Page 26

Whispers in the Dark

W hatever those trees were made out of, it was definitely a lot more than just wood.

I couldn’t bring myself to actually touch one to try to identify it further, but my simple cleric senses told me they were much more alive than most trees.

Something emanated from them, an evil that I couldn’t quite place.

It was unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

They had far more life in them than they should have.

I kept close to Kai as we walked, unwilling to move far from our fearless leader.

Sky led the way though, since he’d been through the Whispering Woods before.

I’d hoped this journey would give me a chance to get to know him better.

But the Whispering Woods were definitely not the place for idle conversation.

Besides, the whispers were making it hard to think about much else but trying to keep my sanity.

And even then, I wasn’t sure I was doing a very good job.

At first the whispers were quiet thanks to the pendants Sky had found for us.

I couldn’t quite make out their words as they were no more than fleeting echoes just beyond the reaches of my mind.

But the further we went into the woods, the louder they became.

It was only about a half hour or so before I could start to make out a word here and there, tempting me into madness.

“Power,” one whisper hissed. “Immortality,” another promised. I shook my head, trying to clear the insidious voices. Glancing at Kai, I saw his jaw clenched tight, his normally warm brown eyes now hard with concentration. Even our steadfast leader was struggling .

Sky’s ears twitched constantly, swiveling to catch every sound. His tail was rigid, fur standing on end. As an Animaru, the whispers must have been even more potent for him with his enhanced animal-like senses. Yet he pressed on, leading us deeper into the twisted forest.

The trees seemed to close in around us, their gnarled branches reaching out like claws.

Shadows danced at the edges of my vision, always disappearing when I tried to focus on them.

The air grew thick and oppressive, like the air was full of thunder, making each breath a struggle.

Mira behind me whimpered as we walked, Rhia holding tight to her.

Kuro was doing his best to look calm, but his darting eyes told a different story.

He was just as freaked out as the rest of us.

“We need to move faster,” Sky growled over his shoulder.

I nodded, picking up my pace despite the growing unease in my gut. The whispers intensified, becoming a cacophony of temptation and madness. I caught glimpses of faces in the twisted bark of the trees, their mouths moving in sync with the voices in my head.

“Wealth beyond measure,” one promised.

“The power to save your friends,” another enticed.

I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to focus on Sky’s back as we hurried through the nightmarish forest. Sweat beaded on my brow, and I could hear Mira’s labored breathing behind me.

Suddenly, Sky halted, his ears twitching frantically. “Something’s wrong,” he growled, eyes darting around the shadows.

As if on cue, the whispers crescendoed into a deafening roar. The trees seemed to hover over us like specters in the darkness. I felt a surge of panic rise in my chest as the surrounding shadows deepened, seeming to take on a life of their own.

“Stay close!” Kai shouted, drawing his bow. His voice sounded muffled and distant, as if coming from underwater.

Sky snarled, his claws extending as he crouched into a fighting stance, his spear outpointed. “They’re coming,” he growled.

Before I could ask what was coming, I saw them. Shadowy figures emerged from between the trees, their forms flickering and indistinct. They moved with an unnatural fluidity, gliding rather than walking along the forest floor. Not a twig or leaf was disturbed by their shadowy bodies.

Rhia stepped forward, pushing Mira behind her as she raised her fists. “I’ve got the rear,” she called out, her voice steady despite the terror I could see in her eyes.

Kuro drew his sword, the blade glinting dully in the dim light. “Finally, some action,” he smirked, though his bravado couldn’t quite mask the tremor in his voice.

The shadowy figures surrounded us, their whispers growing louder and more insistent. I clutched my holy symbol, desperately trying to summon the courage to face these otherworldly foes with a quick prayer to the god of the Twilight.

“Don’t listen to them!” Kai shouted, nocking an arrow. “Focus on each other’s voices!”

Sky lunged forward, his spear piercing through one of the shadow creatures. It let out an unearthly shriek before dissipating into mist. But where one fell, two more seemed to take its place.

Rhia’s fists flew in a blur, striking at the shadows that crept too close to Mira. The young mage trembled, but managed to raise her wand, casting a small ball of light around herself and Rhia. The shimmering glow pushed back the encroaching shadows momentarily.

I channeled divine energy into my staff, the wood glowing with holy light as I prepared to cast Twilight Veil.

A creature lunged forward and I swung at it instinctively.

I felt resistance, like striking thick fog.

But the glow of my magic seemed to burn it, causing it to recoil with another bone-chilling shriek.

Kai’s arrows flew true, each one finding its mark despite the shifting, insubstantial nature of our foes. Where they struck, brief flashes of light erupted, dispersing the shadows. But more kept coming.

“We can’t stay here!” Sky shouted over the din of battle and whispers. “We need to keep moving!”

“Oliver! Your new spell!” Kai called. “We need it!”

Kuro slashed wildly with his sword, the blade passing harmlessly through some shadows while connecting solidly with others. It gave me just enough time to mutter the complicated incantation under my breath.

I closed my eyes, focusing intently on the words of power I’d been studying.

The words were garbled in my mouth, and I wasn’t quite sure I got them right.

But then the air around me began to shimmer as I channeled the magical power granted to me by the Twilight god.

With a final word and a sweeping gesture, I cast the spell.

A dome of shimmering purple light burst forth from my hands, expanding rapidly to encompass our entire group. The shadows recoiled as the barrier took form, their whispers turning to shrieks of frustration and rage.

“It worked!” I gasped, feeling the drain of such powerful magic. But no sooner had the words left my lips than I felt my knees buckle .

Kai nodded, placing a supportive hand on my shoulder. “Oliver! Are you alright?”

I swallowed hard, feeling the sweat beading on my brow from the effort. “I...”

I hit the ground before I could finish my sentence. Although I maintained consciousness, the world around me seemed to spin and swirl, making me instantly nauseous.

Kai caught me before I could fully collapse, his strong arms supporting my weight. “Hold on, Oliver,” he murmured, his voice laced with concern. “We’ve got you.”

The dome of purple light continued to shimmer around us, keeping the shadow creatures at bay for the moment. But I could feel the strain of maintaining the spell, each second draining more of my energy. I wasn’t going to last long. Mere seconds if I was lucky.

“We need to move,” Sky growled, his blue eyes scanning the writhing mass of shadows beyond the barrier. “Oliver, can you walk?”

I tried to nod, but even that small movement sent waves of dizziness through me. “I... I don’t think so,” I managed to croak out.

Rhia stepped forward, her muscular frame towering over me. “I’ll carry him,” she said firmly. Without waiting for a response, she scooped me up in her arms as if I weighed nothing.

Her strong arms cradled me securely as we moved through the twisted forest as fast as we could. The protective dome of purple light surrounded us, moving with us as we pressed forward. I focused all my remaining energy on maintaining the spell, each step draining me further.

“Stay with us, Oliver,” Kai’s voice cut through the haze of exhaustion. His hand rested on my arm, a comforting anchor amid the chaos.

Sky led the way, his keen senses alert for any sign of danger beyond our magical barrier. The shadows outside writhed and pulsed, their whispers a constant assault on our minds. But within the dome, their voices were muffled, allowing us a measure of clarity.

Mira stumbled along beside us, her face pale with fear. “H-how much further?” she whimpered.

“Not much more,” Sky growled, his ears twitching. “There’s a clearing ahead where the trees thin out. The shadows should be weaker there.”

I clung to consciousness, focusing all my willpower on maintaining the protective dome. Each step Rhia took jostled me, sending waves of nausea through my body. The purple light flickered dangerously.

“Oliver, stay with us,” Kai urged, his hand squeezing my arm. “We’re almost there. ”

The whispers outside the barrier grew more frantic, more insistent. I could feel them probing at the edges of my mind, seeking any weakness. My vision blurred, the twisted trees melding into a dark mass.

“There!” Sky’s voice cut through the haze. “I can see the clearing!”

With a burst of speed, our group surged forward.

The shadows seemed to recoil for a moment before the purple dome flickered and went out.

The moment it did, my vision tunneled in, and I felt the void calling to me.

I saw Sky’s bright blue eyes full of worry as he looked my way.

Then, without so much as a whisper, I slipped away into the darkness.