The faint glimmer of Vax’s flame dagger was the only light in the cramped cave. Keyleth yawned silently, looking over the still forms of her sleeping companions. Night watch was one of her least favorite duties. The quiet hours passed slowly, and it was all too easy for her mind to form shadows that lurked with each innocent rustle of cloth.

There was an abrupt movement to her left. Keyleth looked over to Percy. He twitched again in his sleep, brow furrowed, a thin sheen of sweat beginning to form on his face. Another nightmare. Keyleth bit her lip worriedly. His breath was becoming shorter, and he flinched in his sleep, a faint snarl escaping his lips.

Should she wake him? He’d been sleeping so poorly these last few nights – ever since they entered Whitestone. Perhaps if she shook him out of it… Very gingerly, she crept over and shook his shoulder.

To her surprise, Percy’s eyes snapped open. He lifted his head to meet her eyes. His gaze was cold and assessing, and for the first time she saw burning the red pupils that glimmered faintly in the dark like dying coals. A slow smirk spread across his face, one that made her chest clench with alarm and the first stirrings of fear.

“Percy?” Keyleth’s voice trembled, a sapling caught in a storm.

An inhuman chuckle. “Not quite.” He sat up slowly, his movements rough and uncoordinated, as though unfamiliar with his own body. He peered curiously at his hand, moving it experimentally, before looking back up at her, eyes piercing.

“Well well.  If it isn’t the little druid girl.” The smirk stretched into an evil grin. “How nice to finally meet you face to face.”

A breathless moment of terror before anger dulled its sharp edge. “You’re the one,” she gasped. “You’re the one that’s doing this to him, you – you monster!”

“Such accusations. I am doing nothing that Percival did not ask for.”

“Only because you twisted him,” she hissed back. Behind her, someone stirred in their sleep. “You took advantage of his pain. You pushed him down this path.” She leaned closer, fists clenched in a protective fury. “Well, deal or no deal, that ends now. You stay away from my friend! I’ll not let you corrupt him any more.”

The creature in Percy’s skin chuckled. “You never stop, do you? Noble Keyleth, good Keyleth. Always looking for a better way.” Percy’s lips curled in an unnatural sneer. “All your talk of mercy and restraint. But I see the darkness in you. As a matter of fact, we both do. All these mixed signals… Don’t you know you’re just confusing the poor boy?”

Faster than thought, a cold hand tightened around her wrist and Percy pulled her closer. “This soul is mine. Do yourself a favor and back off. I’ll not tolerate your meddling.”

“You don’t get to have my friend,” she snarled back. “Not without a fight.”

His head tilted, an amused glint in his eye. “Well, then. Let the games begin.”