Once they were certain they had secured the ambushers, they struck out on the trail again. When nightfall was nearing, they found a smallish cave tucked into one of the baby mountains and set up a few traps to cover themselves. A fire was built. Food was prepared. The four of them sat around and ate.

“Might I see the comb?” Relsia asked. “I’d like to analyze its magic before we go handing it off to a hag.”

Ailwin produced the comb. She looked down at it, remembering all the horrors the pretty little thing had wrought upon her. “Perhaps you should touch it through a cloth. I think it might be cursed.”

Relsia leaned toward her, eyes on the comb, and muttered some kind of incantation. After a brief pause, she looked up at Ailwin. “No signs of a curse.”

“Alright,” Ailwin said. She handed the comb to Relsia and continued eating her food.

“Winnie, I think you should continue on with us for a bit,” Warson said around a mouthful of potato.

Ailwin felt a flash of panic. “That wasn’t the agreement.”

“Yes, but we made that agreement before Yorayola and her merry band of thugs came along. It’s not going to be safe for you to travel back through Stone Lake by yourself,” Warson said.

“I should’ve left earlier,” she muttered to herself.

“We’ll be happy to walk you back after we retrieve Lark,” Casda said. He gave her a painfully hopeful smile.

She almost softened, but only almost. “No, I really can’t stay. I should get back to my cottage as soon as possible.”

“Surely your teapots can get on without you for a few more days,” Warson joked.

Ailwin scowled. “It’s not about the teapots.”

“Then what is it about?” he asked.

The Whispering Wood. She could not step foot in that forest without exposing them to the secret. It was bad enough to have that blasted comb in her possession once more. To risk her friends, both new and old, would be truly horrid.

“I have a garden to tend,” she said.

Warson snorted out a very ungracious laugh. “Come now. That’s no reason to risk yourself. Stay with us and-”

“No,” Ailwin said, loud and determined.

Her brother finally returned her scowl. “Don’t be daft, Winnie. That infernal will gut you on sight for dispatching her so quickly. Who will tend to your precious garden then?”

“Why must you be so difficult?” she snapped.

“Why must you!” he fired back.

Relsia held up her hands to pause the argument. “If I may, I think you’re both just worried about the other one. Perhaps acknowledging your fear would be more productive than picking at one another.”

Casda chuckled. “Good luck. These two are terrible at talking things out.”

Both Ailwin and Warson were staring at their companions through disbelieving eyes, trying to determine who the biggest traitor was. Was it the bold newcomer, the flippant old friend, or the original target of their ire: the sibling? They both quickly ran out of steam and slumped on their respective sides of the fire.

“Fine,” Warson said, sighing. “Relsia is right. I don’t want you to leave because I’m scared for you. I also really have missed you these last ten months. It’s one thing for you to disappear on Casda and Lark. It’s another entirely for you to disappear on me.”

Much to her chagrin, Ailwin was beginning to actually soften now. Warson was the only child of her father who accepted her as a sibling. He was the only one to insist on spending time with her and treating her like any other brother or sister they shared, half or otherwise. The normalcy of their bickering was one of the luxuries he afforded her. Another included the sort of unconditional love she’d only otherwise received from her mother and her childhood pet. Warson was quite precious to her. It was why she was willing to give him up entirely just to spare him from whatever fate she faced.

Perhaps, though, he deserved to hear an explanation. It was probably the least she could give him.

“Aha!” Relsia exclaimed. “The comb itself isn’t cursed, but it was once touched by a curse.”

Everyone grew silent. Casda cleared his throat. “Meaning what, exactly?”

“Meaning that Ailwin was probably cursed when she stole it,” Relsia said. She turned her gaze to Ailwin. “What sorts of things did you experience?”

“Uh, well, there were threats,” Ailwin said.

“Threats?” Casda repeated.

“You knew about those,” Warson said.

Casda frowned. “I did not. What threats?”

Warson and Ailwin exchanged a look. Understanding lit both of their eyes at the same moment.

“Right!” Warson exclaimed. “Lark and I knew about the threats. We didn’t tell you because…well…”

“Well?” Casda asked, raising a dark eyebrow.

“Because they were afraid you might go rage out at the queen and her guards. I told them you wouldn’t, but they didn’t want to take the risk,” Ailwin said.

Casda’s frown deepened. “I can’t believe you all wouldn’t trust me. Have I ever ‘raged out’ inappropriately before?”

“No,” Warson said, smiling faintly. “But you were in the habit of looking at Ailwin like she was your world and it all felt a bit precarious.” He turned his glance back to his sister. “Weren’t there nightmares, too?”

“Oh, yes,” Ailwin said, nodding. “Horrible nightmares. Very vivid and very disturbing.”

Relsia tapped her chin. “What form did the threats take?”

“There were notes at first. A few had been stabbed into my door at the inn with a dagger. When we were on the road, there were a few carved into the dirt at camp sites,” Ailwin said.

Casda’s large hands clenched into fists. His brow furrowed. He caught Ailwin’s gaze and she startled at his stern expression.

“I’m-I’m okay now,” she said.

“Do you know where the threats were coming from?” he muttered. His voice was deep and dipped in a rage he typically reserved for skirmishes like the one they had on the lake. It would seem Warson and Lark were correct to fear his overreaction.

“No,” she said slowly. “That was part of what made my anxiety so bad.”

“You said the first threats were notes. Did the threats take any other form?” Relsia asked.

Ailwin nodded. “Yes. After a while, I started hearing whispers, the sounds of feet shuffling behind me, promises spoken in the middle of the night.”

“Were you not sleeping by that point?” Relsia asked.

“Correct,” Ailwin said.

“You were probably writing the notes yourself. If they stopped when you stopped sleeping, you were probably doing it in your sleep,” Relsia said.

Ailwin blinked in surprise. Warson looked shocked as well. “That’s wild,” he said.

Relsia nodded. “It was a curse of madness. They’re cruel, wicked curses often cast by very powerful magic wielders. I’m not surprised someone like the queen would use one to guard a powerful item such as her comb. The point of a madness curse is to drive someone so far over the edge that they either slip up and reveal themselves or panic and confess to the crime. You, Ailwin, were an outlier. You chose to rid yourself of the item not by returning it but by sinking it in an enchanted lake. I suspect the nightmares and the threats faded after that because of Stone Lake’s longstanding enchantment. The magic of the water washed away the magic of the curse.”

Ailwin’s mouth hung slightly agape. “That’s…kind of amazing, actually.”

Warson whistled softly. “I’m sorry I called you selfish, Win. Guess your instincts were right this time.”

“Now you can apologize for hiding it from me,” Casda grumbled.

Warson glanced at the half-orc. Casda’s hands were still balled into tight fists. The veins in his forearms were popping up as his normally controlled anger rippled through him.

In their early days of adventuring together, Casda was a different man. He and Lark worked together for a few years before meeting Warson and Ailwin. He was a brawler. He was a thug. The introduction of a soft, sneaky, half-elf woman who had a penchant for throwing him shy little glances when she thought he wasn’t looking shifted his entire perspective on the matter of his rage. That, and the knowledge that his younger sister was at risk of following in his footsteps. Through time, practice, and great restraint, Casda learned to regulate his emotions and keep the anger in check, channeling it specifically when it was needed.

Ailwin knew most of this—save for the bit about herself—so it was surprising to see him struggle to maintain his control while they were in the relative safety of the cave.

“I’m sorry,” Warson said. “And I think you might benefit from taking a walk.”

“Don’t-” Casda shouted, abruptly interrupting himself. He took a few deep breaths, shutting his eyes. “Don’t tell me…what I should do. Even if you’re right this time. You were not right to hide Ailwin’s curse from me.”

“In my defense, I didn’t know it was a curse,” Warson muttered.

“Even worse, then, since you thought it was a real threat and you didn’t inform the entire party,” Casda grumbled.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you myself, Cas,” Ailwin said softly.

Casda loosed a ragged breath. His eyes flew open, wide with shock. He met her gaze across the fire. His dark eyes shone with an intensity Ailwin did not fully comprehend. She was suddenly regretting her lack of clarity when it came to the nature of their relationship. Perhaps if either of them voiced their real thoughts on the topic of the other, they could’ve avoided this entire exchange.

“Alright,” Relsia said, shifting around a bit. “This is probably good. The more secrets we air now, the less fodder we’ll have for the Whispering Wood.”

Ailwin gasped at the mention of secrets. She had become so absorbed in the knowledge of the curse and the strange reaction of Casda that she had forgotten her initial purpose in declining the trip.

“What is it?” Casda asked. His voice was tight, almost strangled, as if he was still holding back the rage. He probably was. When he didn’t release it through physical exertion, he tended to take a bit to wind back down.

“Whatever it is, it’s the reason she doesn’t want to stay with us,” Warson muttered. He gave his sister a knowing a glance.

She swallowed. “I can’t tell you.”

“Ailwin!” Casda barked. His eyes grew wide again, as did hers. He shuddered as he rose to his feet. “I’m going for a walk. Say. Nothing,” he hissed, pointing at a snickering Warson. He marched out of the cave and into the night.

“Looks like my instincts were right, too,” Warson said.

“Gods I miss Lark,” Relsia muttered.

“He does have a way of lightening tense moments,” Ailwin said.

“When Casda comes back, we’ll try again. I’m not letting up this easily,” Warson said. He directed this comment to his sister, but she pretended not to notice by keeping her gaze on Relsia.

~~~

Casda did not come back for some time. The others had more or less retired for the evening, unrolling bedrolls and settling under blankets. He finally came back into the cave just as Ailwin’s eyelids had grown comfortably heavy.

“Winnie!” Warson whispered.

Ailwin kept her eyes shut, no longer feeling the same level of comfort.

“Winnie, I know you’re awake,” Warson said.

“We’re all still awake, Warson,” Relsia said flatly. “What do you want with your sister?”

Warson hissed through his teeth at the knowledge that he’d disturbed Relsia. He had tried, rather poorly unfortunately, to be subtle in his summoning. With a sigh, he said. “Sorry, Rels. I wanted to take this outside of the cave.”

“By all means, please do,” Relsia mumbled. She turned over and burrowed deeper into her bedroll.

Ailwin felt her brother’s presence at her side. She opened her eyes and looked up at his looming shadow, and the shadow of Casda beside him. With an eye roll that neither disturber could see, she got up and followed them out of the cave. They walked a few paces into the woods before stopping to huddle together.

“Couldn’t this have waited until morning?” Ailwin asked. She made no efforts to hide her irritation.

In lieu of a response, Casda asked, “Are you staying with us or not?”

Ailwin paused. It was hard to discern either man’s expression in the darkness. Their figures gave little away, other than their general proximity to her. She sighed. “I’m not. I’ve already told you that I can’t.”

“Now tell us why,” Warson said.

“Can’t you just trust me?” she asked.

Casda’s shadowy figure shifted closer. Ailwin felt his fingers fumbling at her wrist. He slid his hand down to hers and grabbed it, lacing their fingers together. “You don’t have it run away again. We can help you with whatever it is.”

She shook her head, and then she blushed at the realization that neither of them probably saw the motion. “You can’t. It’s not something that can be helped. It’s better if it stays buried.”

“Why?” Warson asked.

“Because it’s dangerous.”

“We do dangerous stuff all the time, Win. You’ve gotta give us more to go on than that,” he said.

“You said earlier that my instincts were right. Why can’t you trust them to be right now?” she asked.

“Because there was a curse that you didn’t know about, and I’m having trouble remembering what was part of the curse and what wasn’t. And because you’re my sister and I want you around. And because Casda is-”

“Your friend who also wants you around,” Casda said, cutting off Warson’s rant. He almost sounded nervous, but it was too dark out for Ailwin to confirm.

“I…I saw something at the castle, okay? When I took the comb, I saw something I was never meant to see. And someone very powerful and important knows that I know. I assumed that’s where the threats were coming from, but now that we know there was a curse…well, I’m not sure anymore. I am sure, though, that if news of my return makes it back to this person, there’s little stopping them from coming after me,” Ailwin said.

“Is that all? We can handle someone from the castle,” Warson said.

Ailwin glared at him in the dark. “I’m looking out for you, okay? The less you know, the better. You can’t be held accountable for a secret you’ve never heard. If I go with you to the Whispering Wood, though, you will hear it. I know you will.”

Casda and Warson’s shadows seemed to exchange a look. One shrugged and then the other.

“We’ll be fine,” Casda said.

“Yeah. Come with us anyway,” Warson added.

“No-” Ailwin started, but Warson continued to speak.

“Look, we’re about to risk our lives for Lark, and he’s not my blood relative or Casda’s…friend. We care about him, but we each have reasons to care about you more. Trust us when we say that your company is more important to us than the potential of some danger, which we will face in some form whether you’re with us or not,” he said.

Warson raised a good point. She wasn’t sure she fully understood the bit about Casda and why he might care for her more than he cared for Lark, but they were likely to face danger. The hag of the Whispering Wood was, herself, quite dangerous indeed. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps whatever danger Ailwin’s secret could bring about was no different than the other dangers faced by adventurers of their sort.

She took a deep breath. “Alright. I’ll try it. But we need to visit my cottage again once Lark is safe, because I didn’t pack for an extended period on the road.”

Warson and Casda both cheered in hushed voices. Warson pulled Ailwin into a hug while Casda kissed the hand he still held. It was…unexpectedly nice.

~~~

The morning brought a cool, steady rain that followed the foursome out of the mountain range and into the forest. As the trees grew thicker and the ground began to slope up and down with the rolls of hills, the rain grew lighter. By the time they’d reached the edge of the Whispering Wood, the weather had turned into a fine, chilly mist. It wasn’t anywhere as difficult as a downpour might’ve been, but it was enough water to wet each of the adventurers and cause their hair to drip and their socks to grow sloshy and uncomfortable.

Ailwin’s conviction that she’d need to pack more things were she to truly stay with this lot only grew as her boots squelched and squashed in the misty weather.

A tall set of leaning trees grew up over a winding dirt path. The trees’ branches met and intermingled, twisting and growing together into a sort of arch over the path. Warson pointed at it, looking to Ailwin.

“That’s the entrance,” he said.

Ailwin raised an eyebrow at her younger brother. “I could discern as much on my own, thanks.”

“Whisper a secret into the knot on the right tree and it’ll let us cross,” he said.

“Why do I have to whisper a secret?” she asked.

“Because you weren’t with us the last time we were here,” he said, as if it should be obvious.

Ailwin sighed. “I never agreed to this.”

“Fine. Dearest sister, would you be so kind as to whisper a secret into the knot of that tree so we might gain entrance to this forest and save our mutual friend from a horrific end at the hands of a hag?” Warson asked rather obnoxiously.

“Are you sure you want me to travel with you again?” Ailwin asked.

Warson broke out into a sincere grin. “Positive. I have missed our bickering the most.”

Ailwin would never admit that she felt the same. It was nice and normal and very sibling-like if her observations of other siblings were to be believed.

She cracked her neck, took a deep breath, and stepped up to the knot on the tree. She raised a hand to cover her mouth so the others couldn’t see her words. “I fear I’m not going to be an effective rogue anymore. I have found that I prefer bartering to stealing,” she whispered. It was a petty secret, with little consequence to anyone but her. It was the exact sort of secret she’d rather the trees whisper.

The two trees that framed the path began to shake as if a gust of wind blew through them. The shaking rippled out into the other surrounding trees until the entire wood swayed. Small, glowing mushrooms popped up on other side of the path, directing Ailwin and her friends to enter there.

She turned to face the others. “Are you absolutely, completely sure you want me to tag along?”

“Absolutely,” Casda said.

“Completely,” Warson added.

Relsia smiled at her. “We’re sure.”

The foursome stepped onto the path and entered the Whispering Wood.

After walking a few paces, a few of the trees shifted and swayed. Ailwin’s whispering echoed around them, multiplied a few times by the trees. They said, “I fear I’m not going to be an effective rogue anymore. I have found that I prefer bartering to stealing.”

Warson chuckled as he turned to his sister. “That’s the secret you used to open the path? Incredible.”

She shrugged. “I figured the trees would repeat it and it may as well be something with low stakes.”

“There’s nothing wrong with honest bartering. You can still be plenty roguish in other ways,” Casda said, winking as he walked.

They continued on for about 50 paces. The trees began to shift again, swaying with the weight of another secret. The woods had begun to hear their thoughts.

“I’ve been carrying a love letter for Ailwin ever since she left. I wasn’t sure when I’d see her again, so I wanted to be ready,” Casda’s multiplied voice whispered from out of several trees.

The group paused and looked at one another. Casda flashed a sheepish smile at Ailwin, who found herself flushing with heat at the expression. He carried a love letter for her? Did that mean…did he love her? Was it possible that he still could after so much time had passed?

“I, uh, guess you know what I wanted to talk to you about now,” he said, scratching at the back of his neck. “I’ll gladly give you the letter, if you’d like.”

She nodded slowly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment with Ailwin’s name written in sloping cursive. The parchment was crinkled and creased. The corners were dogeared. It looked very much like he had been carrying it around since the last time they’d seen each other. She tucked the letter inside of her jacket, intent on reading it when the trees didn’t threaten to whisper its contents to anyone who happened by.

They continued walking.

After another hundred paces or so, the trees swished and swayed again. It was Relsia’s whispered voice that echoed around them this time.

“I thought that I would be the one to love Casda out of his slump, but he didn’t want me. Eventually I found myself falling for Lark instead.”

“Oof,” Warson said, making a pained face. “Lark is a tough man to love.”

“Tell me about it,” Relsia muttered.

Casda paused and looked at Relsia. “I’m sorry if I hurt you. You certainly deserve to find love, and in another life, I would’ve been honored to be that for you.”

Relsia smiled and waved his comment away. “It’s no big thing. I just thought you were handsome when we first met. After finally meeting Ailwin, I can see why you like her. There are no hard feelings here.”

Casda returned her smile. “If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” Relsia said. She glanced at Ailwin and winked. Ailwin smiled and they all continued forward once more.

It wasn’t long before another secret came through the trees. “I bed the least elven looking women I can find just to spite my father. I want any accidental offspring to bear as little resemblance to him as possible,” Warson’s voice whispered around them.

He grimaced and kept walking, increasing his speed. The others exchanged uncomfortable looks.

“Warson?” Ailwin said.

“We can’t keep stopping every time we hear a new secret,” he said, continuing forward. “We’ll never make it to Lark that way.”

“Are you at least attracted to these women?” she asked.

He scoffed. “Obviously.”

“Well…good. I’d hate to think spiting our father drove every decision you made,” she said.

“It drives most of them.” He did pause, then. He turned to Ailwin with a severe expression on his face. “The secrets will get deeper as the forest does. You may come to hate me after this.”

She shook her head. “I could never hate you.”

He smirked. “Right. Because I’m your favorite brother?”

“As far as I’m concerned you’re my only brother,” she said.

His eyebrows rose, and then he smiled. “Alright, then. And you’re my only sister—perhaps my only family at all.”

As they continued forward once more, Ailwin overheard Relsia whispering to Casda. “Why does Warson hate his father?”

“He’s a real bastard,” Casda whispered back. “In the insult sense of the word. Ailwin’s a bastard in the technical sense, and he’s never accepted her. Warson’s never forgiven him for it.”

Relsia gasped softly. “I had no idea. How tragic.”

“They have each other. And us,” Casda whispered. “They’re doing alright.”

Ailwin smiled to herself. She and her brother were, for the most part, doing alright.

~~~

By the time they reached the hag’s cabin, they had learned a few more upsetting things about one another. The secrets themselves weren’t the upsetting part. It was the slow and painful realization that each member of the party harbored some level of self loathing as a result of the secrets. Some tears were shed. Some soft comforts were offered. Contrary to Warson’s prediction, everyone felt a bit closer after learning more about one another.

The hag’s cabin was a dilapidated old thing. It was made of sagging, rotting wood. The air around it reeked of mildew. The ground beneath was squishy and muddy. Ailwin’s boots squelched as she came to a stop behind Warson and Casda. Relsia stood beside her, sighing at the structure.

“Should we knock?” Ailwin asked.

“She knows we’re here,” Warson said. “Assuming she didn’t hear some of our secrets, she’s probably smelled us by now.”

Casda sniffed himself. “I don’t think we’re that odorous.”

Warson threw a dry smirk in his direction before facing the cabin again. “I’ll do the talking. Hags are notorious for twisting words so we have to be very specific in what we ask.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t give her the comb. Maybe we should just kill her,” Relsia said.

The other three looked at the dwarf with wide eyes.

“We’re not equipped for that,” Casda said.

“Not to mention that she can probably hear you!” Warson whispered. “You could’ve suggested that before we got here!”

Relsia looked a bit panicked. “I just-I don’t trust her. Why should she get such a powerful item?”

“This is not the time for this!” Warson hissed.

“Well then when is the time?” Relsia hissed back.

“Literally any other time!” Warson whisper-shouted.

“Despite my age, my hearing is actually quite good,” the hag whispered.

The party startled. In amongst them stood the hag of the Whispering Wood. She was tall and gangly, with skin like bark, covered in forest rot. The stench of mold surrounded her like a cloud. She wore filthy scraps of fabric fashioned into a sad excuse for a dress. Her beady eyes scanned the foursome, and a blood-curdling smile curled the edges of her thin, flaky lips.

“Hello there,” she said. “How nice it is to see you all again. And, look at that! You’ve brought a friend.” She scanned Ailwin from head to toe, half-smiling and half-sneering.

Ailwin took a step back, bumping into Casda as he quickly strode to her side. He placed a hand on her shoulder. She instantly felt a tiny bit better.

“Do you have the comb?” the hag asked, looking at the stunned adventuring party.

Warson fumbled with his bag, nearly dropping it as he pulled it around to his front and dug in the main pocket. He pulled a small, wrapped item from it and held it out to her. She reached for it, but he pulled it back just before her boney fingers could wrap around it.

She snickered. “Clever boy.”

“Where’s Lark?” Warson asked. He sounded surprisingly fierce for someone who looked as shaky as he did.

“The boy’s inside. Would you like to come and see?” the hag asked.

Warson swallowed his fear and straightened up. “You can bring him out here.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. It’s awfully hard to move when one doesn’t have a heart,” the hag said.

“Then you shall restore his heart and bring him out here,” Warson said.

“Shall I now? And why shall I do that?” the hag teased.

“Because if you don’t, I’ll snap the comb in two,” Warson answered. He held the wrapped item between his two hands, pretending like he was about to snap it.

The hag raised what would’ve been an eyebrow at him. “You wouldn’t dare. If you snap that comb, I’ll snap your friend. And then I’ll eat his heart.”

“Do we have a deal? The comb for Lark?” Warson asked. “You must replace his heart. He must be perfectly healthy, awake, talking, not possessed. In the condition in which he existed before you stole his heart and him with it.”

The hag smirked. “Any other conditions?”

Ailwin felt dread beginning to grow inside of her with that question. Warson wanted to do the talking to prevent the hag from twisting his words. Her posing that question made it sound as if she already had—as if there was some sort of loophole she was eager to exploit. There might’ve been one, but it was more important that Warson realize there might not have been one. She could manipulate him into creating a loophole if he wasn’t careful. It was all far too risky for Ailwin’s liking.

“I will state them should the need arise,” Warson said.

The hag’s smirk soured into something far more skeptical. “That’s not a deal I’m willing to make. Sort out your conditions, state them, and try again.” She disappeared in a cloud of musty smoke.

Warson harrumphed. “I hate hags,” he muttered through his teeth.

The trees shook and swayed with a new secret. Relsia’s voice, multiplied by the forest, began to whisper, “I don’t think Warson is up to the task.”

He leveled a glare on a sheepish Relsia. “Helpful, Rels. Thanks.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, grimacing. “But maybe I should take the lead here. Lark is…you know, important to me.”

“He’s important to all of us,” Warson muttered.

Casda sighed. “You know what she means. If you can keep a secret from me because you knew my feelings for Ailwin, you can certainly put your pride aside now that you know Relsia’s feelings for Lark.”

“You’re okay with this? Entrusting him to someone we’ve only known for 10 months?” Warson asked.

Relsia’s eyes doubled in size. “What?! Do you not trust me by now?”

Warson threw his hands up in the air. “I don’t know! It’s not that I don’t…I just…”

The trees swayed again. Warson’s voice whispered through them. “I can’t lose another friend. I don’t enough to risk any of them.” He rolled his eyes at the soft secret that had unintentionally escaped him. Relsia’s frustration died down, but Warson’s shoulders were still tense, his guard still up.

“I’m not going to hurt him,” Relsia said. “And even if something happens, I’ll do everything in my power to make it right. Everything in my goddess’s power. We’ll get Lark back one way or another.”

Warson sighed deeply, profoundly, down to his bones. “Alright. You can handle it.”

Within a few moments, the hag was back in their circle, stinking up the air around them. She leaned forward with gross anticipation, her fingertips tapping against each other as she flashed her gnarled teeth in a hideous smile. “Well? What are the terms of the deal, dearies?”

“You will bring Lark out here. You will reattach his heart and restore him to the condition he was in before you took his heart out. And then we will give you the comb and we will leave, with Lark, and you will stay here,” Relsia said. She held her spine straight and her chin up.

The hag nodded slowly. “Very well. I agree to this deal.”

She disappeared in a puff and then reappeared with Lark in her arms. His head lolled around to the side, his eyes shut. There was a pallid hue to his normally bronze skin. His dark, wavy hair hung loose and oily. He looked, in a word, dead.

The party gathered round as the hag placed Lark on the ground. She pulled a thumping, bloody heart from seemingly nowhere and held it over Lark’s chest. She looked at Relsia, smiling again. Bugs crawled between her rotten teeth.

“Are you sure about this? It’s your last chance to change the terms of the deal,” the hag teased.

“I’m sure,” Relsia said.

The hag nodded and turned her attention to Lark. She reached her hand—and his heart—into his chest as if it wasn’t even really there. His body jolted once, twice, three times like a fish flopping out of the water. Then, his eyes snapped open and he gasped as the hag removed her hand.

“Lark!” Warson cried. “Are you alright?”

Lark struggled to sit up and blinked at all of us. His gaze locked on Ailwin. “Winnie? I must be dead. I haven’t seen an angel like you in ages.”

She smirked. “You’re not dead, but you might be soon if you keep talking like that.”

Relsia, Warson, and Casda all kneeled beside Lark, examining him.

“How do you feel?” Casda asked. “Is everything normal?”

Lark paused and seemed to check himself. He nodded. “I think so.”

“Excellent. Now, the comb,” the hag said, extending her gnarled, bark-covered hand toward Warson.

Warson handed her the wrapped item. She ripped the parchment from it, revealing one of the amethysts mounted in the comb’s spine. Lark stared at it with wide eyes.

“Why would you give that to her?” he muttered.

“Because she threatened to kill you,” Relsia said.

Lark’s gaze found Ailwin’s once more. His dark eyes were still wide with fear. His plump lower lip began to tremble. “Winnie, you…you came back to save me?”

Ailwin nodded, blushing a bit at her friend’s open display of emotion.

Lark jumped to his feet and grabbed Ailwin around the waist. He planted a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you!” he cried.

Ailwin laughed a little as she returned Lark’s embrace. “I’d say any time, but don’t put yourself in such danger again.”

“Never!” he exclaimed. They all knew it was an empty promise, but no one said anything.

“If we’re all done here, kindly get out of my forest,” the hag said. She did not sound so kind as she said it.

Lark laughed and whipped a crystal dagger from his pocket. It glowed with orange light as his dark eyes began to dance. “If you think I’m letting my friends simply give you that comb and walk off, you’re sorely mistaken.”

The hag glared at him. “This from the pathetic excuse for a man who spent two weeks on my floor without a heart!”

“Well, it’s back now baby. And I’m about to take yours!” Lark declared.

All nine of the hells began to break loose.

~~~

The hag was unreasonably quick. She waved her gnarled hands in several motions and suddenly two perfect copies were stepping out from her form. She laughed in triplicate, her voice echoing slightly just as the trees had when sharing secrets. As she formed a loose, angry arch around the adventurers, they readied themselves for a fight.

“Lark, you missed the part of the conversation where we decided not to try and kill her,” Warson said, sounding a bit disturbed.

Lark laughed. “I’m happy to hear I missed that. I’m always keen for a fight.”

“Is this how you got yourself captured?” Ailwin asked as she unsheathed two daggers and spun them on her fingertips.

“Obviously. Though I’m happy for that too. To see you again, my darling, makes it all worth it,” Lark said.

Casda, who likely would’ve summoned his rage anyway, seemed to take issue with Lark’s compliment. He roared and stomped the ground as his anger boiled through him. With warhammer in hand, he launched at one of the three hags and swung. She grunted, laughed, and disappeared, only to reappear a few paces off.

“Stop flirting with Ailwin!” Casda shouted as he closed the distance and swung at her again. “She’s not going to fall for you!”

Lark laughed. “Oh? Have you finally confessed your feelings to our sweet rogue?”

Casda grunted and swung for a third time. The hag, who had absorbed the first hit with some amount of pain, dodged this one. She disappeared and reappeared behind Ailwin. With claws of wood and stone, she slashed at Ailwin, ripping four gashes into her shoulder. Ailwin cried out in pain, spinning and slashing the hag right back with one dagger, then another. The hag laughed, but Ailwin caught sight of something muddy and viscous leaking from her wounds—the hag’s blood.

The fight was long and arduous. Warson and Lark were both knocked unconscious at various points, brought back to their feet with help from Relsia. Finally, when the five adventurers were sure they could handle no more, they bested the hag. She screamed as Lark landed the final blow to her heart. Her rotten body jolted and then sagged when he ripped the gnarled, nasty organ that should’ve been her heart from her chest. And that disgusting brown lump made a horrific squelching noise when he stomped it to bits.

“Gods, I hate hags,” Lark said, flipping his dark, bloodied hair from his eyes.

Ailwin took a few steadying breaths. She was covered in splatters of the hag’s dirty, brown blood, along with drips of her own red blood. She glanced around at her friends. Casda was as ghoulishly blood-covered as she. Warson and Lark were both rather dirty and quite bruised. Relsia was the cleanest among them, with only some excess bits of hag stuck to her armor.

“Where’s the comb?” Warson asked, marching forward and digging in the hag’s pockets. He grimaced as he dug, no doubt feeling rather nasty sensations in her scrappy clothing.

“Anything?” Relsia asked.

He extracted the comb from her pocket and held it aloft. “Huzzah!”

“Excellent,” Lark said. “Now she can rot in the hells where she belongs.”

“And we can get out of these whispering woods,” Casda said, looking around.

The trees rustled and swayed again. It was Lark’s voice that whispered. “I feared you would leave me for dead. I’m hardly a man worth saving.”

“Well, that’s embarrassing,” Lark said, grinning.

“We’ve all been embarrassed in these woods today,” Relsia said.

“Except for Ailwin. All of her secrets were just kind of sad,” Warson teased.

Ailwin scoffed. “Better sad than other things.”

The party began to make their way out of the Whispering Wood.

“Yes,” Casda said, extending a hand to Ailwin. “Better than other secrets that could be revealed.”

They shared a tender smile as Ailwin weaved her fingers between Casda’s. Tender turned nervous as the trees swayed once more. Nervous smile turned grimace as Ailwin’s voice echoed around them.

“The queen’s son is not of the king. He’s the bastard child of the queen and her lover—my eldest brother,” Ailwin’s voice whispered.

The party froze. Ailwin’s eyes widened. Casda glanced at her, concern knitting his brow. Relsia and Lark exchanged a nervous look. Warson stared straight ahead, eyes locked on the forest, mental gears already turning.

“Oh, hells,” Ailwin muttered.

“The crown prince is our illegitimate nephew?” Warson asked, eyes still facing forward. “That’s the secret that drove you away?”

Ailwin nodded slowly. “I’m afraid so.”

“Well,” Warson said.

“Well, indeed,” Ailwin said.

“We’ve got the comb. We’ve got a secret that could bring the kingdom to its knees,” Lark said. A grin split his face. “Perhaps it’s finally time we bring down that wicked queen.”

Warson began to smile as well. “Perhaps you’re right, Lark. A new adventure has just unfolded before us.”

Ailwin shook her head. “I won’t go back to that castle. It’s far too dangerous.”

“Come on, Winnie,” Warson said, bumping her arm.

“It’s for a good cause,” Lark added.

Relsia cleared her throat. “She is a rather wicked queen, when you consider everything.”

Casda gave Ailwin’s hand a light squeeze. She looked up at him. He smiled down at her. It was a fool’s errand. A lunatic’s musing. A very dangerous quest indeed. And yet, Ailwin had tasted the spice of adventuring once more. She’d left her safe, bland life of gardening and teapots for fighting off brigands and slaying hags. Maybe her friends were right.

Maybe it was time to topple the kingdom.