet by the sinking sun. The desert seemed alive, its endless folds and peaks shifting in the stark light, as though hiding secrets just beyond sight.

  They stood, dwarfed by the vastness. A sea of ridges and shadows stretched toward the horizon, where distant mountains shimmered like ghosts in the heat. Dark gashes cut through the rock, hinting at narrow canyons swallowed by shadow. Above, the sky yawned a sharp, cloudless blue, its edges tinged with the orange-red glow of twilight.

  Jack tried to take it all in. “It doesn’t feel real,” he murmured. The desert’s sheer immensity dwarfed anything he’d ever known, its stark beauty alien and untouchable. Cabal had been a world of cramped alleyways, damp sewers, and soot-streaked rooftops. Here, the sky loomed so vast a man could drown in it.

  A shrill cry split the air—a hawk, or something like it. Jack’s gaze followed the dark speck circling above, then traced the towering cliffs where strange, twisting patterns etched the stone. Spirals rippled outward like water disturbed, while jagged lines reached skyward as if carved by colossal hands. The marks were too deliberate to be the work of wind and time.

  “What kind of place is this?” Jack whispered. “Even the rocks feel alive.”

  Rugr extended a hand to Thespis, who sat slumped on the ground, knees hugged to his chest. “Get up,” Rugr said, his tone gruff but not unkind.

  Thespis hesitated before taking it. Trusting someone who had just shoved him through a portal wasn’t easy. Rugr seemed to sense the doubt lingering in Thespis’s expression. He gave what almost passed for an apologetic smile.

  “Well, here we are,” Rugr said, brushing sand from his sleeves. “Care to share the grand plan now?”

  Jack blinked, snapping from his daze. “Uh… right.” He looked to Kleo, hoping for guidance.

  But Kleo’s gaze was fixed on the horizon. A dark pull thrummed at the edges of her mind, a rhythmic beat like a distant drum. She could feel it, a presence waiting—unseen, yet unmistakable. It demanded her attention, tugging her forward.

  She didn’t want to follow. But she knew she would.

  Beside her, Bug Bug shifted, his massive, jointed legs sifting through the sand. He was patient, waiting for her signal. In this unforgiving land, he was in his element. His knowledge of the terrain would guide them, a tether to survival in the endless maze of stone.

  “We’ll follow Bug Bug,” Kleo said, her voice steady. “There’s something in the desert. Something I can’t turn away from. He knows the way.”

  Rugr’s jaw tightened, his disapproval unconcealed.

  “And the sanctuary?” he asked, his voice clipped. “Your mother’s remains are still our priority.”

  “We’ll decide once we’re further in,” Kleo replied, her tone firm. “But whatever’s waiting out there—it’s part of this.”

  “You don’t like the plan?” Jack asked.

  Rugr shrugged. “I’d prefer we stick together. Whatever’s waiting will just have to wait longer.”

  “We’ll discuss it when the time comes,” Kleo said, closing the conversation.

  She locked eyes with Bug Bug. Nest.

  The word hung between them, the command pulsing through their bond. Bug Bug’s response returned like an echo: Nest.

  Without another word, he moved forward, his legs shifting with eerie grace as he scuttled across the sand. Jack, Maya, and Will exchanged uncertain glances before gathering their gear and following. Rugr and Thespis brought up the rear, the box containing Kleo’s mother balanced between them.

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  The desert stretched endlessly onward, and the jagged crags grew taller with each step, the shadows deepening as the sun slipped lower. The air buzzed with an unseen energy, brushing against their senses like a whisper from something ancient. Jack’s gaze lingered on the cliffside carvings, half-expecting them to shift beneath his eyes.

  Jack couldn’t shake the feeling that the desert was swallowing them whole.

  Maya walked beside him, her expression uneasy. “This place is… alive,” she murmured.

  Jack nodded. A prickling sensation crept along his spine. “I feel like it’s watching.”

  Ahead, Kleo pressed on, her shoulders squared with determination. Jack could sense the weight of her resolve, the tension coiled within her. Whatever awaited in the desert’s depths, she would face it. But the question lingered: would he be strong enough to stand beside her when the time came?

  Bug Bug, his movements sure and steady, scuttled across the rough terrain, leading the way.

  Will walked at the back of the group, a few steps behind Maya and Jack. His sharp gaze scanned the cliffs and hollows, searching for threats but finding only stark beauty. The jagged rocks and shifting shadows seemed endless, the vastness of the desert both awe-inspiring and unnerving.

  Maya adjusted the strap of her pack, trying to settle its weight. “Jack, this is a good time to practice your magic. It’ll sharpen your skills—maybe even expand them.”

  Jack looked at her, intrigued. “Like what? You mean some of the things I’ve seen you do?”

  Maya smiled. “Yes. But first, I want to help you refine what you already know. Take the basics and adapt them. Once you figure out how to change and repurpose something simple, it opens a world of possibilities.”

  “I’m all ears,” Jack replied. “Where do we start?”

  Maya hesitated. Her smile faded.

  “Before we get to that, Will and I wanted to share something with you. We’ve avoided it until now because… well, it’s tied to something painful for us.”

  Jack glanced over his shoulder at Will, whose expression remained neutral.

  “I’m listening.”

  “It’s about the Dark Witch. You and Kleo defeated her, right?”

  Jack nodded. “Yeah. But I don’t remember much. Most of what I know comes from the Woogs and their stories. I couldn’t tell you how much of it is truth or exaggeration. Kleo remembers everything, though, so if you want specifics, she’s the one to ask.”

  “That’s okay,” Maya said. “We’ve heard the Woog stories more times than we care to admit. It was impossible to get them to stop.”

  “They love telling that story,” Will added with a grin.

  They all chuckled, the brief levity softening the weight of the conversation. Then Maya’s tone shifted, the air between them growing heavier.

  “Did you know that Will and I encountered the Dark Witch about four years ago?”

  Jack’s brows shot up. He glanced between them, the easy humor vanishing. “No. What happened?”

  Maya exhaled, her gaze fixed on the path ahead. “It was one of our worst days. We underestimated her power. Went in unprepared. We paid for it.”

  Her voice tightened. “We lost three friends that day. One of them was Will’s brother, Jerod.”

  Jack stopped walking. The weight of her words struck hard. He turned toward Will, who had also paused. The usual confidence in Will’s expression was replaced by something quieter—raw and vulnerable.

  “I’m so sorry,” Jack said. “I can’t imagine what you went through—either of you.”

  Will stepped forward, placing a firm hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Thanks, Jack,” he said. “It’s not something we’ve wanted to talk about, but… we’re trying to make peace with it.”

  There was a beat of silence before Jack’s voice dropped to a growl.

  “Fuck that bitch.”

  Will’s mouth twitched, and then he burst into laughter. “Right?”

  Maya grinned, the fierceness in her expression undeniable. “Seriously. Fuck that bitch.”

  The laughter that followed was rough but healing. The bitterness still lingered, but for a moment, it felt lighter.

  They resumed their march. The vast landscape stretched endlessly ahead, the sun casting long shadows across the jagged stone. After a time, Jack’s voice broke the silence.

  “Thanks for telling me. That couldn’t have been easy.”

  Maya nodded. “It was time for us to say it out loud.” Her voice softened. “Now, let’s focus on something productive. Magic is like a muscle—the more you use it, the stronger it gets.”

  “Okay, teacher,” Jack said with a smirk. “What’s my first lesson?”

  Maya’s eyes gleamed. “The orb you conjure to light the way? Start with that. Focus on changing its color. Shift it through the spectrum. Simple concept, harder than it sounds.”

  Jack raised a hand, summoning a small orb of brilliant white light. It hovered above his palm, glowing with a steady hum.

  “Okay,” he said, narrowing his eyes at it. “Change color. Easy enough.”

  The orb stayed white. Jack frowned. He tried to will it into something else—blue, green, anything but white—but the stubborn glow refused to shift.

  “It’s not working.”

  Maya’s lips twitched with amusement as she exchanged a glance with Will. Without a word, Will reached for her hand, their fingers entwining.

  “Keep trying,” Maya called, her voice playfully stern. “It’s supposed to be hard.”

  Jack scowled at the orb. “Sure, no problem. Give me a minute. I just have to figure out how to bend light to my will. Should be easy.”

  Will snorted, the sound carrying through the otherwise still air.

  “You’ve got this,” Maya teased, though her voice held genuine encouragement.

  The orb hovered, still defiantly white. Jack sighed but kept his focus, determined to cause a shift.

  Their laughter echoed off the canyon walls, mingling with the hum of the desert. The shadows shifted as they pressed onward, the distant horizon promising trial and discovery.