"A trade. One of you stays. Takes our place in the curse. Becomes the new guardian of the ravine, bound to this cave for eternity. And we take the blessed one's power and finally, finally rest."
"No," Faelyn said immediately, voice hoarse but firm. "No trades. No one's staying."
"Then you all die here," the entity said simply. "I crush her. You attack. I kill you both. And in the end, I'm still trapped, and three more souls join the collection of the aware-but-silent. Is that what you want?"
Silence.
Tense. Terrible.
Faelyn could see both chiefs processing this, their expressions hardening, but she couldn't hear their thoughts. Couldn't know what they were planning.
'Damn it. I need to know what they're thinking—'
"Wait," Faelyn said, mind racing. She had to be careful here. Had to keep the entity from revealing too much about her origins in front of Roshan and Nyx. "You said you wanted to go home. What did you mean by that?"
Silence.
"Tell me," Faelyn pressed.
