Dark Faïz (Book 2) [Completed]

Chapters 5-3

I put my backpack down by my feet and then my hand slowly brushed against the eucalyptus bark in front of me. The diameter and height of the tree were impressive. The colorful patterns that permeated it made me think of painting.

"They are nicknamed the rainbow eucalyptus, because of their bark, which regenerate over the seasons and which leave these amazing variations of colors," a young woman explained to me. She had gray, icy eyes, and wore a red bandana around her head.

She placed her basket full of pineapple leaves at the base of the tree. Immediately she was joined by another woman, who looked exactly like her.

"I'm Xia," the young woman with the red bandana introduced herself. "And here is my twin sister, Xian."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Zoe. We come from the west coast of the United States," I said, pointing to Faïz, who was then in the middle of a conversation with a Kobold further away.

"Yes, we know!" Xian replied, glancing quickly at her sister. "News travels very quickly on the island."

Despite a warm smile on her face, her gaze remained cold.

"This is the first time that we have welcomed tourists," added her sister with real enthusiasm, excited to meet new people. "Do you like Eros?"

"Oh... Yes, very much. All these resources, these plants, and this profusion of unusual species... It almost seems unreal."

The two sisters laughed when they heard these words. It was at this point that the challenge of our mission caught up with me and my smile faded.

"Our report takes us a lot of time," I told them, trying to take a tone as detached as possible to explain my sudden change of mood.

"Well, if you have any questions or need any information, we will be happy to help," exclaimed Xia, visibly happy to feel useful.

Without waiting, I decided to seize this opportunity and began to ask them my well-targeted questions while directing the interview where I wanted to go, namely: the legend of Kushisake.

"In the event of danger, or if Eros were to be threatened one day, would the Kobolds be able to defend themselves?" I asked after several minutes of interviewing the two young women, who had been taking this exercise seriously so far.

Xia and Xian looked at each other, visibly surprised by my question.

"Eros is a modern country. Peace and respect for the environment are at the heart of your values," I tried to catch up.

"Indeed," Xian replied with caution, "we know that weapons, war, or even nuclear tests are tense diplomatic subjects in other countries of the world. We have all the technology here, but for certain things, such as the manufacturing of our outfits, the population remains attached to traditions."

Her sister suppressed a little laugh before adding,

"In addition, the flora and fauna on our island are biological weapons on their own. One would have to be crazy to overlook this detail."

The latter's intervention earned her a dark glance from her twin sister. Xia seemed to immediately regret her words.

"Why are you interested in our security? All this seems irrelevant!"

Xian's penetrating gaze instantly froze me on the spot.

"It's... It was a personal matter. There are things that we can't always control."

"Your four caliber distress pistol won't be of much help to you on Eros," said Xian, pointing to my half-open backpack at the base of the eucalyptus.

"We are taking precautions in case we get lost on the island," I explained, feeling uncomfortable and hurriedly closing my bag.

"And the satellite phone hanging from your belt?" retorted Xian. "Is it to look pretty, or is it another precaution? Eros is not the Amazon forest!"

"These things won't save you! You aren't the one chasing danger, it's the danger that is chasing you, like a prey that it watches. They are the ones who decide when the game starts," Xia added in a low voice, coming out of her silence.

Then she walked over to me, dodging Xian's hand trying to hold her back.

"The plants are full of poison," she whispered. "They can be your enemies as well as your friends. Don't forget it!"

Suddenly she crouched down to remove a small case from her shoe with an arrow inside, which she held out to me.

"A paralyzing substance is extracted from certain vines. We boil the bark of it with other leaves to get a pure concentration of poison. Then we smear it on the tips of our arrows. These are our weapons. We use these darts in case of danger from wild animals or other aggressions which could occur. This method may seem outdated, but I assure you that it's very effective."

I took the arrow, perplexed, taking care to avoid touching the end, not convinced of the usefulness of this piece of wood. Then Xian added in an almost contemptuous mocking tone,

"It will complete your war gear!"

"Survival. My survival gear," I corrected, trying to show a serene smile.