HAPPY HALLOWEENNNNNN! And hello! Welcome back! I hope you're enjoying your holiday! This chapter is quite a whopper, lemme tell ya. I was entirely inspired by Fairy Tail in some scenes, I will not lie. The plot thickens...oh, and remember way back when I was like this might be a 20 chapter fanfiction? Hahahahaha, let's up that counter to maybe forty. This is apparently it's own novel, I hope you're ready. That's all from me this time, enjoy the spoopy day! Remember, Review!

It was the same clicking that forced his eyes open.

The gentle click of cloth being torn, sew by sew. He turned over, staring at the glint of the small pocket knife that ripped a tear in the wall of his tent. Zen jumped to his feet, his blankets discarding as he made fists, readying his stance for the intruders.

A heavy wind shook the tent, throwing the new flap open to reveal three burly figures, basked in shadows. Their wickedly curved blades and the cruel hysteria in their eyes the only way Zen could make them out.

He clenched his teeth. Not again.

Someone screamed behind him.

He whirled. "Shirayuki!"

The mermaid had her tail again, the beautiful green and gold scales on full display as two men grabbed her arms and heaved her upwards, stretching her back and leaving her fin listlessly on the ground.

"Let her go!" Zen turned to make a move towards his friend, when someone wrapped their hand around his mouth and over his nose, a cloth heavy with all the drugs it soaked in holding his mouth open. His wrists were grabbed and bound with rope in fast, tight spirals behind his back.

Shirayuki stared at the knife as they brought it to her throat, leveling it over her esophagus.

Zen's eyes widened as the man pushed in and then pulled the knife free, sending an arch of bright red blood through the air.

Shirayuki's eyes were staring right at them as they lost their color, and she fell limp.

Tears began to well in Zen's eyes, but suddenly he was blindfolded. His head was yanked backwards and he grunted with pain as he was shoved back into something small and cramped, butt first.

"IF THE OCEAN WAS NOT YOUR GRAVE, THE LAND WILL BE."

Zen jerked at the voice.

"I WARNED YOU. CLARINES WILL SINK JUST LIKE ATLANTIS. YOU'VE SEALED YOUR FATE."

The barrel moved and Zen began to roll, already feeling seasick.

"DIE, PRICE OF CLARINES!"

Zen sat up with a loud shout that made the horses outside whinny in fear.

He gasped for breath, sweat dripping down his body and his eyes unfocused.

A hand grabbed his arm and he flinched. "Stay back!" He cried, trying to gather his legs and run away.

"Zen!" The voice made him gasp and blink hard, clearing his vision. Shirayuki's green eyes had flashes of gold flickering in and out of them as she grabbed his arms, holding him towards her. "Calm down." She breathed, relief filling her gaze as she saw recognition in his eyes.

"S-Sorry." A shiver ran down Zen's back as he took in the sight of her. She didn't have her tail, she had two tanned legs sticking slightly out of her sleeping bag as she leaned on them to hold him. Her throat was not slit, she did not have dead eyes. He pulled his gaze away, touching her fingers gently. "Just a bad dream." He stared at the tent wall. There was no cut, no one had ripped it open.

"A bad dream?"

Zen nodded. "I…I gotta go get some fresh air." He gently pulled her hands from his shoulders and stood, his legs shaky. He stumbled out of the tent, into the middle of the day.

He winced against the bright glare, but relished in the warmth of the dying summer.

"Zen?" Shirayuki called after him.

The Prince lifted his hand and moved towards the river. The floating knife moved next to him protectively.

Thunder trotted a few steps over and leaned against him with a huff, her ears back.

"Hi, girl." He mumbled. He had always had a great relationship with horses, and he was glad he had bonded so well with this one. He leaned on her neck as she helped him limp to the cool stream. Zen felt his heartbeat pound against his chest, as if trying to break out of his skin. River watched curiously as Zen stepped straight into the refreshingly cold water, his pant leg immediately soaking through.

Thunder whinnied in fright as he then collapsed underneath the surface, his knees buckling. He let the water rush over his face, feeling the surface explode around his form as he did so. He held his breath as he was fully submerged, rolling over and letting the cold seep through his pores. He imagined the river washing away the dream with the current – all but that voice. It had threatened him Below Surface, and now it threatened him here.

Who was it? What was it?

A glow made him open his eyes. Standing over him was the Moon. He pushed himself back up, sitting up in the current. Rivulets of water draped down his bare torso from his hair.

"I am sorry." The Moon spoke, his voice echoing in his head. "I am not strong enough now to reveal myself to you."

"Because of the sun?" He guessed, his voice deep and gravelly from the scream. He stared at the reflection in the moving current, flickering to and from the face of the Moon to the form he always saw in the night sky.

"Yes." She nodded. "My protection will keep you from detection – or it is supposed to. I am sorry it cannot protect you from who haunts your dreams."

Zen shook his head, droplets that caught the sunlight flying from his hair strands. "I…It's alright."

The Moon made a sad face. "It's not. I cannot say what would cure your nightmares."

Zen let out a long breath. "The Aigua. I haven't gotten one since I got the Aigua."

The Moon looked uncomfortable. "I do not give my shield easily, Prince of Clarines."

"I am not asking." Zen promised with a bitter smile.

The Moon nodded, her reflection shifting in the water. "I cannot stay much longer. Perhaps talk to Shirayuki about it? She may have some spells."

"Thanks." Zen tried to mean it. He was too shaken to be truly grateful.

The Moon vanished, almost as if she had been swept away by the current.

Zen tilted his head back, staring at the sky.

Shirayuki crawled out of the tent after two more minutes of waiting for the Prince. She had never heard Zen shout in terror like that before, and thinking of it gave her goosebumps. She had not been having the most restful sleep, ether, but her dreams had been of dancing under the sea once again. Nothing to make her so unsettled.

The sun took a few moments for her to get used to when she did rise to her feet. The grass between her toes made her smile slightly. It tickled ever just, very gently supporting the arch of her foot. She felt connected to the earth – she liked it.

Then she turned.

Zen was sitting in the river, staring at the sky. Water ran down his abs and dripped from his disheveled hair. His fingers trailed in the water, and his eyes were thoughtful and concerned. But what caught Shirayuki's gaze most were the markings on his body. Running down the side of his torso were pictures of the Moon. From the top, he had the waxing crescent, below that a quarter moon, which then turned into the half moon, and then the full moon. Then the Moon began to wane, three quarters full, to half, two one quarter, back to a crescent. They were like tattoos, but they were pure white, as if pearls had been embedded into his skin. They fit him…almost too well.

Shirayuki felt a blush rise to her cheeks, and she scrubbed at her eyes. "Zen." She called.

The Prince turned to look at her. "Shirayuki." He took a deep breath, then ducked his head down. He cupped the water in his hands and scrubbed at his face. "I'm sorry to have woken you. You should go back to sleep."

Shirayuki ignored his suggestion and walked over to River – the horse, that is, gently running her hands over the horse's neck. Her knife floated over all of them, pointing left and right as if scanning the area. "What was it about?"

Zen paused, then looked away from her. "Pirates. The kidnapping." She could barely hear him over the rush of water.

"Oh." Shirayuki leaned against River's warm side.

"And…and whoever or whatever it is that we're trying to find and stop."

This admission made Shirayuki snap her head up. "What?"

Zen turned back to her, lifting his shoulders. "It's weird. I've heard their voice before, Below Surface. They always threaten that the land is going to be my grave, since the sea wasn't. They also tell me…they tell me that Clarines is going to sink, just like Atlantis."

Shirayuki clasped her hand to her chest. "That's…a terrifying thought."

Zen nodded. "I can't tell a gender, or a place that they might be. All I can for sure tell you is that…they absolutely despise me."

Shirayuki took a deep breath. She stared at Zen. "And…they were in your dreams when we were Below Surface, too?"

Zen nodded slowly. He turned away from her, the white stripes from last night gone - besides those moons.

Shirayuki wasn't quite sure why, but she pushed off of River and let her legs take her into the river. She wadded over to Zen and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her cheek against his upper back. He stiffened at first, then relaxed into her embrace.

The water was freezing around her knees. The bottom of her nightgown was immediately soaked, but Shirayuki didn't care. It was odd not to feel the sting of salt, but Zen had told her the difference between salt and fresh water when she asked why she felt so thirsty, back at Gladys's.

"You should have told me." Shirayuki mumbled into his shoulder. His skin was soaking and cool against her warm cheek.

Zen huffed, making her grip on him jump a little. "I know."

Shirayuki didn't want to let him go. He seemed so shaken, it hurt her heart to see him like this. "We'll beat them, Zen. Then we'll both go home." She promised.

Zen nodded slowly. He reached up and squeezed her intertwined hands resting on his torso. His fingers were cold. "Thank you."

They remained like that until Shirayuki began to shiver. Then she unlaced her fingers and dropped back, heading towards the bank again. She climbed out backwards, lifting her butt onto the ground and twisting. She realized the end of her hair had gotten wet, and with a scowl pulled it around to squeeze it out.

Zen turned to face her, eyes glittering with that same energy once again. He smiled at her, and Shirayuki had to smile back. Then his face suddenly looked surprised. "Shirayuki…you have tattoos?"

"Huh?" She stopped.

He pointed to her right forearm. She stared at it, not truly surprised. She had a matching set to Zen's moons on his torso. She ran her hand over them. They felt similar to the trail last night. "I think it's from those markings last night." She nodded towards him. "You have a set on your side."

Zen looked down and gasped. "Whoa!" He ran his hand down the moons, his palm covering and revealing each individual phase as he did. "This is….amazing." Then he sighed. "My brother better not find out, he'd kill me."

Shirayuki had to giggle at his expression. "Does your brother not like tattoos?"

Zen shook his head. "We're royalty, after all."

Shirayuki rolled her eyes and yawned. The sun was still high in the sky, if she had to guess, she'd think that they'd been sleeping for a good few hours.

"Seriously, go back to sleep. We have another long night of riding ahead of us."

Shirayuki nodded. "Alright. You should sleep, too."

"I will." Zen nodded. "I just want to dry out a little."

"Fair enough." Shirayuki stood, brushing off her gown. She walked back to the tent, slipping into her sleeping bag again with a sigh of relief. Still, her mind churned. Who were they facing that they could get into Zen's dreams both Below and Above Surface?

Half an hour later, Shirayuki sighed when she realized sleep was not coming back to her. She sat up, and looked over at Zen. He was facing away from her, but the way he was breathing showed he wasn't sleeping ether.

Shirayuki pushed aside her sleeping bag and went outside to feel the grass again. When she went outside, she froze.

Thunder and River were staring as well, and the knife floated over to Shirayuki's side slowly.

Three men were standing, surveying the area with hunting gear and thick bundles of cloth around them. "We could set up camp here, Reg?" Suggested one of them. His eyes slipped right over Shirayuki and she felt a shiver. But the man did not react to her.

"I don't know." Said who Shirayuki assumed was Reg. "There's something creepy about this place. I have a bad feeling."

Shirayuki clutched at her chest and opened her mouth to call out, saying that she and Zen were already here. But Zen suddenly appeared behind her, wrapping his hand around her mouth gently. "Shh." He hushed, his breath warm against her ear. "Wait a minute."

The men scoured the area. They didn't seem to notice the tent, or the horses, or Shirayuki and Zen themselves.

"Yeah, I see what you mean." Reg finally sighed. "Let's keep going. We'll find another place."

The three men turned and kept walking through the underbrush.

Zen sighed in relief and let go of Shirayuki. "I guess that's the moon's protection – that white trail from yesterday."

Shirayuki stared at her forearm, the new tattoos still burning white. "It must be." She agreed. "How strange." She smiled at Zen. "I guess the land does have some magic after all."

Zen shrugged. "First I've seen of it." He stretched, his arms gently bushing the tent backwards. Shirayuki stepped forward onto the grass to give him some space. "Can't sleep either?"

Shirayuki shook her head. "The sun's too bright."

"And yet you wrote off my concerns earlier." Zen stuck his tongue out at her with a grin.

"Well, mind you I hadn't been planning to be interrupted." She winked to make sure he knew she was just joking. "Besides, I like the feel of the grass. I feel like a walk, honestly."

Zen blinked at her. "Okay. Let me join you. We should leave the knife to defend the horses."

Shirayuki nodded. "Yeah."

"I know you said you like the feel of the grass, but you should put on some shoes. You could step on a prick or something sharp." Zen said as he ducked back inside the tent.

"Well, I have to wait for you." She called to him, moving instead to the horses and the riverbank. River moved to greet her, and she smiled as she opened her arms for him. He bossily nudged her for scratches, and she complied with a giggle. Horses reminded her of Lioj in an odd way, and she was quickly growing fond of them.

Ten minutes later, Zen and Shirayuki trekked away from their campsite. Not far, and Zen assured Shirayuki he would be able to find their camp ground again.

Shirayuki watched the leaves above her head move, the light seemingly following their progress besides the leaves. She reached out and brushed the hard bark of the trees around them, the smells of dirt and air strange to her nostrils.

"Careful." Zen warned softly, grabbing her elbow and pulling her out of the way of a tree root.

"Oh." She blinked. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It's fine." Zen smiled and released her arm, walking forward a few steps before stretching his arms up. "I've always loved the forests. They're the best way to escape."

"Escape?"

Zen nodded and waited for her, falling into step with her. "In the castle, things are really stuffy. There's always something to do. It's nice to leave it behind and be out and about."

"Ah." Shirayuki thought about it. "Do you not like being a Prince?"

Zen plucked a leaf from a tree and studied it, looking a little uncomfortable. "I don't often get asked that." He was quiet for a few more steps before he let the leaf go. Shirayuki watched it twirl and circle slowly to the ground. Like it obeyed gravity but only just – and refused to not have fun on the way down. "I like having the ability to make a change. I love my people and my kingdom. I'd do anything for them."

"But?" Shirayuki continued for him.

Zen gave her a sort of helpless smile. "You know me too well."

Shirayuki shrugged. "We've been in a lot of life or death situations. You get the crash course."

He laughed. "How do you know that phrase?"

"You used it when you were still learning how to fight Below Surface."

Zen gave her a shocked look. "Wow. You have a good memory."

"And you're distracting from the original conversation."

"You've got me there." Zen sighed, and pushed a branch up so Shirayuki could duck underneath it. The leaves brushed over her hair and she couldn't help comparing it to diving under the curl of a wave. She had to say, she preferred the wave. "But, royal life is suffocating. I have so many responsibilities, none of them to myself or my friends. I don't have time for anything, just for my country. I live to serve the kingdom."

Shirayuki frowned. "Our royals don't." She looked ahead, listening to the birds around them.

"Don't what?"

"Do any of that. You saw them. They think the opposite." At the next bush, Shirayuki's dress snagged on a bramble. She carefully tried to remove it, Zen waited and watched. "They don't belong to the kingdom – or, in this case, the Sea. The Sea belongs to them. All they want is power." Shirayuki sighed, ready to give up on the stubborn fabric.

Zen knelt next to her and swiftly pried the small ball of pricks from the bush, though it was still stuck on the hem of her sleeping dress. He grabbed the hem and the little ball and swiftly pulled, chucking it into the forest then wiping off his hand on his boot. He rung out the dress where it had been and wiped his hand again, letting the dress fall. "You really should have put on pants for this."

"It's just a short walk." Shirayuki argued.

Zen shrugged. "As for your royals, didn't you once say that you heard them talk about how using the Bed of Light was not part of the plan? Whatever is happening to the world right now, they're both at the center of it."

Shirayuki heaved a sigh so great her shoulders slumped. "We still have no idea what's really going on. Besides a murder attempt at you, and the apparent destruction of the ocean, what's going on?"

Zen pulled his lips to the side. "Hmm." He shook his head. "Something out there wants to destroy Clarines. Maybe another revenge thing? In my dreams, the voice talks about Clarines sinking like Atlantis did. So, it could be that whoever is out there is after my country."

"But why? And how would Clarines's destruction cause the death of the Ocean?"

"I don't know." Zen ducked under a branch. "I really just don't know."

They fell into a silence for a while, when Shirayuki suddenly stiffened.

"What?" Zen stopped.

Shirayuki looked towards her right. "Do you hear a waterfall?"

Zen listened. "No?"

Shirayuki was certain. She ignored Zen and balled up her dress slightly, stepping high over a bush and towards the sound.

"Wait for me!" Zen called.

Shirayuki ignored him and marched forward through the trees. She was sure, and as they got closer, her heart thudded. She stopped just at the edge of a massive clearing, letting her dress go. "Zen." She breathed.

The Prince came up next to her and took a breath. He ran his fingers through his hair. "How are they here?" He hissed.

A waterfall reaching up just over the height of the ruined pirate ship thundered into the river in a straight curtain. The clearing in front of them was full of flowers, and the scene was almost peaceful thanks to the mist gently rolling from the base of the waterfall, even with the barnacle encrusted ship sitting on its side just barely out of the water.

Shirayuki bit her lip. "If I had to guess, I'd say that the river comes from the Sea. But I still don't understand why it would wash all the way inland like this. That's built for the ocean, not a small line of water."

Zen shuddered. "We should have brought the knife."

"Do you think anyone's still aboard?" Shirayuki looked at him. "I mean, the whole thing is sideways. And, the flags are ripped up."

Zen scratched his head. "And the pirates were in the town." He reluctantly agreed. "We can check it out, but we have to be really careful."

Shirayuki grabbed his hand. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

His blue eyes stared into hers, gratitude and something else shimmering in them. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Besides, we need to know. I bet the Moon placed us here hoping we'd find this."

The once mermaid glanced to the sky. There were only a few puffs of white clouds, the blue somehow so stagnant and different than the sea. "We can ask her tonight, maybe."

Zen shrugged. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

They moved out of the brush and towards the sideways ship.

Getting on board was no issue. An abandoned rope ladder was thrown over the side, and Zen held it as still as he could while Shirayuki climbed up first. She poked her head over the edge of the ship and looked around. "It's empty." She called back to Zen.

"Are you sure?"

Shirayuki nodded. Zen's voice was faded thanks to the roar of the waterfall. "Nothing's on the ship, Zen."

Zen jumped up the rope ladder.

Shirayuki pulled herself out of the way. It was hard to stand, the entire mast of the ship was sideways after all. The deck was completely empty. No crates, no ropes, just ripped fabric hanging from the sails brushing against the wood sadly.

Zen got up next to her with a grunt. He stood, a little unsteadily. A shiver passed through him. "No doubt about it. This is The Poisoned Rose."

"The ship you were captured on?" Shirayuki asked.

Zen nodded. He pointed to the main sail's base. "That's where I was tied up." Zen then pointed to the opposite side of the ship, where there was an odd break in the railing. "I walked off the plank there."

Shirayuki reached up and grabbed Zen's hand. He didn't react, just squeezed her fingers.

"Let's go below deck." He helped her to her feet, which was insanely dizzying. Shirayuki leaned heavily on her right foot and hobbled towards the closed door leading below deck. As they passed a grate, an odd smell tickled Shirayuki's nose. She looked down, and her heart sank. She tugged on Zen's hand. "Zen." Her voice wavered. "Look." She whispered.

Zen stopped and turned, looking down as well. His next inhale didn't come for a few seconds, as he stared down his blue eyes widened and his mouth pulled into a tight line. "Whoa."

Shirayuki had seen death. Heck, she had caused it before. But this? This was nothing like she had seen.

Below them was a pure carpet of bodies. All pirates, clear from the clothing. They all lie, the scent wafting up through the grate. They had to have been there for hours. The light gave Shirayuki little details, and curiosity tore through her. She stood away from the grate and looked at Zen. "I'm going to see what killed them." She declared.

"Not without me." Despite his words, Zen's eyes were shaky. His breath was coming heavier than usual, and his palm was wet with sweat.

Shirayuki met his gaze evenly. "Are you sure?"

Zen nodded. "These men tortured me, but they don't deserve a murder. Besides, what if whatever killed them is still here?"

Shirayuki scoffed. "I doubt it. We have the Aigua. We have the Moon's protection."

"And we don't know anything about what happened here." Zen urged.

Shirayuki shrugged. "Mers don't fear much, Zen. You know that."

Zen looked like he wanted to argue more, but Shirayuki didn't give him the chance to. She pulled him forward and marched to the door. She kicked it open, to which Zen gave a soft whistle. "Easy, tiger."

Shirayuki grinned, an image of a tiger shark popping into her head. She clenched Zen's fingers in hers and braced herself as they walked around to the staircase leading below deck. In the rooms they passed there was nothing, not even hammocks to sleep in. She opened the door and the smell assaulted her. She made a face while Zen lifted his shirt to cover his nose and mouth.

"They must have been killed. Look at the blood on the floor." Shirayuki nodded to the floor just in front of her boots.

Zen shook his head. "This is awful."

Now that she was below deck, her herbalist mind rushed like the waves curling over the sand. She spotted stab wounds, slashes over throats. Each one of the crew had been brutally murdered, but it looked like the bodies had been dragged down here. The way they bent over each other and stains over the floors and walls proved that. She imagined the misting from the waterfall had washed the red from the upper deck.

Zen made a noise in the back of his throat. "Being how there's nothing on this ship anymore, my best guess would be the ship got attacked by another ship. They lost, and took no prisoners. Whoever attacked them then ransacked the place." Zen nodded to one of the closer bodies. "Look at the mouth. That man had a gold tooth when I knew him."

Shirayuki nodded slowly. "And they could also have been the ones who pushed the ship down the river." She pursed her lips. "But still…who would attack the pirates like this so devastatingly? And what about the pirates we saw in town? You said they were of this crew."

Zen bravely let go of her hand and stepped over some of the bodies. He wandered through them cautiously, stopping near the only thing reflecting light. In the cold hands of one of the pirates sat a knife. Zen cautiously pulled the blade free and stared at the handle. He frowned. "This emblem…"

Shirayuki shivered, feeling less brave without him by her side. "Come back over here."

Zen obeyed. As he walked he talked, eyes firmly on where it was safe to step. "There are some people I don't recognize. I bet the Poisoned Rose wasn't a single ship – or a single crew. They're rotating. They must serve under someone then."

Shirayuki moved out of the room and Zen followed. They had seen enough. Shirayuki took one last glance into the make shift body pit. Then she sighed and closed the door behind her. She took Zen's hand and pulled him swiftly out from below and towards the deck. "The Queen admitted to me that she hired the pirates."

Zen blinked. "You never told me that."

"No." She agreed. "It slipped my mind – and the memories of the moments right before I got paralyzed are kind of faded."

Zen hummed. "But…why me?"

Shirayuki didn't wait to answer before climbing down the rope ladder. Zen followed. Shirayuki found going down ladders much more terrifying then going up, but she didn't hesitate, sure on what she needed to do for these pirates.

She walked back towards the brush, stopping in the field and waiting for the Prince of Clarines to catch up. "I asked her too." She took a few deep breaths, then raised her hands.

The straight falling water suddenly jerked as if it had just been woken from a nap. Instead of pouring into the river, Shirayuki gave the basin a faint break.

The power she was holding back made her stagger with shock. She fell to one knee, grunting.

The power lifted slightly, enough that Shirayuki could stand again. She looked up at Zen, who had lifted his hands to help her in halting the waterfall. "Thank you." She whispered.

The Prince looked at her. "What are you trying to do?"

"Sink the ship."

Zen's eyes turned sharp. "Pardon?"

She nodded. "Pull the waterfall over the hull, we'll drag it to the bottom and bury it." Her eyes burned, and she wondered if they were gold. She wasn't sure if her eyes still changed color as a human.

Zen hesitated.

"I want that ship destroyed." She hissed. "Bury the bad in the muck, let it decompose." Softer, she rose to her feet again. At this point, the two humans had created quite a massive bubble still growing under the constant pressure of the fall feeding it. It floated in the air, looking as out of place as it could be. "And let those souls still trapped inside of it be freed under the ocean's currents to explore."

Zen gave a small, bitter smile at that. He turned his attention to the water and it reacted. The bubble and the fall both pulled forward, towards the ship. Slowly, starting from the main mast, the ship was enveloped. Shirayuki pulled the water forward as well, and the slow progress suddenly sped. The wood cracked and groaned from the weight it now held.

The moment the water completely encased the ship, both Zen and Shirayuki made pushing motions. The ground was torn as the ship pulled back into the river – as if the ship was clawing at the grass to try and give it hold. As soon as it was off of the land, Shirayuki and Zen both at the same time pushed their hands downwards.

The bubble broke. With a roar that could have been mistaken for a god's scream, the ship was thrust under the river and into the thick muck. It burrowed deep, the waterfall acting like a hammer into the ground.

Shirayuki and Zen both pulled their influence away, and gasped for breath. The waterfall fluttered and spat out excess build up for a few moments longer, until finally resuming as if nothing had happened. The ground where the ship had been was soaked and void of grass.

Zen gave Shirayuki a smile. "That was incredible."

Shirayuki smiled back. "I can sleep now, I don't know about you."

Zen stared at the dagger in his hand. "My mind might not let me, but I'm ready to try." He tucked the dagger into his belt and offered Shirayuki his elbow. "Back to camp we go?"

Shirayuki smiled and wrapped her hand around his elbow. "Lead the way."