Chương 8: Making a New Friend as a Rock?!

Chapter Eight Making a New Friend as a Rock?! No words were spoken as night fell quickly around them. The three made a miserable camp on the mountain, though a little more color had started to appear. Alice found herself wrapped tightly once more, confused by Sorin's interest, but more than a little excited. Petre had found the horses, but they had not been in any state to ride. The doglike beasts had reached them first. Petre had been able to bring back some food from the ruin of the carriage, however.

The rest had to be abandoned. There was no conversation over that night's meal. There had been little to no talk since Petre's return. He made no further mention of Alice the Rock, and Sorin seemed happy to chew in silence. Alice felt a little guilty as she watched Mittica and Sorin lay down to sleep. With no blankets, the two simply wrapped themselves in Sorin's now overlarge robes. It did not look all that comfortable. It took them a long time to fall asleep.

Petre alone stayed awake, his battleaxe resting across his blood-spattered legs. The woods around them were dark with night, but somehow Alice knew Petre could see without issue. Alice would not let any more cursed energy spill out after the previous disaster. As the night dragged on, she simply whispered what she hoped was a comforting shhh ing sound to Sorin whenever she grew too close to max cursed energy. She would have to save any further experimentation until after they made it off the mountain.

Sorin and Petre might end up killing one another if she was not careful. She could not even feel happy about [Malevolent Whispers] ranking up after all that had happened.

"This is the worst..." Alice mumbled to herself. She replayed the horrible incident with the dogs over and over in her mind.

"I couldn't do anything." She felt thoroughly fed up with how little she could do. It was odd, but she had not felt nearly as frustrated watching Eva murder Erik. It had all felt like a movie then. She had watched Eva and Erik for more than a decade, but they had never noticed her, and Alice had certainly never been able to interact with them. But this was different. These people knew about Alice. She was no longer simply an observer. She was one of the main actors...

and yet all she had been able to do was whisper a word or two into Sorin's ear.

"If this was a story, I'd be fed up with me!" Alice fumed.

"The main character should be super strong after a decade!" Her melancholy thoughts were interrupted as Petre stood up.

"Is he going to take a tinkle? I hope he trips," Alice muttered darkly to herself, jealous of his ability to move unassisted. But then her thoughts quickly became serious.

"Or does he see something?" Petre drew closer to where Sorin and Mittica lay. Her nonexistent chest started to beat like a drum. Was he going to wake Sorin? Were there more monsters? Would there be another fight? But Petre did not wake Sorin. He picked up Alice the Bundle. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Curse Strengthened: Petre Bearb lood Severity: Powerful Received experience! Received cursed energy! Congratulations! You have reached Level 5!

Level: 5 VIT: +1 END: +2 INT: +4 WIL: + 2"This idiot!" Alice had sort of glossed over how Petre had only been afflicted with a weak version of her curse.

"After all that talk about curses! Why did he pick me up?!"

"I'm sorry, Mister Goldtooth..." Petre muttered softly as he began away, quiet as a thief.

"Never shoulda taken this stone with us. It... It has to be returned."

"Eh? W-Wait a minute!" Comprehension slowly dawned on Alice.

"I'm being kidnapped!" Sorin and Mittica were growing farther and farther away. This fool of a Bearblood was going to take her back! He was going to throw her into that pond and leave her all alone for another decade!

"Help!" Alice whispered instinctively into Sorin's sleeping ear.

"He's trying to steal me!" Her whisper earned a noisy rustling... and then Sorin called out into the night.

"What?! What was...?! Petre?!"

"M-Mister Goldtooth...?" Petre stopped dead in his tracks as Sorin stomped back into view. Sorin stood very still for a moment, his mouth hanging open as he looked between Petre and the haunted forest beyond. But then he saw the wrapped bundle in Petre's hands.

"You!" Sorin roared, and Alice could see fire prickle at the corner of his lips.

"You thief!"

"Thief?!" Petre barked, a flash of fury overcoming whatever guilt he had felt.

"Drop it! Drop it now!" Sorin demanded, stabbing a thin finger at Alice the Bundle.

"How dare...! For you to...! Such betrayal...!"

"Y-You're not right in the head, Mister Goldtooth!" Petre shouted, and Alice heard Mittica start to wake.

"This thing...! You're bewitched!"

"What's happening?" Mittica called out.

"Petre is abandoning us!" Sorin called back simply, his face a stony mask.

"I would never aban- " Petre began, but his words were cut off by an enormous gush of fire. Petre's panic and Sorin's fury were briefly illuminated.

"Not another word!" Sorin said. Alice scarcely even recognized the man in his rage.

"For the love I hold for you and your family, I will not reduce you to cinders for this betrayal."

"Sorin...!" Petre said, and it was his turn to deflate.

"Please...! Listen to- " Another breath of fire silenced him.

"Drop the stone!" Petre was still for a long while. Alice was half convinced he would lunge at Sorin, driving either his fists or his battleaxe into the fire breather's head. But then Petre lowered Alice the Rock back onto the ground. He said nothing. His face revealed nothing. He looked between Sorin and Mittica... and then began to walk away. Sorin watched Petre disappear into the black of the night. He might have kept watching till the sun rose, but Mittica appeared beside him, his voice full of confusion.

"Uncle? Where is Petre going? What's going on?" Sorin tore his eyes away from the dark forest and smiled down at his nephew.

"I... I heard The Voice," Sorin said softly, and Alice felt a numb sort of satisfaction.

"I heard it... so much clearer than before. Almost as if..." Sorin turned away from his nephew and stared down at Alice. Just like before, he knelt and slowly unwrapped her bundle until Alice the Rock's sparkles shone like the stars in the sky.

"Wha... What are you doing?!" Mittica asked, taking several steps away.

"You said we shouldn't touch it! You said to always keep it- ""Be quiet," Sorin said, not unkindly.

"Please... Just be quiet for a moment." He stared at Alice with a frightening intensity. His mouth opened and closed as though he had forgotten how to speak. A long while passed, but eventually he spoke.

"V-Voice of the Stone..." Sorin's own voice was trembling.

"Who...? What... are you...?" Alice's nonexistent heart skipped a beat. This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for ever since she first whispered in Mittica's ear. Sorin stared at her through the darkness, Mittica standing nervously over his shoulder. She did not want to keep him waiting. Without time to think of a proper response, she pulled on his ear and introduced herself.

"I... I'm Alice. My name. Merryweather." She cringed inwardly. Had she always been this awkward?

"My name is Alice Merryweather, I mean."