“You can take a seat if you like,” she said while sitting down by the table. She sat comfortably in a seat opposite to the map. Her light green eyes alternated between the three of them, her hands restless in her lap. She appeared as uncomfortable as the rest of them. “You all choose to stand,” she commented again, “are you not tired?”
Max could hardly believe the question. “After being attacked and fighting for our lives, we are waiting to see what is coming through that door for us.”
William bumped his brother on the shoulder. “Could you explain the map?” he asked in a calmer, more polite voice.
Elizabeth shook her head. “Like I said, it isn’t mine. You’ll have to ask Victoria when she comes in.”
“Victoria,” Max repeated. “Is that a friend?”
“Yes,” she pondered to herself. “She’s my best friend and is bringing the others from upstairs,” Elizabeth said.
At that moment, a woman entered the room through the back door, a small tray in one hand and a pitcher in the other. Wearing a slim, dark blue dress covered in neat silver trimmings and decorative white specks, she also wore a beautiful silver necklace and a matching silver bracelet. Long dark brown hair, darker than Elizabeth’s, flowed down her back; she smiled after seeing the rest of them, her beautiful features even knocking Max a bit off guard, before approaching the table.
“I thought I’d bring some bread and water for us,” she said in a calm, gentle voice while putting the silver tray and pitcher on the table. “We’ll need the energy for our journey.”
“Are the others coming?” Elizabeth asked.
“Yes. They feel rejuvenated enough to come down.”
Elizabeth turned to the rest of them. “This is Victoria,” she introduced.
Victoria passed out a few of the cups from the tray and offered the bread and water. “And your names are William and Max, yes?” She glanced to Rachel and thought to herself. “Rachel, the Watcher of Orwell,” she recalled.
William involuntarily nodded in astonishment, giving away that she was correct. “How do you know that?”
“And where did you find this map?” Max demanded.
“My father gave it to me a long time ago,” she answered. She glanced at each of them. “Where are King Aroden and the leaders of the Arracian Order?”
Rachel and Max felt powerless. William only shook his head. Clearly she knew everything. “We need answers,” William quietly mumbled, “now.”
Footsteps from the back of the house drew their attention and Max stood quickly, his hand hovering on the handle of his sword. The other two followed while Elizabeth and Victoria remained seated. They watched the thin back door slowly creak open. Before they could see the person opening it, they heard a quiet voice that caused the brothers to skip a breath.
“William?” the voice called as it opened. “Max?”
William reached the door first after jutting across the room. “Richard?” he asked while swinging the door open. “Richard!”
Chapter XII
“The tracks towards Orwell end here,” Adriana called behind her.
She stood hovering over the last deep imprint on the hard, dry ground. The tracks ended abruptly by the edge of the road on the opposite side of the forest, where a small patch of trees grew close by and extended towards the city. It wasn’t far from Orwell, the city walls clearly visible in the near distance, even with the silver moonlight as the only light. A few of the Arraci dismounted their horses to look for any more tracks.
Aroden sighed. “Gone,” he muttered. “Search these trees for any sign of them. Perhaps they took refuge in there.”
Several of them wandered into the scatter of trees, though they were thinly enough dispersed to see right through them. Aroden rode along the road beside the search, keeping an eye on the Artelian Forest on the other side. Even the smallest noise startled him and the horses. Brian never put away his bow and refused to look away from the sickly trees; they stared back at him with equal intensity.
Adriana approached Aroden’s horse after searching for a while, shaking her head while walking. “No sign of them,” she reported.
“What’s in there?” Aroden asked.
“Just a small collection of trees, a small pool of water, and an odd set of large stones,” she answered.
“What’s the stone structure? I can see it through the trees.”
“A collapsed building of some sort,” she said, “but there’s no trace of activity.”
Aroden grumbled to himself.
“We should return to the city,” Brian called out. “It isn’t safe out here at night, especially this close to the Artelian Forest. Even the Arraci can’t see in the dark.”
Aroden reluctantly nodded and looked to the other Arraci searching through the trees. “We ride back to Orwell, then.”
The Arraci emerged from the trees and hopped back on top of their horses. Brian came out last and approached his sister, who waited for her brother to reach her. She glanced at the forest again, an image of the eyes passing through her thoughts, and felt a sudden pain at the back of her head return. Rich blues saturated her vision and she released a quiet groan while dropping her head into her hands. A high pitch ringing pounded in her ears and she looked up, staring into the forest. A flurry of activity erupted behind the trees, a scatter of frenzied blue movement that terrified her. A hand patted her arm, followed by a familiar voice.
She saw her brother next to her.
“Adriana,” Brian called out as he patted her arm. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes,” she mumbled.
“Your eyes,” he stuttered. “They’ve changed colour. What’s going on?”
She focused on her brother’s face, seeing the fear in his eyes. The blues started to fade as she saw his worry. “My vision,” she muttered. “It’s happening again.” She managed to reach behind her head and gently rubbed the base of her skull. “And my head…it hurts.”
Aroden rode up to them after seeing her hunched over. “What’s the delay?” he asked, but his tone softened as he saw her lightening blue eyes. “Adriana, what’s happening to you?”
“Her vision fluctuated again,” Brian answered for her.
“What do you see?”
She looked to the forest once more, the blues returning, but closed her eyes; but with her eyes closed, she saw even more. For an instant, a figure flashed directly in front of the forest, an orange cloak overtop its body and long, silky white hair falling on either side of her young pale face. She then appeared directly in front of Adriana before disappearing as quickly as she appeared. The ringing finally ceased, and her vision returned to normal. After opening her eyes, she saw the rest of them staring at her with concern; Adriana avoided eye contact with them all.
“Your eyes are normal again,” Brian called out as he held onto her hand.
“So is my vision,” she added. After taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes again to analyse the vision of the woman. “I saw someone this time. She stood almost right in front of me. A tall woman with silver hair and an orange cloak, but I don’t know who she was.”
“Did she say anything?” Brian asked.
“No.”
No one commented.
“I’m fine, now,” she said to break their stares.
“Are you…”
“I am ready to return to Orwell,” she interrupted her brother. She looked into Aroden’s concerned eyes. “I’m sorry for the delay.”
“No, I…” his voice trailed off. “I hope this isn’t anything serious.”
“As do I,” she mumbled.
Aroden nodded, still looking at her with concern. “Very well,” he said and turned to the rest of the Arraci. “We will continue our search at sunrise, but for now we return to Orwell.”
*************************************************************
“Richard, you’re safe!” William exclaimed as he lunged to embrace his younger brother.
“I am,” he responde
d as he accepted the hug. A long, satin brown robe covered his body with a hood hanging on the back; it certainly wasn’t his. He stood tall, a healthy colour in his face, and exhaled. “I actually feel stronger than ever.”
“You worried us,” Max called out as he patted Richard on the shoulder, only to be pulled in for a hug, too. “I’m relieved to see that you’re safe.”
“What happened to you?” William demanded. “Father left Orwell to look for you and…”
Another two figures appeared behind him wearing undeniable Arracian garb; Orthol and Gringal gave a shallow nod before their stares shot to the ground. All three of them appeared strong and healthy; even Richard stood with better posture. None of them appeared to have just fought a battle to the death, nor did they show signs of fatigue or fear. William and Max stared at them in disbelief.
“Adriana found bodies by the side of the road to Forelorne,” William finished and noticed the two Arraci nodding. He could sense a degree of frustration swelling in his chest, his fear returning. “And we found Arracian arrows embedded in them. Someone needs to tell us what happened now.”
“I will tell you,” Richard called out before the other two could speak. “I travelled along the road to Forelorne and everything was so quiet, I remember that part.” He paused. “It all happened so quickly. I heard a rustling sound followed by strange screeching noises from the forest. It scared my horse – and me, if I’m honest – and I wanted to gallop back to Orwell, but then I saw a figure emerge from the trees.” He motioned to Elizabeth. “She ran so quickly I didn’t think it was a human!”
“From the forest, the Artelian Forest?” William pressed.
“Yes, but she didn’t come out of the forest alone. After spotting her charging towards me, a large group of armoured followers poured out of the forest, too, all with their swords and bows drawn. She screamed towards me to ride away, but I couldn’t move, William,” Richard said to his brother. “I just…froze there.”
William patted his brother’s shoulder.
He sighed. “Then I saw the Arracian arrows fly over my head, striking the creatures. Elizabeth reached my horse and said something to me, though I don’t remember,” he admitted while glancing at her. “She turned around and used her bow. Eventually I pulled mine out and fought, too – I shot my first kill.”
The brothers could see Richard shaking. “That’s terrible, little brother,” Max said as they directed him towards the round table.
“Yes. I just remember being so scared,” he continued as he sat at the table. Elizabeth and Victoria watched from the other side of the table with blank expressions, though Max could sense they hid their emotions well. “There were too many for us to kill from a range,” Richard went on. “Orthol and Gringal reached the two of us and withdrew their blades, as did Elizabeth and I. But there were just too many of them. I was struck in the thigh by one of their blades.” He shuddered. “The pain was excruciating, and there was so much blood. I thought I was going to die. I don’t remember much after that moment,” he mumbled. “I passed out.”
William glanced down at Richard’s leg, which appeared normal. “You are safe, now, little brother,” he comforted. “That’s all that matters.”
“Care to elaborate?” Max asked Elizabeth, who continued to watch quietly from across the table. “What happened after that moment? How did they all make it back to Orwell?”
Elizabeth nodded. “I’ll answer all of your questions,” she assured.
“I appreciate that you saved our brother and comrades’ lives, but we need answers,” Max asserted as he sat down along with everyone else. “Let’s start with how they made it back.”
She waited for everyone to sit before obliging. “Richard’s account is accurate. Shortly after he passed out from being wounded, Gringal took an arrow to the shoulder and leg while Orthol was cut across the front of his chest by a jagged blade.”
“I still killed that one, though,” Orthol interrupted.
Max’s eyes didn’t leave Elizabeth’s.
“Even with two arrows in him, Gringal could still use his bow and Orthol continued to fight with his axe. We managed to fend off the rest of them before more could show up, which gave us an opportunity to escape.”
“I heard wolves from the forest, too,” Orthol added. “It happened right about when the creatures stopped pouring out.”
Max’s focus remained on Elizabeth. “How many were there?”
“I didn’t count,” Elizabeth admitted.
“At least thirty or so,” Gringal spoke up. “We managed to dispatch most of them from a distance before close combat. They were unskilled, foolish opponents.”
“In the small amount of time we had,” Elizabeth continued, “the four of us piled upon Richard’s horse and rode back to Orwell as quickly as possible.”
“Four people…on one horse,” Max scoffed. “I know his steed is large and strong, but no horse could manage that.”
“But my horse did, though,” Richard defended. “I remember seeing the ground moving quickly as I came in and out of consciousness. I think Elizabeth held me in front of her while she rode.”
“I did,” she nodded.
“And we rode on the horse, too,” Gringal added, motioning to Orthol, too, “as the horses we ‘borrowed’ from Orwell’s front stables fled shortly after the battle began.”
“We went into a dark place,” Richard continued, “and cold.”
“A dark place,” William repeated, looking to Elizabeth for answers.
“The caverns, I took them through the caverns and then brought them here.”
“Do you have access to the caverns nearby?” Max asked.
“Yes, this house has access,” she said as she motioned to the back door.
“What happened to their wounds?” William finally asked after glancing at the three of them. “You said they took wounds, but they look fine to me.”
“She healed us, William,” Richard interjected, “saved us all.”
“A healer,” Max blurted out. “You’re a healer, as in one from the vanished Woodland Kingdom of the North? I thought none still existed.”
“I am,” Elizabeth said. “Perhaps one of the last,” her voice faltered, “if not the last.”
“Thank you for saving them,” William said, “and for bringing them here.”
“You are welcome,” she answered.
Max gave a shallow nod…his way of expressing gratitude, though his appreciation faded. “Why were you in the Artelian Forest in the first place?” he demanded. “The Woodland Kingdom hasn’t been heard of for over three centuries, shortly after the Natavarn Wars occurred one century prior. Does the kingdom still exist amongst the sick trees?”
“No. The kingdom no longer exists. I was in the forest for another reason,” Elizabeth answered as her hand reached beneath the table and into a fold in her dress. She withdrew a small black pouch with golden lining around the top. “I went in there for this.”
They all stared at the bag.
“It’s something very ancient,” she said while carefully opening the bag.
She removed a small piece of silk cloth from within the bag before sliding a smooth, oval-shaped black object onto it. Silver streaks vibrated around the harmony of waves that rippled along the object’s fluid surface. It wasn’t large, perhaps the size of Elizabeth’s palm. The moment it touched the table, William wanted a closer look. He reached for it.
“No!” Elizabeth said before quickly shielding it with the bag over top. “You mustn’t touch it directly.”
“Why?” he said, retracting his hand.
“Because direct contact will kill you,” she answered.
“And that was in your pocket?” William asked in alarm.
“Yes.” She could see everyone curiously fixated on it. “I’m not entirely sure what it is,” she admitted and Victoria shared the expression.
William picked it up using the cloth beneath it, noticing the small specks of red blood on it.
“I can feel it vibrating in my hand,” he said.
“It vibrates more with your touch,” Elizabeth commented, looking at him with curiosity. She paused. “I know that stone is a fragment of some kind, a part to a greater whole, though I don’t know what exactly that whole is.”
Max took the small ovular stone from William, carefully holding it with the cloth, for a closer look. The vibrating lessened, though he could still feel it. “So this is why you entered the forest; you took this stone?”
“Yes.”
“From whom?”
Elizabeth sat back in her seat, her back straight and hands resting on the table. “I’m not sure of that either,” she said, seeing Max’s frustrated expression. “I know they’re from somewhere else, but that’s all I know. To reach them required a portal of some kind,” Elizabeth added.
Max shook his head. “How did you know about the stone, then, and this…portal?”
William stayed quiet; he didn’t know what questions to ask and figured he’d let Max ask them. Besides, he still couldn’t believe his younger brother sat beside him, healthy and safe. But his focus shifted to the stone again. He took it back from Max with the cloth and held it close to his face. The silver streaks slowly aligned into an odd shape on the surface, a circular shape with something in the centre. After returning it to the table, the shape dispersed into random motions again. He looked to see if anyone had noticed; the group remained transfixed on Elizabeth, though Victoria gave him a brief inquisitive look.
“My father was approached by a man named Tolin,” Elizabeth went on. “He spoke of other civilizations that rested beyond our borders.”
“Unknown civilisations exist past the forest?” Max interrupted.
“Yes. But these ‘others’ were invaders, not allies.” She paused. “Tolin said that by stealing this stone, I was saving this whole realm. Apparently this stone,” she said, motioning towards it, “is required for life to exist in these lands.”
“And you believed all of this? How did you know that he wasn’t delusional?”
The Secrets of Brymar (The Elitherian Fragments Book 1) Page 13
