by Tom Rogal
Regardless, she wished they would stop already. She hadn’t suffered one since they left Myyril, but it seemed that was only temporary. There was not much time for relief, either. Levus picked up his breastplate and tried to put it on hastily. Something was up, but what? Jeris was still fast asleep, snoring loud enough to make the earth shake. Sarya was not in the room. Her sheets were ruffled and distorted, so she must have been in bed before. Levus finally got his breastplate on, but then started covering himself with some warmer clothes.
“Levus, what’s going on?”
He tossed her some animal skins and her staff, “A messenger crow from one of the small villages by Fort Kerran came through here. Kile is on his way with an army regiment. Whoever received it knew where we were as he came straight here. They are supposedly heading toward the western coast to enter Porsita through the strait heading west.”
As Divi’s heart sank, Sarya came rushing in with a roll of paper and a bundle. She also handed him what looked like a ticket.
“Here, take these. They will help on your journey.”
Divi asked, “Where are we going?”
“We should head north to Tartus,” Levus answered steadily. “I have a friend up there that can help us. Plus, I want to lead them as far away from Arnis as possible.”
Sarya agreed, “Your best bet will be to go through the Dyyros Woods. The deeper in the better.”
Divi looked at the woman, shocked.
“Wait a minute. I thought you said something about some Night . . . hunters or something like that before we entered your house.”
“We don’t have a choice,” Levus said. “In the plains or on the road, we can be easily seen. They’re coming here by water, so that is out of the question. The forest will provide us natural protection until we can reach the coast. It’s too thick usually for them to ride through.”
“Those passes I gave you, take them to the eastern stables,” Sarya said. “The man there is a friend. We have two varnotts, the fastest tamed creatures on the continent. They will only take you so far before returning, but at least they will get you deep within the Woods quickly.”
This was generous. He had never ridden a varnott, but he had heard that they could ride a hundred miles in a couple hours without stopping. They were very rare. He knew Tartus and the capital had some, though he was unaware Porsita did. If that was true, the head start they would have on Kile would be significant.
His gaze moved from the tickets to Sarya, who stared at the ground before looking up, “Thank you for your hospitality. I hope Porsita can return to its bountiful self again.”
“I know we will. Be careful out there. I wish you safe travels to Tartus,” proclaimed a grateful Sarya.
Divi began to put on the animal skins, although they lacked anything for her legs. She felt Sarya’s passion. Maybe she was wrong with her observation of these people betraying them. The woman shed a tear as she went to the window. Divi had thought her homeland’s troubles were the worst, but now saw hardship existed elsewhere. This continent was truly afraid of its ruler. The situation here was different . . . very different. Levus made a last second check of supplies and anything else they might need.
“Good,” he said. “That’s all that we should need. Let’s go.”
It was even colder than last night. Divi began to wonder if he was honest in his weather analysis or if it was just hunter superstition that the nights were blazing hot.
Although the animal skins helped, the chill in the air nipped at her exposed face and legs. They ran through the stony main street quickly. This was the path she had taken when she was escaping Porsita the first time. She couldn’t think about it anymore. There would be time to remember her fallen friends . . . and her father. This was not it, though. Divi continued her regular pace with Levus as they instead took an alley taking them into the shadowed depths of the ravished city.
***
The Dyyros Woods were even darker and more ominous this time around. The shadows cast by the moon were frightening, much different than during the day. Since they’d dismounted the varnotts and let them return to Porsita, Levus was more careful in every way. Divi did felt something in this forest. She did not know exactly what, but it was not a positive feeling.
Levus’ smile and gleeful manner showed how pleased he was with their progress. The varnotts took them further than he thought. They were already past Fort Kerran going off landmarks he was familiar with. So long as the bird-like beasts returned home undetected, he and Divi could be near Tartus before Kile could pick up their scent.
The temperature was still very cold, but at least the wind had diminished to a light breeze. Levus finally put down all the supplies carefully in a small clearing and began to search for twigs and stones. Divi helped him on his hunt, so they had a fire going in no time. Levus got it going to the point where it was small enough to not be too visible, but to generate some heat. He took a couple blankets from the bag and set them by the fire−very close to each other as she noted. Divi, although tired, was confused as to why they would stop when there was a chance of running into those monsters he described earlier.
“How far are we from our destination?”
Levus unrolled the map that Sarya gave them and unfurled it in front of Divi.
“Well, Tartus is way up here in this corner of the continent. We are about here at the interior more west. It’ll be probably another six to seven days at best and that all depends on how long it takes us to get through the shoreline caves.”
“Why through caves?”
Levus explained, “After we exit the Woods, it’s plains all the way to Tartus. The small towns on the way are loyal to Ulcinar now, so we won’t find any haven there either. If info leaks to where we are going, we could easily be seen. At least in the caves, we won’t have to worry about the army chasing us.”
He threw a couple more twigs on the fire. It crackled loudly, but did very little otherwise.
Divi asked, “Why are we stopping in these Woods if they are dangerous?”
“Night Predators hunt more in the depths of the woods, which are south of us. We’re for the most part on the outskirts. Plus, this clearing will help us see them better. If we get caught in too tight of an area, we’d be dinner for sure.”
“Where did they come from?”
Levus again explained, “Well, no one knows when, but some speculate about a thousand years ago. I think it was much sooner than that. You don’t do something for that long without having to adjust to some change. The land changes over time, people colonize, things die off and new things are born. Yet, the Night Predators stay constant. Some say it has something to do with a rock from the heavens that hit the planet around that time. Ever since, they have ravaged the forest every night. They never attack large settlements, only small bands.”
“Like us.”
Levus stood and looked at her.
“I wouldn’t worry about it. Just get some sleep. I’ll kill the fire and take another round of the area before joining you.”
Divi did not want to put the fire out, but she figured that it would be harder to be seen by the Night Predators then. Levus took some water from his canteen and extinguished the fire. Shivering in the sudden dark, Divi curled up in her blankets.
He dropped his canteen down and sat on a fallen log, looking in her direction. She seemed fast asleep and at peace. For some reason, he thought back to the time he first met her. He could not believe it had been only a few days ago. They had gone through a lot in such a short time, including two duels with the finest swordsman on the continent. He wondered what was going on in Arnis right now. His mother could only be worried. And what about Leeta? She was to return home any day now with the results of her test. He wanted to be there when she came back, yet this seemed like the right thing to do. There was something about this girl, Divi, a feeling he couldn’t identify. Levus grabbed his sword and looked at it. He could feel a strange sensation in his veins. His fingers caressed the blade. She was specia
l . . . extremely special. He grinned at the onyx weapon, seeing his smile’s ominous nature in the reflection of the blade.
Suddenly, he shook his head and dropped the sword. It hit the forest floor with a metallic clang, splintering the twigs it landed on. What had just come over him? For a few seconds, he felt empty. It was like he lost his soul for a few moments. Levus picked up the sword and sheathed it quickly. His hands were sweating despite the cold temperatures and uncovered.
Levus stood up, the cool wind somehow making the uncertainties better. He bent down at Divi and stroked her bangs. What was he going to do with her once they returned to Arnis? He was not concerned about Tartus as their stay there would be brief. But Arnis was his home and everyone would ask questions about her. So long as he could keep her true identity a secret, she would be safe. Levus slowly stood up and began to make a round of the area.
Divi lay half awake, staring at the moons. They were nearly full, so their light covered most of the area. She always marveled at the other celestial bodies and planets, wondering whether there were any more like theirs out there and if they shared the same troubles. The large moon had always fascinated Divi the most, though. It seemed so peaceful, staring down at the ground with its eyes and patrolling over those who feared the light of day. The people in Myyril saw the moon as a cursed soul who was damned for eternity to watch over those their gods wanted to hide from their holy sight. The more Divi thought about it, the more foolish their ideas seemed. Her mother always admired the moon. She had told Divi that one day she would touch it and prove the entire town wrong. Unfortunately, the gods saw it fit for her not to accomplish this goal. Perhaps they did not want a pure creature like her mother to go near a foul beast like the moon was often said to be. Now, she would never know.
She turned onto her side. The bright spectacle of the moon was replaced by the dullness of the forest floor. The trees and bushes lay still, dead bodies without graves. She was not very comfortable, but she had to deal with it. There was no comfort in this place of death. Divi was shocked how much the forest metamorphed under the cover of darkness. During the day, the green leaves showed life. At night, they became gray shadows, the tree trunks dark soldiers forever stuck in their earthly prison. She closed her eyes. Images like that were in her nightmares.
Suddenly, she heard a loud crack. Divi opened her eyes wide. She wanted to look up, but fear kept her in her ball. The cracking got closer and closer. Whatever was coming was trying to be as stealthy as possible. She thought perhaps it was Levus returning from his rounds, but he would have just come normally. More and more cracking could be heard, now from different directions. Divi was frightened. It told her there was more than something out there . . . there were many somethings out there. She tried not to breath heavily, but it was almost impossible. The closer the noises got, the more she tried to quiet herself.
At first, all that could be heard was the cracking of twigs. Soon, a snarling sound overshadowed it. It only had to be twenty feet away. As they got closer, the snarls turned into a form of tongue. Divi tried to listen attentively to identify the language, but it was one she wasn’t familiar with. Yet, she thought she had heard a form of it somewhere before. Why did it sound so familiar?
She continued to think hard, but her concentration was broken when three creatures walked into her view. They stood about five and a half feet with a slight forward lean. She couldn’t see the front from her angle. They had three toes with a short claw on their heel. Even in the dull moonlight, their dark green skin was clearly visible. Their backs were almost completely covered in hair, which continued up their necks until their completely bald heads. They had to be the ugliest things that she had ever seen. The ears were very pointy and large. Divi only knew of one race that had that trait, but these couldn’t be them! They were a peaceful people and hardly left their land.
The three creatures started to rummage in the bag that Levus carried. Divi noticed something very strange about the one on the farthest right: it was wearing a piece of metal armor. Obvious care had been taken, given the level of detail in its construction and ornamentation. If these creatures were the famous Night Predators Levus had been talking about, why would these supposed primitive beings have armor made in such a splendid design? Now that she looked closer, she saw they carried spear-like swords, some in scabbards at their sides and the one with armor slinging it over his back. Were these spoils from kills? They couldn’t have been. They would never fit in the armor of a normal man.
Before Divi could continue her observations, a three-toed foot filled her line of vision. This was not good. The toenails were yellow and cracked in many places. The skin was very rough and dry. She could hear the snarling loud and clear. Her eyes slowly traveled up. The legs were short and strangely thin. The upper thighs were covered by only a hay skirt, and the weapon was sheathed above it. The torso, though also thin, included a well-built abdomen and the chest showed great muscles. Divi’s eyes finally met those of her intruder, who was still examining the area around her. Just as Divi had thought, the front of the creature was worse than the back. Its face was V-shaped with the masseter muscles gathering around the chin. Its nose resembled that of a skull being sunken in and its eyes were small, but attentive. Its mouth was not very large, the front canines extended well under the lower lip. The rest of the teeth were covered, but Divi caught a glimpse of them as it growled at her. They were not very big, though they appeared to be razor sharp. The creature raised its arm as it and Divi continued to stare at each other. Although she couldn’t see them, she could feel the presence of three more that joined this beast in their watchful vigilance, bringing the total to seven. Her telekinetic powers had some useful traits. The creature’s large brow and forehead wrinkled as he roared.
The leader’s gaze met her face. She was so mesmerized by it that she almost did not notice when he reach for his sword. It did everything so silently, as if hoping not to wake her from her supposed slumber. Her face must have been covered by shadows for it to not see her gaze. The blade itself was quite thick. The craftsmanship was . . . brilliant.
What is this? Divi’s eyes fixed upon some markings on one side of the sword. She knew the language on the side of the blade. It just could not be them!
Roaring, the creature raised its weapon in the air. It was going for the kill. Where was Levus? Divi had no choice. She had to make her escape.
As the creature was about to swipe his weapon down into Divi’s neck, she jumped up and out of the way. The blade crashed harmlessly into the blanket, shocking the creatures long enough that it delayed the inevitable chase. By the time she looked back, the four had begun to follow, while two stayed with their leader. At least she had some distance between them. She wasn’t the fastest runner, but as she had proven with Kile, she was undoubtedly evasive when she had a head start.
The one who made the initial attack stood there and just watched her. It looked so calm. She was surprised by this, but did not think too much of it. Her six pursuers were gaining on her. They were so fast! She was sprinting and they were still gaining ground. She took advantage of the dragon beasts that Kile rode because of their size and girth, running through more heavily wooded areas so they couldn’t pass. That was not going to work with these. Their roars were coming from all directions of the forest. By the gods . . . there were more and they were everywhere.
Suddenly, one of her worst fears happened. She tripped on a broken log that the ground covered because of compiling mud. Seconds later, she smacked hard into the cold earth, skidding about five feet downhill before another log broke her momentum. Divi was almost too afraid to look up. When she did, the four were just about to reach her and strike.
A yell from above her grabbed everyone’s attention. The only thing the creature in the front saw was a blade slicing across his face.
It did not take Divi long to figure out that it was Levus. My hero! The other three were more prepared as they went to attack, and he exchanged blows with the o
ne on the right. Levus ducked an attempted strike from behind and attacked his forward opponent. He fluidly sliced off the creature’s sword hand by the wrist. The creature yelled in pain as he finished it off with a stab to the neck.
Levus kicked his victim down and spun to attack the one behind him. He swiped, but it was blocked. The remaining two creatures charged at him. He continued to parry their shots but was driven back by the aggression. Seeing he was near a thick tree, he had a plan. He waited for them to strike. Levus moved out of the way as one blade struck the trunk. The other creature, who was trying to sneak behind him, didn’t expect Levus’ maneuver either. He decapitated it before it could act, swinging so hard that his sword also ended up stuck in the trunk. He tried to take it out. The creature that first swung at him was having the same problem. Both looked at each other, trying to win this race of strength. The creature snarled just as Levus finally pulled his sword out and thrust it into its chest. The Night Predator looked down at the sword and back to him. To his surprise, the creature began to push the dark blade deeper into its chest. It was like it didn’t feel any pain and wanted Levus to know that. Levus quickly pulled it out and chopped his blade down onto the creature’s head. Its body went limp after giving a last roar. He pulled his bloodied sword out of the creature and ran over to Divi, who was just getting up.
Divi had never seen anything like that before. She was not sure what was worse: being chased by Kile or by these creatures. Levus was trying everything to calm her down, which she appreciated, but hugging her was the only thing that worked. Although it was cold enough to see their breath, she certainly did not feel it running the distance she did. She thought for sure that she was a goner. Thank the gods for Levus’ timing.
“You okay?”
Divi could not get the words out, so she nodded in agreement. He grabbed her by the wrist and started to drag her. Although she was shocked by Levus’ rough handling, her legs didn’t want to move from the fear she was feeling.