Ch. 37: Lies Ahead

Several moments had passed as we ascended into the sky, riding atop the Hycross’ back. The horizon was blurred by a thin layer of fluffy clouds beneath us, and within the haze were scattered glimpses of the world below. The dense emerald forest clashed with the striking pale greens and yellows of the open fields, and on the edge of the horizon was a faint rise, ominous and foreboding despite the distance. The vibrant meadows were occasionally broken by winding silver rivers, smooth as silk and stunning as diamond.

The skybound breeze whipped my face, my hair tangling in my mouth and eyes. Irritated, I brushed it aside until I noticed Sophi staring at me with a knowing grin.

She held out her hand, and in her palm was a hair clip. She grinned. “I know your mane isn’t long enough to tie back, but this should help.”

I took it from her and shoved the clip into my mane, pulling it out of my face. “Thanks.”

Sophi grinned. “Anytime!”

She scooted over to me, latching onto the Hycross’ feathers with surprising ease. “So, I’ve been thinking,” She began. “I’ve noticed that everyone seems upset with your brother. Do you know why? ‘Cause, y’know… you’re his sister.” She seemed almost sheepish as she said this, flicking her ears back and averting her eyes.

I gave her a cautious look. “Nobody’s told you yet?” She shook her head no.

“Well… let’s just say we had a… bit of a falling out. But we’re on good terms now. It’s just… nobody else except for Maceren has seemed to accept him back yet.”

“Well? What did he do?” Sophi asked, grinning as she kicked her legs. “Spill the beans, girl. I’m dying to know what happened that made everyone so peeved with him.”

Instinctively my fur rose on end, but for Sophi’s sake I did my best to smooth it out as I figured out the best way to break the news to her. “...Sophi, when I tell you this, promise that you won’t shun Arius like the others. He’s not like the way he used to be anymore.”

“Sure, sure.”

I exhaled softly. “...On the morning of the battle with Maelstrom, during the fight, Arius… tried to murder me.”

Sophi’s eyes widened. “What? But…” She instinctively glanced over her shoulder to catch sight of Arius close to Strubin. Both of them were asleep.

She turned back to me after a moment. “...That’s… that’s horrible. How… why did he do it?”

“When I faced off against Maelstrom myself, she ripped off my magic wings of aid and I fell onto the Hycross. Only Arius was present. He… he threw me off the side because…” Tears began to well up in my eyes anew as I stumbled over my words, despite this not being even the first or second time I recounted the terrifying encounter. “...He thought that I never listened to him and drowned him out, and he wanted me out of the picture so that he could finally feel appreciated.”

For the first time since meeting her, Sophi seemed genuinely unsettled. “...Oh, Aven…” She murmured. Suddenly she leaned over to give me a hug. Her orange fur pressed up against my nose as her smoky scent wreathed around me, carrying the fragrance of faint fire and foliage.

I chuckled nervously as she embraced me. “...Thanks, Sophi.”

She pulled back and fixed me with a determined gaze. “...And then after you fell, he told us that you were dead,” She murmured, clutching her fists. “So he really is a scumbag! I thought none of you liked him because you were being mean to him. I guess he does deserve it, after all.”

“Not anymore!” I reassured her frantically. “We’re cool now. After I recovered, I told the Prince what happened, and he ended up holding a trial for Arius. The Queen somehow found him not guilty but still put him in prison because otherwise Illesior would’ve complained about it.”

Sophi giggled. “Aw! Prince Illesior really does look out for you, huh? How sweet~”

“Uh… yeah…” I began sweating nervously as I processed her words. Sophi may have found it endearing that Illesior was infatuated with me, but I found it uncomfortable and, frankly, disturbing. I thought about telling Sophi the truth about what the Prince had done to me and Arius, but after hearing what Arius had attempted to do, she may have rather decided to stand on the Prince’s side.

“Anyways, after that went down, I went to go talk to Arius and… make up.”

“How did it go?” Sophi asked, rolling onto her belly while staring up at me wide-eyed.

“It… went great,” I lied. “We had a talk, and then afterwards I went on a date with Strubin.”

“Aww, how sweet!” She crooned. “I actually forgot you and Stru were a thing, you know? But, um… are you sure you wouldn’t rather want the Prince? I mean, in my opinion, he’s much more handsome, and not to mention rich-”

“-Strubin’s plenty good enough for me,” I cut her off, feeling my face flush red. “Illesior and I… well, it’s… complicated.”

“Oooh, drama! How fun!” Sophi rolled onto her back, still maintaining lazy eye contact with me the entire time. “But seriously, what do you find better about Strubin? No offense, but I’m actually quite curious.” She giggled quietly. “Are you guys like… childhood friends or something? Or love at first sight?”

“Oh, we’ve known each other for ages,” I asserted, laughing. “Back when Arius and I still lived in Gatesborn, before our dad left, Strubin was a family friend. I guess my dad was friends with his dad and so they had us hang out together a lot.”

“Oh, cool!” Sophi trilled. “What did you guys do together?”

I shrugged, tapping my chin. “Uh… Strubin was a farmhand. We’d go over to hang out at the farm and help his dad, and when we were finished we’d go play on the beach or in the woods. Sometimes we’d help his aunt with her shop. And every once in a while, Strubin would come over to our hut for the night and Dad would read us stories. He never read the same stories to him that he told us, come to think of it…” I murmured, trailing off. Why was that?

“That sounds fun, actually!” Sophi grinned. “I had a lot of friends growing up, too. Sadly, none of them were chosen in our Assessment Ceremony. Kirune and I hardly knew each other before the quest to the western cities. We were more acquaintances than anything.” Then she sighed. “...I do miss my friends from time to time. Living near The Capital is definitely a lot different than my hometown. More stuff to do, more pressure put on you… but I try not to let it worry me! And I do enjoy the outdoors, even if it’s dangerous. I wouldn’t have dreamed I’d be fighting multi-eyed giant pigs or watching Hycrosses fly over the forest when I was younger, and yet, here we are!”

“Sophi, this is kind of a weird question, but… who do you prefer better? Your Hunter friends, or… us?” It was strange to be asking something like this, and I could feel a warm redness cross my cheeks as I waved to our group: Maceren at the head of the Hycross, Zerhea hunched over with her brothers, Kirune fast asleep with his head tucked into his lap, and my brother dozing, sprawled across from my boyfriend, who was also sound asleep.

“Oh?” Sophi prodded her chin thoughtfully. “...Normally, I’d say you guys, but after hearing you drop that bombshell about your brother… I’m not so sure I like being around him. But… At the same time, my Hunter group is so grouchy. Like, even worse than Arius. And that’s saying something.” She waved her hand dismissively. “They weren’t always like that, y’know. They were cool before our teacher Luxyll came. Now they’re boring.”

I forced a smile. “So, you’d choose us?”

Sophi laughed. “Yep! One hundred percent!”

“Listen.”

Startled, we turned to see Maceren staring out into the distance with a concentrated eye. He briefly glanced over at us, then when he saw that he had our attention he turned to face the distant rise. “The God’s Headrest is nearer than ever before. I understand that most of our group is weary, and so rest is in order. But first, Aven.” The Black Mane turned to fix me with an unknowable gaze that turned my veins electric. “The farther we go into the wilds of Aetyria, the more anomalies are present. It is time I informed you of what we might face.”

I rose to meet him, steadying myself as our flight left the turbulent breeze to enter a current of calm. Suddenly I felt as if I was on solid ground. “Have you been to the God’s Headrest firsthand?”

Maceren shook his head. “Only the foothills. I know of nobody in our current era who has made it to the peak. Some say at the top lies a portal to dimensions beyond our comprehension, but it may as well be madness. Take heart; that is not where we are going.”

“Fine. What would we find in the foothills, then?”

Maceren smiled darkly. “Roughly five leagues away from the foothills is where the Desolation begins. It is a vast expanse of death and loneliness, where the ground is gray and cracked and the ravines reach down to the depths of the underworld. Or so they say,” He added with a chuckle. “I’ve been to the Desolation before. It is not nearly as terrifying as the stories say, but it is best to only traverse there when you are an experienced warrior. Anyone less would be snatched up by a rogue Hycross or Deimon.”

Hesitantly, I reached into my satchel to withdraw my father’s journal and flipped to a blank yellowed page, then began to write. Keeping notes was key if we ever got separated from Maceren.

“But we don’t need to worry about the Desolation. We can just fly over it.” Maceren said. “No, the real danger begins when you reach the Woods of Madness. The trees are tall enough to challenge mountains in their height, and if we tried to conquer them we would freeze from the cold.” His voice dropped to a whisper as he added, “They say that in the age of old, before Dukalis rose to greatness, there within their depths lived the last elves. They are gone now, but their magic still lingers. If you aren’t resolute and willed, the madness of the forest will overtake you and turn you into one of their own.”

I shivered. “What lies beyond that?”

“The Falls of Infallibility,” He replied. “That is where we need to go.”

I scribbled down what he said, then looked back up at him. “Have you been to the Falls?”

“Certainly.”

“What were you trying to find?” I asked.

“A mysterious substance known only as Heartgold,” Maceren answered with a faraway stare in his eyes. “My father sent me to seek it, as it is rumored to be the last remaining source of magic from the elves of eons past. I can’t tell you why he needed it, but alas, I have none with me now.” His voice drifted into silence as he stared off into the distance, as if something unknown transfixed him. Suddenly he snapped back to attention. “But that is not why we are heading there. It’s where Meredith is hiding.”

“Meredith?” I stared at him dubiously. “Why is she there? How did she get there?”

“I told her to stay,” Maceren replied simply. “I found her weak and battered, but after she promised to give me answers that no one else would spare, I vowed to return to her with the ones she seeked.” He shrugged absent-mindedly. “It was the least I could’ve done for her.”

I finished writing down his words and set the journal back into my satchel, then glanced around. Sophi was paying no attention to us; she had retreated to the other end of the Hycross and was curled up next to Kirune’s sleeping form.

I turned back to Maceren and lowered my voice. “...Are you certain that we’d be able to face the danger?”

“You’ve come this far. You and your brother almost single-handedly braved a golem in total darkness. You’ve fought off mind-controlled slaves from the Baron. And didn’t you say you fought a Consumed Black Mane Sorcerer?”

I shrugged bashfully. “Well, I almost died on two of those occasions.”

“What I’m saying, Aven, is that you have the strength to persevere. There’s no turning back now.” Then he let out a low chuckle. “Besides, on the off chance you decided to end this mission, you couldn’t return- not while the Baron is present. As we speak he has likely already filled the Queen’s mind with lies. And your Prince is likely in danger.”

I stopped. “...Illesior?”

“If the Baron finds out what he did, his life is in jeopardy. More so yours.” His eyes glimmered electric green as he maintained a steady gaze with me. “Banish all thoughts of desertion from your mind, Aven. There is no choice but to press on.”

“I wasn’t planning on it!” I retorted indignantly. “I’m not afraid! I’m more concerned about the rest of us.” I waved my hand sweepingly, showcasing my friends in their weary, tired states. My mouth trembled. “...I can’t afford to lose them, Mace. That’s why I need to know that you’ll keep us safe.”

“I would never let anything happen to our group.” He asserted. “Not under my watch. Be rest assured that I am not taking you to your deaths, but rather to vindication. Take heart.”

The air was filled with the silent breeze as the sky gradually faded into gold. The sun was falling slowly to the horizon, until it drifted behind the rise that scarred our vision. Clouds turned magenta and fiery orange, like brush strokes on a dusky canvas. Shadows crept in behind every object; nothing was safe from the union between bold glow and knife-sharp blackness.

Finally as the sun faded and the stars began to appear, Maceren guided the Hycross’ descent into the clouds until we came to a lone hill with a single tree. We landed and as I looked around, all I could see was a sea of green. It was flat and uniform against the night sky, and I felt exposed, as if a higher force was watching the plains like an open book.

Maceren hopped off and stared up at me. “We’ll rest for the night,” He spoke smoothly. “We’ll eat and be merry by the fire tonight. Nobody else would dare bother our union, even if they knew of us in the loneliness of the wild. The fire will be the only proof of our existence.”