Miri Greymantle's Arc

Chapter 2 of 8

Miri followed the shimmer of blue and gold through the trees. The spirit dog moved ahead, pausing every few steps to look back at her. The stranger's footprints marked the soft ground, still fresh. Miri clutched the portrait tighter and quickened her pace. The path curved toward a cluster of old trees standing close together, their thick trunks twisted and gnarled. The spirit dog stopped there and began pacing in tight circles, never crossing beyond the shadow of the largest tree. Its form flickered, dimming and brightening as if something pressed against it. Miri slowed. The dog wasn't leading her anymore. It was trapped. A cold presence settled beside her. Rothe materialized on the path, his form a shimmer of blue light edged in gold. He didn't speak at first, just watched the dog circle and whine. Then his voice came, quiet and flat. "It's bound here. Something won't let it pass." Miri stared at the trees, then back at the dog. She'd thought seeing spirits meant she could help them, but Rothe's warning made her chest tighten. This wasn't just about making contact. The dog couldn't move forward even if it wanted to. She stepped closer to the trees and the air grew heavier. A faint shape pressed through the bark of the largest trunk, massive and hunched, with claws that glowed red at the tips. The outline of a bear, but wrong, stretched too tall and seething with anger. It didn't notice Miri. It watched the dog with eyes that burned. Miri understood then. The dog wasn't free because something else held this ground, something that wouldn't let go. She backed away, her hand shaking around the portrait frame. Helping wasn't just about reaching a spirit. It meant facing whatever kept it chained.