"Dallas, I order you to let us make camp!" Hailey said. She'd gotten fed up. Dallas sighed, closing his eyes as he dropped his head.
"Miss, I'm already acting on orders. I'm sorry but rest isn't a luxury we can afford right now," he said, turning to me. I laughed and turned to look at Hailey.
"It shouldn't be too long. We just have to make some ground, okay? We want to have some information by the time that letter reaches Cedric," I said. She groaned, leaning down and wrapping her arms around her horse's neck.
I turned back around, allowing my head to fall and my eyes to close. I understood where she was coming from. We'd barely gotten a break off the horses for more than an hour, tops. After we made the stop at the tavern, we only spared enough time to write and send a letter to Cedric notifying him of our next moves. After that, Dallas had insisted we leave the kingdom and reach the forest before we stopped.
He sure was a completely different person when on a mission. He had his eyes set on one goal and didn't stray from that. No matter how he acted in everyday life, he was a soldier through and through. I could see why he led the knights.
"We'll only go so far into the forest once we reach it. It should only be about another forty minutes before we reach it," Dallas said, pointing to the clump of trees in the distance that only seemed farther away than it did forty minutes before. "We'll set up camp then and leave at dawn. You and I can trade off on watch, Ryker."
"Yeah, but wouldn't it make sense to go a little farther into the trees? If we're being followed, it'd be much easier to lose them under the cover of the forest," I said. Dallas sighed.
"Dude, no one is following us. Look around us, there's nowhere they could hide, we'd see them coming a mile away," he said.
"Right." I nodded. Dallas pursed his lips together, studying my face for a moment before averting his gaze back to the path ahead. I could tell he was worried. Honestly, I was worried, too. Maybe it was the magic or just that it was my first time being out of the inner walls for weeks, but I felt more paranoid than usual. It felt like something deadly was shadowing us but no matter how much I looked into it, there was no plausible reason to think that. It might be possible were we still inside the walls but Dallas was right, there was no way someone could follow us undetected when there wasn't a rock or tree in sight.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. Whatever it was, it was tiring.
"Hey, Dallas, if The Corderoy's are getting involved, this might be more serious than originally thought, right?" Hailey asked.
Dallas nodded. "I felt it necessary to notify the King about that fact in the letter. His connections are more suited to handle them than we are."
"Who are The Corderoy's, anyway?" I asked. "Like, the mafia, or something?"
"The mafia?" Hailey asked.
"Yeah, except it's much smaller and just a family," Dallas answered. "The Corderoy's were like family to the Mucianus family, back when Chison was first discovered. Therefore, technically, considered royalty. They had an unnatural amount of magic already and nobody knows the true story behind their abilities, but the rumor is, they gain their powers from a god. We don't know if there's any truth to it, we don't know anything but that they were the first people to master magic." He brushed off his hood, running a hand through his hair. "Anyway, the families had a fallout and now The Corderoy's are a family of assassins. The royal family basically compromised with them and they're free to do whatever they please. They're the only adversary the King ever admitted defeat to."
"They're strong," Hailey said. "The best we can do is contain them and since they're content to stay as they are, it hasn't been a problem. But with them getting involved in something like this, it could prove several problems for us."
I pulled up my bandana. This knowledge didn't help with my paranoia. They must have been who Tairen was talking about. They must be why the lower end of Vrateldo is so dangerous.
"So what were they before they had a fallout with the royal family?" I asked.
Dallas shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe they were the people who got rid of the people the royal family couldn't get rid of. Or maybe they were servants that got tired of being shoved around. Who knows?" he said. "They shadow the underground but anyone who sees them recognizes them. They're unmistakable. I knew who that bartender was talking about before I even looked at them."
"So the phoenix pin? That must be, like, their sigil or something. What does it mean?" I asked.
"I don't know, dude. They're assassins, there isn't much about them. Why don't you ask one of them?" he said.
I looked down at my hands. "I'd rather not."
"Yeah, neither would I."
The rest of the ride was silent and with each step, I became more alert. I'd been riding all day and was exhausted minutes before but as their words seeped in, I became the total opposite. By the time we reached the forest, I was more alert than I'd been the entire day. However, no matter how many times I asked, Dallas wouldn't change his mind about moving deeper into the forest.
I could tell he was exhausted, too, no matter how strong he was acting, so I offered to take the first watch.
We set up a simple camp, with a fire we kept small and just the sleeping bags we'd brought. Hailey didn't bring one so she was using mine and I'd just use Dallas' when we switched. Once they'd fallen asleep, I allowed the fire to go out.
If it kept burning, our location would be compromised to anyone near us. I sighed, holding my head in my trembling hands. If I didn't calm down, I'd be too nerve-wracked to sleep once my shift was up.
I stood up, unsheathing my sword as I turned and walked deeper into the forest. Every few yards, dragging my sword across a tree to create a path back to camp.
After a few minutes, I stopped and looked up at the sky, my jaw dropping as the stars reached my eyes. Never once had there been so many. I sheathed my sword and latched onto a tree branch, swinging up and climbing the tree with ease. It'd been years yet my climbing skills were still as on point. I smiled as I reached the top, breaking off branches as needed, giving way to the bright sky.
I distantly wondered if this was the same sky I'd looked at all my life. It seemed too bright—too full of life.
I couldn't count the number of nights that the stars had been my only company. I'd become familiar with their glow, able to identify the constellations as if they were the lines on my palms. And it all looked the same yet completely different. They were so bright but my finger easily connected the familiar dots of the Aquila constellation.
I sighed, leaning back against the trunk of the tree, feeling it bend against the added weight. It was only for a moment but my mind was at peace, allowing the beauty of the sky to bathe me in a shower of calm waters.
When I began to climb down, I could feel my nerves begin to slowly spike once more, my senses sensitive to every noise, every feeling, every movement.
As my feet touched the ground once more, I stilled. An anguished, distorted cry drifted through the forest. Maybe it was just that I'd watched so many horror movies that the sound of crying sent chills up my spine. Or maybe it was just my instincts telling me that in the dead of the night, miles from civilization, there shouldn't be anyone in the forest.
I gulped as I turned around, the noise becoming louder. My fingers shakily unsheathed my sword, raising it carefully.
The sound of a twig snapping made me jump. I spun around, taking a step away from the noise and swinging my sword at the same time.
"Woah, hey, hey, its just me!"
My heavy breathing filled the silence as the whisper reached me. Slowly, I lowered my sword, making out a familiar silhouette in the shadows.
Dallas stepped out, hands raised. "It's just me."
I nodded shakily, letting my sword fall to my side. "You scared the living shit out of me," I said, running my hand through my hair.
"Yeah, sorry," he said, his voice hushed. "But your reaction time was great. So was your stance."
I sighed, laughing lightly but cut off as I realized the crying hadn't stopped. My eyes met Dallas' as if we'd both realized the same thing.
"Let's check it out, be quiet," he said, crouching low and walking deeper into the forest. I threw my arms in the air, shaking my head.
"Yeah, let's just go check out the creepy crying. Haven't you ever seen a horror movie?" I asked, following Dallas.
"I hate horror movies," he said.
"That's exactly why we should mind our own goddamn business."
He hushed me as the crying grew louder. He abruptly came to a stop, leaning against a tree trunk and turning to me.
"Stay behind me, okay?" he said before standing up and looking in the direction the noise was coming from.
"You're gonna fucking kill us," I said, standing up with him.
Leaning against a tree was a little girl, blonde hair tied up in two pigtails, a tattered pink dress laid over her legs. Tears dripped down her dirt-stained face. She couldn't have been much older than twelve.
"Okay...maybe it's not a demon," I said. Dallas started walking towards the girl, his swords lowered. "Dude—"
"Hey, are you alright?" he asked. The girl looked up, her eyes hopeful. "Are you lost?"
"Oh, please, help me," she said, standing up. Dallas sheathed his swords, kneeling in front of her.
"What's wrong?" he asked. I shook my head, leaning against a tree. Whether it was a little girl or not, didn't he find it odd how she was just wandering the forest? Alone?
"Me—me and my family," she said, sobbing. "We were on a carriage and then I—" she collapsed, crying even harder. "I—I think I—I think I killed them!"
I knew something was off. Dallas barely faltered, grabbing her hands tightly. "Why do you think that? Where are they now?"
"𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥," I whispered, knowing they couldn't hear me.
"They—they—Mommy—she—"
"Hey, hey, deep breaths, alright?" Dallas said. "Take your time or you'll get sick." The little girl took quick breaths, barely giving herself any time to recover before she started talking again.
"I—I saw Mommy die but she wasn't dead—she wasn't," she said, sobbing into her hands. "But then—then she crashed the carriage and—and they all died! I killed Mommy!"
Dallas looked down and something changed about him as he stood up. His eyes darkened, his face becoming emotionless. The look in his eyes was chilling. I stood up as he unsheathed his sword, placing the tip at her throat.
Her eyes widened, fear replacing guilt and anguish. "You left something out," he said, his voice dark.
"I—I—please, mister—please, don't—"
"You screamed, didn't you?" She broke off, her eyes widening. Dallas looked up at her, his eyes clear, calm. "Didn't you?"
"What does—"
I stepped forward, out of the trees. I didn't care how off the situation seemed because what was right in front of me was that Dallas was about to kill a little girl. That's all there was to it. I didn't have enough information to draw any more connections so the only action I could take was to stop him.
"Dallas, what are you—"
The girl looked at me, her eyes widening. Her mouth widened, her eyes rolling back in her head. Dallas ducked his head down, covering one ear, his other faced away from her. He looked in pain but I didn't know why. I couldn't hear anything but their movements.
He leaped forward, his blade slicing into her throat. As she collapsed, blood pouring from her throat, I felt my chest tighten, along with my stomach churn.
I turned around, hurling up today's lunch. My eyes widened, my heart pounding in my ears. Had I really just watched that happen? Did that—Did Dallas—
I hesitantly turned to Dallas, keeping my head down but the puddle of blood evident in the corner of my eye was enough to make my stomach sick again. It didn't matter anyway because I couldn't stop seeing those dead eyes in my mind. They were blank—inhuman—but they were so sickening.
"What the 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬, dude!?" I yelled.
"What do you mean!?" Dallas yelled back, walking towards me. I took a step away from him, raising a hand to stop him as I glanced down at his bloody sword. His face immediately fell, his eyes becoming sad. He was so full of life, so many emotions pouring into his eyes but only seconds ago, he was a blank slate. He was cold. He'd just killed someone in cold blood.
"She was just a little girl. Why did you—what did she—"
"You didn't hear it?" he asked, his face falling slack in surprise.
"I heard you just slice her fucking throat open, that's what I heard!"
He shook his head. "The scream! Didn't you hear it?"
"What? What scream?" I asked. He sighed.
"That—" he pointed behind him "—was a Keres, sometimes known as the Banshee. It's a spirit-type monster. The scream is their weapon but it also tells when someone is going to die. If I wouldn't have killed her, she would have killed us. They're monsters who feed off the havoc the human's wreak once influence by her scream. And if you didn't hear it, that means you're going to die. But I guess that's not new information."
"But—how did—there's just—"
"At first I wasn't sure but she must have just awakened the spirit, which is why she was so confused. But I promise you, Rye, I wouldn't kill an innocent person. That was a monster and not just any monster, but a powerful one who'd already killed," he said. He sheathed his rapier, grabbing one of my hands and holding it tightly in his. "Please, believe me. Not only did I hear the scream but everything she said pointed to the fact of being Keres. Please." He closed his eyes. "Monster or not, I wouldn't have killed her if I wasn't absolutely sure she'd harmed someone else. I'd never kill an innocent being, Ryker."
I believed him. I believed him because I couldn't find it in me to believe Dallas could kill anything, even though I'd just watched him do just that. She'd said she killed her mom but maybe she was confused. But the way she acted just before she died—the way Dallas acted before killing her—there was something wrong with her. I knew there was something wrong with the entire situation when we entered. I trusted Dallas. I don't think he'd kill unless it was to protect someone else.
"It's okay, I believe you," I said, patting his head and giving him a smile. "You did a good job. If that Keres would have lived, it could have killed us. Not only that, but it could have ended up harming Hailey, too. You did your job, Dall. Thank you."
He smiled, his posture relaxing. "Really? You believe me?"
"Of course," I said. "I have no reason not to. Now, how about we get back to camp?"
As we left, I glanced back at the body, only to find a grey, bony body in place of the young girl that'd been there before. But even if it was a Keres, that sick feeling wouldn't disappear. Did Dallas really have to kill her? Was she really that dangerous? I glanced at his sheathed sword, the picture of blood still fresh in my mind. I didn't know this world. I didn't know the monster's in this world. I guess I'd just have to trust him.
When we returned, I found myself curled in a sleeping bag, longing for sleep but as soon as I found it, I relived those moments. That dark look in Dallas' eyes was darker in my dreams. The little girl's body never changed, remaining human. Maybe he'd made a mistake? I woke up in a cold sweat when his dark eyes were turned on me, bringing me back to reality.
In the morning, we filled Hailey in on what had happened and she seemed to understand completely, thanking Dallas immediately. Hailey completely trusted him. I wondered if monsters were just like animals in this world. Maybe they weren't treated as human. Maybe that's why Dallas had taken such measures. I shook my head.
𝘏𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰. 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥? 𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦?
We left almost immediately but stopped only about an hour in. The forest was a lot more welcoming in the day. That shadow of paranoia had disappeared since last night, leaving me more relaxed than I had been.
The horses were hitched on a tree as we entered a clearing, searching the ground for some kind of entrance. Dallas seemed certain it was in this area.
"And what makes you think the entrance to this druid's home is around here?" Hailey asked, wiping her forehead. Dallas sighed.
"There's an excess amount of magic here so it'd make sense," he said. She groaned, sitting on the ground and leaning against a tree.
"Well, that's not enough evidence for me," she said, laying on the ground.
"The ground is dirty, Mi—"
"I slept on the ground last night, don't start." Dallas snapped his mouth shut and continued searching.
I poked my sword into the ground and it easily slipped through the ground, as if it were paper. "Hey, Dall, I think I found something," I said. I began poking around, hitting something solid about a foot below the thin ground. It was as if the ground was just an illusion.
Dallas knelt beside me, reaching his arm into the ground.
"What are you—"
"Feels like stairs," he said, pulling his arm out before looking up at me, giving me a bright smile. "You found it!" He stood up and cautiously put his foot through it before turning to Hailey. "Are you coming with us?" She groaned before standing up, stomping towards us.
I watched as Dallas disappeared into the Earth and, without any reassurance, I followed him. I was almost worried about how easily I put my faith in Dallas.
I found myself following each step without looking where they were. I closed my eyes as I took the step to fully emerge myself in the ground. When I opened my eyes, Dallas was a few stairs down, holding a torch with a bright smile on his face.
"Illusions are a fairy specialty," he said. I nodded, unsheathing my sword as I joined his side. Hailey soon joined us and, with Dallas leading, we descended the stairs. They looked old and were made of some type of stone, but despite the cracks and weeds growing from them, they looked used. It sent heat to my palms.
Dallas stopped and I looked up, finding that a beacon of light was pouring from an open doorway. He stepped in without hesitation. I rolled my eyes, following after him. If there was an enemy beyond that doorway, walking in so carelessly was kind of dumb.
My breath left me as I entered. Around me was a giant cave, lacing the walls were veins of glowing pink and green stones, splatters of blue here and there. Down the walls, the colors dripped like water. The lights were so captivating, I was sure I could stare at them forever but my eyes found something else fascinating. Tables upon tables were placed all around the room, vials of liquids and scattered herbs covering them. Carvings of unknown creatures were etched into the floor, depicting stories waiting to be told.
"Is that...?" Hailey said, pointing. I looked up to find Dallas standing over a lump of green clothing. His fists were clenched as he looked down at the body. My mind immediately flashed back to last night.
"Dallas, what—"
"He's dead," he said. I walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder as I looked down at the body. There was an odd lack of blood from the creature, considering the wounds. I wasn't sure if I could call this thing human or animal. Its eyes were grey and its face was humanoid but its features were arranged in odd ways, its mouth distorted and one eye bigger than the other. Odd markings wrapped around its oddly purple-ish neck. What made me sick were the wounds that tore up its chest. They looked like strokes of jagged teeth marks. "The last fairy druid. The source. He's dead."
A jingling sound echoed across the room. Dallas leaped back, pulling Hailey back and away. My instincts took a hold of me as a shadowy, black line struck across my vision, sending a brush of wind against my cheek.
Whatever it was, it reminded me of a snake, and that terrible paranoia had returned. In that moment, the object had struck and disappeared, with a sound like metal rattling. All I knew was that my fear could be used and as I ducked behind a table, I allowed it to rush through me.