OriginalStoryCentral

              The cocks crowed shortly before the sun had risen. Ex opened her eye under the darkness of her blanket. A strange feeling filled her as she slowly remembered where she was and the events of the day before. She had felt this in the past when waking up on vacation with her parents, only back then her confusion would have been replaced with excitement rather than emptiness.                She sat up, looking over to the other bed. Xeres was still there, asleep and in the same position he’d been left in. He must have been really tired… She swung her feet out of bed and placed them on the cool planks below.            

          All she could remember was the sound of shattering and a blinding pain tearing through her skull. Then she was falling… falling…           Ex awoke with a start and a sharp gasp. She quickly sat up. The sound of singing insects and crackling fire filled her ears. The world around her seemed to swell and ebb in rhythm with her breathing. The trees around her seemed to have no end and she felt… shorter.           Where am I? She turned her head towards the heat of the flames, confusion sw

The night after their meeting with the Oracie, Ex and Xeres found a spot for off the road to set up camp. The winds were growing colder and the air was damp. They made a fire, thinking it safe.                Ex nibbled a piece of dried and salted meat (of what creature she was not sure). She sat with a knee bent and an elbow upon it, the heat of the fire licking the back of her hand. It’d been a long time since the two had said anything to one another. Multiple times Xeres attempted to strike a conversation but was struck down by Ex’s dismissive demeanor like a dry match in a wet cave.                How’d I manage to g