The Otori Prophecy

LXVI - A Warning

"How many did Madek say he needed?" I asked. Mum and I were in the nearby forest, picking every herb we could find. I could've sworn that Madek must've planted a million different types of herbs and other plants among these trees. Even if he had forgotten about most of them. Mathias was nearby, patrolling in a circle around us. Dad rotated opposite. Ludens and Abel would've come but they were still confined to the sanctuary.

Today though, they were allowed to sit in the tavern. Madek said he needed these herbs for something. I didn't know if he was stocking up in case we needed to move or it was for my uncles. Either way, this was a lot of gathering. It was peaceful in this little patch of forest, autumn reddening the leaves, bringing the start of another season. I still couldn't get over how it was still hotter here than in the south. I thought it would've been winter by now.

I paused in my picking, looking around at the rays of sunlight that danced on the forest floor, soaking in the sounds of birds as they twittered in the canopy.

Mum had responded to me but the wind muffled her response, making the branches sway. I assumed she would tell me when we were done so I kept picking what I saw, hands pulling at stems and fingers digging out roots of different plants, dropping them into the woven basket behind me.

One by one they fell from my fingers falling onto an ever-growing messy pile.

We still hadn't talked about the vision I had, the threat of Djinar drawing ever closer. Instead, we held our breaths and waited, continuing to train and learn and heal. I turned my attention to look between the trees again. Mathias was walking, his patrol coming close to me again. He wasn't looking this way, watching further in the forest in case the monsters came. Though, Madek had said the people here in the Northern territories were much worse, far worse than any monster. Madek had also said he'd prefer a swifter death than anything those thugs would give.

Mum had covered my ears before I could hear any more of his ramblings.

My fingers snagged on another root, this one was harder than all the rest, it resisted me as I pulled a second time. I cast my eyes downwards, staring at this stupid plant. My fingers stilled in their digging, dirt smearing across my hands as I stared in disbelief. Its roots were silver-blue, gently pulsing with strange light. Black spots were appearing on the fanned out leaves. It swayed in the wind as if showing off its disease. "MUM!" I called over my shoulder. No response.

I pulled a little harder, the roots finally ripping away from the mud. I dropped it into the basket with the healthy ones, saving it for evidence. Maybe Madek would know what to do with it. I picked up the basket, hooking my arm under the handle. Turning, I found nothing but forest. "Mum?" I called out, hoping for some sort of answer. Her basket was there, tipped over, the herbs spilling from it, splaying across the mud, wilting.

Dropping my own, I turned, looking for Mathias. I saw him just moments ago, he couldn't have gone much further. I had barely looked away from him. "MATHIAS!" I called, cupping my mouth to help the sound travel. There was no sign of him. I couldn't hear anything. No crunching of leaves or twigs. No birds. Weird.

Something licked across my spine, slow and heavy. It coiled around my ankles, invisible shackles on my wrists. A fleck of something came from the sky, its feathery dance languid as it descended. It was grey. A particular shade I had seen twice before. A wave of fear flooded me. I knew what that was.

I bolted into the forest, trying to find Mum or Dad or Mathias. "MATHIAS!" I called again. He promised me. He promised that if I called, he would be there. I waited, turning round and round. He didn't show. I didn't hear anything.

Another few fleeting paces found me deeper in the forest, surrounded by things I didn't know. The trees here were starting to turn black, their leaves raining down, grey and dismal. Like life was being sucked right out of them. "DAD!" I cried, trying to will his appearance. Where was he? I couldn't find Dad.