Chapter Thirteen
~Ariadae~
The silence of Elkwood is just how I remember it, suffocating. Besides that, all familiarity is gone. Elkwood was full of lush plants and life all green in the mid spring, but now snow covers the ground making Jax’s paws silent. All life seems void from existence.
My eyes are always scanning around us, and Jax’s mane bristles at every groan of heavy tree boughs moving in the wind above our heads. As much as we hate to admit it, we are both terrified, especially here, in the forest of nightmares.
He stops for a moment of breath after trekking through mounds of white for two hours. I slide down from his back hoping to ease some of the weight on his spine. With a blinding light, he shifts back into his common form, Fae-form. His tousled black curls instantly become covered in a layer of snow that is lightly falling around us. His pointed ears are blushed pink, like the tip of his nose. The frigid cold reaches my bones, he must feel the same. The supplies that were on his tiger hips are now on his human-like back, the straps wrapping around his chest blending in with his bandoleer covered in knives. We’re ready for anything.
“It’s too quiet,” I whisper, afraid my voice might summon a monster I’ll recognize all too well.
Jax’s ice blue eyes seem to glow in the growing darkness of Elkwood. I feel as if I’m walking through a nightmare, and his eyes are the only source of light in the surrounding shadows. “It’s always quiet.”
We head south and continue on foot. With the heavy thick snow, minutes feel like hours, and a soft ache slithers up my back. I want to ask Jax to shift back to the strong, fast moving beast, but I know that’ll only tire him even more and if he’s too tired to fight… I don’t want to be left alone, or have him run off like last time. I can still hear his strangled howl when the Wood Nymph had dragged its claws down his back. I didn’t know he was a Fae back then.
“How do we know when we reach the Archaic Mountain Range?” my question lingers for too long and I almost think Jax didn’t hear me. When I am about to verbalize my thought again he finally responds.
“When we start going up,” he mutters. What is with him? Everything seemed fine right before we left, so a moody Jax is not what I plan on dealing with at the moment. “It’s obvious enough.”
My nonexistent patience snaps. It’s not like I pretend to have much of one anyway. “Why are you being such an insufferable ass? I’ve done nothing to you,” my voice is louder than I thought. We both scan the surrounding brambles for any oncoming threats, but nothing arrives.
He heaves a sigh and glares at me. “I’m just nervous, alright?” He says angrily. I’m nervous too, but I’m not being a dick about it. “I don’t want it to be like last time. I don’t want you to be taken away!” Of all the places we were going to argue, I didn’t think it would be here.
“You said to Zube that it isn’t going to be like last time. And besides, I’m not just some weak little girl anymore,” I growl. My primal Fae instincts have been going through the roof since the start of the monthly demon that claws out my insides. Jax isn’t helping with my aching pains.
“But you are,” Jax rebuttals. I lift my eyebrows in complete surprise. His face softens as he immediately regrets the words, “I didn’t mean-”
“Don’t,” I whisper with a killer’s calm. I don’t want to hear his lengthy exasperated apology for voicing his thoughts, so if that’s what he thinks of me, then I’ll change his mind. He stops trying to speak and closes his mouth. Smart man. “I know what you meant.”
Before he can respond a twig snaps in the bush behind Jax, he spins around snarling and I draw my bow faster than I thought I could. The feeling of the weapon in my hands is surprisingly foreign, but I let my muscle memory take over and try not to think about what I’m doing. My pounding heart resounds in my skull and I feel the blood pumping through my veins. Jax’s cloak billows in the wind which also tosses the snow in swirling mists across my vision. Jax’s guttural snarl is greeted by a deep, heavy growl rippling from the brambles, which are surprisingly dark in the afternoon light.
Time slows and every hair on my body stands on end. Shoot, my Fae instincts seem to purr and the arrow whistles into the bush. An ear-splitting howl shakes the trees above and large ravens take flight when the ginormous wolf leaps from the brush. Jax shifts into his white tiger form and the two beasts, equal in size, tumble to the ground where they wrestle through the snow. The wolf’s fur is obsidian and I see the flash of its eyes, glowing green. I try to fire an arrow, but every time I go to release the string they flip and the arrowhead is trained on Jax. I don’t know how to help without hurting him. Suddenly I realize something very important. Wolves never attack alone; they are pack hunters.
The snow behind me churns and I scurry to the right as another monstrous wolf, a twin of the first, erupts from the brush. This wolf’s eyes meet mine; fear constricts my chest as I notice the beast is crouching. Monstrous is only an understatement of their true unfathomable height.
It bears yellow teeth and I smell the carrion on its breath. I draw another arrow and it pounces. I fall to my knees as the leaping wolf flies over me, my arrow strikes home in it’s under belly. It doesn’t even seem fazed as I aim at the monster again. Before I can fire the arrow the wolf is on top of me. Too fast. These wolves are moving too fast to be actual animals. It pins me to the ground within the snow. The fur of the beast is suffocating me as it growls in my face and opens its maw to strike. With the invisible hands of my telekinesis, I feel the wolf’s bones beneath its flesh. Using an iron grip, I hold the ribcage and break the bones one by one, pressing inward. The splintered morrow shreds the beast’s lungs and innards. It immediately whimpers and cries. The fur slides into its skin and the flesh flips into scales. The wolf has become a large lizard that struggles to scurry off into the brush. Before it can leave, I retrieve my bow and fire two arrows through its body, pinning the monster to the ground.
The silence of the forest muffles the beating of my heart which floods my skull with sound. In a panic, I glance back at Jax. Consumed with my own battle, I had completely forgot about him. He is no longer the white tiger and the wolf he was fighting is now a polar bear. Its white fur is covered in crimson blood and its stomach is torn open. Its fur and skin has sunken in as if…as if Jax broke every one of its bones. I guess the ideal way of killing these beasts is internally.
“What were they?” my question simple after the chaotic events that just occurred.
“Demised,” Jax answers me and I quirk my eyebrow in question. “There are four clans of Forsaken; Dreag, Troglodyte, Arbor, and Nymph. Beneath those clans, in a form of hierarchy, are Factions. The Demised are beasts that can shift into any animal form.”
Great, right when I thought I had an understanding of what I was going to be facing in Elkwood, a different breed of monster attacks. “Are there any others?”
“Yes,” he mumbles as he wipes the blood from his mouth and hands onto the snow. “There is a second faction called the Umbra.” A chill slides down my back as it seems my Fae instincts already know what they are. “They are the shadows and darkness that conjure your worst fears and use them against you until we are driven into insanity. The Akuji’s henchmen when he raids your dreams.” I remember the Akuji during my first trek through Elkwood when it gave me the scar on my shoulder, but the Umbra, I do not remember encountering it unless…I look down at my hand, still wrapped with the bandages from Desirae. “What is it?” Jax verbally wonders.
I want to tell him about the incident with Novid before we went into Elkwood, but then I remember our argument moments before the Demised attacked. “Nothing, let’s go.” I pull the arrows I fired from the Demised and refill my quiver, but when we begin walking again I can’t stop looking at my hand. I can still see the cut across my palm. I saw Novid holding my sword, and pulling my hair, but when Desirae came outside he was gone, vanished, and I was gripping the blade. I knew it wasn’t just a normal haunting from Novid, but now I
ponder if it was an Umbra. How long have they been coming and haunting me in my own home? Was the Umbra the being that woke me up from sleep the night I found the first letter from my mother? A part of me whispers yes.
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Over the course of the day the grey sky had melted into a palette of bleeding reds and purples that blended together beautifully along the canvas above. Night is coming. With every anxious breath and aching beat of my leg muscles, that keep pushing me through the deep snow, is another minute closer to the impenetrable dark that shadows the Forsaken so well. The curse that transformed all of the Succumbus Fae into the Forsaken had kept the monsters within Elkwood’s borders, never allowed to leave the forest’s edge because, as Fae, they broke the written rule of the Book of Ash. The stated law is that the Fae and humans must not cross the Elkwood borders into opposing land, but they didn’t listen and they were punished by the gods for it. The Tree of Light, when it was chopped down by my mother, cleaved all of the curses at the root, allowing the Forsaken to now be able to leave Elkwood. I know they attacked my kingdom, but I pray they haven’t headed south into the unsuspecting Mortal Kingdoms.
Snow clings to the different furs and hides that keep me warm. I haven’t felt the cold bite of winter anywhere except my exposed face for a bit of time. The hood of my night-black cloak barely deflects the unyielding gusts of wind that throw Jax and me off our balance. I glance over to him. The wind throws a mist of snow into the air, making him look like a shadow beast, an Umbra in the only form I can imagine it. As the sky becomes a midnight blue, I grow aware that I can see every single star that twinkles in the swath of fabric above. Winter nights are the clearest skies I have ever seen. The sight is stunning. A shudder slithers to my core as I realize that night doesn’t only bring beautiful skies, but also blood thirsty creatures.
“How much farther do we have to go?” I shout my question against the roaring of the wind. The howling is deafening.
Jax’s immaculate hearing picks up my voice and he holds out his arm before his face as if that is going to stop the flurries from digging into his eyes and nipping at his skin. “We are almost at the base of the mountain!” his words sound muffled, but I pick up everything he says, I think.
“How do you know?” I don’t know the last time he went to his birth home, but even for someone who knows Elkwood like the back of their hand, they would be lost in this blinding snow. I walk closer to him, so I can stop screaming so loud. He becomes clearer the closer I get and I quickly scan the surrounding brambles. There aren’t many bushes to hide the wicked monsters.
“Look,” he points up and my eyes trail his finger toward the trees that dance in the gusts of wind. No longer are they the Elkwood trees that I remember, tall and thick, the roots seeping into the ground and spider webbing the dirt. Now, they are bleeding into tall pines that are narrower and erupt in dark needles that blend above our heads. “Pine trees cover the entire mountain range and bleed into the Mortal Kingdoms bordering the opposite side.” I nod in understanding and begin to notice the uphill lift in the snow. When I look forward, many yards ahead, I see the wall of snow that is the slanting mountain side. We’re almost there.
The strong wind seems to instantly shift directions, and the soft flurries become heavy flakes that accumulate quickly on the already deep snow. A gale has reached the mountain just as we have and I feel the heat of Jax next to me, but when I look over I barely see him through this surprise blizzard. The cold blossoms like chilled seeds along the skin beneath my clothes and I shout to Jax, “We need to make camp! This is enough for the night!” I pray we survive it because it seems that there is nowhere to hide or take shelter.
Jax found a cave quite quickly, chasing my previous fears. We laid out all of our supplies in a nice pyramid towards the back of the tunnel to keep it safe and somewhat dry. At the mouth of the cave the snow is horizontal and Jax sits on a rock close enough to reach his hand out and grasp the flakes speeding past like a rushing river of white.
I unroll the fur lined sleeping sacks and I watch my breaths coil into the air within the darkness of this frigid cave. Icicles hang from the ceiling, so I make sure to put the beds in clear spots, so that if we end up lighting a fire, nature’s spear wont skewer us in our sleep. If we get any sleep at all.
Jax just sharpens each of the blades on his bandoleer and I change the bandages on my hand. The cut isn’t bleeding anymore and looks to be pretty clean, despite the blood that had covered them after the Demised attacked us. Jax’s lips have darkened and his hands are stained with the metallic scent. I smell it from the opposite end of the cave and try not to gag at the thought. A cord of tension is taut between us in this silence and I have no idea how to clip it, so instead I ignore it. “We need to start a fire if we want to stay warm.”
The whine of the stone striking Jax’s blade makes my skin crawl. He doesn’t answer me and although it wasn’t a question, I expected a response. Maybe I should stop having expectations of people.
“Unless you plan on us freezing to death in your sleep,” I add with a drop of venom in my words. He heaves a sigh that echoes through the dark grotto like a thunderous clap.
“Fine,” he huffs and I can’t help, but feel a bit smug. “I’ll get some fire wood, but don’t leave the cave. If I don’t come back, go to the Winter Kingdom. They’ll know what to do.” I don’t let the thought of his words sink in. I may be upset and we may happen to be arguing, I guess, but he’ll come back. I know it.
He sheathes his newly sharpened blades and gives me a thin-lipped smile as he steps into the blizzard beyond. As a way to not notice his absence, I bide my time counting our supplies. We’ve got four outfits each, one for every type of environment. Four bows with six quivers, along with the six that Zube gave me. There are two satchels flooding with seasonings, spices, and medical necessities. During the trip in the summer, I remember we reverted to plants and herbs for medical supplies because the Troglodytes raided our camp and killed our horses.
After getting bored with organizing the supplies, twice, I gather some rocks around the grotto and make a nice circle at its center. Using my hands, I dig a small divot into the dirt and create a little pit where the fire will be. I even go as far as rolling up extra blankets to use as seats around the fire pit. My creation is complete. Well, almost complete. Jax just needs to return with the fire wood. So I wait.
And wait.
And wait.
And wait.
He doesn’t come back. At first, I panic and pace around the cave because I don’t know what to do as my mind thinks of a thousand things at once. He told me not to leave the cave, but he also said that if he doesn’t come back that I should head to the Winter Kingdom. I know it shouldn’t take almost an hour to find fire wood, but then again there is a gale outside and we’re in Elkwood Forest.
I look towards the blizzard and see that the falling snowflakes are still horizontal, telling me that I have a strong chance of not making it there or even finding my way through the forest. The darkest shadows of night are beyond the cave mouth, but so is Jax. I won’t-can’t leave him to the dangers of Elkwood alone, not like last time when he got hurt. No matter how angry I am at him, he is still my friend. Someone I love.
I strap a quiver over my shoulder and snatch up my bow from the pile of supplies. I nock an arrow and stalk towards the unyielding storm. A thousand howls from outside resound in my ears and I wasn’t prepared for how dark it is. The white snow seems to glow beneath the moonlit night, but the darkness of shadows is darker, blacker than before. My senses are on fire and my head is screaming no, turn back! But my heart pushes me forward, into the depths of Elkwood Forest. Jax couldn’t have gone too far.
I haven’t walked far from the cave mouth, but when I look back its gone, and I sob when I realize, so are my footprints. My way back to the cave has vanished and I run back from where I came. More trees, more pines, more snow. I am completely turned around. I run south and realize I’m heading down
the mountain. My path should be up, so I quickly turn back around and start treading upward. I pray to the gods that I find Jax along my way.
I feel like I have wandered for hours, alone in the dark, when I stumble upon a pile of thick sticks. He was here. Jax is here. “Jax!” I shout instinctively. The quicker I find him the faster I will be able to head to the Winter Kingdom. I can’t leave him behind! A screaming gust of wind answers my call. He might not be able to hear me, so I shout louder than before. “Jax!”
“Jax!” a voice echoes from beside me and I scream instantly terrified. I regret leaving the cave. I regret leaving Equadoria. I regret everything. But I can’t go back now, not after I’ve come so far. The young girl with the clawed face flashes through my mind and I know that my kingdom needs me, the humans of Abella need me.
The echoing voice comes from a pine. The thin trunk could barely hide a person behind it, and my hands begin to shake out of fear instead of the cold. I feel with my telekinesis around the bark and the ghost of my hands touches a small fleshy arm. I recoil and the pain sparkles through my veins on que. No longer does the dark haunt me. The Void spirals and swirls around my splayed palm illuminating the snow barren forest a violet purple. My cloak snaps like a flag in the wind and I stare at the trunk, waiting, beckoning for the beast to show itself. It does just as I wish.
Small fingers slide up the bark of the dry pine and a child peeks from behind it. I don’t rid my power as I take in the details of the delicate child’s solemn face. The young boy’s hair is midnight black and his porcelain skin is cracked, black veins spider web from his neck and bleed into his face. His eyes, maybe once blue or gold, are now a glowing red. A storm cloud of crimson roils in his whole eye, no pupil or iris visible. “Hello Queen of Titanium Antlers,” he purrs and I barely hesitate as the purple flames fly from my palm, obliterating the tree and the apparition of the boy. My Fae instincts tell me exactly what that demon boy is and it’s no monster to hesitate attacking. I peer around the violet forest for any more Umbras.
The Reign of Queens: A Kingdom of Diamond Antlers Novel Page 11