Erador picked berries from a bush that extended from under the eaves of the roof. The silver and copper moons shined on the quiet street lined with single-story homes. He stopped a berry before his lips as he remembered Loma telling him he shouldn’t steal her berries. He smiled and ate it as he watched the moons. If he didn’t listen to his father, even when he was whipped, he wasn’t going to behave for some moons that looked like little round pumice stones.

  His feet carried him up the creaking wooden steps worn from age. He was grateful the manor wasn’t visible from Loma’s porch. Wind chimes rattled in a welcoming song as fire flickered in the lamp. He stuck a berry in his mouth and a sweet, tart flavor burst on his tongue.

  “So you’re the one stealing my berries? I should’ve known.”

  Smiling, Erador shoved another fruit in. He turned around. Loma’s fist locked to her hip. She pushed a watering can into his chest.

  “You’re lucky, you’re cute,” Loma said, squeezing his cheek. “You’re a bit late. I was getting worried.”

  “Worried?” Erador said, pouring water in the pots with sprouting sunflowers. “What’s there to... Oh.” He tilted the can up. “You mean my father?”

  “You can never be sure.” Loma leaned over the railing and removed brown leaves from the berry bushes. “How is he?”

  “He’s eating.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  Erador dumped a few more berries in his mouth. “I’m surprised no one stole these yet, with the lack of food."

  “That’s because people think they’re poisonous, thanks to these.” She moved to the adjacent bush on the other side of the steps. The fruit shared the same shape and color as the one’s Erador ate, except they were smooth and shiny rather than dull and fuzzy. “Good thing you’re smart enough to know the difference.”

  Loma patted his cheek. He stopped chewing and rolled the fruit in his palm, relieved the fuzz tickled his skin.

  She picked up a pair of pruners and clipped dead stems off a plant. The snipping sounds, the wind chimes, and the creaking porch as Loma moved back and forth were music to his ears. It felt like yesterday his feet dangled off the bench unable to reach the bottom. Cade was next to him as they ate Loma’s sweets and laughed.

  Erador set the watering can down. “How’s Cade?”

  “Won’t stop talking my ear off. He’s been nagging to play with you.”

  Smiling, Erador bit his lip. “He can come to the manor.”

  Loma stopped clipping, eyebrows drawn in. “You know how he feels there.”

  “I... guess I can’t blame him.”

  Erador opened the front door and was welcomed in by the smell of cinnamon incense. A couch and armchairs surrounded the short table. Knitted throws, draped over the backrests, added color to the worn furniture. Black drapes were chained to the windowsills. The light from the lone flickering candle reached the religious statues of the Senith gods set on every shelf and table. He had unfortunately memorized the gods’ faces after being forced to dust them with Loma every second Monday. If it were up to her, he’d remember all their names too. They needed to be cleaned and purified before she prayed.

  A voice called him from the other room. Heavy footsteps moved across the floorboards as Cade appeared in the doorway. His one foot was turned in and he walked with a stiff gait at a slower pace than Erador would take to get to him. With a smile, Cade stretched out his arms and Erador pulled him into an embrace. His dark hair was disheveled, which meant Loma hadn’t combed her fingers through it yet. Cade’s eyes appeared black in the shadows, but they were the same color as Erador’s. It wasn’t the only thing they had in common. Cade had a shadow element too.

  “How have you been?” Erador asked.

  Cade’s mouth twitched as he smiled. “I might be... dying to play warden tower.”

  His pronunciation was weak and harder for some to understand, but Erador didn’t have trouble. He had known him for as long as he could remember. Cade had improved his speech with practice.

  Erador chuckled and held Cade’s arms. “We can later. Where are your canes?”

  “Don’t need them.”

  The door clicked shut. Loma shifted into view. “You’re a stubborn one."

  “Come on ma, I don’t need them.”

  “Look at this.” She pushed back Cade’s hair, revealing a scab running into his hairline. “Fell right on the corner of the table.”

  “Damn.” Erador cringed. “You all right?”

  Cade pushed Loma away. “It’s not that bad.”

  “He was bleeding so much,” Loma said, voice breaking. “Thankfully, he was fine.”

  “He’s courageous,” Erador said, looking at Cade’s right arm tattooed with a jaguar sitting in front of a sunflower. “Like his mark.”

  Loma shook a finger at Erador. “Don’t you encourage him.” She gave Cade a sharp eye. “You should be more careful or you won’t be playing Warden Tower anymore.” She grabbed the canes from the corner and held them out to Cade. “Take these, you’re coming with us.”

  “Where are we going?” Erador asked.

  “Around.” Loma gestured toward the door. “Snip Snip.”

  Erador followed Loma outside and inhaled the cool air, thankful none of the followers were out. She wrapped the shawl around her head and led them down the street covered with sunflower shells that crunched under their feet. The people had turned to eating the seeds; their remaining source of fresh food. It was hard not to think about hunger when his stomach hurt.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  The night should’ve been the only time worth coming into town but the dark couldn’t fully conceal Lucrethia’s damage. The moons lit the holes in the cobblestone road. The followers used to fill them with dirt but the broken sunflower shells took the place of that. Erador treaded carefully to make sure he didn’t trip. The homes didn’t fair any better over the years; the brick had worn and roofs had holes or unmatching shingles to maintain them.

  “Watch yourself around the holes, Cade,” Loma said. “Don’t want you to fall.”

  Cade mimicked her words in a mocking tone and Erador snorted.

  Loma whacked his head.

  “Ow,” Erador said, rubbing the spot. “He said it.”

  “And you encourage him by laughing.” Loma shook her head. “No treats for either of you. You need to toughen up.” She stopped in front of an alley. “Starting with this.”

  Erador froze. Moonlight lit the alley walls painted with sunflowers. The vibrant colors had dulled over the years, but the day he was attacked was fresh in his mind. His breathing hitched as his fingers dug into his scarred, burning wrist. The lurker’s sweet singing consumed his mind.

  Loma touched Erador’s back and he jumped. “You’re going to walk down that alley.”

  Swallowing, Erador let go of his arm. Fingernail marks were left in his skin. “No.” He took a step back. He found Cade’s confused gaze and straightened his scared face. “We don’t need to go this way to get to the manor.”

  “Stop it.” Loma scowled. “Cade knows.”

  “He was attacked here?” Cade said, pointing his cane ahead. “In Sunflower Alley?”

  “Yes,” Loma said. “And he hasn’t been able to walk here since.”

  Erador shut his eyes, trying to quell his irritation for Loma. “Does it matter? It’s an alley. It has nothing to do with lurkers.”

  “It has everything to do with them.” Loma tugged his arm. “This is part of your trauma.”

  Erador sighed. “We’re not in the realm.”

  “It’s the location,” Loma said.

  “And it’s night.”

  “All the more reason for you to go.” Loma gestured ahead. “You have nothing to worry about except your fears.”

  Slen attacked him at night. He should’ve felt safe then. Lurkers were supposed to migrate with the sun, but Loma said it must’ve been too late and Slen stayed by porch lanterns to survive.

  Erador’s throat tightened with each breath. He tried not to focus on that moment, but standing in front of the alley was like repeating it. He wanted to flee. His thoughts forced Shade to bolt from his shadow. He exacerbated Erador’s fears like oil being thrown into flames.

  “Take your time,” Loma assured.

  “You can use my canes if it’ll help,” Cade said, nudging his arm. “Since you’re wobbly.”

  “Shut up,” Erador said, cracking a smile. Lightness rose in his stomach. Knowing they were here made it easier, but the weakness in his knees wouldn’t cease.

  Erador took a stiff step and pinched his eyes closed to avoid the light, but being blinded to his surroundings made it worse. He opened them again and looked at the people by him to ensure this wasn’t a nightmare.

  “Good.” Loma nodded. “One step at a time.”

  “If you make it,” Cade said. “I’ll let you win a game of Warden Tower.”

  Erador snickered. “You wish I was that bad.”

  “It’s why you were afraid to come back,” Cade said, his canes clicking as he moved past Erador. “You were too scared to get beat again.”

  Erador moved a few more steps. “The next time we play I’ll defeat you so badly, those canes will be up for a bribe.”

  Cade laughed and moved to the center of the alley. “You wish.”

  Cade’s shadow stretched across the ground and Erador stopped. He counted the stones on the wall to keep calm and took a step back. A gentle force pressed on his back.

  “Don’t give up now.” Loma rubbed his back. “Focus on something that makes you happy.”

  The sound of ocean waves reverberated in his ears, but he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been to the beach. Memories of the sea interrupted his focus. A red-headed girl with a blue sunhat stood in the sand as shimmering waves brushed her toes. His belly warmed. This is where he wanted to be until he noticed the brighter water compared to the ocean he’d been to.

  The images faded, as he knew it was a trick. Slen manipulated the venom inside Erador to hypnotize him and make him vulnerable to attack. The visions happened frequently after Slen almost killed him, but he’d learned to stop them with Loma’s help. Seeing them again confirmed that he wasn’t progressing or Slen was stronger, but he didn’t want to worry Loma.

  Erador reached in his pocket and flicked the bent corner of the fox card to ground himself. He pulled it out. The sunflower wrapped in the fox’s tail represented light and Paradise, but in the alley they were a sign of death.

  Haven. His heart warmed at the thought of seeing her. He touched the scars on his wrist. Who wanted a coward?

  He darted past Loma and dropped to his knees at the entrance. Loma chased after him, and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

  “At least you tried,” she said, softly. “This was your first time.”

  “I’ve visited this place countless times in my head. I can’t face it.” Erador’s body slouched. “Like I can’t face his inevitable death.”

  “Erador,” Loma said, eyebrows drawing in.

  Clicking canes stopped beside Erador. Cade’s lips twitched into a frown. “I thought Judgment was getting better.”

  “He is.” Loma grabbed Erador’s cheeks, forcing him to look at her. “Your father will get well and you will overcome this.”

  “He’s going to die.” Erador pushed away from her. “The Raven is...”

  Loma dropped her arms. “The Raven is what?”

  He stood and looked around the street. “I think that witch let him out.”

  “He’s free?” Loma covered her mouth as she walked past him.

  Cade clenched his canes, looking back and forth between them. “You’re serious?” When Erador nodded, his wide eyes drifted to the ground.

  Erador pressed his fingertips to Cade’s mouth. “You can’t tell anyone. Not even the Paradins.” He reached toward Loma who turned her back to him. “I need to know more about that witch. Can you help me?”

  Loma turned around. “That one at the festival?”

  Erador gave a stiff nod. “I want to know who she is, where she came from, and what that brooch is.”

  Loma nodded. “I’ll try my best.” Her fist shook at her side. Determination swelled in her eyes like fire. “That’s the last time she’ll steal candy from me.”

  “I’m glad I can count on you.”

  He turned his head until the alley was in view. Goosebumps arched on his neck as a shadow rose, but no matter how much he told himself it was his imagination, it lingered in his mind. To pull himself back from the darkness, he gave Cade’s shoulder a rub and wandered close to Loma. She held his hand with a smile as they went back. The squeeze of her fingers anchored him in the moment.