Trapped in the dark, Calista made her way forward, her legs trembling with trepidation.
She kept repeating Zayden's words to herself, I promise we'll find you soon. I promise I'll find you.
For now, she was alone, and it was not entirely a bad thing. She had gone out for adventures alone before when she'd broken the quarantine rules to explore Vakenes. And she had been through some bad times alone too; being in the capture of the Shadow Wanderers for two days. Then what was this irrational fear circling in her mind for the Forbidden Cliffs?
Every danger she'd heard about this place had originated from people's speculations. They were the first ones walking over this forbidden land, but Calista doubted they could change people's fearful assumptions. So far, they had seen enough horrors in the Forbidden Cliffs and it was just a confirmation of those horrible speculations.
Calista shook her head. Drowning in the thoughts about all the possible threats this place had to offer was not going to help her at all. Ever since Arik had escaped, her life had become a whirlwind of bad days. Calista thought hopefully, she'll go through this by herself as well. Zayden wasn't always going to be there to rescue her.
Calista kept looking around to see if the halo of light appears again. She blamed it for separating her from the rest of them. But when she really focused on Ransley's words, it made sense to her that the Cliffs tried to separate her from them on purpose by distracting her through the halo of light.
For what, she didn't know and she didn't want to think. She just kept silently praying that whatever test the Cliffs put them to, they would succeed with flying colors.
She had been walking forward by tracing her hands along the cave walls, just hoping and hoping there would be a way on the other side, and all her tiresome walking would not go in vain.
The ground trembled beneath her feet, and Calista would've mistaken it for her the staggering of her legs had it not been for the growls that reached her ears. Her heart dropped and her skin turned to ice. She was not ready to face anything on her own.
She fastened her pace, practically running along the wall despite her tired limbs. The growls reached even closer mixed with the sounds of something tapping recurrently on the ground.
Calista stumbled on a stone she could not see and fell on her knees, her heartbeat pounding furiously. As a terrible shriek reached her ears, something grabbed her ankle and took her by surprise. She could not see anything even if she focused with all her might. In the heat of the moment, Calista did not realize she had taken out a small blade hidden in her skirt and slashed it desperately near her feet.
A satisfied cry of pain came from the attacker and she was free. She helped herself to her feet but winced as she realized she could not put weight on her injured ankle. Terrified out of her mind, she started running despite the pain, having so sense of direction. The growls reached ever so close behind her.
Suddenly, she saw a dim ray of light, and hope bloomed in her heart. She ran with all her might as the light from the other end of the cave poured in. Relieved, she dashed toward the blinding sunlight—
She was forced to stop in her tracks.
She was on top of the hill, standing on the exit of the cave, looking down below at the huge body of water. Her heart dropped as she noticed the river's current flowing atrociously, her ears filling with the sweet melody of the waves crashing into each other. But nothing was sweet about this situation. She was trapped.
If deciding to go to the Forbidden Cliffs felt like a full circle moment to her, it was nothing compared to this very moment. She felt like she was on the edge of the Erinian cliff, looking down at the sea as the Erinians all stood behind her, ridiculing her. In this case, the Erinians were the monsters chasing her, she literally was standing on the edge of a cliff, and below was the raging water ready to swallow her up.
And the only way out of this situation was through summoning a portal.
"O, the guardian of angels and demons,
I believe there's a portal.
Do not deepen my wounds,
And open doors for the mortal."
She recited the poem slowly, giving herself a moment to breathe. Then she jumped.
She was weightless. It seemed like an endless fall.
She turned in mid-air to look back at the cave, only to see the terrible faces of the creatures who had been chasing her. White, hairless, with long legs and arms; they looked like smaller but white versions of the Scogon. They howled from the mouth of the cave, looking back at their prey falling out of their reach.
She closed her eyes, wishing somehow that Camari Bonham could see her at this moment. Her heart swelled thinking she had just experienced the choice Camari had had to face to jump in the ocean or face the creatures/Erinians.
The impact with the water was harsh as though she had fallen onto concrete. A shock ran through her body from the unbearable cold and her limbs immediately went numb. The current of the river pushed her body in a direction she could not make sense of. It was as though her mass meant nothing to the raging water. She swirled along the waves, being carried by their pressure.
Her head emerged from the surface and she drew a long breath before submerging back into the water. She couldn't keep her arms and legs to obey her and she kept flailing around. Her body was exhausted, unable to fight the conditions of the rampant atmosphere she was thrown in.
She already felt like giving up. Her eyelids drooping under the heavy force, she felt her consciousness fading away. She couldn't make one coherent thought in her mind.
She didn't realize how long it had been since she'd been flowing with the current until she stopped. It had felt like an eternity of swirls and clashes and gasping for breaths. The river's raging current had thrown her into a probably smaller body of water which was comparatively still.
Finally feeling her limbs back, she tried to swim back up but she couldn't tell if the surface kept rising or she was still in place in the blue abyss. Confused, she looked down. The colors grew darker in the abyss below until all she saw was black. It could be bottomless for all she knew.
Struggling to breathe, she tried in desperation to push her body up but it was useless. Maybe that was what the Cliffs had wanted all along. For her to die alone, struggling to breathe, where no one could find her.
At that point, now that she realized she couldn't swim to the surface, she thought might as well accept the fact that she would drown as soon as she opened her mouth to breathe in the water. It was useless to try anything to save herself.
Her face grew red and she closed her eyes, fighting the urge to open her mouth. Her lungs couldn't take it and her windpipe would just burst if she didn't.
She opened her mouth and gasped. The water came rushing in. She'd given up.
The girl with red hair and hazel eyes was in front of a woman with red hair and hazel eyes. Their difference was uncanny.
How much the girl had longed for the woman to hold her in her arms, only she had known. And now she was there, smiling at her, holding her arms out.
The girl ran into her arms and held her tight. The woman smelled like honey and daisies.
"Already given up, my child?" said the woman, her voice the softest melody the girl had ever heard.
She pulled back, looking into the woman's eyes; the same eyes that she had given to the girl.
"I had nothing left to fight for," the girl reasoned, although sadly.
The woman tutted and shook her head. "Think again. There are always reasons enough."
The girl frowned. Looking at the woman's face, her mind went back to the day she'd last seen her. On the edge of the cliff.
The memories came rushing back. Zayden. Naomi. Her father. Demon Arik. The Forbidden Cliffs. The Stormrage. She had jumped into the river and now she was here, supposedly given up.
She needed to find the Stormrage.
Something changed. When Calista looked back at her mother's face, she could not see it clearly. The features were a blur and she could not tell one eye from the other. The blurry figure smiled at her, her red hair floating all around her head. Calista could not bring herself to smile back. The figure blurred into nothing. In her stead, there was water all around.
She kicked her legs in shock, turning in all directions but she could only see blue. She realized a shocking detail that her lungs now felt full of air and her eyes no longer felt heavy in the water.
A halo of light appeared from below and when Calista looked down at it, she knew it did not mean to distract her this time. It was all she had to focus on. It glowed intensely in the dark as she set her eyes on it.
Calista pushed her torso down and kicked her legs behind her, trying to swim deeper into the surface. This time, she could swim. She could feel the pressure of the water weighing on her body but she kept going, her north star right in front of her, the halo glow.
It disappeared as soon as she didn't need it anymore. Because what she needed was in her sight now. And now that she'd laid her eyes on it, it was all she could see.
The sword's handle was wrapped in sea vines and its blade brilliantly reflected her own face. Calista reached her hand out and the vines obediently let go of it, handing the sword over to the one that had crossed all hells to get to it.
Calista grabbed the handle of the Stormrage and a shock ran through her body. It was as if she could see everything in a new light. Her body felt weightless, powered by a new energy she could not name.
She tucked the sword into her skirt and pushed her arms downwards. Relieved to find out that she could swim up now, she paddled her legs until she was easily gliding up. The darkness faded away the closer she got to the surface.
And then she was out. She gasped, filling her lungs with air, struggling to stay on the surface. She turned everywhere, desperate for any sign of land.
Her previously cold body was filled with warmth now, but still, she needed to get out of the water. It was making her limbs numb.
She swam and swam until her arms ached—until she finally caught a glimpse of trees at a distance which only meant land was near. Just a few more waves to cross, she consoled herself.
She felt like her limbs would give up halfway but she made it. Crawling onto the rocks that met the shore, with the Stormrage tucked into the waist of her skirt, she collapsed on her back.
Her eyes were the heaviest they had ever been, her muscles so weak she could not lift her fingers. It was as though even after she'd escaped from the water, the whole ocean was weighing down on her.
The waves of the river gently rocked against her feet, letting her fall into a slumber right there on the shore.
When consciousness came back to her, the pinkish-white mist had fallen over the Forbidden Cliffs. Her clothes were mostly dry now and they didn't stick to her skin, but still, her body felt heavy and sore, and a weight pushed down on her waist.
She grabbed the sword's handle and took it out of her waistband. Groaning, she sat up, looking at the mist dancing over the river.
As her eyes fell over the sword, it took her breath away. The edges of the handle were shaped like a bird's wings. In the middle was a crimson gem encrusted in bronze that shimmered regardless of any light. The long straight blade reflected her image perfectly like a mirror.
Calista took a moment to let the realization sink in. She was holding Stormrage in her hands.
She scoffed and a smile appeared on her lips. The task was done. Hopefully, the dangers of the Forbidden Cliffs would spare them now. Now all she had to do was find the immortals. On her own.
As she stood up on the riverbank, she was relieved to find out her ankle was doing a lot better, and putting weight on it was bearable. She realized she had no idea how to look for the immortals. She had lost all sense of direction after being tumbled over and over again by the river. She didn't even know how far she had come from the cave.
But she couldn't just sit in despair; she had to find her own way. If she had retrieved the Stormrage on her own, that was the least she could do.
With the Stormrage in her hands, her body was buzzing with renewed energy and renewed hope. It could come in handy, she thought.
She made her way off the shore and walked up to the nearest trees. With the fog all around, she couldn't tell if it was a clearing, a forest, or a hillside area. Still, she trudged through the fog, passing one long tree after another.
She must've been walking for a while when she heard a familiar groan of an animal. Her heart lurched but she followed the sound, stumbling blindly through the fog.
A silhouette of a large creature appeared and Calista squinted her eyes to get a better look. It was lying on the ground, hugging itself with its big blue and golden wings, moaning as if it was in pain.
Calista noticed it was one of the griffins they had brought for the journey. Relieved, she stepped closer and the creature lifted its head to look up at her with hopeful eyes. Its pupils dilated as wide as it could get as its gaze fell upon her.
Calista smiled, realizing it had recognized her. She went down on her knees and stroked its magnificent beak. The animal snuggled closer to her and put its head on her lap.
"Where are the rest of your buddies?" she asked, looking around but couldn't see anyone else. She called out for someone, thinking its owner must be close by, but her voice only echoed back.
Thinking what a lone griffin had been doing so far away from its owners troubled Calista. It was probably scared and had flown away from whatever it was that scared him. This only meant she had to get to the immortals fast. She could only hope they were safe wherever they were, after whatever they'd had an encounter with.
Calista noticed the mist slowly floating upward like water evaporating from any surface. She took her time stroking the griffin, trying to console its fearful nerves.
As the fog fully subsided and retreated back to the sky, Calista stood as the animal went up on all four of his legs and shook its body, its wings fluttering radiantly. Calista took a moment to admire its majesty and then hopped onto its back.
"Come on, we gotta go find our friends now," she said, stroking its fur. The animal screeched like a hawk and tapped its feet on the ground. It began to run and Calista tightened her legs around its body. As soon as the griffin gained momentum, it spread its wings and flapped them twice.
Calista would always smile at the way the griffin's first moments of flight made her feel. She would get overwhelmed, the adrenalin surging throughout her body.
Soon, they were flying higher than the trees and Calista realized they had been in a thick forest at the edge of the big river. At the horizon, she could see the peach-colored hills so she steered the griffin in its direction.
Over the hills, she tried to look for the gray stone hills that they had landed in before they got separated in the cave. Flying lower, she spotted the cave and circled around the hill trying to look for someone, but it was deserted and eerily quiet. Landing there was no use, not to mention, extremely dangerous as those white creatures could still be roaming.
Near a lifeless tree, Calista gasped as she saw the bodies of two incapacitated immortals and a griffin. Steering her ride away in a hurry, she gained altitude and urged it to fly ahead fast. Her head was pounding and tears threatened to well in her eyes. She resisted all the images trying to form in her mind about everything that could've happened to them.
She wasn't alone. She couldn't be alone. Zayden had to be there somewhere. Along with the rest of them.
If they were well, they probably would've circled the hill far and wide to look for Calista. So there was no use running from the horrors of that hill when the immortals could be nearby.
Sighing, Calista turned her griffin around and circled the air around the hill. No sign.
She widened her radius and looked again. No sign.
Getting frustrated, she did not know what else to do. The Forbidden Cliffs were too wide, too big to fit Erini a hundred times over. How was she supposed to find them in its vast multitude was beyond her.
As if a sudden light ignited in her brain, she turned to look for the halo of light that had been guiding her all along. And sure enough, she spotted it in the air just far enough to be seen. Its orange glow appeared rather dull in the morning, despite there being no sunlight.
Enthused, Calista followed the glow with her griffin, until she could see the flowing river nearby. Her heart sank, thinking the halo was leading her to yet another episode of trouble but then she spotted something moving on the riverbank.
It looked like little insects crawling around but then one of the insects opened its wings and Calista knew it was a griffin. Her heart expanded as she realized she had finally found them.
Her ride dived suddenly, excited to be reunited with its family and Calista tightened her grip. As the altitude fell, the immortals' attention went to the sky, their guards already up.
"It's her!" someone shouted and Calista's anticipation rose even more.
Her griffin landed rather harshly and stood up on its rear legs, overwhelmed by its own excitement. A soldier stepped forward and spread his arms in front of it in an attempt to ease it down. Once the griffin was calm, Calista hopped down, spotting Zayden, and ran to him.
The elation and relief on his face was unmistakable. She was just inches apart from him when she halted, realizing what she was about to do. Throwing herself at him in front of everyone after a day apart was probably not the best reaction to a reunion with a king. So, she ended up standing in front of him with an awkward smile on her face.
Zayden looked back at her, his face torn with relief. His red eyes were glinting with the same fire she noticed every time he looked at her. His hair was disheveled and wet as if he had just taken a dip in the river. Calista noticed that he had a fresh scar on his eyebrow that had cut it in half. Calista resisted the urge to touch it.
Suddenly realizing she had been staring at him without a word, she averted her gaze and looked down. Wearing a big smile on her face, she took out the Stormrage from her waistband and held it out, taking a step back feeling giddy like a student excited to show her mentor what she had discovered.
Silence fell on each immortal as they all stared at the sword in her hands. Zayden's mouth fell open and he looked back at Calista to convince himself what he was seeing was real.
His hand shaking, Zayden grabbed the sword's handle and his body trembled once, shaken by the magnitude of the sword's power. He looked back at Calista who had been staring at him to gauge his reaction.
He broke into a beautiful wide-mouthed grin. "Calista, you brilliant girl!" he said, taking her aback as he pulled her into a hug. Calista was so surprised she didn't think to hug him back.
She felt like she had given him a piece of good fortune after all the grayness that the Forbidden Cliffs had offered them. She felt proud of the accomplishment.
They pulled back, feeling quite red in the face after the unexpected embrace. Zayden stood back to admire the sword in all its glory.
"How did you find it?" he asked.
Calista shuddered. "It's rather a long story," she said, turning around to look at Ransley who was already watching them, a new glint in his eyes and an approved look on his face. "But I reckon Ransley was right. The Cliffs really played a part in guiding me all along."
Ransley gave a nod of acknowledgment and she smiled back. Calista took her time to look around at all of them. Kendrick had lost his left arm. Commander Darin of Liggen stood beside him. Five soldiers looked back at her; two females and three males, all heavily injured.
Calista's heart sank. "Where are the rest?" she asked, hopefully.
"It's just us," answered Zayden, which meant they had lost thirty-five soldiers and Commander Xavier too.
Silence fell again as Calista let it sink in. She could only hear the steady waves of the river alongside them. Calista wanted nothing more than to run away from that sound where she couldn't hear it. It was etched in her ears, echoing with each step she took.
The number of casualties was not that big compared to those that could die in a war. But confining those soldiers to mere numbers was not fair, Calista thought. She promised herself their lives had not been for nothing, and that they would do everything they could to avenge them.