Void Walker

Chapter Two: Mountain of the Damned

They had been trekking through dense forestland in silence for a while now. With the sun suspended low above the horizon, it would have been a relatively peaceful and pleasant journey throughout if not for the occasional scuffles they had with man-eating vegetation, ravenous savage beasts, and Miklos's few unfortunate tumbles into tenacious quicksand much to the despairing sighs of his companions.

Miklos was already feeling much better, so under the guise of habitually surveying his surroundings with mock attentiveness for any incoming hostiles, he stole opportune curious glances at his rescuers, all of whom were doing a splendid job at paying attention in his stead. The girl, Rei, appeared to be younger than Luca, yet the quiet confidence which she exuded in her unassuming steel-grey eyes and steadfast, calculated movements matched the intensity of the fire burning steadily in the older male's perpetual presumptuous gaze, to which everything besides himself was subjected to. At present, however, both showed no outward signs of emotion on their faces as they skilfully navigated their way across uneven terrain.

As for Krea, her abrupt decision to take a nap at the most critical moment during the incident with the vynax spiders left Miklos more than a little intrigued. Perhaps no more than three to four years older than himself and youngest of the three, he approximated, Krea was characterized by. . . Well, Miklos didn't quite know how to put it himself. It was as though she were a mere visage of a person, and the essence of the individual had been shrunk and locked tightly within the fragile frame of her outer-shell. If she was speaking, it was an unnatural disturbance of normality, yet when she was not, she seemed to possess the curious ability to blend into nothingness. Twice when Miklos made eye contact with the girl, she had averted her gaze so quickly that it had him wondering if the incident ever happened at all.

It was then that his train of thoughts strayed to the outright lie he had cooked up back at the lair of the vynax spiders. So easily it had slipped out.

My name is Miklos, his thoughts echoed, replaying the irretrievable words in his head. Why had he told them that?

Why shouldn't I, if I can't remember my own? The boy is dead anyway. Good riddance to him.

A pang of guilt throbbed in his chest.

Hsssssst. . .

"Hey, watch it," Luca barked from behind.

Miklos regained visual focus on what was ahead of him in time to see a slimy, three-headed viper attempt at a quick bite on his lower jaw, before it was hastily yanked from its overhanging branch by an invisible force. Suspended mid-air, the reptile tied itself into an elaborate knot and was subsequently propelled into the undergrowth with a rapid flick of Luca's wrist.

"I-I had that," Miklos protested.

"No, you did not," Luca countered, giving him a cursory glance. "I presume you arrived in the Wildlands in the usual fashion - bound and blindfolded. How did you release yourself from your bonds?"

"The other boy helped."

Luca snorted. "I suspected as much." A thought seemed to occur to him. "The beast that they sent to bring you here - was it a horse? Is it still alive, perhaps?"

"Luca, I don't think Loric was serious when he said that we ought to bring in the horses as well," Rei interrupted. "They are not adapted to the Wildlands, they won't be of much use to us."

"Loric? Who's-" Miklos started to ask, but she turned towards him and pinned him with a serious stare.

"Look, you can't depend on us to babysit you all day. Do not forget that you are now an exiled mage inhabiting these treacherous lands, and you will have to earn your keep at the guild. Everyone does."