The Paladins of Naretia

by TP Keane

Chapter 23

  The sun was high by the time the soil underfoot became less watery. The grounds were blanketed in tall grass and dotted with the first colours of spring flowers as they poked their heads up to meet the sun. In the distance, Aria saw the unmistakable horizon of tall trees. The untouched, ancient forest of Elwood stood like the daunting wall of a natural fortress, stretching its green fingers into the blue sky. Not many travellers had entered the sacred sanctum of the elves, not many were welcomed. Even her father had not tempted fate, holding all of his meetings with the elves in Lothangard. Although they had a certain leniency for the sins of those living in the rest of Naretia, the elves were entirely intolerant of it within their own boarders. In the past, they had eradicated anything within their homeland deemed foul, with deadly force.

  Aria spotted a dark figure gliding in the sky. With long, graceful swoops, Aramus circled overhead before descending and landing about a foot away from them. The tall grass bent under his feet and the disturbed wind tussled her hair. Aramus's wings tucked neatly behind his back again as though he was wearing a black cape, so long it swept the ground behind him. Although his expression was stoic and his jaw muscles were firmly clenched, he nodded to Ol?rin with an awkward half-smile, and Ol?rin mirrored him. The winged man said nothing as he reached out and took hold of Aria's binds again.

  Aria rolled her eyes. 'Men!'

  They followed the dwarf as he razed through the thickened sward ahead of them with broad sweeps of his axe. All the while, Aria could see the muscles in Aramus's arms tensing and his knuckles turn white, as he clenched the rope tighter and tighter with each step. His eyes stayed firmly fixed on the green wall looming closer to him. She felt a small amount of pity for him then, knowing he was most probably walking to his doom. If it had been her, Aria wasn't so sure she would have been so compliant.

  It wasn't long before they reached the outskirts of the forest. The green, dappled sunlight showed them the way over mossy trees, some of which had lost their battle to remain upright, and through brooks that laughed quietly. Stoic forest soldiers pressed in around them and rustled misgivings, while their fowl messengers screeched an alarm to no one in particular - their echoes dying some many miles beyond Aria's hearing.

  No roads scarred the forest floor in Elwood because the elves believed a road would "encroach on the moss's right to grow". Aria had heard father complain about it many times to his visiting elves, wondering why they didn't want a road to Lothangard, at the very least. They had answered him every time with a question, "Why Lothangard?" The elves had no appreciation for the way the rest of the world put themselves on pedestals, and sighted her father as a self-important man. Their righteous attitude had never likened them to her, and even now, as Aria entered their inner sanctum, she felt the judgmental stares of their ideals follow her.

  Aria picked her way across the foot-grabbing tree roots, desperately trying to keep up with Bernard's relentless pace. For such a little person, he was a powerhouse of determination and speed. Her bound hands made it more difficult to climb over the trees that had fallen, and the further in she travelled, the higher the hurdles became.

  The clean smell of mulch and pine, filled her senses as she followed her captors deeper into the timberland. The trees grew wider, more dappled with lichen, and the sunlight fought hard to break through the thickening canopy. It was the kind of woodland she was unfamiliar with, as all the forests in Naretia were cut down for wood long before they got the chance to age and decay.

  "Here, let me help you," Aramus said, holding out his hand to her at one point.

  "Thank you, I can manage," she snapped.

  Aramus withdrew his hand and waited patiently for her as she scrambled over the top of another tree trunk. Finally reaching the other side, Aria looked ahead and saw Bernard cupping his hands around Ol?rin's foot so that he could boost the old man over a mammoth bole the size of a Mountainman's house. It seemed that the dwarf needed no such help. In a series of axe swings and vaults, onto impossibly high branches, the dwarf made it to the top of the trunk alongside the old wizard.

  Aria's heart sank, there was no way she could climb that with her hands bound, and she didn't think Bernard would be charitable enough to allow her to use his axe. Following Aramus's lead, she reached the felled tree just as Bernard and Ol?rin disappeared over the other side. It stretched a good distance either side and to walk around it would leave her alone in Aramus's company for too long.

  "Aria, please let me help you," Aramus said.

  Aria studied his face for a moment. His amber eyes were soft, his dark eyebrows were furrowed, and his hand was outreached to her again. With more than a little trepidation, Aria nodded.

  Aramus shifted the satchel on his back and took a few steps toward her until they were only an inch apart. His powerful arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her in closer to him. Even through her armour she could feel a heat radiate off his body. So close to him now, she could see the small flecks of gold in his amber eyes, glint in the dappled tree light. He hesitated for a moment, like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Aria watched him swallow slowly as though his throat had gone dry.

  Without warning, Aramus spread his wings and, with one robust flap, propelled them toward the canopy. Aria felt her stomach lurch and hooked her arms over Aramus's head for security, hugging him tightly. Aria didn't notice their heads pressing together so much as she noticed the moss covered ground disappear beneath them. She couldn't help but take a deep breath as they soared over the top of the fallen tree and over the heads of Bernard and Ol?rin on the other side. Gripping onto the back of Aramus's collar, Aria felt her eyes tear up as they refused to blink against the passing wind. From the corner of her vision she saw Aramus grinning.

  She had never flown before, not many people she knew had. The nervous thrill in her stomach, along with the exhilaration of flying dangerously close between the tall trees, put a broad smile on her face that matched Aramus's. Soon, the trees became too thick to fly through and Aramus gently glided to the forest floor, landing some distance away from his companions. Aria gasped for breath and unhooked her hands from Aramus to wipe her teary eyes with the back of her hands. Her cheeks burned with the warmth of a flush.

  "That was, that was?" she panted, brushing aside the hair that had fallen in front of her eyes to look at Aramus.

  Aria froze as though she had been told a beloved family member had just died. She had meant to say that it was the most exciting thing she had ever done, before she remembered who she was speaking to. Even though he was smiling handsomely, and appeared to revel in her joy, she couldn't remove his face from the terrible memories that never left the back of her mind. Her smile faded, and when it did, so too did Aramus's.

  Hearing branches breaking from behind, Aria was almost relieved to see a bushel of red hair hop its way toward her. Following closely behind, Ol?rin seemed preoccupied with the shadows between the trees than on their awkward moment.

  "Having fun, are ye?" Bernard said, pushing past Aria and bumping a shoulder into her. Aria stumbled backward a few steps and Aramus caught her by the elbow to steady her.

  "Looks like Bernard's found a new target for his anger," Aramus said with a small smile. "I can't say that my stomach isn't grateful, but I'd keep my distance from him if I were you."

  "You think?" she said, not unkindly.

  "Come, we mustn't lose each other," Ol?rin said from behind them. "The forest is growing denser and the light is fading fast. Water is the life blood of the forest, and if we follow it to the source, we should surely find the heart of it, and the elves."

  Aramus waited for the wizard to pass before following him. And by virtue of her binds being secured to Aramus's waist, so too did Aria.

  The forest around them grew claustrophobic, and even though she knew it was still day, the shadows made it seem like night. The moss gave way to rock, and slowly the trail grew steeper as they climbed, what seemed like, a mountain inside the
forest. A turbulent river ran below them in a deep gorge, the sound of the disturbed birds muted by the thunderous roar of the water. Thick vines ran across the canopy above their heads, and at one stage, Aria was sure she saw a flicker of silver hair disappear behind them.

  The sight of it made her heart beat faster. She scanned the timberland teeth at the other side of the gorge's maw for any sign of movement. Once or twice she thought she caught a glimpse of a glinting bow as it flashed in the fading light. Vines groaned overhead and Aria saw their shadows move on the rocky surface below her feet. But when she looked up, they didn't so much as sway in the gentle breeze.

  Despite the fact she was the queen, it had always been made clear that the lineage of monarchs held no sway in Elwood. Aria's cruel leadership had been the subject of condemnation from many an elf. Now that she was in their realm, she was subject to their laws, whether she liked it or not. It had only occurred to Aria, as they trudged ever upwards, that the arbitrating elves might see fit to kill her alongside Aramus.

  "Ol?rin," Aria said quietly, "I think we have some onlookers."

  "Indeed," he replied. "They have been following us for quite some time now. I am hopeful, since they haven't attacked us yet, that they don't intend to. But I could be wrong. They may just be examining our actions, trying to determine if we should be allowed to live or die."

  "Whot are they waiting fer?" Bernard said so loudly that Ol?rin felt the need to shush him. "Dinnae hush me, wizard, I'll speak if I want."

  A sudden crack of a tree branch made all eyes turn toward the forest. But the sound had echoed against the rocky walls of the gorge and there was no telling where it had come from. Being the closest to Aramus, Aria noticed that his eyes had begun to glow in the dim light again. His Adam's apple bobbed as though he were swallowing something too large for his throat, and his hold on her rope tightened.

  "Let us move more quickly," Ol?rin said. "Least our standing on the moss too long angers them."

  Slipping on a rocky ledge, Aria found it difficult to keep up and had to steady herself on the jagged wall to her right. More than once, her hand slipped over a serrated wall and pain shot up her arm as it slit her palm. Aramus seemed unaware of her difficulties. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the shadows between the trees.

  They had only been climbing for less than an hour when, without warning, an arrow whizzed through the air from the other side of the gorge and struck Bernard's Etherium armour squarely in his chest. It bounced off with an impotent twang, but weapons were instantly drawn.

  "Keep yer back tae the wall," Bernard ordered.

  Another arrow flew from the line of thick trees. This time Ol?rin fired a bolt from his staff to meet it. The arrow shattered into pieces before it reached its intended target, Aramus. The next instant, a hail of at least ten arrows flew in their direction. Aramus dropped Aria's rope to wield the two swords, his own and her father's, and blocked as many of the incoming projectiles as he could. The forest swelled with the sounds of Ol?rin's bolts cracking, as though they were lightning, and Bernard's vile curses. But from the other side came only the sound of arrows as they were let fly by unseen ghosts.

  Aria had no sword to protect herself. Exposed on the side of the gorge, she ducked behind a couple of small boulders. She raised her hands over her head and curled into a ball as Aramus took to the sky. Peeking from behind her insufficient shield, she watched as he glided, twisted, and turned away from the deluge of arrows following him. Gold and silver flashed as the two swords met the arrows from which he could not escape. But no matter how hard he tried to reach the other side, the elves volleys' were too much.

  Aria soon realised that the arrows were no longer flying in her direction. Aramus was drawing their fire, and Ol?rin was too busy protecting him to notice that she was no longer secured. The dwarf, who was now standing the closest to her, was distracted too as he delighted in deflecting any stray arrows that came his way.

  This was her chance to escape and she knew it. She could run and reform her army. But the ravenous desire that had once filled her heart to see Aramus dead, was a dim hunger now. Too many things were at play, too many stories were conflicting, and Aria wasn't sure anymore that Aramus was the monster she had made him out to be. No, she had to stay, it was her duty as the queen to ensure that this so-called prophecy did not come to pass, if even just to protect her brother, Pearan, from it.

  Without warning, the boulder she was leaning against gave way and Aria tumbled backward. She screamed as she plummeted toward the raging river. A sudden jerk stopped her descent and when she looked up, she found the rope around her hands had caught on a jutted piece of rock.

  The rock shifted under her weight, and Aria screamed again. With the weight of her armour, and her hands lashed together, she knew she would drown if she fell into the river. Terror electrified her from head to toe.

  "Save her," she heard Ol?rin's voice boom from above.

  It was Bernard's fiery beard that poked itself over the edge and looked down to where she dangled. His steely eyes were hard and he made no effort to help, just as he said he wouldn't. Aria scrambled to find a foothold under the watchful gaze of the dwarf, but the crumbling rocks beneath her gave way every time she tried. A rush of wind, and the powerful sound of wings flapping, alerted Aria to Aramus's presence. His arms wrapped around her waist and before she knew it, she was soaring through the air once again. Turning this way and that to avoid the arrows, Aria felt his chest heave against the effort of it all, and his taunt muscles strain.

  Flying with him wasn't as exhilarating as it had been before, this time it was just plain terrifying. Facing the winged man, Aria could see the strain clearly on his face as he clenched his teeth tightly. The elves were a good aim and, despite his deft flying, Aria could see black blood oozing from a cut on his arm, his shoulder, and his cheek. They weren't very deep, but it didn't reassure her that they would live through the ambush.

  Aramus suddenly cried out in pain and they were sent tumbling through the air. Branch after branch whipped at their legs and arms as they fell, before Aramus managed to right himself again. Looking over his shoulder, Aria saw the ornate silver head of an elven arrow, now coated in his dark blood, poking out from one of his wings. She could feel his hands shake with the pain as he wrapped them tighter around her waist.

  Aria feared that he would not be able to reach the ledge that was so close to them now, and they would both drown. He held her closer to him as though he knew her trepidation. His heart beat fiercely against his chest, against Aria's chest, and she couldn't help but press her head against his.

  "Just hold on." His voice barely a whisper as the pain took the wind from him.

  With more dips and pitches than she would have liked, Aramus finally made it safely to the ledge and the pair landed in a heap. But something was wrong, something was terribly, terribly wrong, and Aria new it immediately.

  Lying underneath Aramus, his body crushing hers as he panted to regain his breath, Aria could feel the heat in him build. She had felt it the night before as he wrapped his wings around her, but now it radiated off of him like the glowing embers on charred wood, and it threatened to burn her. She unhooked her arms from around his neck and he slowly lifted his chest off hers, his two powerful arms either side of her head. When their eyes met, Aria caught her breath and her blood ran cold.

  Aramus's eyes were ablaze with the fire she had seen the day he killed her parents. A panic rose in her stomach as he hovered over her. A cold sense of dread froze her to the spot and she was powerless to do anything but stare. 'Move you idiot!' The burning heat making its way through her armour wasn't enough to melt the ice around her lungs so that she could warn the others. 'He has bested you again and made you a coward,'she thought.

  Aramus groaned, his teeth grinding together, and lifted himself off of Aria completely. She watched him stumble to his feet, blood dripping from his wing, and face the enemy on the other side. To her right, Ol?rin fired
bolt, after silver bolt toward the trees, whilst Bernard twisted and turned, catching arrows with his broad axe and an avaricious smile. Aria tried to call out to warn them, but the words wouldn't come.

  "Stay down," Aramus hissed at her over his shoulder. "If you get in my way I might? I? don't want to hurt you."

  "What are you going to do?" she whispered.

  "Kill them all!"

  Aramus clenched his fists and fire erupted from them. His hands trembled as he unfurled his fingers to reveal balls of fire dancing in his palms. The heat of it tingled Aria's skin uncomfortably, and she waited for it to engulf him, but it didn't. Aramus rolled the balls of fire over his fingers for a moment, before thrusting his arms forward: The weakness from his wound made him stumbled a bit as he did. The tree line on the other side of the gorge erupted into flames.

  "Aramus, stop!" Ol?rin shouted.

  Ol?rin's voice snapped Aria out of her frozen cocoon and she scrambled on her back toward the wall behind her, trying to put as much space between her and Aramus.

  "Why?" he replied, taking aim at the other side of the gorge again.

  Ol?rin fired his own silvery bolt, but it was no longer aimed at the elf's arrows. A deep, vibrating boom echoed through the woods as his magic blasted Aramus's attacks, destroying his efforts to end the lives of the elves.

  "This power is not meant for mortal soil, you must not use it," Ol?rin yelled.

  The old wizard panted under the strain of keeping up with Aramus's volleys.

  "They want to kill me," Aramus hissed under his breath, "just like everyone else. Why should I?"

  The question wasn't meant for Ol?rin, or anyone in particular. Aria couldn't be sure, but there was a hint of defeatism in his tone, like he knew that this was all he could expect from life, and it made her heart ache. Aramus fired a deluge of fireballs at the treeline, the muscles in his arms straining with every shot. The fire was coming more easily now, and Ol?rin wasn't quick enough to catch them all. The ancient wooden soldiers burned and crackled under his attack.

  "Wait! The elves have stopped firing," Bernard shouted over the din of explosions.

  He was right. For some reason the elves seemed to have ceased their attack, but Aramus was unsatisfied. He continued to blast the treeline, and every time Ol?rin attempted to thwart his attack.

  "Aramus, they have stopped. There is no need for this. Control yourself."

  But it was no good. Aria could see that Aramus was losing his battle to the alluring power of the fire. He couldn't take his eyes off the flames as they danced in his hands, it was consuming him. Each time he used his ability he seemed to grow in aptitude too, and the panic in Aria's stomach threatened to make her vomit. Should Aramus continue to ignore Ol?rin, there was only one course of action he could take to save them all, he would have to kill the winged man where he stood. If that were to happen then all of Naretia, and her brother, would surely be doomed.

  Aramus braced himself and held his two arms out wide. Above his head an enormous ball of fire churned and grew. Bernard eyes widened and he held his axe at the ready as he faced Aramus. Ol?rin too aimed his staff at the winged man, though it was not as steady as the dwarf's axe.

  "Aramus, please don't," Ol?rin pleaded, his voice uneven.

  From all around them, Aria heard the vines begin to move in the trees. The willowy whispers of the elves voices travelled along them, urging the liana to head toward Aramus. It was now or never. Aria had to do something before all was lost. She was the closest to him, and every time Ol?rin took a step toward Aramus, he was blocked by an arrow bouncing off the rocky path in front of his foot.

  Without knowing exactly what she was doing, Aria stepped between Aramus and their invisible rivals. She teetered on the very narrow ridge, her heels suspended over the gorge. The heat of the churning fireball above them, beat down on Aria making it nearly impossible to breathe. The forest became quiet, save for the thundering of the water below. Aramus hesitated, fixing his fiery eyes upon Aria. There was a flicker of recognition, a semblance of Aramus beneath Dantet's curse.

  Reaching up, Aria put her bound hands gently on Aramus's powerful chest. She winced against the heat radiating from it, but she did not waiver.

  "All is well, Aramus," she said, her voice clear and gentle. "You will not die here today. I won't permit it."

  Aramus shot her a dubious look as he breathed tersely behind gritted teeth. His chest leaned into her hands as if to warn her to get out of the way. Aria did not move. She could feel his heart pounding, and saw his arms strain under Dantet's power.

  "I believe Ol?rin is right," she continued. "I believe you can be saved, that you should be saved. Despite everything, I have seen a side to you that proves it, and I am sure these elves will too. If your enemy can see this within you, surely there is hope. Please," she said, now sliding her hands up until they cupped his face. Aramus flinched against her touch. "Please, let us help you. Release your anger and trust us, trust Ol?rin."

  Aria's fingers burned from the heat, but she didn't let him go. She slowly stroked his taunt lips with her thumb, and Aramus closed his eyes in response. He let out a weighted sigh and leaned his mouth gently against her hand.

  "I'm so tired," he whispered. "I can't keep fighting against a world that hates me."

  Despite the terrible crimes he had committed, Aria felt a kinship toward Aramus then. She knew the pain of hatred, and her heart crushed in her chest at the sound of his weary voice.

  "So, let us do the fighting for you," she whispered to him. "You're not alone anymore."

  Aramus slowly trailed his gaze over Aria's face, the distinct sheen of tears in his eyes. After a moment longer, he lowered his arms. The fireball above him faltered and spluttered, before extinguishing altogether. Aramus slumped to the ground, exhausted from his efforts, and Aria caught him before he fell and pushed them both off the edge of the ridge.

  Ol?rin lowered his staff and breathed a sigh of relief. He rested his hands on his knees, as though he would collapse, and audibly thanked the Goddess for bringing the queen to them this day.