separation, anxiety

"Unnerving, as you say," Bree says, looking at the small doll that rests in the dining room cabinet. It has hollow eyes, and hair that seems to be made of grass. Its body is wrapped in vines, almost like it has been bound.

"The spellcaster I fought mentioned a doll," I say, looking back at it. "There's no way it's a coincidence."

Bree nods, stepping away from the icon to allow Kieran a closer look. "Magic like this is foreign to me. I wouldn't know to destroy, take, or leave the doll. It could be a trap."

I bite my lip, turning to Kieran. He's holding the large staff left behind by the enemy spellcaster. It's some large Arcanic, and Kieran's always had an interest in them. 

He steps closer to the doll, peeking in at it. "Well, I certainly wouldn't touch it," he mumbles. 

"We'll need to hurry if we ever want to catch up with Rav. We should leave it for now. We can always come back."

My eyes linger on the doll again. There's something more to this, but Bree is right. Speculation could lead to more harm than good.

We step away, and as I'm halfway out of the room, I hear a rattling noise coming from behind me. I turn and see the cabinet in the dining room slowly swinging open. Okay, now that's creepy. 

"Yeah, let's get out of here as soon as possible," I agree. The three of us step out of the house. The dread here is palpable. I feel it clings to me long after I leave the house.

"The only way up on foot is through Tienna Point. A small town, not terribly far to the north. A few hours walking, perhaps."

"Sounds like that's where we're headed," Kieran smiles. "How's the town been handling itself during this famine? I would think a place like that could easily get overrun."

Bree looks up to the mountains. "When I was last here, the famine had not spread to the mountain yet," she informs us. "Tienna Point was still holding out...but this has been advancing rapidly. "

I look to the left, hearing a noise. I see one of the Hungry, a ravenous, transformed human who's lose all vestige of their personhood. It's an unthinking, gluttonous beast - and it seems to have been attracted to the smell of blood. It starts helping itself to the bodies of our attackers, paying absolutely no heed to us. Why fight when there's a free meal, I suppose?

A couple more run out of the woods and join it. All three of them begin to feast. One looks up at me for a moment, acknowledging our presence but not attacking. It sends a shiver down my spine.

"Let's get out of here."

I look back toward the house one final time. Did we leave the front door open like that?

My eyes dart to the ground in front of me. I don't like what I see. That doll from inside, it's laying on the ground, right in front of me. It's dead, empty eyes fixed on me.

Kieran and Bree haven't noticed - they don't notice until the doll starts speaking. 

"Aren't you gonna say hi?" the doll says. If it talked, I was expecting a more sinister, child-like voice. What I hear is deep, distorted, and angry. Exasperated. Vile.

The moment it speaks, I lock eyes with Kieran, anxiety overwhelming me. Before either of us can do a thing, the doll makes a loud clicking noise and I feel myself become...lighter?

And then it bursts in a wave of magic. It runs over me, enveloping me completely my vision is obstructed - all I can see is a tunnel of swirling purple magic. It's loud, blasting my eardrums with the sound of supersonic wind. I call out for Bree and Kieran, but I can't even hear the sound of my own voice.

I hold my arms over my face and try to prevent it from running through me, but there's no hope. The current is too strong for me to fight. My arms tumble to my sides, still weakened from my earlier battle. I feel the ground underneath me slip, and I'm lifted into the air, tumbling through the purple torrent. 

I hit against a wall, hard, and I slump back down to the ground. As I do, the dark torrent of magic subsides. Finally able to see and hear again, but this is not where I was before. As I look around, this place is completely new to me. In fact, I'm inside somewhere.

"Kieran!" I shout. "Bree! Where are you!?"

No response. Did that doll use teleportation magic on me? Did it catch Bree and Kieran as well? I have no idea if they're still at the farm or if they were brought elsewhere. 

"Damn it!" I yell. "Where am I!?"

Still no response. Is this some kind of trap? I scan the room. It's dirty, small, and unremarkable. Stuffy and hot, like a basement. There's a door on the far side. Am I back in the farmhouse? No...the air feels different here. Warmer. I take a deep breath. No sense wondering what could be beyond this door, I can see for myself. I try it, and thankfully it's unlocked. 

I look up as I open the door. Dark stairs leading up. I guess there's no reason to stay down here.

I walk into the main area of the building, what I imagine is the first floor. I'm hit by a blast of heat. There's a burning fire roaring in the fireplace, but it doesn't look like anyone's home in the cottage. All the windows are boarded up like the place is abandoned, but someone lit this fire.

This is much smaller than the farm house was. I find the front door and swing it open. As I do, I'm greeted by a view I wasn't expecting.

I'm high in the mountains. And all I can see is snow. The cold air blows through me in an instant, freezing me to the core. I slam the door back shut and take a step away. Okay...this is definitely not where I was before. 

Before he left, Rav mentioned something about a 'web' of magic. Could I have inadvertently traveled along that web? Could Kieran and Bree have also?

I turn back to the fireplace, as I hear an unfamiliar noise. I feel my heart jump up into my throat as I tune into the distinct sound of a rocking chair. The same chair from the farmhouse. It wasn't here a second ago. And now, there's someone sitting in it.

They rock back and forth, a shawl over their head. I can't see them, but it's clear they have noticed me. Did they bring me here?

"It's been over a year since you've come to this world, and it's only our first time meeting. Hm..."

A woman's voice. Is she the one responsible for the famine?

She turns to me. I can only see a small part of her face. "You've gotten so tall since I last saw you, August."