by Bonny Capps
“Brothers, it is them we have been waiting so long for; they have come to bring light back to our home.” The others look towards each other, their guard not letting down. Suddenly the crowd begins parting down the middle and a taller Amphian, wearing a robe and a crown made of intertwined twigs makes his way towards us. His sword is at his side and he looks quite different from the others. He is noticeably regal and stands tall and confident. His large, protruding eyes lock onto us. He gestures for Hubert to step aside and he obeys. He takes several more steps until he stands before Fynn and me.
He smiles kindly at Fynn and then at me. He extends a hand towards me and I hesitantly put my hand in his, it doesn’t feel normal, it is moist and sticky – much like a frog and his fingers are webbed. He kisses the top of my hand, “My lady.” He says. His voice is strong but gentle. I pull away and lace my fingers in front of me after tucking my hair behind my ear. He puts a hand on the sword strapped to his side and gestures to the army to put the weapons down and they do.
He turns his back towards Fynn and me, “My name is Makin. These are my people. And you are?” He asks, looking over his shoulder as he makes his way into the entrance. Fynn has put his weapon away once more and has grabbed my hand as we follow behind Makin, “I’m Fynn and this is Mandy.”
We enter the gate and there is a village behind, a fence surrounding it. There are worn tents made of a burlap type of material scattered within the closure. The ground is grassier within the fenced area – for this I am grateful, I look down at my feet; they are caked with dried mud, disgusting. The Amphians are everywhere; some are peering through the tents, visibly frightened. I feel like a circus freak, the stares are relentless. A small child runs towards us with a big smile on his face until an older woman sweeps him up and hurries away. She is wearing a dress with an apron. She is scowling at us as she enters a tent with a small fire burning outside the entrance. I don’t think we are wanted here.
We follow Makin into a wooden structure. It’s quite rickety yet quaint. The same burlap fabric hangs in the doorframe. There is a cloaked individual sitting in the middle of the room, his head bowed down. I can’t see his face. A torch burns on each side of him, making his shadow dance across the floor. To the right of him is a large round table with chairs made of woven sticks surrounding it. To his left is a smaller, clothed table with a black mirror. I recognize the ripples in the glass and it makes me smile as I’m reminded of first seeing Fynn.
Makin walks towards the cloaked individual and places a hand on the back of his chair as he turns to face us, “Fynn, Mandy – Meet Aldorph, the eldest and wisest of our kind.” I see the most piercing blue eyes peer up at us from beneath the cloak. Aldorph inhales deeply and exhales a raspy breath as he lifts his arm. His index finger is shakily extended. I glance behind me. He can’t be pointing at me?
“She – the outsider. She is the chosen one.” Aldorph says, each word struggling to escape him. I look towards Fynn, “I’m sorry, you must have me mistaken, we simply came here to fix our boat.” I say as I glance over to Makin. He looks from Aldorph and then to me with a look of bemusement. “There are no mistakes. You are needed for this battle, this was meant to be!” Makin exclaims. My mouth is hanging open as my eyes travel from Makin to Fynn. Fynn stares intently at Makin, “The darkness that you speak of, can you elaborate?” Makin clears his throat and makes his way to the table, “Please, sit.” I look over at Aldorph; his head is bowed once again.
Fynn and I take a seat at the round table, Makin joins us. It is then that I see a beautifully carved tree etched into the table. The trunk is large and the branches are swirling. In the corner I can see a sun carved behind the branches. It’s absolutely stunning.
I look at Makin. His elbows are rested on top of the table, his index fingers come to a point in front of him “This world was once filled with so much light and happiness. My brother, Bellthor ruled the people before me.” He pauses and looks towards Aldorph, “Hasset, the witch – do you know of her?” He asks, his eyes meeting Fynn’s. “Yes, I know she is an ex elder – casted out of the circle.” Fynn responds. Makin sighs, “Yes, she was casted out – you are correct. She was casted out by Aldorph, due to her dark ways. After that, she would seek vengeance. She is a dark, hateful person – Aldorph casted her out to keep the order – of love and happiness.”
He sits back, placing his hands over his chest. “Many years ago, the darkness sailed in on a large ship – Hasset and her army of the dead. We were having a celebration, my brother – he had wed his first wife. We were dancing and drinking in the courtyard, when suddenly we were ambushed. My brother and his wife – they were killed.” He closes his large eyes and continues, “She used her powers to split the island right in half, right down the middle, once part of the beautiful Wood Land, this half became the Swamp Land. After the ambush and the many deaths, the sky turned dark and the fog drifted in. It never left. This has become our prison.”
Fynn stands and walks around the table, looking down at Makin, “Brother, the army of the dead, are there many?” Makin laughs and looks up at Fynn, “Far many more than us, friend.”
Fynn turns towards a map hanging on the wall, “Is there a plan in place?” Fynn asks. Makin stands and makes his way towards Fynn and they stand shoulder to shoulder facing the map, “This of course is the old world, before the island was split in half.” He pauses as his finger works its way up the map, “This was once our kingdom, until she took it from us. Gregor and the Norwins have taken it over, enslaving the bears and the Nomads.” “You want to overthrow him? Take your kingdom back?” Fynn asks. Makin smiles up at Fynn, “It is a necessary piece to the puzzle, it must be done before we can defeat Hasset and bring the Wood Land together once again. It will be a feat but it must be done.”
Fynn looks towards me, “Where does Mandy play into all of this?” Makin’s eyes meet mine as he turns and faces me, “She must defeat Hasset, she is the chosen one – only she can stop the darkness.” I cross my arms, my ears and cheeks are on fire. This is absolutely insane; I am simply a girl that crossed to the other side of a mirror.
“Once Gregor is defeated, we must come back to the Swamp Land, Hasset will only fight us in the dark, and in her territory her powers are stronger.” Makin says, turning back towards Fynn. Fynn puts a finger on his chin, “Friend, you did not lie when saying this would be a feat.” He pauses and looks towards me, “This was your destiny Mandy. It must be done.”
Is he crazy? My eyes grow wide as I jump to my feet. “You want me to kill someone?’ I exclaim. Fynn walks towards me until we are eye to eye. “Yes. This is also your battle. You just don’t know it yet. This is why we were brought to this island.” I gasp, my mouth hanging open. My battle? Makin takes a step forward, “My lady, he is right. You are the miracle. You must be the one to defeat Hasset.” I step back and shake my head violently, “Absolutely not! This is not my battle! I did not want to come here; I do not want any of this!”
I bolt out of the room and find myself outside with the Amphians. Fynn surprisingly doesn’t follow behind, which is good because I am pretty irritated right now. I sink down onto a tree stump and look down at my hands. This has to be a dream, none of this is real. I squeeze my eyes shut and pinch my arm. Hard – making me flinch. “Why did you do that?” A small voice asks. My eyes dart open and I see a child in front of me, her big eyes are light brown and full of life. She is very small and is holding a doll made of sticks up to her chest. I purse my lips as I look down at my hands in my lap, “Trying to make sure that all of this isn’t just a dream.” I reply. She giggles and looks down at her feet. “Are you here to save us?” She asks, our eyes meeting once again.
My heart begins doing summersaults in my chest, but not out of nervousness – no. I feel for this little girl and the Amphians. This is clearly not a dream, or so it seems. Looking into her beautiful eyes ignites something in me, a determination that I’ve never felt before. I must try – for them – for her. They need me.
/>
Chapter Nine
I’m awoken by a hard jab in my side, causing me to jump. My head is rested on the tree stump from last night. “Ouch! What was that for?” I exclaim as I look up at an older Amphian, Her back is hunched and she wears glasses made of twigs. Her wrinkled hands hold a long, thin piece of cloth with notches in it, a measuring tape? “Come girl, we do not have all day!” She says as she hurriedly makes her way into one of the tents across the way. I scramble to my feet and follow behind her.
There is a tree stump in the middle and a wooden mannequin beside it. She grips my arm tightly and forces me up on the tree stump. She first wraps the measuring tape under my arms and then over my breasts and so on. “Who are you?” I ask as I look down at the old woman, busying herself with my measurements. “Agnus, Agnus the Seamstress.” She responds, not missing a beat.
Once she is done, she grips my shoulders and turns me around. I’m facing the side of the tent, I hear what sounds like a drill saw and I look over my shoulder, seeing bits of wood flying everywhere. “No peeking!” She barks and my eyes dart back to the material of the tent.
A few moments pass by and all goes quiet. She grasps my arms once again and puts me back on the stump. I look towards the mannequin and it is now clothed. I see a wooden chest piece, it is fantastic. The same tree that was carved into the round table rests in the middle of the armor. The wood is glossy and smooth. There is also brown leather pants paired with knee high lace up boots. There is also a leather belt, what looks like a rabbit foot hangs from it at the hip. How in the hell did she do that? It’s impossible, especially for a small feeble woman.
Agnus quickly dresses me. She is very aggressive. Just like that, she hurries out of the room, leaving me alone. I look down at my new attire; the leather pants fit perfectly and are snug around my hips. The rabbit foot hands at my hip, Agnus had told me it is solely for good luck. The armor ends right under my breasts, exposing my stomach. My long hair hangs over my shoulder.
I hear someone enter from behind me, I turn and see Makin. “My lady, I’m happy to see your armor, let me take a look.” He says as he walks around the stump to face me. He grips my hand and I step down. “Ah yes, you look strong indeed. Now come, we have a busy day ahead of us.”
We walk to a cleared area behind the tents. There are three targets lined up next to each other, they are connected to some type of contraption with levers, an Amphian stands beside each one. I see Fynn standing beside a wooden table. Makin and I make our way over to him and I see a wooden bow and leather pouch with wooden arrows poking out with their black feathered ends.
“These are for you my lady.” Makin says as he gestures towards the weapons. I reach down and retrieve an arrow from the pouch. The wood is smooth and there is a sharp bone carved into the shape of an Indian head. I gently touch it with my finger tip. It is extremely sharp; there must be fifty of them in the pouch. Makin is examining my movements. “Do you like them?” He asks. I smile, my eyes not leaving the arrows. “Yes.” I whisper. “Good.” He responds. “You will begin your training now.” Now? Oh no. I look towards Fynn, he is now wearing armor similar to mine, less revealing however. He stares at me assuringly. This is my battle, that’s what they said. But, I still can’t understand why it is mine.
Fynn grabs the leather pouch and slides the strap over my head; it rests around my neck and under my arm. “This is a quiver.” He whispers as he runs his finger along the leather strap. Makin remains by the table, his arms behind his back. I follow behind Fynn and we stand before the targets. The Amphians remain at their posts next to the levers.
Fynn stops and traces a line into the dirt with his boot, “We will start here, and let you get a feel for it.” I nod and he takes a step back. I position myself, one foot in front and the other behind. I reach behind my shoulder and pull an arrow from the quiver.
I extend my arm, the bow is in front of me as my hand grips the leather handle. I butt the arrow up to the bow string, pulling the arrow back towards my shoulder. I release and the arrow catapults forward, flying over the middle target, right above the Amphian’s head, he ducks down. Laughter escapes Fynn. I lower the bow to my hip and scowl at him. I’m happy he finds me so amusing. He quickly stops himself from laughing but the smile remains on his face. He walks towards me with his hands behind his back.
He stops behind me and grabs my right leg and pulls it back towards him. He kicks my left foot forward, causing me to almost lose my balance before he firmly grips my hips. He puts his hand over mine on the bow and pulls it in front of us before retrieving an arrow from the quiver. He hands me the arrow, “Put the nock on the bow string.” I look at him quizzically from over my shoulder. He smirks, “This is a nock.” He whispers as he taps the feathered end of the arrow with his finger tip. I nod and do as he says.
I pull back on the bow string. “Now, stop. You need to work on your aiming.” He says, pulling my arrow hand up to my cheek. “This is the correct position. Now, you need to connect with the target. You need to decide the destiny of the arrow. When you lock onto it inhale and on the exhale, release.” I nod and he takes a step back. I inhale deeply and exhale as I release. The arrow travels towards the target, impaling it perfectly right in the middle. My mouth drops open as I slowly lower the bow. I just did that? Fynn begins clapping, a smile stretched across his face. “Beautiful!” He exclaims. “Now let’s make it more difficult.” He says as he nods towards the Amphians standing beside the targets.
They begin moving in back and forth motions pulling on the levers. The targets are moving side to side. Fynn has made his way over to the table and stands next to Makin. There is no way I can hit these targets! I look over at Fynn and he nods, gesturing for me to begin. I hold the bow out in front of me, making sure to get into the proper stance. I pull back on the bow string and aim at the first target, the Amphian pulling the lever looks terrified.
My eyes follow the red dot in the middle as does my bow. I make sure that my hand is steady as I deeply inhale. I hold my breath as the point of the arrow follows the red dot perfectly. I exhale and the arrow quickly finds itself in the middle of the target. I move on to the other two and am surprised when I perfectly impale them with the arrow. I lower the bow. I am in complete disbelief. How did I do that?
Fynn and Makin rush towards me. “Now erase any thought of doubt from your mind. You are in fact the chosen one!” Makin exclaims as he grips my shoulders firmly. Makin hurriedly walks away and leaves Fynn and me alone. “Do you think it’s true?” I ask, looking deep into his eyes. “What’s that love?” He replies as he places his hand gently on my cheek. “That I am the chosen one.” I reply. “I do.” He responds.
We make our way out of the clearing and into the heart of the village. Makin stands with other Amphians. “Ah, Fynn, Mandy. It is time that we make our departure.” He says as he steps towards us. “Now? Are we ready?” I ask. This is much too quick! Makin nods, “We have knowledge of a ship docked nearby. Let’s just say we will try and borrow it.” Fynn scoffs, “Are you insane? You know a ship means-” Makin holds a hand up, “Pirates. Yes friend, but it is the only way.” Fynn shakes his head and looks at his feet.
Makin stands by the gate along with five other Amphians, all of which are wearing armor with swords strapped to their sides. I look up at Fynn and he gives me a halfhearted smile. He’s nervous. I am terrified, but I have to remember that this is my destiny, what is there to lose? For me, nothing but the Amphians, this is their home that has been taken from them. And this dark figure that rules their life, I can’t help but relate. My life has been overtaken also and my happiness jeopardized. My parents stole 17 years from me. I’ll never get those years back.
We begin following Makin towards the exit, I see Hubert standing next to the gate. I make my way towards him, “You’re not coming with us?” I ask. He shakes his head, “No my lady, I have to stay here, hold down the fort.” I place a hand on his shoulder and nod before giving it a squeeze.
I ha
ve put the bow over my shoulder to free my hands as I follow Makin and the others. Fynn gently grips my arm, “Wait.” He pauses and reaches into his bag, retrieving a knife. But not just any knife, it’s a carved bone and the handle looks like the stub of an antler. “I made it – for you.” He says. I examine the knife, running my fingers over the handle. My eyes meet his again. “Thank you.” I whisper as I slip the knife into my boot, Fynn nods and grips my hand tightly.
We hurriedly catch up to Makin and the others. The gate closes behind us, sending chills down my spine, it surely did not look safe when I first saw it, but once inside I felt so much comfort. As much as I want to bolt back in there I mustn’t. I have to be strong.
Makin grabs a hanging lantern from one of the trees and begins making his way down the illuminated pathway of the village. I walk behind the frogs and Fynn is close behind me.
We walk for what seems like hours. It’s hard to tell whether it is day or night. This place is always dark. My feet hurt badly and my legs are straining from trudging through this rough, wet terrain. We have entered a swampy area of the island. You can hear what sounds like locusts singing faintly in the tall trees. Suddenly a breeze hurdles towards us, blowing out the lantern. It seems to have come out of nowhere.
I can’t see a thing, but I do hear the Amphians frantically trying to ignite the flame again. It sounds like they are working with a flint. I feel vulnerable in the dark, I begin backing up and my back meets a tree. “Mandy?” Fynn whispers frantically. “I’m here, Fynn.” I reply, trying to remain calm. They are finally able to light the lantern and they turn to face me. Their mouths drop open and Fynn quickly draws his sword the Amphians had crafted for him and points it towards me. What the hell is going on? “Leave her be, Pirate!” Fynn exclaims.