by G. S Tucker
They simply didn’t have time for questions. Could Eli not see how the land was affecting his twin? Was he incapable of heeding a warning; even when it had been given several times? Winter’s anger fizzed in her veins; Eli could well be a liability; she would have to keep a close eye on him and make sure he did not jeopardise this mission.
They all approached the edge of the ravine, looking down they were greeted with a terrifyingly narrow path that was hewn from the rock face, the bottom was nowhere to be seen. Eli immediately began to protest.
“I am not allowing my sister to travel down that!” he all but screamed while pointing at the path. Winter had, had enough. Walking up to Eli and staring up into his puce countenance, she let rip.
“Eve has no choice; you, moron! Look at her; this place is leaching away her goodness; her soul is under attack, and she has lost a lot of blood. We have to be off the land as I have told you repeatedly before darkness falls or we will be facing worse than a long drop and a broken neck at the end of it. In fact, you will be wishing for it if we do not leave now!”
Eli stood stock still, his mouth opened and closed several times. Never had he been spoken to in such a manner and by a female! A cutting retort sprang to his lips. However, Jericho clamped a meaty paw hard onto his shoulder and squeezed.
“I think you should consider holding your tongue, or you may find it cut out. Do not presume to know your twin, Eve has and always will make her own decisions,” he growled at a now pale Eli; clearly, he wasn’t so brave when faced with a male opponent. “The Fae have made you weak boy if we live through this I suggest you accompany me to Olia, there is time to make a decent warrior out of you. That is if you are not afraid of a challenge?” Jericho growled, applying more pressure to Eli’s shoulder. Eli let out a squeak but held his ground
“I thought so. Let’s go we are wasting time we do not have on your ego.” Releasing his iron grip, Jericho returned to Caleb and Eve and lifted her into his arms.
They were almost at the start of the path when the last of the daylight faded to black. It was quite a shock, there was no inky blue that gently melted into the black of night. This was an instantaneous change. Like an extinguished candle. Everyone stopped, everyone apart from Winter, who kept moving. Suddenly the blackness was pierced by eerie clicking, like many small joints popping to a drum beat. A blue light appeared in arcs across the blackness when it made contact with the ground it hissed and crackled like embers in a fire.
“RUN!” cried Winter, as she moved more swiftly through the infinite gloom. Jericho began to run with a groggy Eve bouncing off his chest. Eli passed him, even in the pitch black he could smell his perfume scented clothes. Rolling his eyes, Jericho kept going, hoping he was not about to run off the cliff edge. Caleb was bringing up the rear, he had called for Sapphire and cast an orb of fire that levitated a few inches away from his upturned palm, but she was nowhere to be seen, he assumed she had taken to the sky’s
Owls are not great on their feet.
He cast the orb further away to discover what was creating the blue lights and the noise. What he saw was beyond reason. Spiders; giant arachnids, with their thick legs covered in white hair, scurried in all directions. As he watched one, it spotted something in the darkness, its multiple pink eyes flashing in the meagre light of his orb, then without warning, it reared up on its four rear legs and shot bright blue liquid from between its pincers. After this display it scurried in the direction its attack had been directed, its jarring run made Caleb’s skin crawl.
He realised It’s not light, it’s fluorescent acid! They needed to be as far from these beasts as possible. Recalling his orb, Caleb, turned and ran to catch the rest of the group, sending his light source ahead of him to illuminate their path.
Winter was waiting for them at the junction where rocky path met the barren landscape, she hoped they would arrive soon; her acute senses were in overdrive. She knew all too well, what lay out there in the dark waiting to devourer them. The smell of burning scrub and the occasional meaty odour indicated that the scourge of the scrub as they were known to her people, were out and attacking. At last, someone appeared before her, unfortunately, it was Eli.
Wonderful, she thought, Now I have to wait with the one creature, I wouldn’t have minded getting consumed. Sighing, Winter nodded to him and then returned her gaze to the direction he had run from. Willing the rest of them to arrive. Jericho, who was still carrying Eve was next, he looked hot and his eyes were showing signs of tension. Running full tilt carrying an almost dead weight could not have been easy.
“Caleb is right behind us; I saw his light orb, thank goodness he cast it, I was inches away from death without even realising!” Jericho puffed. Winter walked to him and looked at Eve, she did not smell near death, and though her soul was sick from this land, she would recover once they entered the pathways.
Caleb appeared waving his arms frantically,
“Run, run, go, go, go!” he shouted, as he fired defecting charms over his shoulder, the sound of hissing acid was uncomfortably close. He reached the group and began to herd them towards the path. “Come on, we need to move! Winter was right we do not want to be caught by what’s out there,” Caleb urged, moving forward while still shooting the charms back towards the unseen danger. He wished he could ‘un-see’ them! Those eyes were going to be, forever etched on his mind.
“AARRGGGGGHHH!” his yell seemed to go on forever. One of the spiders had managed to dodge his charm, and its acid was burning through his thick leather boot. The heat was intense, once it reached his calf it was going to render him immobile, of that he was completely sure. As the first caustic droplets touched his skin, Caleb let out another yell, this time, to urge his friends on. There was no saving him now; he could try and hold these beasts off and ensure the rest of them made it onto the path. The burning was growing; he could feel the skin on his leg melting away as the acid began working through his muscle. Caleb thought of his sister, Grace and his father; he would never see them again. Then he thought of Eve, he wished he had had the chance to kiss her, just once. Gritting his teeth, Caleb continued to fight off the beasts that would soon claim his life and then consume his flesh.
Sapphire had taken flight, as Caleb had hoped and was frantically searching for her companion in the dark. Their connection was sluggish, no doubt due to Eve’s lethargic state. Then she heard it, Caleb’s yell of pain, quick as lighting she headed in the direction the sounds had come from. What she saw once she was close enough was both horrifying and a relief. Eve was safe, she was in the arms of Jericho and already on the path, Caleb, on the other hand, was surrounded by the creatures, and severely injured, his life would be extinguished in moments. Sapphire once again opened her connection with Eve and spoke to her dear one.
Evangeline, I have fulfilled my part in this quest, you have become who you were destined to be. My last piece of knowledge to you is this when it all seems lost use the power of three and victory shall be yours. You have my heart dear one, so I shall always be with you.
Closing the connection Sapphire swooped down and scooped Caleb up, taking him to the safety of the junction as jets of blue acid followed her into the sky. Winter was still there waiting for him, on seeing his injury she quickly ripped her hoodie and bound it above the burn. She then looked at Sapphire, and was horrified but what she saw. The great Protector must have been in agony, huge areas of her plumage were burned away, and her white skin was red raw. Even as Winter observed, sapphire’s skin broke down and the muscle and sinews became visible.
“You are indeed a protector; I will never forget your sacrifice this day,” Caleb said as he watched the creature he had come to respect burn before his eyes. Nodding her snowy head, Sapphire turned and opened her great wings and took another volley of acid. Tears streaming down their faces, Winter and Caleb crossed the junction and into the relative safety of the ravine. Turning back, they watched as Sapphire's wings became nothing more than bone. There was no blood the ac
id was cooking her flesh wherever is touched.
It was becoming too gruesome to watch, but Caleb made himself look, out of respect., Sapphire, the great Protector, once a majestic white giant with the jewel blue eyes, was dragged to the ground by five of her attackers. Caleb couldn’t watch them devour what was left, wiping his eyes he turned away from the horrific scene; breathing through his pain.
“She never cried out,” whispered Winter, as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “Come on. We need to get you further down the path so I can check your leg.” She said, helping him to his feet, Winter supported Caleb as they made their way slowly towards the rest of their party.
Eve had regained her sense by the time Winter and Caleb reached them; Caleb was all set to break the sad news to her. When he was close enough, he reached out to her, Eve looked at him with watery eyes and smiled a heartbreakingly sad smile.
“It’s alright Cal, I know. She spoke to me before it happened,” Eve reached into the bag and removed a kerchief and wiped at her eyes; she would mourn her friend later, Once she had fulfilled her quest. Jericho watched her with pride; how brave she was; a true warrior, even in the face of great loss. He was sure all of Orea would be speaking her name for generations to come.
“Caleb is hurt, we need to deal with his leg before we go any further,” Winter said to no one in particular as she began rummaging through Caleb’s bag, Eve went to Caleb and looked at his wound and then his aura. Despite the severe burn to his calf, he was not in mortal danger, which was a blessing. Eve could not bear lose him as well.
“It’s all right, I can heal it myself. Winter, could you pass me the lavender? You will find it in a bundle,” Caleb pointed to the pocket it could be found in and waited. Once he had it, he asked Jericho to hold him still and once again created an orb of fire, this time, he used it to burn the lavender. Its heady perfume filled their senses. “Now hold me still; Eve, please can you crush this over the wound and repeat the words I speak.”
Nodding Eve, did as she was asked. Caleb screamed but managed to rush out the incantation which Eve repeated. Once the last word had passed her lips, she was amazed to see the skin on Caleb’s calf was already re-growing. Panting, his eyes wet with unshed tears, Caleb explained that in a few moments he would be healed enough to walk without being a hindrance to the group.
“Good, we have to move soon we may be away from the scourge, but there could be something worse waiting around the next bend,” Winter said grimly. Faces set with determined expressions, the group readied themselves for the next challenge.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Down and down they travelled, the path was narrow and crumbling in places. Eli hadn’t said anything since his confrontation with Winter. He was sandwiched between Jericho and Eve with Caleb behind her and Winter at the rear. As much as he loved being with his twin, Eli was beginning to wish he had remained in Gloria under the care of the Royals.
Jericho halted abruptly and raised his arm to motion the others to do the same. Turning he indicated that everyone was to stay put while he checked the path ahead. Nodding their agreement, Jericho eyeballed Eli and then disappeared around the next corner. The silence was eerie; no one dared to move. Minutes passed and Jericho had not returned. Eli was becoming twitchy as he was now at the front of the group. Not wanting to shift and leave his sister to face whatever may come; he stayed where he was, sweat trickled between his shoulder blades, he was not built for battle and bloodshed.
When Jericho eventually reappeared, everyone expelled the breath they had been holding. Thankfully, he seemed to be alone and uninjured. Beckoning them to follow him, they all continued along the path. After a mile or so, the path ended and opened out to form a platform of sorts. Keeping close to the wall, Jericho led them behind a cluster of large boulders, once they were all hidden, he relayed what he had discovered.
“Not far ahead there is a bridge, the bad news is that about two-thirds of the way across, there is a huge gap that is impassable.” Jericho watched as his comrade’s shoulders drooped. He needed to continue and quickly; he could see Eli getting ready to complain and even though he had been lucky to not encounter any creatures so far if Eli started creating a fuss it would likely draw unwanted attention. Holding up his palms to show he hadn’t finished, Jericho continued.
“Now, I had a look for a way across and it is true that there is no way to reach the other side, however, by chance I looked down and twenty feet below the opening, there is, what I believe to be a portal.”
“YOU WANT US TO JUMP OFF A BRIDGE AND FREE FALL TWENTY FEET, IN THE HOPES THAT THE PORTAL IS ACTUALLY ACTIVE, AND IF IT IS, WE WILL FALL INTO WHO KNOWS WHAT!” Eli exploded, the sound of his voice echoed off the vast stone walls. Wincing, Jericho really wanted to knock the selfish elf, senseless.
Instead, he and Caleb exchanged a look. “Eli, if you do not desist, I will have no choice but to silence you myself,” Jericho warned his voice low but full of promise. Eli opened his mouth to reply; thankfully, Caleb was ready and shooting Eve an apologetic look he muttered a quick incantation. Eli’s mouth moved, his eyes bulged and he clutched his throat. He tried again to speak but nothing happened.
“I warned you, Eli, we cannot have you shouting in here. Do you want to bring whatever guards this place out of hiding? So until I can be sure you will keep quiet, I am afraid that Caleb will continue to keep you mute,” Jericho explained to a brick red Eli, he glared at the two males and began to think of ways to get revenge.
“Enough fighting, your auras are glowing so brightly with your anger and becoming so muddled with rage that I am feeling quite ill,” Eve groaned holding her temples and closing her eyes against the harsh colours surrounding her friends. Taking some deep breaths, she managed to regain her composure. The pain of losing Sapphire was so fresh; all of her senses were in overdrive. Feeling ashamed of his outburst, Eli moved towards Eve and put his arm around her. Eve squeezed his other hand and begged him to do as Jericho asked, he was the most skilled in combat in the group, and he was pointing out the only real option they had. Nodding solemnly, Eli removed his arm and returned to his place.
“So, are we clear? We are to execute this as quickly and as quietly as possible.” Jericho waited for them all to nod in agreement. Satisfied that he had their attention, he ran through the order of the drop. Eve wanted to protest, seeing as she was the one that had brought everyone else into this, she felt that she should be the one to jump first. Another heated discussion followed this, this time between Caleb and Eve. Jericho was becoming irritated; they were wasting time, and he still wasn’t completely confident they were alone down there. Every minute wasted was one a potential threat had to sneak up on them.
“Enough! You will jump after me, Eve, followed by Caleb followed by Winter. With Eli at the rear, are you all clear on this, as I am not changing the plan for anyone since, as you pointed out, Eve, I am the most skilled in combat and regardless of what you think you should do, I will be keeping you as safe as possible,” Jericho hissed, waves of agitation radiating off him .
“Of course, Jericho. I’m sorry,” Eve mumbled, getting ready to move out from behind the rocks in single file, they moved as silently as possible. It was now or never, Jericho led the group to the bridge. Thankfully, nothing appeared out of the dark to attack them, but he was all too aware that could change any moment. Halting the others, he motioned for them to follow him, though at a distance, so that their weight was evenly distributed on the old planks of the bridge. Making eye contact with each of them, Jericho gave a slight nod and then began to make his way to the break in the planks. After ten paces, he felt Eve join him. By the time he had reached the gap, everyone was standing on the slightly swaying bridge. Caleb was levitating just above the planks to ease the load on the rotting planks; which Jericho was thankful for. The protesting ancient wood would not hold up for long.
Turning to face Eve he held up his paws, opening and closing his splayed fingers once, to indicate that she was to count
to twenty before following him. Eve nodded and mouthed ‘see you soon’. Jericho gave a small smile and then without dwelling on the possibility that this could literally be his last adventure, he jumped
It was an unpleasant feeling to free fall, and not know what was waiting for you at the end of it. The air whistled past him, causing his ears to sting with cold and his eyes to water. The gaping hole seemed to rush towards him, eager to swallow him whole. His descent seemed to last for hours though in reality, it was but a few moments. Relief coursed through him, as finally saw the shimmering swirls that clearly identified this was a portal and that is was, mercifully, active. Thank the Goddess. Taking a deep breath, Jericho passed into another realm.
Eve let out the breath she had been holding, up until Jericho’s form had made contact with the portal, she had still been in doubt about what that blackness below was. She Watched as it shimmered and rippled with pale light, as her friend passed through it, both comforted and worried her in equal measure. What exactly was waiting for him, for all of them on the other side?
Suddenly remembering that she should be counting, Eve started from five to account for the time missed while she had been lost in her thoughts. As she counted the last few numbers she turned to look at Caleb; he looked pale, his fear for her written all over his handsome face. Gifting him with a smile, Eve turned back and jumped.
Jericho was eternally thankful that he had great reflexes, after exiting the portal he found himself facing a very solid looking stone path. Managing to turn himself feet first just moments before impact. His bent knees, taking the shock; he then rolled away from the landing zone. Taking only a moment to check for any broken bones or injuries and happy to find there were none, he moved back towards where he had landed and braced himself to catch Eve.
