Chapter 12
There was an eerie stillness in the air as they continued down the rain-drenched forest road. The only sounds were the squelch of the wheels passing over the muddy ground and the constant patter of rain hitting the yellow and orange leaves high in the treetops. The canopy was thick enough to keep the majority of the rain off them. Kara had extended her protective bubble to cover them from the rest and keep them dry.
She explained to Silas that the skill was called Blades Revenge. It was one of the first skills she had picked up when she and her brother started their trade. He had made her learn it to help keep her safe. It was the strongest when kept close to the body, being able to deflect or outright stop most physical attacks and dampen magic-based ones. It weakened heavily when pushed out from the body but would gain a secondary effect. If broken, it would release a pulse and push back even the heaviest of monsters several yards. If something slipped past their detection, it would work as an early warning system. Though, with the four of them keeping constant vigilance, it was highly improbable.
They passed through cleared sections of the forest where the large trees that stood for hundreds of years had been recently felled. It was necessary work for Holmberg’s expansion with the growing populace, but it felt as though a sickness had fallen upon the north. Like the land had succumbed to disease and lost patches of life. Not even animals remained in the areas they passed through, pushed away to make the lives of humans more comfortable and extravagant within the settlement. Silas looked across the devastated forest with a heavy sadness in his heart, ‘Why must we always destroy such beauty just to try and recreate it later on?’
“Master?”
Silas looked back at the imp, broken from thoughts, “Yes?”
“I was saying we should be passing the camp soon. Do you wish to go there and see it for yourself, or should we continue? I do not sense anything living nearby, nor have I for quite some time. It might be in our best interest to continue moving forward if this being has truly cleared out its new domain, but it is your choice.”
Antony turned to Silas, “I, for one, would like to see the bodies and determine what type of creature claimed this space. We may need to warn the guard if something troublesome has decided to be a new neighbor to Holmberg.”
Kara looked at him suspiciously, “Since when do you want to play the hero, brother?”
“Hey! I could be quite heroic if I wanted to be. Plus, I’m sure they would reward us for the information.” He laughed. “Truthfully, though, I am worried and morbidly curious about a creature with these capabilities.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a huge boom that shook the ground went off in the distance, followed by a high-pitched, screeching roar.
“On second thought, I’m not that curious,” as he tightened the grip on his bow.
Silas and Xavi shared a look, unspeaking. They both felt the burst of nature, metal, and death mana blooming in the area through their heightened mana senses.
Silas reached across their connection to have a private word with his familiar, “I did not sense a direction where that came from. Did you?”
Xavi looked out at the trees and closed his eyes, pushing out his senses, “No, master. It is worrying. With that amount of mana expenditure, I should be able to sense this creature with little effort, yet I feel nothing.” he paused for a long moment. “Something is wrong here.”
Xavi opened his eyes and turned back to the group, “I think the cowardly human is correct.” Looking at Antony with his mischievous smile, he said, “We should not stay in this place, nor should we look for this creature. We already run too high of a chance as it is of being found by it, let alone outright hunting for it. I say we move on as quickly as possible and make our way to the next stage of our journey, hopefully without incident.”
“I agree with the imp. We should keep moving forward.” Kara said.
Silas nodded, “Then we are all in agreement. We continue.”
The next hour was nerve-wracking. Loud booms reverberated through the area periodically, followed by a haunting roar. Sometimes, it was so close they felt as though they should see some sign of the creature, and others seemed like it had moved far in the distance. They spoke several times about what this mysterious being could be doing, but the only idea they had come up with was that it was searching for something. Or someone.
Hours later and many miles, the rains finally lessened as night began to creep in. They were all exhausted from their strenuous ride, but nothing had attacked so far. Even the muskox was showing signs of fatigue. It had used its enhancement spells over the last couple of hours to keep itself moving, but even the stout beast was waning.
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As they turned a bend in the trail, the trees opened up to another felled clearing—this one many times larger than the others they had passed through.
Silas looked out to the mountaintops, jutting out from behind the treeline as the last rays of sunlight fell. Full night would be upon them soon, and they had a decision to make. They would need to either risk taking a break to give them all a rest or continue, jeopardizing the health of their draft animal.
There was a chance that the creature claiming the area had no interest in them, being they had not been attacked. Or their pace may have been the reason for it. Either way, they needed to choose.
“Would you three be open to taking an hour's rest? I haven’t heard or felt any sign of the creature for at least an hour, so we should be safe, but we all must decide together. How much longer until we reach the main road from the trail?” Silas asked.
Kara turned in her seat to face him, “I figured we would have reached it by now, so it shouldn’t be far, but I agree, we should all rest. This clearing is large enough that even in the dark, we should be able to see far enough with mage light to know if anything is coming for us. An hour or two won’t hurt.”
Silas turned to the other twin, “Antony?”
“I agree with my sister. We should be safe if we stick to the center.”
“And you?” Looking at Xavi.
“Oh, I will be fine either way, master. I would use my invisibility and watch from a distance while the four of you were slaughtered. Do not worry for my safety.”
Silas pinched the bridge of his nose, then ran his hand down his now fully bearded face, “not what I meant, Xavi.”
Xavi snickered, “I know, master. I’m joking. I will patrol the area for any sign of the creature's approach while you rest,” then he hopped up and flew off, turning invisible just before the trees.
“Thank you. Antony, please pull us to the center. You two get some sleep, and I will take care of my beast.”
“Actually,” Antony pulled them to a stop in the center, “I would like to tend to the muskox. I am passionate about these animals and would like to get to know our traveling companion better.”
Silas nodded. “Thank you.”
“Guess it’s just you and me then,” Kara smiled as she jumped from the cart, eyes never leaving his. “Should we start a fire or just the sleepers?”
Silas smiled in return, “As much as I would love a fire, it would be safer with just the bedrolls.”
“Ah, of course, we’ll make sure to stay close. I promise I won’t let the monster get you.” She winked and turned to unroll her bedding, a smile never leaving her face. “So, do you have anyone special in your life? A woman friend?” She paused, “Man, friend?” Looking back over her shoulder.
Silas laughed, “No, no, only women for me, not that I care what makes others happy. And no, I have no one. To be honest, I haven’t even tried in too many years. My little obsession has had its downsides, unfortunately. You?” He sat on his roll next to hers.
She waited to respond until she laid down, arms folded behind her head. “No. It’s hard to find someone you trust in our line of work. Finding someone my brother approves of is even harder. He’s very protective of me. We are all we have.”
“Hmm, I can imagine it would feel nearly impossible. But life always finds a way.” Silas laid down with one arm behind his head and looked at her, “How long has it been since you lost your family?”
“Fifteen long years. Our family was bakers back home, and there was a fire. I’m sure you can figure out the rest. We promised to protect each other from that moment on, and we have done so quite well, given our trade. How long have you had the noble's curse?”
“Twelve years for me.”
“Wow, well, at least I have you beat on having a shittier life with all the mystical power you have,” she laughed and turned on her side, propping her head on her hand.
Silas turned to match her, her soft smile glowing in mage light. She used her free hand to brush her hair away from her face, and he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was in the blue-white light, the darkness casting shadows over her curves. He realized she was playing with the soul stone around her neck. “I’ve been meaning to ask; you still haven’t told me about your dreams.”
“Hoping to be the man of my dreams, are we?” She teased. “It started that night after we gave the Baron the pendant. A voice I couldn’t understand kept speaking to me, the same phrase over and over with images of the stone. I thought I was going crazy. I tried to recreate the glyphs I broke, hoping it would help, but nothing worked. I did learn a very powerful warding glyph, but it’s very time-intensive to set up. Then, two nights before we met, it changed, and I could understand it. It said, “Return what you have taken to the marked one,” in a mockingly deep voice and laughed. “It was terrifying. It kept giving me this feeling I couldn’t explain, but I felt that again when I saw you in the safe house. That’s why I left you that note.”
Silas smiled, “the food was good too. I never said thank you for that. Thank you.”
She pushed him playfully, “Now you’re just trying to make me blush. I made it myself, and you’re welcome. It was our mother's recipe. I’m glad you liked it. Well, I could do this all night, but we will be moving again soon, and we should take our chance to rest before my brother returns. Sleep well.” Kara rolled over and pulled up her blanket. He could almost feel her smile as he turned. “Oh,” she added, “I’ll punch you if you snore.”
Silas laughed and fell asleep.
He was jolted awake by a blinding flash of light, and when he tried to rise, he felt the biting edge of a knife at his throat, “Where’s my fucking sister, you sick bastard?”
“Antony?” He realized as his eyes adjusted to the light. “Get off me, now. She was just here next to me when we fell asleep.” He looked over to find the ruffled bedroll and blanket she was in sitting empty next to him.
Just as Antony growled and pressed the dagger harder, Xavi appeared with a clawed hand around his throat.
“Let my master go now, or I will tear off your head. I know what happened, and if we hurry, we can save her.”
Slowly, he let go of Silas and returned his dagger to his hip, “Where’s my sister, demon?”
“The creature has taken Human Kara”