by Leah Ward
“Why don’t we go find it? I can lead the way since I am a Seer. Then we can fulfill my parent’s legend.” Edwin said, having more bravery within his words than his voice.
“Oh Edwin, heavens no, we could never do that. It is much too dangerous, and I could not be responsible for letting you risk your life. Plus, we are not fit for such a journey. Your parents were young, healthy and courageous. You and I…we are just a boy and an old man. No, it is out of the question. Now come on, let’s go back. You have a lot to digest with the bundle of information I just gave to you.” Agmund said, and turned to walk back down the path back into town.
Edwin stood staring out over the cliff’s edge. I am not just a boy, he thought. I am the heir to legends.
The coyotes yipped as they scampered below the trees. Their prey cried out in a last attempt to fend for itself, but it was no use.
How can I let my parents die in vain? His thoughts ate at him, such as the coyotes to their prey. Maybe Agmund couldn’t make it, at his age he would only slow Edwin down. Plus, he couldn’t see the dangers that lurked around every corner, but Edwin could.
Agmund had walked back towards the cliff’s edge, after noticing the boy hadn’t moved a muscle. “What do you see Edwin?” he asked him. With the savage coyotes in his sight he responded “… Nothing” and he turned away. Agmund followed, knowing that something was bothering Edwin, but did not say anything in response. He knew the burden he had just lifted off of his own shoulders, and placed onto Edwin’s. He only hoped that the boy could bear it, as he had for so many years.
The entire walk home Edwin had only one thing on his mind. Finding out where the ancient cave was, or at least in what direction. He knew he would ask Agmund later that day, but discreetly as to not set Agmund off on his secret plot he was planning within his head. After he would find out the location of the cave, he would only need one other thing…
A weapon.
CHAPTER 3
Once they reached the house, Edwin immediately went to his room. He didn’t say much to Agmund, just that he was “going to his room to process.” Sitting on his bed he realized that he might not have to ask Agmund about the cave at all, and give away his plan. There was a library that was on the brink of desertion in the town square that may have a book on the cave.
Finding the way to the cave was the least of his worries though, considering he had never actually been in the forest before, or even used a weapon. He wasn’t really sure what kind of weapon he would need either, a gun… maybe? There wasn’t one in the house, that he could recall, and anyway he didn’t even know how to load one, let alone shoot it.
The only weapon that he knew that Agmund possessed was a sword that was possibly hundreds of years old. He went to the spare room, found it and picked it up – or at least tried to anyway. The sword was so heavy that he could barely hold it in front of him. He tried swinging it around a few times but only managed to knock over a few boxes and hurt his wrist in the process. Nonetheless, it was sharp, and it would have to do.
Going back to his room he hid the sword under his bed, with a few other items – a backpack, a box of matches, his clothes, etc. – that he had in preparation for the journey he would start near dawn tomorrow. Leaving the room he noticed Agmund wasn’t in the kitchen or living area and that it would be perfect timing for him to go outside and head to the library.
Just as he walked out the door, Agmund’s voice chimed in from the side of the house. “Where are you off to Edwin?” he asked curiously with one eyebrow raised.
“Uh…I’m just going to go explore through the town, maybe see what’s going on near Town Square.” He tried to say as calmly and unsuspicious as possible.
“Oh…alright, just make sure you are home before night fall.” Agmund said sincerely. “Yes sir.” Edwin said. And with that, he left and headed in the direction of the library.
It was old, boarded up at the windows, and had dust caked on the shelves at least half an inch thick. No one had come to the library in the last ten years, it looked like. If they had, they probably took what they wanted and left, never to return it, or maybe they used the books for firewood. He just hoped the book he needed to find wasn’t one of those though.
Right away in the corner he found a semi-hidden section labeled ‘Magic and Spells’ yet the book he was looking for didn’t seem to jump out and catch his eye. He sat and researched through several, all he needed, at least, was a direction to head towards, landmarks to look for, or anything that could help.
He looked through what seemed like a hundred books before he had found a tiny mention of the ancient cave. All that was inside the book was the picture of a mountain the cave was apparently on, which didn’t do much good for his intentions.
As he removed another from the shelf, he saw a small, thin book crammed in the back, lying down, completely covered in dirt and dust. He reached to the back of the bookshelf and pulled it close to his face, and then he blew a gust of breath and wiped the gunk off with the tail of his shirt to reveal the cover. The book was entitled ‘Finding the Cave of Darkness’. Right away, he knew he had struck gold. It was a leather bound black book with silver iridescent lettering and had an ancient look to the style of writing. There was a thin leather strap that wrapped around and tied to keep the book enclosed.
It was exactly what he had hoped he would find. The table of contents showed that it had a map of a path through the forest, landmarks, water spots, instructions on making a fire, finding food, etc. The book literally covered every detail that Edwin thought he might encounter, or that he may need information on.
He studied the book, and learned that on the map he wasn’t very far away from the location of the cave, and that it should take no longer than a few days by foot. With this bit of information he knew he would have to bring food in his backpack, because he highly doubted he would be able to hunt in the forest - or if the animals were even healthily edible.
Hours passed as he sat in the abandoned library studying. Soon it would be nightfall, so he decided it best to head back home and gather everything he would need.
Along the walk home he had various emotions flooding his mind; excitement and fear were the biggest. He knew this was something he had to do though; it just felt all too right within his bones.
When he got back Agmund asked how his day had been and if he did anything interesting. Of course, Edwin couldn’t blab ‘oh yes I went to the library and found a map to the cave that you forbade me to go to this morning. Oh and I’m going at dawn’. He knew that wouldn’t sit well, so he made up something quick. “Oh I just walked around and explored. I tested out my new power to try and see if I could see anything else.”
Agmund chuckled to himself and said, “And how did that go?”
The two of them talked as Agmund made dinner. He had killed one of their chickens, plucked its feathers, and was making cutlets that enticed the nose and made the mouth water.
Edwin did everything he could to avoid the conservation they had had earlier that day, he didn’t want to look suspicious if he asked too many questions.
After their hearty dinner Edwin got ready for his journey. He packed the backpack with the book from the library, a pair of clothes to change into, two loaves of bread and some fruit that he snuck out of the kitchen. He also packed matches, a flashlight, a medium sized canteen of water, and his sword. There wasn’t much more that he thought he would need, and there wasn’t enough room if he did think of something else.
While Agmund slept peacefully in his bed, Edwin was wide-awake in his. He knew he needed the rest, but how could anyone sleep with a quest such as his on his mind? It was nearly impossible. When he did drift off, thoughts of rabid animals tearing him from limb to limb filled his nightmares, while thoughts of victory and triumph raided his dreams. It was a back and forth ordeal throughout the night.
Before the sun came up, around 5 A.M., Edwin sat straight up in bed, wide eyed, and ready. He was beyond ready.
; Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, and grabbing the sword, he tiptoed to the kitchen. The old floorboards creaked and moaned, yet Agmund thankfully didn’t wake. After he made it to the kitchen he grabbed an apple for the road, and lightly stepped towards the door at an extremely slow pace. Turning the doorknob was the hardest part because of the fact that it made a huge ‘CLICK’.
Edwin stopped mid-twist to turn around, just knowing he would look at Agmund face to face and have to explain why he was carrying around an ancient sword and a backpack. Yet when he looked, no one was there; he was in the clear. Quietly he continued. Once he was at the other side he returned the door back to its natural state and walked out of the yard. He headed towards the path out of town and when he hit the dirt road, he took off running. He ran all the way to the cliff’s edge, where he sat the backpack and the sword down, and considered aborting his mission. The forest was quiet for the most part, and it frightened him more than if he had heard the normal loud cries.
He reached into the backpack for the small book and the flashlight, and searched for the page with the map. He was sure that the mountainous area he was standing above was the part on the map he was looking at, but to be honest, it was rather hard to tell.
Just then the book produced a light that beamed so bright for a few seconds Edwin thought that he had gone blind. When his vision restored, he was completely amazed by what he saw. The book was lighting itself, but not only that, it was changing the map and updating.
It looked as if it was a high-tech GPS, because it updated with a zoomed in map image of his exact location. Shockingly, it even had a ‘You Are Here’ arrow that pointed directly at the cliff he was standing on. This is incredible, he thought. He spun in a circle watching the arrow move and tell him which direction to head, but stopped once he realized how silly he must have looked. The instructions that were previously on the right hand side of the page had disappeared and new instructions were forming instantly in their place. They read:
‘CLIMB DOWN THE SIDE OF THE CLIFF STRAIGHT AHEAD’
Edwin’s eyes widen. He thought this journey was going to be on foot, walking down a path, not dangling freely on the side of a cliff. He looked over the edge to see that it wasn’t as far down as he had imagined, but it would still be quite the climb for a first-timer.
Gathering his things back together in his pack, he used one of the straps of the backpack and tied the sword’s handle to it, so he wouldn’t have to hold it on the way down. He slung the bag on his shoulders and walked to the right where he could see a few rocks protruding from the cliff’s side. He sat down on the edge and planted his foot onto the rock. Finishing the apple, he threw the core over the edge, and a few seconds later…
‘Plop’
It hit the bottom. Oh it was only a few seconds worth of a drop, it can’t be that bad, he thought to himself for reassurance. Then he twisted and put his other foot on the one below it, still clenching to the ground in front of him desperately.
The sun started to peak out behind the night sky just enough for him to see the rocks clearly. He made it half way down without slipping once, which he thought was quite the accomplishment for an inexperienced climber such as himself.
A few more steps and he realized he had thought too soon. His foot didn’t make complete contact with the rock below, and slipped, sending his body off balance. He held tightly with his hands, but his right hand was still wounded and sore from the day before. He panicked.
His breathing grew to panting and gasping. He contemplated crying for help, but didn’t want to attract any animals below him. He desperately scraped the side of the cliff with his dangling foot in search of the rock he had missed.
Finally it latched. He was safely and steadily holding to the wall. His breathing slowed and he decided to continue down – less than halfway now.
Once he reached the bottom, he was beyond thrilled. Without thinking, he almost yelled because of his victory, but then found that to be foolish at such a dangerous time as this. By now the sun was completely out, and the night sky had vanished. He knew that Agmund would have awakened by now, and called out his name for breakfast. Guilt suddenly started to pour over him; had he been wrong by not telling Agmund of his plan?
He then thought of how the first place Agmund would look would be the cliff, and if he happened to look down from the edge, he would see Edwin starring up at him. That was enough motivation for him to move and continue his journey. Edwin reached in the backpack for the book, which had updated its map, and he looked to see what his next move was. The guide told him to walk straight into the forest for ten miles where he would then find the river basin. Ten miles directly into the heart of the most ferocious forest on the planet…
CHAPTER 4
Edwin walked through the forest the same way he walked through the house that morning - carefully and quietly. He did not want to attract any sort of creature; that, he was certain of. Just in case, he carried his sword in hand, clutching to the handle so tight that it began to hurt, and his fingers turned white.
Constantly, he checked the map to make sure that he was heading in the right direction. The last time he looked there were eight miles left to go. While trying to slip the book back into his backpack, he heard a noise that made him cringe. He stopped dead in his tracks to see if what he heard was what he hoped it wasn’t…
Crunchhh
Then, silence. He began to walk again slowly, his heart pounding against his ribs. It could almost burst from nervousness. He immediately stopped again to see if he could hear whatever it was, but the throbbing in his ears from the heavy pumping of blood made it difficult for him to hear.
‘Crunch, crunch’
Silence again. It was true; something was in the woods following him. Thinking quickly, he darted ahead, running as fast as his lungs and legs would allow him to. Maybe he could outrun what it was? Maybe there wasn’t even anything that would chase him? He didn’t want to chance it. He dodged tree limbs, jumping over and ducking under them. The sound of his footsteps carried past the trees, echoing, reminding him of the noise he heard earlier. Was it chasing him? He couldn’t tell. The only thing he knew to do was run, until he wasn’t physically able to anymore.
His pace became slower and slower the farther he went, he had no idea if the ten miles had been covered yet or not, but assumed he would hear the river when they were. Coming to the pace of a trot, he lost his footing and his ankle rolled over a rock that he misjudged. Stumbling to the ground, he almost cut his leg with the sword that had fallen with him.
Instead of jumping back up to keep moving, he curled into a fetal position in the dirt, clenching his right ankle. He held it tightly, thinking the pressure would relieve the pain – but it didn’t. Seconds went by, and then a few minutes, but still he lay in the dirt. Thinking of quitting strengthened him to keep going; he was not going to give up so easily. He had just started his journey.
He slowly pulled himself up into a crouching position with his right foot barely touching the ground as if he were tiptoeing. Losing the pace he had kept for so long, he now was barely covering any ground, constantly having to clutch to the trees or use his sword as a makeshift cane.
Thinking it would be better to rest, he pulled close to a tree trunk and leaned himself against it. He took his backpack off and tossed it to the ground. Gradually he slid his back down the tree so that he could sit down. Out of breath, and emotionally and physically tired, he threw the sword down beside the backpack. He pulled out the book first, which told him he only had two miles worth of a walk to the river basin, as he sighed with relief. Sitting the book on the ground he grabbed a loaf of bread and pulled off a big chunk. His stomach was in knots, telling him that he wasn’t hungry, yet his muscles begged for the calories. It wasn’t every day that he ran six miles; in fact, he didn’t remember the last time he had even ran one.
Sitting there eating the bread, he wrapped the rest and placed it back in the backpack, leaving him with a loaf and a
half. He brought out his canteen and took a swig of water, immediately making him feel the slightest bit of restoration. His legs ached, and his ankle throbbed with pain. He knew that it wasn’t broken, but it certainly felt more than a sprain.
Picking the book back up, he tried to figure out the total distance to the ancient cave, hoping his ankle would allow him to travel onwards. As he studied the book, the leaves on the bushes opposite from the tree he was leaning on started to rustle. Turning his head around the trunk to look behind him, he saw blackened figures moving. Quickly he jerked his head around and pushed his body against the tree. It was thick and wide enough that it could conceal his body, but not his scent…
It moved closer, the crunching of leaves was directly behind him now. Did it know he was there? Was it the same being that made the crunching noise earlier? Had it chased him here? Quietly he sat looking straight ahead, refusing to breathe, and when his body forced him to, they were shallow and quick.
Then it was obvious to Edwin; there were multiple beings, multiple feet stepping on leaves. He could hear heavy breathing, almost like a panting. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of one of the most terrifying images imaginable. Looking into the forest, past the tree Edwin was vaguely hidden behind, was a long snout with jagged yellow tinted teeth. The partially open mouth of a wolf was panting out hot breath so close to Edwin’s face that he could smell the rot of a carcass with each of the wolf’s exhales. Fear soaked into his body, but motionless he sat. His dark hair, tanned skin, and brown tattered clothing helped to blend him and camouflage him within the trees. Please don’t see me, he thought. As if the wolf had heard his plea out loud, he turned his head away from the tree, and walked back towards its pack.
The pack of oversized wolves scampered into the woods, away from Edwin. For a moment or two, he still didn’t move, he didn’t trust that they had actually left and had not smelt him. Quickly he grabbed his belongings and shoved them into his bag. Hobbling with a painful limp, he continued his journey into the woods, hoping the wolves were out of earshot to hear him walking.