‘So can someone explain why we’re actually here?’
Mac had just finished bundling herself up in her cloak. The dark material wrapped itself around her frame like a cocoon, a stark contrast to her typically fluid appearance.
‘Did no one else read the bounty brief?’ Cairngorm let out an exhausted sigh as he unfurled the scroll they had been provided with back in Market Haven, before reading aloud the fine script:
The willing indebted participant(s) shall travel to the southern mountain range known as Plunderer’s Belt and retrieve the following listed item(s):
- Forbidden Text(s), signified by three interlocked triangular shapes
Upon return with the listed item(s), following the appropriate appraisal process, the debt accumulated by the participant(s) shall be considered settled under the Task Reparations Act, and records of said willing participant(s) shall be appropriately altered to reflect the accumulated compensation.
Signed, Lord Jared Avidité
‘So, were here for a book. Seems simple enough, right?’ Simultaneously as Cairngorm finished the sentence, several sounds of exasperation rung out at once. ‘What? What did I do?’
Mac approached, fingers pressed against her temples, ‘You never jinx a job like that! Nothing is easy until its done. Hindsight, Cairn! We’re about to walk into a city of pirates that don’t live anywhere near the ocean. Does that sound simple?’
Even without superstitious powers at play, the party were facing more than a slight challenge. The mountain range before them was less of a hike up a hill and more of, well a giant frigid mountain full of loose boulders and Gods know what else. But I suppose that’s apart of the fun. The unknown. At least I think so, but then again, there isn’t much I don’t know.
However, the first challenge afoot would be preparations. Now the party were sent with little more than the clothes of their back and something that passed as rations, enough to get them there and back. For Ara, this was of little discomfort. She faced every day like a puzzle and this was little more than an average day. More talking than she’d prefer but ‘willing participants’ cant be choosers. She tugged slightly on some of the straps of her feathered cloak and as it unfurled slightly, the large, treated pelt swung around her comfortably.
As the party packed themselves into thicker clothing their eyes drifted to Satori, standing defiantly against the cold with no more than her typical traveling clothes to defend against the wind.
‘What?’
Cairngorm approached first with a gentle, if slightly judgemental hand, ‘Is that all you have?’
Mac was next to comment, ‘I mean, not even thicker coat or something? A blanket? Sorry, I don’t wanna be rude but, I’m not sharin’.’
Ara didn’t speak, for the sake of level-headedness. Instead, she marched a few feet away, unsheathing a large blade from her belt before slicing at the tarp held limply above the cart. After having ripped down the patchwork material, she tossed it toward the shivering bard.
As the cloth dropped to her feet, a wide-eyed horror befell Satori. ‘Absolutely not. The rag doesn’t even colour match itself never mind my clothes. Its fine, I’ll be fine.’
Reins in hand, Ara began stepping towards the path up the mountain. ‘It’s not, and you won’t be. We need to move out now before it gets dark again so either wrap up or… die, I guess.’
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Plunder’s Belt is defined in many different ways by all walks of life. It’s inhabitants claim it to be the first sovereign state of Kathernus – a refuge for its inhabitants, sharing land but not laws. The guilds of Market Haven flip between defining it as a city of terrorists, or a lucrative trade opportunity. Most people of a plainer perception simply view it as a pirate city, away from the waves.
Although as of now, our party sees this impressive display of rebellion and political opportunity as-
‘Fucking bullshit!’ Satori’s makeshift shawl billowed in the wind, threatening to topple her over the side of the mountain path. The others didn’t fare much better as the floor grew looser and more hazardous with each strained step they took. The journey had to be slow, on account of the wagon, but each amateur mountaineer found some way to make use of themselves. Ara had ventured further ahead to scout the climb leaving Mac and Cairngorm to guide their wagon on foot. And of course, Satori provided an ever clarifying commentary on the shared feeling about their ascent. Almost more so than myself, in fact.
Calling over the wind, Mac cried out, ‘I know it’s cold, but is anyone else seeing the snow?’
Despite being right next to her, Cairngorm shouted in reply, ‘When was the last time you saw snow? It’s probably just dust in the wind or something.’
Despite their rationality, the further they travelled up, the clearer the small white flakes of ice covering their clothing became. But it made no sense. Regardless of their search for one, there wasn’t a natural reason for it to be snowing this part of the continent. It wasn’t unheard of, but with the aggressive beacon in the sky burning their backs just one day ago, the current weather left the party more than confused.
Anxiety wormed its way into all the stomachs present. Each footfall was a risk, only compounded upon by the presence of their rickety transportation. At separate points, each individual had considered turning back. The mountain had spent the past hour tempting them over the edge. Why not listen? Perhaps a more careful descent was in order. Then again, if smart ideas were at the forefront of consideration, well then I wouldn’t have much of a story to tell, would I?
Time passed and the wind cried louder and sharper. Tear streams were dragged out by the wind and sliced at by the cold. A horrific medley of discomfort only grew with time, until eventually, their scout’s voice, muffled by the mountain’s chorus, sounded out.
‘Only a bit further! We’re approaching some sort of peak!’
What breath could still be held onto was instead released by all in an inaudible sigh of relief.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
‘I thought you said it wasn’t much further?’ Panting. Dazed. On the verge of throwing up the party arrives less than heroically to the summit of their destination, Cairngorm the only one capable of a full sentence at this point.
‘I did.’ Ara explained plainly, making a decent show of hiding her exhaustion. ‘But you all looked about ready to drop off the edge on your own. It’s called encouragement.’
‘I… am going… to kill you.’ Satori’s legs laboured under her own weight. The typically spry, and energetic performer clearly wasn’t built this kind of endurance testing.
Perhaps enjoying the moment, a little too much, Ara snickered, ‘Is that before or after you catch your breath?’
‘Guys? As much as I love a little flirt here and there, can we focus up a little bit because…’ Mac pointed to the distant range. ‘Ship City seems pretty abandoned.’
The wind had calmed for the time being but what now lay before them was an adapted marvel of carpentry. A range of cliff faces, crumbling ridges and atop the now snow dusted peaks of each natural structure – brigantines, schooners, galleons; ships. Pirate ships. Masts long since withered away and hulls pierced by the rocks they lay upon – rigging connecting each once traveling structure into a mass of roping webs and bridges certifiably rickety. Yet in spite of the marauding corsair aesthetic, no shanties sang out, planks went unwalked, and a noticeable lack of grog was spilt upon arrival.
‘Fuck that.’ Though the sentiment was shared by each member of the party, Ara was the one to voice it. Much to the opportunity of Satori.
‘Oh no. Maybe we could find you an edge to drop off.’ The comment quickly returned with a hateful glare from Ara. ‘Just trying to be encouraging.’
‘A pirate city is one thing. A ghost pirate city in the mountains is as absurd as you are.’
Ignoring the growing tension for his own sake, Cairngorm inched closer to the edge of the area they found themselves at now. He strained his eyes further while examining many of the ships and their interconnecting rigging and paths, hoping to find any clue of where to travel first.
‘I suppose our best option is to head to the closest ship first. But it looks like we’ll be making the trip across the bridge twice.’
He gestured clearly to the smallest of the ships he could see still in once piece. It was a schooner, at least parts of it were. Between the slats of wooden boards that made up the bilge and hull of the vessel, large forest green tendrils crawled and strained their way out from within the confines of the wooden box. The main sail was green and sat unfurled, catching the wind in its occasional billow, and rocking the ship like an eerie pendulum. The ship itself sat haphazardly in the tight embrace of what looked like hundreds of lengths of ropes, dangling its body precariously between one of the many large canyons that stretched the length of Plunderer’s Belt.
‘I’d like to reiterate; fuck that.’ Ara had planted herself on a nearby rock with a view of the the vessel.
‘You know you’ll have to cross one sooner or later, right? I mean, look at this place!’ Mac gestured widely to the gallery of galleons, interconnected by bridges rickety, ricketier, and ricketiest.
Unimpressed by Mac’s brief presentation Ara spoke firmly, ‘Then I choose later.’
‘Alright. Probably best to leave someone with the horse anyway.’ Mac started towards the bridge, dropping their pack at Ara’s feet to lessen what weight they could.
Satori stood furthest from the bridge, rocking on their heels, ‘Well if this little expedition is voluntary then I’d like-’
‘It isn’t. C’mon, sooner we’re across, sooner we’re back.’ If anything, Mac’s encouragement had an adverse effect, however, sensing that this was a battle she wouldn’t win, Satori took a pained step forward.
The thought had crossed my mind to follow as closely in their steps as I could. But if I’m being honest, I didn’t want to. Frankly, I thought they were insane as it was, for even considering crossing a bridge held together with prayers and twine. Never mind the fact that they didn’t even know what awaited them on the other side. Now if only someone could have warned them. Or wanted to.
The first step was easiest. With a ledge only a foot behind her, should gravity suddenly choose an unfortunate outcome, well Mac was secure enough in herself to latch onto the cliff edge and call it a day. But through some cruel twist, call it luck or deceptive structural integrity, she now found herself fifteen feet across from her starting point. Each step taken was less a gamble and more a measured dare against herself. Not every step was a promised fatality, but an ill measured positioning certainly was. Every movement was tested, rehearsed, cursed and finally taken with each follower displaying the same tentativeness and focus as their de facto leader. Although even Mac had to admit, she was likely the best suited for this role. Many years spent being light on her feet prepared her for a number of circumstances. She wasn’t sure that this was necessarily one of them but nevertheless, she found herself on a bridge constructed from waterlogged, iced over, rotted, detritus and overthinking things was of no help to anyone especially herself which she should really be focusing on more than anything because thinking about what she could do for someone else is what got her into this mess in the first place and if she had just-
‘Mac! Are you okay?’ Cairngorm’s voice rang out over the gusts that that flowed into and around the ravine they found themselves in. Glancing back, she saw him waiting not-so-patiently ten feet behind her, with Satori equidistant from him.
‘What? Yeah, I’m fine!’
‘Okay. That’s good! Could you maybe step a little further from the bridge then?’
Mac stumbled for a moment as she realised her footing was steadier than it had been, her feet planted firmly on the deck of the small, hanging ship.
‘Shit, yeah. Sorry just… getting a vibe of the place.’
Satori shouted back with a measured contempt laced with a signature of sarcasm that lacked its usual flair, ‘Oh, she was getting a vibe! Oh, that’s great because I was getting the vibe that if I have to be on this fucking bridge for a second longer, you won’t have to worry about falling into the chasm yourself!’ A silence carried between the group while the remaining bridge-crossers progressed at equal pace. ‘Because I’ll kill you!’
‘Yeah, I got it! Just hurry across so we can leave.’
Satori spat and mumbled beneath her breath as she continued forward until eventually, the group had reassembled on the deck of the-
‘Pea Pod? What kind of a pirate ship name is that?’
A small inlay sat carved above the entrance way to the lower deck beside a small worn lantern. Its lettering had long since been warped over time.
‘Maybe it isn’t a pirate ship. I mean look at the size of it. There are tons of galleons, and brigs around Kathernus. Old trade ships. Don’t see many pirates using smaller ships like this anymore.’ Cairngorm peered into the distance, noting the significant differences in the swinging structures and pierced pirate vessels. The Pea Pod stood out, of course. But whether that was a point deserving of curiosity or concern was to be decided.
‘Okay well let’s split up and get out of here as soon as we can. Plenty of plunder to sift through.’ Mac’s face was painted with a smirk, much to the eye rolling, dissatisfaction of the others.
‘Please don’t try to enjoy this. Ghost Ship City is not fun and I will not be coerced into believing it is.’ With her declaration heard loud and clear, Satori made for the stairs below, while Mac found her way to the cabin. Cairngorm settled to assess perhaps the most peculiar aspect of the ship, the growing plant matter straining its way throughout the boards of the ship.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
The below-deck of the ship was precisely as you would, and I did, expect. Words such as “derelict” come to mind when I think back. However, “rotten” certainly struggles to fit into the description.
Satori’s eyes adjusted quickly to the dark, her dark pupils pulsing as she descended. She had no need for a light source as many others did. A natural affinity for dark spaces was something of a gift from her lineage, like that of her horns, or the atypical pigment of her skin. Around the newly entered space, there was little to glean of the ship’s origins, and the further she plunged into the depths of the ship, the more questions went unanswered. There were certainly no immediate signs of a crew’s disappearance. Although there was little that could be examined save for the tangled mass of forest green and tendrils that lay in a heap at the furthest end of the hull’s interior. Vines and branches stretched like tentacles from the body of irregular plants, like green rivers winding their way wherever they please. As bizarre as this was, there was no indication that a book of any kind would be stored in a place such as this with countless crates, broken open and sacked of any contents. Frankly, she didn’t want to go near the result of someone’s gardening experiment gone wrong. So perhaps a halfhearted investigation was best.
As she turned to leave, satisfied with her brief examination, the faintest thing stopped her mid-ascension. A number of educated guesses raced into Satori’s mind at once. A noise somewhere in the shadows.
It was probably just some boxes shifting. The boat is swinging like crazy, after all.
Another sharp drawn out sound whispered beneath the creaking wood of the deck.
Okay, rats. Probably just a couple buggers running around. All the more reason to-
It was louder now. Accompanied by a softer sound. Parchment brushing against the floor.
Right. Well, fuck it.
‘Hello?’ There was no response, thankfully. Though, after a moment of held breath, the sound returned.
‘I don’t wanna be rude, but if you’re the plant moving around over there, just a small heads up to know I’m not going crazy would be nice.’ Satori inched further down the stairs. Every two words was accompanied by a step forward.
The scratching and shuffling never quickened in pace. It was the consistency that was most unnerving. Or perhaps it was insulting to not be paid any attention. She’d have to think about examining that later. For now, she readied the bow of her violin. I hadn’t noticed this previously but with the slight press of a well hidden button, a slender blade extended from the length of the tool, opposite of the hair. Thankfully it seemed that this groups bag of surprises had not yet ran dry. If anything, I suppose it was about to grow exponentially.
Once again, Satori called out, this time much softer as she was now upon the source of the sound, ‘Hello?’. She peered around the corner of a few haphazardly stacked crates that remained upright and what she saw took her a moment of adjustment.
The figure before her shifted with her entire body. In an instant she seemed to fill her clothes as though they had previously just been draped over her form. Pale skin wrapped itself around thin arms with hands feebly grasping at different pages of parchment layered around her like a makeshift nest. She wore thick trousers adorned with, to be honest, too many pockets that tucked deep into long brown boots. Her back straightened as the uneven ridges of her spine that pressed against cloth disappeared beneath her shirt which seemed stained beyond returning to its original tan colouring. Her hair was not matted, or unkempt per say. Moreso it was tangled and stuck slightly to the parts of her washed out face that peered around to greet Satori.
And greet she did, simply, with a quiet if not slightly strained, ‘Hello.’
There was a terrible silence that followed. The kind of silence you hate to watch as much as you hate to be apart of. Not the kind of silence produced by one waiting to hear another’s next sentence. Just a plain noiselessness in spite of the desire for noise. A desire that rested least of all upon the strange, hunched figure. It carried for a whole minute. I would know. I counted.
Finally, the moment reached a breaking point as Satori cracked, ‘Who the fuck are you?’
The figure contemplated on the question for a moment before widening her eyes, shocked at her own lack of manners.
‘My god, you’re right!’ Clearing her throat, she stood straight and dusted what little she could off of her clothes, ‘So sorry. I’m Dr Lily Ceris, B.L.E.A.K.’
The widening of eyes was returned as Satori stared blankly at the self-proclaimed doctor.
‘Okay well I’m Satori and that tells me literally nothing that I need or want.’
Lily turned her attention back to the collection of parchment at her feet, but not before lightly mumbling below her breath, ‘Well you asked the question.’
Frustrated, shocked, and now a little pissed off, Satori could only silently flail her arms behind the figure in a brief attempt to vent her exasperation.
After a moment of tantrum management, she calmed once more, breathing deeply before asking, ‘What are you doing here? Do you know where you are right now? What realm you’re in?’
Pausing for a moment to once again ruminate upon the stranger’s question, Lily spoke up, her eyes continuing to examine the parchment she currently held, ‘Not exactly. I just sort of… woke up here. As for what I’m doing, well someone clearly thought of something important enough to write it down. So… I’m reading.’
‘Reading. Right. And that’s better than… figuring out where you are? How you woke up here?’
‘Listen, usually I’d love to answer this many questions, but right now? I’m just a little busy with something.’
Sensing that this ordeal had run its course, Satori began to back away, bidding the avid reader farewell. As she took a step backwards, there was a sickening crunch followed by an equally sickening squelch below her foot. The kind where you don’t really wish to look down for fear of the quality of your shoes. However, as her eyes drifted down, a deep rumble reverberated around the space. She had pierced a vine as thick as her arm with a single heeled boot. She quickly unsheathed her foot from the plant’s extremity, but not before feeling a tightening grip wrapping around her leg like snake silently constricting the limb.
‘Goddamn it.’
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Mac had just finished pocketing the last few coins she had found littered around the cabin of the ship. Operating under a what-they-don’t-know mentality, she saw fit to stow away the bonus pay from this slight detour.
‘Mac? Any sign of the book?’ Cairngorm shouted from just outside the room, clearly having had enough of surveying the area from the large pendulum they found themselves on.
‘No dice. Lets grab Satori and head back. D’reckon she had any luck?’
With a sudden crash, the front of the deck exploded out in a shower of splinters that cascaded back down upon the ship. The sudden force was enough to knock Cairngorm from their feet briefly as the swinging ship and sudden change in angle caused him to slip further from the doorway for just a moment. Mac steadied herself against the doorframe as she witnessed a number of green tendrils retreat from the length of the ship. In that same instance, she looked on as Satori was hoisted violently out of the newly broken hole in the ship by her ankle like she was caught in some sort of snare.
‘Satori! D’you find the book?’
Her body stiffened in vain as she was swung back and forth in the air, every jolt another risk of her flying into the canyon.
She screamed out, her voice wavering with each new direction she was flung, ‘Get me the fuck down!’
Satori’s aggressor emerged slowly from the space. A large mass of green, that overlapped and wrapped around itself ever enveloping its own form. The shifting form writhed and churned like rotted intestines as its form clambered up from its resting place. As it reached the top deck another figure, similarly victim to the creature’s wildly swinging tendrils, was dragged and heaved into the air. She was dressed in some sort of expeditionary gear and certainly made less noise that Satori as they were rocked to and fro. It seemed like the creature had already dispatched another and was parading a pale corpse like some sort of prize.
That was, until the figure loosened a small knife from one of the numerous pockets that lined her trousers and began sawing away at the limb that wrapped itself around her leg. In that same instant, Mac unsheathed two blades from her sleaves and dashed towards the mass as Cairngorm found his footing.
Satori’s head was rushing faster than her body. Her grip on the bow of her instrument tightened as her eyes focused. She watched the rhythmic sway of the appendage that currently trapped her. She counted the movement like a violent metronome. A mistimed strike meant that the blade in her hand would sink deep into her leg, it had to be precise. Mac’s engagement caused the creature’s flailing to reduce and she took her moment to sever clean through her binding. A horrific screech emanated somewhere from within her attacker as what was left of the vine that entrapped her leg withdrew as she was flung across the length of the ship. Never one to miss an opportunity for flair, she carried the momentum of the throw landing impressively with a short roll that ended with her back on her feet; her crossbow contraption readied in her grip once more.
Lily was having a much more difficult time releasing her leg. The blade she carried was well cared for, but not as effective as she had hoped. Nevertheless, she continued sawing at the plant’s tendril in the moments when her vision could focus. Below her, she watched as Mac deftly rolled into the space of the creature, slashing two times across the heap to little effect.
Suddenly, Lily felt herself in freefall. Glancing back up she saw remnants of plant matter still latched to her leg, though the attached tendril had been severed. Behind her, Satori began loading another bolt into her crossbow, shooting a coy wink towards her before her eyes widened. As the hulking mound shambled closer to Lily as she was grounded, lashing out with a thick vine in an attempt to crush her. On instinct, Lily threw her hands in front of her face not seeing as the aggressor was blasted back with a short burst of immaterial force. The creature reeled back as part of its body fell limply to the deck.
Mac sat stunned for a moment before muttering below her breath, ‘Fuckin’ magic.’ Once again she charged forward with an assault while Lily scuttled away towards the far end of the ship.
Cairngorm, finally present, called out to the group, ‘What the fuck is this thing?’
Satori, between crossbow shots shouted back in reply, ‘How should I know? Have you ever seen a bush fight back?’
With the stress of the moment building, Cairngorm simply shouted incoherently but the message of irritation was well received.
Mac remained focused on the mass that now threatened to envelop her. Another stab into the creature left her dagger firmly planted within it. A second later, smaller roots snaked along her fingers, growing and tightening across her arm, affixing her to her target. Despite her struggle against the grip this thing had on her, the roots persisted. Dropping her second dagger to the ground, she pulled harder at her own arm with force that threated to rip it from its socket.
A sudden impact sounded from just beside her head. An arrow shaft now protruded from the creature. Then a second, and third, all piercing around her silhouette. With each heavy thud that landed, she felt herself loosen more and more before finally ripping her, thankfully still attached arm, from its grasp.
Now standing half way across the bridge, Ara loosed arrow after arrow towards the creature. With no real target other than the heap of leafage and vines, she focused intensely on the task at hand rather than the severe height she found herself suspended above.
Grabbing the dagger that had not been lost to the pile of plant, Mac swiftly exited the space, returning to her group at the other side of the ship, who continued to bicker.
‘It’s a plant! Can we just light it on fire?’ Satori deeply wished she had kept her bag of supplies on hand before their trip across the bridge.
‘You want to start a fire on a wooden ship hanging by ropes and prayers? We may as well-’ Before Cairngorm could finalise his valid concerns, the group watched as the small lantern that hung limply beside the entrance to the lower decks twirled through the air.
Flame lit and dancing through the air like a firefly, the object came crashing down on the creature as it released a piercing shrill that shook the bones of most present. Turning around simultaneously to stare at the literal tosser that had sent the lantern cascading onto the very flammable creature and ship they all stood on, Lily bashfully stowed away her tinderbox before clearing her throat.
‘We should probably-’
‘Get your asses back across the bridge!’ Ara had already turned tail towards the cliff before calling out her expert advice.
One by one, the group piled onto the flimsy walkway while the writhing mass of scorched vines flailed in what they assumed, and hoped, was enough agony to prevent it from giving chase for the time being. Each step taken was riskier than previous given the lack of Mac’s assessment of each step. However, option B presented a much more likely chance of rapid descent. Each board whispered a threatening creak as each member progressed. A cold cocktail of anxiety and adrenaline swirled in the pit of their stomachs. Ara had safely returned to the cliff side and awaited the return of her party, sharpened blade in hand and readied against the ties that secured the bridge to her current position.
A sudden lurch from the ship swung the bridge more than anyone cared for. Turning to face the source of the unexpected momentum, the group saw as the flaming pile that threatened to take them down with the ship had began dragging its form toward the bridge.
It’s safe to say the pace was suitably picked up.
Satori was the first to land her feet safely against solid ground. She briefly considered loosing another bolt towards the creature to slow its chase, but at this distance she’d just as well off throwing the instrument itself.
Lily was the next to secure herself to safely, collapsing to her knees for a moment, panting before turning to face the remaining traversers.
Mac had pushed Cairngorm ahead. Whether that was an act born from selflessness or self-preservation at the risk of broken bridge boards was left undebated for the time being. Even so, this act secured Cairngorm safely across the bridge. With an approximate twenty feet left to go, Mac quickened her pace as she felt the walkway behind her shake further and further. A purgatorial moment passed as each member toiled over silent or verbal encouragement. A retinue of actions could be taken but none could confirm Mac’s safety any further than inaction.
As the bridge pitched again, it was clear that the fiery creature was now upon the precipice. She could still do this, she could time it well enough. Just one leap. Someone would catch her. Right?
Guess we’ll see.
Her pace quickened to a run, damning the risk of falling through the old wooden boards. She felt a final reel from below, pushing off hard with her front foot as she heard a clear and horrific sizzle and snap of the rope affixed to the Pea Pod, followed by a rapidly descending screech. Her body slammed hard against the cliff face as her fingers clasped around the ledge her party stood and scrambled to latch onto her wrist.
Lily reached a hand out towards Mac which she took eagerly. Her hand shifted in her clutch. It was more than the skin simply moulding to fit her clasp. For just a moment there was a lack of expected rigidity to it. She felt as though she could squeeze her hand into a new shape. Lost so deeply in the strangeness of the contact, Mac barely noticed Cairngorm securing a handful of her clothing before dragging her to relative, and perhaps temporary, safety.
Dusting herself off, she joined the strained breathing of the group as they shared in a moment of exhaustion.
After a minute of unspoken recouperation, Ara was the first to speak up as she perched herself upon the same rock she bode farewell to her party previously, ‘Did you find the book?’
Monster of the month 
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