Kethril (7 page)

“Milady! You are here,” Sir Danth remarked
in surprise. “That is why the spirits left. They cannot stand your
presence.”

She didn’t respond to his statements.
Instead, she walked straight to him, reached up, grabbed both sides
of his helmet and flowed power through her hands into the armor.
The armor resisted her, but she didn’t attack it. Instead, she
looked for conduits to Sir Danth’s soul. Liselle surrounded the
armor and sword in the blue flames, using them to restrain the
magical defenses. Most of what she saw in the runes she didn’t
understand. It took her a moment to find the ones that connected to
the soul. She studied those for a few moments.

Once she figured out how they worked, she
linked directly to Sir Danth. He gasped in surprise as he felt the
touch. Liselle didn’t try to influence the knight or read his
thoughts; instead, she flowed gentle healing through the runes to
his being. It would wash over him like cool, soothing water.

A minute later, Liselle stepped back, the
blue flames dissipating back into her body. She exhaled and buried
her face into her hands in exhaustion. Using that much magic took
everything she had, especially when she didn’t know what she was
doing.

Sir Danth fell to his knees, staring at
Liselle in awe. “Milady, what wonderful spell did you cast upon me?
The pain . . . the loss, it has eased. I don’t understand.”

Vevin moved to the knight and put a clawed
finger on the nose of his helmet. “If you ever swing your sword at
her again, I’m going to chew you up and poop you out in the largest
dung heap you’ve ever seen, is that clear, rusthead?”

“He swung his sword at Liselle?” Tathan
asked with anger evident in his voice.

“Enough.” Liselle waved them off tiredly.
“What happened, Sir Knight? What were you fighting?”

Sir Danth looked surprised. “Did you not see
them? The ghosts of my people, twisted and corrupt, did you not see
them?”

“We saw you swinging your sword at nothing,
all the while screaming a supernatural cry,” Liselle said.

“My people . . . their spirits are still
here in the forest.” Sir Danth desperately wanted them to
understand. “I’ve been seeing apparitions wandering through the
forest, but wasn’t able to focus on them at first. The last few
nights I’ve been concentrating on them. Tonight I was able to see
their unholy faces for the first time.”

He began pacing side to side. “When I was
able to get a hold of one, it screeched, causing the others to
screech as well. Then it turned and looked at me. There was a dark
mist in its eyes. The others turned in my direction and the same
dark vapor was in them.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like that,”
Tathan said. He slid his own sword into its sheath. Liselle
absentmindedly noticed that it didn’t suck in the light of Piohray.
“How about you, Vevin?” Tathan asked, turning.

“I haven’t. I know ghosts exist, but I
haven’t sensed anything here,” he answered with a shrug.

“That’s because they won’t come near Lady
Liselle. She’s too pure and powerful. They weren’t anywhere near
the Mother Tree either,” Sir Danth explained. “It took me a long
time to realize and it wasn’t until I started going into the forest
by myself that I was able to get close enough.” He stopped and
turned to them, very serious. “The dark mist in all of their eye
sockets was a single, evil entity and it noticed me. It sent
tendrils out of the eyes of the phantoms to reach me and tear me
apart.” He paused with slumped shoulders. “I was . . . afraid.”

“You said you’ve never felt fear before,”
Tathan said.

“That’s correct. This was the first time. It
was . . . fun.”

Tathan blinked. “Fun?”

“I know it sounds odd, but yes, it was fun.”
Sir Danth smiled. “I felt a little bit alive again. Being
invincible is boring and I haven’t felt a strong emotion in
ages.”

Vevin rubbed his chin. “Interesting. That’s
not the reaction I would expect.”

“I know. It’s odd, but true,” Sir Danth
admitted. “I want to save my people. That vile entity is torturing
them. How would we save them?” he asked the group as a whole. The
others all exchanged looks and then shrugged in unison.

Princess Anilyia raised a finger,
remembering something. “An entire civilization becoming ghosts is
unheard of, though one of my tutors told me of a city that was
haunted after a massacre.”

“And would he know how to rescue my people
from the dark mist? What happened to them in the Great Disappearing
and why are their souls not at rest?” Sir Danth asked in
frustration.

“I’m sure I don’t know,” Anilyia shrugged,
bored with the subject. She took back possession of Tathan’s hand
and looked irritated that she had let it go for so long in the
first place.

“Liselle needs to rest,” Vevin said in a
ferocious voice. He glared at the knight with swirling eyes. “I
don’t care about your phantoms. I’m very angry with you for putting
my Liselle in danger and it’s taking all of my willpower not to
kill you.”

Sir Danth bowed solemnly.

“Alright. Let’s all go back to camp,” Tathan
said, taking the lead. Liselle saw Anilyia set her jaw in
disappointment. She looked as though she might want to kill Sir
Danth too. “And you’re staying with us from now on,” Tathan said
over his shoulder at the knight. “No more of this wandering off
into the forest by yourself or scouting ahead. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Master Tathan.” The knight bowed
again. Liselle wondered how Tathan managed to get the knight to
listen and follow orders. Then she sank into Vevin’s arms as he
lifted and carried her back to the camp.

Liselle moaned as harsh light hit her eyes.
Vevin moved to block it with his body and ran soothing fingers
through her hair. “I’m sorry I let the sun hit your face. I have
food.” Liselle tried to sit up before moaning in pain again.

She squinted at the midday sun. They must
have let her sleep to recover from using so much magic. Liselle dug
into the food they gave her. About halfway through the meal, she
noticed that everyone was waiting for her to finish. She was about
to ask why but decided they could wait.

When she was done, Liselle had a powerful
urge to lie down and go back to sleep, but chose to find out what
was the matter first. “Alright, what’s going on?”

Tathan spoke before anyone else could. “Sir
Danth sees the apparitions in the forest and along the Lost Road.
Vevin says Sir Danth is insane and should be left in the forest to
be eaten by the phantoms and their misty friend.”

She felt Vevin squeeze her protectively.
Looking over her shoulder, she reassured him, “I’m alright dear.
Sir Danth is our friend and needs our help.” She smirked. “Besides,
you and Tathan are crazy too.”

“I think Tathan is much crazier than me,”
Vevin said. “After all, he’s traveling with us.”

Anilyia rolled her eyes. “I think I’m the
craziest for believing the four of you exist.”

“So we’re all crazy,” Tathan said waving off
the distractions.

“I never said I was crazy. I’m perfectly
sane,” Liselle said with a pleasant smile.

Tathan rolled his eyes. “Anyway, Sir Danth
says the spirits are still in the forest and now they’re trying to
get to him. You’re the only thing keeping them away, but he’s
afraid the evil entity driving them may force its way through your
natural barriers and try to hurt you or steal your power.”

“I don’t think I like the idea of evil
entities trying to steal my power . . . or my glow, or anything.
It’s becoming very upsetting,” Liselle said. “So what are we going
to do?”

“I believe the entity binds the spirits to
the forest,” Sir Danth explained. “It is of utmost urgency that we
leave as fast as possible for your safety, mine and perhaps all of
ours at this point.”

Vevin growled. “We’re not going to rush.
Liselle needs rest.”

“I agree with Vevin,” Tathan contributed.
“You need rest, and if these phantoms were going to harm us they
would have done so by now.

Liselle opened her mouth to speak when she
saw the flower in her mind again. The flower communicated to her
that the knight was correct. Something was in the forest and had
been for a very long time. It didn’t bother the flowers so they
didn’t pay much attention to it or its ghostly minions, but now it
noticed Liselle and wanted her. The flowers were concerned for her
safety.

“Sir Danth is right. The entity knows I’m
here. The Willden is dangerous for me and I could die if we don’t
get out soon,” she told them. There were looks of surprise on their
faces with the exception of Sir Danth who nodded and look resigned.
Liselle moved to stand, but Vevin held her. “I can push through,
dearest,” she told him.

“I’ll carry you,” he insisted. “You’re not
walking anywhere in your condition. If it weren’t for the fact that
we need to stay with Tathan and Anilyia, I’d fly you out of here.”
The omission of Sir Danth declared Vevin’s feelings about the
knight.

“If you can carry her, I say we leave now.”
Tathan stood and picked up his pack. Liselle’s he threw at the
knight. Sir Danth caught it and then snuffed out the fire and they
headed back to the road. It would take another four days to get to
the edge of the Willden at a normal pace, but Tathan set a brisker
step for them to follow. Even with the motion of Vevin’s gait,
Liselle managed to fall asleep in his arms.

***

The entity stared at Liselle from the black
sky, somehow knowing she was there. It was hungry and wanted her.
Liselle let out a pitiful wail that the flower in her hair noticed.
It calmed her while a million flowers turned their attention toward
the sky.

“Liselle! Liselle, wake up.” Something was
shaking her arm and she looked to see Vevin staring at her. It was
nighttime and he was sitting on a rock with her on his lap. “You
were whimpering in your sleep. What’s wrong?”

“It’s alright,” she mumbled. “The flowers
are keeping me safe. I’m so tired.” Liselle leaned her head on his
shoulder again and fell asleep.

***

The air was hot and cloying. Flowers did
their best to shield her from the sinister fog but it kept killing
them, each death hurting Liselle. She shook her head and feebly
tried to shoot cold blue fire at the mist. Vevin appeared next to
her and wrapped her in his arms. He whispered things she didn’t
understand, but they were soothing and she relaxed.

“Liselle,” he said in her ear. “Wake up just
for a little while. You need to drink some water.” She didn’t want
to, but he persisted. “Liselle, wake up now, just for a little bit
to drink some water and then I’ll let you go back to sleep.

Her eyes were heavy and filled with crud.
Someone held a cup to her mouth and liquid flowed between her dry
lips. It didn’t taste like water. They had added something that
tasted like medicine. Liselle opened her eyes a fraction and looked
around. It was nighttime again and her companions had camped.
Spirits in the trees looked for her, but nightflowers were
distracting them. She rested her sweat-crusted brow against Vevin’s
shoulder again.

***

The entity was looking at her. She looked
back, not showing the weakness running through her body. To do so
would be to allow it into her heart. The army of flowers shielded
her against the evil.

Then it attacked. Liselle joined forces with
the flowers and together they counterattacked. The two forces
clashed, one dark and ethereal, the other a bright, pure blue. The
blue fire set the mists ablaze, driving the entity back. It
retreated into the sky at the overwhelming power, only now
it
was afraid of Liselle and her flowers.

“Liselle, please wake up! I’m scared. He’s
going to eat me.” Liselle cracked her eyes to see Anilyia kneeling
above, tears streaming down her face. There was something over the
princess. Liselle blinked a couple of times and focused. It was
Vevin’s stomach. He was in dragon form standing guard over the
women.

It took all her effort to look to the side.
Tathan’s legs were nearby. He was next to Vevin with his sword
drawn. Liselle lost consciousness. The mist was gone and the
phantoms scattered. The boys could handle anything else.

***

Liselle tried to open her eyes, but they
were crusted shut. So she moaned instead. Lips that felt like
Vevin’s touched her forehead. She hoped very much that they were
and communicated that with louder moan. It was about the best she
was going to be able to speak for now.

“Shh, shh,” Vevin’s soothing voice came from
near her left ear. “It’s alright. The fever’s broken and you’re
going to be just fine,” he assured her.

A fever. That’s why she had been so hot. In
her entire life, Liselle had never been sick. It felt terrible and
she made a mental note never to do it again.

Vevin stroked her cheek and ran fingers
through her hair. Perhaps being sick wasn’t so bad after all. “I’ll
give you a year to stop that,” she attempted to say. It came out as
an unintelligible croak instead.

“Huh?” Vevin whispered after a pause. “Here,
drink this,” he instructed, holding a moist cloth to her lips. He
squeezed and the water eased the dryness in her mouth. “Now try
speaking.”

She cleared her throat, dismayed at how
coarse and raw it was. “I’ll give you a year to stop that,” she
repeated. It was ragged, but intelligible.

“Hmm,” Vevin responded. “It might take me
two years.”

“Mmm.” That sound came out broken too. Vevin
put more water to her lips. Liselle realized she was very thirsty
and hungry all of a sudden. She tried to open her eyes again. They
felt icky and she blinked a few times to clear them. Something was
covering her eyes so she brought her hands up to remove it. At
least she tried to bring her hands up. They disobeyed her mental
commands.