No one talked much that night, and that was good with me. There wasn’t much I wanted to say. Ryker was silent as he shifted around the pieces in his head. Burn, Sneak, and Ruck seemed to be afraid of interrupting the silence.

We all woke to Ryker moving about the camp at first light. Instinctively, we all watched him, and he stopped in the center of our group. Whatever moves Ryker had decided to make last night, he was ready to put them into action.

“I’m going to a Cave Dweller today.” Ryker’s statement left no room for argument, and his expression left even less. This was what he was doing and that was it.

I was instantly awake. I’d heard about Cave Dwellers. It was a story parents used to keep their children inline. Go to sleep or the Cave Dwellers will get you. I’d never thought they were actually real.

“One of them lives not five miles from here, and she might know how to get close to Bedlam. I’ll be back tonight,” Ryker said. He walked out of camp.

We all had the same oh shit expression on.

I got to my feet first. “Cave Dwellers exist?”

Burn nodded, not appearing very happy with Ryker’s new plan as he stood but didn’t move to follow. Neither did Sneak. What was wrong with these people? Was that how this was going to go down?

“We can’t let him go alone,” I said.

Burn and Sneak appeared to be a bit taken aback by the suggestion that we question what Ryker was doing. No wonder Ryker did whatever he wanted.

I waved my hand in the direction Ryker had gone. “He’s the strongest, but we can’t let him stride off on his own. He might need help.”

Burn looked over at Sneak, as if they were debating the possibility.

“I’m the one who has to get close enough to break the ward. I’m going after him. You guys stay here.” I grabbed my water and made sure my dagger was at my hip, conscious that Ryker was getting a bigger lead the longer I took.

“I’ll go after him,” Burn said, sounding sure of himself now.

“I should go,” Sneak said. “Burn, you stay with them.”

The only person who didn’t argue to go was Ruck. He knew he was low man on the totem pole, with no magic. He at least had enough sense to not slow us down any further.

“I’m his right hand,” Burn said.

“I’m stronger,” I said.

“I’ve got stealth,” Sneak said.

Burn and I looked at Sneak.

“You’re not sneaking up on a Cave Dweller,” Burn said.

Sneak had his mouth open, ready to continue the quarrel, then paused as if he’d really started thinking the sneaking thing through. Shutting his mouth, he nodded, relenting.

I turned to Burn. “It’s you or me. Beauty versus brawn.”

“Which one am I? You said you were stronger, but I’m definitely brawn.”

“You’re beauty. I’m brawn.” I’d thought it was obvious.

“I’ve got an arm-wrestling match that says I’m brawn.”

“If you can hold on after I zap you, I’ll give it to you.”

“Let the worm decide,” Ruck suggested.

“Yeah, I agree. We worm it,” I said.

“Are we going to have the worm make the rest of our important decisions?” Burn asked, as if he’d never wanted the worm’s guidance in the past.

Ruck cleared his throat. “The worm does have the best record.”

Burn shrugged. It was tough to deny.

I dug for a worm.

Ryker was stopped already, waiting for me when I caught up to him.

“What are you doing here? You should be waiting at the camp.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“Why?”

He really didn’t understand. What was with these people? I didn’t care what anyone said; even Ryker might need backup at some point.

“In. Case. You. Need. Me.” I watched as the foreign idea sank in.

“I won’t—”

“You don’t know that for sure. And I’m the one that has to get close enough to Bedlam to drop the ward. I should be there too. Don’t make me challenge you to a duel again.” I walked past him, hoping I was going in the right direction.

“Other way.” He sounded as if he were trying to be more annoyed than he actually was.

I corrected my course, happy that he wasn’t putting up more of a fuss. Or was I? It might’ve been easier if he’d refused to take me with him. It wasn’t like anyone dreamed of meeting a Cave Dweller. If the stories were true, they were hideous and could be deadly.

“You think the Cave Dweller is really going to be able to help?”

“If she wants to, yes.” Ryker took the lead, his sword out as he chopped through the underbrush to make a clearer path.

“Are you ever going to tell me what you want from Bedlam that’s important enough to start a war? Considering you’re going to get me killed, I think I deserve to know.”

“After I get it.” His swinging paused for a second, as if he was thinking over his answer and wasn’t sure he liked it.

“Why…” Because if things went bad and I got caught, he didn’t want me to tell them what he was after. “Never mind. I get it. I don’t feel very good about it, but I get it.”

“I won’t leave you there, but if it takes a while to get you out…”

He let his words hang, but I could fill in the blanks. If I was captured and there was torture involved, he didn’t want me to be able to talk.

It was good he didn’t say it. Torture wasn’t a great subject of conversation when you were trying to enjoy your walk. On a bright note, at least he’d try and save me. That was more than I would’ve expected a couple of weeks ago.

Ryker stopped and pointed ahead. “That’s where we’re going.”

I looked at the mountainside. It was as the stories had said, with a narrow carved stair stopping at a landing halfway up. The stair wound its way up the mountainside again until it reached a small, dark opening.

I bit my bottom lip. If the cave and the landing had been accurate in the stories…

“You sure about this?”

“Mostly.” He headed toward it as if he were.

He stopped again at the bottom of the stairs, which had looked much more substantial from far away.

“When you get to the landing—”

“I know.” And if he said it, I wasn’t sure my legs would be sturdy enough for climbing.

The landing was a good sixty feet up, and I kept my eyes focused on the stairs ahead and not the steep drop-off if I happened to slip.

We survived the climb, and stepping on the landing was a relief. Right up until the sound of massive wings flapping in the air filled me with a sense of horror. A pair of vultures, nearly three times the size they should’ve been, circled overhead.

My heart was beating double time. “What happens if they don’t like us?”

“Don’t look down.”

I bent forward and peeked over the ledge. A pile of bones, which must’ve been teen feet high, was directly beneath. “Shit.”

“Next time, I’m going to tell you not to look up.”

“Is it at least quick?” Ignoring his sarcasm, I turned my back on the nightmare scene. It was hard to not wonder if we were going to be nothing but sun-bleached bones this time next year.

“No. Actually, the vultures only plucked their eyes out. It’s the fall that killed them after they stumbled around trying to leave. Unless you try and run. Then it’s quick.”

The vultures circled lower and lower, their pattern changing to figure eights.

I could run. Of course, then I’d die. Having your eyes plucked out, although painful and unpleasant, was better than death. I stood my ground. Ryker stood his ground beside me. If they did kill me, they’d only be shortening my life by five months. If they killed him, who knew how many years they’d be stealing? The evidence that he might be insane was piling up.

The vultures swooped down, getting closer and closer until they were flapping their wings closed and bobbing in the air in front of us. They focused on Ryker first, and my gut tensed. It wasn’t because I cared about him or anything, but if they plucked out his eyes, how was I getting to the Debt Collector? I swore I could still feel the cold hand of death laying his palm on my shoulder, whispering in my ear that my time was near.

One of the vultures swooped in closer. It was so fast that I feared I’d see nothing but bloody eye sockets. They swooped away, leaving him untouched.

They flew off, not bothering with me. It was as if I hadn’t been standing next to him at all.

“Why didn’t they check me out?” It wasn’t that I wanted them back, but they didn’t even sniff me.

“Did you want them to?” Ryker quirked an eyebrow at me.

“I feel a little snubbed.”

“Snubbed, but with eyes.”

I moved forward, wondering if they’d change their mind and come back. They didn’t, and I decided I could live with the insult.

It took another hundred or so stairs before we got to the opening of the cave. All I saw was blackness. I would’ve stumbled into Ryker, but caught myself with my palms on his back.

“Why did you come?” It was barked out by what sounded like an older woman, but I couldn’t see anyone. Didn’t need to see her, though. It had to be the Cave Dweller.

“I need a favor.” Ryker walked forward, undaunted, pulling me along with him.

“No.”

A blast of air shot at us. Ryker grabbed my wrist, keeping me on my feet. “We’re not leaving.” He continued forward, dragging me along with him.

I couldn’t see a thing, but Ryker’s movements seemed sure, keeping me on my feet when I would’ve tripped.

I heard the flare of a fire coming to life, and then I saw her. The cave was stark except for a few rough furnishings, a table, and a pile of pelts on the floor. The Cave Dweller was wearing little more than rags. Bedraggled grey hair hung in strands. She would’ve looked like a normal old woman if it wasn’t for the ten tiny black eyes scattered across the surface of her face.

They all focused on me. “I can’t fix her.”

It was immediately obvious that those eyes saw more than was normal.

Ryker’s hand, still wrapped around mine, tugged me slightly closer to him.

“We aren’t here for that. Do you know who I am?”

All her tiny eyes ran over him at once. “Of course I do.”

“Do you know a way to get close to Bedlam’s ward without them knowing?”

She walked around the fire and came closer. “Why?”

Ryker didn’t budge. “You know why.”

“What do you have to pay?”

“What do you want?”

“If you succeed, I’ll be protected.”

“Deal.”

Why would she need Ryker for protection? What the hell was he getting in Bedlam? What had I gotten myself into? I didn’t know, but I really hoped I was on the winning side, since I was stuck with him.