Life - Life & Death Book 1

Chapter 18 - Zivena

Mictain and I are sitting in front of Taregan's desk instead of training with everyone else. I glance around while we wait. His office is clean and meticulous. Everything has a purpose and a specific spot it sits in. Even a bonsai tree.
    I shake my head. Artemis's training is sinking in a little too well.
    Taregan strides through the door with a cup of coffee. His beard is trimmed. His pants and jacket are free of wrinkles, as wrinkle free as his serious expression.
    "What's happened?" Mictain asks. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't something serious.
    "We've had a report of a missing hiker in the area," Taregan says. "We need to track him down before he stumbles onto something he shouldn't."
    "Why are we here then? Shouldn't this be something you guys deal with?" I ask.
    "Because it's a good time for you to learn," Taregan smiles.
    "What do we need to do?" Mictain jumps in. Anticipation is thick around him.
    "Once the other students have headed off to class you two, Airmid and I will start searching the area from the Hub outwards. I don't need to tell you how necessary it is."
    Mictain and I nod in understanding.
    "Airmid will be joining us shortly," Taregan says. He continues to drink his coffee while Mictain and I sit in awkward silence. Taregan clears his throat, "So Zivena." I look up. "Have you made any progress?"
    "Well, no."
    "Maybe there's been a mistake then," Taregan's face is blank. "It's happened before. Sometimes we're wrong."
    I'm gaping. Is he serious? I look at Mictain. His face is mirroring mine.
    A laugh bursts from Taregan's mouth. "Nah, I'm just messing around with you Zivena!"
    I glare at him, "You are the worst."
    Before Taregan can reply, Airmid breezes into the room. Her long black hair flowing behind her and her demon hide gear clings to her.
    "Are we ready?" Airmid says, her voice calm.
    "Yes," Taregan looks at her. "Are you expecting a fight?"
    Airmid glances at herself and shrugs. "We have no idea what we'll find out there. I'd rather be well prepared then missing an arm."
    "Right." Taregan claps his hands. "Let's get going then. The Hub should be cleared out by now."
    The four of us make our way through the reception area and out towards the forest beyond. I breathe in deeply when the sun hits my face. The air holds hints of rain and the trees sway as we pass by. I brush the trunks with my fingers as we make our way around the edge of the Hub's boundaries.
    "Whoa." I hear Mictain murmur. I find him looking up at the trees. When I follow his gaze I see what caught his attention. The trees on my right have moved, grown. The trunks have sprouted more branches and leaves are popping into existence. My fingers are still touching the tree I'm walking past and I look up. It looks as if the tree is top heavy, slowly folding under its weight. As we keep watching, I notice that the branches are inching closer to me.
    It's the most bizarre thing I've ever experienced. My hand drops to my side and the tree slowly rights itself.
    The shock wears off and I meet Mictain's gaze. His eyes are wide. "What was that?" He asks, almost breathless.
    "I have no idea." I glance to the trees around us and when I look back at Mictain I find him staring at his own hands. Resentment surges through him.
    Mictain's pale eyes meet mine and I give him a small smile. He relaxes and returns it.
    "Are you two coming?" Taregan calls.
    I give Mictain one last look before running to catch up with Taregan and Airmid.
    Once we've reached the back of the Hub we split into teams of two. Mictain and Airmid head in one direction and Taregan and I take the other.
    "Artemis informed me you have a knack for picking up disturbances in natural areas," Taregan motions around us. "Want to give it a go and hopefully we'll have a direction to head off to."
    I shrug. "Sure."
    Closing my eyes, I let myself relax into the surrounding forest. I breathe in deeply, smelling the rich undergrowth. As I exhale, power laces through my mind. I push my awareness out through the trees, letting it fall to the ground like a net.
    My eyes flash open. "The forest is quiet about a mile that direction." I point to the east.
    Taregan nods and we both set off at a jog. As we draw closer, Taregan changes direction slightly to cover one half and I take the other. I slow to a walk. The forest is silent. I try to keep to a practical approach of scanning the area by moving back and forth, slowly making my way towards Taregan. I use the forest sounds as a guide.
    There are no easy telltale signs of broken branches or footprints in the damp earth. There are no stray pieces of cloth snagged on bushes. But there is an eerie feeling as I get closer and closer to Taregan. I stop to clear my head after half an hour of staring at the ground and straining my ears for just about anything. I stretch my arms above my head and rub at a kink out of my neck but something catches my eye as I glance up. The trees are leaning into the wind.
    I quickly glance around but can't see anything in my immediate area so I rush off in the opposite direction the trees are bending. Before I know it I can hear Taregan calling my name and it's then that I start to run. I push power to my legs and I pick up speed.
    Something feels wrong. Something feels... off.
    Taregan comes into view within moments. He's crouching, a hand over his mouth and nose. The strong smell of decay fills my senses and my eyes start to water. I reel away, almost gagging at the sickly sweet scent of the rotting flesh. I quickly cover half my face with my shirt but the gases coming off the body still sting my eyes.
    I take a hesitant step closer and instantly wish I hadn't. It's the hiker. At least I think it is. It barely looks human anymore. His body lay in a twisted position and it takes me a second to understand.
    Every bone in his body has been broken. Where his face should've been are bits of bone and flecks of blood. His arms and legs bend the wrong way. The hiker is covered in purple and black bruises, broken blisters. As I take a closer look, I can see maggots squirming around in the lesions, digging deeper into his bloated torso.
    "Something's missing," I say, interrupting whatever Taregan is about to say. I move closer, my chest heaving. My body tries to pull in more air but the smell only makes my mind spin. "What's missing?"
    "Zivena?" Taregan steps to my side. "Step away, Zivena. He's dead. There's nothing we can do."
    Pins and needles poke my hands as power rushes through. I pull my arm from Taregan's grip and rush to the hiker's body.
    "I have to help," I mutter. "Something isn't right."
    Power pours from me like a dam overflowing.
    "Zivena! Stop it!" Taregan yells over the unexpected rushing noise.
    I don't listen to him. My body convulses as more power slams through my hands, and my chest heaves. The rushing noise continues to threaten to burst my eardrums but I can't stop.
    "Zivena?" A frantic voice calls. "Zivena!"
    "We need to stop her," a female voice says. "She's going to drain herself."
    "I can barely get close to her," Taregan yells in reply. "She's radiating too much power."
    Their voices slowly penetrate through the haze but I can't find a way to turn the power off. It has a mind of its own.
    "Zivena? Can you look at me?"
    I tear my eyes away from the body, landing on Mictain's concerned face. But I can't stop. Why can't I stop?
    "Mictain, wait—" Airmid starts before Taregan cuts her off.
    "He's the only one who can help her."
    Mictain's pale eyes search my face. "Trust me?"
    I try to nod but my head won't move. Mictain understands though and nods in reply. He brings his hand up in front of my face and places two fingers on my forehead.
    "It's going to be alright," he says before everything goes black.