by K. R. Bowman
Graham led the way, and Callum kept watch at the rear of the group. Callum had been his usual quiet self since Graham joined our little soiree, but something seemed different about his silence. I could tell he didn’t approve of Graham. His eyes hadn’t even met mine since I woke up. Usually, I could feel him watching me, and now it was like he wasn’t there at all. The only time I knew exactly where he was, was when Graham would address him, and he would speak.
Callum kept silent the whole time of our journey.
That night we found a small area in the midst of tightly woven trees that could give us a sense of protection. Harris started the fire and set out food to cook.
Pulling a small box from his pack, Graham set it on the ground. It was a simple black cube from what I could tell. He pressed something in the middle, and the cube lit up with a faint white glow. Light shot up from the middle and disappeared. A small dome fell around us.
“I was lucky to find one of the barriers during the chaos. This should help shield us from any Nightlins, and keep the firelight from announcing our presence.” Graham smiled at me as he stood. He disappeared through the trees again.
Callum stood just within the light of the fire, facing the forest like he was watching for something or someone. Raleigh rolled her bed out by the fire. Ashlen and I sat across from Raleigh and Harris. Ashlen smiled like a schoolgirl, as Harris rambled about the food.
I leaned over to Ashlen, “Hey, when I… fainted earlier, who picked me up?”
She smirked, “Callum, of course.”
I frowned slightly, “of course.” I should have thanked him. I looked in his direction. One side of his face could be seen. He acted like he was listening to something. He was still for a moment then focused his attention back to the black forest.
I hate being in someone’s debt. I pushed myself up and made my way to him. He glanced at me, but then focused his attention back to the pitch-black darkness.
“So, thank you,” I paused, trying to think of something else to say, “for you know, picking me up and carrying my lame ass here.”
He chuckled and looked at me from the corner of his eye. One broad shoulder lifted in a type of shrug. He shifted somewhat uncomfortably.
“It’s nothing.”
“Hopefully, I didn’t weigh too much.” What was I saying? Why can’t I talk like a normal person around him?
He glanced at me again. A small smile played on his lips. “No, I could barely tell you were on my shoulder.”
I nodded. “Thanks again.”
He turned fully toward me, looking me square in the eyes. I felt self-conscious again.
“You’re welcome.”
“Tonight, we are havin’ us some more stew. How ‘bout I put some extra spices in this one, just to change it up a bit?” Harris leaned across the small fire where the tiny pot sat perched on the embers. He poured in the leftover stew and grabbed something from one of the bags, and tossed it in. The smells that wafted over made my stomach beg for it and made my nose want to run, but we ate it and wanted more after. Harris seemed to be talking to himself.
I was grateful for the distraction. I escaped from Callum and sat at the base of a large tree near Ashlen.
“Harris, can you be quiet for two minutes? You’re grinding a headache into my skull.” Raleigh narrowed her eyes at him, and Harris mumbled under his breath.
“I’ll give ya two minutes,” He sat counting out the seconds. “Alright, times up. So, did I ever tell y’all that story about my Papa, when he was in the navy during WWII, and his boat got shot up?” He turned to each of us.
“No,” I leaned against the base of the tree with my arms folded across my stomach.
Harris immediately dove straight into the story waving his arms around and getting more animated as the story progressed.
“Ashlen?”
She focused her attention away from Harris, “Yeah?”
“What’s Graham's story?”
She smiled like she knew I’d ask. Her smile became sad. “I heard that a few years ago, his fiancée disappeared.”
I know my face turned shocked. She nodded, “Yeah, I only remember people talking about it. I wasn’t here when it happened, I just heard from others. Apparently, it was during another attack by the Nightlins. One of the Aeros snatched her up. She was a Protector at the time.”
“Oh, wow.” I scanned the area to make sure he hadn’t come back yet.
“Guys loved talking about her. You know them, only care about the hot girls.” She rolled her eyes. “But they said she was super sweet and a great fighter too. Graham took it pretty badly, obviously. He was crazy in love with her. He was in the battle too, but couldn’t get to her in time. I heard he’s struggled with major survivor’s guilt.”
“That’s awful.” Poor guy. I don’t know how I would be if that had happened to me.
She nodded again. She studied me for a moment, “But, maybe he is ready to move on and start living… and loving again?” She nudged me with her elbow.
I chuckled and shook my head. I decided to make my confession to Ashlen.
“Before I came here, I would have dreams. At least, that’s what I thought they were.” She nodded her head, encouraging me to continue. “I would see these gold eyes and smell the trees.”
One of her eyebrows rose. “You think it was him in your dreams?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.” I could feel the embarrassment creeping over my cheeks.
She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “Well, I’m hoping it was him. How romantic would that be?”
I laughed and snuggled back against the tree. My eyes grew heavy, and I knew I would be sound asleep in the next few moments.
Graham appeared out of the darkness and called Callum to him.
“I’ll take the first watch if you take the second?” Graham asked.
“Yeah, sure. How long will we rest here?” Callum had his face averted from Graham’s eyes, searching beyond the light of the fire.
“I say three hours and then head out.”
Callum nodded and walked to the other side of the fire, which was across from me. He gave me the briefest of glances that made me question if it even happened. He curled up on the ground with a bag under his head and his back to the fire. With his face to the forest, he still guarded us in his sleep. If he ever really slept. He was our fierce Protector. Even in the darkest part of the forest, he made me feel safe.
Graham disappeared behind a tree. The night wrapped around him, swallowing him whole. Out of exhaustion, the heat of the fire instantly lulled me to sleep and forced me to stop thinking about the golden-eyed man and the dark protector.
“Sloane. Sloane. Wake up,” someone shook my arm roughly and spoke in my ear yell-whispering. “Get up. We’re leaving.” My eyes fluttered open to the face of Graham towering over me. His hands gripped my arms, lifting me gently into a sitting position, making us almost nose to nose. How did he look so good this early?
“Yeah, yeah I’m awake,” I pushed his hands away and pulled my back up straight. His lips twitched up as I grumbled to myself. I examined the small camp. My eyes had to adjust to the dark. Callum woke the others. Raleigh already had her things stuffed in her bag and seemed anxious to go. Harris was about the same as me; it took Callum a lot of effort to get him up. Ashlen was strapping her backpack on and tightening her shoes, but her eyes were filled with sleep.
“How do you guys do this?” I asked Graham. He stood next to me, strapping on various weapons. Different blades were belted down his worn leather pants and stuck along the side of his boots. He had on a tunic with his bow and arrows strapped across his back, and something like a crossbow was slung across his shoulders. Legolas popped into my head, and my heart quickened. I really needed a love life outside of fiction.
He held out a hand to help me up. As I took his hand and he pulled up, he said, “We’ve had to do this for a while, so we know what to do. It won’t take you long to grow accustomed
too. If you don’t, you’ll die, so you tend to learn pretty quickly.” Blunt, to the point, and honest. His hand lingered in mine for a moment; his eyes fixed on mine.
“Okay, they’re ready.” Callum stepped up beside us, but his gaze went from our hands then turned away, searching the woods.
Graham released my hand. He nodded at the others and hiked on into the trees. For the first few hours, everyone was silent. The night was quiet and still. No wind played through the trees. Sometimes, little animals scampered through the treetops or underbrush.
Harris seemed to come out of his groggy state and started humming the Indiana Jones’ theme song, which had all of us smiling except for Callum, who was his brooding self.
I found myself behind Graham with Ashlen behind me, next was Harris, then Raleigh, and Callum bringing up the rear. I couldn’t take the silence any longer, which was unusual for me. I wanted to know more about my possible dream man who was leading us. Literally. Easy question first.
“Graham, where are you from?”
He glanced over his shoulder at me, “I’m originally from Australia, but then my family moved to California for my dad’s job.”
“Oh, ok, that makes sense. You have that surfer guy look,” I said, teasing him.
He laughed, “Really? Hmm… thanks?”
I found myself laughing, “Yes, that was a compliment.” The sky lightened as we walked through the trees. They were making it seem eerie, as the light filtered through the trees and then blinked out again. The trees and grass around us took a deep inhale of the light, then settled back into darkness. Fog settled over the ground and dew collected on the grass. My hair was getting curlier and frizzier by each passing second.
Graham smiled and continued walking on, “What about you? Where are you from?”
“Colorado.”
He nodded, “Do you miss it?”
The question took me by surprise. I was shocked how quickly time passed, and in two months, I rarely thought of home. “Yes. Not so much the place. I didn’t ski or run with a huge crowd, but I miss home. I hope my mom is okay.” I wondered what she was doing. What did she tell Mariah? Wow, I had completely forgotten about her. I’m such a terrible friend. I hoped mom was handling me being away okay. I would have been going off to a university soon, so she would have had to deal with my absence sooner or later, but I had been hoping for it to be later. Besides, universities weren’t life or death like the Nightrealm.
He glanced back at me, “I’m sure she is. I’m not much of a big group person either. Life here is difficult. You need people to lean on.” A sad smile graced his lips.
I nodded. My awkwardness was ready to change the subject. “So, how old are you, oh, wise one?”
“Twenty-three.”
My eyes grew slightly bigger, “Really? Wow. So how long have you been a Hunter?”
He turned his eyes toward me, “Only a year. I was a Protector for two years, then something happened, and I changed.” His eyes held that same sadness again. I wonder if his fiance’s death made his mark come?
Hmm… interesting, “Earlier, you said something about different Nightlins?”
“Yeah, there are several different kinds. You know what Aeroes are, right?”
“Yep, those are the ones that can fly.”
“Yeah, next would be… Inklings. Those can be nasty buggers. They can change parts of their bodies into a mist, so if you strike one, they can move their bodies around the blow and not be hurt or incapacitated. In order to kill them, you have to strike them twice. First, hit the heart and then take off their head.”
I gulped.
He chuckled, “Raptors make up the majority of the Nightlins. They are usually the smallest, but they are just as mean if not meaner. They have the black rubbery skin, and you can see the bones trying to push through. Those are the easiest to kill. All you have to do is run your sword through them, and you usually hit a vital organ.” He made a jabbing motion with his hand and chuckled.
“Spirits look exactly as their name says. They are made up of a black mist, and yet if you do pierce the mist with a weapon, you can kill them. I think the mist is a kind of camouflage; it looks like you can see through it, and they glide like they are real spirits, but I think underneath the mist are real tangible organs. If you think you see a shadow move, then it’s probably one of them… You keeping up so far?” I nodded.
“Now,” he paused dramatically, “the worst—the Skeleton. Skeletons are the biggest of any of the Nightlins. They are made up of bones and ligaments, just like the name. Our ancestors weren’t very creative with naming them, but with the Skeleton, it usually takes several of us to take one of them down. It’s a combination of hacking their limbs off, which sometimes have a mind of their own, and ripping off their heads. Oh, and they can practically fly. Just remember, these creatures don’t care about anything except killing. They won’t stop or hesitate.”
The more he talked about the Nightlins, the faster my heartbeat, and my anxiety rose.
“Well, thank you, I am officially more scared of being here, out in the open, than I was a few minutes ago.”
He flashed a grin, “Well, at least now you know what you’re up against and what to expect.”
I nodded, “Yes, that’s true.” My stomach was starting to hurt, either from nerves or hunger, I couldn’t tell.
“So, can you answer one more thing for me?”
“Sure, I can try.”
“Okay, well, if you can make a gorgeously huge bird appear out of thin air, then why don’t you pick us up and fly us to Kingston, instead of us having to walk there?”
He kind of chuckled and glanced back at me, “I certainly wish it was that simple. Because I would gladly get us there faster,” he then began talking while ticking off his fingers. “Firstly, I like walking, but most important is I can only carry about two to three people maximum. Second, it drains a lot out of me. I don’t want to be dozing off to the side where I could be killed, or you all could be killed easier without me, so things will remain as they are unless there’s an emergency.”
I smiled, “Oh, alright, makes sense.” I quietly filed the Nightlin information away for later usage.
Ashlen, Harris, and Raleigh were laughing about something behind me. Raleigh was laughing wildly, and Harris was hee-hawing. They could have been three friends laughing on their way to a house party. I checked back to see what Callum was up to, but his attention was focused to the side, sweeping his eyes across the wooded area. He reminded me of a soldier, keeping track of everyone and the surroundings. His eyes didn’t find mine, and for some reason, I felt disappointed.
When we came to a small shallow creek, the moon was high in the sky. The creek was ten feet or more below the ground level. Graham slid down the bank and hopped carefully across the rocks with his arms stretched out for balance. He crossed over, grabbed a root, and pulled himself up the bank. We all followed his lead.
I was less graceful than he was; therefore, I had mud smeared all over me, and my shoes were filled with water. He turned back to help me climb up the bank. He reached down, taking my arm and pulling me up. Like the klutz that I am, when I got to the top, my foot slipped, and I all but fell into his arms. His arms locked tight around me with my cheek pressed into his chiseled chest.
“Whoa, you okay?” His face filled with concern.
I giggled nervously, “Yep, I’m just perfect.” I eased away from him; my hands pressed against him. I quickly backed away, smoothing down my shirt, and promptly turned to help Ashlen. Fucking hell, I hated it when I acted like a little girl. The one time, I wouldn’t mind if a Nightlin swooped down and carried me away from my embarrassment. I mentally eye-rolled.
Ashlen was a lot more graceful in coming up the bank side. Her long legs gracefully scaled the banks. She gave me a funny look and a smirk all at once. I rolled my eyes at her. Graham began helping Raleigh and Harris. Callum simply took hold of a branch, swinging effortlessly up beside us.
; “Show off,” I glared at him.
Callum glanced at me. I think I saw the hint of a smile.
8
We were standing on an outcrop perched above a deep valley. The moon was so big. It seemed to fill up the vastness of the sky. Mammoth sized mountain ranges stood in the north—Nightlin territory. A small thin river ran through the valley, disappearing into the smaller mountain range in the east. The water glistened like silver thread under the moonlight.
Graham sighed with relief and rested his large firm hand on my shoulder, “Always good to be home.”
He turned to me. I nearly jumped back. It was going to take a while before I grew used to seeing black holes where a person’s eyes should be and moved his hand.
He chuckled, “Shame, you can’t see it, groundlings.”
Ashlen only shrugged.
Harris stood on the very edge of the cliff and peered down. “So, are we jumpin’ or flyin’ down? Purdy sure, I could roll and tumble on down with no problem.” He laughed to himself.
Raleigh rolled her eyes, “What’s the plan people?”
Graham smiled, “Don’t worry, we’re just going to climb down. It’s pretty easy.”
We took a small path, like the ones mountain goats would make, and carefully tread down the mountainside. I refrained from tripping the best that I could. I only smacked into Graham a couple of times. Most of the time, it wasn’t intentional. By the time we reached the bottom of the mountain, I was drenched in sweat, and my legs felt like Jell-O.
I couldn’t tell where we were going, but Graham led us to the opposite side of the valley. We came to the river and hidden away in the brush was a small platform with a rope running across to the opposite side.
“Alright, load up. We haven’t got all night,” he said somewhat jokingly. Graham stood on the platform and grabbed the rope to hold it steady.
Raleigh hopped on first, and Callum last like usual, he’s always ready to watch our backs. Graham easily pulled us across to the other bank. Thankfully the river wasn’t moving fast, nor was it very wide.
