Eden

by Janelle Stalder

  There were many around him who had arrows in them. Fighting three more beasts that came charging at him, he sent two of their heads flying, and embedded his axe so deeply into one of their skulls, that he had to brace his foot on its body just to pull it out. When he retrieved it, he looked around and saw that all of the animals lay dead. Some of his men lay with them, but for the most part they were all fine. He smiled, looking around to see Wolf and Logan nearby, both of them wearing smiles of their own. They had done it.

  Looking the other way, he was searching for Felix when he noticed his friend lying on the ground. He screamed out in terror, running over dead furry bodies, and falling to his knees beside him.

  “Felix!” he gasped, reaching out to grab his hand. There was a large wound in his neck—it had already soaked the ground around him, covering the front of his shirt. Surprisingly, his eyes still moved, and found Aiden’s as he neared.

  “Is it over?” he asked, his voice extremely weak.

  “Yes, yes, it’s over,” he said, tears filling his eyes. The wound was so large, Aiden couldn’t imagine someone surviving it. His eyes were already glazed, slightly unfocused.

  “I’m … I’m sorry …” he whispered.

  “Don’t say that. You did awesome,” he soothed him. “You had my back the whole time. What more could a friend ask for?”

  “I’m glad I met you,” he said, trying to smile. “All of you.” Aiden’s whole frame crumpled, as the strength in the hand he held loosened. Suddenly, Wolf and Logan were beside him, each wearing a horrified look.

  “Me too, Felix. Me too.” He kept his hand in his, watching as Felix’s eyes slowly closed. Then there was nothing. He was gone, to his family, wherever that might be.

  “I’m going to kill them all,” Wolf said through clenched teeth. The three of them sat around their fallen friend, oblivious to any events happening around them.

  “For Felix,” Logan said quietly.

  “For Felix,” they repeated together. The three of them got up. Everything seemed to stand still. No one was moving—all eyes had focused on the three of them.

  “What are you waiting for?” Aiden yelled, his voice filled with rage. The line of larger creatures came forward, charging at them and crying out a loud war cry. Aiden could hear more horses behind them. More men were coming to their aid, the King riding in front of them.

  All the men from both sides now filled the field. Elisa watched as they charged at each other, cries of war emanating out of the crowd. Four men from the northern army went down before they even reached the battle. She quickly strung four more arrows, letting them fly into the neck of one of the larger beasts. Her chest was tight, filled with anger and grief. When she had first seen Aiden disappear under the group of beasts, she wanted to cry out, but remained quiet, too afraid to give away her location. He was under there awhile, and she watched in horror as they tore at his flesh. That was when Felix ran to his aid, crying his name out. There was another one nearby that intercepted Felix’s approach. She didn’t see it happen—all she saw was him fall backward and not get up. The animals were thinning out; barely any were left. She could see Wolf and Logan taking them out one by one, but Aiden still lay hidden under their dark black bodies.

  Suddenly, she saw a glint of his axe and realized he was actually killing them off. Soon he was up again, and the wounds that covered his body seemed to be gone. He continued to fight, showing no sign of being hurt. She breathed a sigh of relief until she watched him run to Felix, kneeling beside him. It was clear what had happened, and tears immediately filled her eyes. Wolf and Logan joined him soon after, and the three of them gathered around their fallen friend. Elisa wanted to be there, wished she could have said goodbye. It was impossible. She sat alone, crying openly for her friend.

  Now they were attacking the men and the larger beasts from the opposing army. Aiden sat on Ty again, and he manoeuvred through the crowd expertly. Trying her best to ignore them, she focused on picking the other side off as quickly as she could. The other archers were letting their arrows fly as well, from both sides. Many of their own men fell with arrows sticking out of their chests or necks.

  The King and her father were wreaking havoc among the ranks of the northern army. Both were expert fighters, and not even the large beasts were a match for them. Brutus the Red, and the surprisingly athletic-looking Callum, former prince of Eden, were also causing an immense amount of damage where they went. The battle was close, both sides taking major losses. They seemed to have an advantage now that the smaller beasts were gone. They had more men still standing, and with all the other beasts killed, it left the other army with little else to leverage with. Elisa actually started to feel hopeful as she viewed the scene below. That was, until she saw the arrow hit him.

  Rose had been riding hard for the better part of the morning. She cried for a long time, but had finally stopped, feeling exhausted both mentally and physically. The horse didn’t seem to be getting tired, but she was, so she finally pulled it to a halt beside a small pool of water, letting it drink quickly before they continued. She needed a rest, at least for a short period of time. She wasn’t a bad rider, but she also wasn’t used to riding for such long periods of time, and at such a rigorous pace.

  Sitting on the grass, she realized that the battle must have already started. People would be dying now, and the fate of Eden would be hanging in the balance. She wondered if the God and Goddess were watching, and what they’d be thinking right now. Did they dare to intervene, or did they let humans create their own fate? Rose had never been exceptionally religious, but today was different.

  Lying back, she looked up at the sky, wondering then if her parents were looking down. Would they be watching her brother, keeping him safe from harm? She could only hope, awaiting the day when she would see him again. She could remember his smile, the way he’d make her laugh after their father would whip her with his stick when she misbehaved. There had been some hard times for their family, but she always had Felix. He was always there for her when she needed him. Soon they would be reunited, and everything would be better.

  Then she thought again of Callum, and wondered what would be happening with him. She hadn’t said anything to him to the effect of good luck, or be safe, but would that have been proper? Did she want him to have good luck? Not really, she thought honestly. At the same time, she had grown somewhat fond of him, or at least respected him, and she didn’t want to see him hurt. Life could throw you so many curve balls all at once. In one moment you lost everything, while at the same time you gained something new and unexpected. It was infuriating and yet it made life more interesting.

  Getting up, she stretched out her legs, giving them a good shake before climbing back on the horse. They rode for a bit longer when suddenly she pulled it to a halt. Something had happened—she could feel it. Looking back, she searched the horizon where the battle would be happening. Something gnawed at the back of her mind. It could just be her imagination, she realized. Rose knew she was just worried, letting her mind wander and get the best of her. Shaking the feeling off, she kicked forward again, forcing herself to keep going, just like she had promised him she would.

  His face flooded back into her head again, and with it, the kiss they had shared before she left. It had left her weak in the knees, her breath knocked right out of her. What she should have done, she thought regretfully, was slap him for having the presumption to do such a thing to her. It had been unwarranted and completely inappropriate, or so she convinced herself. They had shared so many nights together, never crossing that line. He had purposely used her departure as an excuse to do so. In reality, she should have been quite furious with him, but for some reason she wasn’t. Another curve ball. A change in her life that she didn’t plan for, and would never have expected. What would her father and mother think of her?

  She slowed the pace of the horse, cursing herself for what she was about to do. It was wrong, she knew it, and extremely foolish. It went against
everything she had been taught, against her own better judgement. Turning the horse around, she headed back the way she had come, hoping it wouldn’t be too late, and that she’d be there when he returned.

  The northern army was retreating—they were actually retreating! Aiden and his men had beaten the first round of beasts, and now that they faced the larger ones, they were finding that fighting them was even easier than fighting the others. Although these creatures were large and intimidating, they appeared to be as dumb as nails. Their actions were slow and confused, and they seemed to have no training with the weapons. It was as if they were brought strictly for the purpose of intimidation, offering no real asset to the army.

  He was approaching one of the foot soldiers when he felt the arrow hit him in the shoulder. He had been hit before, and knew they had practically no effect on him. This one looked different—there were black feathers on the end, which the other ones didn’t have—but he didn’t think much about it at the time. Lifting his hand to take it out, he suddenly felt himself go limp, and he slowly slid off the saddle, crashing to the ground amongst the dead. His breathing was shallow, a tight grip holding his chest. The area where the arrow hit was burning; it spread like wildfire. Soon his whole body felt like it was on fire, and all he could do was scream. He had never felt pain like this before.

  Wolf came first, running to kneel beside him. He was calling his name, or so he assumed from the way his lips were moving. Aiden couldn’t hear him. A sound like rushing water filled his ears, and his vision became blurry. His eyes started to roll around in his head, making it harder to concentrate on anything. He knew he was still yelling, as the pain was overwhelming, but he couldn’t even hear his own voice. Soon Logan was there too—he could just make out his figure—and the King and Captain came as well. The battle must have been over; they had won. They were all speaking, but nothing came through.

  Sudden visions came into his mind of his mother and father and little Eddie. They had told him he couldn’t die here, but he knew what was happening. Whatever this was, he wasn’t healing from it, and the longer he lay where he was, the harder his breathing became. All the people around him were blurred now, and he couldn’t make any of them out. Everything was ending all wrong. Everything was wrong.

  She ran frantically across the field, leaving the safety of her tree. It felt as if her legs couldn’t run fast enough, her need to be there greater than any human ability. Soon she reached them. A small crowd was kneeling around him, and his screams of pain filled the air. She was sobbing by that point, confused and furious.

  “Aiden!” she yelled, kneeling beside his head. She picked it up gently, placing it in her lap. “Aiden, can you hear me?” His screams continued—he couldn’t hear any of them, or he was in too much pain to acknowledge them. “What is wrong with him?” she screamed at her father. The looks on everyone’s faces showed complete bewilderment. No one knew what to do; no one had any answers. Elisa looked over at Wolf, who sat disturbingly still, a look of grief written over his face.

  “We … we need to do something,” he stuttered. His voice came out in a croak, emotion making it harder for him to speak. “We need to save him!” he yelled at no one in particular.

  “Turk,” the King spoke for the first time. “Go get Diana. She’ll know what to do.”

  “We can only hope,” her father said, turning to leave quickly.

  Elisa’s tears wouldn’t stop—she thought her heart would actually break as she sat there listening to his pain. “Aiden,” she cried, stroking his hair.

  “I don’t think he can hear us,” Wolf said.

  “We need to send him home!” she urged, looking at the King. The King looked back at her, his eyes full of uncertainty. She didn’t know if that would help, but something told her it was their best bet.

  “Home? Home, where?” Wolf asked, looking from one to the other. “What is she talking about?” He looked around. Logan was looking blankly at Aiden, unable to speak. His cries still filled the air—he hadn’t stopped, hadn’t faltered once. It wrenched at their hearts just to hear him. It was the sound of death; there was no other way to describe it.

  Her father came back, quicker than any of them expected. With him was the witch. She knelt beside Aiden, looking over his body carefully.

  “What happened?” she asked, her voice strong and full of authority. She would take this situation under control.

  “He got hit by an arrow,” the King said, pointing at the broken arrow that lay beside him. The end had snapped off when he fell, the tip still embedded inside him. She picked up the arrow, sniffing it.

  “There is poison on this,” she said, her voice heavy with concern. “I haven’t known of anyone who would actually use it. It is extremely powerful. This was Aziz’s doing; only he would have known about it.”

  “What do we do?” Jameson asked.

  “Although he can heal faster than normal while he is in our world, the poison is too strong and moves too quickly in his bloodstream. His body can’t work fast enough to fight it off. He will most certainly die if I don’t send him back right now.” She was looking at the King now. Wolf looked to Elisa, confusion written on his face.

  Elisa looked back down at Aiden, still stroking his hair, trying to offer what little comfort she could to him.

  “We have no choice,” the King said firmly. “You must do what you must. I cannot have the blood of this boy on my hands.” Diana nodded.

  “I’m going to need you all to step back,” she said, looking at the three of them. The King and Turk were already standing off to the side.

  “Why? What the hell is going on here?” Wolf asked angrily.

  “We don’t have time for questions. He doesn’t have much longer,” she replied urgently.

  “Goodbye, Aiden,” Elisa whispered, keeping her lips close to his ear. “Be safe, and always remember us.”

  Placing his head back down gently, Elisa walked over to stand beside her father. He placed a reassuring arm around her shoulders as she cried harder. The northern army were gone now, having retreated back into their land of mountains. The men who had followed them to make sure were just coming back to witness the scene on the field. They had won, but it surely did not feel like a victory.

  Wolf still sat beside him, looking down at his friend.

  “Wolf,” Diana said gently. “You must leave him now. Say your goodbyes.”

  Looking up, Elisa could see how much he did not understand. She saw him mouth something and then grab Logan’s arm and pull him up with him. Logan hadn’t spoken one word, nor had the look on his face changed since the moment he had arrived by Aiden’s side. They all stood in a line while Diana stayed by his side, speaking words that none of them could understand.

  “Did you know about this?” Wolf asked, looking at Elisa. She didn’t answer him, keeping her eyes focused on the two figures still on the ground.

  A light began to build around the pair, growing brighter, blinding them as it did. They could still hear her voice, but it grew fainter as the light grew in intensity. There was a rush of wind, and then nothing. No light, no voice, no witch, and no Aiden. They were gone.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Uric had joined the northern army when he was only sixteen. It was known that Brutus didn’t normally take boys that young, finding their inexperience and need for direction too cumbersome. It wasn’t like the King’s army in the south. In the north they were accepted only when they were older, bigger than their rivals. It was Uric’s good fortune that he just happened to be extremely big for a sixteen-year-old. His father had been proud of him his entire life, proclaiming that he would bring their family pride and respect in the kingdom. It was a lot to have on his shoulders, but he seemed to be handling it well.

  The journey south to central Eden had been long and tedious. Now that he was actually on the road with the army, he realized how disgusting war really was. Their raids into the smaller villages would often leave him feeling weak. The men and wo
men who lived there weren’t even their enemies. These were citizens of the north, people who had followed Brutus’s rule for the most part. It was not unknown to the barbarian that many of them still proclaimed some allegiance to the High King, but they never had revolted against him. It was that slight affection they felt for his enemy that left them to Brutus’s retribution. They wreaked havoc amongst his own people, killing anyone and everyone. None of it made sense to him.

  All of the men in the army were from the mountains. Uric had grown up in one of the small homes built into the mountainside. It was required that you be born and raised there; Brutus never accepted anyone from the surrounding lands. Uric was happy to know that his parents would be safe and away from the madness. The same couldn’t be said for him.

  The morning of the battle, Brutus himself had come to find him. Uric was one of their best archers, hitting his targets more often than any of the others. It helped that most of them were old and did not see as well as he did. This made him look better in the eyes of his Captains. Apparently, his reputation had reached the ears of Brutus, which led him to find Uric that fateful day.

  “I have a special job for you, my boy,” the large man said. Uric gulped, finding it hard to think of words around this man. He had been told stories of Brutus the Red throughout his whole childhood. It was an unreal experience to be sitting next to him. His leader waited for him to reply before continuing. Trying not to look daft in front of him, Uric simply nodded his head, signifying that he should continue.

  Clearing his throat, Brutus continued, looking at him oddly. Damn it, Uric cursed inwardly, he definitely thought he was daft. “There will be a boy amongst the ranks of the King’s army. The only way you will be able to tell him from the others is that the majority of the beasts will target him. They have been given his description; I have not. You’ll have to watch carefully, and take note if you see a boy that seems to be … healing quickly.”