Natalia smiled at their kind gestures as she sat down upon the cool grass beneath the tree.
“I will go to smite the fire,” Tairren said as he spread his cape upon the ground.
They both nodded.
“Tairren,” Phillip said again as he sat down next to Natalia, “thank you for earlier—if you would not have come with your bow and arrow—we might have been mulled to death by those wolves.”
Tairren was quiet for a moment then smiled at him again. He squatted down, looking at both of them.
“You’re welcome,” he said while nodding his head. “I’m glad I listened to that voice in my heart... You know that still small voice—the one that will keep stirring up deep inside of you if you do not listen to it at first? I took a walk along the lake—when a voice in my heart told me to go with haste and get my bow and arrow from where I left it hanging from the saddlebag on Lilly’s back. All three horses were acting strange and uneasy so that’s when I rushed to the clearing—I knew something threatening was coming. Animals can sense evil… I just had this feeling of impending doom come over me…”
Tairren emptied out his leather satchel on the ground next to where he was going to sleep, then stood up.
“I’m going to the lake to fill this with water to put out the fire,” he said.
“Do you want my help?” Phillip asked, beginning to get back up.
“No, stay here with Natalia. The fire is getting low and this satchel is pretty sturdy—just one satchel full will flush out the fire. I’ll be safe—we’ll be safe this very night. The words spoken to me by the owl revealed this to my heart…”
Phillip sat comfortably next to Natalia, watching Tairren as he disappeared into the darkness towards the lake. Phillip leaned against the tree than turned to Natalia who was now lying amongst the grass close to him. He also laid down. He placed his sword right next to him and his hands beneath his head.
“Phillip,” Natalia said as she looked up into the blackness of the tree with tired eyes. “What did the owl reveal to you?”
He was quiet for a moment, then cleared his throat.
“At first I thought it was just my thoughts trying to comfort myself after everything that had just happened… But then I knew it wasn’t just me—because I felt I was touched by something and it overwhelmed me... I can’t really explain everything that was said—but I got this vision of a hand that was made of light—it came down and it touched my heart with tender fingers… And a voice came over me, saying, “Phillip—open up your heart unto me… For my kingdom is great and my plan for you is immense…”
Phillip became quiet for a while, laying amongst the quietness of the forest and thinking about what he had just said. A passion bubbled up in his heart that he had never felt before. His thoughts began to become clear as if he was on the brink of an awakening…
He didn’t realize that Natalia had not responded to anything he had said yet, for his mind only thought of the vision he had.
“Was this light that touched me the hand of God? …And this owl—is it not just an owl?—but is it a divine creature of light that Tairren has been talking about?” he said, looking beside him at Natalia who had now fallen asleep. “This is all so unreal. I did not believe Tairren at first—but I do now—I believe… Something great is happening deep within my soul—I have never experienced before…” Phillip became quiet as a tear ran down the side of his face.
After a moment, Tairren came back with the water and put out the fire. They fell asleep quickly in the darkness as the crickets continued to chirp on. Their minds were at rest and their spirits were made whole that night. Something great watched over them as they slept that night, protecting them with a comforting wing of love. As they slept deeply amongst the quietness of the darkness, awful things lurked moments away about them, yearning to take hold of any one of them whose heart was unprotected—for the three companion’s quest was great and the creatures of darkness wanted it stopped… The darkness that lurked around in the dark forest could not touch them—for they were protected by a mighty presence of light…
CHAPTER 15
The Whisperers In The Forest
The dull gray light of the morning seemed incredibly bright as Marrisa slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes squinted to tree tops amongst a gray sky looming over her. She sat up slowly and looked around the forest she was shrouded in. She began to become panicked as she realized where she was at. She did not see Lilith anywhere, which also frightened her. She had come to learn that not seeing Lilith was even more terrifying than seeing her all together—she didn’t know where she was or what she was going to do. Marrisa stood up slowly, nervously looking around the dreary and misty forest. It was cool and moist in the forest, which sent chills up her spine. The trees were twisted and dark with massive gnarling branches hanging beneath them and the earth was littered with knotted roots, old dead leaves and large bulbous mushrooms. Random patches of grass grew here and there amongst the ground, showing the signs that very little sunlight touched the ground.
This was the way the entire south of Minslethrate appeared—dreary, cold and dark. They had come past The Great Wall of Division the day before, and ever since then Marrisa could see how drastically different everything was compared to her homeland in the northern parts. She never knew how dreadful the southern parts of Minslethrate was, and how much she missed her home and the life it possessed in The Golden Lands of Minslethrate.
Ever since Lilith had forced her into The Forbidden Lands, a strange and haunting presence had been following her. Sometimes the horrible feelings around her would be weak, and other times it would be so strong that she would just curl up into a ball upon the ground and hide her face—just crying. The insidious presence would come with whispers, shrouding her like a thick garment—and it contained no warmth. The haunting whispers would whirl through her ears like stale breezes, spreading goose-bumps across her cold skin. It would be terrifying and morbid—and felt as if she were stuck in a world of pandemonium and miles away from love or light, alone and lost amongst something full of malice and terror…
She hugged herself and rubbed her arms as she began to walk through the forest. Her long red hair hung down along her back and chest in knots with small crumbled pieces of dried leaves clinging to the frazzled strands. Her once beautiful gown was now dirty and stained with old blood and the ends were tattered and torn and soiled. Her face was smudged with grime and her cheeks were striped with dirt where she had been crying. Her right cheek bone had a green bruise on it and her bottom lip had been busted and dried blood stained it. And even though she was in a pitiful state, she was still beautiful.
They had been traveling the whole day before and her body was exhausted and terribly hungry. As they went deeper into the grim and dark Forest, the terrain became more extreme as it was bumpy and small cliffs and steep slopes and hills lay here and there. The trees grew thicker and larger further into the forest, having their massive roots and knots randomly grow everywhere, which protruded from the earth. So with an attempt of trying to get through when they first came into the forest, the wheel of the small carriage in which Marrisa was contained in, broke, and they had to trek the rest of the way. She had plenty of times to escape from Lilith, and when she did, Lilith was always there—Lilith would always find her…
Marrisa continued to walk through the forest, wondering where Lilith had gone and thinking about everything that had been happening. She thought of Tairren and Natalia and wondered what they were doing—if they were worried about her or if they had ventured off to find her. She wondered if her father had set off to look for her, or if he even knew of what was going on. Whatever the case, Marrisa hoped someone would find her soon… She was terrified of what was going to happen and terrified of the things Lilith had told her. The things she had seen and felt within the last couple of days frightened her—and she never wanted to see or feel them again. But she knew she would have to face the unknown again, and that’s what scared her mos
t of all—knowing that she would see and feel the evil things again.
“Marrisa…,” a frightening and whispering voice emanated from the shadows of the forest.
Marrisa grew frightened as she stopped in her tracks, her heart dropped in her chest and she began to breathe harder and whimper as tears built up in her weary eyes. Even though her legs ached and burned because of walking and running so much, she began to run through the forest anyways, as she knew something bad was going to happen.
“Marrisa…,” the whispers came again, haunting and wicked.
“Leave me alone!” she cried out as she began to run faster, her tattered gown trailing behind her.
Marrisa began to cry as she ran. She knew that voice, and it frightened her. The dark voice came not only in her head, but it resonated from the darkness of the forest and seemed to echo in her lost heart… When the voice came many horrific whispers followed it, and then that heavy and terrifying presence came upon her.
She tripped over a large knotted root that stuck out from the dirt and fell onto her stomach, bashing her face into the ground. Grime stuck to her lips as she lifted her throbbing head. She became inundated with fear as a heavy presence came over her.
She tried to get up but something seemed to push her back down to the earth. It felt like something was sitting on her back! The heavy presence came all around her as she began to panic, choking her like thick smoke. She pushed with all of her might as she got to her knees, making the force on her back relent. She began to run again. She was afraid to look behind her, but she couldn’t resist. She quickly turned her head to see what was behind her. She let out a scream as her heart dropped once again into her stomach. Chills ravaged her skin as she kept screaming. Something was chasing her and it was only a couple of feet away behind her!
It was a black creature, a little shorter than her with spiraling horns sticking out from the sides of its head. Its legs were structured like that of the hind legs of a goat and they were covered with thick black hair and it had hooves where the feet should have been. It had a bare chest, arms and hands like that of a man but a head like a goat. Its eyes were red and horrifying and it made grunting and squealing sounds as it chased after her.
Not paying any attention to where she was running, she ran right down a steep hill, and fell the rest of the way down. She tumbled down the leaf-matted slope, falling on her side in a pile of leaves at the bottom, barely missing a tree. With heavy breaths she turned to look up at the top of the steep hill, looking for the dark creature that was chasing her. She could see nothing but mist, trees and shadows. Panicking, she quickly stood up and looked all around her. She held her side as a pain shot through it, indicating that she had pulled a muscle or bruised it badly.
She tried her best to run again while holding her side, dodging low hanging branches, going through bushes and hopping over fallen, dead trees. The heavy presence relented around her so she stood still to take a breath, leaning over and holding on to her knees. The forest was now quiet and still—opposite of her heart and soul. After a quick rest and breath of cool air, she began to run again. She had no idea where she was going, but running was all she could do. She would do anything to run right into the great fields of Minslethrate, right before the castle.
Just then she felt something staring at her from her right side, so she stopped, breathing hard and slowly turning her head to where the feeling emitted from. The dark whisper came to her again, chanting her name. She began to panic once again as she could see a tall, black form standing yards away from her. It was still and cloaked in a black hooded robe, standing amongst the darkness and mist of the forest. It was completely black where the face should’ve been and the long sleeves and train of the robe covered the form completely. All of a sudden fear sprung up in her heart as the air around her became heavy again. She began to scream with horror as she began to run.
She ran until she could run no more, falling upon the ground and grasping for air. She began to sob as her body became numb as she looked all around herself, becoming nauseous. The black robed silhouette was gone now… She went on her hands and knees, not knowing what to do. Her mind was so afraid that she didn’t even think to pray—for the light in her heart was dwindling, and she was not strong. Everything that was happening to her was driving her mad and she couldn’t stand to even live anymore…
She noticed that the blue-heart pendant necklace Tairren had given her for her birthday still hung from her neck. She no longer had the necklace her father had given her—Lilith had taken it. She grabbed the blue stone that hung from the thin leather strap as she sat upon the earth. She held the blue stone tightly and began to cry. She remembered what Tairren had told her: when she felt all alone—to just grasp the pendant and just think of him… She wanted Tairren by her side more than anything, but she knew he would not be there. She seemed to have given up hope—and her faith ran very thin… She sat in the silence of the dark forest for a while, just waiting for something to happen.
“Still holding on to love?” A familiar voice said from behind her, which she loathed.
She turned around quickly to find Lilith standing over her. Marrisa quickly crawled away and sat against a tree. She put her knees up to her chest, then held onto the heart shaped pendant again, not saying anything as she looked up at Lilith with red, teary eyes.
“I am one of many,” Lilith said as she slowly walked over to her. “The others just wanted to meet you,” she said as a large ugly smile crept upon her white face. “…But they do not like you…”
Lilith looked dead. Her skin was white as snow, with greenish-blue rings around her large black eyes. When she smiled, her gray lips stretched and cracked and her rotting gums and teeth were revealed. Her long hair that fell upon her face was thin and lifeless and straggly. Not only did she look like death—but she smelled of it.
“Father wishes to meet you—but it appears that you won’t stop running…,” Lilith said in a low voice as she stood right over Marrisa, glaring down at her with those cold, black eyes.
Marrisa did not say anything as she looked up at her with her hands almost covering her eyes. She was terrified of Lilith now and everything that seemed to follow her. She couldn’t take looking into her eyes anymore but she had to keep her eyes on her to see what she was going to do.
All of a sudden Marrisa began to feel as if she were having a panic attack as that heavy and terrifying presence came over her. She began to become paranoid, looking to her right, then to her left as she felt something coming upon her. Her heart began to flutter and ache and her head began to become numb. She wanted to cry but felt that she couldn’t at the same time. Instead she tried to hold it in as Lilith still stared down at her.
“I give you—The Lord of Darkness,” Lilith said as she stepped to the side.
Marrisa screamed a loud, blood curdling cry as the tall, black hooded thing now stood before her. It quickly came over her like a malevolence and foul-smelling black cloud as she continued to scream. She wiped and scratched at her arms and face as she could feel its tormenting presence crawl all over her like millions of relentless and cruel insects. Her body could not take it any more as she quickly leaned over to vomit. Her heart continued to beat rapidly in her ears as her body became numb. She then fell over onto her vomit, passing out with darkness upon her eyes… Then there came a loud silence…
†††
Tairren shot open his eyes—frantically awakening to another gray day. He inhaled the forest’s air into his lungs and licked his dried lips as he quickly sat up, with his heart racing. The forest smelled of moist soil and fresh greens and the sounds of small running waterfalls and rustling leaves filled his ears. Slightly confused, he glanced all around him as his heart still pounded in his chest. He looked up into the dreary sky, wondering if the mysterious owl still lingered around in the forest. His eyes caught the many moving leaves that danced high above him in the darkened tree tops instead. A scream from a maiden had awakened him. He had
dreamt about Marrisa that night, but he did not remember his dream—except that she was screaming...
He looked all around him again, realizing that there were no signs of Natalia or Phillip anywhere. Their belongings were gone and he was alone with only his things. He thought of the prior night and wondered if it were all another bad dream. He wondered until his eyes met the dead corpses of the slaughtered wolves. He saw the dark-gray, almost black fur from a distance and noticed that flies and bugs had begun to swarm about them. He stood up, stretched his back and legs, than bent over to gather his things. Catching the foul scent of the dead wolves, he hurried through the clearing than into the woods towards the lake.
Natalia and Phillip couldn’t have left without him—they wouldn’t dare do such a thing, they didn’t even know the way. Tairren began to walk faster as the thought of the wolves and the strange creatures from the night came into his head once again. Chills ran through his skin as he thought of how the massive and grotesque malformed wolves had spoken to his mind—and how frightening their voices were. But the fear diminished as he knew something far more great was on his side.
He didn’t know if anything horrible had happened to Natalia or Phillip. He became nervous as he thought about them—then became alarmed when screams could be heard echoing through the woods, coming from the lake. It was the scream of the maiden again, which must’ve awoken him earlier. Tairren ran the rest of the way to the lake with his satchel bouncing on his back and his bow and arrows in hand.
He made it to the lake, only to find Natalia screaming, then laughing as she was playfully trying to get away from Phillip. They both had their swords in hand and were out of breath. They stopped in their tracks as Tairren walked over to them.
The Last Legend: Awakened Page 27
