Champions of Light: Gaëtano's Sword [Book One]

Chapter Four

The Deep Forest

Simultaneously as the sun peered over the horizon and the bell chimed for the start of a new day, the thirteen had procured horses and had set off down the slumbering streets, suited up and ready for adventure. The forest was but three hours away by horseback, and the sense of excitement bubbled in their chests. Yet, when the looming mass of the forest crept closer and closer, seeming to get thicker and more expansive, their wariness began to catch up to them.

The sun was still hanging low in the sky when they dismounted, confronted with the gloom of the thick forest in front of them. They sent the horses back to the tavern and warily watched them ride away, a symbol of their last ticket away from the impending danger.

"Anyone have an idea of where this palace is?" John asked as he stared into the wave of trees. They all felt silly for not discussing it before.

"I've read about the Hidden Palace," Freddy answered, matter-of-factly, "it is in the dead center of the forest." They all shivered from the word 'dead'. "There is a river that flows directly through the forest, though we can't see it now. If we follow it, the Palace won't be far from its banks. There will most likely be a shrine near the epicenter of the river, so we'll know when to branch off towards the Palace. And, once we've gotten the gem, the river will lead us straight for the White Citadel."

"Sounds good enough for me," Liona scraped her sword against the ground and began walking towards the forest. Whether by fear of being left alone or fear of cowardice, they all slowly followed her into the abyss.

The first few hours were uneventful, as they followed what could be called a path. Charlotte, who had thankfully worn walking trousers and a light blouse, had passed the time by complaining about this or that, and each time, John would do what he could to fix it. Liona was leading the group, with Lany just behind, scampering about with too much energy for such a small person. Chris, Sean, Gregory, and Skylar made up the next group, who trotted along with as easy conversation as the forest could allow. Alice and Kim trotted behind, bringing up the rear. Kim passed the time talking Alice's ear off, but Alice didn't mind, and smiled as she watched Kim balance on tree roots and jump on rocks.

When the sun was high in the sky, it seemed in the thickness of the trees, that it had slowly became dusk again. An uneasy silence lulled the group as they scampered over massive roots that ruptured their path. They had yet to find the river, and the thickness of the forest made it impossible to gauge how far they had come. The oppressing possibility of an unseen or unknown threat was in everyone's mind, with Freddy's words from the night before ringing in their ears. There was an unspoken debate to break for lunch, but no one felt comfortable enough to stay in one place for very long. After a small snack, they returned to their hike, following what they thought was east.

Once true evening had struck, they were all unnerved. Any small movement, even that of a squirrel, made them startle. There was an oppressive notion that they were being watched. As they came to an unspoken agreement to stop for the night and post a small campsite and bonfire, they all wondered how far it would be until they reached the center.

There was uneasy conversation, as Skylar attempted to keep their spirits high with lighthearted remarks and optimism. Liona started a fire from the branches and dead wood they had found around their area. They shared what food they had brought along with them, and Lany set up traps for tomorrow's food. Lany had proudly shared the knowledge of the trap's assembly with whomever was curious. Gregory produced a haunch of meat he had taken from the banquet of the night before, and their hearts rose a bit higher from the pieces he graciously shared. Vikki didn't like the feeling of sleeping in an unknown forest and so she assembled a sort of alarm system to wake them should anything enter their camp. Kim was making arrows for her quiver and caught bugs and lizards to show off to Alice, who was sitting next to her, quietly nibbling on her food.

That night, what passed as sleep was uneasy and uncomfortable at best, with their ears perking at every small movement or slight sound, until the morning crickets resounded once again. But it was the silence after the breaking of dawn that woke them all. Vikki and Liona had slept in shifts, keeping watch over their sleeping compatriots, and were taking a small cat nap while the others were waking. Lany gathered what prey had been caught from the traps. They all ate in silence, and slowly gathered their bags groggily to continue.

Somehow, that day was even darker than the day before, and the air foretold of rain. Once again, the start of the day was uneventful, as they followed Liona once through the woods. There was no longer any semblance of a path, and so she followed her inner compass towards what she felt was east. The group slowly drifted closer together, as the trees leered more sinister than before. The feeling that they were being watched was more prominent, and they all grasped their bags or weapons tighter, to give themselves courage. Even Skylar and Kim couldn't shake the dreary feeling.

At first, there were small webs within the branches, or wrapping them completely, and gradually, the webs became bigger and thicker. Kim seemed more skittish than usual, staying close to Alice and behind Liona and Chris, who led the group. Chris swiped the webs away with his sword, following Liona's example. He wasn't a fan of spiders, but he knew if they went off course, they might lose their sense of direction entirely, so charged on with a stoic force. The trees were almost white with webs, and an unbearable silence hung over their heads. Lany looked up and shouted for them to look out. Impossibly large spiders were quickly descending on their heads, ready for a meal. A spider grabbed Alice, and Sean immediately sprung forward and cut into its gut, covering them with its ichor. He grabbed her and yelled for them all to run, which they did gladly, with the spiders biting at their heels.

Vikki sent throwing knives in the eyes of the spiders, but there were too many for her to take care of them all, so she only targeted the ones who got too close. They sped through the webs, barely even trying to cut them down first, and the spiders skittered after them, too hungry to let such decadent meals go. The webs began thinning again as they pushed through the spider's den, and, after a breathless sprint, the spiders began turning back.

The group heaved from the sudden excitement and stopped just a moment before resuming. They didn't want to know what else was waiting for them in the forest, but it was far too late for them to turn back now. Once they resumed walking, the light slowly lifted the oppressive feeling from before.

A mist soon dripped through the leaves and found marks on the ground or those traversing it, creating a lovely mix of dappled sunlight and damp air. Alice was one of the only ones who seemed to appreciate the rain, smiling into the surrounding nature. What was another unfortunate event to those around her, was bright and full of lively contrast to her. The vibrant green of the leaves popped out against the deep brown of the ground, which brought petrichor wafting to her nose. There was an odd sense of relief and hope in this rain. Kim seemed to join in her enjoyment, jumping from rock to rock or root to root without touching the forest floor, smiling at her friend's expression which seemed so foreign on her usually timid companion.

This sense of love towards the rugged scene of the forest around was suddenly interrupted by an odd opening in the forest where a mossy statue stood, daring them to approach.

Freddy entered the clearing first, curiously examining their stone visitor. "I don't understand, this looks like the shrine I was talking about, but we have yet to find the river."

"What does that mean?" Charlotte asked, wary that they had taken a wrong turn, meaning they'd be in there longer than she'd like.

"Somehow, we've come to the epicenter of the forest. But the river should be right here. There isn't even an indentation of where it might have been if it had somehow dried up."

"Is it possible that this isn't the marker you meant?" Chris asked.

"No, this is exactly what was depicted in the book. It is possible that more than one shrine was erected near the epicenter of the forest, though. The Palace shouldn't be too far from here, though I'm not sure which direction we should go."

"That's easy, we go forward," Lionastated, walking back into the forest. Before anyone could say anything, andbefore she could take three steps past the first tree beyond the clearing, aspring clicked. Lany shouted for her to stop, and a wooden trap with foursteaks sprung and impaled her instantaneously. Her body slumped as blood beganto pool from her now lifeless body, and they all looked upon the scene withhorror.