I gently pushed Tessa's spoon away, offering her a reassuring nod.
"You two go ahead and eat. I'll be back in a bit."
Then I stood up, adjusting my clothes and walked back inside.
I didn't ask any questions as I followed Edric.
He led me down the narrow wooden stairs of the inn, past the bustling, loud chatter of the main tavern, and out into the crisp morning air of the Thornhaven town.
We walked in silence for a long time, weaving through the alleys until the noise of the town began to fade, replaced by the quiet rustle of wind through the trees at the edge of the settlement.
Edric finally slowed his pace, walking with his hand resting on the pommel of his sheathed sword.
"You know what I am, right?" he asked, not looking back at me.
I blinked.
My mind instantly dragged me back to the freezing, frost-covered floor of the eighth floor. The towering, faceless obsidian mask. The violet flames. The suffocating, vibrating voice echoing directly in my skull.
