by Ashley Nixon
“And how are you even going to find what you’re looking for?” asked Barren.
“It can’t be too hard—it’s a small island, and I will not risk the loss of such a powerful weapon to my enemies,” Datherious said through his teeth. “Get him!”
In response to Datherious’s command, the door of the hatch flew open, and Barren’s crew pushed through. The sounds of battle ensued. Larkin ran for Barren, tossing him his sword. He set his gaze on the twins and lifted his blade. They were already pushing toward the rail of the ship, but before they could make it to the edge, Leaf landed lightly before them, an arrow drawn back on his bow.
Natherious swung at the Elf, and he jumped from his place, landing behind the twins. He used his bow to strike Datherious on the back of the knees. The twin fell and Leaf stood back, drawing his sword. Barren hurried to help.
“Bastard son of an Elf!” Datherious spat, standing on his wobbly legs. “I’ll see to it that your people suffer!”
Datherious charged at Barren, and Natherious at Leaf. Barren attacked fiercely—going for the shoulders, the neck, and the hip—each blow Datherious deflected with a fierce counter. If Barren could keep up the strength, he would do this all day, if only to keep Datherious from coming into possession of the bloodstone. Because if that happened, there was no way they could win.
Over the twin’s shoulder, he saw Larkin jump to the rail. She glanced back at Barren before she dove into the Orient. Barren paid for that distraction as he took a hit to his shoulder. Datherious pushed him back and Barren stumbled and fell. Finally free, Datherious took off for the sea. Barren reached for the twin’s ankle, causing him to fall on his hands and knees. Datherious rolled over, giving out a harsh growl. He swung his blade at Barren, and he was forced to let go of Datherious’s ankle in order avoid the blow.
The twin rose to his feet and brought his sword down upon Barren. At the last minute, he rolled away, and found that Datherious’s blade crash with another. When he got to his feet, he found Hollow standing in his place, sword interlocked with Datherious’s.
“Barren, go!” he commanded as he entered into a fight with the dark twin, a challenging smirk on his face. Barren obeyed and hurried to follow Larkin.
When he hit the water, he felt that he couldn’t swim fast enough. His arms were weak from fighting Datherious so hard, and his body was still stiff from injuries sustained in Estrellas—it had been a couple of days since he’d drunk one of Leaf’s draughts. He was regretting that now.
When he reached shore, he dragged his feet in the sand and paused for a moment, looking about. He’d been here before, but only in his nightmares. William and Jess fought upon this island. This is where William had told him how different they were. Even if all of that had been a nightmare, he knew his father had walked on this shore before, and so had his mother. His eyes shifted to the encroaching forest, and he was overwhelmed with a feeling of loss.
“Barren!” Larkin’s voice snapped him back into reality. “We must hurry!”
He nodded, and together they disappeared into the tall forest.
***
As soon as they were among the trees, everything outside seemed to disappear, and it was as if this forest wasn’t even a part of the peaceful island they had beheld. It was dark; mist floated between the trees—some massive and old, others scraggly and crooked. The ground was uneven; at the very mouth of the forest they could tell it was going to be a tough run. Part of the wood seemed to rise up like a hill, and moss covered rocks dotted the landscape.
Barren drew his sword and began cutting at the long stringy vines that hung down from the dense canopy above; Larkin followed suit. There had to be millions of them, tangled within the thick mass of leaves above. Not only that, but tall stems with thorns grew up from the ground and wrapped themselves around anything within their reach.
“There has to be an easier way through this,” Larkin said, as she shoved vines aside while stepping on a thorn bush. They had managed to make their way up the hill, and now it was steadily declining into a valley—the bottom filled with a dense fog.
Barren shook his head. “We have only to be mindful of our target. The mountain consumes most of this island.” Larkin looked ahead and saw nothing—the lack of visibility made her feel like they’d be stuck here forever. Maybe that was the point of this forest. If one did manage to past the threatening storm, they would get lost here and die. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.
Before diving down into the valley, Larkin looked over her shoulder, fearful that the twins would appear out of nowhere. As she faced forward, she felt the silk of a spider’s web on her face and screamed. Brushing the threads away from her face with fury, she dropped her blade. Barren stared at her for a moment, and then chuckled.
“Really? After everything you’ve gone through—a spider web unravels you?”
“Hush! Look at this place, can you imagine how big the spiders are?” she hissed. Picking up her sword, she continued forward, brushing more invisible webs from her body. She could still hear Barren laughing at her. “You know, you have to be afraid of something. Pirate’s aren’t fearless.”
Barren’s response was only laughter as they continued down the hill. Larkin watched her feet as she moved over the ground. The trees above were deep green, but foliage from years before still littered the forest floor, decaying where it lay, glistening as if it had just rained.
Walking with her head down for the moment, she was unaware that Barren had stopped. He put his hand out, and she came to a halt, looking up slowly. The first thing she noticed was that they had made it to the bottom of the valley, and the mist rose above them like a halo of clouds. It was beautiful and ominous. Next, she noticed a figure before them, and her eyes grew wide.
There, her father appeared—like her and Barren, he was wet, and he held his sword aloft. His stare was cold, and she knew by the way he stood, he would not leave them without a fight. Larkin just wasn’t sure who he wanted at the end of his blade.
“After everything I taught you, this is what you choose? A good for nothing murderer? You disgrace me!”
“You made him a murderer!” Larkin could feel her skin burn and her eyes blaze with anger. It was he who was responsible for creating the monster inside Barren—it had been him all along. “You took his father away—”
“And I would do it all over again!” the old man snarled.
“What? Kill the wrong man for your own gain? A man who trusted you as his loyal friend? Remind me again of your motive—revenge, right? Against the man who did not murder my mother!”
“Don’t pretend you understand!”
“You never gave me a chance. What did you think? That I would question your wrongs?”
“You questioned nothing until you met him! And suddenly I am your enemy!”
“You are my father!” Larkin said through her teeth. “But you do not know me, and I cannot trust you. If I am a disgrace to you, then it is a disgrace to be your daughter. You preyed on an innocent child, took advantage of his insecurities! Do you not realize the damage you have done?”
“Do not blame this pirate’s actions on me!” Christopher pointed his long, bony finger at Barren, who stood quietly by while Larkin engaged her father. His sword was still drawn, however, and he was ready to fight the second Christopher attempted to move.
“At least this pirate knows what he is fighting for! What has motivated you all this time? Was it power? How could you use my mother’s memory in such a way?”
“You are both children, completely unaware of what you have stumbled into. This is much bigger than your petty crush, and you will only learn that with his death.”
Just as Christopher raised his sword however, both Barren and Larkin’s eyes grew wide with fear. Barren stuck his arm out and pushed Larkin back a little.
“Don’t move,” he ordered Christopher.
The lord laughed. “Are you afraid?”
“No, I am not afraid of you, but
I am afraid of snakes.”
Christopher Lee chuckled. “A pirate, afraid of a snake? Where is it?”
Just as he asked, a terrifying hiss escaped from behind him. It was almost thunderous as it echoed in the quiet clearing. Christopher turned slowly and was met with the beady black eyes of a huge snake; its body was the size of a large tree trunk. It came out of the mist, suspended from one of the branches above, causing the limb to moan as it leveled itself with Christopher, ready to strike.
“Get down!” Barren snarled, and Christopher collapsed, just as the snake snapped. The old man rolled to his hands and knees and hurried away as fast as he could. The snake didn’t go after him. It moved forward, toward Barren and Larkin, its scale-encrusted body slithering over the branch. It was brown in color, but at the top of its head and gliding all the way down his back, were black diamonds. By the size of it, Larkin guessed it could eat all three of them and still be unsatisfied.
“H-how did your father ever get through this forest?” she managed to whisper.
“I’m not sure,” he replied slowly. “But on the count of three, take a step back. One, two, three…”
But as Barren began to move, the snake opened its wide, fanged mouth. Barren pushed Larkin out of the way and slid to the side as the snake struck, but the creature was prepared, and twisted, following the pirate as he went. Barren lashed out at the snake and missed as it raised itself above his head, hissing again. Barren jumped out of the way, hitting the trunk of a tree as he fell.
As he tried to compose himself from the fall, the snake dove after him. Just as its huge jaw was about to capture Barren within its mouth, the beast was distracted as a large rock ricocheted off its head and landed near Barren. The snake turned, now occupied with Larkin, who just seemed to realize what she had done. A hiss escaped its mouth as its slimy belly brushed over the tree’s bark. The snake was fast, and opened its jaws wide, ready to engulf the girl without a second thought. Larkin drew her sword and braced herself for whatever would follow.
Without warning, Christopher jumped between them. Wielding his sword, he swung, cutting off one of the snake’s fangs. The reptile convulsed for a moment and an unnatural shriek filled the air. Its thick mass fell from the tree and piled upon itself.
It wasn’t the end. As it recovered from the pain and shock, it rose again, leveling with both Larkin and her father. Blood dripped from one side of the snake’s mouth, landing on the ground before them and splashing their clothes. Suddenly, the snake jerked and let out a gurgling cry—Barren pushed his blade through its slimy belly. While it was distracted, Christopher grabbed his daughter’s wrist and pulled her away from the scene, through the thick fog and up a steady hill. Larkin tried to pull free from her father’s grip. “Let me go! Barren is back there with that monster!”
“And if he dies, it will be of little consequence to me!”
“Everything you have ever done is of little consequence to you! What about me?” Larkin ripped her arm free from his grasp.
“You obviously don’t know what’s best for you!”
“And why do you think you have a better idea?” asked a voice from behind Christopher. The lord whirled around to face Barren. He stood with his sword raised.
“You! You have been nothing but a burden to my existence since you were born! It ends today!”
Christopher brandished his sword, and charged at the pirate. Barren spread his feet apart and prepared for the attack, but the sound of rustling leaves and bending branches caused their attention to be diverted. They paused, watching the thick air around them, waiting for the snake to attack, but all went silent again.
The group relaxed a little and then the snake exploded from the trees, wrapped its massive body around Christopher and slithered away, taking the screaming man with it.
For a moment, there was complete silence as the reality of what took place settled upon them. Larkin’s body trembled. Would that be the end of her father? Was his final breath to be one of venom and blood?
“Larkin, we must go!” Barren called. She snapped her head in his direction as if coming out of a trance. Without a second thought, she ran toward him and together they disappeared into the woods, cutting their way through the tangle of forest as fast as they could before the snake came after them—or worse, before the twins caught up to them. By the time they stopped, they were both out of breath and unsure of where they were.
“I can’t wait to be out of this place,” said Barren as he looked around for a direction to go—they didn’t seem to be getting any closer to the mountain. Everything around them was dense forest, and it seemed to have gotten darker somehow. Hadn’t Barren said the mountain took up most of the island? Then why did it seem that this forest went on forever? But as Larkin looked up, she spotted something through the curtain of vines—a castle. She parted the curtain of vines and stepped through, disappearing immediate from sight.
***
“Larkin!” Barren hurried after her, but as he stepped through the vines, he stood beside her at the base of a mountain. His eyes traveled up the structure before him, in awe of its grandeur. The face of a castle stared back at him, carved out of the side of the rock. It was both massive and beautiful. Tall pinnacles reached into the sky with the rest of the mountain, and dark windows peered like evil eyes into the forest behind him. He felt an overwhelming sense of pressure all around—as if the power and magic contained within wished to explode upon the entire island. A crumbled and steep staircase led to a large arched doorway. Gargoyles guarded the entrance with razor teeth and dead eyes. The forest, over years, had begun to consume the castle. Ivy and moss covered portions of the stone, eating away at the exterior. Barren swallowed hard. He wasn’t sure he was prepared for this, and even if he entered the castle, how would he know in which direction to go?
Shouts escaped from behind them and Larkin’s hand squeezed around Barren’s. “We have to go!”
They hurried up the crumbled steps and into the darkness of the castle. Rot and decay met them on the inside, and the only light was from the windows, creating a dim path to follow. For a moment, Barren just stood in the entryway, staring at what was once his mother’s home. It was ghostly, and he sensed the familiarity, but knew he had never been here.
A wide corridor extended to their left and right, and windows overlooked the forest they’d come from. Darkened chandeliers with crystal drops decorated the ceiling and every now and then the sun would catch the tears and cast rainbows on the walls. The floor was covered with dust and bugs. Barren ran his foot over it and white marble peered up at him from underneath. A wide staircase rose before him, which was also covered in dust.
As he stood here, he felt something familiar, but it wasn’t in his surroundings. It was something invisible—a force. It was power. The same power he’d felt in the presence of Illiana, only this was stronger and more frightening.
“Barren, we don’t have time! Do something,” Larkin begged, she was looking behind her, out the entrance.
“I—” he hesitated and then focused more on the power he felt from within the castle. While it seemed to curl around him, as if drawn to him, he could tell it was centralized. “This way!”
He headed for the staircase and with each step, a cloud of dust rose around him. As they ascended, the light in the castle dimmed—they were moving away from the windows, losing the light of the day. When he came to the end of the stairs, he stood in the heavy atmosphere, unable to tell in which direction he should go.
A long and dark hall extended on either side of him. Before him were two large doors—they were closed, and they seemed to produce the coldest feeling Barren had ever felt—it was worse than ice—it was like the emptiness of death. He fought to feel the centralized power he’d noticed at the base of the stairs. At the moment, all he could feel was the power wrapping around him, constricting his movements and suffocating him. Then he realized it was trying to confuse him. It didn’t want to be found. It didn’t want to die.
Barren opened his eyes. Of course the bloodstone would feel like emptiness—because that’s what it was: a soulless gem that had stolen the very essence of his mother’s life.
He moved toward the doors just as Datherious’s voice sounded at the base of the steps. “Follow them now!”
Barren and Larkin hurried inside the room and shut the doors tightly behind them. When they turned, they were faced with a large throne room. Columns lined both sides of the room, and light streamed in from narrow windows. Aged flags hung bearing the symbol of a tree—the same tree on Devon’s arm, the symbol of Aurum. At the far end of the room, there was a single throne—the strangest throne Barren had ever seen. It looked to be composed of clear sea glass, polished to a shine and made to look like water. Barren moved toward the throne and stopped. He could feel both the emptiness and the power strengthen from the corner of the room. There, he noticed an open door.
Barren’s heart raced in his chest. He couldn’t risk discovering the bloodstone with the twins so close in tow. He would have to wait until they couldn’t follow.
“What are we going to do?” Larkin asked.
Barren turned to face her and withdrew his sword. “We fight them here,” he said. “We can’t risk getting any closer to the bloodstone.”
Larkin nodded and raised her blade. They stood apart from one another and waited.
It wasn’t long before the doors moved, groaning as they opened for the traitorous twins. Datherious entered first, his features twisted in anger until he saw Barren and Larkin waiting for him, at which point he seemed to relax. His cold laugh filled the space between them, and Barren ground his teeth together. He hated that he’d been unable to see through them. Most of their success had to do with their quiet disposition, a characteristic Barren was discovering, Datherious didn’t actually possess. He strode into the room, head held high, basking in his triumph as his father had done after boarding the ship. He seemed to think he’d won.
