When they had returned to the tower, the sky had already deepened to an indigo hue. Caelyn lingered before the first step and look up at the stone steps spiraling up through the ceiling and beyond. The long day of walking and walking and walking took its toll on her legs, making them feeling sore and weak. It would be over soon. Taking a deep breath and imagining the relaxation of sitting beside the fire, she made her way up.
Charlotte, who had not spoken since they entered the tunnel, finally asked, in a whisper, “What will they think?”
“Who will think what?” Caelyn looked over her shoulder and made eye contact with the girl. “Oh, they will think you’re brave, Charlotte. I do too. No other could slay a dire wolf during their first time with a sword.”
“But what if they think that I am threat?” She stopped, grasping the sword-handle with her left hand. “I don’t want to be seen as a killer.”
Caelyn stopped and turned. “You’re not a killer. At worst, you are a hunter. I think you’re a savior. Think of it this way, we are all starving right now. I haven’t eaten anything in days, and I assume that it is the same with everyone else. And now, you are bringing them a wolf this size for us to eat. It would probably feed us for the next few days. They will thank you.”
“But… this blood, all this blood.” She covered her eyes. “It makes me dizzy. Why is it so thick? Why is it such… a deep red?”
Glancing at the floor below them, Caelyn reached out to the girl while keeping one hand against the wall. “Come, come on. Let’s at least go to the next floor. You don’t want to fall, don’t you?”
“Right.” Charlotte started to move, letting go of her sword to grasp Caelyn’s shoulder rather tightly. “I-I’m sorry if—”
“There is nothing you have to be sorry for. You can lean against me any time you want—don’t look down. Think of cheese we brought back. Perhaps it’ll taste good roasted over a fire, or perhaps not. Well, I know I am interested in finding out. Don’t you?”
“Food,” was her last word as they walked up the rest of the stairs in silence.
A rich rosy glow colored the silver walls as they reached the top of the stairs. On the wall-walk, the others had a small fire ablaze. Theresa was leaning, arms crossed, against the parapet, gaze focused on the two of them as they came out onto the wall. Letting out a relieved sigh, the red-haired girl straightened herself and took a few steps towards them. “So I wasn’t wrong about you. You did get lost. Now, where’s Cain? Don’t tell me he got lost as well.”
“Cain is behind us.” Caelyn gestured towards the stairs, from where Courtney had just peeked her head out.
“What…” Noticing the sword strapped to Charlotte’s waist, Theresa raised an eyebrow and backed away. “Why do you have a sword? Did you find it in the tunnels?”
Charlotte, looking at the ground and shuffling her feet, nodded.
“Oh look,” Caelyn said, hoping to distract Theresa from Charlotte’s sword, “Courtney brought back a wheel of cheese. You know, I’m starving. How about let’s go sit down around the fire and… roast some cheese.”
Theresa, raising her eyebrow even higher, asked, “And you even found a wheel of cheese… in those tunnels. I am surprised how lost you got—you somehow managed to find something useful in that—”
Her remark was interrupted by the cheers of everyone around the fire as Courtney wheel open the wheel of cheese. Travis was shouting something that Caelyn could not quite distinguish, while his two friends clapped and cheered. Even the nonchalant Lucis was nodding and making a hum of approval.
“Finally,” groaned Cain, dragging the wolf to the floor while he himself fell to his knees. “Can someone take this?”
Jaw falling agape, Theresa took uncertain steps towards the carcass. “Is that a wolf? A dead wolf? Where did you find that? What the hell happened down there?”
Caelyn glanced at Charlotte, who blinked as she regarded her prey, and decided not to say the name of the beast’s slayer. But, as Cain opened his mouth to speak, Caelyn held her breath in fear that her decision would mean nothing.
“It is… a wolf.” Cain stumbling to his feet and stepped out of the tower. “It was chasing us and ended up… charging into a sword. It looks good to eat.”
Caelyn breathed a sigh of relief. Did he somehow overhear their conversation? During that moment, she did not pay much attention to how far he was behind them. Perhaps he was closer to them than she had thought. Regardless, she reminded herself to thank Cain later.
The two girls took this opportunity to slip by and sit down against the wall, enjoying the warmth of the fire. An evening breeze passed by, sending a chill through Caelyn’s skin. Only then did she realize how cold the night was, so she shifted herself closer to the flames. As she did so, Courtney handed her a piece of cheese. For a moment, she stared at it, mouth watering. The next moment, it disappeared into her mouth. She did not even have enough time to taste the flavor before she swallowed. Her belly rumbled, wanting more.
“Today felt so long, doesn’t it?” asked Caelyn, turned her head to face Charlotte. “So much has happened since last night. I can’t believe it.” She waved arm to catch Courtney’s gaze, and once she had done so, she called, “Hey, can I have some more cheese? I’m still hungry.”
Nodding, Courtney came over to drop a piece of cheese onto Caelyn’s lap and sat down next to them. “It’s a good cheese. Worthy of a commander, I suppose.”
Caelyn, wanting to truly taste the flavors of the cheese, took a small bite and chewed it slowly. It was a bit salty, enough that it would be noticeable with a piece of bread but not so it couldn’t be eaten alone, and had subtle sweetness. Though the cheese was firm, it melted in her mouth like cream. “Indeed,” she said, swallowing, “it is a good cheese. Would like it with some bread, though.”
“Hey.” Theresa walked over to them, hands on her hips. On her face, she had a neutral expression on her face that masked the weariness shone in her eyes. “We need the sword to skin and gut that wolf.”
Glancing at Caelyn, who gave the girl a nod, Charlotte drew the blade and set it down before Theresa’s feet. “Be careful, it’s sharp.”
The red-haired girl picked it up and tested its point, “Oh I will,” then turned around back to the carcass. As she left, Lucis came over, sitting down in front them, blocking the light of fire and casting a shadow upon them.
“That sword is of an extraordinary quality,” Lucis said while watching Theresa and Cain butcher the animal. “I do say, you were quite fortunate to come across such a precious blade. There are only few of such quality in the world and even less that surpass it.” Nodding with great thought, he turned his head slowly and fixed the gaze of his brilliant eyes on Courtney. “So, what have you found?”
Courtney looked at him with a blank stare. “Found what?”
“Anything of interest I have not seen yet.”
“Nothing of much interest. Simply the going of the former commander of this fortress. Everything else is about numbers, of men and food.”
“Oh?” The boy raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? And why has the former commander gone? He must have left before everyone else abandoned this fortress and never returned. A sword of that quality must have belonged to the commander, for no mere soldier would have the status to wield such an arm. Yet, a treasure as it is, the commander left it here instead of bringing it with him. He had expected to return but didn’t, leaving his sword here for you. So tell me if you may, what was the reason for his leave?”
“You are… most observant. Well, the commander went to hunt down a demon that had plague these lands.” As Courtney spoke, she twisted and turned the pendant of her necklace. “He went to a place known as the Sanctuary for equipment to defeat this demon.”
Grabbing an ember from the air, he froze for a moment, gaze distant, and a corner of his lips pulled into a smile of slight amusement. “A demon, you say. How interesting. I have never seen a demon before nor have I fought one.”
In confusion, Courtney stared at the boy. “You want to…?” She shook her head. “I fear that this demon is still prowling the forest. If it could kill the commander of this great fortress, then it could kill us as well. We must be wary as we venture forth not attract the attention of such things. If we do encounter the demon, all we can do is run the other way.”
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Flashes of green light filled the night sky. Caelyn turned towards the direction they had came from, where a blaze of green flames burned in the distance. A pillar of ashes reached the sky, merging with the dark clouds. From the flames, lightning streaked upward to the sky above as if heaven and earth had been turned over. Even from such distance, she could hear the crackle of the fires well. And in the breeze, she could hear a sound most faint that resembled perhaps the screech of a dying animal.
“The tree…” Lucis uttered under his breath.
Then, as if a black curtain had fell upon the scene, the light disappeared, and darkness dominated once more. Caelyn stared still at where the flames had been. What caused that? Was it the entity? Or the demon Courtney was talking about? Did the green fire really come from the tree they passed that morning?
Caelyn glanced at her companions. Courtney, fear in her eyes, pulled on her pendant so hard that the chain dug into her skin. Charlotte, trembling, hugged her knees and whimpered. Lucis, however, appeared more somber than fearful.
“What was that?” asked Caelyn, staring into the orange fire in hopes of cleansing her eyes of that horrible image.
Dropping her pendant with a sigh, Courtney tried to regain her composure—her expression shifted from the cold terror that had haunted her face to concern. She leaned back against the hard stone parapet, letting out a deep sigh. “We need to hurry. Mysterious things fill this forest. As long as we here, there is no place we can consider safe.”
“What about that demon?”
“That demon is just a demon. It can be killed, though with great difficulty, it seems. But I fear that there are thing that cannot be killed… cannot be harmed. Like that shadow, we couldn’t even move to run or fight back.”
Caelyn shrugged. “You don’t know. What if it is the same with that demon?”
“It… is possible, sure. But at least we are aware of it and its existence.”
“True, I suppose. Better the known than the unknown.” She took a nibble of her cheese, letting the salty sweetness mature on her tongue.
“Is that cheese satiating you?” asked Theresa as she walked over to them. “Oh well, I suppose you don’t need all this meat.” She tossed a couple pieces of meat on a skewer on the ground in front of Caelyn. “If you don’t want it, give it to someone who does.”
Picking up the skewer, Caelyn crawled, around Lucis, closer to the fire. “Thank you, Theresa.” She thrust the skewer into the fire and watched as the orange flames licked the deep red meat. Charlotte and Courtney joined her side, each of them holding a skewer of meat as well, and the three of them waited for their food to cook, while the moon rose from the horizon.
***
The next morning, Theresa woke them up one by one, giving each of them a firm nudge with her foot. Once everyone had woken up, she gave everyone a sack filled with the wolf meat that had remained from last night’s feast. Though the moon still hung in the sky, the sun’s arrival was not far off, for the golden rays that herald it had already begun to shine. Not wasting any more time, Cain slung his sack over his shoulder, gestured for everyone to follow, and then began down the stairs.
“Hey, Caelyn, Charlotte,” whispered Courtney, “I still have some of that cheese from last night. Here have it.” She gave both of them two chunks of cheese, which they pocketed before anyone else saw, before the three entering the tower.
Once outside, Cain led everyone through the rift in the wall and into the valley, where the towering mountains surrounded them. With their bellies full from last night’s meat and cheese, everyone was more cheerful, and their pace had quickened from the days before. Though, the environment around them was not the most lively. Beneath their feet, the hard dirt was devoid of grass or flowers. In the air, no birds flew. Even the air itself was cool and still.
“These mountains…” Caelyn craned her neck to get a better view of the rocky mountainsides and where they reached their peak. “If this valley wasn’t here, there would be no way for us to cross.”
The other two girls nodded in agreement.
“But how big do you think this island is?”
Courtney raised an eyebrow. “How big? Why are you asking?”
“On the wall—the one outside that great hall—I saw mountains on the other side of the forest.” She pointed ahead. “Unlike the ones we cross now, there doesn’t seem to be a valley we can pass through. I hope we don’t have to go that far to reach the center of this island.”
“Well, that is a problem.” Resting her chin on her hand, which that elegant mark decorated, Courtney gazed up at the faraway sky to ponder the problem. “It would be best if the center of the island lies here than beyond. But if it does not, then we should hope there is a tunnel of some kind going through those mountains.”
“That would work, but I wouldn’t want to stay in such a dark and unpleasant place for so long. I like the fresh air.” Caelyn filled her chest with a deep, and somewhat exaggerated, breath of the crisp air. “Can’t get enough of it.”
Shrugging, Courtney brushed aside a strand of hair that the breeze had blew over her eye. “Who doesn’t? In all honesty, I hated that tunnel.”
“Oh?” Caelyn blinked. “You didn’t need to join us then, if you didn’t want to. Why would you force yourself somewhere you hated? We would’ve been fine on our own, if you were worried about us.”
“No, no,” Courtney held up her palms, “yesterday was delightful, it really was. And I wasn’t worried about… I didn’t come just because I was worried about you. I came because I en… I was curious too. Only, I would have preferred the tunnel to be a bit shorter. Everything else was fun, I promise.”
“If you say so…”
“Hey,” said Charlotte, finally speaking, “I was wondering about the demon. Did you find anything specific about it? Was there anything that said where the demon dwelt or roamed?”
Caelyn tilted her head, letting her hair flow to one side. “Why?” She glanced down at the sheathed blade that bounced around against her thigh. “You want to slay that demon? Well, just so you know, the commander didn’t bring that sword with him when hunting the demon. Maybe its ineffective.”
“Or maybe it’s too precious,” Courtney muttered.
“Oh, right. Did you find an arrow for that bow of yours?” Charlotte nodded towards the bow slung across Caelyn’s back. “I find it strange that in such a fortress, there isn’t even a single arrow laying around that someone had dropped.”
Unslinging her bow, Caelyn drew back the string, aimed at the sun, before letting go. The string’s vibrations resembled the sound of flames crackling. “Indeed it is strange. I mean, they couldn’t be that through in taking everything. After all, they left this bow behind, along with all that food rotting in those rooms.” With a sigh, she slung the bow back over her shoulder.
“Well, that’s why a sword is superior. It doesn’t need arrows. All you need is the sword and you’ll be ready for whatever comes.”
“You know, I have to agree with you. I would much rather have a shield than a bow or a sword.”
“A shield?” Mouth agape, Charlotte looked at her with wide eyes. “A shield? At least a bow could be considered proper… but a shield? You do realize that shields are barely considered weapons, right? They are useless without a sword in the other hand.”
“My, all you think about is what can be used as a weapon and what can’t.”
“What? What is the point of carrying arms if you are not going to be using it as a weapon?”
Caelyn sighed. “There are many reasons for carrying arms, Charlotte. Attacking, of course, is one of them. But another reason is defense. And what is better at defending than a shield?”
“Hmm, I suppose so, but a shield only protects against an attacker, not stop the from attacking. It doesn’t solve the problem of being attacked. You can’t block forever. Eventually, your strength will falter and the attacker would reach you.”
“Well, let’s see whose strength will falter first, shall we?” With a big grin on her face, Caelyn raised her chin and puffed out her chest.
Taking a moment to think, Charlotte shook her head. “But strength isn’t everything. Dexterity is also quite important. There are some things you can’t cut even with all the strength in the world.”
“I meant strength of will. Whether the attacker’s strength of will to attack is greater than my strength of will to defend. And,” Caelyn smiled, “I can always bash them with my shield.”
Just as the first spears of sunlight pierced through the night, the trees sent them back into darkness. Here, the roots covered the ground, making almost every step a climb, and the green canopy was thicker with less holes for the already dim light to shine through. These two combined caused Caelyn to stumble, and sometimes fall, every few moments or so. It was not only her, everyone else had become silent, not letting conversation distract them from keeping their footing.
Like colossal giants, the trees stood, moving according to their own perception of time. So common, yet so strange, to live and to die and never have moved beyond the patch of land from where its sapling had grown. Every movement lasting through years uncountable. Minds so indifferent to their surroundings. And these particular trees, who knew how long they stood, while the civilizations of men rose and fell like the tides, for which they held equally little regard towards. As Caelyn walked beneath them, she wondered—what was she compared to these giants?
Soon, the sunlight overwhelmed the gloom of twilight, so not even the dense weave of leaves could prevent the golden threads from illuminating the forest floor to grant the travelers sight. With the shadows gone, the forest appeared less threatening and felt more welcoming. The sunlight, like the hearth that wards against night’s malefic touch, brought a mellow warmth to their weary bodies. Flowers, accompanied by butterflies of many colors, adorned the grass-covered floor. Around them, the moss-patched trees, like pillars, held up the green, stained-glass ceiling. As the group walked by, squirrels and the like would race up the thick trunks and hide in the branches, peeking down at them. Breathing in the air, which flowers and leaves perfumed, all Caelyn wanted to do was to lay on the soft grass and take a nice, long nap.
Now that the obstacles were visible, everyone became more relaxed, and the conversation among them began waxing.
“You know,” said Caelyn, “if I had not seen this forest in its darker period, I would’ve been surprised that a demon would live here. But… that could also be said for the other forest.” Clenching her fists, she tried to forget that night, forcing it back into the deepest reaches of her mind, never to appear again. But no matter how hard she tried, the memory, dark as a painting drawn with only shades of black, still lingered. In a whisper, she said, “I wish Leslie could’ve seen this forest.” A lonely tear slipped down her cheek.
Courtney put a firm hand on Caelyn’s shoulder. “She would have.”
“I do wonder… if that demon could be killed, then what about that shadow? Is there a way to kill it as well?”
“Well… anything is possible. But if anyone kills that shadow,” Courtney gave Caelyn a smile, “I know it will be you.” Nodding in approval of her own words, the girl regarded Caelyn with a curious gaze, as if she truly wondered about the possibility of her words becoming truth.
Charlotte patted Caelyn quite hard on the back. “I’ll help you.”
“Are you,” Caelyn began with a raised eyebrow, “going to run away before the shadow even appears?”
“Maybe,” the girl said in a drawn out way.
The three of them laughed together.