Book One – Chapter 15

In the end, Yu had only so much energy left to be creeped out. Despite the short bursts of excitement over the food and drinks, everyone was utterly spent, their bodies sagging under the exhaustion of the last month. The travelling party had arrived well past the witching hour. The last stretch of their journey had been a brutal one. The path had been particularly challenging, the storm and snow ruthless. Their had planned to reach the guild before T̰́̇ͦ̀è̸̷̸̬̤̗̊_̸̵̰̦̗̒͜ȟ̗̍ͤa̶͉͉͍̭̰̅̀̈͜ͅȓ̶̶̛̦͇͙̟̈̿͒ͮ͑̋̚͡u̟͖͔̖̙͙͆̄̿ͩͧ̃̽̓̈̌̀͟͞n rose, but the tempest had eventually become so fierce that they were forced to halt repeatedly, huddling together like animals, desperate for whatever scraps of shelter they could find. They had endured the whole witching hour standing in the most miserable of crevices. By the time they reached their destination, Yu had felt hollowed out, his limbs leaden, his mind scraped raw.

The warmth and food had given him a last, desperate surge of energy — but it was fleeting. No sooner had it revived him than it abandoned him again, leaving him even more drained than before. The others fared no better. All except Harrow, who seemed untouched by exhaustion, her presence nothing short of a mockery against the group’s collective fatigue.

All in all, no one lingered after the meal.

Half the party rummaged through their muddied packs, sorting belongings and passing heavy parcels of rations to Bubs, who in turn had Deltington and Estingar carry them into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Tirran gathered the rest at the reception desk to finalise room assignments.

Yu found himself among the group, standing like a specter at the back of the queue. He did not speak, bus his posture betrayed his impatience, his absolute need to be next. He had barely managed to stand after eating. If he sat down now — if he so much as leaned against the wall, he would not get up again. His body had turned to stone, his wings unbearable weights dragging him toward the floor. His skull felt packed with wool, his vision swam, and he could not stop yawning. He was about to collapse on the spot. Right where he stood.