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They stopped. They had reached the end of the road.
Their first guide had been replaced by a second and a third. Their last guide was a werewolf, but he parted their company some miles back.
"I do not know how the rift may affect me," he explained, "and so I must leave you here. Follow the road until it ends. Continue heading west. The fog will become thick." He looked at Finn and Lars uneasily. "Watch one another. It will try to separate you. And... make sure it does not drive you mad."
With those comforting words, the werewolf left them, leaving the threesome once more alone in the swamp.
And so they had traveled until they came to where the planks stopped. Stretched before them was an expanse of water, dotted here and there with tall grass. The trees were gnarled and covered in dripping, gray moss. Aein fingered the berries in her pocket. A charred pylon marked where the road once stood.
The werewolf's words struck fear into Aein's heart. She had seen what a mad werewolf could do. Finn had been practicing his shifting, but the swamp was making it more difficult. It seemed to want him to hold on to his werewolf form. It did not seem to like having humans in its boundaries. Could Finn turn on them? She glanced over at him as he sat on the road. If he began to show the signs of madness, she knew she would have to get a berry down his throat somehow and she hated it.
"Do we ford through?" asked Lars, trying to determine how deep the water ran.
Aein glanced at Finn. He seemed as uncertain as she was. "I don't know. Can you transform to human form so we can discuss this?" she asked.
Finn whined. He sat deep in concentration. His form shimmered, but would not stay. He whined again.
Aein took off her helmet and smoothed back her sweaty hair before placing it back on her head. This was a worrisome turn of events. "Let's wait until sundown," she suggested. "I know we are all tired. If we decide it is best to travel at night, we can leave then." She looked around. "And if we decide it is best to travel at day, we'll at least be well rested and dry."
The roads in King Vadim's territory were better kept than those in Lord Arnkell's area, even during its heyday. The planks looked as if they were repaired regularly. There were wide platforms at every four-hour mark where one could sleep. There were also tall posts lining the road with hanging lanterns. One of their guides explained that this deep into the swamp, most of the creatures were afraid of flames, and so they kept away from the light. The guide also said it made it easier if the day ever came they needed to set the road on fire.
Aein dismounted and lit one of the lanterns with a bit of flint. The fog had not disturbed them on their journey yet. It lurked, but did not cross over the road to engulf them. When Lars commented on this, their guide had responded it was because they kept their territory tended. The fog came out more than before, but their guide said right now it was pouring out of the southwestern territory... the territory owned by Lord Arnkell. Aein wondered what had happened to the people who lived in the land closest to the swamp in her old homeland. Did they sleep in fear every night now?
The lantern created a soft glow. The air was humid and a low mist hung atop the surface of the water. But it was just mist, nothing more.
Aein took the saddle off her horse and rubbed him down, giving him some water and food. She found herself gazing up at the sky in the hopes that it would be covered in swaths of orange and red soon.
About an hour later, the sun set. Finn's rich, black coat faded to the coarse, blonde hair on his arms and the short, blonde hair on his head as he switched from wolf to man. His scars remained. He stretched. "Pleasant night for a chat," he said merrily, sitting down next to Aein and Lars.
Aein had put the lantern between she and Lars and piled some of the cold rations for their dinner. She offered some dried meat to Finn. "Any thoughts on whether to go forward now or wait until first light?"
Finn ripped off a piece of the jerky with his teeth and passed the rest over to Aein. "I assume first light so I can protect you, since..." he looked at Lars and did not complete his thought. He just said, "Since that will be when we are at our strongest."
"The thing is, Finn," said Aein, uncertain how to broach the subject with him, "I am concerned about the fog."
"What about it?"
"Well, it is what our guide said... The closer we get to the rift, it may make you mad."
"Ah..." He wrapped his muscular arms around his knees and stared up at the stars. "And if that happened, I'll probably kill you."
"That was the thought," said Aein.
"Well, if it starts to happen, I was planning to transform into my human shape."
Lars made a disapproving sound. "You had some trouble a few hours ago."
"A good night's sleep and it will be fine," replied Finn. "I'm exhausted."
"But what if it isn't just exhaustion? What if the fog and the rift won't let you change?" Lars said.
"If I become trapped in the body of a mad werewolf, you have my permission to kill me," offered Finn, picking up the water sack and taking a drink. He held the sack out to Lars, who took it, but wiped off the rim.
Aein pulled her hand out of her pocket and showed Finn what she held. "Rather than kill you," she said. "There are the berries."
He pulled away looking as uncomfortable around the berries as Lars appeared whenever he was asked to be close to a werewolf. "No," said Finn, refusing Aein. "That's not an option."
"Finn, if you attack us, we—" She stopped herself. Lars would not be the one responsible for this task. He would never dare to force the berry inside Finn's mouth. This responsibility was hers. She squared her shoulders. "If your transformation goes wrong, we cannot allow you to keep us from reaching the Haidra border. I need you, Finn, not only as our friend but as Queen Gisla's right-hand servant, to promise that if this happens, if there is a corner of your mind that is aware of what you're doing, you must promise me that you will let me. It is your duty."
"I must say, it's not bad, Finn," Lars tried to joke. "It's not bad being wholly human at all. In fact, I rather enjoy it."
"It's not that..." Finn replied, dismissing both of them. "It is the other side of the swamp I worry about. What if the queen has abandoned her post? What if her roads are burned?"
"She wouldn't do that," swore Aein with conviction. "She would fight to maintain this treaty to her dying breath. She is a woman of integrity and understanding. She wouldn't..." Aein's voice caught and she was not able to complete the sentence. She stared at the planks.
"She wouldn't what, Aein?" asked Finn gently.
"She wouldn't abandon us in the swamp. Not without knowing what happened." Aein lifted her eyes to meet Finn's. "She wouldn't abandon you."
"Ah," Finn replied, at once serious. "That's where you are wrong, I'm afraid. She would absolutely sacrifice me if it was a choice between her people's safety and a single human being."
"I don't know," Lars said, giving him a sly grin. "I've seen the way she's looked at you."
Finn looked again at the heavens as Lars gave his arm a good-natured punch. "Let a monster come and eat me now."
"Be careful what you wish for," joked Aein.
And then they all laughed. It was a foreign sound. She realized how long it had been since they had all laughed together and how good it felt. Not since Finn had been injured and tensions had run high in the Vadim castle. As terrible as it was, there had been times in the swamp together when they were fighting their way from Lord Arnkell's land that the absurdity of their situation made everything funny.
She was glad to have this moment again with them. It reminded her why she genuinely enjoyed their company. She realized that maybe the reason she had been so uncomfortable in King Vadim's castle and found herself almost missing the swamp was because she did not have this.
Lars stretched and yawned. "I need to get my beauty sleep."
"Too late," Finn responded. Aein gave his shoulder a shove. He rubbed it ruefully. "You two get some shut eye. I'll take first watch. I've just had a miraculous transformation from wolf to human and am feeling bright-eyed, if not bushy tailed."
Aein smiled at him gratefully, and he returned it with a grin. As she pulled her cloak up to her chin like a blanket, she realized this was the first night they slept without a supernatural guard. A kernel of fear wormed its way into her gut. In the past, either Finn or Lars was a wolf with their heightened senses. All the way from the Vadim castle, they had a wolf or eagle guide. This was the first time they were truly on their own as mere humans. It was a little terrifying. She realized how much she had relied on her friends and their shifted forms to keep her safe. She tried to remind herself it was just like how it was for normal guards on patrol. They didn't have super strength or healing powers. They relied on their skills and senses and most of them came home... most of them...
She tucked her elbow under her head as Lars settled into his bed. They had seen and survived more than anyone in the guard. They were almost to the halfway point. And from there, it would be easy.
"Good night, sleep tight," called Finn. "Don't let the bugbears bite."