"What do you want?" Syl asked, raising a brow.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I just wanted to ask a favor," Lucius said.
"Oh?"
"Could you please come find me in the morning? I'm going back to my campground to rest before our little excursion."
"Oh, yes, I suppose I could do that," Syl said, shrugging his shoulders. "But surely you can sleep here?"
"On the sparkling ground with lights flying all around me?" Lucius frowned. "No, thank you. Come find me in the morning, Syl."
Syl nodded and then flew away into the mass of faeries now hovering above the clearing. The faeries conversed in hushed whispers, watching Lucius all the while—their disdain evident in their grimacing looks. He marched out of the faeries’ haven without looking back and felt relieved to be in the darkness of the woods again. With his torch, Lucius searched the ground for the main path to his campground. He followed a narrow trail of faerie dust until it joined with the larger path. The night sky had cleared and streaks of moonlight fell through the forest canopy onto Lucius' path. When arrived at the campground, his head hurt from lack of sleep. He put out his torch and settled on the ground for the night, hoping to rest for a few hours before the dawn.
EIGHTEEN
The Southern Passage
Sleep did not come easy to Lucius. He tossed and turned on the grass throughout the night—his thoughts centering on Siegfried and the banshees in the Southern Passage. The reddish dawn pierced the sky above the clearing, prompting him to surrender the futile attempt at a pleasant slumber. He roused his groggy body from the ground and started a fire to warm himself from the chill morning air. Rummaging through his sack, he pulled out a loaf of bread and chomped into it. He washed down the doughy morsel with some bywydur, which counteracted his exhaustion.
Lucius watched the sun rise slowly into the clearing, glad to see its light dispel the cold and dark of the woods, but also dreading the errand he was expected to complete. His last attempt at slaying a banshee in the Evingrad tournament had been a pitiful showing. The banshee's screeches interrupted his concentration too much and his aim with a bow suffered incredibly. He hoped the diaphanousphere would remedy the problem. If he infiltrated the Southern Passage invisibly, he might be able to kill a few of the specters before they knew what was happening. Of course, he wasn't sure how many banshees guarded the area. Syl mentioned the Screech Sisters, which meant there were at least two, but Lucius anticipated more.
After finishing breakfast, Lucius packed up all of his and Siegfried's belongings. He grunted when he picked up Siegfried's pack, underestimating its weight. How did Siegfried carry all of this and not collapse? Carrying two packs would certainly slow him down in combat against the banshees, so he chose to leave the packs behind and carry only his weapons. Lucius hacked off a few branches from a nearby tree and arranged them around the bags, hoping to camouflage them from any wandering travelers or animals. The finished work looked like a dilapidated bush, but it was convincing enough. He spent the rest of the early morning practicing his archery skills in the clearing by loosing arrows onto tree trunks. A bright speck of light entered the clearing when he nocked his final arrow.
"Are you ready to venture to the Southern Passage, ground-treader?" Syl asked, hovering over Lucius.
"Yes, I am ready. But before we go, there is something you must know," Lucius said. He retrieved his arrows from the trees while Syl watched with head tilted to the side.
"Oh? What is that?"
"My name is not ground-treader," Lucius said, tugging an arrow out of the tree bark. "You may call me Lucius."
"Lucius? What a peculiar name." Syl placed a finger to his lips. "Well, Lucius, it is a pleasure to formally meet you despite our current circumstances. I say, have you ever fought banshees before?"
"Yes," Lucius replied. "Although I did not fare well against her.
"Her? You mean a single banshee? You've only fought one?" Syl asked, his voice rising with each question.
"That is correct, my little friend. I don't make a habit of searching for banshees to fight. Now, let's go." Lucius placed the last retrieved arrow in his quiver and strapped on his sword.
"Oh dear me, I cannot believe I mistook you for some competent banshee warrior. We're going to die in the Southern Passage. The banshees will peel off our skins with their claws for sure," Syl said. He incessantly flapped his wings and flitted in circles.
"Will you stop being so dramatic? I have a plan, you know. Just lead the way and everything will be fine."
Syl wrinkled his nose. "What plan?"
"Nevermind. Come, lead the way, Syl," Lucius said, walking towards the southern end of the clearing.
"All right, all right, just wait a moment!" Syl chased after Lucius and popped up a few inches from his face.
"What now?"
"I must show you how to inscribe the Bezalel sigil—you'll need to know it to revive Tok."
Lucius sighed. "Fine, show me."
Syl flew down to the ground and landed on a patch of dirt in the clearing. The little fairy used his diminutive feet to draw a circle in the dirt. Lucius watched closely as Syl hovered over the dirt and drew several curved lines that eventually formed a triquetra. The sigil looked nearly identical to the symbol on Lumiath's necklace.
"You must inscribe this sigil on Tok's head and say the word, 'Loew'," Syl instructed. "The sigil's power will then revive the golem."
"What does this sigil mean, or represent?" Lucius asked, eyes fixed on the triquetra in the center of the symbol.
"The sigil is ancient, and among the faerie folk of the Burning Woods it represents life. I'm afraid I do not know more about it than that."
Lucius scratched his temple. "All right, well, we should be off, then."
Syl nodded and flew toward the trees. "This way."
Lucius followed the faerie into the woods, and they traveled south for over an hour's time. During the walk, Syl explained the last few years of enmity between the faeries and the banshees. The animated royal advisor recounted the steady migration of banshees from the cairns near Neroterra, where an ancient gateway to the Abode of Shadows resides. None of the faeries knew why the banshees left the cairns and settled in the Burning Woods, but Syl believed some powerful magic or evil frightened them off, which seemed impossible to Lucius. Banshees were terrifying creatures on their own, and he couldn't fathom what might scare them away from their haunting places. Once the first wave of banshees infiltrated the faeries' realm, Klik summoned Tok to repel them, and the golem struck down many of the banshees in the forest. But the banshee numbers increased in a second migration led by the Screech Sisters—Siobhan, Lilith, and Fiona.
The three banshee sisters were unlike any banshees the faeries had faced previously. They were more intelligent and devious than the other banshees. Siobhan, the leader of the trio, organized calculated attacks against Klik's faerie guardians. And in one of the skirmishes, Fiona and Lilith managed to screech loud enough to kill half the faerie army. In retaliation for the deaths, Klik sent Tok and a host of faeries into the Southern Passage to clear the banshee haunting ground. The Screech Sisters were prepared for the invasion, and unbeknown to the faeries, a trap was set for the lumbering golem. An ancient cistern in the Southern Passage had been hidden from sight by a dense fog created by the banshees. During the heat of battle, Lilith and Fiona diverted Tok to the cistern and the large golem easily fell into the watery pit. The water washed away the Bezalel sigil inscribed on Tok's head, and the golem sat lifeless in the cistern, which gave the Screech Sisters a significant advantage against the faeries.
"We didn't stand a chance without Tok," Syl said, staring off into the dense cluster of trees and bushes ahead of them. "The king ordered a retreat, and the banshees continue to grow in number within the Southern Passage. If the Screech Sisters become more brazen, they might try to invade the King's court and the faerie haven. I'm not confident our kind would survive such an attack."
"Is the golem th
e only weapon you possess? You have swords and magic, don't you?" Lucius asked.
Syl scoffed. "Our magic is a mischievous sort, Lucius—useful for concealing ourselves and confounding interlopers who enter our woods. But such trickery is useless against cursed spirits like banshees. Most magic has little effect on them."
"All right, what about the petite sword hanging from your hip? Is it made from efydd?"
"Efydd and iron—and it is not petite! It's proportionate to my size, ground-treader," Syl replied, turning his nose up at Lucius. "While our swords are useful in killing banshees, getting close enough to do so is another matter entirely."
"I imagine one of their screams is enough to cause serious injury," Lucius said, ducking under a low branch.
"Or simply kill us. A faerie's body cannot withstand the force of a banshee's scream, which is why we need Tok."
"How is it the golem can hurt the banshees?" Lucius asked.
Syl flashed a smile. "His body is made of orichalcum ore, a mystical metal like efydd. The banshees are vulnerable to it. They cannot pass through Tok like other objects, and they cannot hurt him."
"All the more reason to wake him up, then."
"Aye," Syl said with a quick nod.
They crossed a shallow stream in the woods, and beyond it the ground sloped down into a deep glen. A light mist enveloped the glen, masking the vibrant hues of the autumn leaves in a drab gray. They had entered Southern Passage. Syl grew deathly quiet save for the faint beating of his wings. Lucius nocked an arrow and scanned the area ahead of them. Thick tree trunks and bushes along the ground were all he could see in the mist. As he walked further south, the mist thickened into a dense fog and he could barely discern his surroundings. Syl hovered lower than before and did not stray far from Lucius.
The sound of rustling leaves in the branches overhead caused Syl to swoop down behind a tree where he drew his sword and waited to attack. Lucius aimed his bow at the foggy sky above, searching for a clear target. He reluctantly loosed an arrow, hoping to draw out whatever lurked in the trees. A pair of crows cawed loudly above and flew from their perches when the arrow whizzed by. Lucius chuckled and relaxed his grip on the bow. Syl's chin jutted beneath a frown as he fluttered up to Lucius, who could not help smirking at the faerie's skittishness. He turned to walk when a woman's voice suddenly called out, "Who enters our domain?"
Lucius drew another arrow and whirled to his left where the voice originated. Syl flitted to and fro until he finally landed on Lucius' shoulder, pointing his sword in the same direction as Lucius' arrow.
"Who goes there?" Lucius asked.
A slight breeze parted the fog in front of him and the thin silhouette of a feminine figure approached through the haze. The woman's features became visible as she drew closer. Her face was pale and slightly sunken with dark circles around her eyes. Dark wispy hair adorned her crown and shoulders. The woman's white gown gleamed, despite the lack of direct sunlight around her, and she walked with a graceful gait. Lucius held his bow steady, meeting the odd woman's steely gaze.
"Do not step any closer! Who are you?" Lucius asked.
The woman stopped and cocked her head to the side, observing him from head to foot.
"Shoot her," Syl said, his voice shaky. "She's one of them."
Lucius gripped the arrow's shaft tighter in his fingers.
"Please, my lord. Have mercy on a humble maiden of the wood," the woman said, bowing her head to him.
"I'll ask once more: who are you?"
"Have you seen my sisters, kind sir?" She asked with her head still bowed.
"Shoot her!" Syl cried.
Lucius released the arrow and it flew directly at the woman's head. With unnatural speed, the woman caught the arrow a few inches from her face and snapped it in two. She bared her jagged teeth in a crooked smile and watched them with bright red eyes.
"I am Siobhan and you are no more," she said.
Loud screams erupted on both sides of Lucius, knocking him to the ground. He covered his ears as the banshee's cries increased all around him. Five banshees flew out from the fog and hovered near Siobhan, who cackled at her prey. Syl fluttered wildly over Lucius' head in a panic, but Lucius ignored the faerie and watched as the banshees hovered closer to his position. While still prone, Lucius slowly grabbed Siegfried's diaphanousphere from his belt.
"I cannot fight these monsters alone while you sleep, Lucius! Get up!" Syl shrieked.
"I just need you to distract them, Syl. Fly into the fog and let them chase you," Lucius whispered.
"What?"
"Tear their flesh apart, sisters," Siobhan growled.
"On my mark," Lucius said, lifting himself into a crouching position.
"Curse you, ground-treader!"
"Now!"
Lucius popped the diaphanousphere in his mouth and sprinted behind some overgrown bushes with bow in hand. The tingling sensation on his tongue spread quickly throughout his body and in a few seconds, his body disappeared from sight. Lucius ran for a few yards, sensing banshees were on his trail. He ducked behind a large oak and waited for them to pass by. Two banshees flew slowly past him in plain sight, searching the area for their quarry. In the distance, Syl's shrill cries echoed in the forest along with the screeches of his pursuers. Lucius quietly pulled an arrow from his invisible quiver and nocked it. The two banshees roamed around the underbrush around him, floating a few feet from his position. He aimed his bow at the closest one and let the arrow fly. The efydd tip pierced the banshee's temple and she fell to the ground in an explosion of dust, leaving no trace of her carcass. The remaining banshee whirled around and screamed at the death of her comrade. Lucius slowly walked between the trees, watching the banshee's movements as he prepared for his next shot.
The banshee darted quickly throughout the area, searching for Lucius in the dense fog. Her face was contorted into a twisted snarl and she yelled at random, perhaps hoping to catch him off-guard. But Lucius had the upper hand. And despite the banshee's erratic movement, he managed to land an arrow in her chest where presumably her black heart resided. When the banshee's remains dissipated, Lucius fetched his arrow from the ground and listened for Syl. He hoped the faerie's size and speed had served him well in escaping the banshees, but Lucius no longer heard any sounds in the Southern Passage. Although he wished to find and aid Syl, finding Tok was more important right now.
Endless fog enveloped the forest and every direction looked identical—trees and thick underbrush. He stumbled around the glen, searching for the ancient cistern Syl had spoken about. A faint banshee scream to his right caused him to flinch. Several screams followed the first, getting closer and louder. He leaned his back against the thick trunk of an elm and readied his bow. A small light pierced the thick mist ahead of him and descended to the ground—it was Syl. The yellow faerie panted breathlessly and tensed his shoulders when another scream filled the air.
"Syl?" Lucius whispered, moving the diaphanousphere with his tongue to speak clearly. "Are you all right?"
"Lucius? Where are you?" Syl asked.
"I'm next to the elm tree directly in front of you."
"There are lots of trees in front of me, ground-treader!" Syl shouted.
"Hush! Look." Lucius grabbed a low branch and shook it. "I'm right here."
"Oh. That is a neat trick; you'll have to teach it to me sometime—if we make it out of here alive!"
"How many are coming?" Lucius asked. A series of screams followed in rapid succession a few yards to his left.
"More than before," Syl said, still catching his breath. "I think Siobhan called out to the rest of her hags and they're on their way now."
"Yeah, they're encircling the area, trying to trap us here. We have to find Tok. Do you remember where the cistern is?"
"I think east of here, but I cannot be sure. Everything looks the same in this blasted fog!" Syl cried.
Lucius bit his lip. The banshees' cries were coming from the east, and he didn't want to venture
there if Syl wasn't certain about the location. A bloodcurdling scream cut the air around them, nearly knocking Lucius to the ground. Siobhan flew out of the fog and swiped her claws at Syl. The faerie dodged the strike and sped into the air, flying inside the leafy canopy above. Four banshees quickly appeared at their leader's side, waiting for her to chase the faerie, but Siobhan did not move. She sniffed the air and gazed around the trees until her crimson eyes met Lucius'.
He stood frozen in place as Siobhan squinted and scrutinized the elm's trunk. She floated slowly towards the elm, sniffing incessantly with her cronies following her. Despite holding his muscles taut, he could not slow his thumping heart. The banshees crept closer, and he knew Siobhan would scream at any moment. He took a deep breath and ran at full speed toward the east. The leaves snapping of twigs and crunching leaves beneath his feet alerted the banshees immediately. Siobhan shrieked incessantly, chasing him with ferocious intensity. He could feel the banshee leader's cold breath behind him, and he tried to gain some distance by running in a zigzag pattern between trees and bushes. His pace slowed considerably when the terrain sloped upward into a steep hill. More screams filled the air from the base of the hill, and Siobhan's raspy laughter taunted him from behind. Once he crested the hill, Lucius turned and fired an arrow at the banshee leader. She dodged the arrow with ease, flying through multiple trees in her intangible form. Lucius nocked another arrow while finding cover within some overgrown buckthorn bushes. He cautiously peered from behind the leaves as a band of banshees flew overhead, rabidly searching for their prey. Three arrows shot from his bow made quick work of three stragglers in the band without alerting the others.
After the fallen banshees dissipated, Lucius stepped out from the buckthorn, looking and listening for more banshees, but no more passed by on the hill. He sighed heavily, examining his surroundings. Yellow and orange buckthorn bushes surrounded the autumn-colored beech trees on the hill and the fog seemed less pervasive here. Lucius walked around the hill aimlessly, savoring the respite before a sharp pain tore through his upper back and left side. The familiar laughter of Siobhan greeted him as he fell to his knees.
The Blade Heir (Book 1) Page 17