Willow's Arc

Chapter 13 of 15

Stryker's letter sat on the wooden desk at the guard booth. Three names. Three locations. The villagers had rounded up two cultists by midday, dragging them from their hiding spots in the marsh. But the third name led to an empty tent and boot prints heading north into deep water. The searchers set up a camp where the boot prints vanished. Their fire burned low between the cypress trees, casting shadows across the marsh grass. They'd found a torn robe caught on a root, its fabric still damp. The trail disappeared into black water beyond that point, and no one wanted to follow it in the dark. Stryker arrived at dawn with rope and a lantern. He waded into the water where the robe had been found, following three-toed prints in the mud beneath the surface. The prints led to a stone outcrop rising from the marsh, moss covering its face. Behind the moss, a cave mouth opened into darkness. He found the cultist inside, huddled against the back wall with empty hands. No crystal. No weapon. Just a frightened turtle who'd run when the others were caught. Stryker tied the cultist's wrists and led him back through the water. The village square would have all three names now. Willow's letter had been complete. Her information had broken the cult entirely, and the last piece of it was walking in chains behind him toward the stone memorial where her name was carved.