Ritual

Chapter 8

The bar that locked the gate lifted slowly, and the gates opened us to the vast world outside. Dirt and grass grew all over the ground, and a short walk forward could lead you to the dense trees of the forest. There was a small path, not a road, but a man-made path of dirt that leads to the direction of the far-off kingdoms in the distance.

Entering the forest felt safer now that I had an armada of trained knights right behind me. The last time I was here, I was chased down by a hybrid, seconds away from being its next meal, and now I was hunting one.

I realized that I could be the only one who has ever seen a hybrid in its true form and hunting it with a large group of men who do not know what it looks like could be a problem.

Before we were too deep in the woods, I turned around the group of knights behind me. "I suppose you're wondering why we're out here today," I said aloud. "We're here to hunt for a few special things and a creature that lives out in these woods, in the free grounds. This creature is a vicious and dangerous thing, with silver skin and long claws, and it holds the slight look of a human, except it is completely deformed. We need to catch him, and I need all of you to keep your eyes and ears open, and when you see it, alert the others, because we have somewhere to be this afternoon." I said.

The knights looked around the woods, confused and bewildered. I turned around and kept moving.

We searched for roses first, because it was the easier option. Roses grew quite secretively in the forest, you could see them in the parts of the woods that would usually leave you lost and stranded.

We eventually reached the graves and the tombs of the people who died in the Great Death. Their moss-covered tombs gave us an eerie feeling about the place. Above us, the branches of the trees reached for each other, nearly covering the skies. Just moving past the graves felt somewhat chilling and sinister.

The forest was quiet as usual, nobody dared to talk. The birds chirped, and the sound of it distorted in the air like it was traveling through water. We looked around keenly, for any sight of a red flower blooming in the greens, and soon, I spotted a whole bush of them.
"Yes, your beauty," I said, and got off of my horse, and picked a bunch. When I came back, the knights looked at me, unsure of what I was doing. I was about to tell them that I didn't drag them here to guard me while I pick for flowers, and suddenly, a loud noise flooded the forest, and it sounded like a person roaring like a lion, or a booming groan that raised the hair on my neck. Whatever it was, it sounded unusual, and I was sure it was the hybrid, and it was close.

We all looked at each other, and the knights readied their hands on the handles of their swords, looking around them, but all around us were green leaves bushes, vines, and trees. It almost seemed as if there was nothing to be afraid of, but I knew better now. I knew it was hiding out here somewhere, I just had to keep my eyes open for any sign of silver.

I got back on my horse, and I pointed in the air. "That is the sound of the creature we need to catch. Come on, we have to keep moving."

The next thing we searched for were the bones, and we knew it was going to be a challenge. Who knows what other things hid in the forest? And why can't it be someone's bony remains?

We ventured deeper in the woods, dangerously deeper. We spent quite some time now, and I could feel the time slipping away. Above us, the sunlight seemed to get stronger, it must be at least noon now, and I was getting tired and hungry, and so must be the knights and my companions.

The air became extremely still in this part of the woods, and the trees and vines became much denser. I, Mr. Farko, and Trystan were now surrounded by a circle of knights as we rode. After the mysterious sound earlier, the knights became battle-ready and protective and decided to keep a close eye on me.

We suddenly stopped along the way. "What, why did we stop?" I asked, and peered through the wall of knights around me.

They made way for me to see, and in a big trunk of a tree, there was a body of a person, bloodied and butchered, and it was like he was stuffed there in a hurry. There was still fresh blood that pooled from his wounds and cuts. We couldn't tell if the man was from Krurian or not, but he was far off from home.

His skull was visible because most of his skin has been ripped off, or eaten off. The thought horrified and disgusted me, but most of all, it made me want to get us all out of here immediately. The hybrid must be close.

As I got off of my horse, bending my will to make me come to the body and gather the skull and two bones myself, a knight held my shoulder as I walked.

"We'll do it, Your Majesty." one of the knights said and went to fetch the bones from the body.

"Just two bones and the skull, please," I said and went back to my horse and clearing my mind. All of this became too much for me already.

One of the two knights, who constantly guarded me, went to my side. 'Your Majesty, if you don't mind me asking, why are we gathering somebody's bones? What are we out here for, exactly?"

I took a deep breath. "It's for a spell, uh..." I tried to figure out his name, realizing that I didn't know yet.

"Bron, Your Grace. My name is Bron."

"Right, sorry. It's just, that I've never had the chance to properly meet you before, despite the several opportunities. Anyways, Sir Bron, it's ingredients for a very important spell that we're looking for today." I said, looking disoriented and very hard to believe.

"Spell? Like, a magic spell?" He asked me.

"Yes, and..." then, I heard the sound of mysterious rustling again, loud and quick. Everyone noticed it too, and all looked up and around the forest.

I studied the place, aiming for a grey in the covering of green plants all around me, and I saw it, standing far from us, with an empty look on its face, a hybrid watching us with its big, menacing eyes. My fear rose as I pointed in its direction, and it opened its mouth to a roar and charged toward us.