Devil In Her Heart
Chapter Five, Cry For A Shadow
Maureen lay stretched out by the fire, exhausted, confused, and cold. The blue flames flickered lower and lower as the mage Liryl drifted deeper into sleep, unable to renew the spell. Maureen felt she was the imposing one, and therefore deemed it pretentious to wake the mage simply for her to renew the fire. John slept peacefully enough nearby, indifferent to the plummeting temperature. Paul, too, was sleeping, and Maureen took the advantage to inch closer to the dwindling fire.
Cupping her hands over the pitiful flames, Maureen craned her neck upwards, gazing into the vast blackness of space. Try as she might, she couldn't locate the familiar constellations that had become second nature to her as a child. Maybe this really was another world, as they had described.
The explanation Liryl had offered was no different than what the four Beatles had told her before; the magic, the different world, the excitement that seemed to drift on the air like dust. There was clearly something special about this place…just what it was, that was what Maureen was having trouble putting her finger on.
Mind soothed somewhat, and body warmed by the fleeting flames, Maureen fell into a deep and fitful sleep.
****
George awakened slowly, his head pounding as if with a massive hangover. He sat up slowly, the thick dew rolling off the leather vest and dripping from his hair in silvery droplets. He gazed out at the field for a moment, in awe of the shimmering dew that covered everything in a sparkling blanket, like frost, only more delicate, more life-giving.
George laboriously lifted himself to his feet, gently shaking the dew from his clothes. Everything ached, and he moaned in agony as he stretched. The soft noise brought Liryl's senses to life immediately, and she was on her feet before George could even blink. He jumped in shock, and Liryl stared back with equal surprise.
"How…how do you feel?" she asked slowly, as if afraid of the answer.
George shrugged. "Fine." But the single word ricocheted through his head like a bullet, and his confidence faltered. "What happened to me?"
Liryl pursed her lips. "Don't you remember?"
George frowned. "Remember what?" He thought hard for a long moment, and Liryl didn't respond until he shrugged, unable to come up with the events.
"You flew up to survey the lay of the land. Something happened, and…" Liryl paused, bowing her head in embarrassment.
"And?" George coaxed.
"And it appears I was wrong. Concerning the corruption of your charm, I mean. It would seem that something you saw triggered the reaction, and…"
George let out a cry of surprise and despair; he remembered now! "…and I burst into flame," he finished for her. The calmness in his voice was almost disturbing.
Liryl nodded.
"What does that mean? For my powers?" George's voice faltered; what could happen now?
Liryl shrugged softly, a few drops of dew sliding down her cheek, which she wiped away. "I don't know. You may be able to use the corrupt power to your advantage, or it could only hinder you. There is no way to tell."
George didn't respond, gazing emotionless at the others sleeping on the ground. "What about them?"
"They're worried." Liryl avoided the question.
"No, what about their charms?"
Liryl sighed. "I told you before, there is risk in using them. Theirs may be corrupt, too. Only time will tell."
"Until then?"
"We must continue."
John stirred, brought to consciousness by the soft voices. He sat up, wiping the dew from his eyes and letting his back stretch and crack. Blinking in the midmorning sun, he beheld Liryl and George, conversing seriously. He stood up, alarmed.
"What's happened?"
George shook his head as a way of calming John down. "Nothing's happened, don't worry. Liryl was just explaining what was happened."
John examined George's face carefully; he was certainly taking this well. Not what he'd expected to happen.
"What are we to do now?" John asked, turning to Liryl, who clearly had the most knowledge of the group on Valeth.
Liryl thought a moment. "I had thought of a plan, but it's very risky, and I'm not sure it could work."
"Oh?" John stood up, listening expectantly, giving Paul a nudge with his shoe so he wouldn't miss it. "What's this?"
Liryl reached into a small leather pouch strapped to her thigh, extracting a small piece of carefully folded paper. She knelt on the ground, smoothing it over her knees as John, George, and a sleepy Paul gathered around her.
"This," she said, pointing to a small clump of neatly sketched trees. "Is where we are now." She traced her finger along the paper to another small forest, interconnected at one point. "This is the forest inhabited by the circle of rebel dragons. The route we would take leads through the Valley of Lost Souls, here," she pointed to where the forests connected. "And would end here," pointing to the middle of the second forest, "at the Eternal Circle. From there, we could meet with the dragons."
John stared at her incredulously. "To what end? Dealing with dragons doesn't sound particularly great to me!" George and Paul mumbled similar insecurities.
Liryl nodded. "I said, it is risky. Our only hope is that they hate the Dark Apprentice more than they would hate us. The Dark Apprentice is said to have a carrying grudge with the dragons, and that alone could aid us in her destruction."
"After that?" Paul prodded, wiping the sleep from his face.
Liryl frowned. "I hadn't thought that far."
George shrugged, straightening up. "Understandably so. If we don't get the alliance of the dragons, that what would be the point of going further until we knew we had - or didn't have - their help?"
The others agreed; they would set out immediately. The fire had extinguished long ago, and Maureen was curled into a small ball, blanketed in a soft layer of dew. John watched her sleep a moment before speaking.
"And her?"
Liryl answered with little or no pause. "She must be returned to your world, through the window immediately. This is no place for a young woman without powers."
"Your charm…?"
Liryl shook her head. "Too risky. I only suggested it last night as a peace offering. Cruel, perhaps, but there was no other way. We can take her back to the window, then continue through the forest to the Valley of Lost Souls."
The others nodded in agreement, casting glances at Maureen, who was just beginning to wake up. The four walked back to the fire circle, standing nearby as she sat up and stretched. She blinked her sleepy eyes slowly, watching them in confusion. "What's going on?"
The three Beatles exchanged glances. "We're taking you back."
Maureen's eyes grew wide. "To earth?"
George stepped forward. "This is no place for you. You don't understand this world, and we can't risk endangering you or our mission."
Maureen stood up in defiance. "But-"
Liryl stepped forward, and Maureen stopped immediately; she had learned Liryl was much more powerful than she. "Maureen," she said softly. "You have to understand…Valeth is no place for the magic inept. We wouldn't always be able to help you."
Maureen held up the charm. "What about this? I thought you said-"
Liryl shook her head. "I'm afraid your use of my charm would be too risky. There's no telling what the side effects would be." Maureen had seen George's fall, and surely she understood the consequences.
Tears started to form in Maureen's eyes. "But…Rich…"
Paul stepped forward, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll bring him back safely. I promise."
Maureen looked from Paul, to John, to George, and to Liryl, making eye contact with each of them and trying to find yet another reason she should stay, but in the end, found none. With a deep, shuddering breath, her shoulders drooped, and she nodded slowly in acquiescence.
By this time, the sun was rising over the glistening field, and the five set out to return to the window; on the way, Liryl again reminded them that the soldiers will have been awakened or replaced, and that they should be on their guard for another fight. Maureen trailed along behind them, steps slower than everyone else, still wishing she could aid in the rescue of her husband. Yet the others were right; she would only be a hindrance, and Maureen didn't want that.
The forest was deathly quiet in the rising beams of golden sunlight, and as they got nearer to the location of the window, the party grew silent, preparing for the fight. Paul and George transformed; Paul skipped lightly alongside the group, listening carefully with his heightened senses, and George kept his wings carefully folded to avoid brushing them on the trees. John's own powers skimmed the forest for traces of any other mind waves - yet encountered none. In fact, it began to make him uneasy; not a single soul appeared to be around. Liryl, too, seemed on edge. Something was wrong.
The clearing came into sight, and no one had challenged them. Liryl stepped forward into the clearing, concern written on her face.
The window was gone.
Liryl walked in a circle around the outer bounds of the small clearing, looking for the slightest glint, the tiniest evidence that the window remained...nothing. Frantically, Liryl searched again, but still came up with nothing.
George's wings twitched. "What happened?"
Liryl returned, worry written on her tired face. "I don't know! The only explanation is that..." She grew pale.
"What?" John demanded, stepping forward to stand by George.
"The Apprentice closed it. That's all I can think of, and if I'm right..." She paused, looking miserable. "Then we have far less time than I thought. We must continue to the Valley immediately." Liryl turned on her heel, stepping into the middle of the clearing. George, too, stepped forward, and they talked in hushed voices.
Watching the interchange with confused eyes, Maureen moved to stand next to Paul, who seemed least bothered by her presence. "What's going on?"
Paul shot her a sidelong glance, then turned back to watch Liryl. "The window's been closed, and she thinks it was Mystique."
Maureen was silent for a moment, mulling over this in her head. "What does that mean for me?"
Paul shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess you're coming with us."
Maureen frantically suppressed her joy. "Oh." She turned away so Paul couldn't see the grin spreading across her face.
George glanced at Maureen over his shoulder. "What about her?"
Liryl followed his gaze with her eyes, frowning. "I worry. We can't take her with us. She doesn't belong here."
George snorted. "We don't have much choice."
Liryl's face became flushed, and her fists clenched in frustration. "I suppose not." She turned back to the group. "We must move on if we are to be out of the Valley by dark." Turning, she began to walk, adding under her breath, "I would hate to be there after the sun sets…"
****
Paul dipped his hands into the fast-flowing, clear water, throwing it onto his face and neck. He exhaled sharply as the crisp drops saturated his collar, which was already damp with sweat. The walk was long and draining, daunting due to lack of horses or other transportation, but seeing as they were so far away from the city, and Liryl did not wish to deplete her magic for the road ahead, they were stuck on foot. Every now and then, George flew overhead to rest his feet, skimming lightly above the trees.
The others crowded around the stream, washing their faces of the heat and grime of the past hours. The sun was high in the sky, beating down even through the cover of the thick canopy. According to Liryl, they were an hour away from entering the Valley. After that, it would be five more before they reached the safety of the other forest. There they would spend the night and meet with the dragons in the Eternal Circle at noon the next day.
John unabashedly pulled off his shirt, dipping it into the crystal water before wringing it out and pulling it back over his head, hissing through his teeth at the frigid water. George had de-transformed long ago, since his wings seemed to be magnets for the heat, and now he splashed water on his face, letting it drip down his back and saturate his hair. Liryl produced a small container and filled it with the clear water, then bent to drink herself. Maureen crouched beside her, as inconspicuously as possible, and also drank.
After they had refreshed themselves, Liryl made it clear that it was best to move on. They didn't have much time to reach the other side of the Valley before the sun set. No one dared ask why the Valley was so dangerous after sunset.
As they continued to walk, the canopy above became denser, and the light from the sun was strangled into small patches. A light fog began to form, and the air was pierced now and again with an eerie cry from an unseen animal. A rumble of thunder was heard in the distance.
Liryl stopped the party, and turned to George. "George, can you fly up and see how far away that storm is?"
Obligingly, George spread his wings and leapt into the air, wings swiftly biting through the thick canopy and bursting into the clear space above.
The air was thick with humidity and electricity, and the hair on the back of George's neck stood up in the charged air. Off in the distance, black clouds roiled, and the entire sky looked as if it were boiling, flashes of lighting lancing the darkness. A shiver of apprehension ran down George's spine, and he dove back into the canopy, glad for the cover of the forest.
The others were sitting on the forest floor when George returned, dropping lightly to his feet. Liryl stood up, brushing stray blades of grass from her tunic and waiting for his report.
George shook his head. "It looks like a really nasty storm," he said, folding his wings. "I don't think we'll beat it to the other end of the Valley."
Liryl cursed under her breath, her brow furrowing. "We have already entered the Valley; it would be foolish to turn back now. Our only hope is to reach the other side as soon as possible, hopefully before dark. If this means fighting a storm, we have no choice," she said, addressing the group seriously. "Better to be soaked and alive then to leave without a soul," she added softly.
Maureen's eyes went wide at this last comment, but she didn't say anything, although she clearly wanted to. Her stomach rumbled, and Paul slipped her a small piece of dried meat from a pouch tied to his hip that Liryl had given him.
George's wings disappeared in a flash of light, and they continued onward. Liryl led the way, followed by George. Maureen walked in the middle, since she was the least protected, and Paul followed her; John brought up the rear, keeping his mind aware of the woods around them. They walked in silence, the sunlight piercing the canopy less and less frequently, and the air becoming charged with electricity. The five travelers became increasingly uneasy, Liryl only speaking to relay orders. The thunder became increasingly louder as they continued, flashes of light illuminating the eerie forest. The landscape became less like a forest and more like a swamp, murky marshes interspersed throughout the sickly trees. Vines and cobwebs hung from the trees, reaching out as if to ensnare passers-by.
The sky continued to darken, and the group quickened their pace, for it was no longer the storm that was darkening the sky, but the setting of the sun. Liryl compulsively checked a gold charm every five minutes, seemingly able to tell the distance of the sun from the horizon. She frowned, holding up a hand to signal for them to stop. They grouped around her to hear what she had to say.
Liryl's face was intensely serious, illuminated by the soft glow of the golden sun charm. "The sun is reaching the horizon now," she said, her voice low but unwavering. "After dark, this forest becomes more and more dangerous before the time reaches midnight. At that time, the forces here are at their peak, and we have little hope of salvation then." She paused, taking a breath. "We must continue on, no matter what happens. It is our only hope."
The others nodded in silent agreement, and slowly, they formed into a group and continued onward.
****
Your little friends are quite amusing.
They won't be so 'amusing' when they kick your arse.
Hmm…we shall see.
Stay Tuned!
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