A Power of Old(36)

At the Impartial Minister’s warning, I looked over at Queen Trina. She was staring into the dark depths of the trees beyond. At first I thought she was nervous, but then a gust of wind blew and she turned her face toward me. The look in her eyes was one of anticipation.

She’s insane.

No one in their right mind would be looking forward to this.

Reluctantly, I headed toward the start of the forest.

“Ash, a moment, please.”

I paused as King Memenion approached. He was heavily armed, a mace hanging from his belt as well as the sword of his kingdom. On his back he wore a bow and arrow, and a small scythe had been buckled to his leg. My weaponry consisted of a dagger and the sword of Hellswan.

“Did you know we would be coming here today?” I asked, pointedly looking at his weaponry.

“No. But so far the trials have taught me nothing other than I should always come fully prepared.”

I nodded. A heads up from Lithan or Qentos would have been nice, but really the shortcoming was mine—I should have known better.

“What would you say to traveling together, just for the first few miles?” Memenion asked. “It may increase our chances of survival. I don’t know what is in there, but I do know we have less chance of defeating it alone.”

I considered his proposal. There were four scepters in the forest, which meant that all those who returned with one would progress to the next trial. I didn’t believe that Memenion would double-cross me—I didn’t know the king well, but from what I had heard, he was a fair and just one. I also couldn’t ignore the fact that he was much better prepared than I was. Only my pride held me back. Would I feel like I’d somehow cheated the task if I allowed Memenion to accompany me? It wasn’t like the trial at the lake…this was designed to be a solo venture.

Don’t be a fool, Ash.

My pride would only leave me dead. Memenion’s plan was a good one.

“I agree. We’ll face whatever’s in there together.”

The king nodded, satisfied. He gazed at the forest in determination, his expression almost angry, like the place had personally offended him.

We carried on, walking side by side to our destination. As we reached the first tree, the temperature dropped significantly. I could have sworn I heard calls, soft, low whispers, coming from the darkness within, but I didn’t know if it was just my imagination.

“Can you hear that?” I checked with Memenion.

He nodded. “Rumor has it that dead souls settle in the trees, waiting for the afterlife…but as I say, that’s just rumor.”

I nodded. “Just rumor. Right.”

Memenion squared his shoulders, readying himself for whatever we were about to face.

“Let’s go,” I announced. We were wasting time. If night fell while we were in there we would risk getting completely lost. The forest was so large it could take days to find our way out.

We treaded as silently as we could through the undergrowth. I wrapped my traveling cloak around me more tightly as my breath came out in white vapors. I didn’t understand the reason for such a temperature change. It was a warm day everywhere else across the kingdom.

We made good progress, walking briskly to keep warm, and heading in a northern direction. We had no clue as to where the scepters might be, but it would make sense that they’d be somewhere in the heart of the forest.

Memenion and I kept leaving markings on the trees with our daggers, hoping that they’d help us find the way back…that, or they’d lead something else right to us. But it was a risk we needed to take.

The whispers of the trees had continued as we walked. There was nothing discernible I could make out—it was more like a soft moan, sorrowful and unabating. I wished that it would stop. I felt like it would drive me mad before long, turning my own dagger on myself just to make the awful noise stop.

I should have been more careful what I wished for.

The whispering stopped suddenly, and Memenion turned to me in relief. We both grinned at each other. I took another few steps forward, and then froze. A resounding howl split the sudden silence.

“Fanged beasts?” Memenion whispered.

I don’t think so.

It sounded a bit like them, the four-legged creatures that stalked most of the Hellswan forests and occasionally in winter dared to encroach on the cattle, but the cry was slightly different—lower, throatier, as if the creature was larger.

Another howl echoed, coming from a different part of the forest. We hadn’t moved from where we stood, and soon the howls were coming with terrifying frequency—whatever these beasts were, there were lots of them.

“Do we run?” I suggested, my heart pounding in my chest as adrenaline kicked in.