Drip… Drip… Drip…
Dranac took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring at the iron tang that filled them. “I know,” he whispered wistfully, “it smells delicious. But where is it coming from?”
Dranac brushed his hands along the sticky tree trunks, his finger catching in the thick blood that fell from their leaves. His boots stuck in the hot blood that pooled at his feet, guiding him along his path.
Dranac followed the pull, only pausing when he came upon an open clearing. He smiled as he felt the raging energy from a past battle wash over him. He carefully searched around the clearing, keeping clear of the black arrows strewn across the ground.
Dranac Gnorw stopped dead in his tracks when he looked down to see a splattered patch of dried mahogany blood, stark against the fresh ruby that surrounded his sight. He reached down, the wave of scarlet softly pulling him to his knees. His fingers brushed against the splotch of blood, the dried smear crumbling underneath his touch.
“Red…”
Drip… Drip… Drip…
“Is there more?” Dranac questioned, his head shot up to look further into the treeline. “Yes, yes. I can smell it,” Dranac replied, his eyes peering as far as they could see beyond his position. He paused in his search as he focused on what was sitting barely a few feet in front of him.
The Baragori had left nothing behind from the fight that had taken place only a week before.
The scattered arrows and bones were the only markers of what had taken place in the woods. There were only two sets of skeletons that still showed any resemblance to a human form.
Fungi and grass grew around the bones, clinging to the ribs and sprouting out of the eyes and gaping mouths for extra support. Dranac thought the sight was truly beautiful, hoping that one day his own skeleton would be left to create unrestrained art within the freedom of nature.
“Who left you here?” Dranac Gnorw questioned the bones. He peered down at the faces, expecting the open jaws to spill their secrets.
Drip… Drip… Drip…
Dranac collected the vast array of black arrows that were scattered around the clearing to hide any clues for others to follow. He only left the two arrows that were embedded in the throats of the felled humans. He stopped dead in his collection when he came upon an arrow with dried blood coating its tip.
Dranac released the rest of the arrows that he had collected, his focus falling on the bloody weapon that he clenched in shaking hands. A wave of crimson washed over his body, wrapping around his trembling arms. The wave snapped at the arrow tip, flakes of dried blood getting sucked into the hot stream.
“Can you smell her?” Dranac asked.
Drip… Drip… Drip…
“Where is she?” Dranac questioned the skeletons that lay before him. A stream of shining rubies gathered around the bones, directing Dranac Gnorw’s attention toward the scattered arms and hands.
The fingers of one of the smaller hands were folded with just the pointer finger still sticking out. Dranac’s gaze followed where the finger pointed past the clearing, deeper into the forest. A scattering of black arrows confirmed the direction in which the finger pointed.
He bowed his head toward the skeletons in thanks before following where the one hand guided him.
Dranac followed the path of black arrows that had been abandoned by the Kingdom Rogues. He picked up each fallen arrow, plucking them from their unsuspecting plant and soil targets as he continued on his trek. He only diverged from the nicely created path when he smelled the rich iron tang that matched the scent of the bloodied arrow—tracking it like a bloodhound.
Drip… Drip… Drip…
“She was near here. She has to be close,” Dranac commented, nodding his head in agreement to the whispers he heard from the crimson wave that continued to push him further into the woods. He slowly shut his eyes, allowing the rest of his senses to find what he was searching for.
Dranac continued his walk, blind to the environment around him. He left himself to be guided around the trees and bushes that popped into his path. He felt stray roots and natural divets in the ground smooth over as the wave protected him from the untrodden forest terrain.
Drip… Drip… Drip…
Dranac Gnorw halted, his feet slipping backwards against the stream of blood. He opened his eyes, peering down as the ground fell away to reveal a person-sized rabbit hole dug neatly at the base of a great oak tree. The dark magic that surrounded him overtook the magic that hid the hole—forcing the entrance open.
A rusted stream forced its way into the tunnel’s dark depths, the rest of the blood wave holding him back so that he would not fall without warning.
Dranac sniffed at the black arrow again, his senses almost overwhelmed as a stronger metallic smell washed over the duller scent clinging to the arrow’s tip. Dranac slowly followed the ruby stream as he slid down the slope of the rabbit hole.
“She is here,” Dranac Gnorw whispered. His body trembled lightly with the anticipation of finally tracking down Red. “She is here.”
Drip… Drip… Drip...
~~~
Red swung down from the tree branch, the blood rushing from her head as the world was flipped around. She frowned down at Estra’s box sitting atop a splintered tree stump. She trudged to another tree, failing to hope that she would see things differently if she changed her viewing angle again.
Tired of hanging from trees like an overgrown bat, Red plopped down on the ground, crossing her arms over her chest like a child ready to throw a temper tantrum.
“Why do you have to be so stupid?” she demanded as she pushed herself onto her knees to stare at the box from eye level. Red glared at the tin sardine can, a headache threatening to shove its way into her brow.
“Have you tried asking it to open up nicely instead of insulting it?” came Robyn Thorn’s laughing tone from the base of another rabbit hole that the rebels protected. He emerged from the tunnel system, brushing dirt off his dingy pants before settling onto the ground next to Red.
Red could see the rebel leader’s smirk out of the corner of her eye. Red kept her focus on Estra’s box, the pounding drum in her head only allowing her to think about one thing at a time. She clenched a potion bottle in her fist, willing her magic into it.
The two had not talked about what she had done since the shock had left Red’s body earlier that morning. Robyn knew not to pry, but that did not stop him from checking in on her every hour since Red had gotten Estra’s box back and was determined to open it.
Robyn sucked in a breath when Red began to whisper an opening spell. His breath all but stopped when a pale yellow light shone through her white-knuckled grip. Robyn scrambled back when the contents of the potion vial shot out of Red’s hand.
The stream of enchanted liquid flew through the air, aimed at the small but tough box. The ingredients wilted when it attacked the metal. A dagger ricocheted off the box soon after, only managing to dent the lid as the potion fell apart.
“Oh c’mon!” Red shouted. She threw dagger after dagger at the tin box, but to no avail. She drew Alpha from its sheath, repeatedly slamming the blade down with a rage-filled scream.
Robyn slowly moved a few paces back, calmly watching the scene unfold before him. When Red was done taking her anger out on the pristine box he questioned, “Do you feel better now?”
“No.”
Robyn Thorn shook his head, holding his hand out for Red to pass him the box. He barely caught the tin container as Red hurled it at him with impeccable aim. Robyn turned the box over in his hands, tapping around the edges and listening for any light echoes that could give away weak spots. When he found no loose edges or cracks, he shrugged.
“I already tried all of that,” Red commented, reaching out for him to return the cursed box to her. “Nothing can penetrate it.” She leaned against the least rotted part of the tree stump, tossing the box next to her with a frown. “I even tried melting it. And still nothing.”
Robyn rubbed
his hand over his chin in thought. His icy eyes zoned in on the tree stump trying to search for any clues, to analyze everything that he had seen and heard Red do. It was those eyes that gave away his idea before he even said it out loud.
“You already know what you need to do,” he stated plainly. He rose and moved toward the tree trunk, lightly tapping the box. “Like you said, you’ve tried everything else. Everything except your dark magic.”
Red shook her head at the rebel leader, utterly appalled at how calm he was mentioning the magic that had almost destroyed his compound. “I can’t believe you just said that,” she objected. “If that is what it takes to open that stupid box, then it is going to remain closed forever.”
“Just listen to me,” Robyn countered. “Clearly Estra Ayrith didn’t want to make opening this box easy for you.” He picked up the box, waving it around for emphasis. “You already know that mundane tools and your Maker-Blessed magic didn’t do the trick. What is the one thing that both her and Eliseo said that you need to learn how to harness that you don’t like to talk about?”
Red snatched Estra’s box out of his hands, throwing it back down onto the tree trunk. “You don’t think I haven’t already thought of that? I have no doubt that Estra made this thing to be a whole trick, but I cannot use my”—Red’s body shivered—“dark magic.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to.”
Robyn Thorn shook his head in disbelief. “So you’re telling me that you know exactly how to open this damned box but you won’t because you ‘don’t want to’? Do you hear how stupid that sounds?”
“I don’t need you to patronize me,” Red shot back, her hands balling into fists that she forced to remain at her sides. “I know how pathetic it sounds. I know that I am a fool for ignoring what is probably the only solution. But it’s not that easy.”
Robyn’s amazement at his idea was fading into disdain for Red’s lack of commitment to her problem. “I just can’t believe that you won’t even try it.”
“And I can’t believe that you even suggested it.”
“How can you just stand there, solution at hand, and not take the chance?”
“There are some chances that just aren’t worth the risk.”
Red turned toward the rabbit hole, leaving the box behind. As she reached the entrance, Robyn stormed up to her, blocking her path. Red glared up at the rebel leader. “I suggest you move.”
Robyn put his hands on his hips, leaning down to meet Red’s glare. “What are you gonna do about it? Your potions might be able to slow me down, but they won’t stop me.”
Red pushed against Robyn’s chest, pushing him back half a step. She could feel her blood churning inside her veins. Her vision was set ablaze with crimson—her throat burned with the black fire that roiled within her stomach.
Robyn Thorn raised himself to his full height and he looked down on Red like she was a child. Robyn huffed, “Honestly, I’m not surprised that you’re giving up so easily. Isn’t that how you got to the Kingdom Rogues in the first place? After giving up on your old life?”
Red bristled at the harsh words that came from the rebel leader’s mouth. She tried to slow her breathing, but the air only entered her lungs in short bursts of hot anger. Her fingernails dug into the calluses on her palms, the tingling temporarily falling away as the small pains reached her brain.
Robyn moved away from the rabbit hole, drawing Red back to the box she had left behind. He stopped when they were separated by the safety of the tree stump it rested on. “I bet you would love to just disappear. Leave this whole mess behind you. Ignoring the fact that you are meant for so much more.”
“Maybe I don’t want to be a part of something more,” Red seethed, the words falling out of her mouth like smoke.
“And you think I did?” Robyn Thorn demanded, gesturing toward the rebel compound behind Red. “Do you think I wanted all of these responsibilities? No. But I didn’t run away from my duties.”
Red slammed her eyes shut, puffs of black smoke dancing across her lids as she tried to hold the onyx fire at bay. She pushed her lungs to slow down, to take even breaths. “I am not you,” Red stated slowly. “I don’t fit into the role Estra created for me.”
“Estra Ayrith could have chosen anyone to complete her life’s mission. Why do you think she picked you?”
“Because I killed her! I killed her, and she never got the chance to finish whatever she started. This is my punishment. This is my penance for everything that I have done and everything that I will do.”
Robyn blanched at Red’s sad confession, his temper melting away as he saw how ashamed she felt. He tried to refocus himself, but he still wanted to push Red closer to the path that had been set out for her.
“No, she picked you because you are the only being known to be born with these powers. You can’t just give up because you want someone else to eventually take your place. There is no one else. How do you know that what Estra was searching for isn’t worth the risk?”
Red’s hands shook, a stream of blood pooling in her palm as she pushed her fingernails deeper into her skin. Her mind no longer registered the pain—the tingling in her body threatened to take control. “I don’t want this,” came her shaking reply.
Robyn assumed that she was referring to the burden that Estra had laid upon her, so he continued to push. “But she chose you because she knew you could do what she couldn’t. You can’t ignore that. Estra Ayrith chose you.”
Black tendrils of power escaped from Red’s fingers as she screamed, “I don’t care if the Maker herself chose me to do her damned bidding! I don’t want any of this!” Her eyes filled with smoke and shadows as her powers shot from her body in unbroken waves of burning black fire. Hate and rage filled the void that took over Red’s body.
The waves of darkness froze in place as Red reeled them back into herself with nothing but her will and the hatred for that darkness. The darkness that could erase everything from existence was slowly drawn back into Red’s body as she slammed it back into the personal jail that she had created for it.
When the darkness that had surrounded her had finally subsided, Red almost lost the contents of her stomach. The lid of the box was dented and curled in on itself—some of the metal melted and torched. And the trees immediately surrounding the stump were shattered and torn apart.
Robyn Thorn lay curled up on the ground, his body covered in scratches from the splinters that had pierced his skin. His breath came in ragged pants that sent Red leaping over the stump to get to his aid. He let out a whimpering moan as Red turned him over, a relieved sob catching in her throat as she saw that he was alive.
“Help!” Red screamed, her voice cracking as she looked over her destruction. “Somebody please help,” she pleaded, praying that one of the guards might hear her.
Robyn Thorn turned his head toward Red’s voice, his body trying to move to fix the situation. When he realized everything was left hurting, he stopped in his struggles. “W-what… what did… y-you do?” he rasped.
“I’m sorry,” Red sobbed, close to tears. “I am so sorry.”
“Get away from him!” came the booming demand of one of the guards. A small group of soldiers rushed out of the rabbit hole, Eliseo Flori following close on their heels. The old elf’s star-filled eyes dulled as he took in the destruction around the clearing.
“Get the medic! Somebody go get the medic!” another guard shouted. He pushed two of his men back into the rabbit hole with a faerie orb. “Hurry!”
Red scrambled around the tree stump, scattering the splintered wood as she searched the ground. She ignored the wood that cut across her palms as she dug around, in search of the collection of potion ingredients that she had brought up with her. She cursed as she only came across the ones that she had already used to try to open the box.
Eliseo knelt down next to her, his nimble hands joining in her search for anything that had not been wilted or destroyed. The old elf did not c
ringe as his own fingers were cut up by the splintered wood that was scattered across the forest floor. He only continued to push through and help Red in her desperate search.
“Water,” Red said to no one in particular while still digging through the wood chips. “I need water.”
Eliseo motioned for one of the guards to give up the canteen attached to his belt. The guard protested until the old elf shot him a glare that made several stars explode in his eyes.
Red brushed aside layer after layer of wood, her hands becoming more splinters than actual flesh. She shrieked in triumph when she came across her scattered pile of ingredients. The edges of the flowers and herbs had become shriveled from the harsh blow of her darkness but there were enough gathered to compensate for their flaws.
Eliseo uncapped the water canteen for Red, the shake of her hands keeping her from doing anything except tightly grasping the ingredients she had found. She shoved the bunch of herbs into the lip of the bottle as quickly as she could. Eliseo Flori placed the cap over the top, vigorously shaking the mixture.
“I’m so sorry,” Red whispered continuously, her eyes not daring to look at the fallen rebel leader. “I’m so, so sorry.”
Red tried to swallow anything to wet her throat, but the black fire had left nothing but ash and dust to coat her tongue. She set the canteen down next to Robyn, her shaking hands threatening to spill the essential contents.
Red drew up the shimmering magic that she had never been forced to push away. She thanked the Maker for not leaving her wholly Destroyer-Cursed. Red cursed herself for letting that destructive darkness go untamed for so long.
She promised Estra Ayrith’s soul that she would do her bidding as long as Robyn walked away pain free. Red let out one last shaking breath, her eyelids falling shut as she began to whisper. She let the rose-red power of the Maker seep out of her and into the potion. She let go of everything that she wanted, only wishing to heal Robyn.
Cloak of Darkness (The Destroyer-Blessed Saga Book 1) Page 37