by K R Leikvoll
"Please, you have to hide me. They will kill him, Kirin!" she said with tears falling out of her beautiful eyes.
"Who is the father? How can you possibly know it's male?" he asked. She held her sad, gorgeous face in her hands.
"Jack of the Dryads," she finally whispered to him. "I don't know that it's a boy, but I can feel it."
Kirin put a hand on her quivering shoulder.
"Eve, how could you do something so foolish? It could cost us everything," he said seriously.
"I love him... I love him," was all I could hear through her sobs. Her tears seemed like they went against nature, falling as speckles of pure light. Kirin pulled her into his arms. He shushed her quietly as she cried openly on his chest.
After a period of her emotions, Kirin released her.
"I can only keep you safe while you are pregnant. Your father will come after you eventually. If this child is not a Divine—" he said, still appearing to be contemplating the situation.
"My sister will take him. She'll take him far away where he will be safe."
Slowly, the half-sphere began to dissipate, taking me with it.
When I came to, I was lying on a cozy surface. I could hear the fire crackling in the background. I opened my eyes hesitantly. Somehow, instead of the floor, I was bundled on the massive bed tangled in blankets. Kirin was sitting on the arm of one of the plush chairs, staring into the fire. He was resting with his head propped on his hand, clearly deep in thought.
I didn't even want to move. I didn't want him to notice I was awake. The idea of me being semi-unconscious in that stupid dress near him… I flushed from embarrassment and tucked my body further under the blankets. Kirin stirred from his thoughts.
"How long have you been awake?" he whispered. He didn't move from his position, staring at the fire.
I didn't respond. I sat there absorbing what I had just seen. My head kept filling with the words from the eye of the dark vortex: “You thought you could escape me." It replayed over and over in my mind. Kirin had called the woman Eve. Was that the person that was meant to receive the demonic message? I guessed by the heavy ring on my finger that she wouldn't be receiving it.
"Who is Eve?" I finally asked when I was able to return to reality. Could it really be called reality, though?
Kirin rose from the chair in a slow, calm fashion. As he approached the bed, I sat up against the headboard nervously. He noticed my discomfort, but his face remained blank while he climbed onto the bed and sat near my feet.
"Your mother, the previous Divinus," he said giving me a steady look. He was doing his best to make the distance between us obvious.
My mother... could it be true? We had similar light hair. My eyes were blue—maybe not as blue, but they were still blue. Her face shape looked way more like Alex's than mine. I could barely see the resemblance between us beyond our noses. Eve looked like an angel; I looked like a normal person! It was hard to believe the relation by any means.
"What did you see?" Kirin asked, rousing me from my thoughts. I was compelled to tell him this time for some reason. Maybe it was because he was involved.
"I saw you," I began. He sat up straighter and gave me his full attention. It still made me uneasy to make eye contact.
"You saw me? And Eve was there as well?" he asked, knowing there had to be another person there.
"Yes. She was begging you to keep her safe. Well, keep her and her baby safe," I replied after reliving the vision in my head again. Kirin was fixated on the blanket.
"Anything else?" he asked after a while. I think he was reliving the moment in his head, too.
"Just that," I whispered. "I'm assuming that I ended up being that baby?"
Kirin's eyes met mine.
"No, you weren't," he said unwaveringly.
"Did she, um... have it?" I asked awkwardly, looking at the drapes to avoid his stare.
"She did. Her son Arturio," Kirin answered in a low voice. Her son Arturio. My brother Arturio. I rested my head on my knees, forgetting about my fear of being eaten alive. I wracked my brain as hard as I could, as if the information would come to me naturally. Who was my dad then? Obviously Divines didn't have immaculate conception…
"That means…" I said, thinking about the name Jack. It was familiar to me for some reason. I almost felt the sensation of love personally when I recalled Eve's voice saying "Jack of the Dryads."
"That means?" Kirin replied, perhaps thinking I had some sort of revelation.
"And that means Jack is my dad?" For some reason, saying his name out loud was warming. I looked up finally and met Kirin's gaze. He was saying something with his face that I couldn't understand.
"I suppose it does," he said finally with a clenched jaw. The thought looked like it caused him some sort of internal pain. Maybe he wanted to bone my mom or something.
Another question formed in my mind, thankfully taking me away from what I really didn’t want to picture or think about.
"Why isn't Arturio the Divinus? Why is it me?" I asked. He can have the damn ring; the mental stress was killing me. I needed to get back home.
Kirin stretched out across the bed and watched the stone ceiling. His closeness made me want to leap out of the bed, but I held my ground. He yawned loudly.
"The light chooses the one who bears a child, doesn't matter the species," he said as though it was a simple fact, like 2+2. "I wonder why the Divines would grant you a vision of that. Something so insignificant. It's puzzling."
"I don’t have any answers. Don't ask me, dude," I said, placing my head back on my knees. Kirin didn't respond, he just continued to stare at the ceiling in a fixed gaze. I wasn't even sure he had heard me.
With the drapes over the window, it was impossible to tell what time of day it was. Time was night and day since I hadn’t seen any clocks or methods of keeping track. I was tired… exhausted, rather. I wanted some headache medicine and my own bed. Kirin’s was incredibly comfortable, but his presence was the opposite. I started moving to leave.
"Stay. I'll go," Kirin said, getting up. He grabbed his massive cloak by the fireplace and threw it on. "Goodnight... Divinus."
Chapter Eight
“It’s time to go,” a soft voice said in my ear. There was no way I had slept more than an hour with how drowsy I felt.
"Five more minutes," I groaned, rolling over. More shakes. Ugh, this fucking alarm clock. I squinted reluctantly upward and Alexandra was staring down at me expectantly. She shoved a bundle of clothes in my half-asleep hands.
"Let's go!" she said with more urgency. I got out of bed groggily, nearly falling over as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Where were we going again? The fire was so warm, begging me to crawl back into bed. Seriously, that thing was amazing; it was way better than my bed back home. I sleepily pulled off my dress. I was supremely grumpy when I had to put on my leather pants and corset by myself. It fit way too tightly for how early it was. Everything was warm and fuzzy unlike my binding clothing.
I wanted to climb back into bed and go back to my vivid dream about James. We were walking on my favorite hiking path and he was telling me our plans for the day. We were going to stop and maybe swim in the river. I missed his smiling face so much, even in my sleepiness. It had been lonely and frightening without his presence. I don’t think I had spent that much time away from him before… ever.
I slumped my way out into the hallway. The empty eastern quarter was bustling with activity. It seemed like most of the crowd that was usually outside was inside busy at work. In fact, they were moving so many things around, it looked like they were all moving in. I used the wall to brace myself as I walked down the hall. I needed coffee, or I wasn’t going to survive.
When I made it out of the twisted halls, Kirin's tall form was noticeable in the distance, directing people to the eastern quarter. Men, women, and children came in with various belongings. Each one stopped and showed their respects to Kirin on their way, some kids even daring to hug his feet.
&n
bsp; "Light bless you," I heard a woman saying as she kissed his hand. Her tiny boy with auburn hair reached out to Kirin to be picked up. To my surprise, he lifted the kid up and said something hushed in his ear before setting him back down. They shuffled in line with everyone else, grimmer than pleased to be inside.
I walked up behind Kirin, careful to keep myself out of biting range. One by one, people approached him, thanked him, and continued down the hall with their belongings. I looked around for Alex, but she was nowhere in sight. Too tired to stand, I slid down the wall and watched the crowd. Those people didn't seem fearful of Kirin at all. They acted like he was a longtime family friend or something.
After the volume of people coming in decreased, Kirin called, "Let's go," over his shoulder. He hadn't even seen me approach, but I wasn’t surprised in the least that he knew I was there. I got up, mega-drowsy, and followed him. He was doing his usual 60mph walk while I lagged behind on the stairs. We passed the smaller line of people entering and waited at the front of the castle. The air was dense and hot. It felt like it was dawn, but it was hard to tell.
A man in heavy armor approached us and thrust a sheathed sword into my hands. What the hell was I supposed to do with a sword? I wanted to make sure it was for me, but he left in a hurry. I glanced at Kirin with the question written on my face.
"Did you expect to leave without a weapon?" he asked as though the idea was absurd. "You saw the demon on our way here. Imagine hundreds. That's how many are out there." The thought of multiple monsters like before… I really didn't want to leave the safety of the walls.
"Why are all of those people going inside?" I asked curiously. Kirin looked at the recently dwindled crowd. He was concentrated on the line so long I thought he hadn't heard me.
"It’s the only way I can keep them safe," he replied without diverting his focus from them. Before I could ask more questions, Alexandra's form appeared on Kirin's other side.
"They are bringing him now," I heard her say in a hushed tone to Kirin.
He nodded stiffly and approached a rickety wagon filled with supplies that was being dragged in by several men. It was lugging a cage behind it that reminded me of an iron maiden, except I could see its occupant. A man, as thin as a skeleton, sat at the bottom of the cage. His long, dark brown hair looked dead; his beard was wild and unkempt. The man’s face reminded me of a Holocaust survivor's. The only part of him that was odd was his long, pointed ears.
Kirin pounded on the cage so hard that the wrought iron bent.
"Wake up, worm!" Kirin yelled, shaking the other side of the cage. The man tilted his head to the side and looked up without moving from his fetal position. Kirin spat straight on his face. The prisoner cackled like a madman in response and stood up in his cage. He had hollowed, faded red eyes.
"I knew you'd come back for me. Finally done being pissy about that one broad?" the man jeered from behind the bars. With a vicious look on his face, Kirin ripped the cage off its stand and threw it onto the ground. The man smashed his head into the bars and fell silent.
Alexandra ran over immediately. She put herself between the cage and Kirin with no fear of his wrath whatsoever.
"We need him alive. You cannot kill him yet," she said, shoving Kirin away. He shoved her back to my utter surprise and walked toward me. I guess I wasn’t the only person he was pushy with. Damn, he wasn’t going to target me next, right? I wanted to back away when he was in striking distance.
"Let's go," he demanded, grabbing my wrist. I didn't even try to fight this time; it was no use. He yanked me up the castle's steps back to the entrance. These stairs were literally the worst and unending.
When we reached the top, a massive crowd stood on the other side of the door's threshold. I saw so many faces. I wasn't sure how many people they had stuffed in like a sardine can.
"Lux Eterna," I could hear people whispering almost in unison. It was unnerving to me, but I knew lux meant light. Light was what I was, right? Kirin's face was focused on the crowd. He cleared his throat.
"I’ll mark the door with a seal. I will come back for you all," Kirin said in a mournful tone. The people inside didn't necessarily appear frightened; they looked like they had accepted their fate. Everyone reached their hands out to me. I mean everyone. The kids, the old men, everyone. Kirin looked at me and motioned to the crowd.
Me? Talk to everyone? What was I supposed to say? What could I say to them? My instincts kicked in... it felt like someone else took over. I lifted my right hand into the air.
"Lux Eterna," I said, barely above a whisper. My middle finger began vibrating with strange energy. A white wisp seemed to flow out of the ring itself. It traveled in an orb, into the castle, over the heads of its occupants. It expanded into a large, shimmering bubble over them and then dissipated. I was not at all sure what it was, but the sight of such a thing was mystifying to me. Even though I was fearful of what might happen to them, the ring reassured me with a warm, hopeful sensation.
The second it seemed to disperse, my knees grew weak. I had to sit in kneeling position for a moment. Sure, I was tired from lack of sleep, but my body grew deeply fatigued out of nowhere. I watched as the giant stone door was slowly closed. Their faces never stopped watching us.
Kirin hoisted me to my feet by my arm. My body was so heavy I thought I might pass out. He steadily moved me to the side and let go. I plopped back down, completely drained. Kirin returned to the front of the castle. He held his empty hands out to the air.
His scythe of shadows entered in a cloud of smoke. Gradually, it solidified in his hands. He took a few steps back and held it out in front of him. Quickly, he slashed a giant, upside down triangle on the door with his blade. I couldn't hear the sound of it hitting the stone because it seemed to pass through the door entirely. The triangle glowed light silver, the intensity from it stinging my eyes. It was as though someone had poured metal into the newly carved markings. I finally heard the sound of the door being hit, as the shadows mimicked the scythe's movements and carved into the stone. The weapon turned to smoke in Kirin's hands.
He whispered something I couldn't hear to the stone. He then started walking down the stairs, perhaps forgetting about me. I shakily pulled myself back to my feet. I had to hold onto the stone railing of the stairs so I didn't fall down them entirely. My legs were completely made of gelatin and were growing number with every passing second.
"So, you perfected shielding?" Kirin asked when I caught up to him. I shrugged with minimal effort. I had to save my strength in case he needed to eat and I was prey. I didn't even really know what happened myself. Kirin didn't push it any further.
We met Alexandra, Codd and the prisoner at the bottom of the staircase. Alex was wearing her usual hunter's garb. Her beautiful bow was fastened to her back. Codd was wearing leather trekking gear as well, very worn and bloodstained in appearance. He had long scimitars strapped to either leg. The prisoner had been removed from the cage and stood in a ripped, dirty linen gown. His hands and neck were bound in chains connected to Alex's waist. Those feet, though… they were disgusting and clawed.
We started toward a giant gate on the western side. I noticed the blue foliage poking over the giant stone wall as we got closer. I was barely able to keep up with them. When Alex turned around, I was at least ten feet behind. She tapped Kirin on his back and he glanced over his shoulder. He rolled his eyes at whatever she said and made his way toward me.
"No! No, it's fine, really!" I said, shaking my head. No way in hell was I letting him carry me around again. Especially after using that scythe that apparently forced him to eat women. Codd ran over, coming between us.
"I got it. Keep your eye on him," he said to Kirin in a hushed tone.
"I can hear you, you know," the prisoner called back to us. Kirin's eyes narrowed into an intense glare. He turned to head back to the front of the group. As he passed the prisoner, he smacked him hard in the ear. The force was so great it nearly sent both him and Alex tumbling to the gr
ound.
"You'll be deaf, blind, and without a tongue if you'd rather do it that way," Kirin hissed at him on his way to the front. The prisoner spat out blood and a molar without any further response.
I hesitantly climbed on to Codd's back. Naturally, it was uncomfortable. I felt like a little kid. He lifted me up like I was a feather and caught up to the rest of the group. As we walked through the heavy gate, into the wilderness, I took a final look back. Everything outside the castle had been abandoned. Did they expect to be attacked? Would I ever be back there again? I thought of the brunette with the boy she had mentioned. I hoped they would be safe behind the rune-engraved door.
This time as we trekked into the wilderness, there was a road. It was aged and worn, but it was less chaotic than walking among the twisted trees and in the brush. It wasn't until we were way beyond the castle's wall that I realized I had left my sword behind. Whoops! Not like I would dare mention it now. I mean, I couldn’t even use a sword. It was extra baggage, of which we had enough of, by the way. I was the only one besides the prisoner that wasn't carrying some kind of bag.
The path before us twisted around a mountain similar to the ones I had seen before. The blue flora gradually increased in abundance as we moved. Regardless of my bitter feelings toward it, I couldn't help but find it beautiful again. Everyone except the prisoner seemed to find the forest breathtaking, even though it was probably a common sight for them. Alexandra touched the flowers as we passed trees and caressed their petals; I guessed she wasn’t easy prey. Even Codd was enjoying the beauty of the forest, in his own weird way, humming a strange tune and appearing to be delighted to be outside of the castle's walls. Kirin just stared straight forward, though. I was still struggling to keep myself awake... I closed my eyes and took the opportunity to rest.