of their standards, bells, and any piece of metal that jangled or made noise. Berk oiled the axles on the wagon, and I watched the forest, searching the darkness for any hidden threat.
A candle mark later we were on our way again, but at a much slower pace. One man scouted the path and held back tree branches and moved sections of logs that would make noise or slow us down. Sunlight couldn’t penetrate the fog to reach the forest floor, and within the cloudy haze, the stench of sulfur was overwhelming. Without the sun, navigating the woods became almost impossible, for every time we made headway, the woods twisted and shifted. The fog thickened, and we found ourselves right back where we’d started.
“I’ve never seen anything like this?” Devin whispered.
“Me neither.” I shuddered.
Only our hunger pangs and exhaustion gave us a clue as to how much time had passed, and once again, we were forced to make camp in the near darkness under a canopy of silence. My training with Devin and Hayes became more of a silent dance than actual training. Something we needed to do to pass the time and take our mind off of our surroundings.
We worked without weapons, for the clang of contact would rattle through the forest. Instead, we mimed hand-to-hand, fighting in slow motion, where whispered punches, dodges, and footwork became our routine. But the long hours and never-ending fog wore on us emotionally, physically, and mentally, and we let our guard down.
In the middle of the third night, lost in the fog, one man slipped away, abandoning his post. Liam was quiet. He didn’t mention the deserter, nor would he speak on it. The next night, he made the guard rotations shorter and even took the first watch.
I rolled over onto my side and tried to get comfortable on my bedroll. Keeping the spindle out, I would watch it to see if it glowed or gave me any sign of where to go. It stayed dim.
I missed the privacy of my tent, but until we were past the dense fog, we were sleeping in the open without a fire. Cradling my arm under my head, I stared out across the sleeping forms of Jon and Hayes. The soldiers huddled under their red cloaks on the ground looked like long mushrooms.
Shivering, I pulled my saddle blanket closer to my neck and easily spotted Liam sitting against a trunk watching over the camp. He didn’t sleep, or at least I didn’t think he did. The dark circles under his eyes told me he’d spent most of the night wide awake watching the fog, and I spent as much time watching him.
With a frustrated sigh, I sat up and felt under my bedroll for the rock that was jabbing painfully into my ribcage. Freeing the stone from the earth, I was about to toss it away when I noticed the empty bedroll closest to me that moments ago had been occupied.
I tossed the stone and hit Hayes in the back. He groaned and sat up. “What?”
“Where’s Jon?” I whispered, pointing to the empty bedroll.
Hayes yawned. “Probably went to take a leak. Go back to sleep.”
Heat warmed my cheeks, and I lay back down, feeling an absolute fool. He was probably right, and I was overreacting. My eyelids became heavy, and I drifted off.
“He’s gone.” Hayes shook my shoulder.
Rubbing my eyes, I looked up into Hayes’ worried expression.
“Jon didn’t come back?” I asked.
He shook his head.
“Go wake Liam,” I said.
Hayes silently moved through the camp, and I went to Jon’s bedroll and placed my hand upon the cloth. It was cold and damp from the fog, signifying it had been empty for a long time.
They roused the rest of camp from their sleep, and Devin went to check with the guards. I paced back and forth, biting my thumbnail in guilt. Devin walked past, his face grim.
“Any word?” I asked, stopping him.
“No.”
Liam and Hayes joined us. “He’s not the only one. Another one’s missing.”
“Maybe they got lost in the fog?” Devin asked.
I caught Liam’s dire look. “I don’t know. One can only hope for the best, but expect the worst,” he said.
My chest hurt and the words just burst forth. “I’m sorry, this is all my fault. One minute Jon was there, and then he was gone. I should have known better.”
“No, I was the one that told you to go back to sleep,” Hayes interjected.
“Now, what? Do we go looking for them?” I asked.
“Aura, it