The darkness was a peaceful place. I felt like I was floating in nothingness, free from threats or pain, while my body apparently healed itself over the course of the day. Yet my mind remained restless, plagued by worry. The mysterious illness spreading through the camp still eluded understanding, but I already suspected it was connected to that worm—the same one gaining control over humans.

  At least I had time to piece together the murder cases while lying in that coma. It was impossible for a single human to have carried out those killings. My suspicion had been right—a fanatical group was behind them. What I hadn’t realized was that the worm had already infected everyone involved—from killers to witnesses. I hadn’t looked directly into the eyes of any real witness, but that was surely part of her design: to make everything seem normal, to prevent me from questioning anyone too closely.

  Still, I had proof of the connection—I just needed to compare the symptoms of the illness to the timelines and details of the murders.

  This also explained the pigs in the carts. There were no animals in those wagons. Instead, her offspring thrived inside the human corpses, squealing like pigs. Why she hadn’t used actual animals, I couldn’t say, but sometimes nature drove one to consume the strangest things.

  Suddenly, my world of nothingness trembled violently. A sound returned—a girl’s quiet weeping nearby. Then everything happened too fast.

  I opened my eyes, a flutter of unease stirring in my stomach as I saw Luna sitting beside me, holding my hand with her head lowered. Was she already under the monster’s control? Was she still my Luna?

  “Silly girl, didn’t I tell you to stay in bed?” I croaked, my throat dry and raw.

  “Lu!” Her head snapped up instantly, her face breaking into a radiant smile I’d never forget. Joy flooded the room—her joy that I was alive, and mine as I saw past her pale sickness to the fierce, piercing yellow light behind her eyes—a sign she was still herself.

  Our reunion was brief.

  The door burst open. Markus, Arthur, and Tom hopped into the carriage, all looking completely healthy and alert. The battle wasn’t over yet—we still had a chance to beat this vile maggot.

  “The mage that was with us...” I started, before anyone could overwhelm me with questions.

  “Rebecca?” Arthur’s voice was sharp. So that was the name of the one possessed—the true beginning of this nightmare.

  “Yeah, whatever... kill her. She’s the enemy,” I said, locking eyes with the four men who clearly didn’t yet grasp the full weight of what I was saying. “She’s the cause of this illness and the strange behavior in the supply corps. While you’re at it, burn down all the corpses... might buy us a few more days.”

  I knew this wasn’t a permanent fix—I had no clue where her real body was—but at least we could slow her progress.

  “You’re going to have to give us more than that to justify such rash actions,” Arthur said, just as I expected.

  Weakly, I rose and shuffled over to the table in the center of Arthur’s tent.

  “Give me two maps of the camp,” I ordered.

  Arthur quickly pulled two similar-sized maps from a drawer and laid them out on the table. As I marked the murder locations on one, I asked Tom to plot the spread of the illness on the other. Then I started explaining.

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  “It’s a monster. Looks like a worm, but its abilities are problematic. It’s probably the source of the biological weapon ravaging this camp. The infected likely follow its commands, though I don’t yet understand how.”

  “Fuck.” Tom cursed as we overlaid the maps. The murder sites matched the infection zones perfectly, reinforcing my suspicions.

  “These murders were perfect—no witnesses spoke out because they were silenced,” Tom concluded, which only pushed me closer to the truth.

  “She needs the bodies for reproduction. Those carts were probably loaded with explosives and corpses—fuel for those worms to multiply,” I said, wondering who put explosives together with their children … the answer was clear. Nobody.

  Markus added, “We didn’t order any explosives, so she must have acquired them elsewhere. The supply corps’ behavior was definitely off after the explosion. I had to kill three of them just to get to Lucinda—and she wasn’t in good shape when I found her. I don’t get why she let us leave afterward.”

  “Her goal was to kill me, not attract attention,” I said, realizing she’d almost succeeded. Not that it would have stopped me—my blood’s healing meant I could be resurrected with just a few drops of blood left.

  I made a mental note to eventually tell Tom about this ability. No one else knew yet... or maybe I’d keep it a secret.

  “And why is she so fixated on you?” Tom asked, curiosity sharp in his voice. I hesitated. How could I explain? No one would believe the truth.

  “There’s bad blood between us,” I said cautiously, careful not to reveal too much about myself.

  Tom’s face darkened. “And you didn’t manage to kill her before? Then we’re doomed.”

  That wasn’t what I wanted to hear.

  “I never said that. We met in a place that naturally sets us against each other,” I replied vaguely, but the questions only multiplied. I couldn’t exactly say that I tortured her in purgatory and stomped on her children with my boots.

  “What place?” Arthur pressed.

  “I can’t say.” I admitted dryly.

  “You’re making this impossible, Lucinda. A worm controlling humans like a biological weapon, targeting you? It’s madness.” Arthurs disbelief stung, but I couldn’t blame him.

  “What about the illness and the murders—all happening in the same locations? You’ve seen it firsthand!” I argued, desperate.

  Arthur shook his head. “Could be coincidence.”

  His lack of trust grated on me. Even Markus, who wasn’t my biggest fan, seemed to believe the story.

  “And the mage who said her name was Reruoved—but it was really Rebecca?” I pressed.

  “Only you heard that,” Arthur said, eyes flicking toward Luna.

  “I heard it too,” Luna said weakly.

  Arthur’s brow furrowed. “Maybe it’s her middle name.”

  My fists clenched so tightly my nails bit into my palms. “You just don’t want to face reality! The world is collapsing around us, and you’re still obsessed with this goddamn war! Let me tell you something. It′s over. There is no chance we can fight the elves right now.”

  Rage boiled inside me; my hand shot toward my hip—only to find the usual comforting weight of my sword missing.

  Suddenly, a soft blue light flickered to my left. Luna tried to use her magic again.

  We all stared in horror as blood suddenly streamed from her nose. Her body gave out, collapsing like a ragdoll.

  I lunged across the table, catching her head just before it hit the ground.