by Jeremy Dwyer
“I’m glad we have you,” Daven said.
“You should be. She never misses,” Brant said. He knew how good she was.
Ovid saw all of her actions, and saw Zoe draw back the bow, and he saw the arrow as it moved. The passage of time slowed for him by the powers of the waters of the Ursegan Ocean, which he recently drank, and this allowed him to observe and capture all of these details in his book. Ovid could not see around solid objects, or through illusions, or over long distances, however, so he did not see the bear, either.
“I can’t see through illusions, only around them, so this isn’t going to go too quickly. We’re looking for a large estate, right?” Zoe said.
“That’s right. I was in it, and I remember what it looked like, before everything turned ugly,” Daven said.
“Appeared to turn ugly, right?” Zoe asked.
“Right. Appeared to turn ugly,” Daven said.
They walked further into the forest, and Zoe took down two (2) more bears and three (3) wolves, all from ninety (90) yards away, well in advance of the creatures being able to strike.
Brant and Daven and Ovid saw her strike again.
“What now?” Daven asked.
“Wolves and bears,” Zoe answered.
“This island is dangerous in more than one way,” Daven said.
“It’s dangerous in many ways. I think we’re going to see for ourselves very soon,” Zoe said.
“What do you mean? A fight?” Brant asked.
“When the illusions disappear, we’ll be able to see much more clearly. Something else is hiding in this forest. My intuition tells me that, even if I can’t see around enough corners to be sure,” Zoe said.
“That’s not reassuring,” Daven said.
“It’s not meant to be,” Zoe said.
“Do you remember anything about how to get to this estate?” Zoe asked.
“We followed a paved road, but I can’t see it now. The illusions of trees cover it up,” Daven said.
“A paved road will feel different from the dirt floor of a forest, even if it looks the same under the cover of the illusions. Can I have a branch?” Zoe asked.
Brant reached out for the branch of a tree and his hands fell right through it – the tree was an illusion. “Worthless!” Brant yelled.
“Move slowly, find one that’s real. Pick up a stone and throw it to find one,” Zoe said.
“Yeah! Stones…if they’re real!” Brant said, reaching down to find a good stone – perhaps five (5) pounds in weight – that was actually there, and he did. He threw it hard and far and it went directly through one tree and hit something on the other side, because they could all hear it.
“That way,” Brant said and pointed toward the direction where he had thrown the stone and from which the sound was heard.
The group of them walked ahead – directly through a tree that wasn’t really there. As they walked out the other side, they saw the stone, and could determine which tree it did hit, as it was on the ground in front of that tree, a few feet back. There was a sizable dent in the tree from the force of the throw.
“Might I have a branch from that tree?” Zoe asked.
“Gladly,” Brant said, and broke a thick branch off with ease. His strength was immense, and he had recently taken a drink of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean that he carried in a vial that he wore on a chain around his neck. These energized him, multiplying his strength many times over. He could break much more than the branch of a tree. Brant offered the branch to Zoe, who looked at it, seeing its immensity.
Ovid noted the size of the branch and how Brant was able to break it, recording all of this into his book, in addition to the earlier kills of the animals. Some details were relatively mundane, but were still important to capture. He also noted that Brant carried a sword, but used his bare hands to break the tree branch.
“How about you do this – tap the branch on the ground in several locations, until we find what feels like a paved road instead of the dirt floor of the forest,” Zoe suggested.
“Sure,” Brant said and started pounding the branch on the ground and moving about.
Zoe took an arrow and placed it upright in the ground as a marker. Then, she took another arrow and sketched a line in the dirt pointing in one direction. After they went five hundred (500) yards in that direction and found nothing, they went back to the marker arrow that stood upright. Then, she sketched a line in the dirt pointing in a different direction, and said “Now, let’s try that direction.”
The group went in the new direction for five hundred (500) yards, found nothing, and went back. Zoe sketched another line, keeping track of each direction in which they searched. They did this again, and on the fifth try, they found what felt to them like a paved road, though it appeared to be the dirt floor of the forest. “That’s it,” Zoe said, when she heard the sound of the branch tapping on the road.
Ovid was recording all of these activities in his book, and noted carefully the distances and angles, which he personally measured, and which were useful for accurate records of the events.
“Let’s go now!” Brant said.
“No. Wait here. I’m not leaving it behind,” Zoe said.
“Leaving what behind?” Brant asked.
“My marker arrow,” Zoe said.
“Really? We need to be quick to get out of here. It’s dangerous,” Daven said.
“Leaving useful weapons behind is more dangerous. It signals to others that you were here, and could be used against you,” Zoe said.
She ran back, took her marker arrow from the ground and returned with it.
The group made their way slowly along the road, tapping the branch down to make sure they stayed on that road. They finally found their way to the estate, which was surrounded in trees and unrecognizable. They could make out the presence of a large structure. However, it looked to be one large and featureless mound of dirt, the same all over.
“I can’t see the entrance,” Daven said.
“Of course not. The illusions transformed its appearance,” Zoe said.
“Why wouldn’t she just make it disappear?” Daven asked.
“Because there’s something solid there – illusions can’t make solid things disappear. They can only add a visual covering, not take something away. Much like you can paint over a painting, but there’s still something there to look at, just not the original image, and definitely not empty air that you look through to see the other side,” Zoe said.
“That explains it, I think,” Daven said.
“I guess I understand that,” Brant said.
Ovid recorded this exchange, also, as it was part of the wisdom of life, and part of history.
~~~
From inside the estate, Sebastian knew that several people were approaching. He became worried that they found the location, and hoped that the illusory appearance of the outside would conceal the entrance and prevent their intrusion. Yet, he sensed something about one of them – the rich man named Daven, who seemed to be aware of the illusions, based on his thoughts. Sebastian did not yet know the full extent of awareness, as he largely focused his energy on shielding his own mind and the mind of Madeline from probing.
~~~
“Please find the door,” Zoe said.
“I’ll find the door. Or I’ll make a new one,” Brant said. He reached out for branches of trees until he found a real branch of a real tree. The branch was over a foot thick and seven (7) feet long, and he snapped it off easily. Then, he started smashing it, lengthwise, into the wall of the estate. He did this several times, in several different places, until something gave way, and he realized that he had broken down the door. “Found the door, I think,” Brant said. The branch had fractured into pieces, but he kept one of them with him.
Ovid recorded how Brant found the door – or a door – to the estate.
“After you,” Zoe said, pointing to Daven.
Daven drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean that he
kept in the vial he wore, and he was energized. He walked into the house and began singing verses of his earlier song, and the power returned and dispelled the illusions. The room inside looked as it did before the earlier illusions of horror. There were furnishings and doors and stairs, but no blood red walls, demonic portraits or snakes, scorpions or spiders. The song had its power, and the walls of the estate prevented his voice from carrying outside to the ears of those who might be listening elsewhere in the forest.
Ovid recorded the words that Daven sang, as well as a fairly accurate outline of the musical structure itself, including the melody and tempo. He was versed in the arts, and understood music well, though not all Chroniclers of the Oath had an ear for music as good as his own.
“Nice place to live,” Zoe said, looking around at the luxurious interior.
“Good place for her to die,” Brant said, looking for a sign of the illusionist.
Ovid followed them, observing the details of the estate, and recording them, as well.
“She’s going to be practically invisible,” Zoe said.
“I thought you said illusions couldn’t make things disappear, just make them look different,” Brant said.
“This looks like a big house, with lots of places to hide. She could just make herself look like something rather than someone, and blend right in,” Zoe said.
“What am I looking for? A table or a chair that’s really a woman?” Brant asked.
“Maybe,” Zoe said.
“Great! Let’s kill all the furniture,” Brant said.
Daven stepped forward, and sang a few more lines of the song, and the hallway ahead of them, along with its staircase, returned to a normal appearance.
“She was up that way,” Daven said.
“Let’s go. Together,” Zoe said.
The group walked toward the staircase together, and Brant still had a piece broken off of the previous tree branch with him.
“She might try to trick us, but it isn’t likely to work, because of your song. When she realizes that, she’s going to try to escape,” Zoe said.
“We can only see about a hundred (100) feet ahead for sure. She can still hide in the forest if she escapes,” Daven said.
“That’s what she’ll probably do,” Zoe said.
“Then we have to find her, first,” Brant said.
~~~
Sebastian could detect their presence, and was working to read their very minds. He realized that they were able to see through some of the illusions by the songs that Daven was singing – he understood that to be the cause by reading Daven’s mind more clearly now. This meant that they were dangerous, and he could not hide for long. He did not tell Madeline, wanting her to maintain the illusions for some time, especially those in the forest. He could read her mind, and knew what was real and what was not.
“Remain in this room, my love, and you will be safe. There are intruders, but your illusions will mislead them,” Sebastian said.
“My love, stay by my side. I wish to hold you, and to be held, and kissed, so very much,” Madeline said.
“I must rid the house of these intruders, my love, so that we can be alone, and I can give you my undivided attention,” Sebastian said.
~~~
Then, Sebastian left Madeline alone in the room, finding his way to a back door to the estate. Knowing her mind – and thus, which things were illusions and which were real – Sebastian quickly moved through the cover of the thick forest, which was made thicker by the illusions of trees Madeline had provided by her own powers. He found his way back to his ship, which was anchored in a nearby inlet, and he set sail. The lights from the many suns above did not shine nearly as brightly as they did before, and definitely not well enough to use for navigation.
Sebastian drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from the vial he wore on the chain around his neck. He sailed southeast over the Ikkith Tar Ocean until he reached the Prince Jalvin’s Crossroads land bridge, which separated the continent of Baradaxa from the continent of Revod. He converted the ship to an airship, traveled south over the land bridge and returned to sea level in the Medathero Ocean. He then sailed south, following along the western coast of the continent of Baradaxa, until he reached the Port of Kemalorin. In truth, he navigated away from Udovedaj-Pren Island by telepathy and empathy, sensing thoughts and feelings in particular directions. He could sense hatred and love, fear and confidence, and was able to follow the feelings of travelers of the sea, even at a distance. He could only get a vague reading, but it was enough to gauge whether he was approaching or moving away from other ships with people on board, and he could sense the direction of it all. The waters of the Elanatin Ocean greatly multiplied his extremely high innate potential for telepathy and empathy, enabling this technique. He did not always navigate in this way, but it was a useful alternative if a star-reader – who drank of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean – was not available, or was simply unable to overcome the navigational difficulties in the dark waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean. The previous changes in the sky, and the dark emanations of the waters, had confounded his navigator, Kohaku, such that he could offer little assistance, and simply allowed Sebastian to lead the way.
~~~
Madeline did not realize that Sebastian had actually left her alone, and thought that he was somewhere in the house.
~~~
“I’ll have to tear the house apart to find her,” Brant said.
“Yes. Do that,” Zoe said.
Brant thought about this and smiled. He loved tearing things apart. He took the branch he had and started breaking through walls. He picked up tables and chairs and started breaking through more walls. He was hoping one of the tables or chairs was actually Madeline, disguised by her illusions, so he was particularly ferocious in his handling of them.
Ovid recorded all of these details into his book, which was varied in its coverage of people, places, things and events, both mundane and extraordinary.
~~~
All the while, Madeline could hear the crashing sounds and became frightened. She knew her house was under attack. She called out: “My love, come to my side. Let me feel you again, kissing my neck.” Sebastian was nowhere to be found, and when he did not answer, she became desperate, calling out louder.
~~~
“Someone is calling out,” Daven said, as he could hear a voice. Not only did the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean enhance his voice, but they enhanced his hearing of sound and song, giving him a highly attuned ability to detect it.
“Who? What? Where?” Zoe asked.
“That way, from upstairs,” Daven said.
“You can hear somebody? I didn’t hear a thing,” Zoe said.
“I heard it clearly enough. This way,” Daven said. The four (4) of them – Brant, Zoe, Daven and Ovid – all went up the stairs into a hallway, and then they turned a corner, with Daven in the lead.
~~~
Madeline heard their footsteps, and became more frightened. She surrounded herself with more illusions, and hid herself away in a side room and locked the door. Then, she created illusions of more doors and walls, to create a maze that was distracting yet credible.
~~~
“This way,” Daven said. They followed him, getting closer and closer to Madeline, based on the sounds of her movement that Daven could hear. The effect of the song, whose lines and verses he had been singing again, was still with them. The illusions were dispelled, and thus did not distract them at all. However, Madeline was still in a side room whose entrance was secluded in the large estate.
“Where? I don’t see anything,” Brant said.
“On the other side of this wall. That’s where the sounds came from,” Daven said.
“I need a closer look,” Brant said. Then, he drew his sword, thinking that it might be better than tree branches or furniture, and he pierced the wall to make several holes.
~~~
Madeline was nearly pierced by the sword thrusts, and she stepped back, te
rrified, breathing heavily. She had a difficult time concentrating on the illusions around her and escaping the danger she was in. Madeline didn’t even know that the illusions were not effective on these intruders, as Sebastian never told her of what he learned by reading Daven’s mind.
~~~
“Someone is breathing heavily, I hear it,” Daven said.
Zoe looked through the holes in the wall, and bent the light as her powers enabled her to do. She could see through the holes and around behind the wall, and caught sight of Madeline hiding in a dark room, away from the wall, at a distance far enough back that she could not be reached by a sword. Then, Zoe gestured to the others to be quiet.
Zoe pointed to a spot in the wall, and to the tip of Brant’s sword, and made a gesture for him to thrust it forward. He knew what she meant and did so. The wall was penetrated, but the blade did not reach Madeline.
Then, Zoe drew her bow string back, lined up the arrow, and fired it through the hole in the wall at the proper angle, and pierced Madeline’s heart. She did not have time to scream – she died instantly. Her body fell to the floor and they all heard a thud.
“Break down the wall, I need to see proof,” Zoe said.
Brant smiled and started stabbing the wall in many places with his sword, cutting and smashing, until a section fell away. They saw a dead and disfigured woman lying on the floor. Without illusions to cover her, Madeline’s deformed face and body were obvious.
Ovid looked at the deceased and recorded all that he saw, including how she was struck and her appearance in death.
Instantly, outside, the entire forest changed. All the illusory trees disappeared, and the armies in the forest were startled, and realized they had been deceived. Then, some of their scouts began to catch sight of one another.
CHAPTER 28: Temple in Darkness
Taesa awakened from her unconsciousness and looked around her. Then she remembered that she had been frightened by a snake and ran into a thick forest, thicker than this. The area around her was relatively clear – in fact, it was a clearing several hundred feet across. She got up and walked around, looking to see if she could get a sense of where she was.
