Chapter 88 : A Deal with shadows

Chapter 88: A Deal with Shadows

It was still early morning when Natasha and Alison kept walking, the Emberstone emitting a faint light at her side. It was said in a hush; their steps were tiptoe, and they trod carefully as to avoid stepping on the fallen leaves. They had bought time for themselves, though the feeling that someone was behind one's back remained with them like a shadow.

"Welcome, sir. Where do you hail from, sir?" Alison said, stifling the silence. His sword was sheathed behind him, but his hand rested on the handle all the time.

"Two days' travel at least," Natasha said. "But with Malrik increasing his control of the jungle, who knows how many more sides we will have to go around?"

Alison simply sighed and looked at Emberstone. The sanctuary did help, or at least it tried to help, but we can't count on it all the time. What if we do not get to the temple before the evening and before the night closes in?

Natasha did not respond at once. She didn't want to say what they knew was true—they had to succeed, and they couldn't fail.

The woman did not have the chance to answer when the jungle around them appeared to change. The trees were much taller than any living trees: they stretched as high as the skill of nature allowed, while their branches were bent unnaturally. The thick fog of the night descended, and nothing could be heard.

"Get closer," Natasha said threateningly, holding the Emberstone.

Alison pulled out his sword, the man's eyes flickering through the darkness. "Something's coming."

Out of the fog came a man dressed completely in black with his face hidden in the hood. The figure was smooth and glided across it with almost ghostlike qualities despite making no noticeable sound on the forest ground.

"Travelers," the figure said to me, and the tone of the voice was as if it had been windblown. "It is dangerous to pull such a stunt."

Natasha stepped forward; she was frowning nervously. "Who are you?"

The figure that stood in front of them bowed its head slightly. "A friend… or an enemy. That depends on you."

Alison clenched his hands on the sword's handle even tighter. We have no time for games; no time for riddles. If you are here to try to stop us, you better join us."

The figure chuckled, the noise echoing with an eerie sound that caused their spine to tingle. "I am no ally of Malrik. It's clear that his ambition throws the balance of this realm off. But your presence here... The direction of the figure's gaze, however, was distributed through the back of the head, as though an X-ray had been taken through them; "...has created its own waves."

Natasha's jaw clenched. "If you do not join his team, then support us."

It was a few seconds before the figure answered as if she was thinking over what she was told. Then it said something in what could sparsely be termed as a voice, its timbre cutting and measured. "Help comes at a price. Are you willing to pay it?"

Alison moved beside Natasha; he eyed her doubtfully. "Of course, when reviewing any price other than the base price, one must ask the question, What kind of price are we talking about?"

The figure lifted his hand, and a small tendril of darkness coiled around his hand like a glove. "A piece of emberstone is what we are dealing with here." In return, I will let you pass through this jungle and tell you where Malrik is headed."

Natasha was feeling really nervous; her heartbeat accelerated. The Emberstone was their biggest defense against all odds, especially against Malrik. And how much more any piece of it, to decide the balance of a kingdom?

"Well, no," Alison replied quickly, positioning herself in front of her. "We can't trust you. Emberstone is not something that we can afford to play with.'Natasha was still; she thought for a while. It was becoming more and more apparent that they only had so long to complete the job, and with each passing day it seemed to become more and more impossible. But Alison was right—this man's intents were not quite savory at all, or at least they were not discernible.

"Power to make things work even though they are not good," Natasha inquired, her voice sounding calm, though she was really anxious inside.

The figure's head tilted once more, attempting to look past her question with merriment. "To preserve the balance. Emberstone is a beacon, and all beacons are known to have shadows. I try to modify only It is light."

"Well, that doesn't sound very comforting," Alison said.

Natasha gripped the Emberstone with her hands even more tightly. "Why should you agree to submit this fragment to our view if you are to turn it against us later?"

"You don't," the figure agreed, but the alien's words rang flat. "But the choice is yours. Take the risk of everything unknown, which can be worse than the jungle and the unknown face of Malrik."

Alison approached and stood near Natasha and became a little quiet. "We can't trust this thing. Perhaps it is one of Malrik's tricks all the same," was the other's reply.

Natasha stared at him, then at the figure. Her thoughts were racing in her head with no end in sight. Could they afford to take that chance?

She breathed a sigh, looking at the figure. "One condition," she said. "If we go along with this, then you promise that you will never use the power against us or anyone else."

The figure inclined its head. "You have my word. I have to obey the laws of this kingdom."

Saying nothing more, Alison frowned also but without arguing. Natasha then came forward with the Emberstone in both of her hands. She concentrated on the fact that it represented energy and willed a small fragment to break away.

A crack pierced the flat surface, and the air shimmered as the small portion of light emerged. The figure raised its hand, and the shard floated in it and joined the dark energy that surrounded the glove.

"It is done," the figure said, and the speaker had a self-satisfied air about him.

Natasha felt the power level drop a little, but the core energy was still intact in the Emberstone. She looked at Alison, and the other girl sighed in agreement.

"Now," she said, her voice getting rather authoritative. "Your part of the deal."

The figure pointed, and the fog that enveloped them started to shrink. The jungle became calm again, the way it was; the darkness dissipated.

"The troops of this Malrik are concentrating in the Cradle of Souls," announced the figure. "He wishes to pollute the essence of life for this domain. If he does this, then no one—be it Emberstone or anyone else—will be able to prevent him.

"The Cradle of Souls?" He gave a frown and asked, 'Alison?' "What is that?"

It actually took me a few moments to see this one: "That is where all the life is." "It is the heart of this jungle and the most important for the strategy of Malrik's actions."

This time Natasha looked at Alison, and they both knew what it meant. "How do we get there?"

The figure lifted one arm, and a dim light trail materialized on the ground leading into the undergrowth.

"Follow this path. From there it will take you to the Cradle. But beware—Malrik has started his job already. Time is not on your side."

It seems before they could ask further more, the figure that was in front of them started disappearing, and its outlines started blurring into the darkness.

"Wait!" Natasha called out. "Who are you?"

The figure's voice I heard when it said those words was the last thing I heard before it vanished entirely. "A shadow, bound by purpose. Here's hoping that you will be able to stand all that is yet to come."

And then it was gone.

Natasha and Alison paused for a moment, the aftereffect of the encounter that was in between them.

"Do you trust it?" Alison asked finally.

Natasha shook her head. "Not entirely. But if what it said is true, we don't have much choice."

They looked at the light on the ground before them, leading them on. With fresh vigor, they started on their way to the Cradle of the Souls; challenging indeed would be whatever they were going to face at that place.