Bare Your Teeth, Wicked Ones

9. Regrettable Encounters

William

The group gazed at a cavernous gorge stretching far and wide. Trees did not dare tread closer, leaving a wide berth for the deep wound. Nicholas stood along the edge where brittle rock fumbled into the abyss from the briefest brush of wind. The fae peered into the shadows with little care. William wouldn't dare. Even from where he and Charmaine huddled beneath the trees, he heard it. Whispers. Voices in the dark, hundreds or thousands of them speaking at once, urging him closer. They consumed thought and reason.

"This would explain not being discovered by any of our scouts yet," William said. Charmaine suddenly stepped forward. He clutched her shoulder.

"You're hurting me," she growled.

"Sorry," he replied. "Don't look at it."

"I don't know if that helps." She pressed her forehead against his temple regardless.

"I can't fathom what is down there," said Arden with that typical fae excitement.

"Nothing good, and everything fun." Nicholas skipped along the edge, uncaring of pieces knocked loose to be consumed by breathing shadows. "No doubt a creation of the Shadowed Disciples for reasons I would love to learn."

He retreated with two hopped steps. His gaze scanned the horizon. William did the same. Arden walked in the opposite direction. His voice carried over the falling snow moments later, "I don't see the end of it this way!"

"Neither do I," Nicholas responded. He faced the gorge, one hand under his chin. The cavern had to be at least fifty feet wide. "We'll go across. A bridge is easy enough to build for me."

William rolled his eyes, but hoped for the best. He didn't want to cross the gorge, but over would be quicker than around. He wanted away from this place, far from the gloom turning the snow into oiled sludge.

Nicholas stood close to the fall, hands outstretched. The forest responded to him. Roots tangled together, reaching further and further over the gorge. William watched, captivated and perplexed by such magic. Unnatural, yet helpful. Tainted, yet beautiful. Nicholas called to nature as if he weaved the roots beneath their feet. But then that beauty shuttered. Nicholas grunted and shook. The rose light under his skin brightened until he was a flame. The roots hovering halfway over the gorge struggled. They twisted up and out and down. He swung his arm to command more of the forest, attempting to steady the structure with new roots, but they became a mess of entanglement. The gloom of the gorge shifted upwards with shadowed hands. Nicholas took a step back, bewildered by the roots disappearing into the dark. After moments of crunching noises, the roots along the edge of the cavern broke. The shadows fell and the bridge disappeared below.

"Fascinating," Nicholas muttered.

William did not agree. Charmaine either, based on the clicking of her tongue. A spell had to be upon the gorge or a dangerous curse. Fearworn was High Fae and a Shade, like Nicholas, he had the power to create such a monstrosity. More reason for them to escape far, far away.

"Walking it is," said William. He nudged Charmaine to the right and they walked on. Nicholas and Arden followed, whispering to one another. Childish glee flickered in their eyes, attention pointed towards the gorge that kept their attention for a long while.

The four of them remained within the trees, keeping the gorge along their left flank. Though at some point, Nicholas broke off from the group, claiming he'd search for food. William didn't believe that, but Nicholas' momentary irritation made ignoring the whispers from the gorge easier. Distance provided some sanity, though he and Charmaine continuously shook their heads and spoke to one another about random events to placate the voices ringing in their skulls. She told him a story about her childhood where her cat went missing. She and her mother searched all day. They never told her father. He wasn't a kind man and not interested abouts pets in the least. Turns out the little rascal was sleeping in her closet all day and came out for dinner that evening. William spoke of himself and his brothers building a massive snow fort in their yard after a terrible blizzard. They were snowed in, but the boys loved every moment of it. These memories kept them from stumbling towards the gorge that would swallow them in a breath, if they let it.