by Candy Crum
Scarlett slowly took a few steps forward, each click of her heel on the floor a dark threat. "Because I asked you to do something for me, and I was met with rudeness. I'm sick of the disrespect around here. Talia would be nothing without me. She would've already gotten herself killed by now, most likely by that bitch Arryn. So, unless you want the image of those snakes burned into your brain for eternity, I'd suggest being a little more helpful."
Bernice nodded, quickly rising and moving across the room to stand in front of Scarlett. "Of course. Anything you need."
With a genuine smile, Scarlett said, "Good! Now, teleport me to the southern edge of the Dark Forest. You'll stay with me, then you'll teleport me back when I’m ready. When your part is all done, I'll compel you to forget all about this. Understand?"
The woman nodded, wringing her hands.
Scarlett gave a quick nod. "Good girl. Now, take my hand. Let’s go."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Today was the day. The sun was shining. The wind was barely a breeze. It was warmer than it had been for the past several days because of the snowstorm.
It was time.
Arryn walked out of the cave, her body and her mind both feeling stronger than ever. The past couple of days had been spent training hard in teleportation skills. With how strong she had gotten, she had been able to practice several times a day without completely exhausting herself.
Sleeping with the tigers had kept her from needing fires, though she usually built one a few hours before dawn when it got the coldest.
She’d gone back and forth, questioning whether the animals were her familiars or not. The cats didn't seem to have an emotional bond with her, and she didn't have one with them, except for her general love for all animals.
Her rabbit friend had come back, having snuck into the cave in the middle of the night. She’d tried to tell the tigers not to eat him, but they hadn’t understood. She’d had to use magic to get through to the cats and arrange to keep her long-eared, chubby friend alive.
Had it been a bond like Cathillian’s had with Echo, she could've just spoken the words or simply thought them.
Perhaps it wasn’t a true bond.
Arryn made her way to the edge of the mountain, looking down to find a good path. From where she stood now, it looked like it would be easy for her to walk in a zigzag down a natural walkway that had been carved out by wind and erosion, but that would only last so long.
Eventually, she would have to climb down twenty or thirty feet, maybe more, to the next landing. That would take a lot of skill, patience, and sure footing.
"Fuck it," she said out loud to herself. "I'll just teleport down to those places. Not gonna risk it."
She checked her pockets and found jerky from the last ram the tiger had brought in, and she tied her knives to her belt. She had everything she needed.
As she stared down the path, rechecking her route, something felt wrong. She felt worried. Paranoid that something bad was about to happen. Taking several deep breaths, Arryn did her best to calm herself, but it didn't work very well.
The sound of crunching snow filled her ears. The tigers had stepped out of the cave and were approaching. She walked over to them, kneeling to pull the cub into her arms. As she reached out to him, he stood on his hind legs and put his paws in the air. A big smile spread across her face as she picked him up and held him tightly, scratching the side of his face and his favorite area under his ears.
"Well, I guess this is it. I'm heading back to Arcadia. I have a score to settle." Arryn pulled the cub’s little face closer and kissed his nose, his cheeks, and between his eyes before hugging him one last time and setting him down.
When she turned to the mama, she had to stand. The tigress was now tall enough that Arryn could look her directly in the eyes.
"You are huge. It doesn't feel like we've been around one another very long, but I think you're almost twice the size you were when I met you."
Arryn stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the big cat's neck, hugging her tightly. To her surprise, the tiger wrapped one of her front legs around her thighs and tipped her head sideways, leaning into a hug. She rubbed her cheek on Arryn's head and shoulder several times before letting go.
"Marking me as yours?" Arryn asked, smiling as she pulled away. "I promise, where I'm going we don't have anything like you. I've seen some panthers and leopards, but nothing like you."
Arryn stepped back, tears filling her eyes suddenly. She laughed as she rubbed them away. Before her face was dry, she felt something hit her leg. Looking down, she saw that the cub had flopped down on her feet and was wrapping his legs around her.
More tears filled her eyes then, so many that she couldn't see. "I can't take you from your home. This is all you've ever known. If we were bonded it would be different, but I don't think we are. It's inconsistent—nothing like what I've been told. You're used to the cold. I can't take you to the forest without knowing that's where you belong."
She began to sob as she leaned down, picking up the tiger cub and carrying him back over to his mother. She set him down in front of her paws. "I don't understand," she said between sobs, sniffling as she stood and looked into the ice blue eyes of the mother tiger. "You grew so big. He grew. I thought you were mine. After all this time, after all these years, I thought you were mine."
Arryn once again started to leave, momentarily looking at the sky as she took a deep breath and exhaled. She did her best to push her emotions aside.
"Maybe the bond is just taking longer. Maybe it started, but we haven't had enough time to fully seal it." She sighed, exasperated. "Then again, if you leave the mountain and we aren't bonded at all—if this was just some strange thing that happened—then I'll have ripped you away from your home for no reason."
Arryn wanted to go, she felt certain she could go, but it hurt to think about it. Just then, something hopped across her foot. She looked down and smiled at the rabbit, who was looking up at her with his adorable nose bobbing.
"Hop Hop!" She picked the rabbit up, nuzzling her face against him. "I'm glad you came to say goodbye. All my best friends. If it wasn't for all of you, I would've either gone crazy up here or died."
She kissed his little nose and set him back down on the ground. With a sigh, and more tears threatening to fall, she looked at each one of them one last time.
"I love you. All of you. Be good to each other. Baby snow cat and mama snow cat, no eating my little Hopsicle. We're all family."
Having said her goodbyes, Arryn turned, did her best to stifle the oncoming tears, and headed toward the edge of the mountain.
***
The Chieftain had only just laid down to sleep when he felt the presence of dangerous magic. He sat up in bed, calling on his strength to reach out through the interconnected life in the forest, which allowed him to see what was happening.
In a flash, the Chieftain was on his feet and out his door, alerting everyone in the area to head south.
"What is it?" Elysia asked. Her own internal alarm had gone off when something approached the barrier.
"The dark druids. From the amount of magic being used, it looks like there are several." The Chieftain turned, searching the assembled crowd of warriors for Nika. He found her and ran over. "Send Luna to find the warriors and tell them about the barrier. They may be patrolling and not in the immediate area. She's the fastest."
Nika only nodded before turning and running in the opposite direction. The Chieftain closed his eyes for a moment, and a loud roar echoed through the forest as Zobig answered his silent call. Thunderous hoofbeats sounded as Chaos answered Elysia. Each climbed onto the back of their familiar before racing for the border.
Other horses joined the fray as the warriors followed their leaders into what was sure to be a battle. Howls and growls sounded from other familiars as they raced alongside the Elders’ steeds. The moon was high, but the light only shone through every so often because of the thick canopy overhead.
> The Chieftain could sense magic in the trees, and he realized that the Schatten warriors were quickly traveling through their branches. He'd ordered some of them south from the northernmost village in the tribe to help in cases just like this one.
"Do you think they’re coming for Jenna?" Elysia asked.
"They've been suspiciously quiet since she was captured. I'd have to say that's exactly what they're after. If that's the case, they probably have a sizable pack with them."
As they approached the wall, the Chieftain sensed a large amount of magic being used in one specific spot. Just as they came into seeing distance, the Chieftain watched the plants in the barrier darken, all life inside being drained as they shriveled.
"Shit!" Elysia shouted. "They must have a ton of men to accomplish that!"
She wasn't wrong. The Chieftain knew their death touch was strong. It was what had destroyed the southernmost edge of the Dark Forest, and it was also what would one day destroy the rest if they won. But a small number wouldn’t have been strong enough to break through that wall so quickly.
There had to be at least thirty, maybe more.
Just as they got close enough to engage, several dark druids broke through the barrier, having cleaved their way through the weakened wall using swords and what looked like scythes. As Elysia and the Chieftain dismounted, the Schatten began dropping from the trees, snatching up the enemy and taking them into the canopy before dropping them again with their throats cut.
The Chieftain ran forward, and Zobig wasted no time before charging several enemies, grabbing them by their throats with his powerful jaws and slamming them into the ground.
Staff in hand, the Chieftain swung as a dark druid approached him, striking him in the head and taking him down before delivering the finishing blow. Vines began shooting from the canopy, wrapping around ankles, yanking the men and women up and slamming them against the thick trees, ending their lives immediately.
Very quickly the Chieftain realized he'd underestimated their numbers. Elysia ran up, her face frantic. "There are too many of them, and Aeris isn't here. Something's not right."
When he looked around, the Chieftain saw that his people were evenly matched against theirs. Though everything was happening quickly, the actual progression was slow. The Schatten were killing from above, thinning the horde as those on foot charged forward with their companions.
The Chieftain looked at Elysia. "The village! This is a distraction."
Elysia's face fell. "Cathillian and Samuel are guarding Jenna."
"I'm about to finish this. Go. Quickly. Get back to the village and save them," the Chieftain ordered.
Elysia nodded once before jumping on Chaos and taking off. The Chieftain took several steps towards the crowd, his eyes glowing bright green as he lifted his staff to the night sky, causing thunder to crack hard above the forest. Clouds began to blow in, covering all available light.
"Let us end this!" the Chieftain called as lightning struck the top of his staff.
***
Cathillian looked at the sky as clouds began to blow in.
"That's some loud thunder," Samuel said.
Cathillian shook his head. "That's not real thunder. That's my grandfather."
Laughter echoed around them as Cathillian glanced at the young woman still tied to a tree. "They must be coming for me. Cathillian, my dear, I'll forgive all of this if you untie me and take me to my brother. He's going to get me anyway, so you might as well live through it. Or… Maybe we could just have one night together before you die."
Cathillian grimaced as he looked down at Jenna. Even in the fading light, he could see her dark smile. She made him sick.
"Fuck you," he spat.
Jenna laughed again. "I'm trying, but you're not cooperating."
Cathillian shot her an annoyed look. "Hey, I'm the only one around here allowed to hand out witty one-liners. And I won't ever give in to you, not in any way, shape, or form. You might as well get that through your stupid head."
"Lad," Samuel said, readying his hammer, "she's baitin' ye. Don't listen to her. She's tryin' ta distract ye while someone sneaks up on us."
Cathillian had no more than listened to Samuel's statement when someone grabbed him around the throat from behind, shoving a knife through his lower back. He cried out as he thrust an elbow into his attacker's ribs, throwing her far enough away he was able to reach back and pull the knife from his kidney. He turned and jammed it into his attacker’s throat, twisting it for good measure.
He focused his energy, healing the area a bit, but careful not to use more energy than what was needed for a simple close. He’d do a deeper heal later.
Samuel ran forward, swinging his hammer just over Cathillian's head into the chest of another approaching dark druid. A knife whistled through the air as it passed between the men and struck another attacker in the face. Both men turned to see Celine standing there with a smile on her face.
"Thanks for that last lesson, Sam," she said before waving her hand, her telekinesis pulling the knife free from the attacker's face and bringing it back to her.
Samuel smiled. "Glad ta see it paid off fer me, too."
There were screams coming from the village, forcing Cathillian to make the decision between leaving Jenna alone, knowing she would be taken, or staying and abandoning the other druids in the community.
Having seen the dilemma on Cathillian's face, Samuel smashed another dark druid in the chest before saying, "Go, lad! I can handle this."
"Be careful. Her brother will come for her. Don't let them touch you. You remember what happened to me." Cathillian spared only another moment, giving his friend a nod before running toward the screams.
More cries echoed through the forest, leading him to a mass of dark druids invading the actual village. When he got there, he realized they were all women. "Ladies! Ladies! Hey, no fighting. There's enough Cathillian to go around. All you had to do was ask."
A dagger whizzed by his head, one he hadn't seen coming but which had luckily missed.
"Hey!" he said, pointing a finger at the one who had thrown it. "That's no way to treat a guy you like. Unless, of course, that's just how you flirt."
Just as it was in the sparring match with Nika, his hand was a blur as he drew his knife and threw, hitting the woman directly in the chest.
"Did I mention that I flirt harder?" he asked.
There were five of them, and all five charged at him at once, clearly not amused by his sense of humor. Lifting a hand into the air, Cathillian was able to grab a thin branch which creaked as it angled down far enough for him to reach. The branch quickly lifted Cathillian as he swung his body upward to stand on the end.
The women stopped, anger all over their faces.
"Now see, if you guys weren’t evil psychos, you'd still be able to use your nature magic. But no. The trees don't like you now," Cathillian said, then childishly stuck his tongue out at them.
He only barely dodged another knife flying at his head before he once again reached for the sky. A vine shot down from one of the overhead limbs and wrapped around his wrist. He held on tightly and jumped from the branch he stood on, swinging downward and wrapping his legs around one of the dark druids as he passed her. He arced high into the air and released her, dropping her from a height that was enough to kill her on impact.
As he arced back down, he broke the vine at the lowest point and dropped to the ground, tumbling once and landing flat on his back. From his position on the ground he kicked one of the dark druids in the gut as hard as he could, sending her flying back several feet.
Scrambling to his feet, he unsheathed his sword to meet the last two coming for him with blades and staffs. They weren't nearly as well trained as he was in close-quarter combat, so he was able to cut them down easily. The last one had recovered from the hard kick he’d given her and was now coming at him with a staff.
It struck him as odd that they would use staffs at all, because the druids believed th
at the weapon helped them connect better with nature. The dark druids were more or less an abomination of nature, their magic taking life instead of giving it.
She came at him, screaming out a war cry. He easily ducked out of the way, spinning once and hitting her in the back of the leg with the broad side of his sword. When she was on the ground, he lowered the point to her throat, pushing it in just hard enough to draw blood.
"How did you get in?" Cathillian asked.
"That would be me, big boy," a sultry feminine voice said.
Cathillian looked up to see a woman with white eyes approaching. He'd never met a mystic, but he had a feeling this was the very one Arryn had told him about. The woman on the ground shifted, attempting to get away from the sword, but he didn't give her the chance. Thrusting the sword downward, Cathillian ended her fight.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Cathillian asked. "Aren’t you the mystic helping Talia in Arcadia?"
The woman bowed slightly. "Scarlett. So nice to meet you, Cathillian. I've heard all about you. I just must say, you are much more delicious in person. Before you ask, I have an Arcadian with me. Stashed away. A large group invaded the southern border while I came farther north. The Arcadian teleported me inside the barrier, and I used my special abilities to convince a few of your people to open the barrier here to let my friends in. Really, it wasn't that hard."
Cathillian shook his head. "Why are you telling me this?"
She shrugged. "I felt like it? I don't know. I don't really have any reason not to. I mean, I'm getting out of here. I'm perfectly safe, so why shouldn’t I? Anyway, I made a deal with Jenna after she nearly killed you outside the Arcadian gate. I can't exactly get my side of the deal if she's here in your custody, so her hot brother asked me to help. As soon as I'm done here, I'll be teleported out to safety, away from all you savages."
"Where's Arryn?" Cathillian no longer cared about this woman or her game. He knew she was stalling for some reason, but he didn't give a damn. At that moment, the only thing on his mind was Arryn.
