Page 8

Chapter 8

Lhaal Forest

T he large Vutrorian ship had been anchored a ways out from shore. The dark trees of Lhaal Forest, the woods surrounding Estea, reached for the sky like thin, black spikes.

Elnok had never been one for farewells, so he knew it would be futile to hide the tears welling in his eyes as he embraced each of his companions. They offered him words of encouragement and humorous reminders to behave like a royal, not a thief. But it was when he approached Orym, supported on either side by other crew members, that a lone tear stained his cheek.

“Elnok, if you don’t make it back in one piece.” Orym paused, his jaw clenched as his lip quivered.

“I will,” Elnok replied as he gripped the back of his friend’s neck. “And you’ll be back in one piece once I give you the medicine.”

His friend’s pale mouth thinned. “You can still stay.”

Elnok took a deep breath. “I can’t. Knowing there’s a cure for you out there… you saved me all those years ago. Let me do the same.”

“But—”

“I’m going to come back,” Elnok stated, embracing him, “I promise.”

Orym held him tight. “I’m holding you to it.”

“Good.” He let him go, turning to the nurse, Yenna, and said, “I know you’ll take care of him.”

She nodded, her hand gripping Orym’s frail wrist.

They parted ways, Elnok climbing into the small boat hung by pulleys on the side of the large Vutrorian vessel. The Dynami, Kharis, walked out of the main cabin. Elnok’s brother, Tosh, followed, a glass of wine in his hand. The two men stopped, seeming to whisper to one another. Elnok strained his ears but heard nothing. Finally, Kharis left Tosh’s side and joined Elnok in the boat.

“Do you wish to say farewell to your brother?” Kharis inquired.

Elnok glanced towards Tosh. His brother’s hand shook, his wine spilling onto the deck. His black hair appeared newly washed, his maroon shirt still hanging off of him. Elnok gulped as Tosh took a step forward, as if he was about to say something. Instead, Elnok turned back to Kharis.

“There’s nothing to say,” he replied flatly.

Kharis didn’t respond, orchestrating the Vutrorian crew members to lower their boat into the choppy sea. Orym’s pale face disappeared from view. The waves bumped their boat as Elnok and Kharis paddled to shore. Facing away from the royal vessel, Elnok couldn’t help but notice Kharis’ hard stare never leaving the ship. Elnok turned and found his brother leaning on the side of the railing, a look of yearning burned into his sickly features.

At first, Elnok thought his brother was looking at him. But, when he turned back to Kharis, he realized it hadn’t been him at all. Elnok’s stomach dropped as understanding crashed into him like a thick wave during a storm.

He finally knew why Kharis wanted to find the goddess’ tree.

Elnok said nothing to the Dynami during their short paddle to shore, and Kharis kept his mouth closed. It was just as well, because Elnok only had words of accusation.

Once they arrived at shore, Elnok craned his neck towards the forest sprawled before them. Large, dark trees reached for the sky like broken, cracked fingers. A filament of darkness hovered on the tops of the spindly branches, a blanket of perpetual night, preventing the sunlight from piercing through its veil. Opaque mist crawled out of the dense forestation, curling at his boots like claws digging into the sand.

He examined his black leather armor for any defects, sheathing his shortsword into his scabbard with a deafening scrape.

Shit.

He needed to remain calm. So what if he was about to trek into a forest infested with flesh-eating monsters, being guided by a magical warrior who he’d just lost all trust in?

Double shit.

“I’ll need that,” Kharis said as he pointed to the sword, “There’s no killing monsters without properly preparing Vutrorian steel. It’s our only means of doing so.”

“I thought you said you didn’t know why your High One wanted Vutorian weapons?”

Kharis donned a pair of brown gloves. “Vutrorian steel itself is not what we want—it’s what it’s capable of withstanding that makes it valuable. The metal is so strong that us Dynameis rarely need our weapons replaced, and yet the High One continues to request vast shipments. That’s where my concern lies.”

Elnok warily handed Kharis the sword. “I see.”

Kharis took a vial from his pocket. Yellow glowing liquid sloshed in the small vial, bright as sunshine. He popped it open, leveled the sword with the earth, and tipped the vial onto a small groove that ran down the entire blade. The liquid spilled into the thin groove, coursing along the blade like a river of gold on a silver piece of land. The sword pulsed a sudden bright white as the liquid turned solid.

“Orodyte serum,” Kharis said. “It’s a source of power that’s full of impurities, collected by Kreenas when they create food. It allows our swords to slice through the monsters with ease. Without it, steel would bounce off their bodies as if the creatures wore thick armor.”

Elnok furrowed his brow. “What about the orodyte you always have on your chest? Is it not the source of your own power?”

“Yes and no.” Kharis explained, “Aretta gifted Estean men with the power to protect ourselves and our people. This power is the ability to harness the orodyte stone’s impurities, which supply us with heightened strength, speed, and hearing while fighting.”

Elnok said nothing as he accepted the glowing sword, arcing it through the air once, twice. Its weight hadn’t changed, but he could feel the power in the steel; he dared not sheath it into his scabbard.

As Kharis poured the serum onto his own sword, Elnok couldn't help but remember how the man had looked at Tosh that first day on the ship.

He’d been blind to miss the affection.

“So, how long have you been fucking my brother?” Elnok quipped.

Kharis’ golden-tanned face turned pale. “I don’t know what you speak of.”

Elnok scoffed. “Please, save the lies for your people.”

“I’m sure someone of your caliber often enjoys finding meaning where there isn’t any to be found.”

“Someone of my caliber?” Elnok balked, “I know bullshit when I step in it, and I seem to be drowning in it right now, thanks to you.”

Kharis sighed. “We have more important things to worry abou–”

“The one person who can help me get to this damned tree is also fucking my deranged brother,” Elnok interrupted, “I’d say that’s worth worrying about, don’t you?”

The warrior retained his focus on his task, the blade glowing as the liquid traveled the groove.

“We aren’t just fucking, if that’s where your concerns lie.”

“If you think that’s my concern, then you’re missing the point entirely.”

“Suppose bigotry isn’t dead.”

“Bigotry?” Elnok exclaimed, “My brother’s a psychotic madman who tried to kill me when I was a child, and you are in love with him.”

Kharis took a deep breath as he sealed the vial and swung his blade in a full arc.

“He didn’t try to kill you, Elnok. He wasn’t in his right mind.”

“Ah yes,” Elnok said, standing, “Let’s pretend Tosh’s apologies actually mean something for once, hm? Do you know how many times he told me the same thing? And then the next day he forgot every word and tortured me until I passed out.”

“Look, I know this a lot for you, and that’s why…” Kharis let out a controlled breath. “You weren’t supposed to know.”

“Well, you did a piss-poor job hiding it. I should’ve seen it the other day, when he’d threatened me. You came out of his cabin where you’d probably been inciting his madness.” Elnok stepped back, hand on his hilt. “Are you taking me into the forest to dispose of me… for my brother?”

“Elnok—”

“Fuck,” he whispered, heart pounding and blood pumping. The gray stone walls of the dungeon closed in on him again, his brother’s laughter echoing off the empty space. “ Fuck .”

Kharis turned to him, grabbing his shoulders as his eyes flickered with a yellow glow. “Elnok, I’m not going to harm you. I swear upon Aretta herself.”

Elnok stilled, sword steady, body rigid. “Your power says otherwise.”

Kharis released him, his yellow eyes doused. “I’m sorry, I just… Elnok, when he almost attacked you on the ship, he hadn’t been drinking his wine. We’ve recently learned that when he doesn’t drink it, his madness increases tenfold. One of the guards informed me he hadn’t drunk any for an entire day, so I went in to coax him to, but he wanted to believe he didn’t need it. He hated the way you looked at him, could tell you disapproved of it, and so he convinced himself he could do without it. Instead, he relapsed.”

Lowering his sword, Elnok took a long deep breath, the warrior’s gaze softening with it. The gray stone walls melted away into blue sky and the steady ocean spray.

“I held him back to make sure he didn’t hurt you,” Kharis said. “Once he came to, he made the decision to stay away from you the rest of the journey.”

A cold wind whipped across his face. Elnok avoided the warrior’s gaze, tapping his hilt.

Kharis continued, “What he did to you was wrong, Elnok. Horrifying. I’m not going to defend his actions even if he wasn’t in his right mind. And I’m not asking you to forgive or reconcile with him, either. But whether you came to know or not, our plan is the same. We’re going to find this tree so we can get back and heal the ones we care about. Once we’re done, you never have to see him again. Can we at least agree upon that?”

Elnok turned to the warrior, eyes narrowed. There would be no turning back, not now that they were just outside of Estea—not now that they were this much closer to the healing tree.

“Fine,” Elnok said. “We can agree on that.”

Rot and sulfur burned Elnok’s lungs for hours as they traversed through the crooked trees of Lhaal Forest. Mist swirled just above their thighs, like wading through high tide in the summer. Elnok steadied his sword in front of him, the blade pulsing with an ethereal glow, his and Kharis’ weapons the only sources of light as the warrior led the way through the deadly terrain.

Elnok cracked his neck. He wasn’t used to wearing armor, his strengths centering in stealth, not brawn.

“We’ll need to set up camp for the night,” Kharis said as he came to a stop at a clearing. “I’ll take first watch.”

Elnok didn’t argue as he sat in the grimy dirt and leaned against a fallen tree. He ate a rock-hard piece of potato bread, his molars aching after he finished. Tilting his head back, he tried to fall asleep, but the noises were unlike anything he’d ever heard. Metallic chitters and nails scraping against bark echoed through the dark leaves.

“I might as well take first watch,” Elnok said. “Won’t get much sleep tonight.”

Kharis raised his sword. “Nothing will harm you in here, Elnok Rogdul. I swear on my life.”

“Your nobility is contagious,” Elnok drawled.

The warrior ignored him as he placed his weapon down, folding his arms across his chest and closing his eyes.

Elnok spun his gold signet ring around his finger as the hours went by, attempting to keep himself calm despite the sounds seeming to get closer. His grip on his hilt tightened as he turned around, something moving through the trees—something glowing the same way their swords did.

He took off his ring and placed it inside his chest pocket.

“Kharis,” Elnok whispered, raising his blade.

But the warrior didn’t budge. Elnok looked through the trees again, the golden glow shimmering through the branches. He strained his eyes as he stood, moving closer. Yellow light burned brighter as he brushed a branch to the side.

In the distance, through the brush, a golden light pulsed. Elnok strained his eyes. The light condensed, giving way to a shape. A tree. But this tree was different from the rest. It wasn’t thin and sharp, but lush and full, the light streaming up and down its bark and spilling into the leaves.

It couldn’t be.

Could it?

“ Kharis ,” Elnok said louder, “Kharis, do you see this? Is this the goddess’ tree we’re trying to fi?—?”

All at once, it disappeared.

Elnok blinked his eyes multiple times. He swore he’d seen a glowing tree, had no doubt in his mind; and yet, only darkness stood in its place. He stepped forward, but instead of dirt meeting the bottom of his boots, a loud crunch sounded instead.

Air rushed past him as the warrior suddenly stood by his side, body glowing and weapon raised. The light reflected something large, clear, and shiny.

“Serpentum skin,” Kharis whispered as he cut his sword through the translucent material. “Only a day old by the looks of it. Best we not wait around to find out.”

Elnok didn’t argue, any sleep that had held in his eyes gone as they no longer walked, but ran through the trees.

“ Fuck ,” Kharis said as he held out his arm, stopping Elnok.

“The serpentum?” Elnok questioned, his heart beating fast.

“No, thank Aretta herself,” Kharis replied. “But we’re not alone anymore.”

Elnok followed his gaze, gulping as something thin and glossy shimmered against the light of their blades.

Webs.

“We need to hurry,” Kharis whispered.

Elnok followed his swift movements as they changed direction.

“Arachnis are tricky,” Kharis explained as they jumped between black thickets, the mist swirling as their legs pounded through the darkness. “Their venom’s slow-working but fatal. And where there is one, there are many not far behind.”

Elnok’s breaths came up short. He’d fought some of the most gruesome of thieves and most tactful of guards, but when it came to monsters, he felt small—useless.

Like he was already buried in the ground.

“They can move in and out of sight,” Kharis continued as Elnok ran faster, hopping over dead branches and pushing through sharp thorns that pricked his face. “It’s not due to swiftness, as they’re rather slow creatures, but they’re able to render themselves invisible.”

Elnok stopped running. Kharis grunted as he caught himself against a tree trunk.

“Invisible?” Elnok repeated.

Kharis panted as he replied, “Only a single moment, but it’s just enough to throw off its attacker… or its prey.”

Elnok laughed hysterically, his body shaking. “Am I a joke to you?”

Before Kharis could respond, a high-pitched shriek from somewhere close behind pierced Elnok’s ears.

“ Come on !” Kharis shouted as he grabbed Elnok’s arm, pulling him forward with a force that almost sent him into the ground.

Elnok sprinted. Arms pumping, legs pushing, heart crashing into his lungs as he stayed in step with Kharis as best he could. More shrieks filled the air, branches and twigs breaking all around them, trees shaking, the air’s rotten stench mixing with something sweet.

Deadly .

“Their eyes as well as the space where their legs connect to their bodies are the softest and easiest to slice,” Kharis instructed through harsh breaths, “But dodge whenever you can?—”

A large obsidian body crashed into Kharis. Propelled forward, the warrior thudded against a tree, the crooked elm toppling over and landing with an earth-trembling shudder.

Elnok skidded to a halt, sword raised.

Yellow light pulsed into the darkness, revealing eight long legs as they struck into the earth like spears, the limbs connected to a large bulbous body. Glossy eyes blinked at him, as if the light were foreign in this perpetual darkness. The monster—the arachni—clicked its pincers together, the fangs as long and sharp as short swords. Dark liquid dripped from its points.

Elnok gripped his sword, digging into his instincts as the memories of escaping Vutror’s dungeons flooded him, stoking a ravenous flame inside his body. The same ferocity he’d used to kill those guards consumed him. He may have never fought a monster before, but he knew what it took to become one.

He knew how to survive.

The arachni launched forward. Instincts threading through his muscles, Elnok jabbed for the arachni’s glowing eyes. The monster dodged his attack, rushing past him and slamming into a tree. A dark hiss splintered the air as the monster crunched bark in its mouth.

A metallic chitter breathed down his neck.

Hot panic sliced through his veins as he immediately dodged left, spinning around to see nothing but forest—until it appeared out of thin air.

The arachni lunged, sharp fangs aimed for Elnok’s head, but instincts overcame fear; he struck up into the creature’s mouth. The sword pierced through its jaw, the tip of the glowing weapon splitting the arachni’s mouth. Elnok’s breathing was ragged as he ripped the sword out, hot blood spraying his face. Dark fear rushed through Elnok’s veins as he stepped back, numerous beady eyes glinting against the glow of his sword—in front of him, in the trees, skittering closer and closer…

“ Kharis! ” Elnok shouted, his hilt slipping out of his grasp.

Light burst from behind the countless arachnis, the spectacle so sharp Elnok shielded his eyes. Blinking rapidly, Elnok jumped as Kharis stood in front of him—smile wide, eyes glimmering like the sun. Yellow beams of light crackled along the veins of the Dynami’s legs, up his arms, and down his neck.

His orodyte shone the brightest.

“I’m impressed,” Kharis said with a wink as he spun his sword in a single arc. “You almost killed one.”

Before Elnok could take a breath, the warrior flashed before his eyes.

The only sign of his person was left by streaks of light, like ripples of water after the toss of stone. Horrific shrieks filled the air. Elnok kept his sword in front of him as he backed up against a tree, watching in awe and terror as Kharis tore the arachnis apart with his blade, long pieces of tree limbs twitching on the ground?—

Not tree limbs.

Arachni legs.

Dozens of their appendages had been dismembered by Kharis’ sword, the arachnis’ large bodies rolling onto the earth and screaming into the mildew air as they bled out.

Bile rose in Elnok’s throat; he turned to the side and emptied his stomach.

“Hold out on that sickness until we’ve made it through,” Kharis’ voice called through the trees. “We best keep moving.”

Elnok wiped the soured mess from his mouth, the metal of his armor mixing with the acid on his tongue. He ran through the graveyard of arachnis, their legs still twitching, screeches piercing the air until their glossy eyes froze over.

Kharis stood over a dead arachni, twirling his sword as if he hadn’t just slain what must’ve been at least twenty monsters in only a few moments.

“Let’s go,” Kharis said as he turned, “that wasn’t even the whole nest.”

The rest of the journey was quick, Elnok’s fear driving his body forward despite his exhaustion. He couldn’t imagine why anyone would attempt to cross this forest without magic, even with the promise of Estea’s provisions on the other side.

Surely, there was no worse way to die.

Warm sunlight caused Elnok’s skin to pimple as they made it through the last line of trees. Relief washed over him like a salty wave on the shore as they approached a sandstone wall, towering at least five stories high and stretching as far as Elnok could see.

“ Kharis ,” a man yelled, “we were beginning to worry!”

Kharis waved as they approached the man at the base of the wall. The guard wore the same green and brown leather armor as Kharis, with a glowing orodyte on his chest to match.

“And this is the King of Vutror, is it?” the wall guard asked, his dark brown skin matching his eyes.

“His brother,” Kharis responded. “The king was unfit for travel.”

“Brother?” The guard’s brows raised. “The one who was said to be dead?”

Elnok replied, “Not as dead as people presumed.”

“Clearly so,” the guard said with a crooked smile. “The High One will be… surprised.”

“Indeed,” Kharis replied, “I’ll explain it all to him, but for now, the prince needs rest.”

“Ah, that will have to wait, I’m afraid; the kingdom-wide banquet is about to begin. I was instructed to ensure you both attend if you arrived on time.”

Kharis straightened. “But that’s not for another two harvest cycles.”

“You’ve missed an important number of days. More Kreenas failed this year than ever before, and one of them was pois—” The guard stopped, his eyes flitting to Elnok. “Apologies, Prince, but I’ll need to fill in Kharis privately as we walk.”

Elnok smiled widely. “Of course.”

But I can’t help it if your whispers aren’t quiet enough.

He followed Kharis’ lead as the guard opened the gate and ushered them through. Nothing could have prepared him for how many shades of green there were. The leaves seemed to glow against the sunshine, the trees and bushes enclosing them on a winding path.

He followed at a distance, staring in awe while listening intently to their conversation. Retrieving his signet ring from his pocket, he spun it mindlessly on his pinky finger, listening carefully as he learned an exceptionally powerful Kreena—one of those magical women—had been poisoned with orodyte serum during an important ceremony two days ago.

Kharis tensed. Elnok stopped spinning his ring.

“You know what that means, don’t you?” the guard whispered, so quietly that Elnok had to strain his ears.

Kharis said nothing, his grip tightening on his hilt.

“It means the famine’s coming,” the guard said, “Estea isn’t safe anymore.”