by Al K. Line
It took only a few seconds to set the appropriate action in place. Arcene went down to a cellular level inside her body, sending additional white blood cells anywhere they were needed, thickening her blood with coagulants so the bleeding slowed, then stopped.
Her internal body chemistry may have been stuck in some ways, but she had a lot of control over many functions. Just as well, as in the seven years since she had stopped aging she had fixed quite a few broken bones, and endless cuts and bruises, as she got herself into one kind of trouble or another.
With her body already healing — all trace of her wounds would be gone within hours — Arcene numbed nociceptors, the nerve endings blunted, pain sent to the back of awareness, nothing but a fuzzy feeling around the wounds, almost a tickle really, and she traced a route in her mind that led down to Leel. Once mapped out, she did it for real, forcing her mind to stay in the now as it wandered back to her childhood when she'd often spent whole days up trees uncovering the hidden world they contained.
"Hello, Leel, you can look now. What are you hiding from?" Arcene smiled at the sight of Leel splayed on the branch, legs hanging over each side, floppy ears and now one paw over the white patch on her eye, both closed.
Leel tried to stand at the sound of Arcene, wanting nothing more than to give her a big lick, but all she managed was a tail wag and to nearly fall off.
"Stay still you silly girl. You don't want to fall again, do you?" Leel just moaned. "Well then. Now, let me figure this out." Arcene took each of Leel's back legs carefully and bent them so her paws were on the branch, then said, "Sit." Leel obeyed and rocked back on her hind legs, front legs moving from her eyes, scrabbling furiously until they both finally gained purchase on the dark wood.
They were face to face on the branch. Leel sat, huge hazel eyes staring with love into Arcene's.
What a sight this must make. A pale girl in a ripped vest, socks so torn the pink bunnies are almost gone, and a dog sat next to her high up in a tree, haha. The thought of the impression they made often amused Arcene. When people saw her they were usually stunned by her silver hair and strange look: a black vest, kilt, hair in pigtails, and a sword, but when she was with Leel people often did a double-take. Leel was so big, yet so sweet looking, that nobody knew whether to try to cuddle her, ride her, or be terrified as she could take off their head with a single bite.
"Right. Now, Leel, I'm afraid you will have to learn how to climb trees."
Woof.
"Well, what else can we do?"
Leel stared at Arcene in the gloom, then at the branch, then at the ground lost in darkness far below. She jumped.
"You stupid dog!"
Arcene climbed down the tree — like a sensible person would.
Spooky Forest
Arcene landed in a pile of leaves and rolled over, careful of her sword. As she stood, she noticed Leel sat by the tree, head cocked to the side as if asking why she had taken so long.
"You are either one very brave dog or one very daft dog, Leel." Arcene shook her head in despair, but was pleased she seemed to be absolutely fine — her body was pretty much indestructible thanks to the breeding program, something Arcene forgot when Leel did things that by rights should result in broken limbs.
Woof!
"Yeah, well, you gotta be careful." Arcene picked leaves and twigs out of her hair and brushed at her clothes, but it was rather pointless — all they were good for was to be thrown away. At least the backpack was still strapped on Leel, although it hung off her after their fall from the sky. She redid the buckles and gave it a tug to ensure it was secure, then allowed her eyes to return to normal. They ached, and having better night vision wasn't worth the risk of damage. She was surprised to find they had adjusted anyway, and although the evening was settling in it was far from properly dark. Twilight would last some time.
"What now, Leel, any ideas?" Leel sniffed around the ground, looking for a scent, something that could lead them in an interesting direction. "Oh no, I know your game. This isn't the time for playing, we need to get out of here, we need to go home." But which way was home? Arcene was disorientated and the dense overhead canopy stopped her from getting her bearings.
She slumped to the ground and leaned against the trunk of the tree. She needed to think, get a sense of direction so she would know which way was home. It would be a long walk, no doubt about that, and the chances of finding Fasolt were slim.
Even if she did, what then? If he'd landed he wouldn't be taking off again. But he could be anywhere — heading home, thinking her dead, or more likely he would have sensed through The Noise they were okay and made his decision after that. Either way, he would be of no help at the moment, so she had to focus.
Thinking back to her fall, Arcene pictured the landscape and what she had seen. What stuck in her vision was the setting sun, bright orange behind the strange shape off to the west. That was the closest point to open ground, the forest had finished some way before that, where she'd seen water.
West, they would head west, get out into the open and take it from there. And besides, she was kind of intrigued by the strange shape. Now she pictured it in her mind it had an artificial feel to it — maybe it wasn't just a mountain, maybe it was something cool.
"Come on, Leel," said Arcene as she stood, "we're going west, out of the forest so we can try to get home. Maybe we can do some fishing at the river I saw. You like fish, right?"
Woof, woof!
"Haha. Sorry, silly question, of course you do." Arcene's belly rumbled at the mention of food. How long had it been since they ate? Not that it mattered.
Arcene and Leel were both obsessed with food: thinking about it, hunting it, cooking it, or cleaning up afterward occupied a large part of their day when they were off on their own. That would have to wait. She couldn't be blamed for storms, but she should try to hurry. Letje was looking after her son, but the offer didn't extend to permanent child rearing, it was to allow Arcene a little time on her own after seven years of raising a child without having much in the way of a break.
He'd be missing her now, wouldn't he? She hoped he was, and also felt mean for thinking such things. Arcene hated the thought of him feeling sad, but she hoped he missed his mommy a little.
The forest was silent as they made their way through the trees. The ground was soft, thick with rotten leaves and early windfall although it wasn't yet autumn and the weather was still warm, the days long. Deep in the forest, you would never know it was still only early evening, it felt like the middle of the night when everything was quiet and only the nocturnal creatures were out and about on the hunt for food.
Gurgle.
Arcene put a hand to her belly as her tummy told her it was hungry. Maybe we'll find something on the way.
Tiny pairs of eyes appeared in the trees as they made their way west, owls and other creatures of the night watching their passage through a forest that had hardly seen a human being in hundreds of years. This was their home, untouched by man for so long most of its inhabitants had never seen a person, so had little to be afraid of. They observed with curious eyes and a swivel of the head as the pale creature and the four-legged animal moved through the soft loam, chattering quietly as they passed in a language they had never heard.
"I wonder if we could make a boat if we get to that river?" mused Arcene. "Maybe we could chop down a tree and float home, what do you think, Leel?" Arcene turned to Leel, walking close by her side, acting like a scared baby in the heavy atmosphere. Leel poked out her tongue and licked her own nose, offering little in the way of help. "Fine. I thought it was a good idea. Um, although we haven't got an axe... Hmm."
They walked, and walked, and walked.
Two hours later, Arcene wondered if the forest would ever end. She had seriously underestimated the size of it, thinking it would take less than an hour to see the edge, but the scale was different on the ground to when viewed from above, and seeing the tops of trees doesn't tell you how easy or difficult it wil
l be to find a path pointing in the direction you want to go.
They went from easy walking, where the trees were large and well-spaced, to having to change direction where they grew so close together it was impossible to pass, or where deep gullies stopped them entirely and they had to follow the edge until they found a fallen tree to use as a bridge.
Leel got brave once she grew accustomed to the sounds and smells and ran back and forth like a crazy thing, following first this scent, then that, trying to pick up on something worth chasing down so they could have supper. Arcene forged ahead, determined not to rest until they got out of the dark and under the clear sky.
The clear sky, she hadn't thought about it, preoccupied by the landing and then getting down and out, but what happened to the storm? It was like it had never been. They were caught in the tail end of it, sure, but after such ferocious wind surely there should have been rain?
The smell of smoke hit.
Ugh, I forgot.
Leel crept close, brushed against her thigh and lifted her head to sniff the air. Arcene did the same, and turned to discover which way the smoke was coming from. The forest was so dense the trees hadn't allowed the smoke to filter through to them, so if it was now it meant...
"Run. Run fast, Leel." Arcene sprinted forward, turned quickly to glance back — smoke crept through the trees, and orange flames licked not far behind. The fire had spread, coming in their direction without them noticing, and now it raced to claim them. Arcene looked left, then right, but it was only behind them so they weren't cut off entirely, they just had to outrun it. Could you run faster than a fire? Did they have a choice? No, they had to try, and they had to move fast.
"Faster Leel, faster."
Leel sped off ahead, repeatedly turning and barking at Arcene to hurry, warning the fire to stay away, hackles raised like she'd been hit by the lighting.
The air was warm, the way ahead hard to see as smoke hid the trees. It meant the fire was close now, and Arcene had no idea when the forest would end
It better be soon. If not, or if we get cut off by something, then we'll be the ones cooked tonight, rather than doing the cooking.
Arcene ignored the pain in her backside that had returned with the sudden exertion and increased her speed, pigtails bouncing wildly as she pumped hard with her arms and tried not to run smack bang into a tree as her vision blurred and her lungs filled with smoke.
A Nice Fire
Picus sighed and brushed at his collar as dust landed. He looked up and scowled as he watched untold motes fall like dead stars from high in the rafters, lost in the gloom. Often, he wondered what went on up there, a world he had no knowledge of and resisted the urge to explore.
He could easily take over the body of one of the creatures that scurried about in the half light, it would be as simple as clicking his fingers. Maybe he could be a spider, a mouse, or perhaps a bat or something larger? A pigeon? He resisted the temptation, the same way he had done for... How long was it now? It didn't matter, why waste time thinking about such things?
No, he would leave the creatures to their lives, undisturbed. He just wished they'd stop knocking bits of his home onto his head. Picus blinked rapidly as grit caught in the corner of an eye, and he rubbed it to dislodge the irritation.
Was it dust, or was it ancient droppings from one of the things that made its home above? Or was it his own skin, or a tiny piece of mud that had dried and been swept up there from a gust of wind through one of the many windows, only to rest there for centuries and just now find its way back down below?
How interesting. Why had he never contemplated the dust before?
"Because I have better things to do with my time, that's why," said Picus to absolutely nobody. He patted at his collar again, noting with distaste it was now smudged and he would have to get changed. "Tomorrow. It's already late, time for relaxing."
The gravelly voice of Picus echoed around the Great Hall, the stone walls bouncing his words back at him, but colder, harder, deeper, like they wanted nothing to do with him or the words he spoke within the space they entombed.
A huge log shifted on the fire, sending sparks flying out onto the floor. Ash settled into the pile, a pile that extended from the grate, spilled over the hearth and out onto ancient flagstones black with soot, age and dirt. He'd have to clean it out one day, but who had the time for such trivialities?
Picus stared at the mound, traced his route from fire to chair to fire again, from the stack of logs to the side and across the room to the distant door where gray footsteps faded like his thoughts about the dust.
He shifted in the chair, another thing he really should think about fixing or replacing — the arms were so worn he was down to the stuffing, the deep red velvet now almost as black as the spiders with the wear of hands over the centuries.
"Who has the time?" Picus let the right side of his face get warmed by the fire as he rested his arms on the chair and stared at the door, almost lost to darkness.
The split trunk erupted with heat as it settled into its new position now that the smaller pieces below had burned down. The flames licked up the chimney, the place finally warming up, or at least an area around the fireplace that was larger than him — no mean feat, considering his size. Still, it could be twenty feet high and burning a whole tree and it would still fail to heat the whole room. That was the price you paid, he supposed, for making the Great Hall your evening room, rather than something a little smaller.
He liked to look at the door though, it allowed him to relax, and you never knew who would come knocking. Surprise was nice, even welcome, but it was also important to get a first impression, and to know who it was that had come calling. It might happen one day — if nothing else, Picus was an optimist.
"Now, where was I?" Picus gathered his thoughts. He'd allowed them to drift again, and that wouldn't do at all. He had to stop letting it happen, but it wasn't easy. The evenings were always the hardest — as darkness descended, his work of the day finished, it was easy to let his guard down and he wondered if maybe his age was creeping up on him unawares. No, it couldn't be that, he was still in great shape, for a man that had been fully grown and approaching forty when The Lethargy happened anyway.
So, what was it? Over three hundred and fifty years he'd been alive, was that right? Something like that, although it wasn't worth keeping track of any longer. He had no idea of the year as such things were unimportant — old rules, ones the masses used to abide by when they meant something. Well, they hadn't meant anything for a long time and even when they did he'd paid little attention.
He was his own man, and he answered to nobody, hadn't for three centuries. He was the one that made the rules, nobody inflicted anything on him, least of all telling him he should care what the date was, or the day.
The days, gosh, when was the last time he even gave such a thing consideration? Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, weekends and all of that, he hadn't even thought of such arbitrary names in a long time. What was the point? What did it matter? He wondered if others did, the few that remained? Would they mark them off in a calendar? Haha, no, of course not, there were no calendars.
Would they make one? Tick off days and years, keep track of dates and have special occasions, celebrate birthdays even though nearly everyone born would die of The Lethargy, only a lucky few somehow staying Whole, untainted, fewer still being Awoken like him, able to step outside of what he once thought of as reality, live lives without end and watch it all crumble around them?
Maybe they did. Maybe they clung to such old concepts, but not him, oh no, he had more important things to do. He had his island.
"Busy day tomorrow, so much to do, mustn't get sidetracked." Picus glanced at the double wooden door across the Great Hall, finding comfort in the solidity as he always did, then turned his face to the fire, evening out the heat, and went through what he had to do the following day.
He smiled. It would be a lot of fun, for him, anyway.
S
trange Hole
If she stopped she'd die. Arcene had enough experience with the devastating consequences of fire to admit that of all the things she had encountered in the world it was one of the few that made her scared. More than that. Petrified.
Being burned alive was the worst way to enter The Void — who wanted to be roasted to a crisp before you returned to where you came from, where everything came from?
Over the years she had got into a few sticky situations involving fire, mostly because of her own doing, even losing her hair once, but she had also used it to exact revenge on those that had done things against her will when a mere child, and she regretted none of it — vengeance was not something she took lightly, but she would always have it.
Now Arcene was always careful when making her fires for cooking, sure to douse them properly when finished, respectful of the elemental powers contained within each piece of wood, just waiting to change form and offer heat yet also danger.
As she ran she focused only on her feet, squinting as her eyes streamed smoky tears, the ground hazy and almost imperceptible. Leel was up ahead, her bright silhouette visible in The Noise, but there was no way of seeing her with her own clouded vision.
Just keep running, the forest has to end soon. Don't stop, run. Run faster.
Something weird was going on in her chest. Her lungs were wheezing, bellowing like in a blacksmith's forge, fanning her already elevated adrenaline levels to keep herself moving.
What could she do? What would allow her to beat the fire that was now closing in on three sides, racing to encircle her and put an end to her brief life? Nothing, just run, get to the end and get free. But which way? And how far was it?
If it hadn't been so dark when they crashed into the forest she could have taken up residence in a bird, if any were flying, and seen... Of course! The fire would have disturbed the creatures as they settled for the night.