CAIUS: Crown of Threads and Shadows

By the second day, Caius had begun to feel that something was wrong.

The valley remained quiet, almost unnaturally so. The river continued its slow, steady course through the gray landscape, and the ancient ruins stood exactly as they had when they arrived. Nothing moved among the broken stones, yet Caius could not shake the lingering feeling that they were being watched.

At first, he thought it was simply his imagination. The fall from the Abyss, the loss of his father, and the constant threat of danger had left him exhausted. It would not have been strange for his instincts to remain on high alert even when there was no immediate threat nearby.

But the feeling returned whenever he looked toward the ruins.

Something was there. He could not see it, nor could he sense its mana, yet he felt its shadow upon them.

Caius continued his training throughout the day, occasionally casting a glance toward the broken stone structures. Nothing appeared.

By the third day, Sereth had Caius working on the scaled hide again.

The hide had already been preserved during their first evening in the valley. Sereth had suspended it over a low, smoky fire, using carefully selected dry wood to produce a steady stream of thick smoke. The smoke had drawn out much of the remaining moisture while helping preserve the tough hide.

Now they were treating the leather properly.

Sereth worked carefully along the inner surface, explaining how the material would eventually be softened and shaped into armor. ”We need to keep the scales flexible,” he said. ”If they become too stiff, they will restrict your movement.”

Caius worked beside him, following the instructions step by step.

The uneasy thought returned to him. He stopped scraping and glanced toward the ruined walls. ”Sereth.”

The dark elf continued working without looking up. ”What?”

”Do you feel it?”

Sereth paused, his hand coming to a halt against the leather.

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Caius watched him closely. ”There is something watching us.”

Sereth remained quiet for several long moments. Then, slowly, he turned his head toward the ruins. ”I felt it today.”

Caius frowned. ”Today?”

”Yes.”

Caius lowered his tools. ”I have felt it since yesterday.”

Sereth examined the surrounding ruins, his eyes scanning the shadowed crevices without moving his body. ”Then your instincts are improving.”

”Do you know what it is?”

”No.” Sereth returned his attention to the hide. ”It could be a beast. It could be something else entirely.”

Caius looked toward the distant stones. ”Shouldn’t we leave?”

”Not yet.” Sereth continued working smoothly. ”If it wanted to attack us, it has already had several opportunities.”

Caius considered the truth in that. ”So it is just watching?”

”Perhaps.” Sereth looked at him. ”Continue your work.”

Caius obeyed, though his attention remained divided between the hide and the shadows outside.

”We will take turns while we sleep,” Sereth added. ”Neither of us will sleep without someone keeping watch.”

Caius nodded. ”Understood.”

”And keep your weapons within reach. Do not leave Nightdancer where you cannot draw it instantly.”

Caius glanced toward his father’s blade resting beside his leg. ”I won’t.”

Sereth resumed conditioning the leather. ”It may be nothing. This valley is old, and there are likely creatures here that we know nothing about. Maybe it is simply observing us out of curiosity.”

Caius was not entirely convinced, but he returned to his task.

Sereth continued explaining the preparation of the hide, showing him how to work the material without loosening the scales. The preserved leather was surprisingly light, and the overlapping scales remained flexible enough to shift naturally with the body.

”We can make a complete set from this,” Sereth noted.

”A complete set?”

”Enough for traveling and hunting.”

Caius examined the sheet of scale-leather in his hands. ”Will one stag be enough?”

”For you? Yes. For both of us? No.” Sereth considered the remaining material. ”We should not rely on a single hide.”

He looked out toward the open valley. ”We will hunt again tomorrow.”

”For more meat?”

”Meat, leather, and anything else useful.” Sereth smoothed down a section of the pelt. ”If we find another scaled stag, we can make matching leathers for both of us.”

Caius nodded. ”A stag or two should give us enough supplies to prepare for the journey north.”

Sereth looked toward the distant, jagged mountains. ”The frozen wasteland will offer us fewer opportunities to hunt. We should carry as much preserved food as we can without slowing ourselves down.”

Caius looked down at the leather. The journey north suddenly felt much more real.

Two months through mountains and frozen lands. Limited food. Dangerous beasts. And whatever waited for them in Sereth’s distant homeland.

Caius glanced once more toward the ancient ruins. For the briefest moment, he thought he caught a flicker of motion behind one of the broken stone walls.

He froze, locking his gaze on the spot.

The movement was gone.

Caius narrowed his eyes, searching the gray shadows, but found nothing. He slowly returned to his work, adjusting his grip on the leather.

Yet deep within the ruins, four cold eyes remained fixed upon them.