Chaos Destiny

by Mussie Haile

  The party moved in an unordered formation, shouting Mikko’s name as they went. The forest bounced back the echo of their shouts and there was no response, yet they continued anyway.

  “Here,” Hermon called suddenly.

  Everyone turned. He was to their far left, standing in front of a rough-barked tree. “It is wet,” he said, inclining his head towards the bloom of wetness at the foot of the tree.

  “This is where Mikko did his thing,” D’rmas said, casting his eyes about the surrounding area.

  “Could he have taken off?” Eldana inquired.

  “Mikko!” Hermon called.

  Just then, they heard the snap of a branch. They turned towards the source of the sound, their hands reaching for their weapons. Siem had notched an arrow already. They heard a branch snap again, and this time they were sure of the sound’s direction. Their hearts beat in anticipation as they waited.

  Without warning, a robust deer walked out to them from the cover of trees.

  “Pheew,” Hermon sighed.

  Eldana and Siem had relief burnished clearly on their faces. D’rmas just grunted.

  Without warning, there was a tight twang as Siem let her arrow loose. The deer fell to the ground with an arrow sticking out of its heart.

  “What did you do that for?” Hermon cried with disbelief.

  “One, it got me all worked up for nothing. And two, it is meat. The dried stuff we have in our bags probably will last longer than anything we try to find here. It will be wise of us to assume that there will come a time when the woods will offer nothing in the way of food. Best we stock up and eat now.”

  “Ah, I like her,” D’rmas told Hermon.

  “We still have to find, Mikko, don’t we?” Eldana asked.

  “Yes, of course,” Siem replied. “Hermon you will stay behind and prepare the venison, while the rest of us continue the search.”

  “Is that not dangerous?” Hermon asked. “Me, alone in this forest?”

  “Don’t be such a whiner, Hermon,” Eldana berated. “You are not alone in the forest. We will be here too, just in a different location. We cannot all stay behind. We do not have time to spare. Mikko is still out there, come on!”

  Hermon tilted his head and pressed his lips tightly together. “I owe Mikko a punch,” he said.

  “Ah, on that I agree with you,” D’rmas said. “He will get more than that from me.”

  Hermon drew a dagger from its sheath hanging on his belt. He sharpened the dagger on a whetstone before he knelt beside the dead deer. Eldana, Siem, and D’rmas left Hermon and the sound of shredding flesh behind, venturing deeper into the forest.

  “How I wish we had a seer,” Siem said, after almost an hour of shouting Mikko’s name in the forest and coming back with nothing. “Locating Mikko would be like this.” She snapped her finger.

  “None of you know how to work seer magic?” D’rmas asked. His tone held the mild inflection of surprise.

  “Do you?” Eldana asked.

  “No,” D’rmas replied. “That is beyond the standard magic of my clan. I just assumed that you two would know how to handle it.”

  “No,” Siem replied. “Seer magic is not my best suit either. I tried it during my training, fell sick for almost a week. I did not try it again.”

  “What do you do then, when you want the services of a seer?” Dramas asked.

  “I get a seer. Or I use other mediums. Though they are nowhere as effective as the seers, they serve their purpose.”

  D’rmas was about to bring Eldana to answer his question when she called out.

  “Hey guys, why does this look familiar?”

  D’rmas and Siem stopped in their tracks and walked towards where Eldana was standing with her head slightly bowed, looking over something on the ground.

  Siem’s eyes bulged with recognition. There, lying on the floor in careless abandon, was Miko’s magic cloak Siem lifted it with the tip of her arrow and inspected it. She found nothing on it that would shed more light on how it had come off its wearer.

  “We are sure this belongs to Mikko, right?” Eldana asked.

  “No Eldana, the evidence is too overwhelming to think this as a coincidence,” Siem said.

  “Indeed,” D’rmas agreed.

  The three of them fanned out into the forest, calling Mikko’s name at the very top of their voices. But they got nothing in response.

  “Merai midri.” D’rmas said, stretching a splayed palm towards the forest ground. Immediately, bright imprints of footsteps glowed from among the leaves. First, it was a single pair. They moved around in a circle, but a circle without a definite circumference.

  Then Eldana gasped. “Look.” She pointed; her eyes lit with alarm.

  More footsteps began to appear coming towards the single pair. Whoever it was that owned the multiple footsteps, turned back to where they came from when they had gotten close to the person with the single pair of footsteps. When they disappeared, the single pair was no longer there. They were gone, like they had never existed.

  “Are you guys thinking what I am thinking?” Siem asked.

  D’rmas and Eldana responded simultaneously. But their replies could not be more different.

  “That Mikko was a spy and this was the rendezvous?” D’rmas said.

  Eldana on the other hand said, “That he may have been abducted.”

  However, as soon as she was done speaking, both her and Siem cast D’rmas a stare.

  “What?” D’rmas asked. “That too is a suitable explanation!”

  After a while, he said, “Whatever we choose to believe, one thing is clear. If we decide that the individual footsteps that have just been revealed belong to Mikko, then he was alone, and when more people came towards him, he left with them. Whether it was by coercion, or by his will.”

  “What do we do?” Eldana asked. “We cannot just surrender him to the uncertainties of his fate.”

  “Going after those footsteps would be foolish,” Siem said. “Without foreknowledge of who the people Mikko’s with are, we will be sitting ducks.”

  D’rmas grunted his approval.

  “I have heard of a seer near these parts,” D’rmas said. “But going to them would mean deviating from our current path. They live at the skirts of the forest, closest to Kleas.” D’rmas must have noticed the looks of uneasiness Siem and Eldana passed among themselves because he asked, “Is anything the problem?”

  “No, nothing,” Siem replied. “You could have told us you knew a seer before now, though!”

  Eldana wished there was some other way. She thought of casting a communication spell, wherein they could speak with the seer through a medium of communication – a bowl of water, or a mirror. However, whilst the communication spell would go through to the seer, they would still need to give her something of Mikko’s she could use to access visions about his whereabouts. That was the only way to operate because the seer did not know Mikko. Thus, the purpose of the communication spell was defeated. If they were going to get back Mikko, they would have to leave their path.

  “Fine,” Siem said, finally. “We should at least get back to Hermon, and tell him what is going on!”

  They were still deliberating among themselves when suddenly D’rmas picked up the sound of whistling in the air and commanded the others to hit the floor. Sure enough, a dozen arrows hit the trees with a thud. Without D’rmas warning, the arrows would have hit all of them.

  “Ambush!” D’rmas was yelling.

  Eldana quickly conjured a sphere of air over them as another hail of arrows flew in. The arrows bounced harmlessly off the surface of the shield.

  “Do you think they are the ones who took Mikko?” Siem shouted.

  “I cannot say for sure. We established that there were no signs of struggle when Mikko went along with whatever group had shown
up here.”

  “But if they all pointed arrows on him, that would be more than enough incentive to make anyone do anything peacefully.”

  “I agree,” Eldana said. “But what I do not know is why they are not giving us a chance to come in peacefully if they are the same ones..” She said as another volley of arrows snapped and splintered on the shield above them. They shuffled deeper into the woods warily.

  D’rmas looked at the two of them but said nothing. He had his ideas, his own theories. If Mikko went in with these people without a struggle, and the same set of people were not giving them any of that chance, it only meant that his suspicions regarding Mikko had been right all along. Whether he was right or not, one fact remained: right now they were being shot at by people they could not see. Fortunately, all he needed was a way to make their attackers come into visibility.

  “We cannot just lie here and keep waiting for their quivers to empty. It might be a very long time.” D’rmas told Eldana and Siem angrily.

  “D’rmas is right,” Siem told Eldana. “I want to get a piece of these bastards myself!”

  One of Eldana’s arms was still maintaining the shield over them. “I have an idea,” she told both of them. “But you have to have your weapons on the ready.”

  “What are you planning?” D’rmas asked.

  Eldana looked from one to the other. “We cannot attack while we are still under this shield. So, in the second it takes them to restock their arrows, I am going to let down the shield and try to still the air, you know, to freeze any arrows they fire at us completely. Once I have done that, we try to flush them out of the forest.”

  “Leave that bit to me,” Siem said. “That is more like my area of specialty...”

  Eldana nodded. “Remember guys,” she said. “After the shield is lifted, you will be vulnerable...”

  D’rmas chuckled. “I am not sure I have turned into an amateur overnight, have I?”

  Eldana looked ahead towards the edge of the densely packed trees and hissed a breath through her teeth. This was the time. It was now or never.

  With her arm still maintaining the shield, she got to her feet, waited...

  The first hail of arrows came, slender and pointed, rushing towards them with a singleness of purpose. Eldana waited, taking one breath to prepare herself. The moment they hit the shield, Eldana let the shield go, and made a speedy step forward. Then she thrust her fingers into the air. She connected to the air around her, as a being of balance and chaos, she did not always need spells for this. She felt the air like a slight tingly sensation in her veins, and then she willed her intention into it...

  At that moment, the unseen attackers let their arrows fly. Siem and D’rmas saw them come towards them. Defenseless against such a deluge of arrows, it looked to them for a moment, that the arrows would pierce through their bodies indiscriminately. But then the most amazing thing happened.

  The arrows slowed in the air. At first, she had to blink to tell herself that she was not having hallucinations or anything of the sort. In truth, she was not, when she had opened her eyes, the arrows had frozen in mid-air.

  “Siem, now!” Eldana yelled, turning back to look at her.

  It’s my turn now, Siem told herself.

  She closed her eyes, and when she opened them the area had grown taut. Her hair danced in the air like crazed snakes. Eldana had felt this before. Since she had known Siem, she had always known that her friend shared an uncanny connection to the spirits of the forest. No sane mage, no matter how great would try to battle Siem in the forest. Not alone anyway. Ordinarily, Siem was an impressively strong magician, but in the forest her power became mystical.

  “Kitab mezah!” Siem muttered, whispering the spell with which she called upon the ancestors of the forests.

  Without hesitation, they answered. Siem felt their ephemeral presence all around her, ready to give her guidance; ready to do her bidding.

  “Ancestors of the forest,” she said, “disclose those who have decided to remain in the shadow of your midst. Let the hidden attackers be brought into the open.”

  With a howl, the wind whipped around them violently. D’rmas saw the forest trees shake violently like they were fighting amongst themselves. Then the first of the attackers flew out. A stout male dressed in shroud-like clothing. The dressing made D’rmas bare his teeth in a visceral growl. He brought forth his sword, and stooped, ready for action. The dressing was a signature one. One he recognized all too well because his clan and these were sworn enemies.

  Eldana noticed the sudden shift in D’rmas’ stance.

  “What is the matter?” she asked him.

  “Sandoc,” he seethed. They were one of the most violent tribes who believed in upholding the tradition, no matter what.

  One by one, sometimes in clusters, the Sandoc would either run out of the cluster of trees or fly out. The ancestors of the forest were agitated. But whether they ran out or were thrown out, the Sandoc clung to their training, still standing, their weapons drawn, and poised for an attack. The Sandoc had formed a dense circle around the three of them. Siem, Eldana, and D’rmas drew close to each other, forming a tighter knot of defense against the attacking Sandocs.

  “How did they find us?” Eldana asked.

  “I intend to ask,” D’rmas growled, hoisting his sword higher.

  “What of Hermon?” Eldana asked. “I hope none of them went for him.”

  “I am not certain of that,” D’rmas replied. “But even if they did. They would realize, too late of course, that that was the greatest mistake of their lives. They would rather face us than a berserker in full form.”

  “Of course,” Siem agreed. “We are about to teach them that.”

  The stout man who had been thrown out earlier stepped forward. His carriage and the confidence in his scarred face suggested that he was the leader of the group.

  “Listen and listen carefully,” he said without any preliminaries, “We are the Sandoc and we are here on a mission. We will show no mercy in the execution of that which is our mission. We expect no resistance, but if we get…”

  “Do you usually talk this much before a fight?” Siem asked, her anger visible.

  The Sandoc leader stared back at Siem, his expression a little indifferent. Then he turned and looked at D’rmas.

  “We have one of the Qeltifom clan here with them, tell me, you are more knowledgeable of our culture, do you accept for us to carry out our mission unchallenged?”

  Rather than answer his question, D’rmas asked him one of his own:

  “How did you find us?”

  The man sneered. “The Sandoc have their ways. Are you impressed, free warrior? Or frightened.”

  “You wish I was,” D’rmas laughed. ‘Why are you here?”

  “To take the being of Balance and Chaos and the Siem into our possession and have them delivered safely.”

  “And me?”

  “Our orders are to kill you. You do not feature in the plan.”

  D’rmas smiled and nodded. “How classic,” he said. “Well, I must warn you, one of the Sandoc clan, that we are not afraid. And have no plans of going anywhere with you. Nor do I have any plans of being put to death by you or any member of your clan.”

  The Sandoc leader looked at Eldana and Siem.

  “Does the free warrior speak your mind?” he asked. “You two do not have to go down the path of violence. You have the choice of coming with us freely and willingly to avoid injury.”

  “Look at us closely,” Eldana said. “What do you think we are saying?”

  The man stared at them, and they stared back with a steely resolve.

  “Fine,” the man said finally. “Let it be known that in line with our custom, we had given them the chance for easiness.”

  “You did not have a problem with giving chances when you fired hail after
hail of arrows at us,” Siem said. “Hiding like cowards in the trees.”

  The Sandoc leader stepped back to the circle of his clan, and then the two parties stared murderously at each other. The Sandoc, in their larger numbers, at the three in the middle. And Siem, Eldana, and D’rmas stared fearlessly back. They could never be more certain in themselves. Then the first Sandoc ran swiftly towards Siem. The soldier was so fleet that it looked like his feet barely touched the ground. He ran towards her with his sword raised in the air. Without thinking, Siem nocked an arrow and sent it towards the soldier. The soldier rolled on the ground, dodging, but she had expected it, and so had nocked a second arrow just as soon as the first was leaving. She fired the second, which got the soldier straight in the heart, as he was coming up from his role.

  As if that was the cue, the remaining group hugging the edge of the trees rushed in to join the fray.

  “Kitab mezah!” Siem cried out.

  Again, there was a rush of air. Her arrow glowed, and it speared through the air, its tip glowing brightly until the entire shaft was covered in bright light. The arrow hit a formation of the Sandoc resulting in an explosive blast that scattered a section of them into the air like twigs. Before Siem could nock another arrow of such magical ability, the Sandoc were already upon them.

  D’rmas launched into the fight, swinging his sword, parrying, blocking, weaving in and out of strokes, and drawing blood. He danced, and it was a dance unique to the free warriors. But the Sandoc had one of their own dances and made for tough opponents.

  Nearby, Eldana also had her hands full. But she was the being of Balance and Chaos, and she commanded a greater share of the warriors. She fought, unfazed by the numbers she was facing. She fought with a melee of sword strokes and magic. She would duck under blows aimed at her head, and reach out with her foot almost immediately, tripping her attacker, then slam into him with a condensed form of air, and then delivered a killing blow with her sword. The fight raged on, with more and more of the Sandoc dropping to the floor. Siem and Eldana fought like demons, their combo of magic and blades never failing them.