Noise echoing from the trees behind, Piers shrugged, “I believe I hear them, actually.” Standing, he met them as they cleared the line of trees. “Well, it took you long enough,” he berated them mildly.
“We stopped to catch a rabbit,” Bally bragged, holding up the carcass while Rey carried the kettle filled with the water.
“Well, you’re forgiven,” Amicia pronounced with a giggle. “But you caught it, so you get to clean it. I’ll get the vegetables ready while I still have a bit of daylight.”
Making a quick scavenge, she located some mushrooms and a few tubers that would make a nice addition to the meal. Deciding to throw in some of the spices she had saved from a few nights before, she added them as soon as the rabbit had begun to boil and then took her seat.
“Well,” Piers managed a tired smile, looking around at the circle of friends, “It appears we have a bit of a wait, so who will be entertaining us with a tale?”
Leaping to her feet, Oldrilin claimed the honor, “Me, me, me!”
“You want to tell a story?” Rey asked in surprise. The siren had never made the attempt before, save the time Ami had translated for her back in their spire in Jerranyth. “All right, tell us your tale.”
“Elf friends,” she began with a small laugh. “For hundreds and thousands of moons, the sirens and the elfs have lived in Eriden,” she proclaimed, swinging her hand in an arc before her to emphasize that fact. “Then, the great war came, and the elf king was lost.” She threw up her palms and wriggled her fingers in the air.
“After that, the elfs and sirens were no more friends. Until Lady Cilithrand gave us the gift,” she ended. She pulled the crystal that had been presented from her pocket and held it up in the air. Offering it to Animir, she beamed, “Elf friends.”
Staring at the enormous crystal, Animir gasped, “The queen gave you that?”
Seeing his surprised expression, Oldrilin withdrew the oversized gem, her face once again forming a small pout. “Elf gift,” she insisted, patting it a few times.
Placing his hand over his mouth, Animir hid his shocked expression, his mind racing. Once he had his emotions under control, he said more calmly, “May I see it, Lin?” Holding out his hand, he waited for her to place it in his grasp.
Frowning, Amicia inquired, “Is there something wrong with her being given the gift?”
“No, I don’t suppose,” the elf replied, accepting the gem when she placed it in his hand. Testing the weight of it with a few bounces, he cut his eyes over at her. “Have you held it, Ami?”
“No, why would I,” she clipped, still disturbed by his reaction. “Lady Cilithrand gave it to her. She made a special trip to our suite to present it as well.”
Flicking his gaze between the large stone and Amicia, Animir licked his lips, then confessed, “I think you should hold it.” Extending it out to her, he waited for her to take it.
Pursing her lips, she considered doing so for a long moment before she leaned forward and reached for the gem, but the instant her fingers touched the smooth surface, it began to glow. Yanking her digits away, as if they had been burned, she gasped, “How’d you do that?”
“I didn’t do that,” the elf replied in a hushed voice. “You did.”
Her mouth hanging open, the girl still leaned towards him, frozen with fear. No one spoke, and time seemed to pause, until she reached out again, this time poking it with a single trembling tip. Again, the stone took on a dim glow.
“Fuck me,” Piers swore, glancing between them. “Ami, how are you doing that?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, lifting the stone from his grasp and sinking back into her seat. Focusing on it, she willed it to grow brighter, and it lit up her face with a strong white light. Then she thought of snuffing it, and it grew faint, almost to the point of disappearing. “This gem is enchanted, isn’t it?” she demanded, closing her fist around it firmly and glaring at the elf.
“Yes,” he breathed. “That is a sacred gem of hamar from our temple. There is only one reason our queen would have given it to the mermaid, and I’m afraid it has nothing to do with friendship.”
“A magical stone,” Reynard stated with a frown, cutting his gaze over at Amicia. “You can control it, like the merdoe.”
“Apparently, yes,” she replied, flipping her hand and opening it with the gem on top. Focusing, she caused it to glow brightly, then changed the color of the light, making it green and then a deep blue. “I don’t understand,” she sighed. Presenting it to Oldrilin, she commanded, “Can you not make it glow?”
“I have not tried,” the siren replied, holding it up and putting obvious effort into the endeavor. Her face scrunched, she grunted, but nothing happened.
“Why would Lady Cilithrand give the siren a magical stone she can’t even use?” Bally put the question into words.
An extended silence followed, as if there had been a good reason, but no one dared to speak it. Glancing over at the forest they would attempt to pass on the morrow, Ami frowned. “Well, I guess we don’t need any torches.”
“What do you mean?” the Mate growled.
Indicating the gem with a flattened palm, she quipped, “It’s a light.”
“Surely, he didn’t mean this,” he replied tartly.
“He said carry a light,” she replied. “Light, not lights. And he was talking to me, so I am fairly certain that he meant this one.”
“But how could he have known that she had it?” Rey asked in confusion. “Honestly, it doesn’t make sense.”
“What in this place ever does,” she replied wryly with a shake of her head. “Put it away Oldrilin, and let’s have our dinner. We can talk about it on the morrow, before we head into the next haunted woods.”
Haunted Passage
Gathered next to the stand of trees, the motley group waited. Removing the magical stone from her hidden pocket, Oldrilin offered it to Amicia. “Here.”
“Thank you, Lin,” the girl replied, accepting the rock and closing her hand around it. Not completely shielded, white light glowed about the appendage.
Breathing deeply and exhaling slowly, Ami worked to calm herself. Flicking her gaze around at the others, she admitted quietly, “Gosh, I’m really scared.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Piers asked, placing his hand on her shoulder. “We can find another way if you’ve changed your mind.”
“No, no,” she whispered, shaking her head. Swallowing hard, she gave him a faint smile and stated more confidently, “The desert is through there. Uscan said –”
“Aye, we know what Uscan said,” Rey interrupted her, claiming her other side, “but the wolf isn’t here. We’re here. If you’re not sure you can do this, then we shouldn’t try.”
“Yes, we should,” she replied more forcefully. “He knew about the stone. He had to. And that means he has faith in me. He trusts me to get us through.”
Not sure about her logic, Reynard shook his head and dropped her arm. “All right. Lead the way, princess,” he joked.
Giving him a quick frown, Ami turned slowly to face the wall of trees with the rest of the group behind her. The trunks and branches of this forest grew tightly together, so close that scarcely an opening could be seen. Sliding her foot forward, she entered through the widest gap they had found, one they had voted unanimously must be the trail.
“Hold on to me,” she commanded, her voice trembling.
“I’ve got you,” Piers replied.
They formed a chain, each holding the hand or arm of the person before them, with Amicia in the front. The Mate followed, his hand still on her shoulder, with Zaendra holding his other elbow, as his left hand held his sword. From there, Animir and then Bally followed, with Rey bringing up the rear, only today Bally carried the siren so Rey could also wield his blade.
As soon as the company entered the tree line, the path seemed to close in around them, cutting them off from behind. No light made it in from the world outside, and they were plunged into
total darkness, save the soft luminosity of Amicia’s stone. Inhaling sharply, she froze, bringing the procession to a halt at only fifteen feet in. “There’s something ahead of us,” she breathed.
“How do you know?” Piers required.
“I see eyes…” She dared to speak quietly, gazing unblinking at the yellow glow of paired orbs.
Brandishing his blade, he pushed up behind her. Seeing nothing, he hissed in her ear, “Be brave, love.”
Stepping forward, they inched along, but as the light fell upon the small creature, it turned and ran away into the darkness. “Oh, shit,” she panted. “It’s gone.”
“What’s gone?” Rey asked, not having seen it.
“I don’t know, some kind of goblin. It ran away just when I could see it.”
“Good,” Bally snorted, “they’re scared of your light.”
“Aye,” Piers agreed. “You’re doing good, love. We can do this.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “We can do this.”
Tree limbs groaned above them. Cutting their eyes up, her light shone onto the lowest branches, but higher up… anything could have been there.
Shuffling their feet, the group pushed forward, weaving between the narrow spaces in the trees. In the shadows created by her glow, they could hear the movement, with an occasional glimpse of a foot or hand, but never anything concrete.
Placing her free hand on each trunk as they approached, Amicia could feel the smoothness of the bark; slick and unlike any she had ever encountered. The trees themselves were dark, almost black, hard and slippery, but reflected the light with a glossiness that added luster, as if they had been polished. Her fingers rested against the bark, detecting cool clamminess that prompted her to wipe them against her shirt or pants as she moved to the next.
“You’re doing fine,” the Mate praised, encouraging her to stay calm.
“Aye,” Ami panted, sliding to the left when a larger obstacle presented itself. “I think this is a rock,” she observed, noticing the different texture, with roughness and sharp points. Shuffling further around the left side, they cleared it, and she breathed a small smile. “Whew.”
Spurred on by their success, she increased her speed. “Stay close,” she whispered.
“Yeah, no problem there,” Bally agreed, causing Animir to chuckle.
“Easy,” Piers warned. “We don’t want to spook them.”
“Spook them,” Rey laughed. “How about they don’t spook us.”
A loud thump sounded just beyond the light to their right.
“Is something really out there?” Zaendra asked in a shaky voice, craning her neck as if to hunt for the source.
“Eyes on Ami, nymph,” Animir commanded. “Do not worry about the shadow and focus on the light.”
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Rey observed, glancing quickly to the sides before returning his attention to the glowing stone Amicia held slightly above her head.
“We’re doing it –” Piers started, but a loud scream to the left cut him off.
In panic, the whole group gathered into a single lump. Clinging to the girl as their feet scuffed the ground, they shredded the silence with the noise of their fear and the grating of boots and bare feet against the powdery dust-covered stones of the path. A ripple effect sounded through the trees as the creatures reacted to them in a flutter of adjustment before returning to their still, silent existence.
“Shit,” Ami croaked, panting loudly. Gasping for air, she huffed, “Everyone breathe.” Cutting her eyes over, she inspected the direction of the squall without turning her head. She could make out the shape of a naked being the size of a small child. “I see it,” she informed them. “It’s about the size of Oldrilin, maybe a little more. It looks sick, like it’s starving, and its skin is the color of the trees, almost black.”
“Like me,” Zae said with a funny smile in her voice.
“Aye, almost as dark as you, love,” Amicia informed her, “but not like you.” She swallowed, her mouth hot and dry. She did not want to get anywhere near the creature and hoped it continued to respect her glowing stone. The sight of it had locked her in place, and the blood rushed in her ears as she forced her lungs to work more slowly. She wasn’t sure she could go on, but what choice did she have?
“What’s it doing?” Rey hissed when many seconds had ticked by. At the back of the pile and furthest from the light, he glared at it, blinking against the urge to look away. If anything approached, he didn’t want to know.
“It’s just standing there,” she shrugged. “Watching. Waiting.”
“Let’s keep moving,” the Mate suggested. “We’ve calmed and gathered our nerve enough,” he added, squeezing Ami’s shoulder to nudge her forward once again.
“Ok,” Amicia agreed, pushing her foot ahead. The group still clung to her, and they moved as if they were a giant blob of water rolling down the side of a goblet. Slow, painful progress, they inched their way.
“How deep do you think these woods are?” Baldwin suddenly asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” the girl informed him. “We’re going all the way.”
“Oh yeah?” he panted. “I’m going to wet myself if another one screams out like that.”
“Another one?” Rey teased, “I thought you probably already had.”
Snickering, Ami lost herself for a moment before she gave in to the laugh and they paused again as the giggle rippled through them before it ebbed away. The sound of their feet scraping on the bare earth surrounded them in the silence that followed, and Amicia froze.
“Now what?” Piers prodded.
“It’s too quiet,” she replied. “I don’t see them… or hear them, anymore.”
“You think they’re up to something?”
“I can’t tell,” she admitted, taking another half step. Ahead of her, she could see a light that wasn’t hers. “Oh my God. That may be the exit,” she breathed, her voice rising in pitch with excitement.
“Let’s move that way, then,” he suggested, gripping his sword tighter.
“Ok,” she agreed, making the adjustment. The air had felt cold when they first entered the line of trees, but at that moment, beads of sweat formed on her brow and ran down her temples. “Anyone else getting warm?” she asked, mostly as a distraction from the silence.
“Aye,” three voices replied at once.
“It’ll be cooler when we get out of here,” Piers assured. “There’s no air moving in this place,” he explained.
“Yeah, there isn’t,” Baldwin agreed.
“Ten feet,” Ami announced. “I almost want to run for it,” she laughed.
“Well, don’t,” the Mate instructed sharply. “We’re doing fine. We should stay with what’s working.”
A loud bang sounded at their heels, followed by a snap of a limb as it gave way, dropping a large body to the ground behind Rey. Without hesitation, Ami spun, pushing her way through her friends and shining the light behind them while commanding, “Kneel down!” and pumping extra energy into the glow, pushing the light out farther than she ever had.
Only Piers, Rey, and Animir obeyed, but it was enough, and the strength of her radiant stone illuminated the full area around them, sending dozens of bare feet scampering across the dusty earth, their tiny, dark bodies writhing to get out of view.
“Wow,” Bally observed quietly, meeting her wide green eyes. On his chest, Oldrilin buried her face against him, not daring to view their would-be attackers.
“Yeah, wow,” she replied, smacking his arm. “Do you not know what get down means?” Resting her free hand against the siren’s back, she comforted the smallest of their group.
“Sorry,” he replied, rubbing the spot and still turning slowly, taking in the myriad of trees. “We’re not going to get lost in here, are we?”
“Not a chance,” Ami replied confidently, returning to the front of the line. “Everyone up. It’s less than ten feet, and I can see the sun from here.”
“I don’t
see any sun,” the Mate replied, reclaiming her shoulder.
“Well, I do,” she insisted. “Everyone ready?” Hearing muffled agreement, she pushed forward. “Eight feet.”
“We’re going to make it,” Zae whispered.
“Six feet.”
Oldrilin whimpered, and Bally squealed, “Easy with the claws, Lin!”
“Four feet,” Amicia called, pivoting to check the left and right before she turned around. “I’m standing here. You go forward.” Holding the light straight above her head, it shone down in a white cascade of brilliant comfort.
Parting around her like a rock in a stream, they formed up on the other side, and a moment later, they stepped out into bright sun.
Bringing up the rear, she pushed at them, moving them away from the line of trees before she started to cry and squealed, “We are never going through there again!”
Moved by her tears, Rey pulled her to him with his right arm, catching her by the back of her head as he comforted her. His sword hanging from the left, he squeezed the handle as he called, “Let’s get up this hill a bit.”
Before them, the incline grew steep after about ten yards, and they dug in, not stopping until they had reached the top. Another field opened before them at the crest, covered with tall grass that stretched as far as they could see.
Lamwen circled slow and high as he observed the party that had fled the glen. He had kept his distance, watching as their path unfolded, fairly certain that eventually the natural obstacles in their way would overcome them, at which point he would simply return to Adiarwen and pronounce that she was dead.
Somewhat impressed with their tenacity and how they had overcome the swarm of rodents, he had been tempted to draw the line, swooping down and finishing them himself. However, he hated to deny them the chance to make it to the desert, which he felt confident would be their greatest challenge; if they survived the tree-crawlers of the dark forest in between.
Watching as they formed a small group and moved as one to enter the south side of the trees, his keen eye spotted the hamar gem within her grasp. “Perhaps,” he grumbled, the fire burning hot inside his belly. The light disappeared the moment they entered, and the forest swallowed them as if devouring a meal.
Journey of Darkness Page 7