by Joe Naff
“To the top of the mountain,” Azalea answered. “Where our home is.”
“It’s the safest place to hide until the balisekt army leaves Stonemouth,” Zehlyr proclaimed.
“Hide?!” Viyana snapped. “I have no intention of hiding! I have to get back to Meadowgold and…”
“And what?!” Zehlyr bellowed as he quickly spun around. It amazed him to think he had ever feared this woman. “Even if you did manage to push through your exhaustion, your hunger, and the balisekt patrols still roaming the Wilds, you’re just one person now. If Meadowgold is destroyed, what help could you possibly be all on your own?”
Viyana’s face was hard and still. She despised lacking control over a situation and certainly didn’t appreciate being scolded by the likes of this traitor. “That army marched from the north along the Safe Road. They must have gone through the village or at least close enough to see it. If those…creatures attacked the village then, as their leader, I should at least be there.”
The dark thoughts of Meadowgold in ruins clung irremovably to her mind, like berry juice spilled upon white cloth. Images of homes burning, people screaming, and bodies littering the dusty ground greeted her each time she closed her eyes.
“Allow me to put your mind at ease, your Ladyship,” Heeska said while perching himself on the side of a large stone. “Your village is fine, likely shaken and fearful after seeing such an army march by, but no damage done.”
“How do you know that?” Viyana demanded. Drawing her sword, she took several bold steps towards their balisekt companion. “How do you know that?!” If Heeska had any involvement in all of this, it would be all the excuse she needed to kill him, regardless of his help thus far. She lifted her foot to take another step, but Zehlyr stepped in to block her path with sword in hand.
“It’s alright, Zehlyr,” Heeska said. “I’m happy to answer her question.” Though unsure, Zehlyr sheathed his blade and stepped to the side. “You saw that army,” Heeska continued. “You may find the journey from your home to Stonemouth to be long, but Balisekt territory is many miles to the north of your border. No army makes a journey that far without a specific purpose.”
“Death and destruction aren’t purpose enough?” Cherin asked.
“If that were their mission, why come down this far at all?” Heeska responded. “Why not stay in Meadowgold and watch it burn? No, Stonemouth was their intended target, and they were in too prime a condition to have stopped and destroyed your human village.”
“If you know so much, then tell me this,” Viyana said. “What was that monstrous creature that fought at their command?”
Heeska shook his head. “I’m afraid that was a surprise even to me,” he said. “I’ve never seen such a beast in all my life.”
“It didn’t seem natural,” Cherin said. A chill ran up his spine as he remembered staring into the mouth of that behemoth. “There’s no way a beast like that is part of the Lady’s forest.”
“It likely came from the fires to the north,” Azalea chimed in. Cherin and Viyana turned to face her.
“What are you talking about?” Viyana asked. “What fires?”
“Follow us to the top,” Azalea said. “You have much to see.”
Chapter 15
The cave at the top of the mountain that Zehlyr, Azalea, and Heeska called home didn’t seem like much, but for a trio of fugitives trying to survive in the Wilds, it was like a blessing from the Lady herself. It was up near the peak, surrounded by rocky terrain that let very few trees grow. With the area mostly clear, they had a great vantage point of the forest below.
Azalea had created her Grove in the valley just below the cave. From the edge of the cliff, they could easily see down into it. It was a barren waste when they found it, with only briar bushes and weeds. With her strange magic, Azalea cleared the brush away and created a garden more beautiful than any artist could paint or poet describe. It was simply a means of feeding them, and now it seemed to be feeding the world.
The cave went a long way down into the side of the mountain. A fresh, cool stream flowed deep within the catacombs, offering plenty of water within the shelter. It was an easily defendable position, further fortified with a woven door of briars to keep predators at bay. It had taken them days of wandering in the Wilds to find this place, but they thanked the Lady every day for it.
“This is where you live?” Cherin asked. The older brother sat on a large rock just outside the entrance to the cave.
Zehlyr nodded, fighting back his desire to strike Cherin for being so disrespectful. “It is. Praise be to the Lady of the Forest for providing it to us.”
“It’s a hole in a rock,” Cherin replied.
“Big talk from a street rat,” Azalea said as she passed the rock where Cherin sat.
“But…I…How did you…?” Cherin said clumsily.
“How did we know?” Zehlyr asked, finishing his older brother’s question. “Just look at yourself. I’ve seen diseased goblins in better shape.”
Cherin clenched his fists and lowered his head. His pride had already taken a sufficient blow just from the sight of his little brother thriving in these conditions. Not only was he alive, but he was strong and resourceful. There was a beautiful woman by his side too, making Cherin feel even more inadequate.
Zehlyr walked on towards the northern cliff. “Don’t mother and father take care of you anymore? You were always their favorite.”
The tipping point had finally been reached. Cherin sprang up from the rock in an explosion of anger. He rushed towards Zehlyr like a charging bull. Zehlyr had only time to turn around before he was tackled to the ground. A cloud of dust rose into the air as the two siblings wrestled with each other on the dry earth. “How dare you!” Cherin shouted. He lifted his fist above his head and brought it down hard towards Zehlyr’s face.
Zehlyr crossed his arms above his head, blocking the blow and the series of repeats that came after it. Gaining a sense of Cherin’s rhythm, he quickly reached out and snatched his left arm. Giving a quick tug, he rolled Cherin onto his back and positioned himself on top.
“It’s true!” Zehlyr bellowed. “They always let you get away with everything. You’re their precious first born.” Zehlyr landed a punch on Cherin’s cheek.
Cherin pushed Zehlyr hard in the chest, sending him back on his rear. No longer pinned, Cherin scrambled to his feet. “Mother and father are dead!” he shouted. His words echoed off the stones and resonated in Zehlyr’s heart. Lifting himself onto his elbows, Zehlyr’s eyes went wide and his jaw dropped.
“Dead?” he asked in a whisper. “When?”
Cherin turned his head to the side, spitting out a mouthful of blood into the dust. “Not long after you ran away, like a coward. I had to watch the fever take them. I held mother’s hand as the life left her eyes.”
Zehlyr rose to his feet again. His body felt numb. They’d been so healthy when he’d seen them last, so full of life. The thought of them both gone was inconceivable. “Lady, grant them rest,” he said quietly to himself.
“So, yes, I have lived on the street,” Cherin said. He took a few steps forward. Zehlyr thought at first he would attack again, but no assault came. “You’re not the only one who’s been scraping by these last three years. The only difference is you’ve not had to face the rest of the tribe as the brother of a traitor.”
Zehlyr didn’t know what to say or how to make his brother understand. Perhaps he never would. Azalea moved to his side and put a hand around his waist. He put his arm around her shoulders and looked back at his brother. Cherin just gave them a cold stare in return before turning to gaze off at the northern horizon.
“I hope she and the beast were worth it,” he said softly.
“Zehlyr,” Viyana said from near the cave entrance. “I believe you said you had something to show us?”
“Indeed,” Zehlyr replied. He and Azalea made their way towards the edge of the cliff.
“Follow us,” Azalea said. Viyana mov
ed with a quick pace to catch up with them as Heeska stayed back near the cave entrance. Zehlyr made a great effort to keep his gaze away from Cherin as they approached his position near the edge of the cliff; he assumed his older brother was doing the same thing.
As Viyana reached the edge, Azalea lifted her hand and extended a finger out over the trees to the northern horizon. “Look,” she instructed. “Out there.”
Viyana squinted as she stared off over the tops of the trees. After a few moments, Cherin turned to look as well, curiosity apparently overcoming his anger.
Far to the north, near the line of the horizon, a long, thick stream of black smoke rose up into the clouds. It was many miles away, well beyond the northernmost edge of the Lands of Order.
“Is that a fire?” Viyana asked.
“It is,” Zehlyr replied with a nod. “But it burns unnaturally, as though controlled by a dark and powerful magic.”
“What makes you say that?” Cherin scoffed. “Fires happen all the time.”
“This one has been burning for months now,” Azalea added. “For three seasons we’ve watched that pillar of smoke rise into the sky.”
Zehlyr turned to face his guests. “In that time, the fire has never moved. The winds have blown but it does not spread. It has never grown or diminished. The smoke is constant day and night.”
“Where does it burn from?” Viyana asked.
“Balisekt territory,” Heeska said. He was leaning against the mouth of the cave, staring up into the cloudless sky above.
Viyana and Cherin spun around quickly back towards the cave. “You are certain?” Viyana asked.
“Absolutely,” he replied.
“Just what are you savage monsters doing out there?” Cherin snapped.
“Something I have no part of!” Heeska hissed angrily. He lifted his back off the stone wall outside the cave and glared at the disrespectful human. Even his patience had its limits, and he was tired of the treatment he was getting in spite of his cooperation. Living with Azalea and Zehlyr for the last three years, he’d forgotten what it was like to be treated like an animal by humans. “If this hasn’t been made abundantly clear by now, I’m on your side in all of this.”
“And why is that?” Viyana asked. She took slow steps back towards the cave. The others followed behind her. “Why are you living out here in the Wilds with a couple of humans instead of with the rest of your race?” The question had been on her mind since they escaped the soldiers, and this seemed as good a time as any to get some answers.
Heeska clenched his clawed hand into a fist at his side. His head hung low as he shut his eyes. “Because…” he began. “I’d rather survive on my own than continue to live under Killika’s rule.”
“Killika?” Viyana inquired.
Heeska took a seat on a nearby stone. “He is the lord of the balisekt tribe.”
“I wasn’t aware you creatures had a social structure,” Cherin said with passive aggressiveness.”
“Watch it,” Zehlyr said sternly without turning his head.
“Killika is a ruthless monster,” Heeska continued. “He holds onto his power through violence and fear mongering. He hoards all the resources for the entire tribe and distributes them as he sees fit. Those willing to carry out his savagery are rewarded; those that aren’t are often executed.”
“Is he the one leading the army in Stonemouth right now?” Viyana asked.
“Very likely,” Heeska replied with a nod. “If there’s blood to be spilled by a balisekt, he either wields or commands the sword that does it.”
“So, how did this monster rise to power?” Viyana inquired.
Heeska rose to his feet and began pacing a short distance between the cave entrance and the cliff. His hands folded behind his back as he walked and his tale swung lazily from side to side. “Before he was Lord Killika, he was part of a small tribe called the Shadow Chasers. There entire mission in life was to scour the ruins of the ancient forest in search of secrets that could bring them power.”
“What ruins?” Cherin asked.
Zehlyr smiled a little. It seemed even his close-minded big brother couldn’t help but be curious anymore. “It seems our ancestors didn’t always live in the Lands of Order,” he explained to his older sibling. “We humans, the elves, the centaurs, the faeries, we’ve all lived in tribes throughout the forest for centuries.” Zehlyr looked off towards the cliff and waved his hand slowly towards the horizon. “There are ruins from lost tribes all over the Savage Lands, farther out than we can even imagine.”
“The knowledge that the Shadow Chasers gained from their searches granted them tremendous power,” Heeska continued. “They used this power to assume control of all balisekt kind after the Great Blight.”
“It was the Shadow Chasers that performed the ritual north of Meadowgold three years ago,” Azalea chimed in. Her voice was low and her lower lip quivered softly. She was sitting on the rocks near the entrance of the cave, her fingers gripping tightly around her knees. “That’s where Zehlyr found me.”
“But what was that ritual for?” Viyana asked. She was acting fidgety. It was a lot of information to process, yet she was hungry for more answers. “What did you have to do with it?”
Azalea sighed as she shook her head. “That, we still don’t know.”
Viyana let out a groan of exasperation. Azalea began to play lightly with the fabric of her dress with her fingertips. “I understand your frustration,” she said softly. “You want answers; so do I.”
Viyana raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying you still don’t remember anything before the balisekt’s ritual?”
Shutting her eyes tightly, Azalea shook her head. “No,” she answered meekly. A tear raced down her face and dripped off her chin onto the dusty ground below. Where the droplet struck, a small, white flower grew with unnatural swiftness. Zehlyr couldn’t help but shake his head as he witnessed Cherin and Viyana’s reactions.
“I don’t remember anything,” Azalea continued. “I don’t know who I really am. I don’t remember if I had any family. I don’t know where I grew up. I don’t know why the balisekts took me or how and I…I don’t know what they did to me.”
Zehlyr took a seat next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. Leaning in, he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. “Three years since the incident and no memories have returned to her at all,” he said. “It’s as if her life began there in the Savage Lands that day.”
“Whatever they did, it involved some very ancient magic,” Heeska said. “Lady only knows what secrets the Shadow Chasers found out there.”
Glancing up from the crying girl in his arms, Zehlyr noticed a look of disgust on Cherin’s face. “Is something wrong?” he snapped.
Cherin snarled. “It speaks the Lady’s name,” he scoffed. Heeska growled low.
“That’s it!” Zehlyr shouted as he leapt to his feet pulling his sword from its sheath and pointing the tip at his arrogant and infuriating brother. “You will show Heeska the respect he’s earned or I’ll…”
“Boys!” Viyana shouted as she jumped between them. Both Cherin and Zehlyr stopped, but eyed each other coldly. “We are all very tired. It’s been a long day and I don’t think anyone is in a rational mindset.”
“We have plenty of food here,” Azalea chimed in. “We’ll make some dinner and then we can all get some sleep.”
Viyana shot Cherin a coy smile. “If you still feel like it in the morning, go ahead and kill each other.”
Chapter 16
Dawn came and nearly turned to midday before Viyana finally arose from her slumber. She was sitting in the dust and leaning against the stone wall at the mouth of the cave. Her back hurt from the lack of comfort and what little skin her armor left exposed felt cold to the touch. Her sword was lying at her side, her hand gently resting on the hilt. As the evening had turned to night, she’d wondered if her nerves would even let her sleep. Every sound in the woods sounded like the footsteps of a balisekt soldier on
approach. Apparently exhaustion finally took her, and she fell into a sleep so deep that a raging storm couldn’t have pulled her from it.
After rubbing her eyes, she looked over her shoulder and saw Cherin slumped over in the dirt. A puddle of drool near his mouth provided the only moisture the dry dust had seen in a long time. Zehlyr and Azalea were deep in the cave. She didn’t know if they were awake or not, but it didn’t matter to her either way. Heeska was up on the rocks, his clawed hands folded together on his belly and one leg hanging down off the side of the cave, swinging freely next to his tail.
She stood and stretched. Her muscles ached from the activities of the previous day. Morning always brought with it an ingrained feeling of calm and peace, but memories of the battle were quick to remind her that things were far from peaceful. She took up her sword and returned it to the sheath on her belt. With the air so silent, the blade clicked loudly as it settled into place.
With her arms up over her head, Viyana stepped out of the shadows set by the mouth of the cave and into the sunshine. It had been a cold night, especially at such a high altitude and sleeping against a stone surface. The fire they’d built in the night died out long before dawn. The last thing she could remember before drifting off to sleep was staring into its burning coals and thinking of the horrifying creature they’d faced in Stonemouth.
“So, you didn’t kill me in my sleep,” Heeska said as he slid down from the rocks and onto his feet. The balisekt rocked his head from side to side, making his neck pop loudly. “I guess I should thank you for that.”
Viyana instinctively reached for the hilt of her sword, but sense finally took over and stayed her hand. “Well, you saved my life in the Wilds yesterday, so I suppose I’m in your debt.”
“If it keeps me alive, I’ll just let you keep owing me.”
Viyana continued walking towards the edge of the cliff. She could still see the smoke climbing into the sky on the horizon. Zehlyr was right; the fire burned in the same spot and at the same pace as the previous day. No natural fire would behave in such a manner. It should have long ago either spread or died out as all possible fuels were consumed. It was the second thing in the forest she’d seen burning unnaturally yesterday, so the thought of the two being connected was inescapable.