by Emerson Fray
Chapter 15
Night came fast, and Ren found the forest was a lot more terrifying far from the capital. Out there she couldn’t hear music in the distance or see glowing lights that would lead her back to a crowded festival. There was nothing but the moon and it gave little guidance. All she could do was follow Sheridan, and listen to their footsteps as they travelled blindly through the trees. She hated herself for being the reason they were there at night—her injuries had slowed them down considerably. She’d thought her ankle would be better after a night of rest, and it was, but not enough for such a long journey. It was a blessing that Sheridan had her kamas back. Without them she was certain they never would have made it through some of the dense vines they had.
Just as Ren began to count more of what was going right she heard a growl. It was the faintest sound, so quiet she thought it was her imagination. At first she brushed it off, since it wouldn’t be the first time her imagination had gotten the best of her in the past twenty-four hours. But then it came again, closer now.
“Do you hear that?” she asked the other two. Abetha and Sheridan glanced over their shoulder and both their eyes widened. Ren’s heart rate picked up, because seeing Sheridan’s eyes widened meant only one thing; incredible danger.
Ren ducked. She didn’t know why she did, but it was her first reaction. If something was behind her, surely it would jump at her, right? So she hit the ground hard, smashing her face into the dirt in hopes of avoiding an attack.
She was right to do so. Something sailed overhead, bringing the rushing wind with it. Her hair whipped by, obscuring her view of whatever had almost killed her. Ren covered her head and felt something scratch lightly down her arms, a narrow dodge of another threat. It didn’t break the skin, but if she’d been any slower it would have ripped her in half. When she looked up she found a hulking beast.
Its head was reminiscent of a wolf, but its body was misshapen. Six legs protruded from its long torso, with two hooks on the end of each. Of all the things she’d seen in the history books, this was unlike any of them. This was something all it’s own.
And now the thing was standing between Sheridan and Abetha, and her.
Ren had expected Abetha to cower or for Sheridan to push her aside and away from the danger. But instead she yanked a knife from her boot, and prepared herself for the fight. Ren was awestruck by the once quiet, spineless girl.
The thing roared at them.
Standing quickly, Ren debated on what to do. She had no weapons, no knowledge of whatever this creature was, and no options. So she asked, “What is it?”
“It’s an arenthrope,” Abetha replied, shifting her fingers on the handle of the blade. Her eyes never left the arenthrope. “Thankfully it is not a poisonous one.”
It was at least six feet tall and Ren didn’t think that was very lucky, and decided not to be thankful for its presence.
“Stay back,” Sheridan called. She had her kamas in hand and as she jumped forward the arenthrope struck towards Abetha. Its leg shot out, nearly stabbing through the heart when she dodged to the right; its claw caught the fabric under her arm, the force sending her into a nearby tree. Ren heard the thud as its claw cut easily through the wood. Abetha jumped to the right, the fabric of her shirt ripping apart.
Sheridan slashed at one of its legs. The creature screeched this time, the sound vibrating heavily through Ren’s chest. It was such a violent shout she had to cover her ears. When it finally quieted down its jaws snapped at Sheridan, but refused to get too far from Abetha. She stared it down, waited for it to make the next move.
Ren searched the area for anything useful, anything that could be used as a weapon. She found a rock, and a few fallen branches, nothing big enough to do any real damage to the arenthrope. She could tell its hide was thick and nothing would be able to penetrate it, maybe not even Sheridan’s kamas. But some damage was better than none at all, she supposed.
Kneeling to the ground Ren grabbed the nearest rock and whipped it at the arenthrope. It reared onto its hind legs, tossing Sheridan and Abetha away as they tried to stab at its head.
“Run!” Abetha shouted.
The arenthrope turned to Ren. Seven glowing yellow eyes stared back at her. She swallowed her fear and slowly picked up the nearest and thickest branch, knowing what was coming. A moment of silence fell over them, and Sheridan and Abetha were completely out of her mind. The arenthrope rushed forward.
In one swift movement Ren lifted the stick, propping it against the ground at just the right angle. Under any other circumstance Ren was certain she’d never be able to lift such a large branch, but it felt easy now with the adrenaline surging through her. The arenthrope wasn’t smart enough to realize what would happen, and in two steps impaled itself on the branch as it tried to wrap its jaws around her head. Ren squeezed her eyes shut, the blood spurting onto her face.
When there was only silence, Ren wiped at the blood and opened her eyes.
Inches away were the jaws of the arenthrope. It had been a mere second away from devouring her, possibly whole. The branch stuck through its mouth, but not through its entire head; it hadn’t even been strong enough to pierce the back of the creature’s skull.
Ren fell backwards.
Abetha’s head appeared around one of the things legs. Soon Sheridan was there as well. Lifting onto shaky legs, Ren was mindlessly nodding her head. “That solves that problem,” she muttered. Her voice was uneven.
“Are you hurt?” Abetha asked. The worry in her tone was genuine, but Ren didn’t bother trying to decipher anything anymore. She wasn’t sure she would ever truly figure Abetha out.
“No,” Ren replied. “Are you two okay?”
“Fine,” Abetha mumbled. Sheridan nodded, and Ren thought she could see a bit of pride and shame in her guardians face. Ren huffed.
“Not as fragile as my dad seems to think, huh?” she said. Part of her wished Maks could have seen her fight, although he probably would have just scolded her technique. Real warriors battled like Sheridan or Abetha, didn’t they? Faced the enemy head on and didn’t use the underhanded tactics she just had. Ren looked at the arenthrope.
“You should take a tooth,” Abetha suggested. “As a trophy.”
“I don’t think I need—” Abetha interrupted by shoving her blade into the arenthrope’s mouth, and plucked out a tooth. There was a terrible suctioned noise that made Ren shiver. Abetha passed her the bloody tooth, and it took up half her palm. “…Thanks.”
“On Novae it is tradition for warriors to keep something from their first kill,” Abetha explained, perfectly calm after the attack. Ren couldn’t stop shaking. “It’s a reminder of what you are capable of, even when you are just beginning.” Abetha smiled. “You’ve come far, haven’t you?”
Ren looked down at the tooth and couldn’t help but agree. She’d never considered herself to be a warrior; she’d always strived for the opposite. Tucking the tooth into her pocket, Ren faced Sheridan. “Do you have something?”
Sheridan tilted her head before lifting her wrist. On it was a thin strap of leather, with the smallest tooth Ren had ever seen on it. “It is from a naravindae,” she explained.
“She was four,” Abetha said. She shrugged. “A kill is a kill.” The girls smiled.
Just as Ren was going to suggest they keep moving, another growl vibrated from behind. It wasn’t as close as before, but it was the same source. Arenthrope.
The trees shook, and the sound of creature’s skittering against the branches made Ren’s skin crawl. It sounded like there were dozens of them.
Abetha cried, “It’s a pack!”
Sheridan grabbed Ren’s wrist and started to pull her forward. She didn’t question where they were going or just how many arenthrope were in a pack, and followed. Abetha wasn’t far behind.
Running blindly, Ren wrestled her wrist from Sheridan’s grip. It was only slowin
g them down, and once they picked up the pace she felt more confident somehow. She was actually feeling kind of…strong. All of her injuries from the day before felt as if they melted away, and all she had to do was focus on running.
All her strength vanished as they came to a large rock wall, its looming shadow appearing only as they were about to hit it. Looking left and right Ren couldn’t see its end.
A thud erupted overhead as an arenthrope latched onto the stone, its claws digging deep into the rock. Tiny pieces of dust and dirt fell towards them, stinging Ren’s eyes. The arenthrope didn’t make a sound and only watched them.
“There,” Abetha said, pointing to a darkened part of the cliff, “it should lead us to the Undercurrent!”
“There’s only one problem,” Sheridan said, catching Ren off guard. She hadn’t expected her to say anything at all, especially in this kind of situation. Her eyes never left the arenthrope, the one problem that kept them from the cave.
Sheridan and Abetha had their weapons out and again Ren was left with nothing. When she made it back to Mahendra, she swore she would carry something with her at all times, especially if there were more people like Kian around. Or more creatures like the arenthrope.
“We should go before the rest get here,” Ren suggested. They had no choice but to risk running for the hole in the wall. Sheridan shot forward first, throwing a small knife at the arenthrope as a distraction. It worked perfectly and in an instant her kamas were back in her hands. The thrown blade landed in the things throat and it started squealing and flailing its front two legs to get the blade out. It started to lose its grip on the wall, too distracted by the fresh wound to hold on anymore.
Ren and Abetha joined Sheridan, crashing into the crack just as the arenthrope fell to the ground. The impact shook the rocks, and two more heavy thuds came as more arenthrope arrived. Abetha groaned as she tried to stand. “My leg.” Blood seeped from her thigh, thankfully not in large quantities.
Quickly grabbing Abetha, Ren pulled her away from the opening, just as a long leg stuck itself inside. Growls and snapping jaws could be heard, but in the darkness Ren felt her heart begin to calm. A breeze ruffled Ren’s hair from overhead, and the tiniest bit of moonlight hit her skin.
Ren stayed on the ground with Abetha, waiting to hear the arenthrope leave, bored of the food that had escaped. But they didn’t, and after a few minutes she asked, “What should we do now?” She couldn’t see an end to the cave they’d happened upon, and even if they knew where to go it was too dark.
“We should rest for a while,” Abetha suggested, “maybe a little deeper in.”
Another arenthrope hit the cliff.
“Agreed.”
They sat on the ground, none of them talking for what felt like hours. Ren’s skin was soaking up the cold, letting it sink easily into her bones until she was no longer shaking from adrenaline but because she was freezing. She wondered if it might kill her, staying here overnight. Neither Sheridan nor Abetha were shaking.
Ren could barely see them with only the sliver of moonlight shining down. Her eyes had adjusted a bit, but it was still too difficult to see what else might be in the cave with them.
“Everyone will surely be surprised when we get back,” Abetha whispered. Ren didn’t know why she was whispering, but it felt appropriate. Every so often they would hear a growl come from the far away opening. The arenthrope seemed tired of throwing themselves against the walls but they didn’t leave.
“Especially Kian,” Ren agreed. She hugged herself a little tighter. Having Abetha beside her wasn’t providing much warmth, and Sheridan was keeping her distance. Apparently freezing to death wasn’t one of her top concerns at the moment.
“Garret will be most surprised,” Abetha mentioned.
“Why’s that?” Ren asked.
“I’ve overheard things,” Abetha said. Sheridan turned her head slightly towards the girls, her interest piqued. Ren’s was as well.
“What things?” Ren asked nervously. She had a feeling she already knew.
“He thinks you’re weak,” Abetha said. “He wants you to marry soon, but I think he’ll be happier if you’re dead.”
Ren knew Garret was trying to get her to marry someone on Novae but she hadn’t thought he’d be happier if she was dead. She didn’t think her death would benefit him in any way, actually. Or anyone, for that matter.
“Garret might be a snake, but he would be happier if I just married someone,” Ren argued.
“He’d be happier if Elian was on the throne.”
That caught Ren by surprise. “What do you mean?”
“Maks cannot be controlled,” Sheridan cut in, her voice low. “He does what he believes is right and best for the people, not the Monarchy. Elian is not as strong as Maks; he’d fold under their pressure.”
“Elian is plenty strong,” Ren said. “And if he were the King then he would be great. He would—”
“Be easily controlled,” Abetha interrupted, “at least Garret thinks so.”
Ren bit down on her bottom lip. “No he wouldn’t.” It was true though, and Elian had plenty of weaknesses they could exploit. All they had to do was threaten to take away his machines and he would crumble. But Ren wanted to think her brother had more integrity than that and shook her head.
“He would compared to Maks,” Abetha said carefully. “The Monarchy is having trouble keeping Maks under their thumb. He isn’t doing what they want here.”
“And what is it they want?” Ren whispered. It was what she’d been trying to figure out ever since she’d left Earth.
In the darkness, Sheridan answered, “Control.”
“Hey Sheridan,” Ren whispered.
Abetha had fallen asleep on her shoulder and she wondered if Sheridan had fallen asleep as well. It had been hours since they talked, and she could already see the tiny specs of sunlight beginning to shine overhead. It was still too dark to tell what else was around them but Ren could hear rain starting to fall. Sheridan was sitting beside her, eyes closed and arms crossed. Her skin just barely brushed against Ren’s, and she thought Sheridan had moved there to give her a bit more warmth. She’d finally managed to stop shaking. “Sheridan.”
“Yes?” Sheridan asked. She didn’t try to keep her voice down for Abetha’s sake, and the single word made Ren’s heart jump into her throat; some part of her wasn’t expecting to get a response. Sheridan’s eyes opened, and Ren thought she hadn’t been sleeping at all.
“I want to help Novae,” she said. It was ridiculous to just come out and state, but she felt she had to. Ren thought if she didn’t she might forget everything that had happened these past two days—about the rebels that were fighting to rid the planet of her family, how the Monarchy seemed to have their own plans for Novae, and how Sheridan just didn’t seem to be the same person as when they’d first met.
“That’s good,” Sheridan replied. “Novae could use more friends. Friends that aren’t like Kian.”
“I’m not going to just watch everything happen,” she declared. “I’m going to make sure that the people of Novae are taken care of and fight—” A large drop of water splashed onto her forehead, making her flinch and look up. She couldn’t see the source, only the small distant opening overhead.
“I know you will,” Sheridan said. She reached one hand out and wiped away at the water before it slid into Ren’s eye.
“I’m not weak,” she whispered. The words had just slipped out. She hated how Sheridan looked at her like she was about to break at any moment. Ren had done a lot of daring things since coming to Novae, and she’d hoped that she had proven to the people that she was strong. Especially Sheridan, who worked so hard to protect Ren. How far had Sheridan run after Kian kidnapped Ren? How fast?
“I know that as well,” Sheridan replied.
“You don’t have to look out for me like this anymore.”
“I want to.”
It was quiet again, the only sounds Ren heard being the rain and her own heartbeat. “I thought you were only here because…Maks made you.”
“If that were true I wouldn’t have followed you into the forest,” Sheridan said. A smile was beginning to form on her lips. “And I wouldn’t have shown you the Jade Lake, or shown you how a Novaean fights.”
Ren was having trouble controlling her breathing. It felt like every breath she took was going to be her last, and her fingers had turned white as she gripped at her pants. For a moment she could see a future for herself on Novae that didn’t involve her nose in a book.
Abetha groaned and leaned up. Ren flinched away from Sheridan, but she never moved.
Abetha said sleepily, “You want to change Novae, do you?”
“You were listening?”
“A bit,” Abetha revealed. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Standing with more strength than she thought she had, Ren faced the two Novaeans. “I don’t want to get rid of the Monarchy; they can do great things here. But…I think something needs to change.”
Abetha arched her brow. “You could join the Sisterhood then.”
Sheridan furrowed her brow as she looked to Abetha. “That’s a legend. Something told to little girls to boost their self-esteem and make them behave.”
A toothy grin grew across Abetha’s face. “Is it?”
“The Sisterhood?” Ren asked. “What’s that?”
“A society within Novae,” Abetha answered. “It’s working for what’s best for Novae and its people. If you really want to exact change…they would be the best option.”
A secret society? Ren thought. Was that something she could do? “I don’t…”
Abetha stood, resting her weight on her uninjured foot. She patted down her clothes, brushed her hair back and said, “The revolution will happen whether you want it to or not. You should pick a side while you still can, Princess.”
The word crawled over Ren’s skin, and she knew that Abetha meant that as a threat rather than a warning. Abetha’s eyes were sharper now, and Ren couldn’t deny a single thing she’d said.
