Max had sat in his room alone for hours, muffling his own cries with a pillow. His heart ached, and his head pounded, his grief like an anvil pressing down upon him. He fought the urge to allow his beast to escape, to let the monster travel to the nearest village if only to provide a momentary reprieve from the pain by unleashing it on others, except Bennett wouldn’t have wanted that.

It all the strength he had to get to his feet, and taking a ragged breath, Max headed back to Bennett’s room. The sun had long since set, and he would give her dust a proper burial, a burial near her precious village, near where perhaps her children would play. She would like that. He knew she would like that.

Max filled his lungs, and letting the air escape slowly, he opened the door. He walked inside, and a second later, elation, like he’d never felt, filled his entire being. Bennett was sitting cross-legged on the bed. Tears stained her face, and she wore a pained expression, but she was alive. Bennett was alive.

Closing the door, Max took a hesitant step in Bennett’s direction. “I can’t tell you how utterly overjoyed I am to see you.”

Bennett looked Max squarely in the eye. “How long can I fight it?”

Max took another step and noticed Bennett’s face was shiny with sweat, and zoning in on her heartbeat, he heard it pounding in her chest. “Not long, I’m afraid. You should have already fed by now and…and it will, without fail, get worse the longer we wait.”

“We?”

“I’ll be right back,” Max said, holding up a finger.

Max stepped out of the room, returning a few minutes later with a pair of boots in one hand and clothes in the other. “Put these on,” he said, placing everything on the bed.

Bennett picked up the black tunic. “This isn’t mine.”

“I know, but dark colors are better at night, and those boots may be a little large but…but they’ll do for now. I’ll give you a few minutes of privacy, and then we’ll be off.”

“To where?”

“Don’t you worry about that. Just get dressed.”

***

A short time later, Bennett and Max were standing outside Yannick’s house. The night was warm and humid, and the sounds of every insect in the surrounding forest invaded Bennett’s brain. She clenched her teeth as the torturous buzzing drilled itself through her skull until another sound made its way to her. Bennett fought against the urge to scream, and turning toward the noise, she saw a stable boy approaching with two horses.

“Do you know how to ride?” Max said, taking the steeds’ reins.

“Um…no.”

“No matter,” Max said, handing the boy back the reins. “I’ll help you.”