by Nichelle Rae
My eyebrows dropped. “Why not?”
“Ortheldo and I can manage.”
What was she saying? I already felt like useless baggage that these two had to carry around. The least I could do was take a watch.
“And I can’t?” I said, making it clear that I was insulted.
“It’s not that, Rabryn,” Ortheldo said, squatting in front of me. “We’re just worried about you.”
“Well, don’t be!” That came out harsher than intended.
“Rabryn,” Azrel’s voice was soft and gentle, “we both know you have never left home before, so we don’t expect you to take a watch. You said yourself that you lack experience in the wild.” She paused and smiled softly. “Neither of us wants to see anything happen to you. What if something comes along that you can’t handle? It could cost you, and all of us, our lives.”
Had she no faith in me? My heart sank at the thought that she didn’t feel she could trust me with her life. Was I that useless? Was I that undependable?
Seeing the hurt in my eyes, Azrel’s soft smile wilted and she clutched my arm. “Oh, Gods! I’m so sorry, Rabryn. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Then let me take last watch, and I’ll forgive you.”
I saw her swallow hard and look up at Ortheldo, wanting his input. Ortheldo tilted his head to the side as he opened his palms, allowing her to make the decision. She looked back at me and I saw her eyes searching mine. I made a point to put the hardest, most determined look in them that I could manage. I wanted her to feel sure and safe that I wouldn’t fail them.
A nervous smile slowly spread on her face. “Okay. I’ll wake you after my watch.”
I returned her smile. “Thank you.”
After Azrel went to the spot she would sleep, Ortheldo tapped my shoulder. “Don’t forget what I told you about it being a scary world out here.” His tone was soft, but the look in his eyes was harder than steel. “I admire your courage for offering to do a watch, being so new to the outside world and all.” He paused and shook his head slowly, his eyes intently holding mine. “But courage is useless unless you can summon it when you face real danger and death. You have to be able to think and make split second decisions that determine life or death.” He held up a finger to me. “Remember, every evil creature can feel the presence of that necklace and will be drawn to it.” His voice went low and meaningful. “That necklace is in Azrel’s pocket.” He raised his eyebrows to drive the point home that she could be dead if I wasn’t careful. The one person I loved more than life would be dead if I didn’t watch it. I suddenly wasn’t so eager to take a shift.
“There are many dangers out here that you don’t know about,” Ortheldo continued in softer tone. “You have to be prepared to face them. Don’t let your guard down for a second! Always expect that something is coming, and know that you should be ready for it. Do you understand?”
I swallowed hard and nodded, “I understand.” My voice was nothing but a choked whisper.
Ortheldo smiled. “Like I said, I admire your courage. Just stay armed, prepared, and alert, and everything will be fine.” I nodded again and watched him walk off into the darkness toward the small patch of cluttered trees just beyond our grassy clearing. In a soft whoosh, I let out the breath that I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
As I watched him walk away, I felt a sense of pride ripple through me. A man like that trusted me to stand guard. I watched him enter the trees. Every step he took was filled with purpose and pride. He had a warrior’s walk. I bet he never let his guard down, not even in his sleep. A small part of me hoped I could be like him someday, so self-assured and worldly. It was a shame the people of Dwellingpath didn’t have him as a leader. They didn’t know what they were missing.
I went to my bed set up on the ground beside Azrel’s and lay down, gazing at the sky. Ortheldo’s words repeated over and over in my head. “Stay prepared, armed, and alert. Always expect something coming…life or death decisions in a split second. The necklace is in Azrel’s pocket.”
“I won’t wake you if you’ve changed your mind,” Azrel suddenly said next to me. I turned to look at her. She was on her side facing me, her head resting in the crook of her arm that was bent back behind her. “It’s okay if you have. I won’t think less of you or think you’re weak. You’ve never been in a situation like this before, and I’ll understand.”
I grinned at her. “Azrel, I’ll be fine.” I gave a careless shrug. “I was taught to wield a bow by the best.” She smiled at that.
I looked at the sky again and lay in thought a moment. “Azrel,” I said, looking back at her, “what is the White Warrior?” Even in the pale gray moonlight I could see her face drain of color. “I know that’s the name of the thing you turned into, but what is it? Where did it come from?” I didn’t expect her to answer, but I just wanted to let her know it was on my mind. She would tell me when she was ready.
She swallowed hard and her wide eyes stayed on my face. “I don’t know, Rabryn.”
My brows dropped. Okay, I wasn’t expecting her to answer, but I certainly wasn’t expecting her to lie to me! I felt anger heat my face and my teeth clench. She’d never deliberately lied to me before! She knew very well the answer!
“What do you mean, you don’t know?” I fired, sitting up on my elbows. “You don’t know what you are? You don’t know where it came from? Getting a power like that at some point in your life would have been hard to miss!”
“Rabryn, please,” she squeaked, her eyes squeezing shut.
I turned to my side and glowered at her mercilessly. “Please what?”
She rolled over onto her opposite side, putting her back to me. “Please just go to sleep.”
Now I had to find out what it was! The truth deeply troubled her, and it scared me out of my mind! What could she possibly have to hide and lie about to me?!
“No! I want to know what you are! I want to know why you hate your gift so much. I want—”
“Gift!” She screamed and spun on me. Her expression was like nothing I’d ever seen on my sister’s face before. She looked more animal than human. I could almost see my death in her eyes. “How would you know if it’s a gift? You know nothing about it! How dare you call it a gift!”
I was stunned. I flinched at her anger aimed at me. Her breath was heavy, her eyes were bulging, and her arms trembled with the will to not lash out at me. That brief second was enough to make me fear being on the wrong end of her anger forever. I pitied any and every fool that ever angered her enough to earn a taste of her blade.
I swallowed and withdrew into myself from fear. “All magic is a gift, Azrel,” I managed in a choking whisper.
Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say.
“No!” Her face twisted in unbelievable rage as she leaned forward, looking like a wild cat ready to pounce. Her fingernails even dug into the grass. “Not all magic is a gift! Some of it is a curse!”
I didn’t know my question would upset her so much! Behind the rage, I saw the pain that I inflicted. I desperately wanted to take it back, if not for her sake than for the sake of keeping my own skin intact. I couldn’t think of anything to say. She had never spoken to me like this before, never mind yelled! It was so different when she unleashed her anger on Beldorn because I was a mere spectator. This was frightening! How Beldorn stayed so calm in the face of her rage was beyond me.
“I’m sorry, Azrel,” I whispered, my voice not daring to go any higher. “I didn’t mean to upset you like this.” I swallowed hard, and bit back my fear of speaking again so I could tell her how I felt. “It’s just that I know you do know what the White Warrior is, and I don’t appreciate my sister, my best friend, lying to me about it.”
I expected her voice, or perhaps her fist, to come reeling at me. Instead, her eyes fluttered, then became wide with realization. She seemed to calm down. Her wide gaze shifted downward, and she pulled her fingernails from the dirt and looked at them, almost in confusion, like she couldn’t believe her
own reaction.
I swallowed heavily again. “You don’t have to tell me, Azrel. Just please don’t lie to me about it.” I shook my head slowly in disbelief. “I never thought you would lie to me, Azrel. I only pried because I wanted to know why you suddenly decided to.” I really hadn’t meant to upset her like this. Apparently, her anger and her hate for her magic went deeper than I thought. Based on this reaction, it was probably too deep for me to even comprehend.
She squeezed her eyes shut and brought a hand to her mouth. Her brows wrinkled as she pressed her hand firmly into her face, looking as if she were about to throw up. “I’m sorry, Rabryn,” she whispered, her voice muffled by her hand. She finally looked up at me, her eyes wet with white water. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I’m so sorry.” After a moment, she nodded and looked in my eyes. “I do know what the White Warrior is.” Her eyes squeezed shut again, and she still looked like she was going to be sick. She swallowed hard and brought her hand down from her mouth, then looked in my eyes pleadingly. “But please don’t ask me right now. I’ll tell you when I’m ready.” Guilt replaced the pleading expression. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I swear it won’t happen again.”
I gave her a small smile and peered at her with one eye, “Be sure that it doesn’t.” She laughed a little. I was glad she had turned back into herself and I could keep the skin on my back.
“Get some sleep. It’s a long, lonely time doing a watch. You’ll need your rest.” She lay down in her blankets and curled up in them snugly. I did the same and was soon fast asleep.
It seemed I’d only been asleep for twenty minutes when a hand gently shook my shoulder. I opened my eyes and found myself gazing up at Azrel.
“Your turn.”
I closed my eyes again and tried to comprehend how much sleep I’d actually gotten on my first night without a bed. When I opened them, I saw that Ortheldo was next to me, fast asleep.
I sighed and groggily sat up. I stretched my arms high above my head, arching my back in a big stretch. I let out a heavy breath and had to rub the blur of exhaustion from my eyes.
“Are you sure you want to take a watch? I’ll do it for you,” Azrel offered, giving me a worried look.
I smirked. “I just might take you up on that.”
Without a word, she stood and started off into the darkness again.
“Whoa, whoa,” I said, getting to my feet. I took her arm stopping her. “I was only joking.”
She flinched. “Oh.” The worried look came into her eyes again. “Are you up for this?”
I stretched my arms high above my head again and shook them vigorously to shake off sleep. “Azrel, I’m not letting you stay up for two-thirds of the night. You’re going back to sleep.” I took her hand and started leading her toward her bedding. “Besides, I won’t be able to sleep now anyway. I’m already awake.”
She lay down in her place as I crouched to get my cloak, bow, and arrows. I felt her eyes on me as I put my cloak on and strapped my quiver tightly to my back. I looked at her with a smile as I drew an arrow out and held it in front of me with my bow, showing her that I was prepared.
“Everything will be fine, sis.”
“Please be careful,” she begged. “If you sense anything that doesn’t feel right, and I mean anything, wake me up. I won’t be angry if it turns out to be nothing, okay?”
My smile widened, and I bowed deeply to her, making an exaggerated sweeping motion with my arm before placing that hand on my chest. “Yes, your majesty.” I always did that when she gave me orders. I felt her smile on my back as I walked off into the night.
As I got farther away, I began to wonder if I was up for doing a watch. I glanced around nervously, checking if everything was okay from treetop to root tip. “Well, this was a really good idea.” I said softly, needing the comfort of a human sound.
I found a low rock in the nearby trees and sat down. It allowed me to keep an eye on the camp in the clearing and stay hidden if anything came. I wondered if that was what I was supposed to do.
“Stay alert and armed. Always expect that something is coming and be ready for it. Never let your guard down. Life or death decisions in a split second.” Ortheldo’s words haunted me. I suppose that was Ortheldo’s goal—to keep me on edge.
Keeping my guard up was easy at first, but then time slowly dragged into eternity. What could really happen? We were only about twenty-eight miles from the frontier of woods that surrounded The Pitt.
That’s when I heard them—the footsteps, followed by a strange airy sound I couldn’t place.
A wave of nervous heat washed from my head to my toes. My heartbeat quickened as I slowly stood from the rock. I didn’t dare make any sudden moves. My eyes darted left and right as I straighten to my full height.
More footsteps. Then the airy sound came again, and I realized it was laughter, like children giggling in the distance. It was so soft, as if the sound was carried by the wind alone.
Suddenly fast footsteps raced from my right around my back and to my left.
I didn’t even have time to see it as I spun around. I desperately tried to keep my breathing under control so I could listen while my eyes darted around in the darkness. Every inch of my skin seemed to tingle with fright. I strained my eyes but saw nothing. The longer I stood there unable to see what was near me, the more the fear started taking over. It began to throb in my head and ears like a steady, banging drum. It was almost painful!
Again, footsteps shot from left to right. I spun around again. Nothing.
The airy giggling came again, louder this time, and only terrified me more. What was out there? Was I going to die? The giggles sounded like something from a nightmare. They whispered in my ears, taunting me. My pride was smashed to dust, and I needed help. I tried to call out, but only managed to make some noises deep in my throat. I couldn’t call to Azrel for help!
Footsteps darted behind me again, closer! They were so close this time that the wind from the speed moved my cloak. I didn’t turn this time. I couldn’t.
Suddenly out of my side vision I saw a shadow leaning against a tree. I jerked my body in its direction. It was a black, dense shadow, the size of a small child, but I couldn’t see details of a face. I heard more airy giggles in my ears, but my eyes didn’t leave the silhouette.
Rabryn, a terrifying raspy whisper filled my ears.
My heart stopped. It sounded like a child, but the voice was not human. It echoed eerily in my head and made me feel like I needed to wake up from a terrible dream. The voice seemed to fill my entire skull, making my reason hazy and distraught. I couldn’t think. I knew nothing but fear in this moment. So much terror! I had no memory. I didn’t know who I was or what I was doing. I knew I was scared, and that’s all I knew. I felt like I was about to go mad from the fear. It was consuming me and eating away at me painfully!
Then, from one last rational part of my mind, Ortheldo’s words came to me. They exploded like lightening and blew the effects of the voice into almost complete oblivion. “Stay alert. Be ready for anything. Be prepared and everything will be fine.” I suddenly remembered that I had a weapon in my hand. I yanked an arrow from my quiver and fitted it to the string, pulling it taut. The airy voices and laughter stopped immediately.
I gathered all the courage I had left, which wasn’t much, and put any strength I could into my voice. “Speak, little one!” I managed harshly. I tightened my jaw and tried to harden my eyes, but no doubt my fear betrayed me. My lips felt dry, my tongue thick. I heard the creek nearby and suddenly longed for a drink of water.
The small figure didn’t move, didn’t speak, and didn’t giggle. Three more shadows suddenly appeared: one to the left of the shadow that I had in my arrow’s sight, one diagonally behind that, and a third to the right of that one.
I felt sweat form on my upper lip and more drip down my face. The immeasurable terror consumed me again. I desperately tried to control my breath, but failed. I
t was rapid and shallow, and I thought if I didn’t die of fear, I would suffocate. I couldn’t take a deep breath, though I tried. My lungs burned for the air they weren’t getting. Pain pulsated in my head, and my body trembled violently.
All the sudden I felt a hand close around my throat—but nothing was touching me! Slowly I felt the pressure of small fingers pushing into my neck. My arms were locked in firing position, but I couldn’t fire! My joints were locked!
“Rabryn,” a steady voice came, “just back away.”
It was a familiar voice, a real voice.
That sound of something real washed relief through me. It didn’t fully erase the terror I felt, but suddenly the hand disappeared from my throat. I could breathe again.
The calming voice seemed to give me enough power to move, so I tried to take a step back.
The four shadows suddenly threw their arms up in the air and their heads back and let rip a scream of agony that I could feel in my bones. The terror of the sound made me freeze. I winced as pain exploded in my mind and my temples pounded uncontrollably. The screams seemed to reflect the pain that I felt in every inch of my body from the inside out.
Somehow, I had enough reason to know that I needed to take a step back. I tried but my legs didn’t move! Nothing moved! I was paralyzed!
A new panic boiled up inside me. I couldn’t escape these things even if I tried! I was trying, and I wasn’t moving!
“Rabryn,” a second real voice said calmly, but sternly. “You have to back away. You have to make yourself move.”
The calm tone of the voice managed to calm me a bit, and suddenly my leg snapped up from the ground as if it had become unstuck, and I took a step backwards. I still couldn’t look away from the shadows, and my arms were still locked in firing position. But I didn’t care! My leg moved!
Suddenly the shadows all clutched their heads and doubled over as if they were in great pain, and they screamed even louder. The sight alone was terrifying even without their eerie shrieks!
The fear in me returned, and as it did, my legs stiffened again and the panic of not being able to escape returned. My breath quickened as my feet planted into the ground again. I was still ready to release the arrow, but my joints were still locked. I could only stare at the shadows in horror.