Broken Glass - Taekook

17

As we leave the dryads behind, they fade back into the forest, until all that's left of their presence is a gentle whisper on the wind, a quiet murmur of farewell. I shiver, involuntarily, as the sound curling in my ears in an unfamiliar way.

The road we walk on follows the forest, in a gentle curve that blocks our view of Rushgrove. Namjoon is at the front of our little group, with Seokjin and Yoongi, then Taehyung and I walk side by side in the middle, and Jimin and Hoseok bring up the rear, talking in hushed voices with each other, conversations I try not to listen to, even though their words float through the air before me on the breeze. I pick up a few phrases, but not enough to truly understand what they're talking about. It doesn't matter, either way. 

As the sun slowly sets, and the shadows of the trees slowly grow with every step, the gravel track seems to shimmer with a faint silver glow in the dull yellow light of the lanterns we pass. On closer inspection, I realise it's scarred with the marks of centuries of travel. Footsteps mingle with horse shoes, and the tell-tale groove of a wagon or carriage wheel cuts through the first layer of the road.

Every step I take on this road , the stones sliding together in a discordant chorus that mingles with the monotone melody of the wind, with the distant snatches of birdsong, with the calm rustle of leaves. Whenever my eyes flicker to the trees, I can almost see the dryads watching us, knots turning into faces and then back into twisted bark. Several times, I find myself wondering if it's just my imagination. It wouldn't surprise me, at this point.

And then I hear it.

On the wind, a scream raises into the night, a blood-chilling sound that twists and turns in my ears. The seven of us freeze, horrified, and then Taehyung's hand takes my wrist, tugs me into a protective circle. Namjoon's talking in a low, hurried mumble, but I don't pick up on the words, unable to focus on anything except for that shrill sound. Someone else shouts, a pained, feral sound that sends a shudder through my entire body.

"We have to help them."

The words tumble from my mouth unbidden, but once the thought is spoken, I can't take it back. Namjoon's desperate ramble stops abruptly, and his pale face turns to stare at me, stunned. Something about the way I said it, something about the shouts that echo through the air around us, seems to change him.

"How?" Namjoon murmurs, hopelessly, and I have to force myself to hear it, to focus on that rather than the sounds of agony that emanate from the world ahead. "We can't. We take one step into Rushgrove, they'll notice us."
"There's got to be a way," I insist, feeling the familiar warmth of tears behind my eyes, my throat tightening as I speak. "We can't just leave them to die." For a moment, we stand still, thinking, and then another scream joins the others. "I won't walk away and do nothing."

"We can't defeat a group of Knights," Seokjin points out. "They'll know the second we access the golden river. We'll die before we can help anyone."
"Not if we don't use the river," Yoongi muses, thoughtfully.
"Then we don't stand a chance!" Jimin exclaims, his eyes wide with fear. "I can't fight. You know that. If I get face to face with a Knight, I'm dead. I'd gladly give my life for Eithyr, but-"

"Who said you'd get face to face? Who said you had to fight them like that?" I interrupt. There's a silence, and then Namjoon manages a smile, beginning to see my point of view. 
"You know, you've got a point. If we use an element of surprise, we might be able to defeat them."
"They're superhuman. With super strength. They'll be able to sense us," Taehyung points out, frowning. "There's nothing we can do that's unexpected, surely?"

"For all they know, we're just travellers on a road," Seokjin cuts in. "We don't have to show what we really are. If we close our minds to the golden river, entirely, they might not realise what we can actually do."
"Move fast, and do the last thing you usually would," I suggest, starting to believe that we might actually be able to do this. "Be impulsive. If they can't predict us, they can't stop us as quickly. If they don't know what we're doing, how are they supposed to react? Super speed can't fix things if they don't know what to do. If they don't understand what's going on, they have to process it first. It might get us somewhere, anyway."