Chapter 8

In the end, they decided that we would take the passage through the valley and take our chances in the dense forest. At least we could hide there, and it was better than trying to navigate the narrow mountain passage.

We waited for nightfall before setting out, hoping the darkness would give us enough cover to slip through unnoticed. Once the sun set, Selene took the lead, guiding us as we made our way towards the dark forest.

The ground under my boots soon became soft and soggy, and before long, I plunged ankle-deep into the cold water. Great, I thought as I followed, trying to keep close to Uruk. It was hard going, and I wondered how the others could move so lightly. Even Uruk, with Aki strapped to his back, didn’t make much noise as we padded through the marsh. I forced myself to walk more carefully, but I soon lagged behind. I groaned. If I continued like this, I would get us all killed, or I’d get lost and die by myself.

I cursed as a thorny vine caught my leg. Karim must have noticed my struggle, because he slowed down to walk next to me. I nodded at him, not sure if I should be happy or annoyed by his actions. I knew they needed me, so they wouldn’t leave me behind, but the babysitting annoyed me.

Suddenly, Selene halted, peering into the darkness. I stopped, following her gaze.

“What do you feel?” Karim asked quietly, drawing his sword.

She never had a chance to reply because a flash of light shot from the trees. Without thinking, I threw myself at Karim, tackling him to the ground as the nearby tree exploded into splinters. I hit the ground hard, but my body was so full of adrenaline, I didn’t notice the pain. I tried to get up, but Karim pulled me down.

“Stay still”, he whispered. “If they cannot see you, you are safe”

The forest fell quiet, and my heart pounded in my chest. It felt like a war movie, except you were starring in it rather than sitting on the sofa watching the action. I saw the large shadow of Uruk crouching behind the tree, but Selene was nowhere to be seen. I looked around, just to be met with Karim’s stern whisper.

“Don’t move.”

The trees suddenly rustled, and a twig snapped not far from us. Karim put his hand on my back and pressed me to the ground. I held my breath, trying to make out where the sound had come from. Suddenly, a dark figure stormed from the trees, and a flash of light launched at it. It must have missed because another tree exploded, and whoever the dark figure was, blasted something in the direction of the light. Someone screamed, and I heard the heavy thud of what could only be a body falling to the ground.

“Selene!”

“It’s okay”, Karim said, and slowly got up. “She got him.”

He offered me a hand, and I got up and ran in the direction of the tumult. Selene emerged from the trees, and I stopped in front of her. My mind went blank, and I suddenly felt like an idiot. Why had I run to her? She smiled, and soon Uruk joined us. Karim must have left for the forest because moments later, he came out, dragging something behind him. I shivered, and even if I wanted to shut my eyes and turn away, I resisted the urge and instead forced myself to look at the body.

It wore a dark armour, but it was the face that caught my attention. It looked like Selene. The long, silvery hair and pointy ears were unmistakable. At least I was spared the sight of his eyes, but I was sure they were purple.

Selene knelt down and searched the corpse, unfastening the sword and taking the small bag that hung from his belt. I watched her calm expression with a mix of fear and fascination. How could she be so calm? I glanced at others. They were peering into the forest, not taking any note of the fact that there was a dead body lying on the ground next to us. Were they so used to it that they no longer cared?

“We should go”, Selene said and got up.

“And what about…?”

I glanced at the dead soldier.

“The wolves will take care of it”, Uruk grinned.

I blinked, but at that moment, Karim gestured for us to leave. I gave the corpse one last glance and then followed them into the woods. The image of the dead body followed me as I pushed a branch aside. We couldn’t have done anything else. He did try to kill us, after all, but..

“Stupid. He should have run”, Uruk spat as we walked.

“Greedy.. Not stupid”, Karim corrected him. “The Emperor would have rewarded him for bringing our heads.”

“The traitor got what he deserved.”

Selene’s voice cut through the air, sending chills down my spine.

We kept walking, and now, with the battle behind us and the night getting colder, I could feel my body aching after the tumult, but I ignored it. I wouldn’t be a burden for them. The rest of the night passed uneventfully, and when the sun finally rose, we stopped to make camp. I collapsed on the ground and I could see Selene stumbling around our makeshift camp.

“I’ve set the protection”, she groaned as she sat down.

“Can’t the soldiers detect it and break the magic?”, Karim asked, concerned.

“Only if they are close, and they know what they’re looking for.”

“They will know. They are imperial guards, Selene”, Uruk pointed out as he put a blanket over Aki.

She frowned.

“I know, but it is better than nothing. We need to rest.”

She got up and looked at me.

“How are you, Rina?”

I was pretty sure that she had made an effort to make her voice softer. I shrugged.

“Fine”

She smiled and shook her head. I looked away. I didn’t want to argue or be weird again. At least she hadn’t seemed to have noticed it last night. I sighed. I should just go to bed and stop thinking about it. As I prepared to get up, Selene came over to me with a sword in her hand. She sat down, probably too close, but I was too tired to care, or at least that’s what I told myself.

“Do you know how to use it?”, she asked, drawing it from the scabbard and passing it to me.

I looked at the cold blade in my hand and shrugged.

“No. I can only beat someone up, that’s it.”

“I know”, she chuckled.

I looked down. How could I have forgotten about it? I had planned to deal with it by leaving them, but it was too late now. I stared at the ground, too ashamed to meet her gaze.

“Are you okay?”, she asked, putting her hand on my shoulder.

I sighed.

“Yeah…. Sorry about that”, I said, without looking at her.

“It’s okay. At least I know you can take care of yourself.”

I glanced at her, but she didn’t seem angry. I wondered why.

“I guess that’s true.”

I shrugged. I didn’t understand where this conversation was going. It would have been easier if she had simply screamed at me. At least then I would have a reason to get up and leave. But I didn’t know what to do when people who were nice to me, especially when I had messed up.

I sighed, and she patted my shoulder and got up, leaving the sword lying next to me.

“Try to get some rest.”

I looked out over the camp. Uruk was already sleeping, his huge arms wrapped around Aki to keep her warm. Karim sat on a fallen tree trunk, murmuring something quietly to himself. I lay down, staring at the green canopy above my head, and sighed. Even though I was tired after the night, there was no way I could fall asleep in the middle of the day.

I sat up, took the pendant Karim had given me, and looked at it. It looked old, but it was surprisingly light compared to its size. I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had given me anything. I sighed. Speaking cats, another world, a goddess, magic… At least my life wasn’t boring any longer…

Soft like a feather,

hard like a steel,

I blinked and turned my head towards the voice, only to see Selene standing next to me. I looked away, wondering if I had zoned out so badly that I hadn’t heard her coming.

“You cannot sleep in the end?”

“No…”

She sat next to me and looked at the pendant.

“It is called aegis. I am surprised that Karim gave it to you. ”

“Why?”

She turned to me.

“It has been passed down in his family for generations.”

I glanced at the pendant, wondering why he had given it to me.

“What is it?”

“Legend has it that when the darkness tried to destroy this world, Goddess protected it with her shield, but the blow was so strong that it broke it, and the shards fell from the sky like shooting stars”

“Really..?”

I looked at the pendant in my hand.

“It is just an old story to me, but no one knows how to make metal like this. Neither fire nor force will ever break it.”

“So maybe Karim is right, and she actually exists…”, I wondered.

She smiled, amused by my curiosity.

“And those words, you spoke before?”, I asked.

“It is a long story.”

“It doesn’t look like any of us will go to bed anytime soon”

“Fine”

She smiled and lay next to me.

“A long, long time ago, the Darkness came to this world…”