Impractical (Complete)

Chapter 4: Into the Forest

By the time they dismounted their horses outside the Forest of Nasta, both Aiyana and Fox were secretly saddle sore. Their thighs and core ached from the continuous rocking of the horses but both were too prideful to admit it.

The Forest leered at them, it's dark trees swaying ominously even though there was no wind. The branches drooped as if carrying the weight of the world between the dark leaves.

Aiyana's eyes danced around, remembering with a shiver the last time she had been near the gloom. The man she had been chasing had tossed her one frightful look and then slipped between the trees, disappearing instantly. She wondered what had become of that man. The rumours that surrounded the Forest of Nasta were wild and Aiyana was unsure if the were true. Many said that the darkness was so impenetrable that those who were there suffocated, screamed and went mad, driving them to their deaths. There were stories of the unnamed creatures, some sucking blood to source their own magic. No one in Nasta had ever entered the Forest and lived to tell the tale.

Fox was mumbling under his breath, scanning the canopy with wary eyes. He shot a disgruntled look at Aiyana before clicking his horse forward, obviously not wanting to delay their entrance. As he got closer to the shrubbery, the ears of his horse flattened and it neighed nervously, coming to a halt. Its hooves stamped on the ground and its nostrils and eyes widened in fear. Aiyana drew her horse next to his, whispering reassuring words to her mount.

Leaning to stroke its neck, Fox reined his horse, "It's okay, girl. Shhh."

Aiyana reined her horse, which was trying to turn around, it's tail swaying. "Have you heard the rumours about what's inside?"

"Of course. Who hasn't?" Fox replied.

"Hmmm." Aiyana took a reassuring breath. "I've just realised that we listen to rumours a little too much. They create the fear in our heads."

"I know. And from everything I have learned from living, fear is just an illusion you have to learn to overcome."

"Then, let's go."

They forced their horses onwards, leaving no room for them to disobey. Like the stories, the darkness bathed them instantly and all sounds from outside were gone. Instead, it was replaced by a silence so thick that Aiyana felt she could grasp it in her palms. The stench reached their noses, inspiring more unrest in their horses. It was the smell of death.

Biting his lip, Fox looked around warily, noticing nothing unusual. In fact, other than the smell and quiet, the Forest of Nasta seemed like every other forest he had travelled through.

They did not know when it was night and their only way of guiding themselves was with an old compass that Fox had packed. They followed it religiously, hoping that they were going south, closer to Glacio.

Throughout the day, they saw nothing. There were no squirrels scuttling up trees, no critters scuffling in the shrubbery. Their presence was replaced by a fine sheen that seemed to glow magically in their eyes.

"It doesn't seem so dangerous," Fox commented quietly, as if not wanting to disturb a slumbering dragon.

"I would knock on wood," Aiyana said as they passed a massive oak tree. "But firstly, I'm not superstitious and secondly, I feel like the trees are alive and watching us. I wouldn't want to wake them."

Fox desperately wanted to tease her, saying all trees were alive but he understood what she meant. It felt as if all the plants had their own eyes, watching them as they directed their horses over little creeks, through muddy patches, and over fallen rocks. There was a quality that reminded both of them of fairy tales. The fallen rocks were heavily coated in a dark green moss and the only flowers blooming were small yellow daisies, barely peering out of the undergrowth. It seemed like the home of Elves and Halflings.

The horses had calmed slightly but they still startled when Aiyana and Fox spoke and their ears flickered, trying to detect some unseen enemy.

The monotony of the Forest eventually tired Aiyana's eyes. Everywhere looked identical so that, without the compass, Aiyana would have been convinced that they were walking in circles. Fox seemed to sense her exhaustion for, after he stared at her for a while, suggested they hunted for a small clearing.

As if hearing his words, they found a clearing within a few minutes. For some seconds, both Aiyana and Fox eyes the ground like they were expecting it to reach out and eat them the moment their feet touched the floor.

Aiyana grit her teeth and dismounted. "We'll never know unless we try."

The ground was soft with moss underfoot. Her feet tingled like an unseen magic was running through her body. It left her with an unsettling feeling and Aiyana wondered if this was what it felt like to contain magic in a body, like the King of Nasta; the curser. Aiyana knew she had not a single molecule in her body that had contained magic. It had been a requirement of her parents and their children when they were in the circus. The events wouldn't be amazing if the performers could perform magic.

Her brow furrowed as she remembered those early days but the biggest memory were of the soldiers: how they had come in their blue uniforms to take her parents and two older brothers away, readying them for the war against the rebels. The civil war in Nasta had been bloody and those who had tried to oust the king had been easily quashed by his vast army and magic. Smiling, but without mirth, Aiyana noted the irony that she had once worked for the man who had sentenced her family to their deaths.

"You okay?"

Fox's voice pulled her back to reality and she felt like the dark scene that was the Forest spun back into view.

"Of course." She nodded even though she missed her family of acrobats, her brothers especially. She missed Arkin. But when you were once an assassin and had been brought up in a country torn by war, there was no way you could not try to cope.