Shadows Reborn (2nd Book)

Chapter 21: The Haunting Words

When dawn finally arrived, they immediately set off, Althalos and Alianor on Seraith's back, and the others on the older and bigger dragon. They flew, going eastward, towards the capital of this country, Shardizar itself.

Along the way, violent thoughts raged inside their minds, a particularly grim one settling inside a young Shadow Champion, where he imagined himself gutting the woman Maelwyn like a hunter does to game.

Wind flowed past them, and with it, dust and residual matter, which did not bode well for the humans astride the two dragons, who had to deal with such irritating things being stuck in their eyes.

They also had the pleasure of watching a sun fall before the seas at first hand, and although they could not directly gaze upon the radiance of Zeddicus himself, they could see the outline of its magnificence, bursting colors of red, orange and even blue overlapping to create a hue of astounding beauty.

When the dark of night came, and the stars deigned to show themselves before Magnus, they landed upon a secluded area miles away from the towering city. Coincidentally, the first words that were heard was Fendrel asking,"Where does this forest lead to?"

"The saeltoren?" Althalos asked back, knowing the reason to his question, and the cautious glare gleaming in his piercing blue eyes. "This is a large forest, the saeltoren couldn't possi..."

"You'd think that, my boy," Fendrel interjected, as the others watched with interest, apart from Alianor, who entertained herself playing with Justin, the young boy that until now, Althalos had no idea why he saved him. "But the forest women's eyes are the trees themsel..."

Again, their conversation wa interrupted, but this time, of a women's voice crying out,"You will die, mortal Fendrel!"

"Get out of the forest!" Came the words quickly exploding out of Fendrel's lips. They heeded such an order, even the dragons themselves, and they watched as a woman wearing a flowing green dress and enigmatically mesmerizing eyes gazed at them with unrestrained fury, particularly at Fendrel, and at the same time, an abominable tree-like man appeared beside her, its roots as the feet, and the branches as its arms, with many more jutting out at different angles and lengths.

"Take one step, little mortal, and your soul is mine!" Came the saeltoren's voice, roaring out each single word like it was poison tainting her lips. The ligvus roared in its own voice, sounding more like trees falling before a storm, and its claws shined, even under the night sky, as well as the fact that it is made of wood.

"I won't make such mistake again, woman," Fendrel hissed, his sword, Merec's sword, the Dragon Blade, resting on his palm, poised for the blood of the trees should it be needed. "I know that much."

"We will see!"

With that, it vanished back into the forest, followed by the living tree that served her, and it seemed as if the forest hid her from their narrowed eyes.

So hidden, that even the Nightwalkers' glances and glares towards the ominous forest were for naught. It was as if the saeltoren herself became with the shadows themselves, indiscernible to any eye, even that of a demon's.

"I told you," Fendrel breathed out, as if running that short length exhausted him to no end. "No one escapes the saeltoren once she has been angered, and no one can ever repay their debts."

"Except for death," Miasmador added, his deep voice punctuated by a growl and a deep breath, smoke drifting out of its nose, and Althalos took a second to watch the black smoke waft through the air, twisting and twirling until it dissipated.

He turned to Fendrel. "Then, we camp here? Very much vulnerable?"

Seraith suggested a plausible solution. Immediately too, surprising them all. The dragon's blue horned head was also turned to Fendrel as she said,"Since your son is a Champion of Merec, perhaps he can shroud us all in a blanket of darkness? At least until the rise of dawn?"