Trials

by Hannah Parker

  They can’t hear you Alina. Rolan’s voice echoed. You are only a spectator in this fight... for now.

  Fight!?

  The arrows flew out like hail, whipping through the trees in rapid succession and taking out the men surrounding Arden. He reacted quickly, his ears picking up on the pullback of bowstrings at the last second and bringing him to duck behind a small rock.

  Agonized screams erupted as the Marauders sprung from their hiding spot in the trees like wild animals on the hunt. They took no pity on those they’d wounded, stepping on them, tearing into them with swords and axes without mercy. They were unguarded and unprepared, and the Marauders took full advantage of it.

  Arden whirled around, drawing his sword and cutting down enemy after enemy with small, calculated steps and attacks. He stood calm but his eyes displayed his maddening fear. He hadn’t thought of this outcome either.

  “We have to help them!” I shouted.

  We cannot, Rolan replied again.

  “Why? Why are you showing me this if I can do nothing?!”

  You can do something, he retorted. You can give up this journey. Return home. Fight alongside those who remain. Avenge your fallen.

  I stared at the scene unfolding before me in utter disbelief. Was Rolan truly suggesting I turn tail and run? Now? Could I even make it in time?

  Graven can always hear you. Summon him and he will take you to them. End this madness before it takes any more lives, Alina.

  My eyes darted across the battlefield. The villagers were no match for the Marauders as they took them out one by one. Even as they swung their swords in desperation, they were helpless against the mercilessness and wrath of their opponents. One. Two. Three more bodies fell at my feet as I followed Arden like a shadow. For every enemy he cut down, three of his own men fell beside them.

  This was not a battle. It was a massacre.

  It is your decision, Alina...

  I could do it. Command Rolan to free me from this trial so I could summon Graven and go home. But, would I even make it in time? Would I save them? Would I even save Lord Arden? If I stayed, they would all perish. There would be nothing, no one to go home to. My mind was racing. I didn’t know what to do. Flee and fight, or stay, and train. If I stayed, I could become stronger. I could avenge them, all of them. My family, Kiyne, the villagers.

  Blood covered Arden, his face splattered red as he continued his fury. From enemies, allies, friends, he couldn’t let their death be in vain. He wouldn’t let it. He flipped his sword in his hand, thrusting back into the mid-section of a Marauder prepared to cut his throat. The man fell, lifeless, as Arden pulled back his sword to swing at another enemy, severing his head before he even got close.

  A voice began to call out, familiar, but damning as it grew louder and louder.

  “Odaer,” I whispered.

  “Take your men and get out of my sight,” he ordered, looking at the battered Elf as he killed more of his men.

  “No,” Arden replied with ferocity. His blade rose in his hand, flying to his side as he cut through another Maurader trying to run at him with a mace.

  “You’ve lost enough for one night. Do you wish to lose them all?”

  “Why show mercy now? You’re not known for kindness.”

  “I need you to relay a message for me,” Odaer grinned. “Alina for Kiyne. My granddaughter for your weld-master.”

  “You’re bluffing. I watched you kill the boy myself.”

  Kiyne was alive?! No. He couldn’t be. Odaer was merciless, just as everyone had said. A killer. A destroyer. He wouldn’t have let him live.

  “Even I could barely see through the beast fire, so how do you know what you truly saw that night?”

  Arden growled.

  Odaer tossed a large blade to his feet, “here.”

  It was Kiyne’s sword. We hadn’t found him, or his sword when the morning arrived but, that didn’t mean he was alive. Did it?

  “Would I exchange a corpse for my own family member?” Odaer scoffed. “I’m insulted, Arden. I am a man of my word, you know that.”

  Arden looked around at his soldiers; those who weren’t dead were severely wounded and he knew if he hesitated any longer, he too, would be slain just like the rest.

  “I’ll meet you at Bindi’s Bay in three days' time. My granddaughter had better be with you.”

  My body was trembling. My mouth was dry, and every fiber of my being screamed at me to run. To flee and fight. Kiyne was alive! I had to get to him. I didn’t care what Odaer had planned for me. I could handle it.

  Is that your final decision? Rolan’s voice interrupted again.

  I paused. My body finally growing still, and serenity once more enveloping me.

  Arden bent down, taking Kiyne’s sword in his free hand. He watched as Odaer walked away, back turned toward him. He could slay him right then and there. Two swords were at the ready and yet, he only watched.

  “No,” I replied, clenching my fists. Tears rolled down my cheeks, and I couldn’t help but snarl.

  The Marauders vanished into the shadows, taking their weapons and leaving the wounded behind. They had acted like ghosts; soundless and veiled by mist and shadow, just as the Unadine had once been.

  Arden stood straight, analyzing the scene before him. A few of the Arcanon appeared from beyond, their eyes taking in the scene before them as they carried their own wounded on their backs.

  “Gather the bodies,” he ordered. “We make no further progress tonight.”

  I awoke from what felt like a nightmare, however, my body was still overcome with emotions, my heart pounding in response to the horrors I’d witnessed. The fire still roared at my side but Rolan, that mythical Stag, was nowhere in sight. I held my head in my hands, rubbing at my eyes and temples trying to make sense of it all.

  “It was a dream. A dream. Just a bad dream,” I kept repeating.

  “That damned thing was quick,” Yefilda said, emerging from the shadows of the woods with Mara at her side.

  How long had I been out? Seconds? Hours? No, it couldn’t have been long. Rolan had said they were close behind. Was I only seeing that vision for a few minutes?

  Mara looked at me, noticing my confusion as she approached from behind Yefilda.

  “Alina? Did you build this?”

  I looked over at the fire again, “Y-yeah,” I replied. “For our dinner. But I guess he got away.”

  Mara sighed,” yeah he just took off, like a ghost. Couldn’t even find tracks.”

  I took a deep breath, curling myself into a seated position and hugging at my knees while I lost myself in the flames.

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost yourself,” Yefilda commented.

  Slowly she unraveled a pack from her back, pulling out a couple of leaves filled with salted fish. She gracefully flayed them on a couple of twigs and put them near the fire before taking a seat next to me.

  “They’re better a bit warmed up,” she said with a smile.

  Mara sat down across from us, staring through the fire and into my very soul, “another trial,” she managed to divulge.

  I nodded, “Kiyne... he’s alive.”

  Chapter Nine

  My sleep was restless, if I could call it sleep at all. My mind was a mess of visions and knowledge that had been thrust upon me by the Skyborns and their companions. Kiyne’s preservation was solely in promise of me showing up at Bindi’s Bay in three days. The Unadine battle behind Arden. It was all so much to take in and even more to process what to do with it.

  I rolled up my bedroll, tucking it back into my satchel. The fire was barely smoldering any longer and the gentle coo of birds greeted me just as they greeted the rising sun. A pink sky edged the horizon as light danced upon its surface once again. Small droplets of dew glittered against the rising morn, like twinkles of starlight on the blanket of night, just before sliding from their placement and onto the ground to feed the trees.

  Mara yawned, rolling herself out of her odd little ne
st of blankets and leaves before finally perking up. It was odd for her to sleep in this late. She was always up well before dawn but, perhaps the Further had merely been too much for her, warranting the much-needed rest.

  Yefilda was already awake, analyzing the trails to the tower and adjusting our route accordingly.

  “Ah, you’re both awake,” she said warmly. “We’d best get a move on quickly; we’ve only got a little time left.”

  A little time left? What did she mean?

  Mara let out a scream, “what’s happening!?”

  I ran to her side, looking down at her legs just as she was to see them growing oddly translucent.

  “It’s like you’re fading away!” I shrieked.

  Yefilda hurried to us, looking Mara over a few times with concern, “the Further is trying to claim you. You’ve been here too long.”

  I remembered Mara explaining on the flight here that we only had so much time here before something happened but I never had imagined this. I thought the heart would simply grow attached to the peace. I never thought the Further would literally take her from the physical realm.

  “Why is it only affecting her?” I asked, checking myself over repeatedly.

  “You’re meant to be on this path,” Yefilda replied. “Mara is not.”

  I could see the panic and fear all over Mara’s face, it was so unnatural and frightening. Someone I knew to be strong and confident was now riddled with pure terror. I had to help her, to get her out of here as soon as possible.

  “I’ll call Graven. We’ll get out of here now!”

  “No!” Mara said, clutching my hands in her own. “You have to keep going!”

  “Mara I won’t let you fade!”

  “I won’t let you abandon this quest! You have to do this. For me. For Kiyne. For everyone!”

  Yefilda placed a hand on each of us, once more washing us over with her compassion and tranquility in order to clear our minds.

  “I’ll take care of Mara, Alina. You need to get to the Unalter. Learn your power. Take hold of your destiny.”

  I wanted to help Mara but, I didn’t know how. How could I go on without them? Without their guidance and support? They were strong, powerful, and skilled. I was just running into dumb luck and convenience. I was no Mage, or Hunter, not like them. I was Alina, just some orphaned girl with an odd talent to talk to Dragons and put her hands in fire. I was no hero or saviour.

  “Alina, if you do not move forward Mara will be stuck here. And if Odaer succeeds, the Further may no longer be safe, even for the dead.”

  “You have to keep going, Alina,” Mara added.

  My eyes grew blurry, tears fighting against me once more. The red flush in my cheeks was growing but, this time the glowing orange from my hands didn’t emit any flames.

  “Look, Alina, you’ve already grown so much,” Yefilda commented, pointing down at my hands.

  I glanced down through my tears; she was right. Though the aura still grew, no sparks ever fell from my fingers. I didn’t want to leave them behind, or go off on my own but, I knew deep down it was my only option. The only way I could save them.

  “I’ll fix this, I promise,” I said, clenching my fists and running down the path Yefilda had examined earlier. I could hear Yefilda’s words as she’d been looking down the path earlier. ‘To always move forward, despite the dangers that may lie ahead; because no matter what comes before you, you’re still progressing.’

  The Unalter wasn’t far now; I knew I’d make it there well before nightfall, especially after running for so long. I’d taken only a moment to rest, to catch my breath when my tears finally cleared and my heart had finally settled away from my throat. Still, I couldn’t help feeling uneasy. Not only was Kiyne depending on my return, but now Mara was as well. If I didn’t want to do this for me, I definitely had to do it for them.

  I’d picked up my pace, careful to watch my surroundings but not allowing myself to be distracted like usual at the vast array of scenery surrounding me. I had to keep my focus. I was so close. I could even see the Spiral of stairs that awaited me just a hundred feet away.

  The sky grew dark, and though I was steadfast n my assignment I couldn’t help but notice the lack of clouds. Rolls of booming thunder began to ring in my ears, yet no lightning brightened the horizon. My steps slowed, and my heart began to race once more as I knew yet another trial was coming for me.

  Chapter Ten

  Slowly I began to feel the ground quake and rumble, grass waning back and forth in a vicious breeze as it swept across the fields. I took a deep breath, holding still, eyes spanning for what creature would manifest before my eyes this time.

  Dust clamored in front of me, tearing away my view of the Unalter with its rising assault. It climbed higher and higher as the ground trembled more and more, bringing me to stabilize myself in a low crouch.

  Alina.

  Alina!

  There.

  There!

  It was as if several voices were speaking, all at once, calling my name and talking amongst themselves in confusion.

  You’re here.

  Here!

  Finally.

  Finally!

  They kept talking over one another, repeating, shouting, and changing tones. I couldn’t help but try to peer through the growing dust storm for the source of the voices; to locate the haunting calls that seemed to be all around me, but in front of me at the same time.

  They emerged all at once, in a sudden clearing from the thick of the beige and brown cloud of dust, staring down at me with deep honey eyes filled with wonder and secret. Wild horses in deep golden hues, thick blacks, and mixed patterns. I felt their eyes penetrate my very being, staring deep into me as if searching and looking into my soul.

  We are the last.

  The last!

  Yes, before you can ascend.

  “Who are you?” I asked, still confused by all their voices and repetition.

  We are the wild. We keep the Skyborn of Spirit.

  Finally, their voices had united, at least for their introduction as they spoke only through my mind.

  “But I’ve already faced a Spiritual conquest with the World.”

  We are not the same.

  Not the same!

  We see beyond your beliefs.

  Beyond your morals!

  We see deeper.

  Deeper!

  We see your true intentions.

  Your inner desire!

  Your fear.

  “Is that so?” I asked, rather harshly. Who were they to judge me? How did they know how I felt about anything or anyone? How I will see this through. “What are my true intentions then?”

  We will show you.

  Yes!

  Yes.

  We’ll reveal what you deny yourself, Alina!

  I stood firm, awaiting the vision, or dream, or devoid world they’d show me. Yet, nothing happened. There was no breeze to thrust me into a grey world, or a fire to lift me onto a great platform to address my followers. Not even a calm voice to lead me into a vision of bloodshed and hate. Instead, one of them took a few steps forward and began to dig at the ground with a single hoof, revealing a small, clear puddle just below their form.

  Look.

  Look! They all cried out at once.

  I kneeled down, looking into the rippling water, my expression still one that was unimpressed and tired. could see my eyes, red from so many poured tears, my cheeks pale from exhaustion.

  “What am I looking for?”

  The truth.

  The truth!

  I sighed, staring down, waiting for something to emerge or reveal itself but, all I could see was my own reflection.

  “This is getting ridiculous,” I whispered to myself. “Trials, fighting, tests. I don’t want any of this. I never asked for any of this.”

  Before I knew it, I was standing face to face with an exact replica of myself. The puddle had twisted and manifested itself into my very reflection, the same emer
ald eyes, choppy brown hair, and awkward stance. As I moved, she moved. Every breath. Every whimper. The very same.

  I stood up quickly, taking in my own image with caution and awe. This was no reflective pool or piece of glass. This was a person. My person. Staring back at me.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  “Alina,” she replied flatly.

  “I’m Alina.”

  “As am I.”

  “No... really. Who are you?”

  “I am you. Undiluted. Untainted. Unrestricted.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I am your other choices. What could have been. What may be.”

  My eyes narrowed.

  “What may be? What are you going on about?” I asked.

  “Speak clearly.”

  “What?”

  “Ask.”

  “What may be?”

  “What may be.”

  “Leave. Relinquish the gem. Be free. Run. Run away and let them fight. This is not your burden to bear. You did nothing wrong. You exist and yet you’re punished. You. Kiyne. Run. To the far North. Beyond. Let it end their way, as they started it.”

  “These are the same questions as the World!” I growled.

  “Not questions. Feelings. You want to run. You want to be free from this. You don’t truly want to fight. You never did. Kiyne didn’t have to fight. Neither did Mara. They did it for you. And you do it for who?”

  Riddles. I hated riddles. I couldn’t speak. It was right. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to find my inner powers and be the hero. I wanted to enjoy my peaceful village with my friends. I wanted to buy a horse and travel the world for the right reasons, not these ones. I wanted to be far from here. Far from the Marauders and Odaer’s War.

  “You didn’t want to come here. You didn’t want to fight either. You’ve only ever wanted your own life.”

  “I want peace... and quiet,” I said in a hush.

  “Leave. Take Mara. Take Kiyne in exchange for the gem. Abandon this quest. It is not yours. It belongs to another.”

  “Another?”

  “One who wants it. Who was prepared for it. The Brave. The Chosen.”