Whispers In The Dark

The forest was a riotous thicket of trees and twisting underbrush, the early light of dawn battling to penetrate the tunnel of leaves. Kaiza moved in front with slow, careful steps. Mina was right behind her, her eyes flicking nervously at every ruffle and shadow.

"Do you think they'll go after us? " Mina whispered.

Kaiza's hand lay on the handle of his sword. "If they know what we carry, they don't stop. Its blade is too great a temptation."

Mina shivered. She could still hear the mermaid queen's voice in her dream earlier that night, and it still sent chills down her spine. "What if she finds us again? What if she…"

"She won't," interrupted Kaiza, his tone insistent. "Not if we stay ahead of her. The queen's reach has limits, even if her power doesn't."

They continued in silence, the woods becoming thicker with each step. It was a damp air heady with the scent of moss and loam but also filled with the distant calling of birds that lent their journey an otherwise uncanny quality. Mina forced herself to concentrate on what was in front of them, yet her thoughts kept straying to the trials they would soon be facing.

By midday they arrived at a clearing where a stream threaded through the forest. Kaiza crouched beside the water collecting their canteens, and Mina sat on a fallen log, her legs sore from the long walk.

"How much further till we're safe? " She asked.

Kaiza didn't look up. "Safe isn't a place. It's a moment. And it's fleeting."

Mina frowned. "That's not very reassuring."

He rose, produced a canteen, and handed it to her. "It's the truth. But we'll take a breather here. You need your strength."

Mina thought of the hermit's words as she sat in the clearing. The tests of the blade would challenge them in every way, and that gnawing feeling that her own test was drawing near wouldn't leave her. Her eyes flicked to Kaiza, his face inscrutable and distant.

"Kaiza," she said softly. "Do you ever think what life would be like if none of this happened? If you hadn't consumed the mermaid flesh? "

He didn't answer immediately. When he did speak, he spoke softly. "I've thought about it. But it doesn't matter. What's done is done. All I can do now is to try to make it right."

Mina nodded, but her heart ached for him. She wanted to say something reassuring, but the words would not come. Instead, she moved forward and put a hand on his arm. He didn't pull away.

Their rest was short-lived. Just as they were about to leave, a noise pierced the tranquil woods. At first it was faint, like the sound of leaves rustling, but it grew steadily louder. Kaiza's hand moved to his sword, and Mina's heart hammered.

"Stay behind me," Kaiza said, his voice taut.

The sound coalesced into footfalls, and shortly after, a figure appeared from within the trees. It was a man, the clothes on his back tattered and his face gaunt. He put his hands up in a sign of peace.

"Please," he said hoarsely. "I mean you no harm."

Kaiza didn't lower his guard. "Who are you?"

The man hesitated. "My name is Oran. I have been wandering these woods for days. I… I used to be with a group, but we got attacked. I'm the only one left."

Mina's heart went out to the man, but Kaiza's eyes narrowed. "Attacked by what? "

Oran's expression darkened. "Creatures. They descended from nowhere, each one's eyes burning like coals. They ripped through us as if we were nothing."

Kaiza made eye contact with Mina. "You're lucky to be alive."

Oran nodded. "I barely escaped. If you have food or water … anything to spare.

Mina came forward, digging into her pack. "Right here," she said, giving him a piece of bread and a canteen.

Kaiza's jaw tightened, but he did not stop her. Oran gratefully accepted the offerings, his hands shaking.

"Thank you," he said. "I don't know how much longer I would have survived."

As they made their way through the tree line, Oran stayed with them, his steps wobbly. He spoke little, but Mina's curiosity overcame her.

"What were you doing in the woods? She asked.

Oran hesitated. "We were looking for something. An artifact was reportedly buried here. It was meant to deliver... great power."

Kaiza's eyes flicked to Oran. "What kind of artifact? "

Oran shook his head. "I don't know. I was just following orders. But whatever it was, it wasn't worth the cost."

Mina frowned. "Do you think it's related to the blade? " She asked Kaiza.

"Possibly," he said. "But we can't afford to be distracted. Our focus is getting through the next trial."

Oran's eyes lingered over Kaiza a beat. "You're looking for something too, aren't you? "

Kaiza hadn't answered, his face hard. Oran didn't press the issue.

By nightfall they had established a camp in a small clearing. The fire crackled low, throwing dancing shadows onto the trees. Mina sat near the fire, her thoughts agitated.

"Will we find what we're looking for, you think? " She asked Kaiza.

He gazed at her with an inscrutable expression. "We have to."

Oran's voice shattered the silence. "Whatever it is that you are chasing, I hope it's worth it. The forest, he says, doesn't share its secrets easily."

Kaiza's eyes narrowed. "And neither do I."

The tension hung thick in the air, but Mina's fatigue finally lured her to sleep. As she dreamed, the voice of the queen of the mermaids resonated in her memory yet again.

"You can't run away from the abyss, child. It is a part of you now."

She woke suddenly, the fire down to coals. Kaiza sat nearby; his sword lay across his lap. He looked at her, his eyes steady.

"Another dream? " he asked.

Mina nodded. "She's not going to quit, is she? "

Kaiza tightened his grip on his sword. "No. But neither will we."

Silence so profound, it nearly screamed at them as they prepared to embrace the trials and tribulations to come.