Chapter 11: ACT I, SCENE 4.5

ACT I, SCENE 4.5Day 28 Hours and 35 Minutes Since the Ash FellCathedral — Crypt“We have no choice, Kendra. We will die down here. We need to get up into the Cathedral, and then out into the city.”Vespar pauses briefly to stand and begins packing what little lies around them.“I could be wrong about all of this, but right now I can rely on only two things: my instincts... and you. And my instincts are telling me that, at least for now, we have no choice but to focus on survival. That means we need supplies, food, water, and the specific kind of wood I just used the last of to keep this cold at bay. Judging by the glow from the Cathedral, they have some. I know this city, but people, low or high, cannot be trusted at a time like this. People panic. So we need to look out for ourselves. So yes, we are leaving. For now, at least, we need to go to the Cathedral, and from there, the choice is yours. I know there must be more of this ‘Gloom-Oak’ out there somewhere. I’ve seen it, but I can’t recall where. I am willing to bet that the Royal Estate has everything we need and would serve well as a safe house for us. My mother...”For the briefest of seconds, Vespar chokes back a sound as his parents cross his mind for the first time since the market. He is about to bring his mother up so casually, when, like lightning passing through his body, he realizes they are likely dead—or, like Ansel, worse...He breathes in, then out, and counts his remaining arrows—nineteen.“Kept a spare set of keys hanging in the kitchen of our house.”Vespar loads his quiver and slings it.“If I can get them, I can get us somewhere safe...”He scans her silent posture.“But whether you leave the Cathedral...”“...that’s your choice.”