#thoh event

Mireia hissed as she tried to fight back one more vine lashing. She grabbed the living tendril and and sucked the life out of it, even though it would come back to life shortly after. It had been the same with every attempt at making their surroundings safer. Every time she took a step and bones cracked under her feet, her whole body shuddered in fear. She’d been trying to make sense of the code too, but it was harder and harder to focus as the mist grew thicker and the thorns cut deeper.

Boone trailed close, and she was thankful for it. Protecting him was the only thing keeping her from breaking down. The poison and the lack of oxygen were playing with her mind. Voices from the past sounded so loud she could swear they were right behind her too. But it wasn’t them, it was the hunter who mumbled something unintelligible.

“Boone,” she called, turning to him slowly, dizzy. “Are you okay? What did you just say?”

From the moment she stepped outside her home that night, Mireia tried to find harmony between her wary mind and her eager heart. Going to the Kavali fairground on Halloween after the appearance of Khaos himself seemed like a terrible idea, like running into the arms of Death (maybe they were around too). But something pushed her to slip into one of her dark lace dresses—always matching the occasion—and walk toward doom.

At least, she had good company. If someone could untangle her from danger, it was Josiah. “I don’t understand why no one has restored this place yet. It could be so much fun if it weren’t all covered in rust,” she hummed next to him, eyes wide on every decrepit ride.

“Maybe the Council could do it! A project for the community,” she beamed as if her idea had the potential to change the whole course of history. “Do you know if they take suggestions?”

“Can’t say I’m surprised to see my number–one stalker here.” Najelon’s eyes bored into her, old and precise from a cautious distance. His low voice cut the thick air like a knife.

They’d traded looks already—glares on his part—and he’d try to ignore her, but being trapped in an enchanted room with rising salt water between them and the exit, had shoved indifference out the hatch. He’d never willingly work with Cait. The thought alone felt like torture. Still, she had a mind; useful, dangerous. The bitch. And they needed to act quickly.

“If I find out you had anything to do with this I’ll fucking kill you,” he promised, the smirk revealing sharp teeth that glinted in the dim light. “For good this time.”

Salt stung the air; his nose wrinkled with disgust. He stayed back from the crimson water, feeling his strength ebb even from here. If they took too long to solve the riddle a find a way out, he wouldn’t be able to hold even his glamor.