The Fall Of Imbria (The Fendara Series. Book One)

Chapter Eight: Simon

After laying Lila to rest, her name of which was disclosed by one of the people traveling with us, we begun continuing our walk through the dark forest. It took us all day to get to the lighter side, where the line between places resides. Where we made camp for the night.

The Spirit Walker Realm and Dark Forest may be similar in terror but what lies inside the former, one could say is far worse.

The Spirit Walker territory is what they call a dumping ground for the unwanted dead. Some spirits filled with sorrow, some drenched in there past and others so angry at there own death they want to take your life to the grave with them. Grabbing and pawing at your ankles trying to pull you deep into the ground.

Unfortunately this was a constant on my mind until dawn, I don't believe I closed my eyes once. I know Cassius must've trailed off eventually by the sleep still crusted in the corners of his eyes. He could sleep through anything. Must be nice, I thought to my self.

Packing up our things I try to let the relief that no one was called to the Gods last night hide my concern. If not to save myself from my own thoughts then to save the others from my discomfort on the matter.

Maybe today we will make it out unscathed and eventually I will see Victoria again.

We can only hope.

I can only hope.

Looking to Cassius whose throwing a bed roll in the wagon he catches my stare. " What ?" He asks arching a brow.

I've been pondering speaking to him regarding his dear sister but I just wasn't sure how to approach him about it. Still he hasn't spoken of her, only the basics of where we're going and how he'd like to devise a plan to save her after getting more troops from my 'family'. But I wasn't quite sure now was the right time.

"Nothing." I say rolling the question off my shoulders.

Walking over I lay a sack of food supplies down in the wagon. Opening it up I grab a apple and take a bite. Cassius just shakes his head at me. "Lie all you want. I'm a lot of things Simon but stupid I am not."

Swallowing my food I grin. "One could debate that brother." I pat him on the shoulder and walk towards the horse. Petting it's long brown face I let him eat the rest of my apple from my hand. The small prickles of his fur brushing my palm.

Cassius marches over and places a sadle bag on the back of the horse without even a look in my direction and says "I know."

Confused as to what he is speaking about I raise a brow and turn my lips into a smile. "You know what?" I ask.

He loses a breath before inhaling deep. "I know of you and my sister." His words are casual. Soft spoken even. No trace of anger to be heard or seen. That shook me to my core. Did he really mean he knows of me shagging in the barn with his sister? Does he really know of our on and off fucks over the years? The deceit I've done in not speaking to him of it? If so he's acting surprisingly well.

Trying to compose myself I keep my expression the same but bite my upper lip. "What do you mean?" I ask

Finally he looks at me, his gaze that of a humble yet stern warrior. The usual look he kept. "Of you training with her. Befriending her. Promising my father to keep her safe. " His lips twitches with a slight smile. "I appreciate you more than you realize. You're not only my greatest ally but my most loyal friend." Stalking over to me he gives my shoulder a squeeze, not letting go until he looks me dead in the eyes and says "Thank you. There's no one else I trust more."

I smirk at him in hopes it covers my inner guilt. "Of course brother. Always." My words feel poisonous leaving my mouth. I will always be here but will he? when he finds out what I've been hiding from him? "Now. Unless you're gonna have a good cry I think we should load up and head out. "

He couldn't have rolled his eyes harder. "yeah yeah yeah. Let's go then." He waves a hand to the others letting them know we're moving out.

Everyone gathers in a line. Some beside each other, others alone and one walking with the reins of our horse pulling the wagon of supplies.

I'm already contemplating how heavy we packed. Knowing where we're going, we'll be lucky if the horse doesn't spook and run off with all of our food and weapons. But we go anyways and I just hope we make it out in one piece.

*

"This is it. " I say coming to a halt.

Cassius just looks at me. "Have you ever been here before ?" He asks before returning his gaze to the cement headstones that lay behind the trees ahead.

"Once. It wasn't my finest hour." He bunches his brows at my response.

"Trying to get laid by some ghosts? What a desperate man you must've been."

Chuckling I say " As funny as that might be, no that wasn't my reason for being here." My smile slowly fades as I think about my last journey here.

After six months of wondering around. Sleeping under trees and finding cheap work to do for a few coppers just to turn around and blow the coin on ale. It was far to easy to get drunk, No one really cared my age, it didn't really matter then like it's slowly becoming an issue today. At the age of 14 you may as well be seen and treated as an adult unless you had parents that actually gave a shit and want you to live out your childhood as long as possible. Definitely not my case.

But I was 16 about to turn 17 and fled the home of my parents,I'm sure they manufactured a lie to tell the towns people about my absence. Maybe that I got an illness and died young or maybe I joined the war and died a hero, it would certainly make them look good. I pity the people who believed their lies. Regardless I worked every day and then finished with a drunken walk to a shaded area and passed out just to do it all over again the next day. I slowly made my way to the beast realm where they welcomed me. Some more than others. I stayed there for a while. Made a few friends. A few companions. Everything was going well. A nice lady even offered me shelter in her home but one day I realized I wasnt like them. Not of there nature and I didn't belong.

So I left.

I drank.

A lot.

And then there I was. Right smack in the middle of the Spirit Walker Realm. I wasnt sober enough to be scared just enough though to realize they were trying to kill me. Still I walked through, faded shadows of hands reached for me but never touched. Part of me hoped they'd drag me down with them. I had enough sorrow to share with them anyways so why not let them take some. Yet nothing happened. They reached and never grasped me. I walked out unscathed. Eventually I made my way through the dark forest and then to the small village of nice folk just living there lives. Right when I arrived a nice couple tended to me. Kept me safe. They were elderly and by the time I turned 18 they both had passed.

It was that moment that I left again, this time journeying around the continent. I found the pleasure of females exhilarating, it took my mind off of everything I had hated about my life. I trained on my skilled and honed in on my magic. Years went by and eventually I was 296 years old. Still felt as young as the day I left the village but something was missing. My heart was still empty. So I went back to that little village and that was when I saw Ephraim working outside of his cottage. Cassius was helping him chop wood. He was nineteen maybe twenty then. Victoria around the age of 16. At first when I approached and offered to help for a few coppers he asked my age and I lied. Said the age I felt. Twenty one. But he knew. Ephraim knew. He was over 500 years old then and he looked at me as if waiting for me to correct myself. So I told him. Told him my real age, where I've been and what I was looking for. I may have altered the truth a little saying I was only there for work but I think he knew just what I was really looking for. A home. A family.

"You good?" Cassius asks. His voice breaking the quiet.

Snapping back to reality I blink my eyes and nod my head. "Yeah just thinking."