Raulin's Oath

They marched through the day without stopping, wanting to put as much distance between the One and themselves. As the sun melted into the ground, its golden rays dripping like warm butter, Raulin told the herd to prepare camp. The horses looked haggard, but the humans looked like the walking dead. Arietta knew that it had to be hard being so scared but having the expectation of always acting brave. Sometime after midday, Arietta and Jerry decided that they needed to walk. Arietta’s hearing was still muffled and a constant ringing interrupted her thoughts; her leg was sore regardless of the fact she’d only been injured in the plane they’d been pulled to. Gustoff left the camp to look for a special plant that would ease the pain while her ears healed.

Arietta and Jerry sat in silence as they warmed themselves by the fire. Arietta could not get past the fact that Jerry was ready to pick someone from their group to sacrifice, and she was pretty certain who he had in mind. She knew at some point, she would need to talk with him about this, but she didn’t know how to even begin that conversation. She turned towards Jerry and conflict danced in his eyes as he gazed through the fire. The voices had told her that he would betray her, and though she couldn’t imagine him doing so, there was a shadow of doubt lurking in the back of her mind. He had shown up at a time when she needed help, and had risked his life to aid her. Yet there was no explanation from Jerry as to how he was able to travel to Palidonaya without her, or how he had healed himself. One question loomed that was dominating her thoughts and could provide the insight that she desired. How well did she really know Jerry?

She decided that she needed to go for a walk and speak with her grandpa. Maybe he could help her with this problem. Arietta gingerly rose from her sitting position and stretched her back, trying to ease the soreness from her overworked muscles. She slowly made her way in the direction that Grandpa Gus had gone. She couldn’t help but notice that Jerry’s gaze didn’t falter.

As she meandered through the forest, two thoughts entered her mind. First, she realized that her leg no longer hurt, though she was positive that it had been broken by the One. The second was that she could once again hear the sounds of the forest. This was very soothing, and she was soon lost in her thoughts. Before she had even noticed that she was no longer alone, an arm reached out from behind a tree and grabbed her, covering her mouth as it pulled her in.

“Shhh, don’t make a sound,” a familiar voice whispered. She stifled a scream. Ahead of her a creature perched on the bank, looking intently into the middle of a creek that cut through the forest. It was not any bigger than a large cat, but walked on two legs. There was no hair that she could see, and it had a bluish, slightly iridescent hue to its skin and large saucers for eyes. It seemed to be talking to itself while focusing on the water and wandering through the trees. Suddenly, it lashed out with its right arm, which stretched to a length that was at least twice what it should have been. It jumped in joy as it pulled its hand to its mouth, devouring an animal that resembled a mix between a lizard and a frog. This creature then happily skipped away, never straying too far from the creek bed.

After the creature was out of earshot, Arietta was released, and she immediately turned to see who had grabbed her. A long white beard blazed a path to twinkling blue eyes that belonged to her grandpa. He held his finger to his lips, then motioned for Ari to follow him to the creek bed, where he bent down and scooped a cup full of water.

He then crumbled a plant into the cup and whispered, “ignis.” A blue flame danced from his index finger, which he pointed into the cup. Soon, a minty smell drifted up to Ari’s nose. Gus raised his hand to his mouth, making a gun with his thumb and index finger, and blew the flame out. He then handed Ari the warm cup and whispered for her to drink the mixture. “It will help with the ringing and pain in your ears.”

Ari took a tentative sip, then decided that it didn’t taste like the medicine that she had to take back home and continued sipping as they made their way back to camp. She asked the first of many questions that she had as they walked. “Do you know what that thing was that captured Jerry and me?”

“I really don’t know the answer to that. It felt like a spirit, similar to the Immortuos we first encountered in Palidonaya. Though I don’t remember seeing any spirits that powerful. What happened to you? You were walking along with Jerry, and suddenly you were out. I had two of the herd carry you and Jerry when we noticed that the temperature had dropped several degrees. I really thought that the Immortuos had returned. We were stuck in some kind of a loop. No matter how far we walked, we ended up in the same spot.”

Arietta began recounting the tale of the challenge. Gustoff walked quietly by her side, taking in every word. She finished by talking about the final challenge and how she had decided that she couldn’t sacrifice one of the herd or him and live with the choice. After she had made up her mind, the spirit screamed as if it was on fire. She had rehearsed how she’d tell her story, trying her best to remove all emotion… to just lay out what happened. Gustoff didn’t need to know how terrifying it was, didn’t need to know the pain she’d been through. His sad eyes and concerned nods made it more difficult to verbalize.

“That was the test of the soul, Ari. Your sacrifice proved that your soul is pure. Your choice was the only option that would save everyone.”

Ari took a deep breath and spoke of Jerry, and how he was so quick to sacrifice another, which verified the voices’ warnings.

“Remember that Jerry has not had the same experiences in life that you have. Don’t be so quick to judge him just yet. The spirits feed on fear. They sow the seeds of doubt and mistrust, which, if left to their own accord, lead to fear.”

“Grandpa, how do you know so much about this forest?”

“I am one of the few living beings to cross the Silent Forest, survive, and not go mad,” Gustoff said with a smile and a wink. Arietta considered this, thinking back to the stories he used to tell her, many set in a “deep, dark, and spooky” forest, that he used to describe to the much younger Ari. “My best advice for you, Arietta dear, is to talk to him. Just don’t be confrontational. Ask him what happened on his half of the journey the two of you experienced, and remember that those spirits’ goal is to drive the two of you apart, and to keep their forest safe. They sensed your combined power, and a pair that strong is dangerous. No one really knows the extent of your abilities, dear, but as soon as you came here… that raw energy connecting with its home rang throughout this world. As for Jerry, he is extremely powerful as well. It’s a beast under his skin, scratching to be let out. I am certain that those who practice the darker side of magic don’t want the two of you so close,” Gustoff explained, his weathered hand clamping on her shoulder.

So with that, Arietta set off to have a conversation with Jerry. When she arrived at the camp they had set up, she was surprised to see what she had returned to. Next to the small fire they’d made sat Jerry, legs crossed, levitating two feet off the ground. He had sweat on his brow, and his palms faced the sun. Shadowy wisps gathered at his fingertips, weaving along his body. The pull of his magic felt familiar. The shadowy wisps had begun to take form when Arietta interrupted his concentration.

“Jerry?”

His eyes snapped open, and he dropped to the ground with a small cry.

She laughed. “I’m so sorry!”

He rolled onto his side, dazed, sending her a glare.

“I can see how sorry you are!”

He couldn’t hold his serious face for long before he burst into a laughing fit himself. “Okay, what do you want?” His face returned to a neutral smile, yet his eyes didn’t quite match his easy-going spirit. He held her gaze, assessing her intentions. She knew that he was a mind reader of sorts, that he likely suspected her suspicion.

“I wanted to talk to you about what happened when we were separated.” She helped him to his feet, and the corners of his mouth drooped.