by Jeff Gunzel
She giggled as she skipped down the road paved with gray stone, looking around now and again just to be sure no one had seen her. Gazing up at the wooden shop signs hung on small, thin chains, she could see a handful of flags made of square black cloth, each with an orange sunset rippling at its center, attached to a few of the larger buildings. The girl had never felt so free as the warm stone under her bare feet urged her to gallop faster so as not to get burned.
When she reached the end of the road, the little girl peeked down the alley separating the local bakery and butcher’s shop. Giggling with nearly uncontrollable joy, she quickly made her way through the alley while eyeing the grassy field that lay off in the distance. The angry meow from the orange stray cat startled her momentarily, and she froze in place before the feline retreated back into the safety of its wooden crate. Her bravery and sense of adventure came flooding back in an instant once the mean cat was out of sight.
On she skipped into the seemingly endless field. The light summer breeze blew just enough to rustle her hair slightly. The warm sun felt good on her face as she marched through tall grass that tickled her feet and toes with every step. But when the sounds of other children could be heard off in the distance, her joyful skipping became cautious feet-dragging as a slight shyness began to seep into her. She began to nervously tug at her light blue dress as the laughter off in the distance got closer and closer. Then the source of it all came into view. The little girl ducked behind an old fallen tree just to watch for a while as she tried to build up her courage.
She could see them all playing down by the river as they splashed one another, laughing and lightheartedly taunting each other. There was also a thick rope tied to an overhanging branch, displaying a series of fat knots. The children all took turns swinging back and forth over the river, only to cast themselves into the clear, slow-moving water.
The little girl shrunk back down behind the log and sat forward with her legs crossed. She gazed around a bit, enjoying the peace of the outdoors while she continued to gather her courage. The trees along the riverfront rattled their leaves every time the sweet-smelling, pollen-filled breeze picked up slightly. Baby birds chirped away, voicing their displeasure that mother had not yet arrived with a wiggling treat.
Her eyes fell on a slow-moving caterpillar inching along the side of the rotting log. She reached out and gently picked it up with two fingers before placing it in her palm, allowing it to inch up to her finger. When the worm reached her fingernail, it bucked its head up and down like a horse, not knowing where else to go. Her huge smile split her face as she raised it up in front of her nose. Her light, crystal-blue eyes gazed upon the little green miracle—one of nature’s many, but one of the few she ever got to see up close.
She shrieked as a thick, strong hand engulfed hers, crushing the tiny caterpillar, turning it to mush. “I’ve had it with this, you little brat,” yelled the large, stout man through his thick, brown, ruffled beard. His large, dark eyes gleamed with anger as he dragged the girl through the grass, not even bothering to switch hands as the wet caterpillar remained pinned. “This will be the last time, I promise you!”
“Grimton, please, you’re hurting me!” she shrieked while hopelessly pulling back against the large man. It was a strange thing, really. There was no doubt she would be punished harshly for sneaking out. She had become too used to the frequency of her punishments. Of all the things for a child to get used to...
But that was not the burning source of her current pain. What truly broke her heart in this fleeting moment was watching the other children disappear out of sight. The sounds of their laughter and games faded into silence as she was dragged like an old sack across the field, viewing nothing but her bare feet sliding over the tall grass. She wanted to know their names; wanted to play with them, even though she couldn’t summon the courage when she had the chance.
When they got to the street, he jerked her arm hard to make her stand upright, then told her to shut up and let him do the talking if anyone stopped to ask questions. Grimton and Tamera were able to walk the streets freely, but the little girl had remained a secret for some time now. By taking a few back routes, they were able to enter the stone cottage without anyone seeing them.
“Where did you find her?” came the surprisingly low voice from the kitchen. A tall, lanky woman with her blonde hair tied back in a white ribbon came storming into the room. Tamera’s lips were curled into a permanent sour pucker, as if she always held a lemon wedge in her mouth. The second she was in range, a fierce backhand sent the little girl sprawling across the floor.
“This is what they’ve given us to work with?” she growled while pointing down to the girl, who was only now starting to look back up from her landing spot. A thin line of red seeped from the corner of her mouth, but her eyes remained completely dry and her face emotionless.
“How could the queen do this to us?” complained Grimton as he threw his hands in the air. “I’ve trained the finest warriors in all the land. My former students have been hired to assassinate kings. Kings! She hires us for this so-called mission, tells us this task is more important than any other assignment to date, and gives us this spoiled child to turn into a professional killer?”
“All she wants to do is sneak off and play,” complained Tamera as she grabbed the little girl by her long black hair, using it to hoist her to her feet. Suddenly, the girl turned and bit down hard on the back of Tamera’s hand, instantly drawing blood into her own mouth as she shook her head back and forth violently. A hard knee caught the girl in the stomach, driving all the air from her lungs as she collapsed.
Grimton grabbed the girl by her hair and dragged her across the sanded floor. He opened a thick wooden door and pulled her down the stairs in a series of harsh tugs. “They make me waste my time on this? You’re about to learn the lesson of a lifetime,” he yelled as she thumped along all the way to the bottom step. It was clear this lower room was some kind of custom add-on, given the sheer size and depth of it. Homemade heavy bags filled with rags and sand hung from thick wooden beams that crossed the ceiling. Various metal weapons racks were lined along the walls, filled with everything from swords to spears.
He began to tie a thin white rope around one of her wrists as Tamera did the same with the other. When they each pulled an end, the girl’s arms levitated, spreading out like wings. She never tried to resist, not even once. Her face remained hard as stone; her eyes glistening with unshed tears she refused to release even as her light blue dress was torn from her back.
She could hear them behind her as the familiar sounds of leather being snapped in the air echoed through the room. She could feel the man’s hot breath pulsing angrily against the back of her neck. Grimton growled, “This is what you get for wasting my time!”
CRACK!
* * *
Jade jolted awake and sat up quickly, gasping for air. Eric sat up next to her and placed a strong hand gently on her shoulder. “Sweetie, what is it? Is everything alright?” he whispered in a soft voice deep with concern.
She reached over quickly, pinning his hand to her shoulder as if she were afraid he might remove it. Snuggling her head hard against his huge chest, she replied, “It’s nothing, I just had another nightmare. Nothing to concern yourself with.”
Nightmares had haunted Jade most of her life. Although there were fewer these days than at any point before, it still seemed as though they would always be there in some form or another. She unconsciously moved her other hand towards the deep, aged scars on her back before realizing what she was doing, then cautiously pulled her hand back to her knee.
“I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do,” he said as he pulled her in close. He kissed her and gave her one last hug before rising from the bed. “It’s time to get up, anyway. We need to have our meeting with Shantis. I have to figure out what our next step is going to be. Do you need a minute?”
Jade rubbed her eye with the back of her hand, purging a tear before it
escaped. “Yes. Just give me a moment. I’ll be there soon.” She forced a smile as her head tipped all the way to her shoulder. Her long, dark hair formed a veil around her face, covering a single eye. She made no effort to brush it aside.
“Fine. I’ll let them know you’re coming.” He held her gaze a moment longer while forcing a smile of his own. It wasn’t easy. Sure, he was madly in love with her and could gaze into her eyes all day without any thoughts of food or sleep, but that had little to do with his inner conflicts. Her brave face had never fooled him for even a moment. He knew the girl he loved had demons, nightmares both real and figurative that tormented her regularly. Eric couldn’t think of a single thing he wouldn’t give up to make her pain vanish, but for this he was powerless. All he could do was love her with all his heart, and hope it would be enough. He turned away from the white, polished-bone bed frame and dragged himself out through the bamboo door.
When he stepped out onto the dirt pathway, hot, humid air smacked him right in the face like steam from a cooking pot. The Dead Forest seemed to always be warm and sticky no matter if it was day or night, a hard thing for Eric to understand or even explain, but certainly the least of his worries, as he had other burdens weighing heavy on his mind.
He began his march towards Shantis’ mini temple. Dark thoughts of the epic battle that had taken place only a few days ago began to swirl in his mind. Each time he mentally relived the events, unrelenting regret nearly filled him to the point of breaking.
What could he have done differently? Should he have recognized the threat sooner, when that gate first appeared? Could they ever forgive him? Did he even deserve forgiveness for leading this threat right to the crytons’ doorstep?
However, the staggeringly small number of cryton casualties would indicate this had been a lopsided victory. Their combat prowess and natural strength were well- documented and had never been in question, but it also turned out they were at least semi-immune to the poisonous tails gifted to those black, leathery creatures. That is not to say they didn’t get violently ill; Eric could still remember several kneeling on the ground, vomiting hard and unable to return to the battle.
When the nightmare had ended and Eric had somehow closed that gate, only seven crytons had lost their lives. Seven! At first he had found that to be nothing short of a miracle, given the sheer numbers those winged creatures possessed that dark day. But in the end, whether the number of casualties had been one or one thousand, the death and violence was still his doing.
The guilt still ravaged his insides as he recalled being momentarily pleased with the amazing survival rate of the crytons when it was over. That was, until...
He could still remember the little boy leaping on top of his fallen dad, crying and begging for him to wake up; the woman who dropped to her knees, wailing for hours on end as friends and family tried their best to calm her. She swore over and over to give anything to trade places with her fallen husband. Only seven? Seven too many. Seven, who were my fault. Seven who will never be forgotten.
The paths remained mostly untraveled this hot, sticky morning. The few crytons he ran across either bowed repeatedly before scampering out of the way or lowered their gaze, not wanting to look the legendary Gate Keeper squarely in the eye. Eric found their behavior annoying and bordering on absurd. After all, who was he to gain such fame for simply doing what had to be done?
As far as his strange control over gateways and the very energy that allowed them to function as they did, he didn’t know how he did it at all. In fact, all the achievements that had earned him this undeserving fame had been accomplished during an emotional surge. He had no idea how he had accomplished such things, yet alone if he could ever do it again. It seemed as involuntary as sneezing—not something a person could do on command, but just happened when the conditions were right.
He continued down the path until he reached the pearl-white steps that seemed to gleam in the scattered soft light that appeared to have no real source at all. He slowed his pace considerably as he ascended the steps, not really looking forward to the assembly.
Eric paused a moment in front of the dark, wooden door, clearly stalling. He took a deep breath and caught himself wishing Jade were here with him, before flinging it open and entering. He glanced around the white-walled room as if seeing it for the first time. Nothing in this building had been touched during the battle. All the same wood-framed oil paintings of odd rituals being performed, as well as the polished bone furniture, were still in place.
“We’re in here,” came Jacob’s familiar call from the other room. “Come on, hurry up before it gets cold. I’m not waiting for you two.” It never ceased to amaze him how Jacob could be so relaxed no matter the situation. It would seem that the man was completely immune to pressure.
Eric walked into the room and headed straight for one of the white bone chairs. Only once he was seated did he look up and take in the scene around him. Silver water goblets with colored jewels encrusted around the rim had been placed all around the white bone table. Serving girls were busy filling people’s plates with some sort of breakfast casserole made from eggs and an assortment of brightly colored vegetables.
To Eric’s relief, there weren’t even that many people here. He was concerned he would be speaking to a large council or something, which would have been more typical of a human-based society, but Jacob, Shantis, and a very large male seated next to her were the only ones in the room. He also found it odd to be discussing such serious business over breakfast; but again, who was he to question their ways? This also spoke highly of the complete authority Shantis had over the crytons. It was clear her word was final.
“And where isss Jade?” asked Shantis in that slow drawl that took some getting used to.
“Huh? Oh, she will be along shortly. She just needed to...uh...take care of something,” Eric mumbled with his shoulders slumped forward.
Shantis’ bright yellow eyes grew large as she raised her thin white eyebrows. “I ssssee. Well then, sssshall we get sssstarted? I would like you all to meet my champion, Brinkton.” She gestured to the large cryton as he stood and gave a slight nod. He was bald and muscular, with rather small yellow eyes compared to the other crytons. His nose was wide and flat, which made his eyes seem all the smaller. A rather severe underbite made him appear to be constantly frowning. Well, who’s to say he wasn’t constantly frowning?
He barked out several sentences in his native tongue before smacking his own chest solidly with a closed fist, resounding with a hollow thud, before finally returning to his seat. Shantis smiled widely at both Jacob and Eric as her yellow eyes flashed a sense of pride. “He said you and your friends are true warriors. He was honored to share the field of battle with you.”
Another wave of guilt shot through Eric. I brought this evil to their doorstep, and he was honored? But all he could do was shrug while waving his hand in a dismissive flick. “Tell him I said ‘thank you.’” Shantis turned to him and strung together a series of energetic sentences. There appears to be a little padding on that thank you.
“Now then,” said Shantis. “We have ssssuccessfully repelled this evil once, but we need to be prepared for the inevitable retaliation.”
“We beat them once...we will do it again!” said Jacob as he leapt from his seat while raising a fist, spilling his water goblet in the process.
“Well, that’s all fine and good,” said Eric, rolling his eyes in Jacob’s direction. Then he turned to Shantis. “But those things didn’t come here to kill your people and wipe out your race.” He raised his head high as his voice became hard and sharp. “They came here for me. I’m the one they want, and I’m afraid your people aren’t safe as long as I stay here.” I bring danger wherever I go.
“All the more reason for you to sssstay,” said Shantis sharply while sitting up in her chair as her yellow eyes flashed once more. “We are now ssssworn to you. You are the very one the ancient bookss ssspeak of, the very one who can sssave us all.”
<
br /> “I can’t save you by leading death right to your doorstep!” Eric shouted as he leapt from his seat. The serving girls all backed away at the aggressive movement. Even the ones who were about to set more trays on the table suddenly seemed to decide the table was plenty full already.
“Then why did we even come here?” came the surprised response from Jacob. Everyone seemed a bit startled. The man who never took anything seriously seemed to have a strong opinion all of a sudden. “Berkeni forced us to live that horrible vision—whatever it was—just to gain a full understanding of what was happening in our world. We trekked through the Dead Forest just to find these guys and gain their loyalty to help serve our cause.” Jacob looked hard at Eric. “We lost Morcel during this quest.”
That statement stung Eric hard. He winced at the painful, fresh memory. Yet another life lost because of him. But he could see where this was going, and Jacob certainly had a point.
“You can’t do it alone, Eric,” his friend said, softening his tone. “We came here for their help, and now they have offered it. You can’t just fly into the sky and hope all the evil in the world follows you. You might be the key to all this, but if the world wants to be saved, then it better be ready to help.”
“Jacob’s words ring true,” came the familiar voice from the doorway. Jade stood tall, with her arms crossed, her crystal-blue eyes filled with command and authority. Eric didn’t know why, but in that moment she reminded him so much of Queen Ilirra. “The time will come soon enough when crytons and humans alike will have to work together. Divided, we stand no chance. True, we won’t be staying here much longer, but when the time comes to act, the crytons must be ready.”
