Garett's eyes cracked open the moment the sunlight upon him intensified. He was beyond uncomfortable and realized he was laying on the ground in a forest.
He sat upright and tried to remember his location. This was the forest after the kingdom of Mohja that led to the other side, the hell they just escaped.
He didn't think the staff given to him by the three strange beings would work, the staff that was still in his hand now. He didn't understand a lot of things right now. Roudog woke next.
"Mother of all headaches." he said then scowled deeply when his eyes landed on Garett.
He quickly ran to Sharaya who was stirring awake while Garett walked to Cen and gave her shoulder a slight rub. She jerked awake, dried tears on her cheeks.
Sharaya on the other hand jerked awake screaming, then quieted down to sobs in the arms of Roudog.
Roudog set her down gently, walked over to Garett and punched him in the face.
"Roudog." Sharaya said softly. Garett saw the blow coming and took it knowing it wasn't close to what he deserved.
"I warned you you stupid cunt!" he spat angrily "I told you going to a place where no one comes back from was a bad idea, but you didn't listen. You got three of ours killed!"
"I'm sorry." Garett said looking at his hands instead of the face of anyone.
"Did you know Camren had a daughter hmm?! A daughter who expects her mother to be back soon! But you got her killed! You got them all killed!"
"I'm sorry." Garett said again "I'm sorry." he continued saying.
And as he said it he knew he wasn't referring to Roudog but the three people whose blood was now on his hands. Abe, Blue and Camren. Camren was probably not the only one with family. Abe and Blue must have also had people or things they cared about but now they were dead and it was all his fault.
Their screams in his head would be a reminder of his mistake. He fell to his knees then, fighting to hold the tears back.
"I'm sorry." he kept saying.
Cen came then and hugged him. She didn't talk much but she was a brilliant thief of just sixteen years, Six years younger than him.
She looked at Roudog's snarling face and spoke.
"We knew the other side was unsafe when we decided to go, Garett does not take the blame for everything so lay off." Her voice was definite.
Roudog sneered and went back to Sharaya who was still sobbing on the ground. Garett's guilt did not relent under the compassion of Cen.
They scavenged what was left of their food in the bag packs they didn't drop. Dried meat with some berries. Then they walked the rest of the day till the sun had almost set.
The ball given to him by the mysts - the name he had decided to address the three creatures who helped them with the staff- felt cold against his chest.
When he checked it along the way, it's previously shining blue had gone dull. If he decided to take all the mysts had said seriously, then the six kingdoms were in serious danger, unless he found the one destined to have the ball. An impossible search it would be.
"Look." Sharaya said. Up ahead was what looked to be a cabin in bad shape. Most probably abandoned by a hunter.
"Let's check it out." Garett said
"You don't give orders anymore." Roudog replied coldly.
"No I don't." said Garett "So I'm suggesting we go in there and see if there's a decent fire place before we freeze to death."
He led the way and soon heard them following behind. He gently opened the door which let out a squeaky sound, then walked in. It was a cold and dark space. There was no other room, just a window, a broken wooden table and a dried splash in a corner. Luckily there was a fire place.
"Might I suggest" Garett began again "That you gather some woods and start a fire while I go out and hunt something for us to eat."
"I'll come with you." Sharaya said
"I can handle it." he replied.
She trudged into the woods ahead of him anyways so he dropped his staff in the room and followed, feeling Roudog's withering look behind him.
"It's not your fault." Sharaya said when he caught up to her deep in the woods.
"Yes it is Sharaya. I led you all to danger, to death even if not for that staff." He said trying not to focus on the screams of Camren.
"We all made our decisions. You didn't force us." she said but he didn't reply.
His mind had gone to Camren's child who was expecting her mother but would never see her.
"Hey. Hey." Sharaya said then stopped and dragged his hand to stop him too.
She then placed her cold smooth palm against his cheek and looked into his eyes. Her eyes were a light shade of green so pretty. Then she kissed him, slowly and with emotion.
He opened up for her, exploring every part of her mouth. She broke after a while when it got too intense. He wondered what this meant for their relationship now.
"It's not your fault." she said. He didn't believe her but something inside him like a knot loosened up the tiniest bit.
They arrived at the cabin thirty minutes later with a full grown rabbit in tow. The hunt was rough and involved injuring the rabbit first with the dagger he always kept in his boot but he eventually got it.
Cen skinned the rabbit and put it over the fire they had started. When it was well cooked, they ate in silence around the fire until Cen of all people spoke.
"No one will believe us." she said
"Who would blame them?" Roudog said. "Those kind of creatures aren't even written of in the most ancient books."
"So...so what do we do. We can't just do nothing can we?" Sharaya said.
They were silent for a while.
"What if we do what the mysts said we should?"
Garett said and got questioning looks in return.
"It's the name I gave to the first three creatures we met. It's short for mystical. I thought it would be better than calling them creatures or monsters." He said.
"Well the...mysts, want us to find someone destined for a ball. Where in the six kingdoms do we find him or her?" Sharaya said
"I have no idea." said Garett
"Great, So we have no plan." Roudog said, then focused on something behind Garett. "Is that dried blood?" He said.
Garett got up and walked to the spot. It was indeed blood, next to the broken table. Broken in two he noticed. Like someone had been put through it.
"Look at these claw marks." Sharaya said pointing to three deep gashes on the wall by the door that was illuminated by the fire. She walked over to it and traced it with her fingers. "They're too deep and too high for a regular animal."
"There's something else in these woods." Garett said
"I agree." Roudog said, looking through the window.
They all went to the window and saw a man standing in the shadows made by trees a distance from the cabin.
"I didn't think these woods would be inhabited. There was nothing but animals when we passed the first time." Garett said.
"Could it be the owner of the cabin?" Sharaya asked.
"What kind of person would live here?" Garett wondered.
"Well let's find out shall we. Hey buddy!" Roudog called "you lost? Come into the light so we can see you." He said.
Then the man stepped into the moonlight. He was faceless. They gasped in shock while Roudog swore. As if being faceless wasn't enough, the faceless man's left shoulder bulged, then his right, then his hands and his legs became larger and soon skin turned to fur and he had canines for regular teeth, and claws that looked sharp and powerful enough to split a man in half .
He stood like an ape but with the body of a monster. Then he abruptly began running towards the window.
"go go GO!" Roudog shouted. They escaped the window just as the beast crashed through it with violent force, then it roared so powerfully that Garett thought the house would collapse.
"Get out of the house now!" He told his companions. They all ran out but not before it tore through Garett's thigh with its sharp claws. He wailed in pain but kept on going. Then he was supported by Roudog and Sharaya.
The beast erupted out of the house like it was nothing and begun charging for them, but then Cen broke from their sprint and hurled a dagger he didn't know she'd already had in her hand at it.
"Cen no!" Sharaya cried
"GO!" She shouted at them then hurled another dagger at the beast who did not even try to avert it. It just kept walking slowly towards her, then it picked her up by the throat.
She looked at them then and mouthed the word go again. Sharaya and Roudog began to pull him backward but Garett broke from then and ran to the monster, limping as he did.
"Let her go!" He shouted angrily. The beast turned and looked at him. He removed the dagger in his boot and hurled it straight into the beasts thigh.
It grunted in pain only the slightest bit. Then it looked at Cen, then him again. Then he snapped Cen's neck and dropped her body to the ground.
"CEN!" Garett cried, Sharaya and Roudog echoing his cry. "You monster!"
He charged straight for the beast and the beast roared but it didn't stop him. There was suddenly a blast of wind from behind that curved past him and pushed the beast so hard it broke through three trees.
Garett turned back and found Sharaya and Roudog looking at the same thing he was looking at. A hooded person with his arm stretched as though he commanded the wind. Garett didn't care right now, he saw the beast stir and charged for it, picking his staff as he ran.
He jumped and plunged the staffs end through the beasts eye. Once, twice, thrice. Then he lost count, he kept seeing Cen's neck cracked in his mind, kept seeing her eyes before she fell to the ground.
He suddenly felt Sharaya beside him trying to stop him, then Roudog held him with brute strength.
"It's dead." he kept repeating "its dead."
By the time he stopped there were several holes on what was the beasts face. He didn't realize when tears had dropped from his eyes. They turned back to find the man crouched over Cen's body with his hand slightly above her neck.
"Get away from her." Garett said, already moving when Cen coughed. They all stood there staring at Cen's breathing but unconscious body.
"Dead gods." Roudog said. Sharaya began walking towards Cen's body then, already crying but Garett stopped her.
"What are you?" He asked. The man rose up from his crouch, then pulled back his hood. It wasn't a man under the hood, but a woman. A woman with long ears and slightly elongated teeth.
"I am a fae."