the dawn of darkness | t riddle [incomplete]

Chapter 44: Fates and Fires

Chapter 44: Fates and Fires

A/N: Another 10,000 word chapter. Oops. 

NESTLING among the strangely glowing trees high on a hillside with its rickety wooden steps and rotting roof peeping out mysteriously from the surrounding forest, the place he'd travelled three days to reach didn't seem to be much more than an abandoned old shed.

With each heavy step he took through the wetted foliage, plants moved and writhed beneath his soles, emitting an even stronger glow or diminishing their light completely. An array of sounds met his senses - from the quick beat of bat wings to the eerie call of crows nestled in the trees. 

Thick, foggy dampness clung to the place - the air so humid that tiny droplets had adhered themselves to his skin - like small varicoloured crystals reflecting the glow of this strange forest.

A chill swept up his back, dappling his arms in tiny bumps. He thought it was just the effects of his eerie surroundings; however, he soon clocked the giant, curling plant slowly wrapping itself around his waist. He jolted, shoving the plant away with an arm. It retreated, coiling up into itself like a frightened creature. He was sure he even heard it hiss.

"Pay no heed to the plants," the Seer said from ahead. "They're just curious."

They continued through the swampy terrain, their feet sludging through the moss. Arawn was sure he noticed the Seer swivelling her fingers beneath her sleeves. And not a moment later, it was almost as though his shoes had become resistant to the damp disarray.

A crow squawked loudly behind him. So clear and clangorous it could have been shouting in his ear. His thoughts screeched similarly with each step - screaming and churning together like the blade of an axe against stone. He could barely focus on his surroundings and where the Seer was leading him. His mind was still fixed on his Mother.

Taken. Torn away on the back of a great black beast bounding through the tree barks. Frightened. Alone. A similar void of loneliness had settled in his stomach since she was seized. And a seemingly endless sense of despondency had latched onto his innards like a disease.

"Come," the Seer called from a few strides ahead. Arawn hadn't even realised that he'd stopped dead in his tracks. "We're here."

They came to a halt at the foot of the narrow steps leading towards the shack. The Seer gestured to a gap between the leaves just to the right of the wooden structure.

Concealed beneath the mysteriously bright foliage and glowing plants that nipped at his ankles as he walked was the stuff of fairytales. An extensive complex disguised by wood and weeds lay beneath the old shack. Hidden from the world but always remaining under the watchful eye of the hanging moon.

The Seer led him through the vicinity. They had to descend at least four levels before reaching where the Seer had led him. Every inch of the complex housed an unfathomable amount of silver and pearl, though touches of deep reds and purples adorned the floors and the walls. The Seer's touch was evident - some of the wall hangings even matched the colour of her dress and the subtle runic patterns that ran across the seams.

"Take a seat," Cassandra said as they entered a room at the end of a long corridor. She moved across the large, octagonal room and slumped into an ornate silver chair at the far end, just beside an extensive table filled with candles, plants, and some strange-looking sticks that filled the room with a musky aroma.

Arawn stepped around the room awkwardly, ignoring her request to sit. His head jeered from left to right as his curious eyes fell to the massive fireplace to the right of the room that boasted stone carvings of the Three Fates. A tale his Mother had sometimes told him as a boy. A parable said to measure the thread of life, thus determining man's destiny.