Chapter 14

THE Sybils walked with quiet steps, afraid they might invoke the wrath of another swarm of ghosts. Even though they knew that without the power of the sphere piece they were unlikely to be met with evil spirits. Still, a snap of a twig would cause the Sybils to twitch with darting eyes.

The trees leaned over them like giants, obscuring their view from the world around and above them. The sun had begun to rise but not much light penetrated the thick forest. Mist hovered above the ground and swirled around the Sybils’ legs as they walked through it.

Enid signalled the group to take a quick rest. Nyla sat on a large rock protruding from the ground and accepted the flask of water Ezra handed her.

Rowan, who leaned against a tree with his arms crossed said, “So, Enid. How does it feel to be wrong?”

“What do you mean?” Enid took a drink from his flask.

“Well,” Rowan pushed off the tree, “You said the forest wasn’t haunted, yet it clearly was.”

“Was there some kind of battle in this forest or something?” Nyla asked.

“I heard that the Althea Sphere can summon the dead.” Rowan grinned with sparkling eyes.

“Yeah, but those weren’t the dead,” Ezra said, making everyone look toward her. “I mean, ghosts are just spirits, they don’t have a physical form.”

“Well, it was only one piece of the Sphere.” Nyla shrugged.

“Yeah, well, thank goodness for that.” Rowan said, “Apparently Undead are harder to kill than Faite.”

“Really?” Ezra asked.

“Undead don’t feel pain like Faite do.” Kai said, “Therefore the only way to stop them is to kill them.”

“Again,” Rowan added. Ezra shuddered.

“I read once that Preator Corbin would defeat his enemies by summoning the dead. He had armies under his control and a dark force that fought by his side. In the end, the power of the Sphere was so strong it had driven him mad.” Nyla said.

“He must have been lonely,” Ezra muttered.

“He was a power-blinded murderer.” Rowan said, “Who cares if he was alone.”

“Ok, story time’s over. At this pace, we’ll reach the border in less than two days.” Enid said.

Nyla stood and dusted herself off before following behind Ezra who followed after Enid. Kai and Rowan took the rear as they continued their walk through the forest and finally reached the edge. The air outside the forest felt lighter, and it was suddenly easier to breathe. The Sybils all took a deep breath of the fresh air.

“Oh yeah. Much better.” Rowan breathed.

Enid smirked. “Come on. We still have a couple hours of sunlight left.”

After walking for a few hours, the sun had begun to sink toward the earth. Nyla couldn’t remember a time when she had walked so much in her life. Her calves had begun to pull, and a stitch had formed in her side. Still, she walked upright like the rest of her companions. If someone was to ask for a break, it would not be her.

Rowan reached inside his robe and stopped abruptly. “Uh, guys, we have a problem.”

Nyla groaned. “I knew things were going too smoothly.” She said even though she was thankful for the moment’s respite.

The Sybils turned to face Rowan who chuckled nervously, straightening his robe. He cleared his throat. “I may have probably, possibly, definitely lost our Token of Passage.” his face scrunched in anticipation for rage.

“WHAT!” Nyla charged for Rowan who immediately ran to hide behind Enid,

“Now, now, Nyla. Let’s talk about this.”

“Talk?! You’re incapable of responsibility, aren’t you?” she lunged for him again. He made a run for it toward Kai, who looked at him with disapproval as he crossed his arms.

“Okay, Nyla, that’s enough,” Enid said, holding Nyla back. She huffed and wiped her forehead, taking a walk to cool off. “Where could you have possibly lost it?” Enid asked calmly.

“I must have dropped it in the boar’s cave.”

“The boar’s cave!” Nyla stomped toward Rowan who hid behind Enid again.

Enid held his hands up to ward her off. “It’s okay. I’ll go back and look for it.”

“You should take the irresponsible child with you because I cannot guarantee his safety if he stays behind.” Nyla said, “Maybe you can knock some sense into him on the way.”

“I like that idea.” Rowan said, “Anywhere is better than here.” He gripped Enid’s sleeve and started tugging him away. “Come on, Enid, the Token isn’t gonna find itself.” With Enid as his shield, Rowan walked backward until they were a safe distance from Nyla before he turned to walk beside Enid, glancing over his shoulder to make sure he was still safe from Nyla’s clutches.

Nyla sighed and turned to face Kai and a stunned Ezra. Her face softened. “We should start a fire, they might not be back until later this evening.” Together the remaining Sybils began collecting sticks to make a fire before the sun set completely.

Sitting beneath the stars with the crescent moon with a small fire before them as their only other source of light, a portal opened a few feet from them, and Enid stepped through with Rowan behind him.

“Did you find it?” Nyla asked, standing from the log she was sitting on.

“Do the stars shine at night?” Rowan asked sarcastically and chuckled. He stopped when he saw Nyla’s face. Anger waited behind her eyes. He cleared his throat, “Yeah we found it.”

She rolled her eyes with a sigh and sat back down. “Well, it’s too late to travel now. I say we get some rest and continue on our way tomorrow.”

She stared back into the flames and watched through the corner of her eye as Rowan followed Enid closely to a place where they could sit and rest. She took a deep breath and looked up at the stars and silently thanked the heavens that they hadn’t lost the Token. She watched her fellow companions settle in for the night then glanced around her at the empty expanse of field stretching on either side making sure no boar or human or any unearthly creature was anywhere near them. With one last glance at the forest behind her, Nyla moved to lie down near the fire to savour its warmth.

***

The Sybils awoke with the piercing light of the sun and began to pack up camp. The sun’s rays stretched across the sky turning the hues of blue to that of green and orange. They safely passed through the border and arrived within the Sage region.

Ezra led the way and together the Sybils walked along the edge of a slow trickling stream that ran between the rocks. They spent most of the morning heading toward the nearest village and after making a quick stop for supplies the Sybils found themselves on the path towards wherever the piece of the sphere was hidden in Sage.

“I don’t think your region lives up to its name, Ezra,” Rowan said, breaking the silence as they walked between large walls of rock. The hard grey stone walls stretched above them like solid giants and the gravel path turned and twisted, not allowing them to see much further ahead of them.

“This is Brussel Route,” Ezra called back, leading the group onward into the territory she was most familiar with, “It’s been carved through Mount Thyme and leads all the way to Rosemary Ridge.”

“Eek. Do you have to name everything you come across?” Rowan asked and kicked a rock, “Wait, let me guess, I just kicked Dave.”

Ezra giggled. “No.” she said stretching out the word, but Sage Mountain’s ancestors were Healers and Explorers, so—”

“They named everything they came across.” Rowan finished.

She smiled. “I guess.”

There was a soft warm breeze brushing past them and the sun had begun to disappear from the sky behind the large rocks. It soon became dark, and the sounds of crickets accompanied them on their walk. The silence was comforting, and the warm breeze became cooler which had a refreshing effect on the sweaty backs of the Sybils. Nyla had the urge to close her eyes and breathe in the brisk air but was afraid she might bump into Enid who walked in front of her.

The path finally opened up to a patch of grass with a view of a waterfall that fell into a small pond. Rowan walked up to the pond and splashed the cold water on his face and behind his neck.

“Ooh, that’s cold.” He shuddered. “Well, this is more like it.” He stood, placing his hands on his hips, and staring at the view lit by moonlight. Nyla walked to the edge of the pond and finally closed her eyes feeling the spray of water tickle her face.

“Yup,” Ezra said in agreement, standing next to Rowan, “Welcome to Rosemary Ridge.”

The group made themselves comfortable on the soft green grass, laying on their backs, and stared up at the stars above them. The many sparkling lights winked at them from the distance.

“So, you know the piece is in Rosemary Ridge, but do you know where exactly?” Enid asked, his arms folded behind his resting head.

“Nope,” Ezra sighed, “but at least we know it’s somewhere near.”

The Sybils laid in silence with the calming sound of the water falling to accompany them. If Nyla had known there was such a peaceful place in Sage Mountain, she would have visited more often. There was no hidden ridge, pond, or river in the Lily Region, not that she knew of at least. She didn’t spend much time absorbing the sound of nature around her. The only sounds that ever accompanied her were the sounds of swords clashing and the heavy breathes of her combat opponent.

“You guys ever heard the story about Althea’s crown?” Rowan asked randomly as he spotted seven bright stars, forming the shape of a crown across the dark sky.

Nyla sighed. “No, but I have a feeling you’re going to tell us.”

“Well, the story goes that Althea was actually a Conjurer, one of the most powerful to ever live. When she was in her youth, many suitors wanted her hand in marriage. One day, Althea fell for a prince who had come from a faraway land. The prince, to show his love and affection for Althea, made her a crown, and in the crown, seven diamonds were embedded. Then, when Althea was sealed into a sphere, because she had grown too powerful, the prince engraved her crown into the night sky, so he would be reminded of the beautiful young girl he had fallen in love with.”

The Sybils stared at the sky in bewilderment as silence surrounded them. There weren’t many stories, never mind legends, which were told about the Althea Sphere. All mentions of it were considered taboo and no one could ever seem to find a fairy like story about the Althea Sphere anyway. Nyla looked over at Rowan who looked troubled.

“That was a nice story,” Nyla said. “Where did you hear it from?”

“My mother.” Rowan smiled. “Although I guess she made it up.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because I don’t believe that love is real, and she tried to convince me that it is.”

Nyla didn’t know what to say to Rowan’s statement so instead, she looked back up at the stars. A love story told by a mother to her son about a notorious ruler who fell in love. Nyla herself hadn’t given much thought to love, or what it meant. She imagined it was just a strong bond. Like the bond between family and the unbreakable bond of friendship. She glanced over to Kai, who was watching her as well, before looking back up to the sky. It was because of the bond of friendship that Nyla had with Kai that caused her to break their friendship. Wasn’t that a form of love too? Nyla shook the thought from her mind and turned to her side. Sleep seeped into her mind before claiming her completely.

***

“Well, this is interesting.” Rowan placed his hands on his hips as he and his companions stared at the path that split before them.

“Which way, Ez?” Enid asked. She shrugged.

The Sybils looked between the two paths, one was dark and ominous whilst the other was less so.

“I guess we split up,” Nyla said.

“So, who’s going where?” Ezra asked as she played with her fingers nervously.

“Let’s leave it up to fate, shall we?” Rowan suggested then picked up five rocks from the ground, two darker-looking ones, and three lighter ones. Everyone gathered in a circle around him. Rowan tossed the five stones into the air and each Sybil snatched one.

Rowan opened his palm and sighed when he saw a dark stone in his hand. Kai revealed his stone next and was relieved to see a light stone resting there. Ezra slowly opened her palm with one eye closed. In her palm rested a light stone and she released a happy breath. Enid and Nyla looked at each other then held their fists next to each other and opened them at the same time. Nyla sighed at the dark stone in her palm and looked over at Rowan.

“Guess it’s you and me Buttercup,” Nyla said with a grumble.

“Nicknames. I like it, Petal.” Rowan grinned.

“Okay, so we follow the path and hope it leads us somewhere, if not, send up a signal, then return to this spot before nightfall,” Enid said. The other Sybils nodded.

“I bet Rowan will swoon me to death before we find anything,” Nyla muttered.

“Look on the bright side, Petal, you’re with me,” Rowan said, throwing his arm over Nyla’s shoulders. Nyla scoffed and tossed his arm off before she headed down the dark path. Rowan looked over at the Sybils. “I guess we’ll see each other later.”

“Be careful,” Enid said. Rowan smirked and jogged to catch up with Nyla.

Nyla and Rowan were deep down the dark path, which only appeared dark because of the dead looming trees on the boulders’ edge above them. Their branches intertwined together to form a canopy, not allowing much light to enter.

“So, Petal,” Rowan said, earning a sigh from Nyla beside him, “How does an innocent lady like you, turn out to be a warrior?”

“I don’t like dresses,” She answered curtly, brushing the bang from her face that blew in the breeze.

“Mmm, I guess it doesn’t matter since you’re not next in line as clan leader.”

“Yup,” She replied, “My mother loved to dress me up as a child, but when I got older and watched the Gaurde of my village train, I knew that that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to protect my clan, my family, and I was willing to do anything to do it.”

“No matter the cost?”

“No matter the cost.”

Up ahead, Nyla could see a turn and picked up the pace a little to find out where it led. Rowan noticed as well and followed. Once they reached the turn, they found a rounded dead-end.

“A dead-end,” Rowan said, “Great.”

Nyla released a frustrated sigh and walked further into the carved-out rock, placing her hands on the hard surface, “Just an ordinary dead-end.” She muttered to herself.

“Quite strange, really,” Rowan said and walked further in as well, but the moment he joined Nyla, the ground beneath them gave way and they fell.