The cabins were sparsely furnished, with only the bare minimum. The miners spent days in the mountains gathering materials for exportation to the capital. So Daliya was a bit surprised to see no sign of comfort. There were also giant bells at each of the cabins, though none in the ones deep into the mountains. The further they went, the thicker the fog became, the governor explained. At midnight, the village would sound bells to announce the end of one day and the start of another. Otherwise, there was no other way to tell the time.

  The air up the mountain was heavy and thin. Daliya could barely breathe. She focused her straying thoughts on the steps she was treading into the snow, trying to keep yesterday’s conversation out of her mind. Was no one going to tell her what awaited her if she failed to control her powers or if she hadn’t stumbled upon their talk?

  No. What did all this mean? Did it mean that the one Haitham had killed in the cave was another human? Someone like them? Someone like her? What about the one who had attacked the village? Would that be her someday? Attacking the ones she was supposed to protect…

  It was with great relief that she glimpsed one of the deeper cabins. She observed the wooden structure, relieved for a bit of distraction.

  “This is where we rest.”

  The knights slumped to the ground, their shoulders sagging as they took short, fast breaths. This fog was starting to be a problem. And to make matters worse, the further they ventured inside, the thinner the air became.

  “We should form groups and search for the lost miners,” Daliya announced. “We will meet back here before the bells sound.” The knights nodded, and she could see their unease. “Prioritize your safety,” she added.

  “Let’s go then.” Haitham gestured for her to follow.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re not planning to use them as bait, right?”

  He glanced at her, then back at the fog. “Of course not. They’ll be useless anyway. Not that I ever thought of using them,” he hurriedly added at her look.

  He squinted his eyes at the fog. Daliya wondered whether he could get a glimpse through. “Something has attracted those monsters. The faster we deal with the source of the disturbance, the better. Otherwise…”

  “It would attract even more monsters?” she ventured.

  He nodded. “Your knights might be trained in combat, but they won’t be useful here. Not when they can’t even feel the Soul stones’ energy.”

  Her eyes widened. “You mean this heaviness…?

  “Yes. this is what concentrated energy feels like.” He looked at her. “Stick by me long enough, and you’ll become an expert at this stuff.” He winked.

  Matters decided, she directed the other knights where the energy was low, ignoring any protest from the captain, and followed Haitham through the fog.

  The first thing she noticed was the silence. It was like she had stepped into a soundproof room where she could only hear her own breathing. No bird chipping was heard despite the numerous trees covering the mountain’s surface. It was like a haunted forest. Maybe it was, with all those monsters lurking around.

  Haitham grasped her hand in his.

  “Wouldn’t want you to get lost. We should stay together.”

  They ventured further into the fog. The more they walked, the harder it was to see in front of them.

  Daliya manipulated the ice she stepped on. Her footsteps glowed a faint blue light, marking the way they came from. Haitham raised an eyebrow.

  “I would rather not get lost here with no way back.” She shrugged.

  “You won’t be lost. Not with me here.”

  Whatever retort she had got lost as her feet stumbled, only Haitham’s hand keeping her upright.

  “Careful,” Haitham said as he steered her away from a fallen tree trunk. It was snapped in half, and a huge chunk was taken out of it as if something had bitten through it.

  The miners were huddled together, hiding between a cluster of half-destroyed tree trunks. They startled, screams scaping their dry throats at their sights. Of them—the bravest amongst them—swung his pickaxe around, his stiff body turning in the momentum before its weight brought him down, his half-choked cry muffled by the snow.

  Daliya crouched before him. “You okay?” she asked. Poor men had been lost in this snow blizzard, lost, hungry, and hunted down by monsters for a couple of days now. It was a miracle they were alive at all.

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  “You-you’re real?” one of the huddled men asked, disbelief coloring his face.

  Daliya nodded.

  “There are monsters here! They’ve invaded the mines!”

  “We know,” Daliya said.

  The miners paused. They glanced at each other, then back to her and Haitham, regarding them with suspicious looks.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “We’re here to take care of them,” she announced. When their suspicious looks didn’t abate, she added, “We’re with the knight legion.”

  A short, silent moment passed before a beaming, happy laugh tore out their throats.

  “Are you really with the knights?”

  “Are the monsters gone?”

  “We’re saved!”

  “I told you they’ll come!” one of the miners told his friend. The latter snorted.

  “They came for their steel,” he huffed.

  As much as she wanted to refute the man’s claims, she knew he was right. If it was the real princess, she doubted she would have come to their rescue.

  “We still haven’t dealt with the monsters. Getting you out was our priority.” She resisted rolling her eyes at the shocked looks they threw at her. “Now that we found you, we can take care of the monsters.”

  “Myril!” one of them yelled, taking hold of her arm. But he soon tore it away as if she was on fire. She shot half a glance at Haitham as she felt him shift behind her.

  “He’s still there, near the mines. He had distracted the monsters for us to escape. Please, save him!” the man implored.

  “Oh my God. Myril, the poor bastard!”

  Chatter erupted around, everyone pleading with her to save their self-sacrificial friend. Daliya nodded, assuring them that they would do anything in their power to save him.

  “Can you see this?” She motioned to the still-bright footprints she left on the ground. “This will lead you back to one of the cabins at the foot of the mountain. The fog is thinner there. You might find your way back to the village. We’ll take care of things here.”

  Their eyes widened at the iridescent sight. They took several steps back, away from hr.

  “Who are you?” the man who had first attacked her asked.

  “I told you. We’re with the knights.” She was starting to get impatient. Every second they wasted here brought their friend, Myril, closer to his doom.

  They stared at her for a while. Then, they fell to the ground, heads pressed against the snow, muffling the sound of the impact.

  “Your Highness!” they cried.

  Oh, no. Not this again. Daliya sighed. Couldn’t she have a normal encounter around here?

  She shot a glare at Haitham at his chortled laugh.

  “Follow the signs and get back to the cabin,” she said, watching as they all nodded and followed her instruction like their lives depended on it—they feared her, not the monsters.

  Daliya didn’t know how close to the truth they were.

  They treaded further into the mountain. Haitham leading the way to the disturbance.

  “It wasn’t noticeable at first, but there is another core I’m detecting.”

  “Another… monster?” her voice faltered. It was hard enough not to think about the once-humans she had to face.

  Haitham shokk his head. “No. this one is human.” at her look, he added, “His core still hasn’t been corrupted.”

  At her solemn nod, he stopped her, his hand warm through the fabric of her coat. “Listen. Those monsters—for this is what they are—are no longer human. When we face them, I want you to see them for what they truly are. Corruptions.”

  She sighed. It wasn’t easy to ask that of her, not after what she had learned yesterday. Still, to appease Haitham’s worried eyes, she nodded.

  “We’re getting closer,” he announced, his voice barely above a whisper.

  Then, groans and grumbles sounded deep into the forest. Daliya stopped. She gave Haitham an alarmed look, and he nodded.

  “Lost souls. And a lot of them, by the looks of it.”

  A couple steps further, he stopped, his eyes roaming around.

  They were here.

  The first one stumbled through the trees, claws lunging forward to taste their flesh or soul. Haitham tugged her to the side. The monster crashed against the tree beside them.

  The dagger materialzed in Haitham’s hand. He shot it forward. It struck the monster’s soul dead on. It cluttered to the ground, two parts of the stone a couple of feet away, dim and faded.

  Dead.

  “Didn’t you say they could be useful?” she asked.

  “There are too many. Getting rid of them is the priority.” with a flick of his hand, the dagger disappeared and reappeared into his grasp.

  She unsheathed her sword and launched towards the closest monster, angling for its arm. It cut through so easily that she nearly fell head-first into its awaiting claws. She blinked. It felt like she was cutting through water. No, realization dawned on her. It was water. She cursed as the arm twisted and started reattaching itself. She had to be quick, or it would be a never-ending battle. She twisted her sword for the cut and swung it to the side, towards where the energy came from. But as the blade neared the stone, her resolve faltered. She shifted her hold and the sword cut into the monster’s soul, but not enough to break the stone. She felt a stinging pain along her arm at the weird angle.

  The monster shrieked. It twisted its arm and reached for her, but its hand never reached her. A pickaxe cut through the stone, slicing it through.

  Daliya watched as the monster disintegrated, leaving behind a cracked stone. It fell limp on the ground.

  A young man, not much older than herself, looked at her with a crazed face. Was this Myril?

  The man’s eyes widened in alarm. He jerked back, his feet slipping in the water from the felled monster and landing hard on the ground. “Behind you!” he screamed.

  Daliya twisted around. She swung her sword again. This time, her blade met its target. It was her duty to protect him. She would leave all the thinking until they were safe and back in the village.

  Lost in the fight, Daliya lost sight of both Haitham and Myril. She looked around. There was no sight of Haitham nor his fire. There was only the fog.

  They were separated.