The Village
The night air was not as warm as when the summer began. Even when they reached even terrain, the world felt like it was holding its breath for what was about to come. The village was also still. Most of the buildings that remained intact had no fire burning inside their windows except for a few scattered around the town. Arrazanal, Kaitajinal and Rhysennos huddled behind a tall tree waiting for Dathazanal to light the bursting powder around the northern rim of the village.
Their view covered the partially ruined Conclave’s Hall. It had several soft lights inside the windows. The highest number of guards was stationed around every entrance and along the stone and wood patio. “Are you certain that the commander is in there?” Kai said after a long silence.
Rhysennos nodded. “Commander Nor has not left that building since we took the village. A word of caution: pray that he isn’t in there, he’s the best Noszarel warrior I have ever seen.”
Arrazanal’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not planning on going head-to-head, just snatching Zjel. I can handle it,”
“Can you find him or any of the prisoners, Arr?” Kai whispered.
She opened her senses. She sought out the elusive commander but was met with a sharp psychic static that filled her head. However, her eyes were drawn to an aura stomping along the dirt path beyond the emerald shrubbery. The same silver-helmed guard had passed that path for the seventh time. When his head appeared above the bushes, they held their breath before he vanished.
She shook her head. “There’s a psychic block there, I can’t get around it.”
“I’ll take my leave now, may the gods give you fortune,” Rhys said, readying to turn.
“Wait, we don’t have confirmation that they’re even in there. We might still need you,” Kai said.
“I’ve completed my end of the bargain, even so far to come to the fringes of this town. I will take my leave now,” the old warrior hissed.
“Let him go, Kai. Once Dath sets the powder, I’ll retrieve Zjel from the commander; you retrieve the prisoners from the Druid’s Den, and finally we will be done with all this,” Arr said.
Kaitajinal glared at Rhysennos. He let out a sigh before continuing his watch to the north. “I wish he’d hurry,” he muttered.
“Where will you go, Rhys?” Arr asked.
“I’m getting off this peninsula, down the neck and I’ll keep going as far south as south goes. My people never tread there,” he replied with a shrug.
“Wild Spirits bring you fortune,” Arr said.
Rhysennos said nothing. With a slight bow, his hand pressed against his wounded thigh and he staggered into the bushes, disappearing and sound.
“He will never make it past the Haunted Forest,” Kai whispered.
“I know,” she coldly replied.
“Something’s wrong – the blast should’ve gone off by now,” Kai said.
There was a commotion of deep voices shouting across the village. Arrazanal watched the guards around the Conclave Hall pull their attention to the north. The silver-helmed guard made his appearance again above the hedge, but his walk routine broke into a run across the path followed by more warriors.
“Was Dath found-,” before Arr could finish her words, a flash of amber light struck her in the eyes followed by a deafening boom. The trees that surrounded her and Kaitajinal swayed violently but failed to protect them from the hot wind that blew on their sensitive skin.
“Get ready to mask!” Kai called.
Arrazanal’s power wrapped like a wide cloak around her and Kaitajinal. She imagined that they were part of the forest and invisible. They watched the guards swarm to the north, leaving the Conclave Hall’s and Druid’s Den entrances unguarded.
In unison, they sprung out from the foliage and skittered across the burnt gardens. She turned to Kaitajinal, the two exchanged a quick nod before separating into the hall and den. Arrazanal’s light feet didn’t even feel the stone steps beneath her as she leapt over them and finally sprang into the open doors. The warm circular room had two wooden staircases leading into the higher reaches of the structure. She dodged over the fine ornate furniture that lay scattered and broken across the room and on stairs.
It seemed like an eternity passed as she climbed the steps. Her body felt heavier as did her breathing. She finally reached even ground dark circular chamber. A single floor-length window provided the only light source created from the burning outside. To her dismay, this was the only other room in the building, and it was empty. As her body turned to go back to the stairs, she noticed a shadowed figure in a maroon leathery uniform standing at the edge of the window. She had only just spotted his partially lit silhouette as he drifted across the chamber.
Before she could harden herself for defence, the figure charged from the shadows and threw her against the wall. Her back struck the wood before her body collapsed to the ground. The figure’s aura burst with sickly green energy as he grabbed the ends of her hair and pulled her head up to face his terrifying emerald eyes.
“Nalashi filth!” he hissed before his open emerald palm struck her cheek. Arrazanal’s eyes felt like the sun itself had attacked. The hot pain was sharp enough to send her into unconsciousness.
“You dare trespass into my village?” he shouted, raising his foot to stomp on her chest.
Her hands found his calf and her teeth punctured through his thick boots. They sank so far into his flesh that it drew blood. The commander screamed and instinctively pulled away and fell to his back. Arrazanal quickly rushed over to him, pinned his shoulders with her knees and grasped the male’s throat with her glowing emerald hands.
“Where is she, Nor?” Arr screamed with the voice so inhumanly loud that it almost made her ears bleed.
Nor closed his eyes and breathed deep before a wall of energy burst from his chest, sending Arrazanal several feet into the air. Her knees cracked when they met the hard floor. She staggered back, trying to ignore the pain before Nor charged again. With a war cry, she felt his hands close around her neck and her body slam against the cold window. Her feet kicked in the air as her hands tried clawing at his face, but he was too far.
“Your savage people are nothing but butchers,” he growled as his grip tightened, “this death is too clean for the likes of you.”
Arrazanal felt her mind grow weary. Her hands scrambled around his wrists, trying to hold herself up to get a gulp of air into her burning lungs. In her struggle, the silver necklace loosened. She felt Yas’ pendant fall from her skin and heard it hit the floor. Nor’s eyes followed the shiny chain. She heard him gasp, and his grip softened long enough for her to release the last of her energy into his wrist. His skin smoked as it burned under her palm. He shrieked as he pulled his hand back to cradle his cooked flesh. Arrazanal met the floor. Her raspy breath tried to pull in as much air into her chest.
She glanced up to Nor. His eyes were locked onto the broken pendant on the wooden boards. Their green glow vanished to reveal their natural ocean blue colour. She regained strength and this was her chance to end the commander’s life. But before she could release any more energy through her extended arms, he spoke. “Where – how did you get that?”
Keeping her eyes locked onto him, Arrazanal rose to her feet with her glowing palms. “What’s it to you?” she said.
Still cradling his wrist, Nor sat up slowly. “Kick it over here,” he said.
Her toe tapped against the gem, it slid across the floorboards before coming to a stop beside his shin. Nor covered his mouth as he let out a cry, his burnt hand violently trembled reaching toward the pendant.
Tears streamed down his lavender cheeks as he called her name. “Yas…did you? Did you kill my daughter?” Nor hissed, his piercing blue eyes narrowed.
A sickening feeling filled Arrazanal’s centre. She felt her blood freeze in her veins as she stared at Yasenanos’ father. “I didn’t – I never-,”
Nor pursed his lips together and his nostrils flared. “Monsters, all of you…we should’ve slaughtered your kind-,”
“After the death of her mother,” Arr said as her hands lowered, “she lost her sight as an infant, because of you.”
Nor’s face dropped, and his body stopped shaking, he was like a marble statue on the floor. “How do you know this? You couldn’t penetrate my mind shield…”
“She told me on Emasaran. We were close,” she said, her arms dropped to her sides.
“I sent her there to be safe,” he said, picking up the necklace, “I gave this to her to remind her of home…is she still there?”
Arrazanal slowly nodded. “She’s still there, laying on the edge of a cliff. A fight broke out on the island after your warriors stormed the Temple, I couldn’t help her…”
Nor closed his eyes as tears streamed down his face. “I wanted her away from all of this, everything I did was to bring my people justice. Instead, I hurt her again,” he said caressing the pendant in his hand.
“What justice could you have brought by destroying more families?” Arr said.
“We were ready to stop the bloodshed until our civilians started disappearing. They would just vanish, we thought the Nalashi had been taking them,” he said.
“Lies – we never took Noszarel civilians!” she shouted.
“I know. When we arrived, there were no Noszarel bodies and no captives in the prisons,” Nor said.
“And are there any captives here? Are they still alive?” Arr demanded, carefully seeking a way through his psychic shield.
“All three are there in the Druid’s Den,” Nor said, slowly rising to his feet.
Arrazanal’s glowing hands shot up, but Nor just smirked as he strode to the window. He kicked his foot through the window, sending shards of glass scattering on the ground outside.
“Go and take your people back to wherever you came from. Bellemin I’aer,” he said before stepping over the sill.
Arrazanal sprang to the window. She saw Norenanos’ mangled body on the stone path at the base of the building. There were guards running over to the scene with their swords drawn. One of them had seen her in the darkness. She bolted down the stairs and on to the patio. Her mind was screaming to Kaitajinal to get out. Her body leapt over the wooden fencing and sped to the Druid’s Den. She heard the metal stomping of the guards pushing themselves into the hall, but she sensed they were spreading their search.
Relief washed over her when she saw Kaitajinal’s form appear from behind the carved pillar followed closely by three other Nalashi, one of which was a child.
“Zjel!” Arr breathed, but the frightened girl turned her head to reveal she was a stranger.
~
They wrapped themselves into an empathic cloak as they sprinted across the gardens and into the forest. Arr worried that their power was too weak to hide all five of them from all the guards on their trail.
“Where’s Dath? I can’t sense him. He was supposed to meet us here,” Arr said as they slowed their jog through the dark violet forest.
“I don’t know,” Kai replied through his breath.
“He could’ve been captured-,” she said.
“We aren’t going back!” said one of the former captives.
“Keep quiet! And we can’t go back to Haven either,” Kai said.
“The hot springs, they’re outside of the village,” Arr said.
Kaitajinal violently shook his head. “Nai, it’s too close to the mountain pass-,”
“The neck! We’ll cross the river,” Arr said
“I don’t want to go to the Haunted Forest!” cried the girl.
“There’s no choice, they shouldn’t follow us there,” Kai said patting the girl’s hand in his. With a heavy heart, Arrazanal found herself staring at the little girl. Her features were like Zjelazanal’s, but her face was rounder, and the tip of her nose looked like an orb stuck to her face.
Noszarel voices were heard from beyond the tree trunks. Five of them ran for hours through the moonless night, but it felt like mere moments for Arrazanal as she sensed the warriors hot on their heels. The smell of water hit her nose and her eyes sharpened to the shiny surface of the river between the shadowed trunks and branches of the trees. She had almost lost all sense of focus when one of the former captives called out. “We’re almost there!”
Arrazanal whipped around to hush them, but an arrow punctured through the heart had done it for her. The little girl screamed as the woman’s body dropped lifeless to the grass. Two large Noszarel warriors sprung from the bushes with their bows pulled back ready to let go of the string.
“Go ahead!” Kai shouted, throwing the girl to the edge of the river and unfurling his whip.
“Kai!” Arr called to him.
“I can do this,” he said through his teeth. His whip flew, looking like a dancing snake. It struck across the silver helms of the warriors. They released the grasp of their bows as they dropped to the wet soil. One of them hoped up with his hand over the hilt of his sword ready to unsheathe it. Arrazanal watched in awe as Kaitajinal pulled his whip back and struck it around the warrior's wrist. It wrapped around it tight enough to yank the large Ezoni forward into the mud.
She turned to see the last remaining captives paddle across the navy water. A small part of her wanted to join them on the other shore. Her head snapped back to see the other warrior unsheathe his sword and slice through the thick leather whip, causing Kaitajinal to tumble into the water. Arrazanal’s hands burst into green light and she pushed her arms out, blasting her energy at the warrior’s scalp. His helmet shone amber as smoke billowed from holes. Her arms dropped to her sides. Her body went cold and numb as she watched the warrior sway where he stood, before collapsing into the dirt. A war cry screamed from the other’s wide mouth. He pulled two swords from his belt and started swinging them wildly through the air.
She tried to muster the last of her strength to defeat him, but her arms wouldn’t obey her. Kaitajinal screamed for her, but it sounded like an ocean away as she watched the silver shine of the swords inch closer to her head. Her ears perked as a powerful shriek came from the dark trees. Her eyes travelled past the swinging swords to two orange eyes flying closer to the warrior. Enormous white claws plunged through the armoured Noszarel. A giant jagged-toothed mouth opened and tore the man’s head clean from his shoulders.
The monstrous lavender tiger stood over the body as her long pink tongue licked around her bloody lips.
“Sheek’zeer!” Arr said, the feline perked her head up and sprinted over to her.
“Careful, Arr,” Kai said with his hand over the hilt of his dagger.
“It’s fine, she’s a friend,” Arr said rubbing the tiger’s wet nose.
“We can’t stay here – the Noszarel are close,” he said inching his way closer, never moving his gaze from the beast.
“They are now with all that commotion,” said an elder voice. Larizinal’s form appeared from the dark trees with a whip in one hand and a ball of green light hovering in the other.
“Archdruid!” Kai yelled, immediately bowing to his knees.
Arrazanal’s eyes widened as she stared in bewilderment between him and Larizinal. “Archdruid?”
“Not a title I care for – and you don’t have the time to do that Kai, get up!” she said waving her hand.
“What happened to the others?” Arr said.
“The closest group to the river is now suffering from amnesia, but I fear that some of them may have it for a long time,” she said, retracting the green orb in her palm. “Come, they’re moments away.”
The old druid strode to the edge of the river. She wrapped her whip over her shoulder, and her open palms hovered over the water. She closed her eyes. A beam of green light shot forth from her hands and took the shape of an emerald disk hovering low over the water. Arrazanal and Kaitajinal watched in astonishment as Larizinal’s bare feet stepped on the emerald platform. They and Sheek’zeer hopped onto the disk following the druid.
“Stay behind; stay close,” Lari said, taking small steps on the newly formed walkway in front of her. Arrazanal glanced behind to see that the disk that was stretched to the edge of river had now receded to the hind of her heels. Her eyes darted forward, trying to keep her pace steady so as not to fall into the cold water. She looked up to see the dark, cobwebbed canopies of the Haunted Forest. A shiver rolled up her spine as she heard the deep thumping of war drums inside her mind.
Larizinal stepped off the disc. Her feet sunk into the soil. She ushered everyone off the emerald disk before she banished it into non-existence. The girl and the older male strayed to the edge of the shore glancing nervously to the black forest. Sheek’zeer sprinted across the shores and scrambled up the eerie mottled trees. Arrazanal pondered how she could be so at ease in such a place, but if Arr were a size of a large hut, then there would be little she would fear.
As they slinked away from the shore behind the first tree line, Arrazanal heard the distant murmurings of the guards followed by an infuriated splashing of water. They climbed down to a trench that separated the inner forest and the river. It took her a moment to collect the foreboding sight of the black and grey bark of the trees that appeared to have deformed faces carved into them. The leaves were black as the darkest ink and had thick spider webs connecting them like an arachnid highway.
“This forest is…” Kai whispered.
Arrazanal kept her silence and placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder. She knew what this place meant to him. Kaitajinal smiled, patting her hand as he looked to Larizinal.
“How did you find us, Archdruid?” Kai said taking the little girl’s hand into his.
“I wasn’t looking for you two, but I saw what happened back at the Conclave – that was incredibly risky and, dare I say, stupid,” she said, her eyes narrowing at Arrazanal.
“Forgive me, Lari, but what choice did I have in the matter?” Arr said crossing her arms over her chest, “you didn’t help me, even when you apologised for failing before and promised you would do right – only to refuse. And what of my sis-,”
“Arrazanal, this isn’t the time, we mustn’t stray-,” Lari said glancing at the others and pointing through a gap between the broken trunks of dead trees.
“With all due respect Archdruid, but your motives aren’t very clear,” Kai said.
“Then let me clarify it for you. Come with me.” The old druid spun around and disappeared between the broken trunks. They trod over the bumpy terrain. Despite the warm season the soil was cold and strangely barren of grass. The mangled faces on the bark appeared to have been watching the group. With every step further into the forest, the faces looked to wear increasingly demented smiles.
Arrazanal could feel Kaitajinal’s nerves radiating from behind. She turned to check on him, but he froze in his steps. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Kaitajinal’s body went rigid. “I can’t do this; I can feel them…”
“Who?” Arr said, keeping an eye to the group before her.
“Father and mother. They were here, walking on this very soil,” he said closing his eyes.
“I understand, but we have to keep moving,” she said.
“How does she find her way? Nalashi are forbidden to enter here,” Kai said gripping the girl’s hand, but she seemed to equally as scared.
“I guess we’ll find out,” Arr said, glancing to the back of Larizinal’s robes.
The grinning trees had faint pale lights emanating from their hallowed eyes and on the edge of Arr’s vision she saw them following her movements. Arrazanal had never been so far from home before, even though she travelled across the sea to Emasaran. The Haunted Forest was like an alien world blended with the stuff of nightmares. She tried feeling for any predators lurking in the shadows or angry spirits that might want to dispel her from their domain, but her psychic mind was met with sharp pain the further she pushed.
“Stop,” Lari said with her hand held out.
Before them, a row of trees grew along in a line. The faces on their trunks were twisted into scowls and their eyes locked onto every member of their band. The jagged maws of the trees opened and the white shine in their eyes transformed into a malevolent red. Larizinal pressed the tip of her finger against the sharp wooden tooth and to Arrazanal’s disgust a tiny trickle of blood seeped into the black mouth of the tree. The trunk curved back revealing a handful of Ezoni warriors armed with bows and swords. Arrazanal felt like her eyes had deceived her when she saw Nalashi and Noszarel people ready to strike at their small band.
“Be at ease, they’re no threat,” Lari said.
A female Nalashi warrior removed her leather helm and her long, loose black hair swished behind her back. Her lips curved into a smile, but then her eyes drifted to Kaitajinal.
She sensed his heart thumped in his chest. “Mother?” he whispered.