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Dhul ~ dhool
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NOT a whisper of cold could they feel in the air as they trudged onward under the blazing eye of the sun. Karyn had her hand wrapped around Zack's, holding on to it as sweat trickled down from every point on her torso and her forehead. Occasionally she felt a drop trail down her back as well. She tried to keep her focus on their connected hands and not on the burning sensation of the sun, or the incessant pricking at the spot where the SiatJan's blood had scorched her.
"I feel like Salome. Drained beyond drained or something like that," she said, and Zack chuckled.
"We should rest then," he said, and she let go of his hand before she sat on the ground. Zack joined her, his chuckles a delight to her ears as he sat cross-legged like her.
"What's so funny?" she asked. "You're also tired, aren't you? Plus, I'm not a nomad. No one trained my body for this."
In her peripheral vision, she caught Zack's teasing smile in response to the playful undertone in her statement.
"Yeah, you're not. You're a princess," he said, playing along.
"Exactly! Can you imagine a princess walking through an unending forest in the North?!"
"How atrocious? This would spark outrage and the people will need someone to blame for this."
"I'll be the first to put Jamie's name out."
Once their eyes met, his lips curved into a wide grin and neither could hold back the bubbles of laughter that tumbled out of them. The sound of their laughter echoed in her ears, and at that moment, the heat didn't make her skin burn. The pricking reduced to a fizzle as their bodies gravitated towards each other.
Yet, the wave of euphoria that had engulfed her soon passed, and in its place came a thought as sad as the wilted leaves around.
"Would they even accept me?" she started with Zack's burning gaze on her. "As their princess."
"Of course they would," he was quick to say.
"They barely know me."
"They do."
"Only for about seven years. The rest of my formative years are a mystery to them."
"They'll love you, regardless."
His statement forced her eyes to meet his. "Why do you say so?"
"You're easy to love," he said, and her eyebrows rose for a fraction in shock, but she also caught sight of a light shade of pink tainting Zack's cheeks.
"I mean." He cleared his throat and broke their locked gazes, staring ahead. "They've always loved you. You're going to be the first queen of Wlerden. Not the wife of a king, but the daughter of one. Every birthday of yours was a celebration in Wlerden. A reminder of how close you were to your coronation."
"My birthday was a celebration for everyone?"
"Yup." He stole a glance at her and chuckled at her wide eyes and parted lips. "That's how loved you are."
"How did you celebrate it?"
A smile formed on his lips before he let out a wistful laugh and as his eyes looked up to the sky, she could see the nostalgia swirling in them, as if the sky held memories of old.
"We lived in Dhul, Vunmarc and we weren't over twenty living there then, like one big extended family. The morning would start with music and displays of magic. That was before SiatJans or The Red Guard arrived. I would spend the whole day with the other kids, eating and playing."
Wanting to hear more, she probed, "And after?"
"We would all go home for private dinners, which would be me, my parents, and my best bud, Azriel. He hadn't seen his parents since his father tried to have him kidnapped, but—"
"His biological father?" Her voice rose at the absurdity of the notion.
"Yeah."
She recalled when she had chastised Zack for his harsh words to Marigold when they found out Elowen was missing.
"Some parents would benefit," he had said.
Yet Zack continued, unaware of the memory he had sparked.
"He was always welcome in every home, but he preferred mine. After dinner, Azri and I would meet up with Via and we would go out to the lake. We would do various dares, sometimes the same ones as the previous year, which we couldn't do back then. Testing ourselves to see if one year had been enough for us to grow. Via always questioned why the whole nation celebrated a simple birthday and no matter how much we explained, she never understood. But we were kids, and it was an opportunity to have fun, so we took it."
His eyes finally came back down and gone was the dreamy look in his eyes, now replaced with a haunted one.
"That was before they came. Before my parents... left."
Zack's eyes had never revealed much until that moment. It was as if all his walls had crumbled around him, transporting him to a haunting memory enveloped in a much darker reality.
"It was a normal day when they said they would leave for three days. Three days turned into a lifetime."
She watched his Adam's apple bob and reached out to hold his hands. She knew he was reliving his memories with his parents and she wondered if his mental image was still clear enough after all the time that had passed. If he had withdrawn his hands, she wouldn't have blamed him or gotten hurt.
Her mind flashed back to the first astral projection she could remember.
"I know my boy would never do anything for you. With that knowledge, I can die in peace and it wouldn't matter how you do it."
Could that have been Zack's father?
But Zack didn't pull back. Instead, he let her go as far as tracing soothing lines on it with her thumb.
She saw the pain in his eyes and she understood every ounce. She'd lived ten years without her parents and if she'd gotten a tiny pearl every time she'd wished to have them back, she would have enough to fill an ocean.
Her harsh words came back to bite her.
"I hope you get—You know what, I hope you don't get what you want, so all of it would have been for nothing."
Zack was simply a boy, searching for his parents. How different was he from her? Here she was, in a foreign realm, only certain about one thing. Her search for justice. She traveled into the unknown with people she was still trying to trust to further her search. If Zack was simply searching for his parents, why couldn't that be enough to justify his actions?
Her parents were long gone, and all she could settle for was justice. But if it had been different and there was even a ray of hope that they were still alive, Karyn knew she would run to the ends of the earth, swim to the deepest ends of the ocean, and dig to the darkest depths of hell to find them, even if it was just a tiny hope.
"We will find them," she said. She didn't know what emotion Zack had heard that made him whip his head toward her, but she didn't stop. She squeezed his hand as if reinforcing her words and hoping to give him as much strength as she could.
They remained like that for a moment until the snap of a branch pierced their bubble. Their eyes became alert at once as they shot to their feet. Zack's hand wrapped around hers again in a firm grip while the other clenched at his side.
"Who's there?" came his bold voice, ringing out against the silence.
"Loralai?"
Following the timid question was a man who stepped out from behind the lifeless trees. His black hair stuck out in awkward directions, resembling angry roots jutting out beneath the earth. His clothes hung loosely to his lanky form, appearing worn out as if he had washed the color out of it over again. Time had etched deep creases around his eyes and caused his cheeks to sag, a testament to an age much older than theirs.
Despite his weathered appearance, his furrowed eyebrows revealed a palpable sense of distress.
Zack, maintaining an air of intimidation, asked, "Who are you?"
Even steps away, the man remained shorter than both of them and had to look up at Zack. Stepping forward, Zack positioned himself like a shield in front of her while still allowing her a partial view of the man.
Karyn couldn't help but realize how willing he was to protect her. He did it back against the SiatJan and here he was again, putting himself on the line for her, ahead of any perceived danger. Her heart swelled with an indescribable feeling, which she struggled to tamper so she could focus on the man ahead.
"I... I'm Vesper and I'm looking for my sister, Loralai. She's very young. About this tall." Vesper raised his hands to his waist. "Our house is just outside the forest. She got upset and—"
"We've seen no one," Zack interrupted at once and she didn't have to look into his eyes to know they would be shining with suspicion, she could tell from his curt words and the man could as well, because his tired face crumbled in dejection.
The sight tugged at Karyn, and she couldn't resist.
"We can help you find her," she suggested, and the man's eyes lit up while Zack turned to her with a scowl.
"Karyn, we don't know him," he whispered. "For all we know he—"
"He could be harmless," she cut Zack off with a whisper of her own. "Plus, there's no harm in helping, right?"
She stepped out from behind Zack and walked some steps further, disconnecting their hands before flashing Vesper a pleasant smile.
"I'm Karyn, and this is Zack. Can you tell us more about her?"
"She has dots on her cheeks, brown hair and she's wearing a blue gown." Vesper sniffed. "She was so upset at home and I—"
"Don't worry. We'll find her."
The three of them spread apart but remained in each other's view. Soon, Zack came to her side with Vesper some distance ahead to their left, calling out to his sister.
"We can't just help anyone, Karyn," Zack whispered.
"He's the first person we've seen, and his house is outside the forest. I'm sure he would know the way out. Plus, it's his sister. We have to help."
"And you don't find it weird that a man as old as him would have a young sister. What kind of age gap is that?"
Her eyes settled on the man, his calls ringing out. "Maybe they're not biological siblings."
"What of Jamie and Salome? The guy's probably awake now and out of his wits."
"He'll know what to do. It's Jamie."
Zack glanced at her and, even with her eyes on Vesper, she caught the hint of a smile on his lips.
"Is the sun getting to me, or are you starting to trust him?"
She shrugged. "Gema says he's a perfectionist and that alone can drive him crazy enough to do anything. He's the one in charge now and would want to get things back under his control."
While her eyes kept searching for any sign of blue, Zack continued his inquisition.
"So, are you purposely trying to make it hard for him to find you?" Zack kept his gaze on her, but she refused to meet it.
"What? No, of course not," she paused. "Well, it would be an interesting thing to see how he would go crazy." Another pause punctured her words before she finally met Zack's eyes with a teasing glint in hers. "Okay, maybe helping this man puts more distance between us and him and maybe that brings some satisfaction, but it's not my main reason for offering to help."
"That's more like it."
"Do you hear that?" she asked after a few moments of silence. Moments that made her finally hear a low hum. Or was it a buzz? She couldn't quite a certain.
"What?" Zack asked.
But she only frowned as a feeling tugged at her but. As if the sound mixed with her feeling to create a pulling force, she redirected and headed toward her right until the sound of running water drifted near, like bells of salvation. A smile found its way to her lips as she imagined Salome screaming in glee at the sight.
When they came across the stream of water, the relief she expected was nothing near the foreboding sense that came over her. It drowned her with a current faster than that of the running stream. She looked at Zack with worry in her eyes to find his brows slanted inward, his eyes moving side-to-side. Maybe he felt it too, but before she could ask, he cursed and sprinted into the stream. Soon, he dragged something out.
No, not something, someone.
She gasped. "Vesper! I think we've found her."
While they both rushed nearer, Zack began chest compressions, taking a stop after thirty to breathe twice into the girl's mouth. Her skin shone paler than anyone Karyn had ever seen and her lips were almost the same shade of blue as her gown. Her hair remained stuck to her head, matted down by the water Zack had pulled her from.
"Loralai!" Vesper exclaimed.
They watched with bated breaths and the only sound was that of the running water and Zack's curses coupled with a few 'Come on's'. The minutes dragged, her anticipation growing with each attempt until the young girl sprang back to life, expelling gulps of water in violent coughs.
While only Karyn's breath of relief was audible, all three faces visibly relaxed.
Vesper rushed to hug the girl, who could only stutter. "It's alright, you're with me now."
Vesper ran his hand down her brown hair and the girl's shoulders shook, but not a sound or a word escaped her lips. He rose back to his feet, leaving Loralai trembling in silence on the ground.
"Thank you. You have saved my sister. You are a hero."
Although Zack appeared unfazed, Karyn caught the slight twitching of his lips. "It's nothing."
"Oh, how can I repay you both? Do you need help out of the forest?" he asked, his wide eyes shining with gratitude.
"Yes," she replied. "But our friends are still somewhere in the forest."
"You can wait at our house and your friends could make it out as well. I'm sure they know that heading south is the way out."
"You don't—" Zack was about to decline, but the man insisted.
"No, no. Let me do this in return."
Vesper's eyes darted between the two of them, while Karyn shared a look with Zack.
"Fine," Zack said, and the man's lips stretched out into a crooked smile before he raised Loralai.
"Let's go home," Vesper said, holding Loralai's hand before leading the way while they followed behind.
But as they ambled on, all Karyn did was try to suppress the sense she had felt earlier. Even after they found the girl alive, the sensation remained, twisting her insides. Yet, she relaxed at the thought that they wouldn't be sleeping on the bare floor. With no tent or food, how would they have survived a night?
Once out of the forest, a land of low brown grass spanned as wide as she could see and some distance away stood a small, lone shed.
"See, home."
The girl remained silent and Karyn's gaze drifted toward her, wondering how she ended up in the water. What had made her so upset that she had to run away?
Not too far off from the shed was something Karyn likened to a golf cart. It had four wheels, but no doors and no roof. The seats in the front and back could fit two people, so four could go on the ride. She wondered if the man would lend it to them should they ask.
The door to the shed revealed a quaint room, much smaller than her room in Emerfield. The only things present were a solitary chair, a worn-out table, and a small locker not even as tall as the table. Only one window brought ventilation and the dying rays of the evening sun.
Despite the fresh air, an unfamiliar and pungent odor lingered in the air. It was a putrid scent, reminiscent of rotten fish, or perhaps even worse. The stench invaded her nostrils, causing her to wrinkle her nose in disgust.
"What about your parents?" Zack asked, standing beside the door, his eyes not taking long to scan the entire room.
"They're in the city."
"So it's both of you here, alone?" Zack asked as Vesper led Loralai to the only other door in the room.
"Yes." Before Zack could ask the next question, Vesper asked, "Would you both want something?"
Zack's eyes drifted to Loralai, who still shivered standing by the door. Her body turned toward it and away from them. Her shoulders hunched as she stood with her hands clasped in front of her and her head bowed.
"You should focus on your sister more than us and get her something new to wear," Zack said, disregarding his question.
"Oh, yes. Come," he said, and the girl moved, her steps making no sound as she followed Vesper into the other room. "You can wait a bit," he said with his crooked smile before closing the door to the bedroom.
"Does he still seem harmless?" Zack asked.
"Well..." she trailed, searching through the past few moments for anything out of the ordinary.
While she wondered, Zack replied to his question. "If it's only both of them here, what would have made her so upset about running into the forest?" After a pause, he added, "I don't trust him."
She wondered if that was the feeling that bugged her throughout their walk out of the forest and until the present moment.
"Let's leave, while they're—"
She whipped toward him. "And leave Loralai here!" Her voice had dropped to a harsh whisper.
"We don't know her either."
"But she's a little girl and she almost drowned. We have to at least make sure she's safe here."
Zack fixed his intense gaze on her. "And if she isn't?"
"Let's hope that's not the case."
After Vesper had drawn baths for the both of them, he got on to prepare dinner. He'd even laid out a beige gown for her and, although she was grateful, her skin crawled when she donned the gown.
It wasn't just the unfamiliarity of it, but also the scent. Its scent was nothing like the awful one that loomed over the house. On the contrary, it was a welcome distraction. A pleasant sensation, delicate on her nose like a soft breeze.
Yet it made her wonder. If Loralai was too small to fit in a dress that stopped inches above Karyn's ankles, and his parents were in the city, what was he doing with such a dress?
She made a mental note to take her used clothes back whenever they left. But as she was about to leave, something caught her eye. A small square brown carpet, peeking some centimeters outside from underneath the bed.
Why would a carpet be underneath a bed?
Squinting and crouching, she moved closer to get a better look. It was only then that she noticed the red stain on the carpet. Just as she was about to reach out to it, the door flung open, causing her to jerk back in fright.
"Dinner's ready?"
She rose to her feet and smoothened her hands over the gown as she stepped out. Vesper's gaze remained on her as he held the door open.
"Will Loralai be joining us?" she asked, wondering about the little girl whom she hadn't seen since Vesper had taken her into the room she'd just exited. Even while she was there, Loralai wasn't.
If her eyes weren't on him when she asked, she would have missed the faltering of his smile.
"Of course," was all he said before she nodded and glanced around. The living room had turned darker and the only source of light came from the candle that burned atop a plate.
"We'll eat outside," Vesper said, answering the question her eyes must have asked.
Dinner started in silence until Karyn probed Loralai about her favorite toys. That was enough to get the girl talking, going on about dolls and horses. Karyn found the girl's enthusiasm strange as the house looked devoid of any toys. There were no bags full of them either and all the walls stood bare, no hint of a family through pictures or tokens or heirlooms.
Karyn's senses heightened even further when the girl mentioned how she used to play with her sisters.
"Sisters?" Zack interrupted. "You said it's just both of you."
It came as no surprise that he'd been listening, even though he showed no sign that he was.
"They're married now."
Zack parted his lips to speak, but again, Vesper stooped him before he could.
"Are you two married?"
Karyn spluttered at the question, choking on the drink, which sent her into a fit of coughs.
"You okay?" Zack asked with concern in his eyes.
"Yeah. I mean, no, we aren't married," she said, settling herself.
Vesper said nothing, and silence passed around the table. And while she wondered about Vesper's question, whatever Zack had wanted to say remained unsaid.
After dinner, Karyn offered to take Loralai to bed and Vesper agreed while Zack remained outside, staring in the direction of the forest. But as they stepped into the room, Loralai's grip on Karyn's hand tightened and the girl turned to Karyn with wide pleading eyes.
Karyn frowned at the abrupt change before she crouched down to the girl's level. "What's—"
"Help me. He's going to—"
The girl couldn't complete her sentence as she looked behind Karyn and gasped. Before she could ask or even turn to see what had stolen Loralai's attention, something collided with the back of her skull and a searing pain split through her head. The world spun, fading into darkness before she crumpled to the floor.
"You better keep shut, little one," came Vesper's bitter whisper, accompanied by Loralai's quiet sobs. He shifted the carpet to reveal the secret trapdoor on the bedroom floor.
"Now back you go!" he said harshly. With dull eyes and weak movements, the girl descended the ladder into a cramped basement.
"And so will you, my latest addition."
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ITNC: With Jamie stuck with a spooked Salome, Zack fights within fire while Karyn wrestles with an inexplicable heaviness.
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The Sparkling Authoress,
Mis-A
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