Dark Humanity

by Gwynn White

  They both laughed.

  “Come on,” Sarah said. “Let’s go see what this river looks like.”

  The two of them caught up with Andrew and Galleon.

  “Thanks.” Joshua whispered to Andrew, casting him a sideways glance. The sarcasm was not lost on Andrew, who silently mouthed the word ‘sorry’.

  11

  Crossing the River

  The murky, brown river was raging with white crests up and down its length. It formed a natural boundary to the forest they had just emerged from. There were very few trees on the other side of the river, marking a distinct change in scenery. This was the first time Joshua had seen anything other than forest terrain.

  In this part of Forestium wooded forests give way to rolling fields that in turn led to a crescent-shaped range of mountains. These marked the far eastern boundary of Forestium. The majestic, snow-peaked mountaintops could be clearly seen from here.

  “How are we going to get across that?” Andrew asked, pointing at the turbulent waters. Shielding his eyes from the sun, he stared at the distant riverbank.

  Galleon squinted and said, “It doesn’t look that far to the other side but there’s no way we can swim across.”

  Unclipping his slingshot, Andrew found a pebble by the water’s edge. He loaded it into the pouch and launched it to the far side of the river.

  “No, no way,” he agreed, shaking his head and staring at where the pebble had landed.

  “Not that you’d want to try anyway. You’d be dragged under by Razorfins long before you made it half way across, assuming you were a good enough swimmer to get even that far to begin with. You’d be stripped to bare bone before you got to the other side.” Galleon walked over to Joshua.

  “Do you see where the mountain range starts over there?” Galleon pointed towards where the rocky summits began off to their right. Joshua could just about make out where the white-tipped peaks emerged from the clouds.

  “That’s the entrance to the Valley of Moross. The valley is formed between the mountains that you can see and another range of mountains right behind them. The crescent-shaped valley runs between the two.”

  As they all peered into the distance, a huge silvery creature about half their size with a long row of sharp teeth launched itself out of the water in front of them. It thrashed several times from side to side before landing with a huge splash. Andrew took several steps back from the water’s edge. He turned and looked at the others with his jaw dropped.

  “Told you Razorfins were nasty creatures,” Galleon snorted. “Their teeth are like shards of flint. If one of those bites you, it’ll rip the flesh right off your arm.”

  “Isn’t there a way around?” Andrew pleaded.

  “Well,” Galleon pointed south, “that way leads out to sea. It’s several weeks travel to the north,” he indicated in the other direction, “before the river narrows. Every step we take from here is another step we’ll have to take back again to get as close as we are now to the entrance to the valley.”

  “We can cross here,” Sarah pointed at the river. The other three turned and looked at her.

  “Um, I don’t know if you noticed but there are huge creatures with huge teeth and probably huge appetites lurking in those waters,” Andrew said, pointing to where the large Razorfin had just appeared. “You did see that vicious beast that just launched out of the water, didn’t you?”

  “I don’t mean we should swim across. We probably won’t need to get wet at all,” she said, studying one of the trees on the far side of the riverbank.

  “Um, probably?” Andrew asked, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head.

  “Perhaps we could fell a tree?” Galleon suggested. “It might just reach to the other side and we could just walk across. Andrew could lead the way, of course.”

  Sarah glanced around. She examined the trees on their side of the riverbank in turn. She surveyed each tree one by one, and then turned her attention to a tree on the far side, before appearing to reach some sort of conclusion.

  “Hmmm,” she said, tapping her lips with her finger. “I think,” she pondered for a moment. “Yes,” she declared. “Wait here for a minute!”

  Without another word, she walked straight back into the forest. Galleon, Joshua and Andrew all shrugged their shoulders and looked at each other. They each wondered what the industrious young woman had in mind.

  Nearly half an hour passed, and Joshua was starting to worry where she was, when she emerged to find the three of them sitting by the water’s edge. Andrew had chosen a spot farthest away from the riverbank and was keeping a keen eye out for more Razorfins.

  She carried what looked like several lengths of vine, which she threw to the ground.

  “What are we going to do with all this?” Andrew asked. His tone was no longer sarcastic.

  “This is what we’re going to use to get across the river,” Sarah said. She bent down and picked up a length of the vine. “Here,” she handed it to Andrew. “See if you can pull this until it breaks.” Andrew took the vine and grabbed a piece with both hands and started pulling. To his astonishment, he wasn’t able to pull the vine to breaking point.

  “OK, so how are we going to use this to get us across the river?” Joshua asked, getting to his feet.

  Sarah continued to concentrate on what she was doing. She secured a length of Ashfer wood to the end of the vine. She untangled the remainder and laid it out up and down the riverbank, taking care not to entangle it. Unclipping her slingshot, she loaded the knotted Ashfer into the pouch. She pulled back hard on the slingshot and aimed it at the tree on the far side of the river. The piece of wood with vine attached flew across the river. As it did, it dragged the carefully laid out vine with it, making a swishing sound as the vine was taken up off the riverbank.

  The projectile dropped between two branches of the distant tree. Sarah pulled back hard on the vine and it snagged itself securely.

  Andrew, Joshua and Galleon stood there, dumbfounded. It became clear just what Sarah was up to.

  Andrew began inspecting the trees around them. He pointed to one particular branch. “This one here?”

  “You’re a quick learner, Andrew. OK, do you think you can hook this end over that branch?”

  Andrew smiled at her and nodded. He took his slingshot, tied a pebble to the end of the vine and launched it towards the branch. It looped over the sturdy limb on the first shot and the pebble landed on the ground next to him. He pulled on the vine and tied it off to the base of the tree with a secure knot. It was now taut across the river between the two trees.

  “We’re not done yet. We’ll never make it across with just our bare hands to support our weight.”

  She took another long piece of vine and threw it over the top of the horizontal vine and tied it off in a loop at one end. Andrew, who was perhaps the heaviest of the four, stood onto the loop that was now suspended over the taut line. He bounced up and down a few times to test its strength.

  Even with his full weight, there was still plenty of clearance above the surface of the choppy water.

  “This seems strong enough. I’ll go first.”

  With both hands on the taut horizontal line and using the loop to support most of his weight, he manoeuvred himself across the river. Shuffling sideways, he made his way over and jumped to the riverbank when he reached the other side. With the loop now free of Andrew’s weight, Sarah pulled it back to their side again.

  “Right, you next,” Joshua gestured to Galleon.

  “Me? OK, but if I fall in and die, I’m going to kill you for this.” The Imp repeated the same process and made his way to the other side of the river. Once he was on the far side, Sarah pulled the loop back again and made her own way across.

  With Sarah also safely over it was Joshua’s turn.

  He made it half-way across the roaring torrent when the taut vine from which he was dangling dropped, leaving him hanging just above the water. He looked back to see the vine unravelling where i
t had frayed against a branch. Splashes of the raging rapids beneath him were reaching his feet.

  Trying not to panic, he continued to inch his way across. Then a huge Razorfin jumped out of the water and thrashed about right next to him. Joshua panicked and lost his footing on the loop as the unravelling vine dropped him even lower.

  Hanging on for dear life, he dangled with both feet in the water up to his ankles. He tried to lift his feet but he struggled against his own body weight, causing the vine to tear into the flesh of his fingers. Joshua’s face contorted as he tried frantically to keep himself out of the water.

  The vine unravelled some more, and Joshua sank further into the freezing cold, Razorfin-infested river. The fast-moving water frothed all around him. The force of the water was so great that it was pulling on him, making it even more difficult to maintain his grip.

  A frenzy of blood-thirsty Razorfins snapped around him and splashed near the surface. Then the line went completely slack. Joshua found himself immersed in the freezing water, carried along by the strong current.

  Struggling to keep his head above the turbulence, he tumbled this way and that, thrashing his arms about in vain. He somehow managed to find the vine and grabbed hold of it.

  The bitterly cold waters sapped his strength, and he was no longer sure of which way was up. He felt the vine tighten; he clung to it with all his might.

  A Razorfin brushed against him as he took a gulp of air only to find his mouth full of water. Spluttering and coughing, he took in a second gulp of the murky, brown liquid as he continued to grip the vine for dear life and struggled to find the surface of the water.

  As his head went under again, he could sense another huge Razorfin brush against him. It raced towards him and Joshua felt the beast’s powerful tail thrash against him. He managed to get his head above water to take a gasping breath but the strong current pulled him under again. He feared he might pass out from being unable to breathe as he tried to reach for the surface of the water.

  Suddenly, with a frenzy of Razorfins all around him, something grabbed his arm and tugged. It pulled hard, and the next minute Joshua found himself landing on the riverbank with Andrew holding on to one of his arms, dragging him away from the water’s edge. Andrew collapsed beside him and Sarah rushed over.

  “Joshua? Are you all right?” she cried, cradling his head. Joshua opened his eyes and coughed out a mouthful of water. He took a deep gasp of breath and felt the life slowly returning to him. After several more panting breaths he sat up and looked at the raging water from which his friends had just rescued him.

  “I’m fine,” he said, wiping the water from his face. Sarah flung her arms around him and cried. Joshua hugged her tightly.

  “I’m fine,” he repeated. “It’s all over. I’m safe now.” Sarah’s embrace lingered as she continued to cry. Gradually, her sobs subsided.

  12

  Valley of Moross

  After they had recovered from their ordeal, the four travellers set out towards the mountain range and the entrance to the Valley of Moross.

  “I hope it won’t take too long to find the Oracle when we get there,” Joshua said to Andrew.

  “Whatever happens, I think you’ve already found something worth the journey.” Andrew gestured to Sarah, who was walking with Galleon up ahead. Joshua smiled and nodded.

  “It’s good to see you so relaxed. I really thought you were done for when you dropped into the river back there.”

  “I guess I have you to thank for the fact I’m still here.”

  “Don’t worry,” Andrew nudged his friend, “I won’t let you forget it.”

  “Won’t let him forget what?” Galleon asked.

  “Saving his life back there.”

  “Well, just keep on your toes, Andrew. We might all need your services when we get to the valley.”

  “Do you think you’ll find any Imps there?” Andrew asked.

  Galleon heaved a deep sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe. One way or another, something tells me we should all keep on our toes. Whoever lives in that valley might be a bunch of cannibals for all we know.”

  Everyone paused and pondered Galleon’s words.

  “Well, I for one am looking forward to it.” Sarah said, breaking the awkward silence. “I can’t wait to see what I can learn there.”

  None of them had been to this part of Forestium before. As they got closer to the valley, Joshua found he was becoming more anxious about what they might find there. Sarah was loving every minute of it. She bristled with enthusiasm for all the new things they might discover and what new skills she could acquire.

  Travelling across the rolling, windswept hills was unlike travelling through forest and woodland. Patches of fog drifted over the plains, invoking a sense of isolation. From time to time, the wind would pick up and sweep the mist away to reveal the imposing mountain peaks getting closer day by day.

  The lack of trees allowed Sarah the opportunity to be even more inventive with finding ingredients for cooking meals. There were no Chirvels, Wood-boars or any of the other more familiar forest creatures they would typically hunt.

  The exposed terrain meant finding shelter was also difficult. Keeping warm meant huddling up together during the cool nights. Joshua and Sarah didn’t mind so much, as it gave them all the more reason to get close to each other.

  Each night, Andrew and Sarah would head out to hunt wild grassland Flarrets, whilst Joshua and Galleon prepared the fire. Although nimble, the small, furry animals could only run in short bursts. They were skittish and only came out of their burrows when they felt safe.

  Andrew took to crouching behind the entrance to the Flarret holes but each time one of the brown and white beasts came out far enough it would duck back in again as soon as it sensed his presence.

  Sarah’s technique of setting traps using nothing more than small loops of vine and a few rocks was much more successful, not to mention far less effort. Each evening she would return with at least three of the meaty Flarrets strung over her shoulder and Andrew with none. It was a constant source of amusement around the campfire but Andrew didn’t seem to mind. He just laughed along with everyone else.

  With so few food options, everyone was glad to have real meat to eat instead of the bland grass seeds, which for the most part were the only other food available. None of them found the small, yellowish Shrooms that grew across the grasslands to be appealing. A fully grown wild Flarret, however, would make a decent meal for two people.

  After several days of travelling across the plains they reached the entrance to the Valley of Moross. The valley floor was formed between the peaks of the two adjacent mountain ranges towering on either side.

  Nobody spoke much. Joshua felt a tension in the air. He had an eerie feeling someone was already here, watching them, possibly even waiting for them. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Galleon noticed several black flags, flapping in the wind part-way up the mountain foothills on either side of the valley entrance.

  “What do you suppose those are?” Andrew asked as they got closer to the flags.

  “I don’t know,” Galleon answered, shaking his head. “They don’t look like tribal flags. I can’t make out the emblem.” He squinted at the marks emblazoned on each of the black flags. “It looks like…” he paused and lowered his brow, “it looks like horns…yes, two horns.”

  Joshua had a sinking feeling it might be a warning of some kind. Perhaps someone or something didn’t want people entering the valley. He stopped short of voicing this concern for fear of putting everyone on edge any more than they already were. By the look on his face, Joshua thought Galleon had come to a similar conclusion.

  Not long after passing through the valley entrance they saw the first sign of human habitation since leaving Fable and Florelle’s inn. From a distance, it looked like a cluster of huts at the base of the foothills.

  Winding footpaths led away from the huts in several directions but there was nobody around: no animals, no m
ovement of any kind. The rustling wind carried smoke from many fires, so they decided to take a closer look.

  As they approached, their jaws dropped. Everyone stood there with wide eyes.

  “What happened here?” Joshua murmured in wonder.

  “I don’t know,” Galleon replied, “but whoever did this, they certainly were thorough. This place has less charm than Fable.”

  “Doesn’t look like a single building has been left untouched.” Andrew said. He walked on ahead to get a better look.

  “Who would have done such a horrible thing?” Sarah asked, her hand held to her mouth.

  “No idea, but judging by the smoke, it must have happened recently,” Joshua said.

  All of the buildings were in complete ruin. Roofs were missing and everything was charred. Implemented and belongings were spread around disarray. It looked like an army of marauders had swept through and torn the village apart.

  “There’s nobody here! Not a single body!” Andrew shouted back at them.

  Joshua surveyed the scene in silence, trying to figure out what might have happened. He was hoping to find a clue: anything that might explain the scene of total devastation before them.

  “Warring tribes?” Galleon suggested, turning to Joshua.

  “I don’t think so,” Sarah said, as she too looked around to take in as much as she could. “It can’t be. There would be survivors, or at least bodies. And besides, there haven’t been tribal wars in Forestium for years.”

  “Maybe not from where we come from but it might be different here.” Joshua said. “For all we know, they could all be at war with each other.”

  “Hmmm. That’s true. I wonder what happened to everyone. This was clearly once a living village and not that long ago.”

  “Well, if it was a tribal war, there should at least be bodies. It doesn’t make any sense.”

  They pressed on through the valley with the foothills of the mountains on either side. Making their way slowly through the crescent-shaped valley floor, they encountered more settlements, all of which exhibited the same scene of total devastation. Most of the buildings had been burned to the ground, and not a soul, living or dead, was anywhere to be found.