Mist & Whispers (8 page)

‘If Miss would like, I could get the chains
– ’

‘No, no! Please don’t,’ she chuckled anxiously, cringing at his failure to notice sarcasm. As annoying as he was, she found his blind loyalty kind of endearing. She made a mental note not to joke so literally around him in future. ‘Just, don’t keep bowing at me and fetching me things. Really, I’m not special.’

‘Beggin’ your pardon, Miss,’ Barlem said, stopping himself mid-bow.

‘What are these things, anyway?’ she asked, plucking up one of the pinkish-red fruits and examining it closely. It was perfect, not a single blemish or bruise anywhere.

‘Mallow fruits, Miss. Delicious they are! The King was lucky t’find ‘em down by the marshes, ‘ad only the slightest bit o’life left in ‘em, after all these years!’

‘Life?’ Michael said, his nose pointed askew from the ogre-like soldier. ‘That tangled piece of tumble weed? I hardly think there was a shred of life left in it anywhere, and if you think I’m eating that, you have another thing coming! I don’t know how he did that but it’s just not normal!’

Barlem hung his head and Anya recognised the look on his face. Michael’s words had made her feel that way before too.

‘Michael!’ she gasped, swatting his arm. ‘There’s plenty of ways to decline a nice offer without being a complete twat.’

‘Well, obviously that
“home”
you grew up in never taught you not to take food from strangers,’ he retorted.

‘Well, obviously, your mother never taught you if you don’t have anything nice to say
–
’

‘SHUT IT, WILL YOU?’ Steph and Tim burst in unison.

Anya started, Michael lifted his chin, and Barlem looked at both Steph and Tim as if he couldn’t believe they would shout at the
Marked One
in such a manner.

‘We’ve got enough to do with finding these books, and ridding this place of this evil,
dark-thingy-majig
, without having to constantly break up your silly fights! Could you two please just be, like, civil or something, at least until we get back to Scott’s?’

Steph had a point, even if Anya didn’t want to admit it. ‘Fine,’ she agreed, rolling her eyes.

Michael, on the other hand, didn’t say anything. He just skulked off back to the hut without food. Anya knew him well enough to gather that his reaction was the closest thing to an agreement they would get, and decided not to say anything else on the matter. It was good that he wanted to help save Scott’s, but she had this deep, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that he should never have followed them to Ermius Hall. She had no inkling what may unfold, but something was telling her Michael wasn’t supposed to be part of it.

THE AWKWARDNESS DIDN’T
last long once they tucked into the mallow fruits.

‘Eat ‘em quick,’ Barlem told them. ‘The Gods will only keep ‘em so long.’

Anya would have asked what he meant but she hadn’t realised just how hungry she was until she took a bite of the deliciously gooey fruit. The mallows reminded her of baked figs; inside the skin sat a layer of thick, jam-like pulp, and the centres were a sweet swirl of sticky white and pink goo, dotted with seeds as soft as chocolate drops and a taste like walnuts.

‘Who wants the last one?’ Steph asked the others.

‘I’m done, you girls have it,’ Tim said, lying back on the ground, his hands resting like a pillow behind his head.

‘Sharesies?’ Steph asked Anya, to which Anya nodded. Steph then took the last, slightly wrinkled mallow and broke it in two, but when she saw what was inside, she screwed up her face and threw the fruit down. ‘Eww! This one’s bad!’

Anya picked it up and was surprised to see its centre rapidly turning black and oozing a thin, whey-like liquid. ‘But they were all perfect?’ she puzzled.

‘Like I said, Miss, the Gods will only keep ‘em so long. The Royal’s magic is great, but nothin’ can keep somethin’ that was nearly dead alive for long.’

Tim sat up and raised his hand at Barlem as if he were back at university, about to question a professor. ‘This magic... is it more like energy transference? Rather than making things appear out of thin air?’

Barlem laughed like it was the silliest question he’d ever been asked. ‘No one can make things appear out o’ thin air! Not even the great King Erac or Queen Toldess could do that! It’s true, they do have great powers, but the Royals are not Gods.’

‘Who are Erac and Toldess?’ Steph asked with a tilt of her head.

‘I am proud to say,’ the King began, and they turned to find Theone fluttering towards them. ‘They were my ancestors, and the greatest rulers Virtfirth has ever known.’

Steph jumped to her feet and curtsied. ‘Your Majesty,’ she breathed sweetly.

Tim watched stars appear in Steph’s eyes as she smiled at Theone, and in a heartbeat, he’d sat himself bolt upright, puffed out his chest, and manoeuvred himself into a much more manly position.

‘Thank you kindly,’ the King smiled. ‘But honestly, the pleasure is all ours. There’s no need for formalities in my company, and you may all call me Theone.’

‘And you can call me Steph,’ she said, her cheeks ripening like strawberries.

‘Or, the future Mrs Billinghurst...’ Tim chuckled nervously, though no one else seemed to find it funny. Just awkward.

‘I hope that’s not your idea of a proposal, Tim,’ Steph hissed at him.

‘No, no it wasn’t. I was just... making a joke. A very bad joke.’ His head dropped like a sad clown. ‘I know you’ve got rules for that.’

Anya cringed.
Oh God, this is painful
. ‘So,’ she said loudly, changing the subject. ‘What’s the deal with this “
Darkness”
then?’

Theone shifted and his charming smile faded. The small talk in the camp died immediately, and whether by natural coincidence or by the frosty chill that blew over the camp in that moment, the fire dimmed to half its original height. The faces of the muscle-bound soldiers saddened and she sensed that whatever had happened, it had caused great pain.

‘Eighteen years ago I ruled this land.  My wife, Lynessa, was Queen and my brother, Eleazar, was my second in command. Our younger sister, Abeytu was the keeper of virtue in Virtfirth, a symbol of purity, and our peoples’ much adored Princess. Lynessa was expecting our second child and, as customary, she was visiting the people for wishes of good luck and health in time for the infant’s arrival. We were on our way to Silver Forrest, a small village west of here, when a manticore attacked our convoy. I gave Harrion, our firstborn son, to Abeytu and told Eleazar to take them and my wife to safety whilst my men and I fought the manticore. By the time they were out of sight, a whole pack was on us. I lost two men, but eventually they were slain and we carried onward to Silver Forest.’

Theone paused before continuing, as if calling on some sort of deeper strength. ‘As we neared the village, I could hear screams; desperate cries amidst chaos, but I thought I was hearing things. The mind has a funny way of playing tricks on you when your soul has just touched the edge of this world.

‘When we got there, the screams were no more, but the chaos...’ His voice was almost a whisper, lost in the moment, ‘... the chaos had burned the village right to its bones. And my people had suffered the same fate. The screams had been real.’

He took another moment to himself, but he wasn’t searching for strength. His expression darkened and he turned a venomous eye to the cells. ‘The prisoner, fire seething from his wicked mouth, had set the village ablaze. As for my family, only one of them survived the attack. My son, still swaddled in the blanket my wife had picked out that very morning, was in the monster’s claws, sound asleep.     

‘O. M. G! He didn’t hurt the baby did he?’ Steph was hanging on Theone’s every word.

‘No. I swore no death sentence if he handed over my son unharmed, and I’m a man of my word. He returned my son and my men apprehended him.’

Even though Anya had heard the King with her own ears, it took her some time to process what he’d actually said. Lorcan, the seemingly helpless Dragon-Boy, had killed the Royal family and many others that lived in the village. The thought that she had felt sorry for a person who could cause such atrocities tied a knot in her stomach.

She found herself staring at his cell. Her chest still burned from the shock of heat that struck her when his blood had touched her skin. The feeling troubled her.

The King continued talking but she had lost herself in thoughts of the Dragon-Boy. There was something in his eyes when they’d met briefly, something she understood, though she couldn’t put her finger on it.

‘So many of the hours that followed were a blur; grief can blind even the strongest of men. But I remember the moment we realised that something else had happened that day, something even more sinister than the foul acts of that savage demon. We were stood on the peak of the Great Hill, just west of the River Wyre. From there, you can see the entire Kingdom. I heard one of my men cry out, and when I turned to see what was troubling him, I realised it was gone. The castle, and even the island on which it was built, had vanished.

‘As we stood there, staring and stupefied, we saw our lands change. We watched as the shadows of the day grew into this eternal night, and the mist turned our beasts to bone.’

‘If I may, Sire,’ Barlem said, lowering his head at his King. Theone nodded, permitting him to speak. ‘Not one man ‘as gone untouched by the Darkness, Miss. All our women ‘ave been taken by it, even the young-uns. Torn our land apart, it ‘as.’

‘Here, here,’ the soldiers chimed in subdued voices. Some were looking to the ground, racked with anguish; others patted each other on the back in an attempt to keep a sympathetic and united front.

‘So, are you the only people left here in Vir
–
t
–
fir
–
th then?’ Steph asked.

‘At first, many refused to leave their homes in exchange for the safety the forest provided. You see, the Darkness brought with it many dangers. Whispers crept out of the mist and found their way into the minds of our men. Many were lost to madness. This part of the forest was the first place we found where it couldn’t break through my protective enchantments. Now, there are few survivors. Some fled to neighbouring Kingdoms. Some joined us here and helped out around camp. Most became soldiers in the new Royal army. Those that stayed behind either died or suffered the madness; a fate most will say is far worse than any other.’

‘Forgive me for sounding simple,’ Anya said, finally turning her gaze back to Theone. ‘But, what exactly
is
the Darkness?’ All she could think of when they said it was a half-naked rock band with a peculiar taste for tight leather trousers, and rather shrill voices, singing something about Christmas time.

‘That, we cannot be sure. It appears to have no solid physicality, though it manifests in many forms. Certainly, it is a powerful force, but where it came from, we do not know.’

An unrelenting weight burdened her shoulders. These people believed that she was the solution to all their troubles, their salvation from this evil force. Every ounce of their hope was invested in her and her ability to defeat the Darkness
–
but how could she? How could anyone fight something that was, in every sense of the word, invisible?

‘So, where does Anya fit into all of this, Sir?’ Tim asked the King. ‘You mentioned a prophet?’

‘Each year, we celebrate the Crown’s greatest victory, the Great Battle of 1443. Fifteen years ago, during our more humble celebrations here in the camp, a man appeared from the skies. He knew the sadness that had befallen our land, and told us that one day Virtfirth would be saved. He spoke of a flame-haired saviour, one so powerful they could destroy the Darkness, though they would not know of their own strength until they stood face to face with this evil.’ He turned to Anya directly with his next words. ‘He bore a mark too, one much like yours.’

‘And you’re positive he meant me?’ she asked, glancing back down at the symbol in her palm.

Theone simply smiled, then stood and addressed his camp, his initial vigour returned. ‘As you know, we haven’t celebrated a Solstice since the Darkness stole the sun. We’ve been without light, without happiness for too long, mourning everything we lost; everyone who was dear to us. Like true, noble men, you have waited, ever patient for our saviour’s arrival. By never relinquishing your hope, you have remained loyal to both my word and the prophecy. Today, men, our wait is over.’

The soldiers cheered and the fire burned brighter and higher than ever.

‘I have been holding back something rather special, something that I think you will all enjoy. I ask you now to join me in celebration to mark this day,
The Coming of the Marked One
, and drink a toast in her honour.’

The mood in the camp lifted and the men got to their feet.

Theone’s hand danced in gentle cadence and at once, a gust of wind encompassed the camp fire, twisting the flames into a cyclone.
Inside, the burning orange faded to a perfect white before turning clearer than the wind that circled it. Then the fire took on another form. It appeared to crystallize, and when Theone waved his hand again, the wind evaporated, revealing a spectacular crystal fountain, shaped like a tree with leafy vines growing all around it. It was a breathtaking piece of magic to behold, and both Anya and Steph gasped upon beholding it.