The Eating Woods, #2
Eldritch
by Keri Lake
Contents
Chapter 61
Overview
Traveling along the Hadrona, the group encounters a starving Vonkovyan soldier who turns threatening; Zevander kills him instantly, sparking conflict with Maevyth and her father. Raivox devours the corpse. At a ruined church, despite fears of ghosts, they make camp, where Maevyth sees a spectral child.
Maevyth challenges Zevander’s kill-first instinct, and they confront his instability and devotion. They reaffirm trust and their urgent goal to reach the vivicantem for strength and control.
Summary
Riding beside the sulfurous Hadrona River, Maevyth, Zevander, Corwin, Aleysia, and Maevyth’s father encounter a Vonkovyan soldier begging for help. When the man produces a poisoned dagger and reaches toward Maevyth, Zevander instantly thrusts his sword through the man’s neck, killing him. The act horrifies the others and ignites a confrontation between Maevyth, her father, and Zevander over mercy versus protection.
Determined not to abandon the situation, Maevyth persuades Zevander to search for the supposed injured companion. They find a small camp, tainted water, and a fresh grave, suggesting the friend died and the survivor went mad from the river’s parasite. Raivox abruptly lands and swallows the dead soldier, ending any debate about burial.
Pressed by nightfall, they choose a ruined hilltop church for shelter despite Maevyth’s father’s dread of ghosts. Inside, they stable the horses and climb to the broken gallery to keep watch. As Zevander and Maevyth speak, she sees a silent little girl in white that Zevander cannot see, confirming lingering dead tied to death worship in these lands.
Watching Raivox restlessly claw at the ground outside, Maevyth questions Zevander about his black-eyed state during the killing. He admits he acted from protective instinct, not madness, and would do so again. Maevyth demands he pause before killing in her name and trust her to guide him if his mind slips.
They discuss the toll of his fractured sanity and their reliance on vivicantem. Zevander confesses that the world has stripped him of everything but her, and he would surrender his life for her safety. Maevyth reaffirms her commitment to steady him when reality blurs. They recommit to each other and to reaching the vivicantem to strengthen his control.
Who Appears
- MaevythNarrator; confronts Zev’s lethal protectiveness, insists on mercy, sees a ghost girl, and recommits to guiding him through instability.
- Zevander (Zev)Kills a threatening soldier instantly; defends his protect-at-all-costs creed; admits instability; reaffirms devotion and goal to reach vivicantem.
- RaivoxCorvugon guardian; swoops down and eats the slain soldier; later claws and sniffs obsessively outside the church.
- FatherWears a red robe; condemns Zev’s killing; fears ghosts due to Lyverian visions; resists sheltering in the ruined church.
- CorwinProvides lore about Hadrona parasites; manages horses; argues for shelter to protect them from Raivox and elements.
- AleysiaRides with Father; quips pragmatically; helps set camp and brings food to the gallery.
- Vonkovyan soldierStarving man who threatens with a poisoned dagger; slain by Zev; likely maddened by Hadrona water.
- Ghost girlSilent apparition only Maevyth sees in the church gallery, hinting at lingering dead tied to death worship.