What Awaits Beyond

Silence settled in the obsidian chamber while the Shaddow Lords gave each other sideways glances. They already knew, so what was happening? Why the awkward silence?

" Why have you all gone quiet?" Iris asked, her eyes darting from one Lord to another, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything that might tell her more.

Owston stepped forward " We know, but there is something wrong with the new Guardian! The darkness has been stirring since he replaced Ettrick. I believe that he is your former husband. Isn't that right?!" Owston gave Amwell a knowing look, to which Amwell nodded and turned to Iris.

Iris's expression hardened, and she menacingly glared at Owston" Not former. He still is my husband!" Iris hissed through gritted teeth, deeply bothered by Owston's remark. She was bearly containing her anger and thought differently on the matter.

Amwell cleared her throat " Nonetheless, we are inclined to believe that something is happening to him" Amwell paused and looked at the Lords " He still has his memories. And if I'm not mistaken, his soul hasn't been consumed by the darkness, not wholly, anyway. There's still a glimmer of it intact, creating an imbalance within the natural order." Amwell finished looking at the floor, somewhat concerned but not overly troubled.

Iris's touched her shoulder. The mark, their souls were also bound, not just their bodies. Her lips stretched into a wide grin, biting her lip and squealed, but she quickly recovered her senses. She could bearly contain her excitement but not in front of the Lords. Now she needed the books more than ever, but they were in Zandar. Crap!

" If you're going to offer me as a snack to the wêtā's, you could at least provide me with a decent sword." Iris broke the silence and stretched her hand out, expecting any of them to hand her a sword or something with sharp edges.

Amwell curtly nodded and pulled the long obsidian sword out of her cloak, along with a glove.

" You might want to wear a glove! The Valley will claim you if you're not careful out there. Their sleep is deep, but when they wake," Amwell paused momentarily and handed her the glove" Just don't turn into one of us." it was more a plea than a request, and she handed her the sword, patting her on the shoulder.

Iris nodded and smiled " Thank you for your kindness. Once I return, I will leave right away. The journey to the North is long, and I don't have a horse. I'm guessing neither have you." Iris decisively said and followed Amwell through the chamber as she stepped through a large door leading to a scanty corridor, blocked at the end.

Amwell pushed the door leading out into the Valley" I will come and collect you in one day." she said, looking at the Valley and the dusky darkness in front of them.

Iris fisted the sword " No, not until I find the stone! Where should I start looking for it?" Iris asked, looking at the Valley, trying to understand the lay of the land from afar.

Amwell sighed " The stone grows where a life has been taken. You can start there, " Amwell pointed at a crevice below some rocks "that's where I died, but you're not the only one who looks for these stones. The wêtā will keep them in their nests for some reason. So, if you can't find one, you must go into their nest and look for one. There aren't many stones." Amwell explained, worriedly looking at her. She had every reason to be worried. If the sister's fate allowed her to die in that Valley, she would become one of them—a servant to the darkness for eternity.

" Don't die in this Valley!" Amwell pleaded as Iris stepped through the door and looked at the Valley keenly.

She had never seen a wêtā before but was sure she wouldn't miss it. Suppose the creatures were as vile as they said. They would be hard to ignore. The valley was eerily quiet as she climbed down the steep hill deeper into the valley. Bellow was a flat portion of land, a river bed, but there was no water in it, and despite all that, the lush greenery surrounding it thrived. She pushed a tree branch and continued her descent towards the river bed. It would take one more than one day to cover the entire valley. The crunching sound of dry wood and leaves beneath her feet filled the air. She shivered. She had forgotten to ask for a cloak and new clothes in her rush to finish this. She must look ridiculous.

A clicking sound rang behind her in the distance, and Iris instantly stiffened. She held her breath, and her grip on the blade tightened while the clicking sound grew louder. She fought the urge to run. She knew that she wouldn't stand a chance. The river bed in front of her held nowhere to cover. She felt a presence loom over her, and she slowly glanced upwards. In all seven hells, what is that?

The claw-like jaws were above her head, and the black creature's belly was smooth and scaly. It had twelve legs. She definitely couldn't outrun it. Iris silently inhaled, and the beast clicked again, swiping its jaws at her. Iris ducked, but not low enough. The animal lightly scuffed her head and let out an ear-piercing shriek. The wêtā's head lowered. Something trickled next to her, and a sizzling sound made her look at the spot.

" Shit!" Iris jumped to her feet, and the weta shrilled so loud that she had to cover her ears.

She felt something warm trickle on her lip. She wiped it with the back of her hand and looked at the red stain on her hand.

More clicking sounds echoed in the darkness, and she looked around as more creatures appeared in the river bed, poking their black bodies out of the canopy of trees.

" I see you called family and friends for dinner." Iris chuckled, trying to ease her tense nerves despite the impending threat looming over her drooling, burning drool.

The wêtā's screeched in chorus and began jumping out of the trees. The one above spewed more burning drool from its mouth, and she had to roll on the ground under its belly.

The wêtā's head bent under its belly and spewed more burning saliva. Iris rolled out of the way and chopped one of the wêtā's legs.

The weta loudly screeched, and she felt something warm trickle out of her ear. Iris raised her sword and began chopping left and right at the beast's legs until it crashed to the ground with a loud thud. Iris climbed on its back and plunged the sword into its head while the wêtā's gave its final loud screech.

More wetas surrounded her. Iris pulled the sword out of the wêtā's head with a squelch.

She grimaced at the foul smell and gripped the sword's hilt with both hands, ready to strike. She was a sitting target, but she couldn't outrun them. She might as well have the high ground.

Terrified of what was to come next, Iris stood her ground and patiently waited for the wêtā's to make the first move.