Dark Wood: Legends of the Guardians (12 page)

Her
brow rose in question. “You said yourself that you could tell by the look in
his eyes that he’d seen his own terrors. He’d become a monster, yes, because of
a monster. It is a bitter truth, but you will become all the wiser to it soon.
Death can be a great mercy when none other lies in wait.”

“I’m
sorry you caught me in a panic.” Aryaunna looked down at her sword, ashamed to
look at him.

“You’re
embarrassed?” he guessed accurately. She shrugged, not looking up. “Ary, look
at me.” Hesitantly she did. “To kill without remorse is to be without heart. I
hope you never find yourself taking a life without it hurting your heart.”

“Is
it wrong, that if I were faced with the choice again, I wouldn’t change
anything?” He shook his head no. “It seems like it should be… wrong, I mean.”

“This
is a world of things that should be that are not.”

The
two of them sat in silence for a moment as she let herself absorb his words, as
well as what all had happened. A heavy sigh let out from her lips as she sat
back, her exhaustion was catching back up to her, but this day would see no
soon end. “You know, this means we have to go to Kenan.”

“At
your ready,” he assured her.

Elizabeth
woke slowly; more relaxed than she thought she’d be hearing a soft snore that
she’d not expected. It took her a moment to realize she wasn’t alone, and it
wasn’t Aryaunna sound asleep on the floor. It was Allos. She also realized then
that her hand was hanging down from her bed against his chest, which rose and
fell steadily with heavy breath. She would have moved, but his hand laid over
hers.

As
her eyes adjusted, she looked around for her sister. Aryaunna was nowhere to be
seen. Since they’d come to the Hollow they often shared a room, but there were
many nights Aryaunna never made it back from whatever training she was
undertaking.

This
was not the case that day, though. It was slow to come back, but she remembered
Allos coming to get her in the middle of the night, taking her to see Aryaunna
in the arena. She remembered her sister telling her that Derric had found them.
Allos had walked Elizabeth back, but he’d gone again not long later.

He’d
argued with her when he insisted Raif stay outside her door.
“Elizabeth,”
he’d said, placing his hands upon her forearms to force her attention.
“I
cannot know for certain no one else is looking for you this night, which means I
cannot in good mind leave you alone, unprotected. Aryaunna calls for my aid, I
ask that you don’t make me choose.”

He’d
stood very close to her, longer than he should have before he left at her
sister’s call. She’d not heard him come in the night, but she’d woken once and
knew he was there. It seemed that he’d chosen to stay. At least he was finally
resting, she thought.

A
light groan rumbled through his chest as his body stretched out and flexed.
Dark circles shadowed his eyes. Even in sleep, he seemed exhausted. She
wondered how long he’d been back.

As
soon as his hand moved, she pulled back. He sat up slowly, running his hand
back and forth over his head as if to wipe the sleep away. She sat up behind
him, keeping her legs curled up under her beneath the heavy blanket. There was
a small fireplace burning the remnants of a heavy log. Allos had cared for the
fire before lying down. Judging from the size of the fire and amount of coals,
it had been burning for about three hours. “You don’t sleep much,” she noted
accurately.

“Sometimes
I do.” Without turning his body, he looked back over his shoulder at her.

“What
happened last night?” Elizabeth wanted to know why Aryaunna had needed him.

“The
boy will not be bothering anyone again, if that’s what you mean.” Slowly she
nodded. Her head was pounding. Sitting up had made it worse. Leaning back into
the wall she stared at the dwindling fire. “You don’t seem the type to relish
in the death of anyone, but I thought you may still be relieved.”

Elizabeth
didn’t answer him. Her hand came up, rubbing her forehead. Slowly her fingers
worked into her hair, massaging slowly. “What’s wrong?”

“Aside
from the fact that my sister killed a man last night? Nothing you need to worry
about,” she didn’t sound snide or angry, just incredibly weary. “Where is Ary?”

“You
don’t have to worry. Lena’s been with her all night.” As he turned to face her,
Elizabeth’s eyes closed. “Elizabeth?”

“Find
her. Find my sister.” Lying down over onto her side, she clutched her head
tighter in her hand. Allos stood over her. Reaching down, he pressed the back
of his hand to her forehead. “Please, Allos, just go get her.”

The
touch of his hand fell away. A moment later she heard her door open and shut.

Elizabeth
woke to her sister and Mayla seated on the familiar straight-back chairs. They
were sitting quietly, watching her. “What did you see?” Aryaunna questioned.

Being
a Seer was both a blessing and a curse. Though usually, it was just a curse.
The visions were always accompanied by headaches, but as the years had carried
on they’d become much worse. Since coming to the Hollow, and first being
touched by the Drow blood, her visions were fewer and further between. They
were also more intense, vivid, and debilitating.

The
first vision she’d seen when coming to the Hollow had been the worst
physically. The blood had sent her over the edge. Elizabeth had told her sister
that she’d seen the Church, riled over the death of one of their priests. It
had been a lie.

“I
saw the death of a woman, and two others. They were being burned at the stake.
I can still taste the smoke.” Still feeling dizzy, she hadn’t sat up yet.
Aryaunna stood and went to the small table by the door that held a pitcher of
water. Pouring a cup full, she took it to her sister, kneeling in front of the
bed.

Holding
Elizabeth’s arm, she helped her sit up, and placed the cup in her hands. Rather
than drinking all she could do was stare at the cup in her hands. “This will be
soon…” After a moment she looked at her sister pointedly. “I couldn’t see you,
but there was a distinct knowledge that you were close, and that this will
happen soon.”

Standing,
Aryaunna folded her arms over her chest. In just weeks Elizabeth’s sister had
changed a lot already. It wasn’t how she looked, though she was dressing
differently in their borrowed clothes, and her sickly thin body had filled out
with defined muscles, but the look in her eyes. She understood all too well
what she’d become, what she’d have to do and what would be expected of her.
Elizabeth had kept herself blinded, preoccupying herself so heavily with
Mayla’s teachings when Aryaunna wasn’t training for battle that she’d not let
herself see the changes. Looking up at her sister just then though, it was
impossible to deny.

There
was the given knowledge that hours ago her sister had at least aided in the
death of another, no matter how horrendous that other had been. It wasn’t that
alone though. The young woman that was her sister was growing into something
much more. A part of that was quite simply terrifying to Elizabeth.

“We
learned something from him.” Him being Derric. Elizabeth looked down to the cup
in her hands and finally took a long drink, though she was careful to look at
nothing at all. “There is a woman in Kenan. She’s telling stories of a
prophecy… The prophecy of the Emissary. The Guardians’ Emissary.”

“Then
it’s her that they’re going to burn. The other two must have aided her in some
way.” It was easy enough to make the leap. The woman would be labeled a
heretic. Any heretic would be punished by death somehow, and it would be as
public as it would be gruesome.

“I
don’t suppose there’s some way to talk you out of this?” Aryaunna answered the
question with a knowing, but apologetic look. “I didn’t think so,” Elizabeth
said with a sigh.

“What
else did you see? Was there light in the sky? Pitch of night?” Aryaunna
questioned. Any guidance at all could help them save the three. She wanted to
speak to this woman about the prophecy.

“It
was pitch of night, the only light came from the three pyres. I saw no light of
moon.”

Aryaunna
graced her sister’s cheek with a light kiss. “Thank you, Elizabeth. I have to
go speak to Allos.” Without pause, she made a swift exit of the small room.

Mayla
leaned forward once Aryaunna had gone. She’d not said a word in all this time.
“I think it’s time we put to work a stop for these visions. Your body cannot
continue to take this abuse for much longer, child. You feel this. You know
this to be true. It’s killing you.”

“Yes,
I fear this truth.” Elizabeth looked to Mayla, pleading. “Please don’t tell
Ary. She has too much that burdens her now.”

“I
would never willingly add to the weight upon your sister’s shoulders.” It was a
vague declaration at best.

In
little time, Allos had become more than her trainer but Aryaunna’s mentor as
well. He was her guide, her steady hand, and he was fast becoming a real
friend. They stood together inside a storage room filled with weapons. It was
too empty to be called an armory.

“You’re
making a mistake,” no affliction was in his voice as he warned her.

Her
brows pinched together as she looked at the sword in her hand. “We have to be
armed. I know it’s unwise for it to be obvious, but what else would you
suggest?”

“I
don’t mean the sword. While you’re right, that is unavoidable. I mean that you
don’t want anyone else to come tonight. Most all of the guard will be on alert.
The three of them will be under constant guard. You’ve no idea how the
villagers will react. As horrible as the thought is, you cannot forget that
there are many people in Kenan who will be there just to watch them burn,”
Allos lectured.

Aryaunna
laid the blade onto a high table carefully. Eyeing its surface closely, she
counted the scuffs she’d added to the simple blade. It had been cleaned of
Derrics blood thoroughly so that it would not rust. Still yet, she remembered
the crimson stains so vividly it was almost as if they were still there. “I
understand you don’t know everyone here very well yet, with all your time spent
training, but you have to trust them, Ary.”

“You
think I don’t trust the Drow?” Surprised by his statement, she looked over to
him. He said nothing. “It’s not that I don’t trust them, Allos. It’s quite the
opposite.” Turning her back to the table, she braced her hands on the surface
and lifted herself up onto it.

“Yes,
I train nearly every waking moment. I train with you, Lena, and Raif has been
good to help me learn the woods. Young Veyn has taught me to better care for
Sita. Ballos has taught me how to hunt, and how not to.” Allos chuckled.
“Mayla, how to treat the sick and care for wounds.” She’d been looking at her
feet as she’d been talking, thinking about the many people who’d become her
friends.

As
she took pause she looked up at Allos. “It’s not that I don’t trust them. I do.
I trust them with my life, as I can only hope they will come to trust me with
theirs. I am the Guardians’ Emissary but it is my purpose to one day free these
people, and thousands of others like them. I must protect them. The purpose of
saving this woman and the two that are set to die with her, whoever they may
be, is not completely unselfish. She speaks of the prophecy. She may know
something that can help me. Not only that, but she is set to die because of me.
Me, Allos! How can I ask these people to risk their life for me, when there is
no benefit to them? It’s bad enough I’m dragging you along.”

“Dragging
me?” He chuckled as he picked up a long knife and examined it. “Hardly.”
Satisfied with his selection, he slid it down into its sheath and pushed it
down into the mouth of his boot. “They do trust you, Aryaunna. They trust that
you want to do the right thing, and that is precisely why they want to help
you.”

He
looked up at her pointedly. “Did you hear me? They want to help you. However,
they can’t do that if you won’t let them. Raif has already asked when we’re
leaving. He wants to be there. He wants to be there for you, Aryaunna.”

Raif
had bid himself to take care of Derric’s body, but Aryaunna had insisted it was
her task. She’d caused his death. He’d been a gruesome excuse for a human
being, but he’d been made that way by men much worse than he. He deserved the
respect to be put at rest. Though perhaps nothing else. Raif had helped teach
her which wood would last the longest but burn hot enough to render Derric to
nothing but ash.

“From
what I understand, Lena is preparing as well,” he continued.

“Lena
cannot come,” she snapped vehemently. “She’ll be recognized. If we’re caught,
if Lena is caught, they will torture her in ways I don’t wish to imagine.” The
Drow could disguise their appearance to seem human. However, their human façade
was distinct to the individual and couldn’t be altered.

“The
same could be said for all of us,” Allos kindly reminded.

“She
will be easily recognized. She worked in the fields for a time. Many of the
villagers would have seen her.” Without saying a word, his eyebrow arched as he
gave her a look that spoke more than needed to be said. With a sigh, her mouth
puckered into a frown. “Most of my years were restricted to the Church.
Elizabeth could leave because they knew she would come back if they kept me
there. Still yet, I’ll cover myself.”

“She
cannot do the same?” A stern, admonishing look set about him. As his chin
pointed down, his brow rose up in question.

“Not
this night.” Easing herself from the table, she stood at his shoulder. “We’ve
gathered supplies. We have hours till dusk. I need some time to prepare, and
you’ve not slept much if at all. I ask that you do so before the dusk comes.”
With nothing more to say, she strode from the room.

A
soft knock rapped Elizabeth’s door. Mayla had bid her to rest for the remainder
of the day, refusing her aid with preparing a special castor oil she’d been
working on.

Elizabeth
had been sitting in her bed, leaning back against the wall so that she could
watch the fire. Drawn by the sound, her head turned to the door. “Come in,” she
beckoned. Though she was now dressed, she remained wrapped in a fur throw that
usually lay folded at the foot of her small bed.

Darkness
filled the halls. Korena had yet to light the lantern. Pitched into darkness,
she couldn’t see him even once the door opened. Her fire had burned down to
coals despite the ready logs. After opening the door, he hesitated to enter.
“You can come in, Allos.” She hadn’t seen him with her own eyes, but an
entirely different sense she possessed.

As
he stepped inside, he eased the door shut behind him and reset the latch to
keep it closed. Turning to face her, his head bowed in greeting. “I came to see
if you were you feeling better?”

Bringing
his hand up, he pushed back his hood as he kneeled beside the fire. Carefully he
stacked more wood. When it was placed just so, he leaned forward and blew
gently against the coals.

Elizabeth
watched this without answering him. Like magic, the embers caught the logs and
caught them to a steady blaze. “Magic…” she whispered, with just the slightest
of smiles tugging at her lips. He looked up at her from his kneeled place.
“It’s everywhere here, yet it’s not so often one even realizes what it is
they’re seeing.”

A
tug pulled his mouth up to one side as he warmed his hands, rubbing them together
near the burning gold flames. “Life is magic. It’s not just here. It’s
everywhere. The world is filled with it.”

“Maybe
it used to be. Or maybe Kenan is just a void.” Her shoulders shrugged heavily,
as if weighted by some great, unseen force.

“It’s
there. It’s just been buried into darkness.” Their eyes remained locked on one
another. “She’s going to be fine. I will keep her safe.” He wasn’t a Seer, nor
a mind reader, but he could read people. It was easy to see the worry in her
eyes. The strain of a life time of worry, with the assured knowledge that such
stress would never give Elizabeth a day of peace. “You don’t trust me?” He
stood slowly, still rubbing his hands together.

“I
do. I trust you. I trust Mayla, Korena, and everyone else here that I’ve met.
While I believe that you will do everything in your power to see her back
safely, I cannot trust it to be enough. Nor can I trust that you would return
with her.” Her eyes closed for a minute. She was focusing on something.

“You’re
trying to see,” he guessed accurately.

She
didn’t answer, but waved him to come closer. Reaching her hand out for his, she
kept her eyes closed. “Sit.” Warm fingers pressed into her palm. Feeling her
cool fingers, he wrapped both of his hands around to incase her hand inside of
his. He started to kneel but she shook her head. “Next to me.”

Mild
surprise widened his eyes as he sat on the edge of the small bed beside her.
Watching closely, he saw her eyelids flutter. Her lashes seemed to dance as if
in a dream, though she were very much awake. “You wouldn’t hesitate to give
your life for my sister. For your Emissary.”

“She
is also a friend,” he amended.

“She
will be more than that though. More than your friend, more than the Emissary.”
Elizabeth’s hand clutched his tightly. Her eyelids were fluttering furiously as
the vision took her. “You will travel by her side for years to come. And
others. Close to her. She is your sister, not by birth but still by blood.
Spilled blood. The blood of thousands, more.” Her shoulders began to shake as
her body trembled, strong tremors wracking her to the core. “So much blood.
Blood will spill for a great peace. A great peace that she knows she will never
see yet will never stop fighting for.”

Suddenly
Elizabeth began gasping for air like she was choking. “Elizabeth, snap out of
it!” He let go of her hand to grab her shoulders, pulling her to him. A hand
slid up to her cheek, leaning her over forward with his support. His other arm
wrapped around her, his hand rubbing her back slowly. “Deep breaths.” Her hands
clutched onto his arm tightly.

They
sat like that until she had stopped coughing. Once she was able to relax, he
leaned back, pulling her closer. His back braced against the wall as she lay
down against his lap, still holding onto his arm, keeping him close to her. The
hand at her back tangled up into her hair, spinning tendrils of crimson red
curls round and round his fingers as they sat there watching the fire. Silken
blood.

“I’ve
been pushing them all day. Trapped in this room, unable to help her, unable to
think about anything else. I let them come. It wasn’t until I touched you that
I could see her at all.” His palm lay face up in her hands as she traced the
lines and scars lightly.

“Should
you be touching me then?” He was weary, but didn’t pull away.

“I
think I’ve worn out whatever it is that gives me the visions for the moment.”
She laughed weakly, bitterly. As if to test her theory, she pulled his hand
closer, and cupped his palm to her cheek. “See, not dangerous.”

His
brows arched, doubting her statement very much. Still though, his thumb brushed
her cheek as his other hand continued to stroke her hair. In the light of the
fire it looked like spilt blood. “You should take it easy. She won’t be able to
handle it if something ever happens to you. You are your sister’s strength.”

Slowly
she rose up. Her tangle of hair haloed around her face and fell down over her
shoulder as she did so. When not braided or bound, it was long, nearly reaching
her waist. “I watch her spar with you, and the others. I’m by her side helping
her understand Mayla’s teachings. Each night we go over the herbs, the flowers
and everything to make sure she remembers and understands what they do. All of
this, and yet when it comes down to the reality of who she is and what she has
to do, I am begged to stay in my room. Locked away with nothing but my own
mind. Do you have any idea how maddening it is?”

Her
eyes sparkled in the fire, reflecting orange rather than their true color. The
light danced on her hair, and for a moment, she was fire. Letting out a sigh,
he could say nothing as he looked at her. Everything he could say would do
nothing to help. Elizabeth knew why she was bid to stay here and rest. She knew
there was nothing she could do to help Aryaunna with what was to come any more
than she already was. She knew the best thing for Aryaunna was to feel secure
in the fact that Elizabeth was safe.