|[ THE BROKEN SEAL - 3 ]| UNDERGOING MAJOR RE-WRITING

Chapter 3 // Hallowed Ground

I felt the bark of the tree press harshly into my spine, stopping me from falling asleep. Cedric rested a few feet away, his arms wrapped around himself loosely. I watched as he mumbled something under his breath, his mouth curling down and his limbs shaking. A nightmare. I knew it was the same one had had every night – every night since we had left Trinstone for the eastern cities he had woken shouting, or clutching thin air. I knew better than to wake him now. I tried to ignore his barely audible pleading.

“Don’t go… no… don’t… go.” I shuddered. It was my fault he was having those nightmares, and yet, even though I had come back they weren’t leaving him. A moment later Cedric jolted awake, his fingers clawing into the ground beside him. His eyes met mine and he fell back onto his shoulders, sighing deeply.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered. He didn’t look at me but his fingers clawed deeper.

“It’s not your fault.” He said through gritted teeth. He wiped his forehead, leaving dirt on his sweaty skin. I looked away, staring away into the trees. My eyes itched to close but I didn’t dare. We had already been attacked by the souls of the dead – it was not safe to rest, not until we reached a city or village; a place with solid walls. I glanced over to my left and saw the glittering ocean distantly through the trees – a black line of water that shimmered.

“Do you know how far we have to go?” I asked, resisting the urge to yawn. If I did Cedric would demand I rest and that he take watch. But I could see the tiredness in his face, in the darkness under his eyes.

“To Iškas? Who knows.” He said his voice slightly bitter, “I know that if we stick to the shoreline we will get to Sulau eventually. But I haven’t travelled this way in years – our business has never been with the area.”

“But if we just stay with the ocean beside us we will get there?” I asked softly. Cedric nodded, keeping his eyes down.

“You still have to explain to me why we are doing this? Why you made me leave my people – why you left yours.”

“I had already left mine…” I whispered, “You know that.”

“Then why make me leave mine?” Cedric asked, “You could’ve gone straight to Iškas without me.”

“Is that what you would have preferred?” I asked quietly, staring at him. My chest seemed to tighten almost painfully, “Would you rather I had never gone to get you?”

“Irene! Look at us.” Cedric snapped, “I thought you were dead. I went without you for months!”

“Months... But… oh.”

“Oh. Indeed. Just remembered, have you? Just remembered that time runs differently there? Yes I went without you for months. I had nightmares about losing you over and over for months. And then you come back, and of course I was happy to see you! Of course I was… I was ecstatic that you were alive! And then you drag me away from my home, drag me out here where we spend the nights waiting for another Soul to find us and kill us. And why?”

“Because you’re in danger.” I whispered, “The Pareģis…”

“What? She was going to kill me? In case you haven’t noticed, Irene, but she has made no attempts on my life so far. But you bringing me out here has left me with several.”

“You want to go back to Trinstone, fine.” I breathed, “You want to go back to your people and wait for the Souls to kill you all you do that.” I stood, “But I’m going to Iškas and I’m going to fix this.”

“Irene, I’m not going to just leave you.” Cedric sighed, running his hands through his hair. He stood up and moved to stand before me. “I’m just… I’m upset and confused and… you show up after months of me thinking you’re dead and act like everything is okay and then drag me away and I just… please help me understand.”

“This is my fault…” I breathed, looking up at him, “All of it. The Souls breaking free, the Seals being in danger of breaking… it’s my fault.” I blinked back tears, “And I want you with me… because I don’t want to get back to Trinstone, or to Thalandor, and find your body in a tomb.” I wiped away a tear as it fell.

“Irene, shh, I’m right here.” Cedric whispered, taking my hands in his, “I’m safe. I’m fine. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Cedric, I’m way over my head here…” I cried, “These Souls… I can’t kill them… they pass through walls like we would water. And the Pareģis – she’s like a god! How could I hope to defeat her?”

“Irene, we’ll figure it out…” he broke off as a twig snapped close-by. “What was that?” I whirled out of his grip and stared into the darkness, watching as a shadow whipped past the tree.

“Cedric…” I breathed, “I think we should…” the blue figure burst like a spark into existence beside the tree, face and torso moulding from white-blue wisps. Its hands ragged, it clawed for me. “Run!” I whispered.

We only grabbed out weapons, ignoring the bedding we had scavenged, and sprinted away from the campsite. I glanced over my shoulder to see more Souls had appeared, gliding silently through the trees, no more substantial than wind. A branch whipped Cedric in the face and his nose started to bleed. I stumbled over a stray root and my ankle twisted painfully. The Souls gained ground on us with each step, hungrily seeking after us with black, empty eye-sockets.

“Cedric, faster!” I cried, searching for him in the darkness but he wasn’t there anymore, “Cedric?” I shouted, “Cedric!” the trees began to clump closer together and I was scratched over the face and neck more than once by overhanging branches. The Souls passed through the trees with no hindrances, gaining as I stumbled through crevices between trunks. “Cedric!” I screamed, voice tearing free of my throat. I fell onto my stomach as a root grabbed my ankle. I scrambled to my feet quickly ignoring the blood welling from my split lip.

The Souls were right on my ankles now, their moaning in my ears, their fingers inches away from touching my skin. What would it feel like, my half-panicked brain wondered, if it touched me? Would it be like a real hand, soft and solid? Or like the wind or water, brushing against me?

Living… living… the Souls breathed to me.

“No, Irene!” Cedric’s voice made me turn and see the pale shimmer of white in the dark night; see the runes and symbols painted in the black. The Souls fingers were at my throat, a hair’s breadth from touching my skin. And then it was gone, banished from the darkness like a lamp being shuttered.

“Cedric?” I breathed as I stumbled towards him, “what happened?”

“Hallowed ground.” he said, almost smiling, “See?” he gestured towards the white pulsing runes I had seen before, “The Seer’s Stone. If ever there was a place safe from danger it is here.”

“Did you know about it being here?” I asked. He shook his head.

“I knew it was in this general area – I’ve been here once before – but… it’s luck that led us right to it. We’ve lost sight of the shore now, though. We’ll have to find that again in the morning.”

“And then to Sulau?” I asked.

“And from there to Kanas. We should be able to get new supplies and maybe horses in both towns – if they haven’t already been destroyed or pillaged. Sulau is a trading post. It is big. Hopefully it will be okay.”

“If.” I echoed. I looked up at him, “We both know walls and fences won’t keep the Dead out.” I curled my fingers like claws into the palm of my hand. “What are we going to do if we can’t stop her? The Pareģis? What are we going to do if the world really does end?”

“We’ll come back here.” Cedric breathed, “We’ll sit on sacred ground and spend our last few hours like we have forever.”