Kali took a bite out of a juicy, green apple with one hand while the other gently heated a pot of cooked rice. Her palm went red with flame, then cooled as she set the pot down carefully onto a laid-out towel. She wrapped a spoonful of rice and some cooked meat into a steamed cabbage leaf and traded off to eat at the wrap and the apple. She wrapped another as she finished hers and handed it off to Sophie.

Sophie sprinkled some sort of spice onto hers before taking a bite, careful not to let any crumbs fall onto the cushioned floor.

Kali glanced out the windows, but the trees all looked the same as they did back home. “Soph, you told me traveling would be fun, but it’s just the same trees and rocks we have back home. What part of this was supposed to be fun?” she rarely left Sylvan Hollow, let alone to visit her sister who already never spoke to her.

“Last time I went to Alden Town to see my sister, I slept through the whole ride.”

Sophie scoffed, “How is that even possible? It’s only half a day to get there.” She drew an ugly carving knife from a holster at her side and started slicing apples. She smiled and gently put a slice of apple to Kali’s lips. “Maybe your sister finally sees you for who you are?” she suggested. “I know you both sort of missed each other’s childhoods when the dryads took you at different times, but you’re still siblings.”

Kali opened her mouth to accept the fruit and changed the subject. “You told me there were special trees out here.”

“We’re getting there. Most places they’re deeper into the woods, but near the border of Alden Town, you’ll see them. They’re gorgeous blue pines.” Sophie chewed her own apple slices before wrapping more rice and meat into a cabbage leaf. “You’ll just have to stay awake and trust me.”

“I’m restless now, though. I don’t wanna wait that long to stretch my legs.”

“I bet they’ll let you walk with them. They don’t mind. Pam, that’s our driver, she’s the best. She and her usual crew, though the others who are on today aren’t the usuals. Roland, I suppose, is with her on most occasions. They hang out at The Midnight Baker Cafe all the time. The other one, Thorn, I’ve seen him around a lot more lately.”

Kali scrunched up her face, embarrassed that she hadn’t remembered their names.

“Don’t give me that look Miss Fire Hands, you’re not the only one who’s bad with names.”

Their caravan had two wings on either side for the escorts to perch when they needed a break or the caravan was faster than their pace. Roland slumped against the wood, one foot stretched out, the other balancing him on the platform. Thorn was walking, and from the look of his pace, he was still going strong.

He caught her looking, grinned, and waved. Thorn had been sociable enough, greeting them at the hub, offering to take their bags to the front, and helping them up into the wagon. It was Roland who rubbed her the wrong way. He always hunched over and murmured too softly when they tried to talk to him. His face was stuck in a permanent scowl which Kali had to remind herself, was probably just his face and not how he felt about them. At least she hoped so. She rubbed at her arms and bare thighs, feeling suddenly cold and exposed.

Sophie noticed, putting a hand on her thigh, “Didn’t I warn you the temperature could change at the drop of a hat?” she pulled her own jacket off and wrapped it around Kali’s lap, “Any better?”

“Yes,” and in a heartbeat, her cheeks matched the color of her red hair. They hadn’t spent this much time together in quite a while. With Sophie busy with her work at the tailor, and Kali helping out between the local tavern and the smithy, they saw each other less and less. There were talks of course, of Sophie moving into Kali’s house. There was certainly space without Catherine around, and it would’ve been less lonely. It was going to be less lonely. She’d said yes, and they were going to live together, but first, they had to make this trip to Alden Town because her sister claimed she needed Kali’s help.

Sophie planted a kiss on her forehead, stroking Kali’s face. “When we get home, we’ll have a housewarming party and invite everyone we know. The dryads are welcome too since they are such a part of your life and your family.”

It was true. The dryads living around her house were the reason most of the gardening still got done. Kali didn’t have much of a green thumb. They were also close friends of her mother, whom she barely remembered. Then there was that story that was told among them like a dark cloud hanging over their heads. One of their own had gone missing, Aster. Her mother supposedly died of heartbreak when they couldn’t find Aster.

Kali didn’t know why that story came to mind at such a happy moment. It was sad, and Kali pushed it far out of her mind. She stood up suddenly and called out the window, “Mind if I walk for a while?”

The caravan stopped, and Thorn helped her down. He beamed at her, and she blushed. The cool breeze made Kali shiver and rub her arms. Thin, white scars stood out on her tawny skin as reminders of her magic and what it could do. It was a lesson to avoid using her fire to hurt living creatures. In special cases, she would use it to defend herself, but end up with a burn in return as the cost. There were a couple of scars on her face she could barely feel anymore. The first scars she’d gotten as a child practicing her fire magic for the first time.

“What brought you on this journey?” Thorn asked, casually.

“My sister,” she sighed, pulling Sophie’s jacket around her shoulders. “She sent me this stupid letter after years of ignoring me.” Kali stopped herself. She shouldn’t unload her problems onto the man just doing his job. But Thorn egged her on. “What kind of letter? Is it the kind where they need your help now after years of no contact?” he sighed. “Typical of family. They think they can get away with using you even if you have no connection with them.”

“Do you have siblings?” she asked.

“I have two. Both are younger than me. We-” he paused, “don’t always see eye to eye either. I haven’t seen my sister in a few years.” He shrugged and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, “but I wonder why you would visit her if she’s ignored you for so long.”

“Do you have time for a rant?” she asked, partly joking. He gestured with a hand like, ‘go on,’ and she got nervous again. “Well,” Kali took a deep breath.

“We have time,” said Thorn. “Best get it out of your system before you see her.”

She nodded, “Yeah, okay. So my sister and I, we missed a lot of each other’s childhoods. It’s the reason we’ve never been very close. When she was taken and trained by the dryads, I was at home, and then when she came back I was taken and trained. Are you familiar with the customs in Sylvan Hollow?” she asked, forgetting for a moment that not everyone knew about the dryad’s taking children to train them in magic at a young age.

Thorn nodded, “I am fairly familiar with the customs of most places I travel.”

Kali relaxed, “Well, since we missed each other as kids, we weren’t close at all, even as we got older. Cat spent all her time with our mother in the garden and I spent my time with our father at the forges. We had completely separate interests.” Kali pulled Sophie’s jacket tighter around her shoulders. “It all went sour after our mom got sick, and Cat couldn’t heal her. So she decided to just abandon us.”

Thorn gave her a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder. “That’s rough. My parentsâ€¦” he trailed off. “Well, it was hard to watch our mom go through what they did.”

Kali didn’t want to pry, but what he said had her curious. She blushed when she realized just how much baggage she divulged to him and felt her cheeks burning. “I am so sorry” she stopped suddenly, and Thorn stopped beside her while the caravan kept moving forward. She bowed to him, “I’ve gone way overboard talking about all this with you. I’m so sorry for what happened to your parents.”

Thorn guided her upright and pushed her to walk again, “Don’t worry about it.” He glanced up to the sky, staring at the clouds without so much as missing a step. “Did youâ€¦did you ever wish she would just stay out of your life? Like if you could cut her off, would you?”

Kali considered the question. Cat never called on her and, when she did, it was always for a favor. A favor that Cat did not deserve. Cat had done her and their father no favors when she left them for a place hours away. Nor when she hadn’t bothered to come to their father’s funeral. That had been the real line. Why was she going to Alden Town again? To see her sister, sure. To let her sister know there was going to be a celebration between her and Sophie sometime soon and that it would be Cat’s last chance to choose between her life and her family. If she came or not, that would be the deciding factor, and then, maybe, she’d cut her out completely. “It’s complicated,” she started. “I’m giving her one last chance to come to a big life event. If she chooses to miss it, wellâ€¦” Kali felt her chest ache. It hurt to say even though they weren’t close. She’d taken so long to realize that they just weren’t sisters enough. And Sophie had talked her into giving one last chance.

“That would be it,” she finished simply.

They heard the cursing before they saw what caused it. The caravan stopped abruptly, roughly, and Kali went to the back to check on Sophie. She was fine. She brushed herself off and took a hand to jump from the back.

“Looks like a patchwork of roots took refuge in the middle of the path,” Thorn said, puzzled. He placed a guiding hand on Kali’s back, ignoring the others. “How about we take a walk while Pam is getting things under control? Shouldn’t take long. You can tell me about your celebration plans with your wife.”

Roland was in their faces so suddenly, Kali fell back into Thorn’s arms. He glared at them both, “You and your friend should get back in the cart where it’s safe.”

Kali’s anger flared, “You should stay out of people’s faces. It’s just a bunch of roots in the road, I think we’ll be safe.”

“Those roots shouldn’t be there,” Roland said, “Something dangerous might be ahead-”

Thorn’s eye twitched and he turned to face Roland, smile fading. “Why don’t you go sit in the wagon, since you’re so afraid of every little thing that happens on this trip? I’m sure she can handle a little walk in the woods. She’s lived most of her life surrounded by it after all.”

Kali took his hand this time and let him lead the way.

Sophie trailed after them, giving the wagon a wary glance back.

They went a little way into the woods, deep enough that the trees obscured the road and the caravan.

Sophie tugged at Kali’s arm, “Where are we going?” she glanced back at where the road had been.

“Well, it was supposed to be a surprise,” Thorn stated, “but since we’re out here, there’s an old building that has a bit of a story behind it. I figured you’d be bored waiting for everything to get up and running again. When the oxen are agitated, they take a while to calm down. Not as bad as horses though, they don’t run off with the caravan at least.”

The trees moved around them like sinister figures, getting closer, crowding them as they walked. It was like they were moving, though that was impossible. The branches seemed thicker and fuller and blocked their view of their surroundings quickly.

Kali felt uneasy.

Thorn let go of her hand and got ahead of her. She almost had to run to catch up. “Wait, Thorn!” The trees blocked her path forward and suddenly Kali was alone and lost. “Thorn? Sophie? What was the story?” she called out into the trees, hoping he’d notice she was absent. Wishing he would come back and they could laugh about it as he told his story about the house in the woods.

“It’s a story about a young scientist and the dryad he fell in love with,” Thorn’s voice whispered into her ear. “But it’s not a love story. There’s a bit of tragedy involved.”

Kali startled, almost falling over, but Thorn caught her.

“T’was a fine summer day when the dryad came across a human in need of saving. A bear was gonna eat him, but the dryad shooed it away. In a moment of weakness, they both fell in love, and the scientist decided to build a cabin in the woods so he could live beside them.”

“While the scientist spent time in the cabin, the dryad taught him the ways of the forest. He learned about all the plants and animals that lived side by side with them. And he grew curious. Over time, they had a child, but the scientist’s curiosity grew corrupted. Instead of leaving well enough alone, he was too fascinated by this dryad/human child who had abilities he didn’t understand. But he wanted control. For the first few years, the dryad and their community raised the child while the scientist was out and about exploring the world. But soon enough he came back with knowledge that would prove to be dangerous to those around him.

With the supposed ‘key to immortality’ at his fingertips, he took his son down to the basement one day. The dryad heard the screams but didn’t have the energy to get into the basement. The door was made of something unnatural, and they couldn’t break through. When the screams stopped, and the son and father finally emerged, the child couldn’t walk on his own, carried up the stairs to bed. The scientist ignored the dryad’s pleas.

That was when they tried, in vain, to escape. But the scientist wouldn’t give them up. He found them, locked the dryad away except to birth two more children.” Thorn paused, and Kali felt the tension in his voice, the dryness. She handed him her water pouch and he drank it graciously. “I’m sorry, it’s a very intense story.”

Kali’s heart beat a million miles a minute, but she wanted to know how it ended. “You can’t just stop there, what happened?”

“The scientist killed to gather what he needed from whoever stumbled upon him while he was out and about. If he went to Sylvan Hollow, he never came back empty-handed. If a corpse turned up, he didn’t let any of it ‘go to waste’ as he said. At first, none of the family would eat his special stew, but after another session with the first child downstairs, the eldest son could no longer eat anything else without throwing it up. Any vegetation he tried to consume would come back up. So he was forced to eat or starve.”

Thorn took another gulp of water, “This story has an ending, I promise.” He teased a smile and Kali swore his teeth looked a little sharper. The story was getting to her, but it had been so long since she’d heard a good one.

“Finally, the day came when the dryad and their children could no longer take the abuse. They tried another escape attempt, this time with the youngest sister. It was a ploy though, as the scientist was lured out deep into the woods. What do you think happened to him in the end?” he posed the question to Kali like he wanted her to guess.

“They finally killed him?” her heart pounded in her chest, imagining how they did it.

Thorn grinned and grabbed her arm dramatically. He pulled her close and whispered, “The eldest came out and split him apart.” Something sharp pierced her skin and she yelped. He let her go as she pulled away. He laughed, “Sorry, did I scare you?” he gestured ahead through the bushes.

Kali moved forward cautiously, eying the spot on her hand where she’d felt something sharp. Nothing but a tiny scar on the skin as though scabbed over already. The feeling faded quickly and her attention was redirected to the house. It was an old cabin, with patches of discolored wood. The front had a porch with a wooden chair which made the cabin look more inviting.

“You can go in,” Thorn said. “It’s not abandoned, but I assure you the owners don’t mind. I know them personally. Have stopped in now and then when I’m passing by.”

Curiosity pulled her to the door, but a thought kept her standing in the frame. “Have you seen Sophie?”

“Your girlfriend decided to go back to the caravan. She didn’t seem super interested in exploration. Don’t worry, she’s safe with Pam and Roland.”

Satisfied and relieved, Kali pushed the door open. The cabin was rustic, with an animal skin carpet in front of a large fireplace. The first floor was one entire room with no extra walls and no doors aside from the ones leading to the outside or downstairs. A taxidermy deer head with large antlers stared out from above the mantle. There was a reddish brown couch, a small hearth where the food was prepared and cooked, and a wooden dining table with four chairs. From a window facing the back, she could see a wooden shack she presumed was the outhouse.

At a second glance, she noticed a couple of cages next to the door. For hunting and trapping food she assumed, though it was strange to see there was no bottom to them. The bars appeared to be stuck into the floor. Besides that, she noticed a divot in the floor that ran all along the outer edge where the floor and walls met. Another oddity, but Thorn interrupted her thoughts.

He stepped between her and the strange cages, “Owner is a hunter. They made some strange decisions when they built this place.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her further in. They stopped next to a wall decorated with a series of very real vines and colorful flowers.

He sighed and looked down at the floor when he spoke, “So, what if I told you your sister didn’t send you that letter? What if she doesn’t need your help and it was all just some mistake?”

Kali frowned and pulled the letter out. “Why would you think that?”

He shrugged, “You said she’s been ignoring you for years, but now she sends you a letter? Seems strange.”

Kali huffed, “It’s because she wants something from me. I’m just going to tell her off.”

“So if she disappeared, you wouldn’t be upset?”

Kali crossed her arms, “Not particularly. At this point, she might as well not exist.”

“Your sister didn’t send that letter.”

It took Kali a minute to register what he said, again. Realization crept up on her, but what exactly did that mean?

“I hadn’t planned to get to know you at all, but as it turns out, our thoughts might align just enough for this to work in your favor.”

Kali’s stomach dropped, “What do you mean?”

“Help me get rid of your sister,” he said bluntly.

"I-what?” Kali didn’t understand. “You want me to get rid of my sister?”

“I just need your help to-” Thorn paused and studied her horrified face. “On second thought, this was a mistake, wasn’t it,” he mused. “I thought this would benefit us both, but you’re not like my father. You’re-what’s the word?”

“Human?” she guessed half-jokingly.

“Yes,” Thorn grinned and leaned back against the door. “He was a monster.” Thorn waved a hand casually and the vines on the wall sprang to life and crept toward her.

Kali jumped back as they crawled along the floor like snakes. She could only move so far around the room until she was beside Thorn. “Please, make them stop,” she begged. “I don’t know what’s going on, but maybe I can help you in another way. We can talk to my sister together. I’m not sure what she’s done to you, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she had wronged you.”

“We are past the talking stage,” he said. The vines hesitated and shivered beside her feet. “Maybe I’ll feel gracious and let you live when this is all over. I can almost promise that.” The vines leapt from the floor and wrapped around her ankles. More wound their way up her wrists to her elbows.

Kali’s hands sparked with fire, hitting the vines around her hands. She bent down to grab the ones binding her ankles. The fire climbed up her arms and legs until the vines released her, but she felt the retaliation burns slash across her body for using her power on something alive. The pain brought her to her knees, and she struggled to stand.

Thorn hovered over her, reached to grab her shoulder, and pull her to her feet. They both started when the door burst open. Sophie was caked in mud and leaves, panting heavily, leveling her butcher knife at Thorn. Blood dripped from it.

Kali’s heart did a backflip. She was here! Of course, Sophie would be the one to rescue her. Her stomach fluttered at the sight of the bloody knife. Who had she stabbed? She could feel the change in the air. Thorn tensed beside her.

“What the fuck did you do?” he asked her. “You were supposed to stay the fuck away from here.”

“Roland is dead. I’m not leaving without my fiancÃ©e,” she said. Kali couldn’t believe how steady her hand was.

“Roland was an asshole to both of you the whole trip. You’re not seriously sad for him, are you?” Thorn raised an eyebrow. “Anyway, I’m just borrowing your fiancÃ©e. You can have her back when I’m done with her.” He tried to shove Sophie out the door with a stray vine, but she dodged and closed the gap between them.

Kali heard a low growl come from Thorn as the blood from the blade got in his face. “What the fuck did you do to Spike?”

Sophie kept a level gaze at him, “I’m not a killer. He’s still alive. But when he tried to block me from getting back to Kali, I lashed out.”

Kali limped across the room taking care not to brush her raw skin against anything. It had been years since she’d used her fire against something alive. Years since she’d felt the familiar pain of fresh burns across her body. He watched her pass him, then smiled at something behind Sophie.

Kali saw whom she assumed was Spike several paces from the cabin door, behind Sophie. He wasn’t close, but Sophie’s resolve waned for just a moment to check behind her. It was all Thorn needed to gain the edge.

Vines crawled out from beneath his shirt to grab Sophie’s wrist and squeeze until she dropped the knife. It flew uselessly to the side, and Thorn closed the distance between himself and Sophie, grabbing her in a chokehold. His arm squeezed tight into her throat.

“Agree to help me, maybe I’ll let her go.”

“Maybe isn’t exactly good enough,” Kali panted. She tried hard to ignore the pain, letting fire consume her hands. It would hurt more if she burned Thorn, but she wasn’t gonna let him hurt her Sophie.

Thorn sighed, “You’re right. If I let her go, she’ll just try to come back with help. I can’t exactly risk things getting that out of hand, can I?” Vines from his back wrapped around parts of Sophie. Her legs, her arms, as he squeezed her throat in the crook of his elbow. Piercing thorns jutted out from the vines in all directions, causing Sophie’s body to jerk. The thorns retracted and the vines retreated covered in Sophie’s blood.

He let her slump to the ground, on her knees. He gave them space as Kali flung herself forward to the ground, checking on her fiancÃ©e. She was still alive. Breathing heavily, but she complained about her arms going numb. The bleeding already stopped, but Sophie could hardly move.

“I might’ve overdone the dosage,” he muttered to himself. He grabbed Sophie by the armpits, dragged her limp body into one of the cages, and locked it.

Kali tried, failing to keep a grip on her as Thorn kicked her off. Then something sharp jabbed into her back like a knife. Kali’s body shook, then her limbs went numb and she would’ve smashed her head into the floor if Thorn hadn’t caught her. He pulled her over to the second cage, and locked it. Weak words passed her lips as she tried to call out to Sophie before she passed out.

Kali woke with such a start as the door slammed shut. “Sophie?” she whispered in the dark, her eyes adjusted quickly, but the cage beside her was empty. Where had he taken her? It was an agonizing amount of time, awake and stuck in the tiny cage, listening to silence. Outside was a chilling scream, distant and broken. Then a slice of daylight as the door opened, and Thorn came in, dragging a body in a bag that leaked fluids liberally.

He looked at her, surprisingly tired as though he hadn’t slept at all. He threw a ring at her, and grinned bitterly. “If you don’t want any more blood on your hands, I suggest you cooperate.”

Kali tried not to heave whatever was left in her stomach. The ring was sticky with blood. Thorn was still in the room, and she tried not to break down into sobs. He would not see her cry, he would not, he wouldn’t-

Tears spilled onto her cheeks as she tried to hold back the sobs that threatened to tear from her lungs. Thorn refused to leave the room as he worked. He dragged the body to a hardwood table and hauled it up. Without taking off the bag, he dug a blade right through it, cutting up the body without revealing it. “Just let it out already,” he said without missing a beat. “The sooner you let it out, the sooner you’ll be able to get over it.”

Kali gritted her teeth, “I swear if I get out of this cage, I’ll kill you,” she mumbled, but he heard her and stopped just to look at her.

Fire burned across her body as she fueled her rage, but it was out just as quickly with the shock of cold water that made her shiver down to her core. Thorn let the bucket drip its last drops onto her before walking back to finish cutting up the body.

Cutting up Sophie.

She hadn’t wanted to let it all out with him there in the room, but she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Kali sobbed freely.

Ch 2: Kali

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