Survived

The air in The Spine was damp and oppressive, the scent of earth mingling with the sharp tang of decay. Oliver felt an unsettling mix of awe and trepidation as he stood before the Wicker Goddess, her formidable presence casting an imposing shadow over him. Now that he wasn’t trying to escape, he had a chance to look at the large being. Her body was a living mosaic of twisting vines and gnarled wood, creating a form that was beautiful and terrifying. She felt like the embodiment of nature’s cruelty, and he was acutely aware of her simmering irritation.

“Well…this is unusual,” she said, her voice dripping with condescension. “I was sure that I would be able feed my children with your blood.”

“Happy to help?” Oliver swallowed hard, feeling small under her scrutinizing gaze. Though she did promise not to harm him if he succeeded, there wasn’t much he could do if the Wicker Goddess changed her mind.

Her words were laced with a sharpness that cut through him. “I will keep my word. You are free to return to The Bone Lord”

“So I’m out of danger?”

“Danger is only the beginning, creature,” she snapped, her vines quivering with barely contained fury. “The Breach Between is a battlefield of egos, ruled by monsters who’d rather tear each other apart than share a meal. You think you can just wander through here, and not face the fury of one of the many Dread Lords? You’re delusional.”

He bristled at her dismissive tone, trying to control his temper. “I didn’t choose to stay, you know. I’m just trying to find my way back home.”

“Home?” She laughed, a harsh, mirthless sound. “Home? You are not free to go home. You will never be. You’re entangled now in the power here. Understand this: the moment you saved her, you sealed your fate.”

Oliver’s heart raced as he absorbed her words. “What do you mean? Am I supposed to be some sort of pawn in your game?”

“Pawn?” she echoed, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “You became a pawn when you succeeded where The Bone Lord expected you to fail. You soothed my fury. An impossibility by anyone else as it is not within our psyche. You’ve earned The Dread Lord of the South’s attention. You have proven to do the impossible and he will use you until you either succeed or simply die.”

He fought the urge to take a step back, grounding himself in her fervent intensity. “I’m going home.”

“Believe what you will,” she said, exhaling sharply. “But listen as it is important. The Breach is carved into territories, ruled by the Hivekeeper, the Bone Lord, myself, the Plague King, and the Forlorn Mistress. Most of us can’t stand each other. Alliances shift like the wind, often turning to betrayal before you can blink. You will need to tread carefully when the Bone Lord sends you.”

“Right,” Oliver murmured, the gravity of her words sinking in. He was going home.

With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a vine from her body, its leaves shimmering in the dim light. Oliver watched, spellbound, as she twisted it into a bracelet, the energy radiating from it palpable. “Wear this,” she commanded, fastening it around his wrist with a deft motion. “It’s a mark of my favor, proof to your new master that you succeeded.”

“Thanks, I guess?” he muttered, the weight of the bracelet settling against his skin. It felt warm, almost alive, a reminder of her presence.

“Don’t thank me,” she warned, her eyes gleaming with a predatory sharpness. “This one success does not make me trust you more. It is The Law of Unyielding Favor, that is around your wrist.”

Oliver nodded, absorbing the tension in the air. He felt both exhilarated. He had survived. “Sooo…?”

“Get out of my sight,” she snapped, her irritation flaring anew. “You’re wasting my time. The longer you linger, the more I want to drain you.”

Oliver didn’t need another warning. As fast as he could, he scrambled out of the ruins, and took off as fast as he could down the hill back towards the arch.