Chapter 11
It was almost half a day before Aramus was strong enough to walk on his own. By that time the sun was on its final few steps toward the horizon, and the forest creatures had begun to settle into the safety of their dirt and twiggy homes. Of course, Ol?rin knew the real reason they hid, and it was not because they were diurnal. It was because the nights in The Shrouded Forest were anything but peaceful. It would have been a wiser decision to seek refuge in a wild bear's den than to continue walking through the forest at night. But Ol?rin and Aramus were left with little choice. They could either stay put and be discovered by the queen's minions, or take their chances through fabled Crying Mists.
"Aramus," Ol?rin said, using his staff to pick out even ground amongst the tree roots in the dying light. "When the darkness comes you must promise to trust me, no matter what you see or hear. Things are not always what they seem in this place, and the mist has led many men to their doom."
"I would trust you with my life, old man," Aramus replied, cocking his head to the side and giving Ol?rin a crooked grin. "But I am not afraid of the dark, and whatever lies between these trees will not change once the sun sets. A tree is just a tree, what more could the forest hide?"
"Ah, so young," Ol?rin said, casting a cautious eye toward the inky sky. "Do you know that the elves believe everything from the grass blades to the trees themselves, has a soul? But in their belief, all souls are not equal either. Those born with a heartbeat are closest to the Goddess Edwina, and their heart symbolises her love. Those born without a heart are either free of sin or closest to the God Dantet, and are not under her protection. This is the reason they do not eat anything which once had a heartbeat, and dedicate their lives to killing Dark Ones.
"In the same way that the elves believe the trees around them, the grass, and the grain, all have souls or a thriving for life, they also believe that the ground beneath contains memories of times gone by; memories that far outlive the oldest creatures of Naretia. These memories date back to the time of creation, and contain secrets that our feeble minds, and written records, do not hold.
"In a way, I believe the elves are correct. Something powerful truly exists beyond that which we can see and hear. Not only do I believe the ground has memories, but I believe the world also has its own magic. The mist that lives between these trees is the forest's magic, and it isn't always kind, Aramus. The deep scars across its face, which man created with their axes to build homes, has not been forgotten, and the mist is laced with the desire to retaliate.
"But when the darkness comes, so too do dark creatures who are able to bend the mist's magic to their will, and create all manner of chaos. They twist the moons light to make you see untruths, they fill your ears to make you hear lies, and strangle your lungs so that you cannot scream. But most important to remember is that their only goal is to ensnare your senses and to end your life, Aramus."
"I see, a friendly lot then," Aramus replied. "But that also makes me wonder what the elves would make of me. Where would I lie on their spectrum of souls? I have a heart that beats and part of me is human, but I am clearly the son of Dantet, and therefore their enemy. I wonder, would they dedicate their lives to killing me?"
Ol?rin didn't answer straight away. The truth was that he didn't know what the elves would make of Aramus. The young man would be a paradox to their entire belief system, and one they might not welcome to quickly. No, it was definitely safer to bring Aramus to the dwarfs first. Perhaps with an encouraging nod from two castes, the elves would be less inclined to shoot an arrow through Aramus's skull upon first sight of him.
"Dantet does not have a heart, Aramus, but yours beats strongly in your chest," Ol?rin eventually said. "It may take some convincing on their part, but I believe they will come to see what I see. They maybe puritans, but they are also fair."
"So, just win them over with my charming smile and my wit then?"
"Indeed."
The two walked on in quiet contemplation for what seemed like an age. The sun reached its final destination and the mist thickened in the moonlight. The silvery moisture, which hung in the air like a ghost, became so dense that Ol?rin could almost make out the individual water globules swishing and swirling in front of him. It clung to his skin leaving him feeling cold and damp, and invaded his lungs against his will.
It was getting difficult to see any more than a few feet in front them, and the silence soon became eerie. Nevertheless, Ol?rin wouldn't risk lighting their path with his staff and alerting the creatures around them to their presence. Keeping a constant ear out for any unusual noise, Ol?rin was thankful that the only sound he heard was their own footsteps in the stillness.
To his right he could still make out Aramus's figure. It seemed that the further away he travelled from Darzithal, the stronger he became. He took confident strides through the blinding mist, his wings lifted proudly on his back. His shoulder had all but healed, no longer needing a fresh bandage every few minutes. Aramus's chest didn't heave with the same effort of breathing through the smog, like Ol?rin's did. His amber eyes searched the greyness, focusing on objects that Ol?rin just couldn't see. Soon, he was being led once again by Aramus's deftness. His old bones creaked and complained in the dampness, and Ol?rin felt every bit his age.
"Did you hear that?" Aramus said, stopping dead in his tracks.
Ol?rin listened carefully, turning his head this way and that, but only the muteness of the mist reached his ears.
"I hear nothing," he replied.
"It's gone now," Aramas said after a few moments, cautiously taking a few steps forward again and stretching out his injured shoulder. "I thought I heard someone crying, but I guess I was wrong."
Ol?rin felt a lump grow in his chest. He knew what was lurking in the mist, waiting to find them, and hoped they would reach the edge of the forest before it did. The legendary crying of the mist was a sound that he had never been privy to hear, and the only reason he had survived so long in The Shrouded Forest during his apprenticeship.
"Let us move more quickly, Aramus," he said, his voice more uneven than he had intended. "Pay no heed to the sounds around you. Quickly now!"
Aramus nodded and picked up his pace. Ol?rin struggled to keep up with him. The moon hid behind the canopy of leaves above them, and it wasn't long before Aramus was a few meters ahead; far enough away that Ol?rin could only just make out his form.
"Aramus, we must stick?"
"There it is again," Aramus interrupted.
Ol?rin heard the young man's footsteps quicken.
"Aramus, wait!"
"It's a woman," he shouted back, now completely out of eyesight. "She's crying, like she's in pain. Come on, we have to help her."
"ARAMUS!"
But it was too late. Ol?rin heard the young man break into a run to follow a sound that he could not hear. His heart pounding in his chest, Ol?rin ran after Aramus, blinded by the fog and the dense trees.
The forest broke into a clearing, the bright moonlight having burned away the choking mists. In the centre of the clearing Aramus stood gazing up at a creature Ol?rin hoped they would not meet. Hovering above him was a woman whose skin had all but been stripped off her body, revealing the hideous muscle underneath. Two bat-like wings, ending in sharp claws Ol?rin knew to be poisonous, flapped in slow rhythmic movements. She wore armour constructed from the bones of her previous kills, humanoid and animal alike. Strung like fine beads around her neck were the shrivelled hearts of the many men she had lured to their death.
The creature's hideous mouth gawped open, singing her honey-sweet song to entice Aramus. It was a silent song that held no power over Ol?rin as he could never be enticed by a female. Her large, clawed hands reached out to Aramus, and he was not repulsed.
"ARAMUS!" Ol?rin cried out, raising his staff in the air.
The creature shot a deadly look at the wizard. From her sharp toothed mouth, an ear splitting shriek resounded through the still air. To Ol?rin'
s astonishment, a dozen more creatures suddenly appeared between himself and Aramus. Without warning, they grabbed both of Ol?rin's arms and splayed them wide. One of them knocked his staff from his hand, while another wrapped her claws around his mouth.
"She's beautiful," Aramus said, just barely louder than a whisper. "She says she's lost and needs my help, Ol?rin. She doesn't fear me. She? she likes me."
Ol?rin watched the creature edge closer to Aramus. The young man smiled at the beast. He made to reach out and stroke her face. Ol?rin thrashed against the claws to free himself and soon the hand around his mouth lost its grip.
"Relinquam!"
As if he had suddenly been turned into searing metal, the creatures around him shrieked and pulled away. They writhed and hissed with vengeful fury, circling around Ol?rin and barricading his way to Aramus.
"Aramus, do not let her kiss you or she will end your life," he shouted over the screeches. "She's a harpy. All of this is an illusion. Aramus, do you hear me? Aramus!"
Between the skeletal arms and thick black wings of the circling harpies, Ol?rin saw Aramus step closer to the creature. He wore a smile that Ol?rin had wished to see on his face since he had first known him. But now it sent a wave of panic through the old man's chest. Aramus believed this creature loved him, as did all the men who had crossed her path.
"So beautiful," he said longingly. "She doesn't want to hurt me, she's just lost and alone. Why won't you let me help her?"
"She is here for only one thing, Aramus, and that is to end your life."
Fuelled with a large surge of panic, Ol?rin searched the ground for his staff, to no avail. He watched helplessly as the creature ran her long talons through Aramus's shoulder length hair, down his neck, and finally resting on his chest.
"She says that you're jealous, that you don't want happiness for me because you have never found true love. Why is that, Ol?rin? And why would you do that to me? All I've ever wanted was to be accepted? loved. And now that I have found someone, you want to take it away from me?"
Ol?rin saw Aramus's brows furrow and his fists clench. 'This harpy's magic is more powerful than any I have seen before,' he thought. 'She must be a queen.' That realisation alarmed the wizard more than anything, because queens normally don't rise above the world of Dantet; not unless it was by his orders. Her considerable powers of persuasion would undoubtedly raise whatever human yearning Aramus had, and accentuated it until he was terminally under her spell.
"Aramus, I want nothing more than for you to find true love, but this is not it. Think about it. You have met this creature for less than a moment, and yet, you are already in love with her? Some other dark power is at work here, Aramus. Please, I beg of you, despite what you see and hear, you must trust me."
Ol?rin watched as his words were drowned in the chorus of ever swelling octaves from the circling harpies. The shredded lips of the queen edged closer to Aramus's, and no matter how he roared, Ol?rin's voice was lost in the terrible music of her minions. Like a snake emerging from a cave, Ol?rin watched helplessly as a pink, vaporous tendril emerged from the queen's open mouth, and entered Aramus's.
A terrifying electricity rose up in his old chest. Try as he might to focus his energy on the queen, without the boost of his staff, his efforts were easily blocked by her self-sacrificing cronies. Ol?rin reached a hand through the tornado of sharp talons and black wings. He had to get to Aramus. All would be lost if he allowed this creature to take him. With a deafening screech, one of the harpies dove toward Ol?rin and struck him across his face. He felt the searing pain of three long claws scratch him across his cheek, but he had no time to dwell on it.
"Aramus," he shouted. "Do not kiss her."
Through the tornado of monsters, Aramus eyes locked on Ol?rin's and he saw them flinch. Ol?rin wasn't sure if it was his words or the sight of the wounds the harpy had caused him which snapped Aramus from the depths of his trance. Whichever it was, Aramus drew his sword and, without hesitation, plunged its blade deep into the chest of the harpy queen. She seemed as surprised by Aramus's actions as Ol?rin. Immediately the other harpies took to the air, screeching like they had all been set on fire. Each one of them clutched their chests and turned their dead, horrified faces toward their queen.
Her black eyes slowly lowered and followed Aramus's blade, up the muscles of his arm that were now straining under her weight, until they rested on his cold, slatted amber eyes. The pink tendril receded from Aramus's mouth and instead, whipped violently in the air. She let out a final shrill shriek before falling to the ground, dead. Moments after, her followers dropped from the sky and they littered the hazy forest floor with their limp, hideous bodies.
The silence returned to the forest and the mist swallowed up the echoes of the harpies' last cries. Aramus doubled over panting and clutching his injured shoulder, before standing to survey the scene around him. For someone who had just skewered the woman he thought he loved, Aramus seemed remarkably unperturbed by it all. Then again, Ol?rin knew how he rarely showed emotion. But with something like this he was expecting, well, more.
"Ol?rin, are you okay?" Aramus said.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Just a scratch, that's all," Ol?rin replied, fingering the wounds on his cheek. "More importantly, how are you?"
Ol?rin gestured for his staff that he now realised had only been a few feet away from him.
"Fine," he said flatly, handing Ol?rin the staff.
"Are you sure? The pull of a queen harpy can have lasting effects on a man's heart."
"I said I'm fine. Just leave it."
Aramus's curt response was a small relief to Ol?rin.
"As you wish," he said with a sympathetic tone. "Come, the dwarfs are at least another two days walk, and I'm sure it won't be long before one of the queen's subordinates discover what has happened here. We must move quickly now. We still have to breech the dwarven barrier outside of Balbuldor, and that in itself is going to be difficult."
Without needing another word, the young man turned and began to make his way through the clearing, leaving Ol?rin to pick his way over the dead bodies strewn around him. Aramus took a last furtive glance at the harpy queen before he left. Ol?rin could have sworn that he saw him wipe a small tear from the corner of his eye. But his hand had moved too quickly to be sure.