CHAPTER 2
Hunting wasn't the only reason Ventas hid in the woods.
Forest dew rolled down the branches by his shoulder onto his dark shirt, dripping finally on the toe of his boot, which was starting to get cold.
He didn't move it out of the way though. He didn't dare move an inch, lest he be spotted and suffer the consequences.
If hunting was all he was doing, then getting caught meant losing a meal… but right now he didn't crouch in the trees waiting for game…. He was waiting for something else, and he would lose a whole lot more than dinner if someone caught him. For one thing, his fellow Hunters would never recover if they learned that one of their own was infatuated by the workings of the Champions. They might cast him out onto the streets and brand him a heretic. If the Champions found out… who knows what the mages would do to him…
Luckily for Ventas, hiding from humans was easy, so long as you stayed in the shadows and didn't move a muscle.
From his vantage point, he could see the stairs to the divinity's shrine perfectly. Nobody in the village knew about the stairs. Not the hunters, the citizens, not even the Cadets. Only the sworn in Champions and Ventas knew that a long stone stairway led to the top of the shallow mountain, upon which sat the divine being who kept the woods.
I wonder what they would do if they figured out I know their rituals.
He wondered in dubious glee, smirking at his sneaky little secret.
Some might think he was arrogant in his confidence, but Ventas was only sure of himself because in all of his years spying on the Champions, he’d never once been close to getting caught. Not even when he was a little kid. And so, reinforced by practice and pride, he never longer gave it a second thought. He could easily spend a few hours watching the tasks of the Champions and still return home with enough game to satisfy his assigned families. You might even say that it was one of the only things he was confident in. It was unfortunate that to share his talents with others would mean to condemn himself to who knows what…
With the risk so high, why did he do it? Well, that was complicated. Ventas wasn’t even sure if he knew the answer himself. Habit? Longing? Whatever it was that drove him to spy, it was strong enough to beat his fear of punishment.
Especially today of all days.
Today wasn't just a routine visit. The Champions weren't ascending the shrine steps to council with the divine or refill their magic or bring him news. Today was a Ritual of Sacrifice- the most rare of all the Champion's dealings with the divine, and Ventas’s favorite thing to watch.
What made the day even better was the Cadet who would be making the Sacrifice.
Gabriel, one of the outsiders, would be challenging the ritual, and Ventas was looking forward to finally getting some answers.
Ventas could still remember the day they arrived ten years ago. He was sitting on the upper balcony of the chapel with several other kids on the warm summer night, kicking his feet over the edge and listening to the Hunter's prayers drift up to him from the chapel room below.
The other kids sat facing in towards the hall so they could better hear the words and the music, but Ventas was facing out, watching the stars begin their journey over the trees. The older kids had given up trying to get him to sit forward and pay attention forever ago, losing out in the battle of stubbornness when they finally realized that he paid attention better when he could let his eyes wander to his heart’s content.
Because of all of this, he was the only one watching as three distant figures lit with torch light stumbled from the southern edge of the woods and into the clearing around the city. Ventas’s shout of surprise earned him a jab in the ribs and a Hush from one of the older kids nearby, but he'd ignored the reprimand and stood up, leaning forward to get a better view. Soon he was joined by the others as they turned to see what caught his attention, and before long they all watched in wonder and fear at the sight.
Foreigners.
Three of them. They had never seen foreigners before. It had been at least fifteen years since the City of Trees engaged in open travel and trade between territories. None of the young Hunter children had been alive the last time someone from beyond the Wilds set foot in their clearing. Let alone three in one night.
Ventas was the first to realize that there was an adult and two kids, and all three of them were struggling greatly as they crossed the pasture and forded the shallow river, limping ever closer to the safety of the wall.
"Who are they?" He asked, instantly quelled by hissing hushes.
Despite their reprimands, none of them spoke up as the trio stumbled ever closer- each of them was too enraptured by the foreign sight. Where had they come from? And why had the divine not stopped them from entering their borders?
Ventas watched as the tallest of the three reached the bank of the river at last and finally collapsed, dropping their torch into the grass where it went out. The bigger of the two kids went down as well, and the third fell to their knees and shook the other two frantically before giving up and sprinting towards the city wall.
Something about the way this figure ran shook something within Ventas. He’d been out on the hunt with his father many times, and seen the desperate scurrying of a doomed beast too many times not to catch the familiar pace and cadence of the person below. It made his stomach churn.
Without thinking, he tore away from the balcony, narrowly avoiding the grasping fingers of the older kids as he ran down the wooden stairs. He made it out of the chapel foyer, through the courtyard and off to the southern gate before he could hear shouts echoing after him.
He reached the wall before she did, and just as he feared, there was no one there.
Nobody had noticed her yet, and she couldn’t get in.
He pressed his hand to the placard and shouted up at the top of the wall, hoping that his voice and the lights would speed the patrolling champions along so they would open the door fpr her and send someone to help her friends.
Unbeknownst to him, the other kids had told one of the Hunter priests who reached him before the patrolling champion did. Rough and angry hands pulled him back from the placard and hauled him back to the church. He’d had just enough time to glimpse the gate swing open and a small girl stumble through into the waiting courtyard before he was shoved roughly out of the yard which was now full of curious and angry villagers and hunters, all staring at her like wolves ready to pounce.
Ever since that day, Ventas hadn't stopped wondering… why? What drove them out of their old home, and what carried them through the wilds? When he finally met the kids from beyond the woods, his questions only multiplied. Today was the day he could finally get answers.
Despite his anticipation, he felt himself dozing as he waited. He’d been up helping haul wood since early the prior morning, and he found it getting increasingly more difficult to keep his eyes open. The nighttime forest symphony twilled all around him, lulling away any uneasiness he felt as he crouched high up on a branch, waiting.
Hidden frogs beeped in quiet rhythm, singing crickets added layers of sweet high lullabye, the occasional deep chirp of a night bird cried for company and sang a slow chorus. It was all so beautiful…
He shook his head, snapping out of it. Ventas wasn't afraid of the foreigners, Champions, townspeople, the Hunters, or even the "divinity" who lurked in the woods. What he was most afraid of right now was nodding off and missing the spectacle.
Or worse, falling from the tree and breaking his neck.
Just as he came about his senses, the forest began to glow. He crouched closer, eyes wide in anticipation as the familiar scene unfolded.
Down below, the chiseled stone steps came to life. Tiny dots of light blue light yawned into gleaming brilliance, painted in patterns of concentric circles and swirling lines all over the stairs, glowing brighter as the distant procession approached.
The same type of light, magic light, crept in silver finery from the tips of the leaves that formed an arbor canopy over the steps, encompassing the staircase with a tunnel of celestial gleaming. Ventas knew by heart where to hide so the light wouldn't give him away. Even so he was careful not to move, knowing better than to become lax in his caution.
The procession approached, and as they did the lights grew brighter.
Shields led the way, holding his silver lantern high, adding to the illumination. Behind him followed Gabriel and two other Champions, each holding smaller lanterns of their own.
Ventas tried not to laugh at the look on Gabriel’s face as he climbed up the steps. The outsider’s eyes were wide, his brows locked into a look of concern as he climbed along like a scared deer. Ventas wondered if the other one, Birdie, would be so obviously nervous. Probably not. She wasn't a huge baby like red was.
They reached the step below Ventas and Shields stopped. Gabriel came up short behind him, looking around in paranoid confusion.
The other two Champions came into view, Cedar and Brooke.
Of course Shields brought Brooke. Everyone likes Brooke. She was at the last Ritual too.
They stood on either side of the outsider and lowered their lamps as Shields turned, facing the elf with a grave look on his face.
"This is it, Gabriel. You cannot go any further without taking the vow."
"Th-the vow?" Gabriel asked.
"Yes. The vow of secrecy. What you are about to see here you cannot share with anyone, not even Birdie until she's had a chance to enter the vow as well. You will keep this a secret from all who do not hold the title Champion, and you will not discuss the details of this ritual with any. Do you accept?"
Ventas mouthed the words along with Shields. Including this one, he'd watched five other Champions make their Sacrifice, and each time the wording was the same- except for mentioning Birdie- that was different. But the change made sense. it wasn't every day their village got two new Champions in as many days. It was usually years between Rituals of Sacrifice, and they were growing more and more rare as more citizens turned towards the Hunters. This was truly a special year.
And Ventas had hunting duty tomorrow too, which meant he could watch Birdie's. What luck!
Shields extended his hand to shake, and Gabriel took it tentatively. A line of magic flowed from the leader's hand over Gabriel's arm. Ventas watched as every vein and bone shined, making his hand look almost translucent. Gabriel hunched over, his face contorting in pain as he endured the magical seal with a grunt of discomfort.
Ventas felt that Gabriel was acting incredibly mellow-dramatic. From what he had seen from the other Champions, this was not that painful, maybe just a little uncomfortable. Brooke hadn't squirmed at all when she took the oath, only winced, and Ammi hadn't even flinched when she took Shield's hand ten years ago to take the Sacrifice again.
What a baby.
The light passed, and Shields released Gabriel, turning once again to ascend the steps towards the divinity. After they passed out of sight and the magical light began to fade in their wake, Ventas climbed down from the tree and ducked onto a small game trail. He crouched low, moving as fast as he could without disturbing the foliage around him.
Unlike the humans on the stairs, Ventas could see in the dark- like all other elves. That keen ability coupled with his short cut, meant he had just enough time to make it to his next hiding spot before the procession reached the top of the steps.
His system was perfect.
It was a short hike, made easy by his years of practice. He knew these woods more confidently and carefully than even his own quarters back at the Hunter's chapel.
I wonder if I could make my route if I was like a human, without darkvision. I'll have to try it with my eyes closed some time.
He crested the steep hill, following the lovely glow of the shrine above. From where he scurried, he could see tall etched pillars, carved in marble or granite- he wan't sure which- as they jutted from the hill and mixed with the trees.
He had maybe a minute left.
Circling round he saw it, one of the pillars was cracked, missing a chunk of its polished top, it stopped short of the others. Behind it stood a tree, tall and thick with foliage, easy to hide inside. He booked it up the side, pulling himself limb over limb until he reached his spot, nestled in a crook where several large branches met. The perfect vantage point into the clearing below.
He leaned forward to get a good view, clutching his father’s enchanted pendant absently, as he did when focusing.
The procession arrived. He saw their lanterns bobbing into view at the entrance of the shrine, and waited for the invitation of the divine.
"Speak your name and intention," Ventas whispered.
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"Speak your name and intention," a voice echoed from below, ringing through the magical clearing once all Champions stood on the top step.
"The Mortal Champions Shields, Cedar, and Brooke come as your humble charges with a new elf to offer as your hand."
"I will have you then."
Ventas thought that what would surprise the townspeople the most about their forest divinity was how young he sounded. He didn't speak with the wizened voice of a sage elder, or the hardened voice of an experienced man in the throws of middle adulthood. If Ventas had to wager a guess, he would say the divine remained a young man, early adult maybe late teen, but ever immortal and unchanging, having remained that way through the past ten years.
That was the only downside to his hiding place. From where he watched, Ventas could not see the divine. Though he'd heard his voice countless times, and seen how the Champions interacted with him, the divine never left his shelter at the center of the clearing.
The shining white pillars surrounded the shrine like watchmen, and a smooth sidewalk of matching stone connected each sentinel. The path also ran from the top of the stairs to a small shelter in the center where the divine rested. He never moved from this spot, so Ventas could only imagine what he looked like.
Probably the same as he sounds. Young and arrogant.
The procession walked into the clearing, and Gabriel started the divine down like he was trying to destroy him with his mind.
Something about the look on his face gave Ventas sick chills, and not the good kind. He remembered Brooke's face, her shining blue eyes sparkling in wonder as she approached the divine for her first time, getting ready to make her Sacrifice. Cedar had wept- a fact Ventas took great pleasure in knowing. If the champion ever knew that Ventas was there to witness his tears, he would surely hit him. Everyone beheld the divinity in their own way, but all with the same reverent awe, and it all seemed very personal.
But Gabriel… something scary lurked in his eyes. Something familiar. Ventas scowled, troubled. Everyone in town knew this kid to be moody, but there was something else there… something that seemed to go undetected by everyone except Ventas.. He’d seen it in him when the two were just boys, sizing each other up and ultimately arriving at the conclusion that their mutual distaste for one another meant they might as well never interact again.
But Ventas had never stopped watching.
Can't hide your dirt from a divine.
He thought in satisfaction.
They were speaking now, and Ventas had to cup his ears to hear. This part was always tricky, depending on who led the procession he might not even hear it as the group conversed with the divinity. Luckily, Shields was a stalwart kind of guy, and he spoke a bit louder than Ammi, who was a bit more even spoken.
"Do you feel prepared?" The divinity asked, amused and curious.
"Yes sir."
The divine laughed, "jeez, no need to call me sir! I'm just a- well, I am a divine… So I guess ‘sir’ is fine if that's what you want."
Ventas chuckled. He would never meet the divine, it wasn't in his destiny, but he liked to think that the two of them would be friends.
"I sense something in your heart that you've tried to conceal from the others. Care to share before we proceed? I will warn you, lying is pointless. I can always spot a liar… even a really good one."
Ventas sat forward in excitement.
I knew it!
For Brooke, the divinity addressed her fear of losing others. For Cedar it was the doubt he held about himself and his short temper. For the late Champion Leif, the divine discussed heavily the sadness he held onto after his loss. He'd never asked a champion to share their secrets before…
I knew it! He's a total psychopath.
Ventas smirked, lavishing in the sweet validation.
Gabriel considered the divine's offer for just a moment, and then shook his head, still glaring at him with those creepy, intense eyes.
"Fine! It's up to you! Not that it really matters, I just thought we might go into this on better terms. Shields?"
Shields hesitated, distracted as he eyed Gabriel in disappointed curiosity
"Yes?"
"Instruct Gabriel to kneel, we will proceed with the Ritual."
Ventas raised an eyebrow in surprise. He wasn't a divine being in possession of unknowable understanding, power, and discerning, but he questioned the divine's choice. If it was up to him, he would have sent Gabriel and his creepy eyes packing. He wouldn't want a psycho on his team.
He heard the divine chuckle, "Ha! You really think so? I see your point, but I don't really care what you think. I am curious so I will do what I want."
Ventas blinked in confusion. He'd missed the first part of that exchange. Had Gabriel said something to offend him?
At the divine's behest, Shields bowed, and then placed his lantern on the ground. He stood behind Gabriel, and Brooke went to his left, Cedar his right.
"Kneel Gabriel."
Without taking his eyes off the divinity, the Champion cadet got to his knees. Shields clasped the hands of his comrades and spoke.
"You have been selected to participate in the Trial of Sacrifice, offered to all who meet the merits to become a Champion of our divinity. Nominated by your brothers and sisters, you stand to give it all in the name of wisdom and power. From this time on, should you complete your great trade, you will live as a mortal."
As Shields spoke, the magical lights that dotted the shrine grew brighter. The dim twilight burned away as brilliant white light filled the shrine and surrounding forest.
From where Ventas sat in his tree, he was just inside the magical boundary, and therefore privy to the divine light as it filled him with euphoria.
"Champions are expected to heed the call of their tribute divinity. You will be a light to others. A protector and shield to the people who live within divine domain. You will seek wisdom and increase in power as you obey your divinity's commands. As you make pilgrimage to the domains of others, you will not commune with other divine beings, but you will treat their Champions as your comrades in your oath of good. You will protect the innocent and serve the divine until the day you shall perish. After the sacrafice is made and you are accepted into the Championship, you will be expected to follow all other rules and oaths put forth by the divinity. Do you accept this oath Gabriel?"
"I do."
Shields addressed the divine being directly.
"Divine, we your Champions, present Gabriel to you as tribune for judgment."
"Thank you Shields."
The entire shrine was shrouded in blinding light, the epicenter being the divinity himself. From Ventas's point of view, everything was completely obscured except that which was immediately in front of him. He knew from experience that the closer he got, the stronger the light, the power, the visions… But he hung back, unwilling to get to close and risk entering the shrine. To do so as a Hunter meant death.
But he wasn't afraid. Quite the contrary in fact.
All he could think about was the feeling of total power. The overwhelming feeling of control and transcendence that brushed his face and heart- mere shreds of what those in the clearing felt, but still divine nonetheless.
This is why he chased the Champions. To touch but a particulate of their power. To experience, even by some cheat, a fraction of what they held inside them every day.
The epicenter moved as the divinity stood. Ventas wasn't sure what happened next in a bodily sense, but he braced himself for the mental trip.
Here we go.
"I hope you are ready Gabriel, son of Gad and Brandr, Brother of Levi- the former champion of another divine. You spent many years preparing for this moment. But magic is more than just a matter of body… it is mostly mind."
The very next instant, foreign Images flashed within Venta's mind. Red sunsets over a vast body of water. Crashing waves on a long stretch of beach, the world speckled with lovely blue light. A small girl chasing spindly birds on the sand, laughing as she went. Dancing to upbeat music around a bonfire at night. The smiling face and soft words of a young man, hair as red as winter berries. Good food over a campfire. His first success while learning sword footwork. Quiet moments in the meadow outside the wall. A tender kiss beside the river…
Typically this was the best part. In this moment Ventas got to secretly glimpse the events and instances in this champion's life that meant something. The highs. The triumphs. Every good thing that set them on this path.
He sighed, feeling his heart fill with longing.
I wish. He ached, I wish!
He didn't understand how, with all of the sublime things in his life, Gabriel turned out the way he did. Ventas knew that his own bitter history with the boy lurked somewhere in that timeline of memories, but he doubted it would be significant enough that he would see it. Ventas knew when he met him ten years ago that Gabriel was trouble, and not because he was foreign, but because he was rotten by choice. But as he flipped through these shining memories, Ventas wondered why? The sweet moments. The smiling faces. The sunny days. All of the beautiful and fantastic things he had seen.
Why? Why turn out this way?
It didn't matter. In the end Gabriel was going to be a Champion and Ventas would always be just a Hunter. But in this moment, Ventas could at least dream.
Though it felt like moments, Ventas knew that the Sharing of the Triumphs lasted hours. He didn't feel the time as it slipped by like the waves retreating from the sand he saw in Gabriel’s memories. But as the visions came to an end, he was the first to sense it.
As he was on the fringes and furthest from the action, the sights faded first from him, and the light began to dim.
Ventas breathed deeply, shaking his head and doing his best to settle once more into his mind. He blinked, looking back away from the shrine and studying the sky as he came to his senses. It was still night, maybe three in the morning? That gave him just enough time to go collect his stashed game and tools, and make it back to the village before dawn. Nobody would be the wiser.
The ritual was far from over, but he was ready to go. Ventas knew what was next, and though he found himself tempted by the prospect of learning more, he never stuck around for the end of the Ritual. He'd done so once, and regretted it ever since.
But I am so curious….
No. He didn't want to know that bad. He'd made the mistake of lingering his first time witnessing a Ritual. It was the Sacrifice for Leif, the Champion who endured a grueling loss… Ventas didn't leave before the second half of the shared memories, and what he'd seen left him wishing he hadn't come at all…
He shivered.
I don't need more of that in my life.
Ventas rocked forward, straddling the branch he was on and preparing to swing his leg over. Before he could begin his descent, a strange feeling crept over him. He felt his eyes grow hazy and his head began to nod.
The most intense exhaust he’d ever felt suddenly invaded his every sense. The world around him rolled as he fought the crushing fatigure, and before he knew it, Ventas felt himself falling.
Wait!
There was no stopping it. He hit the ground from twenty feet up. The impact knocked his breath from his lungs, and he felt sickening fear at the dense snap!
Blossoming pain began to spread over his body, like a blanket of hot pins and needles that coated every inch.
But he was too tired to care. Too tired to cry out. Too tired...
As he lay there paralyzed, unable to run or move or even brush his dark hair from his eyes, the euphoria in the clearing came to a close. The feelings that spilled from the ritual shifted violently to the negative as the second half began. Against his will, Ventas felt the trepidation among Shields, Brooke, Cedar, and most of all Gabriel as the rosy mood turned sour in an instant.
No. I don't want to see it.
He thought faintly, his brain hazy and unable to choose fear at his fall, or fear over the memories.
"Aaaaaah, but you must," the bemused voice of the divine spoke in his head, "I've let you run free long enough, little eavesdropper. Time to make you useful…"
Ventas couldn't feel it, but he was sure that he had chills.
The divine just spoke to me. He knows I'm here!
"Now," The divine spoke to the group, "let’s have a look inside your heart, see what it was you so desperately didn't want to tell me."
The memories began again, but this time they spawned from the darkest corners of Gabriel's mind.
Water surrounded him in every direction as he struggled to breathe or move or hold on to the little girl in his hands. Pain in his ears and lungs and nose as the power of the ocen crushed them down again and again.
Then a woman was yelling at him before he blinked and looked down to see that same red haired boy from before, but pale and gaunt.
"Aaaah, there it is."
Through waves of fire and stone, Ventas saw a distorted face, smoldering beneath inky black shadow. Glimpses of eyes deeper than the darkest night sky, ringed with golden irises. Cruel, twisted rejection. Chastisement. Overwhelming pain and self-hatred. Terror beyond all belief and helplessness. Extreme and profound helplessness.
It was terrible, even in his altered state where everything seemed hazy and dull.
He had wanted to know what made Gabriel the way he was, and now he knew, though he wished he didn't. Because stronger than the sadness, the loss, the pain, the loathing, was a curdling feeling of evil. Sick and twisted, the evil lingered in everything. Stubborn. Hiding.
Eternal.
Ventas felt like he was going to get burnt up as he lay there paralyzed, soaking in the horrible atmosphere. But suddenly he registered on the periphery of his senses that someone was yelling through the memories. Multiple someone's in fact. They were screaming.
The light faded, and the intensity with it. The trial was over.
And still Ventas laid there, alone and in the dark. The cool night slipping by like the stars above, his awareness too distant to keep track of their progression. Hours slipped by undetected, like storm clouds in the sky.
He kept bobbing in and out of lucidity, in a
vicious cycle of finally nodding off and crashing violently into consciousness, his heart racing only to be stamped by pain and panic.
Through it all, one thought lingered on:
The Champions are long gone by now. No chance of anyone finding me, as I was on duty to hunt again tonight. I am to close to the shrine to be found by a search party.
I'm going to die here in this forest. Missing forever.
He wished vaguely that this wasn’t his end. Ventas's life was far from perfect, but that didn't mean he had no hope. He thought about his own memories, what might the divine peer into should he sort his life into highs and lows.
Not enough, he thought. Bitterly.
I've not seen nearly enough.
Through his shallow breathing and the tightness in his chest, he tried to whisper a prayer. To the woods, to the divine, to all of the ancient gods worshiped by the Hunters and his ancestors. Anyone who would listen.
“please!" he thought dimly.
“I’d give anything!”
“Finally!” The voice entered his mind with sudden clarity, clearing the dark cobwebs of pain and dying from the corners of his brain that threatened to bury him.
“You had me worried there, I thought you’d never ask!"
A gentle tingling sensation invaded his back. It crept up his spine and into his arms and legs, hot like fire and sharp like thorns, it spread until his whole body felt icy and numb.
Then he began to move.
Like the strings of a puppet pulling a doll, something pulled him to his feet. It was automatic and awkward, but despite the total numbness he began walking without choice up the hill.
"I didn't let you live all those years with my secrets rattling around in your brain, just for you to die in my backyard!"
Clarity began returning to him as he made it to the top of the hill and stepped over the stone line into the circular shrine. He registered that there were tufts of white flowers mixed in with the grass.
Pretty. He hadn't noticed them before.
"There we go, upsie daisies! Come along now, let's get a look at you."
Ventas began to panic. Yes, he’d been dying for answers, but he hadn’t intended to actually die to get them! He was a Hunter! To face the divine meant certain obliteration! All of the terrible stories and warnings of his father sprung to his mind and his excitement turned to fear. He tried to run, to tell his legs to flee, but it was pointless. They were being piloted by a being of unknown power and intent. He wasn't in control anymore.
Ventas managed to squeeze his eyes shut. Somewhat hoping that the action would wake him from whatever cruel dream he must have slipped into while waiting in his tree.
"Oh!"
He was standing before the divine now, because the honied voice spoke from directly in front of him.
"Now see, that's not too bad! I mean, not that it matters, but if I'm going to have an errand boy I want him to at least be tolerable to look at. Wouldn't want to send a goblin to visit my enemies. See, I might not be the flashiest of my kind, but I think that once you commit to an aesthetic, it's best to stick with it! Don't you think? Now, don't you go telling that to anyone! We'll keep it one of our little secrets."