Eden-South (25 page)

The last part of their journey through the
woods didn’t take long. Aiden had recognized where they were when
he saw the small river. It wasn’t much farther, if memory served
him right. As they neared the clearing where the cabin was, he
could see tiny dots of light from the front window. It had been
only two weeks or so since the last time he saw Diana, but it
already seemed like ages. He was actually excited to see her
again.

As they entered the clearing, they saw Diana
standing outside the house.

“Welcome.” She smiled, her white-blonde hair
glowing in the moonlight. She was so beautiful, thought Aiden, in a
much different way than Elisa. Elisa was fit, and her face had all
the right angles, framed by her beautiful golden hair. Diana, on
the other hand, had a softness about her. Her face was rounder,
pale like her hair, and her eyes were kinder, not as calculating as
Elisa’s. She had a sense of mysticism about her.

Aiden walked up to her first, probably
surprising the others, except Elisa.

“Diana,” he greeted her, embracing her
affectionately. Even though she didn’t look much older than
him—maybe only by ten years—he still had the affection of a son for
her. She wrapped her arms around him, giving him a slight squeeze.
When they pulled apart, she wore a huge smile on her pink lips.

“It feels like forever,” she said
softly.

“I know,” he answered, smiling back.

When he turned back, he saw the confused
looks on Wolf’s and Logan’s faces. It hadn’t dawned on him until
then that no one would have expected him to know her. He quickly
looked at Elisa, whose face had the same anxious look as his
did.

“This is Diana,” he said lightly, trying to
avoid the inevitable questions.

“Logan,” he introduced himself, bowing in
front of her.

“I’m Felix.”

“My father’s stories were right about you,
Diana. You’re breathtaking,” Wolf said, bowing before her. Elisa
rolled her eyes at Aiden, making him chuckle.

“Your father was always a bit of an
exaggerator when he told stories,” she answered, smiling. “I am
pleased to have you here, but I’m afraid I do not know the reason
for this pleasure.”

“My father has sent us,” said Elisa,
stepping up. “We need to go to the emerald fields tonight, and he
wishes for you to send us there by way of magic. He realizes that
you are hesitant to use it on us, but during these times we need
all the advantages we can get.”

Diana stood still, staring up at the two
moons, which sat full in the sky. “I can’t do it for long,” she
said at last. Aiden, who had been afraid she might refuse, let out
a sigh of relief. . “Whatever it is you plan to do there, you’ll
have only an hour’s time. Then you must come back.”

“An hour should be plenty,” said Wolf.

Diana smiled at them all, opening the door
behind her and motioning them in. “I hope you all have strong
stomachs.” Her smile widened.

CHAPTER TWELVE

As they sat around the fire in a circle,
Logan leaned toward Aiden nervously.

“I don’t have a strong stomach,” he
whispered. Aiden laughed at him, realizing for the first time how
white his face had gone.

“Don’t be such a baby,” he joked back.

They all joined hands as Diana circled them,
chanting in the weird language he had heard her speak before. The
words were repeated many times before Aiden felt the first
movement. Initially, he thought Logan had pulled on his arm, but
then the second movement came and he realized something else was
happening. The whole ground shook beneath them, like an earthquake.
The tremors increased in severity; however, where Diana stood she
was perfectly still. Only the earth within and around the circle
moved. Suddenly, the walls in the background became blurry, and it
looked like the whole cabin was spinning. He could hear someone
screaming in the distance, but a loud whooshing sound was in his
ears, making it hard to hear anything properly. Faster and faster
they spun. Aiden closed his eyes, afraid he might actually be sick
after all. It was worse than any ride he had ever been on, and
usually he could stomach just about anything those amusement parks
threw at him.

The walls eventually became indiscernible,
just waves of colours and lights. It felt like they were almost
flying. Aiden could swear that if he were to release either Felix
or Logan, and reach down, there would be no ground there anymore.
Diana had given them strict instructions, however, not to let go,
no matter what. Even her voice was gone now; there was only the
sound of wind whirling around them. Then the lights around them
changed, became darker. The air became colder, and the smell of
grass filled his nostrils. Suddenly, he felt a thud beneath him,
and the spinning slowed down, revealing a large field all around
them, and a massive forest before them.

It took them all a second to realize they
had made it, but as the reality set in, they all began to scream
and cheer.

“That was amazing!” Wolf exclaimed, spinning
around to look at the field.

“I’m going to be sick,” Logan cried, running
away from the group. They all laughed at him as he vomited in the
distance.

“I can’t believe that is even possible,”
Felix breathed.

“I know—she’s amazing,” Aiden said,
smiling.

“How do you know her?” Felix asked. Wolf
looked over too.

Aiden tried to shrug naturally. “We met a
while ago, just kind of hit it off.”

Wolf narrowed his eyes, but didn’t press the
subject. “Well, she sure is a sight. You should have pursued her.”
He smiled, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Why is that always the first thing on your
mind?” Elisa scoffed.

“Because I’m male,” Wolf sneered back. Aiden
watched her roll her eyes and start off toward the outer edge of
the forest. Wolf followed closely behind.

Aiden and Felix walked farther into the
middle of the field. Logan lay on the ground, his face still green
from the travel. It was strange to think that in only a week’s
time, they’d be back there to fight the biggest battle of their
lives. The green grass would be trampled by hundreds of boots,
spattered with blood and guts, the air filled with screams of pain
and war. Aiden wondered who out of all those who would enter the
spot, would leave in the end.

“Scary, isn’t it?” Felix said softly,
mirroring Aiden’s thoughts.

“I never thought I’d be doing this,” he
confessed. “It’s strange how your life can take such a sudden
change of direction.” Felix nodded his head in agreement. “Do you
think we’ll win?”

“We have to,” he answered plainly. Aiden
looked at him uncertainly. Felix tried to smile, but it came out
weak.

“Nothing is certain,” Aiden said sadly.

“No, fate will always control our destinies.
All we can do now is try our best, and pray that it will be
enough.”

They looked out at the vast area, picturing
what that day would bring.

“The Captain wants me to lead the first
line,” Aiden confided. Felix looked at him, his eyebrows raised in
shock. “I know. My sentiments exactly.”

“It’s not that I don’t think you’ll be a
good leader. I’m just surprised. You’ve only been in the army for a
short period of time.”

“Good leader for what?” Logan asked as he
approached them.

“The Captain wants Aiden to lead.”

“Wow!” Logan exclaimed.

“He thinks I’ll inspire the other men,
because I killed a beast by luck.”

“That wasn’t luck, Aiden. You showed a lot
of skill that day. I’m sure you’ll be great.” Logan smiled.

“Well, I’m glad you think so, because I told
him the only way I’d do it, was if you guys were in the front line
beside me. I’m not going in there first alone.”

Logan smiled, slapping him on the back.
“Now, that sounds like a good idea! I’d be happy to be your
right-hand man.” Aiden smiled thankfully back at him. Felix looked
over at him and smiled too. He put his hand on Aiden’s
shoulder.

“I’d be honoured,” expressed Felix. The
three of them stood in silence, looking out at the green field,
occupied by their own private thoughts.

She could see the others in the middle of
the field. The branch she balanced on was nice and thick, but she
didn’t think it was high enough.

“I need to go higher,” she yelled down to
Wolf, who stood at the bottom of the trunk, leaning against it
lazily. He looked up at her.

“You go any higher, and you’ll get yourself
killed,” he argued.

“I’m not going to fall,” she replied
harshly. “I need to be higher to see the field better.” She started
to reach for the upper branch, finding a good hold for her hands so
she could lift herself up. As she moved, her left foot slipped,
almost sending her off toward the ground. Wolf cursed loudly from
where he stood.

“You see?” he shouted. “This is enough. It’s
too dangerous that high up.” She was a considerable distance from
the ground, but her father had been very specific in his
description of the perfect spot. Ignoring him, she tried again,
lifting herself somewhat smoothly onto the next branch. She climbed
two more before she found one that was thick enough to hold her
comfortably, and her arrows. The leaves weren’t too thick there,
but they were thick enough to hide her. No one would think to look
so high up for someone, she thought hopefully. Peering through the
leaves, she could see the whole field perfectly. The spot where her
father had said the northern army would come through was the
perfect distance away. She smiled triumphantly to herself. This was
the place. She’d be hidden away, giving her side a lethal
advantage.

“What are you doing up there?” Wolf called
out. Rolling her eyes at his impatience, she ignored him and
focused on the view. The field was large, three times the size of
the field around the Capital City. The river on the southern side
was rushing in the distance, close enough to be an asset, like they
said. The northern side had the most forest, offering coverage for
the other army. Where she sat was where the trees started to end,
giving way to the grassland. It was eerily quiet around, with no
animals in sight. There was a history about this place, which was
said to be a walking ground for ghosts. It made her shiver to think
how many more would find their way here by the time this war was
over.

Aiden and the others were in the middle; she
could still see them clearly where they stood. She’d be looking
down on them come the day of battle as well. Her father’s words
rang through her head. Would she be able to just turn a blind eye
if one of them were in trouble? Could she force herself to not
freeze up, or react? It would be a hard test for her, but she had
to do it. Finding whatever strength she could, she closed her eyes
and said a silent prayer to the God and Goddess for guidance
through this uncertain time.

“Elisa! We only have an hour, remember?”
Wolf yelled up.

“Okay, I’m coming!” She started to lower
herself branch by branch, placing her feet as carefully as she
could. The last thing she needed was to fall and break something on
her way down. As she reached the main trunk, she felt Wolf’s hands
circle around her waist, lowering her gently onto the ground. They
stood facing each other for a second, his hands still holding onto
her. She looked up nervously at him, his eyes focused down at her.
Finally, he cleared his throat, letting go and stepping back from
her.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” he
asked, looking back up at the tree, rather than at her.

“Yes, this will do. We should get back to
the others.”

They walked silently beside each other until
they met the others coming toward them.

“Well?” asked Aiden.

“We’re good. We should go back to the spot
we arrived at, and wait for Diana.” They all started back to the
area where they landed, and sat down in a circle.

“How long do we have to sit like this?”
Felix asked as they sat holding hands.

“Until we start to travel again,” Elisa
replied, shrugging. Logan looked nervous, his face already turning
green at the mention of travelling like they had before.

“I really hate this,” he muttered. They all
smiled. “Shut up, all of you.”

Elisa took one last look back at the field,
picturing her next time there. It would be very different, not
nearly so quiet and peaceful. The ground shook suddenly, making her
turn back quickly.

“Here we go again.” Wolf smiled. Logan let
out a low moan, before the madness began once more.

They didn’t arrive back at the dormitory
till late, or early rather, in the morning. All five of them
dragged their feet to their rooms, exhausted from the journey both
mentally and physically. It would most likely be an early morning
again. Whatever sleep they could get before then was much
needed.

“Goodnight,” Aiden called out. They all said
the same, closing their doors behind them. His bed called his name
as he entered the room. Without taking off any clothes, he fell
face first into the pillow, instantly falling asleep.

Melaine sat in front of the mirror, slowly
taking each pin out of her hair, the long locks falling down her
back. She proceeded to take the large ruby earrings off her ears,
one by one. Jameson watched her, thinking how beautiful she was
without the glittering gems fancied by the women in court. Not that
she wasn’t beautiful with them on, but sometimes the simplicity of
her by the end of the night was even more appealing. She smiled at
his reflection in the mirror.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked in
her soft, rich voice.

“About how beautiful you look tonight,” he
answered. She laughed as if it were a joke, continuing with her
nightly ritual. “Court was tense tonight,” he commented. If there
was one person in the palace, besides Turk, whom he could speak
plainly with, it was Melaine. She knew him better than anyone else,
having been his favourite mistress for years now. Turning in her
seat, she looked at him thoughtfully.