“Aurora, get up.”

His eyes snapped open, knees buckling the moment he tried scrambling to his feet to face the figure that had spoken. With a groan of defeat, he slid back down again against the wall, squinting against the light that burned his eyes and send his throbbing head spinning.

“Did you hear me? Get up.”

“Daniel?”

Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back against the surface he was seated against, trying to focus on something, anything, other than the pain in his head and the nausea clawing at his throat. He sighed after a moment, wincing as he peered up at the man standing above him with arms crossed and a glare harsh enough to cut stone.

“Where am I?”

“Stables.”

“But why?”

Daniel threw his hands in the air.

Aurora blinked up at him, rubbing his head and reaching for the hat that somehow was still beside him despite the night that had been spent in a shambling stupor. Daniel was still in the same place, same expression and same annoyance twisting in his eyes. He looked behind Daniel, spotting his horse, a flighty brute of a stallion, that for some reason he couldn’t comprehend in that very moment, was already tacked.

“Are you hurt?”

“Am I bleeding?” he asked, groaning as he staggered to his feet. “My head is killing me.”

“You’re not bleeding.”

He pushed one hand against the wall, trying to keep himself from sinking back down to the ground but only lasting a few moments before he went sliding to the ground again.

“Can you stand?”

“Yes,” Aurora answered from the ground.

“Are you sure?”

Aurora wanted to nod but he only managed another groan as he leaned forward, dry heaving and spitting the taste of bile from his mouth. Daniel shook his head when Aurora looked up again, finally managing to get fully to his feet despite the way he wavered when he stood.

“How did I get here?”

“You staggered,” Daniel replied scathingly, “I guess. And that was after you spent a while in the hall picking fights and the rest of the evening-“
“I understand your point but right now,” he paused, swallowing harshly, “I really don’t need more of a punishment.”

“I don’t drink,” Daniel mumbled mockingly. “I get why you don’t.”

Aurora wobbled forward, putting a hand against his horse’s side and patting against the saddle. “Did you do this?”

“Didn’t you say we were going somewhere?”

He only mumbled vaguely.

“I’m curious now. Do you remember anything?”

Aurora shook his head and Daniel only frowned.

“Nothing?”

“Why? I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?” his head snapped up, color draining from his face.

Daniel shook his head, hesitated, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck, before he turned and walked out of the stall. Aurora placed his hat back on his head, turning to look at the horse beside him and resting his weight against the animal wearily.

“Aurora, get on your horse and meet me outside.”

“Where are we going again?” Aurora called, voice trailing off into a hoarse whine.

“You tell me.”

Aurora grunted, tugging at his horse’s reins and leading the animal from the stall after him. He never bothered nor did he care to give his horse a name after Daniel shot down his idea of simply calling the beast ‘nag’. After all, it seemed appropriate most days.

The stallion shoved against his back with his nose and Aurora nearly went sprawling to the ground, his already compromised balance almost failing him. He whipped around abruptly, watching as the horse’s head snapped up with a harsh snort.

“Enough with that! I am in no mood for this!”

“Stop yelling at the horse and come on,” Daniel called from outside the stables.

Glaring, Aurora turned on his heel and headed outside with the stallion following hastily behind him. If he thought the light inside the stables was bright, he vastly regretted having opened his eyes at all when he stepped out into the courtyard. He squinted, trying to focus on Daniel who was already astride his horse and staring down at him scornfully even still.

“Do you want some water?”

“No.”

Aurora climbed clumsily into his saddle, digging his heels into the sides of the horse and feeling him spring forward to circle eagerly around Daniel and his steed. The gates were opened, from what he could tell through his still squinted eyes, and he didn’t waste the time to wait for Daniel before he tore out of the stronghold.

“Where exactly are we going?” Daniel called, riding up beside him.

“You’ll see in a moment,” he answered.

He pulled harshly on one rein, spurring his horse from the road and galloping parallel to the walls of the stronghold. There were no watchtowers, no guards, and no other parties to run into off the roads and to Aurora, it was the ideal way to travel. But once the walls faded into the distance, he slowed to allow Daniel to ride up beside him.

“Where are we going?”

Aurora turned to ride up a ridgeline, spurring his horse along up the incline with Daniel cantering along just behind him. He hoped, despite the way Daniel trailed apprehensively behind him, that he wouldn’t recognize the path they took. The mad dash through the trees, the winding and racing through the woods, had been meant to confuse him.

A whinny split the air as he slowed his horse, dismounting once again before the horse had completely stopped. Daniel swerved to avoid him, swearing just loud enough for Aurora to hear before he circled back quickly.

They weren’t like the other tracks, larger, deeper into the snow, and were the impression of a cloven hoof unlike those he’d seen before. Frost stags, he assumed, beasts twice the size of any normal deer and covered in a coat of coarse silvery fur. They were taller than any horse, nearly as tall as a man at the shoulder, and sported the most magnificent antlers that any normal stag could only dream of.

“Stag prints, nothing to worry about.”

“They don’t normally travel over the Rift, do they?”

“Well, no.”

“Just like another creature we’re both thinking of.”

Aurora climbed back into the saddle, taking off again before Daniel could have the chance to respond beyond a quick stammer. The two rode onward, weaving between the ever thinning trees until the land began to flatten and the trees disappeared entirely. They burst from the woods, horses both screaming out a whinny as it finally came into view.

He dismounted, running a hand over the heaving side of his horse as he turned back to look at Daniel. They’d only been there a handful of times and it was only when Aurora insisted or, just as he’d done again, somehow tricked Daniel into following him.

“Aurora…”

“I have to know, Daniel. It doesn’t make any sense, does it?” Aurora called.

“Why are we here?”

“I have to know,” he repeated.

Daniel opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a small sound of distress.

“Something is wrong, don’t you understand that?”

“W-what you’re suggesting is suicide. We aren’t even supposed to be out this far and crossing it-

“I should be dead already, Daniel. How many times have you actually seen one of them? We’ve been here for almost ten years and I’ve never seen anything more than footprints. There is something wrong here-“

“If you cross that bridge, you will die. I won’t watch you do that,” Daniel snapped suddenly, dismounting from his horse.

“I’m not asking you to watch but I’m going over there. I only ask that you wait for me to come back.”

Without waiting for Daniel to return, Aurora spun around to face the sound of the river ahead of them, staring across the expanse of the Rift that stood before them. The bridge, a thin strip of land that chained the two worlds together, was the only way across and it was the way he was going.

A gun clicked behind him.

“Stop!”

Aurora paused, briefly glancing over his shoulder, but continued on.

“That is an order! As your superior, I have the power to stop you.”

However, just as they rarely did, words didn’t stop him. He didn’t hesitate, simply bringing one hand up to brush over the pistol at his side until, quite unexpectedly, a thundering crack rang out from behind him.

He turned, yelping in surprise with gun drawn. “Vex it all, Daniel! My fate is not for you to decide.”

“I won’t watch you walk to your death.”

“I already said you don’t have to watch!” Aurora cried, lowering his weapon.

“Please-“

Snorting, Aurora crossed his arms.

“If I keep walking, how do you intend on stopping me? Are you going to shoot me? Kill me? Now, Daniel, doesn’t that seem a little counterproductive, does it not?”

“I never said,” Daniel paused, swallowing, “I never said I would kill you. Just have to stop you from walking away.”

“That’s cruel,” Aurora hissed, eyes narrowing. “Even for you, my dear friend, that is just plain cruel.”

“It’s less cruel than letting your best friend die when you know you could stop it. Take another vexing step and I’ll shoot.”

“My, you’re really are angry, aren’t you? But so will I,” he answered calmly, “but I don’t shoot unless I mean it. Waste of life and lead, remember?”

Daniel’s hand dropped slowly, eyes filling with a hopelessness that syphoned away any anger that had been there before. Aurora slipped his gun back into his holster, taking the hat from his head and sweeping it downward in a bow.

“If I’m not back before nightfall, go back to the stronghold. “

Daniel was silent still, watching as Aurora turned and stalked off towards the bridge. His boots crunched in the snow, the only sound rising above the round of the river that raced along far below in the chasm they both faced.

“Less than six months.”

“I know.”

“None of this will matter in less than six months, Aurora. Did you consider that maybe the creature found something better to eat? It left you alone once but that doesn’t mean it’ll happen again. Walking straight into their territory is the worst idea you’ve ever had. I’m only asking that you thinking about this.”

Aurora only shook his head, taking a step out onto the bridge that, despite how light he was, seemed to rumble beneath him. However, he quickly discovered the rumbling wasn’t from the bridge and instead, it was coming from behind him.

“Fantastic, you told them to follow us. Nothing they can do will stop me,” Aurora called, continuing on until he heard Daniel’s voice.

“What are you talking about?”

The sound grew louder, low and rumbling like the growl he’d heard before but it was entirely like the sound. A flurry of hoof beats, riders charging towards the Rift and the clearing Daniel was standing in, was the only source he could think of. However, Aurora watched as their horses fled, nostrils flaring and hooves lashing out at the air as they bucked and charged off into the trees.

A nightmare was the first thought to flash into his head when he saw them, shrouded almost entirely atop the backs of their steeds. Aurora ran forward back towards Daniel, stumbling in the snow and grabbing for Daniel’s hand once he reached him. Horses, he’d assumed, were the source of the sounds he’d head before but he had been far from correct.

“Aurora, we need to go!”

The stags, feathered hooves lashing and tusks, a horrifying sight on their own, clicking as their mouths opened in a drawn out bellow. They circled, riding around the two in circles while grunts and growls erupted from the mouths of their riders. It was Daniel’s turn to freeze and Aurora stared, watching as one of them drew a bow, stringing an arrow and pulling back.

“Daniel, move.”

He didn’t, grip on Aurora’s arm dropping as he took a few steps sideways. It should have hit him dead in the chest had Aurora not tackled him, knocking the two of them to the ground as the arrow sailed overhead.

“Listen to me,” Aurora snapped, pushing himself up on an arm over Daniel. “Run when I say, understand?”

“R-Rift-“

“Daniel, listen to what I’m telling you. Run when I tell you to.”

He only nodded vaguely, letting out a groan when Aurora rose up off of him.

One of the figures barked something neither of them could understand, words growled rather than spoken clearly. There were three with bows still drawn while two, equally as terrifying even without the weapons, came to a stop in front of them.

“Drop your weapon,” Aurora hissed to Daniel.

“Why?”

“They calmed down when I did it last time.”

“Are you insane?” Daniel snapped, words trailing off into a whimper when one of the creatures snarled.

“Quite possibly.”

Daniel tossed his revolver down and Aurora did the same before reaching down slowly to pull the knife from his boot. The creatures reacted in a series of growled tones to each other, eyes, one of the only thing visible beneath their garbs, flashing blue as they conversed.

“No weapons and no bloodshed,” he called, wondering again if the creatures could understand him, “I came in search of answers and brought my friend along with me. The other day, one of you spared my life. I just want to know why.”

Daniel stiffened, coming to stand with his back to Aurora’s and gripping tightly to his sleeve. “I-I’m not part of this. W-whatever he’s done to upset you has nothing to do with me.”

“Giving me up already? Thank you for remaining my loyal friend, Daniel. You have no idea how wonderful it is to know that you would give your life for mine.”

The growling began to resonate between the figures as Daniel shook behind him, back pressed against his.

“Everything is going to be alright,” he assured, swallowing harshly.

“T-this is your fault. I don’t want to die-“

“You’re not going to die as long as you remain calm-“

“I hate you. I-I don’t want to die and being torn to shreds by a Rift beast has to be one of the worst ways to go.”

Aurora nodded, hesitated, and then simply shrugged. “No one wants to die, Daniel. It seems to just happen no matter what but I can think of some worse ways to go. Burning alive, drowning,” he paused, shrugging again, “poisoning or being tortured all seem-“

“Shut up! Y-you’re not helping.”

Taking Daniel’s wrist, he looked towards the figured surrounding them. “We don’t want a fight. We will leave you all in peace.”

One of the figures gave out a snort, breath puffing out in a white cloud in front of its cloth shrouded face. Aurora let go of Daniel, stepping forward cautiously only for one of them to dismount and begin pacing in front of him, eyed glinting with a primeval light.

“Daniel, are you still with me?”

“Ye-“

“I want you to run when I tell you do. I can distract them,” Aurora hissed back to him, still half concerned they’d understand.

Daniel nodded when he glanced back, eyes still wild with fear.

“On my count.”

“What about you?”

Aurora felt a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “I’ll give the bastards the best fight I can. Vex this all, Daniel. This is the most excitement I’ve had in nine years.”

“Aurora, I c-can’t just leave you-“

“One.”

A low growl sounded from one of the figures at Daniel snatched at his sleeve again.

“I’m not-“

“Two.”

“Aurora!”

His knees bent in preparation and he eyed the pistols nearby, locking gaze with one of the creatures. “Three.”

The instant he burst forward, he was stopped by a pain at the back of his neck, a sharp sting like the bite of an insect existing in a place that was far too cold for that to be possible. He skid to a stop in surprise, slapping a hand over his neck and pulling away to find a feathered dart in his hand.

“Shit.”

Aurora heard Daniel stagger, boots slipping in the snow as he scrambled to take hold of Aurora’s jacket. His eyes were glazed, dull and losing the familiar glint of fear, as he tried righting himself. However, he wasn’t on his feet long before he sank to the ground with a few unintelligible words.

“Come on!” Aurora shouted, staggering sideways as his head swam. “Is that all?”

He was slipping quickly and the world was becoming a collection of blurry shapes and distorted noises as the creatures, from what he could tell, started laughing. Aurora, for some reason he didn’t fully understand at the time, joined them. “Something funny? A love a good,” he paused, words slurring, “joke. Share, if you will.”

His left leg was the first to give out, followed shortly by his right and then he was kneeling. They hadn’t come to kill him unless the dart slowly lulling him to unconscious was meant to do that but it made things all the more confusing. But with whatever awareness that remained, he could tell one of them was staring intently.

“It was you,” Aurora swallowed, “wasn’t it?”

The creature eyeing him blinked.

“Wasn’t it?”

Aurora couldn’t tell if the figure nodded or if the jerk of his head was simply one last illusion before everything faded.

Next Chapter: Chapter 17