by Kurtis Smith
“I feel old even if I don’t look it,” Roland confessed. He hunched his shoulders as if admitting this fact was a blow to his ego.
“Besides,” he continued, “I’ve got to finish this equipment order from the King’s army. They want it done when they arrive and I don’t have a lot of time.”
Davin looked away when Roland finished. He didn’t want to hear anything more about the King or his army.
“Come on, Roland. You need this. You deserve to relax a little.”
“You call that place relaxing? I’d better not, Davin. I can’t let the First Captain down.”
Davin scrunched his face in an ugly grimace. “Since when did you care about accommodating the King?”
“I don’t,” Roland answered. He was serious. “I hate what O’Hara’s doing right now. Nothing’s been the same since Avery’s reign ended, but I can’t do anything about it. You talk to anyone in town; they’ll feel the same way.”
Davin smirked, nodding at Roland in agreement.
“You and Prack should talk some time. Both of you sound the same,” he told him. Time was already slipping away and he had hunting to get done.
“You can do something, Roland,” Davin smiled, “you can come with me today instead.”
Roland caught onto his line of thought. He looked once more in the direction of town, and then began to walk over to where Davin stood. His face appeared pained, as if it took a great effort to do so.
“You’re going to get me in some kind of trouble with the army.”
Davin patted him on the arm. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” Roland laughed humorlessly.
They made their way to the forest edge in silence. Davin wanted to talk, but figured Roland was fighting an internal battle about his decision to leave his work behind. He left his godfather to his thoughts. It wasn’t long before Davin found himself lost in his mind. He hoped all this talk of the army, corrupt leaders, and politics in general, would soon be passed. The topics were only so prevalent because of the visit. The buzz would die down once the First Captain and his soldiers were gone.
A short while later the forest loomed in front of them. The sun hadn’t risen completely over the top of it. This cast long shadows that engulfed the two men.
The Ancient Forest was definitely unique. The trees lining the edge acted as a solid wall of greenery. The only way in was to inch through the vegetation until it cleared on the other side, almost like passing through a gateway to another world. The pieces making up this monstrous wall reached out to them like hundreds of arms, as if trying to consciously restrict their passage. No one could argue that the place didn’t hold a sense foreboding.
“Been awhile since I’ve been here,” Roland spoke at last.
“But I promise once you get in there you’ll feel right at home,” Davin said.
“Unlikely,” Roland grumbled, obviously not in a frame of mind for jokes.
“Besides, it comes back you know.”
“What does?”
“The hunter’s instinct. It’s like riding a pooka, you never really forget how.” Davin smiled. Roland returned it faintly.
“Well, let’s get on with it.”
“After you,” Davin said, gesturing toward the trees. Davin noticed quickly his attempts at levity were falling short. He decided to leave Roland to his mood.
Roland started to squeeze through the thick brush. Davin followed him. A few short moments later they felt the brush lighten slightly and knew they were now actually in the forest. The difference was night and day. Very little sunlight crept through the thick canopy overhead.
“It takes a few minutes for your eyes to adjust,” Davin reminded him.
“Right, forgot about that,” Davin heard Roland answer from a few feet away.
“It looks like it has gotten worse since I’ve last been in here,” Roland said once he could see again.
Everything seemed to fold over on itself and everything else, making it near impossible to navigate through. The claustrophobic atmosphere alone was enough to drive most men mad. The few who journeyed deep into the forest generally got lost or starved to death. And the rest found themselves dead by the sorts of animals hidden in the deepest areas.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“So,” Roland started, “where are we headed? You know this place better than anyone.”
There’s a place south of here.” He pointed. “The trees aren’t so thick. I usually get some good catches over there.”
“Lead the way,” Roland said, gesturing Davin forward.
They walked in the direction Davin remembered to be south. For half an hour or so all that was heard were grunts and swearing. The thick forest proved to be more intrusive than Roland had remembered in the past and it didn’t improve his mood. They struggled through, cutting themselves on thorny vines, shrubs, and tree limbs.
After a particularly troublesome stretch they decided to take a break. They each took a seat on the soft, leaf covered ground. Sweat was already pouring off them.
“If we did that everyday I’d be a thin man,” Roland said, breaking the silence.
“Not with the way Niahm cooks,” Davin added.
“She’s honored to be the one that keeps me fat. It gives her joy in life, I think.”
Davin laughed weakly. “Not to worry, I’m sure I will end up the same way. With the meals we have when I come over, I’ll grow up just like you.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Yeah, well-,” Davin cut off, looking around him.
“What is it?”
“Sounds like its coming from our left about…a hundred feet or so,” Davin replied. His tone was more curious than worried.
Roland stared at him in astonishment. “You can hear that well, kid?”
Davin hadn’t thought about the fact that his hearing had improved until now, but it was true. He concentrated intently on the noise that had perked his interest. The instant he did the sounds amplified. It wasn’t like he could hear everything in great detail all at once, but whatever he did focus on improved at least twice his normal hearing. And he could control when he wanted to use it. Was this another strange new ability surfacing? How many more of these gifts would present themselves before it was all done?
In another second, he remembered Roland was waiting for his answer. There was a part of him that still wanted to tell Roland everything, but now wasn’t the time.
“What, you can’t hear that. It’s clear as day,” Davin lied.
Roland shook his head and sighed. “Must be getting older than I thought. Animal?”
“Probably,” Davin answered, “let’s move to see if it’s my next week’s pay.”
They trotted around a large tree trunk and under a few thorny vines. Davin saw movement in the brush in front of them. The darkness and the growth made it hard to see what was going on, even at this close distance. If it was an animal he didn’t want them to spook it.
The sounds were clearer now. Davin heard something scraping and sliding across the ground and clinking metal.
So it’s definitely not an animal, Davin thought to himself. He reached out and willed his sight and hearing to intensify as much as he could.
There were men. No, soldiers.
Davin made out that there were five of them. Four of them were holding onto a body, human, but lifeless. The fifth stood observing the others.
“What are soldiers doing here with a dead body? Looks like one of them is a high ranking officer,” Davin observed to a brow-furrowed Roland.
Roland looked astonished at Davin for a moment. Obviously he was impressed by Davin’s incredible vision, though he didn’t bring it up. “I don’t know, kid, but it’s not customary I’ll tell you that. If it’s a person of importance to the kingdom they have there he would be buried at the Capital in the king’s or army’s graveyard. And any normal man would not be dealt with by the Grand Army. There’s got to be another reason they’re here.”
Davin
looked back to toward the other men. They had begun digging a hole for the dead body. Davin heard voices and started to move forward.
Roland watched him sneak forward. “You do what you want, but don’t get yourself killed. I know that no one’s supposed to know about this or they wouldn’t be here.”
“I won’t be seen.” Davin turned away from Roland and inched closer to the scene ahead of him. There were now only a few tangled branches between him and the others. He could hear them clearly.
“-yes, but what if someone finds him, Captain?”
“They won’t,” said a firm voice, “no one goes into this forest anymore, too many superstitions about it.”
“Yes, sir,” the other spoke again. Davin realized that the Lowman who was holding the dead man’s arms had asked the question.
“Remember, soldiers, no one is to believe this death occurred except those who witnessed it. If word gets out that there is one of their kind left, there will be inquiries. We must not let people have the hope that one is still among us.”
“Sir, no disrespect, but surely word has already spread of this story? People will not keep quiet about it. The whole kingdom will know of the governor’s death soon,” said one brave soldier.
The leader waited for a minute. The soldier began to cower, fearing a verbal lashing from his superior. “Don’t worry, we will deal with that Descendent soon enough. The public is to think we are here to resupply. If all goes well, he will no longer have anywhere to hide soon.”
“Yes, Captain,” the soldier said.
The leader looked down at the hole that was dug. “That is good enough. Put him in.” The men did as they were told and began covering the hole back up.
“When will we join the others?” one of the other Lowman asked.
The Dous Captain looked at the man with an utmost loathing, but didn’t let it creep into his response. He answered cordially.
“As soon as their task is done, First Tenant. I hope I will have good news for the First Captain. Otherwise our efforts here in this location become meaningless. And our great commander will not be pleased.” His tone returned business-like. “I am going to meet rest of the regimen. Finish here and then meet us. Remember that if you reveal our true reasons for being here you will be executed.”
The men gulped, but again called out strongly, “Yes, sir.”
Davin stepped forward further still. A stick rolled under his feet and he fell to ground, yelping loudly. The soldiers all turned their heads toward his direction and marched toward where he was standing.
Davin scrambled to his feet and shot away from the scene of his clumsy fall, fearing the sound of soldiers’ armor behind him.
“What is going-,” Roland started.
Davin quieted him with a finger over his mouth and pulled the older man into a run. They hurried through the forest at as fast a clip as they could. The swish of leaves and branches loudly marked their trail.
When the sounds of the soldiers faded, Davin risked a glance back.
Roland,” he called, and Roland came panting over to him. “I think we lost them. That was close.”
“Too close for me,” said Roland. “Let’s get on with the hunting so we can get out of here.”
Davin stood still. “I want to go back and see what they did.”
Roland laughed, clearly thinking Davin was joking. Davin didn’t break his straight face. Instantly he began back the way they came.
“Are you crazy, you will be arrested if you are caught,” yelled Roland, but Davin didn’t stop.
Roland followed on behind Davin. In a few more minutes they reached the grave. It was deserted. The soldiers must have thought I was just a large animal.
Davin looked back. Roland had snuck around to see the body. He stretched out with his hearing. The soldiers had completely left from what he could tell. He called out to Roland when he realized the soldiers were out of range. Roland stepped to Davin’s side and put his hand on Davin’s back to steady himself.
“You’re either really brave or really stupid…probably the latter,” said Roland.
Probably, but it was interesting wasn’t it?”
Roland shook his head at the boy, but Davin had already moved on. “I didn’t understand a thing they were talking about. What’s a Descendent?”
“No idea,” Roland answered quickly. “Let us go see who this poor man is.”
The two men bent down to uncover the body. The soldiers had barely dug a hole at all. There was a minimal amount of dirt and a layer of loose leaves and vines. Roland gasped as the man’s face came into view. Davin looked at Roland blankly.
“Bless the Ancients, I know who this man is,” Roland said in a hushed voice.
“Who?” Davin asked eagerly. His excitement caused Roland to glare at him before answering.
“His name is Rufus Gradis. He is…was the governor of the town of Daust. I saw him once on a trip to the Capital.”
Davin returned his gaze to the fallen governor. “So why is he dead then?”
“I don’t know.” Roland thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. “Maybe he betrayed the king in some way. I doubt that though. The governors were appointed as such because they were the king’s most loyal servants. They would do anything for him.”
“That still doesn’t explain why they would need to keep his death secret, right? I’m mean, someone’s bound to have seen him die and word will spread.”
“I feel like there is something else they were doing here. But it’s also none of our business. We would do well to stay out of it.”
It took a second for Davin to process Roland’s sudden change of interest. Davin realized that he himself didn’t want get caught up in the army’s doings, but the mystery still intrigued him.
“You’re right,” Davin agreed, though still hoped vaguely that Roland would want to pursue the matter. “Definitely not worth the trouble. But it would have been fun to know what they up to.”
“I suppose it would,” confessed Roland, smiling. “Whatever this means though, it’s not our place to worry about it. It’s more trouble than I’m willing to risk.”
A short walk later they arrived at the edge the clearing Davin mentioned earlier. It wasn’t a clearing in the traditional sense. There wasn’t bright sunlight and wide open space. The trees were less thick here, but they still stretched wide enough to block out most of the sky.
Instead, there was different kind of presence here…a feeling, really. Some beauty resided here that seemed to make the two men stand in awe. Davin felt the same way he did every time. Problems no longer pained the mind and the rest of the world was an age away.
“Incredible isn’t,” Davin whispered, barely audible.
“Yes it is.” He then asked, “What is this I am feeling?”
Davin shook his head soundlessly.
They both wandered farther into the glade, pulled in by the sensation coursing through them. The formless substance seemed to run within their bodies, sharing veins with their blood.
Roland spoke again, pointing ahead of him. “What is that light?”
Roland eyes fixed on the center of the area. There was a soft white-blue glow that appeared to have no source. This, Davin had seen many times when he came here. He still could not explain its existence.
“I don’t know,” Davin replied. “I discovered this place some time ago, and I still don’t understand what it is. But ever since then I come to this place every time I’m hunting.”
Roland continued. “I almost feel a presence here.”
“I knew you would say something like that.”
Davin looked around. No animals were present at the moment. “So now we wait.”
Roland answered distantly. “Yes.”
There was nothing for the better part of an hour. It was quiet. Almost a spiritual sort of silence was radiating from the place. They enjoyed the serenity and peace around them, neither one growing impatient. Both of them let their beings became filled with the a
ura of the secret place.
Davin dropped into a pleasant dose and then it happened. The dream woman had come back.
Her image was still vague, but her voice was more comprehensible than ever. She reached out to him.
“Davin, you must let me in. What you see in this forest is linked to you. You must Awaken.”
Chapter 4 The Wanderer
Davin shot up and grabbed Roland’s arm. Gaining his bearings, he smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, bad dream, I guess.”
Roland raised his eyebrows. “Seems that way, you ready to get moving here?”
Davin became lost in his thoughts. The woman had come to him again. He hadn’t avoided it like he thought. He had just opened his mouth to talk to Roland when the older man broke his line of thought.
“Over there, look at what it is,” he said, pointing across the clearing.
Davin turned and looked in the same direction. There, on the edge of the clearing, was a cockatrice. With the bodily shape of a large lizard, but the legs and head of a bird, it was an odd sight to behold. Davin hadn’t seen one often, but they were prevalent in the Ancient Forest. He noticed it a couple hundred feet away.
“Finally,” Davin sighed. He rose to aim his bow at it. Roland gaped at him.
“You can’t hit him from here,” Roland told him.
Davin smiled. It was time to impress Roland with his skills. “Watch this.” He took aim with his bow and stretched out with his vision. The creature came into better focus. Davin released his bow and the arrow shot away from him. He followed it all the way to its target. The arrow struck at the heart and the animal dropped immediately.
“Great dung heaps,” Roland gasped. His mouth hung open like a panting dog.
Davin turned to him. “You doubted me,” he said.
“I just have never seen anyone hit a target that small from this distance.” He finally turned to Davin, “How did you do that?”
Davin stood silently for a moment. He realized in that moment that should have been shocked, not cocky, at what he had done. He was still battling with telling Roland about his new abilities and this new dream. He had come to no yet. Deep down he knew that if he told Roland about it, the man would want him to serve the kingdom in some way. Worse than that, he knew Roland would never give up trying to persuade him to do so. It made him tired just thinking of all the arguments that would ensue.
