“Push on,” Bally groaned once he disappeared. “The man is a sadist, I swear it.”
“He just wants to be sure they don’t catch up to us,” Rey corrected, opening his blanket and helping Oldrilin to the ground. As soon as her feet were planted, she scurried away.
“Where’s Ami?” Baldwin continued, noticing she had disappeared.
“Taking a piss,” the other man supplied while loosening his load and dropping it onto a rock. Stretching, he groaned, then stepped into a group of brush to relieve himself as well. “Animir!” he called. “How far to this Esterbrook place?”
“A few days, maybe a week,” the elf replied, his eyes watching around them tirelessly.
“I’ve got water,” the Mate announced, rejoining them. His voice lighter than it had been since they fled the tower, he held up the two wine bottles from the night’s dinner. “Amicia, you have what was left from the meal?”
“Aye,” she grinned, adjusting her sweater around her shoulders against the chilled air. “I’ve got what there is, but it won’t be much. And I took the goblets, so we can have a good drink at least.”
“Anything is better than nothing. We’ll try for some game and a fire before the sun sets,” he agreed.
“I don’t see any sun,” Baldwin whined.
“Well, it’s there,” Piers snapped, on edge with the boy. “We’re keeping a positive attitude, remember?” he demanded, glaring at the younger man intently.
Nodding, his voice cracked, “Yes, sir.” He looked as if he might cry, with the skin around his eyes taking on a deep red hue as he blinked rapidly. From his seat on one of the rocks, he looked beaten with his hunched shoulders and drooping frame.
Sensing something wasn’t right, Ami intervened. “Here, Rey. Give everyone a share,” she said, handing him the rolled napkins that held the food. “And the cups are in my bag as well, for the water,” she tacked on. Reaching for Bally, she offered more quietly as she knelt before him to peer up at his strained features. “What’s the matter?”
“I’m tired,” he replied, his lip trembling and actual tears forming and dampening his thick lashes before he swiped at them with the back of his hand.
“We’re all tired, love,” she soothed. Standing, she pulled his cheek against her stomach and rocked him gently, as if he were a small child in need of comfort. “It’ll be ok,” she whispered, leaning over so her head was closer to his and she could speak softly to him. “The Mate will see us through.”
Lifting his arms, he hugged her against him, clinging to her as if he might be swept away into oblivion if he lost his grip. Accepting her petting, she pulled his hat off and ran her fingers over and through his shaggy hair.
“Feel better?” she asked after a few minutes of stroking.
“Much,” he agreed with a loud sniff as he released her. Wiping his sleeve across his face, he forced a smile. “Thanks, sis,” he teased.
“Any time,” she giggled, happy she had been able to help. Turning to Rey, she accepted her small share of the rations and her goblet brimming with clear, sweet water. Taking a seat on a short flat rock, she sat the cup beside her and nibbled at her meal as she glanced around at the others, noting that they all appeared worse for wear.
Finishing his food, Piers emptied his glass and refilled it before he passed one of the bottles. “Have as much of the water as you like,” he encouraged. “I’ll refill these to carry. We may not have access next time we stop.”
“That’s good thinking,” Ami agreed with a stretch. “We should push forward, at least until dark, and maybe the path will get easier ahead.”
“Maybe,” the Mate agreed, accepting the empty jugs and setting out through the trees as he had promised.
Shivering violently, Rey looked around at the dark overhang above them. “Is this place always so dreary?”
“Yes,” Animir agreed. “The haunted woods.”
“Haunted?” Ami asked, her eyes darting between her companions. “I don’t believe in spirits,” she sneered. “If there’s anything out there, I’m sure it’s not a ghost, so forget it. We should repack and be ready to leave when he returns, as it is,” she suggested.
“We’re in a different land, love,” Rey reminded her, still searching the treetops and leaves in earnest. “I swear this forest has eyes. I feel them watching us, be they spirits or some other creature.”
“Ami’s right. Just because dragons and sirens turned out to be real doesn’t mean that we’ll be meeting a phantom,” Bally laughed anxiously, agreeing with the girl in a backhanded way as he repacked his gear as she had requested.
Studying his new friends, Animir didn’t join in their chatter. He knew what lay within the trees and the danger they would face if luck were not with them. But silence was his ally, and he could not afford to reveal too much to the strangers in his land.
“We keep to the trail,” Piers instructed, returning with their water supply and hoisting his pack. “We don’t want to tempt fate by wandering off, regardless of what might or might not be out there.”
“Aye,” Rey reluctantly agreed, closing his blanket around his mermaid and preparing to set out once more.
Shadowlands
Lying beneath dark trees, Piers listened to the eerie silence of the forest around him. The humid air thick, it seemed to press down upon him. He had never heard a quiet like this, where no birds sang, wind rustled, or even bugs crawled. The breathing of his companions signaled that they slept, the faint passing of air disproportionately loud in the quiet.
Across the circle of bodies, Baldwin twitched, and Piers pushed himself up to observe him in the dim light. Listening to the boy pant, he sighed. Standing, his movements slow and purposeful, he crept towards him and knelt on the damp, black soil.
His arms lay across his chest, his injured hand stiff. Lifting it gently in an effort not to wake him, the Mate inspected the wound. Red and swollen, the skin puffed around the stitches. Infection had set in, and a fever had seized his young friend, but in the middle of nowhere, there was little he could do for him.
“It’s bad, isn’t it,” Bally said in a hoarse whisper.
“It ain’t good,” his leader replied. “We need to get moving. Our only hope is to get you to Esterbrook while there’s still time to do something about it.”
Respecting the silence of the trees, he woke each member of their growing party in turn. Rising and rolling their bedding, they prepared to leave their small camp. They hadn’t bothered with a fire. The temperature had been moderate since they left the slope of the mountain the day before, and with no food to cook, it wasn’t worth the trouble.
“How is he?” Ami asked quietly, eyeing the other two men as Rey helped Bally prepare his pack.
“Worse,” Piers whispered back. “He’s got a fever, and I dare say he can travel maybe another day at best. If we don’t make the meadows before tomorrow night, we’ll lose him.”
His words a knife cutting through her heart, Amicia wiped at her tears. She knew he wouldn’t lie to her; not about this. They had been through too much together, and he was preparing her to accept the inevitable. “Who’s going to carry Bally’s pack?” she asked, observing as he wrapped himself in his quilt rather than carrying it.
“I have his bag,” Animir agreed somberly.
“I’ve got his sword and ax,” Piers informed her. “He can focus on staying on his feet.”
Glancing around at his friends, the young man’s heart heavy, he sighed. They were looking out for him, but it brought little comfort. He was tired, he hurt, and he would lie there and not move if he could get away with it. It was a good thing they weren’t going to let him do that.
Taking up their single-file march, Animir led the way, with Bally behind him. Rey currently carried Oldrilin, but she had gotten down to walk several times, and sat in her pouch with her back to his chest so that she could watch where they were going, which made her happy.
Ami and Piers brought up the rear. The girl’s load he
avy, she fought her own exhaustion but refused to ask for help. Bally needs it more than I do, she rationalized. Gripping her merdoe through her shirt, it felt warm through the thin material. Please, she silently prayed. Please help us to make it. I couldn’t bear to lose one of them now.
They had been walking for the better part of the morning when the trail abruptly opened into a wide clearing about the size of the yard that had once been in front of Amicia’s home. The trees surrounding it formed a barrier between it and the thicker woods. The ground exposed to the sky, the rays of the sun cut through the clouds in patches and shone down in golden pillars of light.
Stopping instinctively, the group turned in slow circles, admiring the odd difference in the feel of that place. “Well, this is new,” the Mate observed aloud as the others silently took in the warm air and light.
“What the hell is that?” Rey asked, pointing at a large animal hovering in the shadows of the trees. Its eyes glowed a rich gold, and its breath could be heard as deep pants that floated across the space between them.
Turning their backs to one another, they formed a ring, with Bally in the center as he was in no condition to fight. Slowly drawing swords and bows, the four healthy group members prepared for a battle as the collection of creatures crept forward from all sides.
It’s a wolf, Ami thought to herself, then frowned. We killed a pack of wolves at Nalen two years ago. These things can’t be wolves… they’re the size of horses!
Six in number, the beasts were large; all black, with smoky, grey undertones that accented their faces, chests, and tips of tails and ears. Their snouts long and sharp, their ears stood in stiff points, as if listening to the very heartbeats of their soon-to-be victims. Slinking towards them, their footfalls were silent, and had they not been spotted, they could have been upon them without a single indication of their existence beforehand.
Their teeth bared, growls broke the silence. Kneeling down, Rey slipped the ropes from his shoulders, and Lin climbed out of her sack, dragging it behind her as she joined Baldwin in the center of the small box of protection, for as long as it would last against the monstrous-sized beings.
“Stay where you are!” Piers commanded, raising his sword with his right hand and holding up the left as a signal to stop.
“Why have you entered our forest?” a snarl rumbled in reply.
Glancing at the elf, Amicia realized that only they two heard the words within the menacing vocals. “What are they?” she whispered, hoping their native group member could shed some light on their situation.
Shaking his head, the young man swallowed hard, his fear forming in small droplets of perspiration across his forehead. “They are the keepers of the dark forest. The Shadowlands,” he replied. “Friends to few, if any, and most likely the end of us.”
Her eyes wide, Amicia instantly recognized their situation would come to a head quickly if a truce could not be reached in short order. “Please!” she spoke up, stepping forward and breaking their ranks. Dropping to one knee, she bowed her head and stared at the large paws of the animal who had spoken. “We request safe passage through your lands.”
Meeting her with a few short paces, the leader of the pack snarled at the men who moved to protect her. His breath hot against her skin, she shivered, but held her ground.
“Stay back,” she commanded, laying her bow and pack of arrows on the dark earth next to her. “We’re no match for them,” she hissed. “Please,” she said again, slowly raising her soft green eyes to meet the burning glare of the alpha’s orange orbs.
“You speak our tongue,” the monster growled. Sniffing noisily, his posture relaxed, and he pranced a circle around her as he inspected her smaller form, his long tail swishing as he moved. “You smell of mortal, of the rim. What say you? How come you to this land?”
“Shipwrecked,” she offered meekly. “Abandoned by the tide and running for our lives. Dragons hunt us, and we barely escaped the elf city of Jerranyth a few nights ago. Our friend is taken with fever, and we only hope to make the meadows of the nymphs before it’s too late.”
Sitting on his haunches, his black and grey coat shown in the patches of light. “And have you a name, human?” His comrades followed suit, and all sat staring at the party. Their posture still tense and stiff, they waited for his command to attack if it would come.
“Amicia Spicer,” she replied, standing. At her full height, she could look him square in the eye. “What sort of creature are you?” she dared to inquire.
“I am Uscan, head of the southern pack. We are called wolf, but I doubt your flimsy versions do us justice.”
“Wolf,” she breathed, “no, you are far too large. Are you certain you are related to them?”
“All life of the rim sprang from Eriden,” he informed her. “There have been many adaptations and abominations to our species since leaving our sacred land. You are lesser beings to those of the Kingdom.”
Regaining his voice, Animir spoke up, demanding, “Why speak you so unkind?”
“Truth is neither kind nor unkind, elf,” he growled an angry reply. “Be silent, or earn your reward.”
Clamping his jaw shut tightly, the latter glared at him. When Piers hissed, “What’s going on?” Animir shook his head and whispered back, “She’s talking to them. We wait.”
“Talking to them?” Rey asked incredulously.
“Shh,” Ami rebuked, then returned her focus to the giant wolf before her. “My apologies for my misunderstanding. Mortals of the rim have no knowledge of Eriden or the source of our ancestry. There are many other… myths… about the creation of our world and the origins of our animal and plant life,” she explained, growing confident. “Please, forgive us,” she bade with a bow of her head while placing her hand over her heart in a small curtsy.
“Nothing to forgive,” Uscan agreed as he looked her up and down. “You are the leader of your pack?”
“I speak for my friends, yes,” she offered with a small grin. “We have been trapped here many days. Piers was first mate on our vessel. He leads us,” she explained, using an upturned hand to indicate the man in charge.
Seeing himself being presented, the Mate lowered his weapon and bowed at the hip. Never taking his eyes off the beast, he remained stiff, ready for an attack at any moment.
“You should rid yourself of the elf,” the pack leader advised. “They are untrustworthy at best and conniving deceivers at worst.”
“Animir is our friend. He helped us to flee the queen’s grasp,” Ami gasped. “We wouldn’t think of parting with him.”
Studying him and the others for a long moment, Uscan appeared to be considering their plight. “Very well,” he finally said with a nod of his giant head. “We will deliver you to Esterbrook.”
“Deliver us!” she breathed, panting slightly with fear and joy mixing in her gut. “You will show us the way?”
Barking an order to his pack, he laughed, “We will carry you. Each of you climb upon one of us, but hang on tightly. We wouldn’t want to lose any of you along the way.”
Lying before her, Uscan waited for her to take her place upon his back, as did the rest of his group. Turning to the others, she explained, “They’re going to carry us to Esterbrook. Everyone needs to climb onto one of them and hang on so you don’t fall off.”
Glancing anxiously at Bally, Piers snapped, “He can’t hang on! He’s hurt and taken with fever, remember?”
“Then we can both ride on Uscan. I’ll help make sure he doesn’t tumble to the ground,” she offered, closing the distance between them and grasping Baldwin by the arm to escort him to their benefactor. “Please, Piers. Let them help us,” she begged, urging the younger man to climb on.
“Creatures of the forest should never be trusted,” Animir stated defiantly, his hands forming fists as if he intended to punch the notion to ride out of her.
“Funny,” Ami chortled, “they said the same thing about you.” She had gotten her charge loaded and swung onto the massi
ve back behind him. Her hands running over the thick fur, it felt coarse when her fingers rubbed one way and yet soft when pushed the other.
Grasping a hand full with one and sliding her arm around her companion, she stated firmly, “I’m taking Bally to Esterbrook. The rest of you can either get onto a wolf and come with us or get there the best you can.”
“Wolf!” Rey shouted. “Are you blind? They’re not wolves, these bastards are huge!”
“I don’t have time to explain,” Ami called back as Uscan got to his feet and trotted out of the clearing, headed west via a narrow path.
“Pick a ride,” Piers commanded, hoisting his pack. Gathering Ami’s things from where she had left them, he also placed them on his back and climbed onto one of the currently docile creatures. “We can’t afford to split the group or to let them get away from us.”
Obeying, Rey scooped up Oldrilin and placed her in front of him when he slid onto the thick fur. Grasping two fists full, he held on for dear life as the Mate and Animir did the same.
Trotting along after the leader, the rest of the pack caught up to him easily, and they picked their way expertly through the thick woods. Arriving at a brook late in the afternoon, they paused, allowing everyone to have a drink and refresh themselves in the cool, flowing water.
Catching Amicia, Piers demanded, “Care to explain what’s going on now?”
“They’re helping us,” she replied. She had been talking to Uscan off and on as they moved and had learned a great deal, or at least his version of things. She was coming to understand that the truth was never an exact, tangible thing, and that the point of view of every creature altered its meaning.
“As you know, this is called the Shadowlands. He and the other wolves patrol the great forests of Eriden. This is the southern pack,” she added indicating their new allies with a toss of her golden locks. “The dark forest here isn’t home to much in the way of animals. The land was cursed after the great war centuries ago, and few dare to even enter, much less make it their home.”
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