Chapter 16 - Abel
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I’d like to say I planned what happened next; that I was able to gracefully save the life of my best friend and the pretty girl, a woman?—who was older than my great-great grandfather and perhaps way too out of my league. Regardless of how you see it, our moment by the stream, there was no doubt in my mind—maybe a little—she would be a comforting presence in my life, to whatever extent that may be. I’m rambling; let’s get back to my heroics. As I lay on the dirt floor, feeling the blood run down my cheek, the pain kept growing as the seconds passed, and my flashbacks to better times were over; reality set in once again. I was dying; Tre might have been too, and Luna, who risked her life for us, may have lost hers. My vision began to clear; I was staring at the slightly illuminated ceiling of the rocky cavern, and luckily for me, both creatures came into view. They started snarling, and their drool was dripping on my face. I could’ve slowed down time; I could’ve tried attempting to blast them into oblivion with whatever powers I’d used on Serverus, but instead, I welcomed death with open arms.
As you can tell by reading this, I managed to survive, and who did I have to thank? Luna and her family heirloom. Before I knew it, Vindicta, both daggers materialized in my hands. I could feel the weight of the blades and the warmth radiating from their handles in the palm of my hand. I thought it was too good to be true, but when I tightened my grip, my next instinct ended up saving my life. I thrust my blades upward and into both creatures’ skulls simultaneously. I felt a surge of energy buildup in my stomach, and then with a single thought, I willed it to travel into my daggers. The energy was powerful enough to burst the creatures’ heads; an explosion of black goo covered my entire face and unfortunately, entered my mouth. Honestly, this was better than the alternative, which was getting eaten, then having my essence swallowed and pooped out later. Could they poop a being’s essence? This led to my next question. Is this an appropriate time to be asking myself existential questions about a soul entering a creature’s mouth and exiting its rear end? These are the questions I needed answers to.
I was too busy gagging from the bodily fluids that entered my mouth to fully appreciate another near-death experience. As I got up off the ground, the intensity of my broken ribs and freshly torn face lessened greatly. It must’ve been the adrenaline. I scanned my surroundings to find three dead devourers sprawled out across the ground with puddles of black goo slowly growing underneath them, along with the redecoration of the walls on either side. I took in a deep breath and tried to lower my anxiety before having a panic attack. I was sure by now, Tre and Luna would be back telling me the coast was clear and we could proceed to get out of this hellhole. I still couldn’t see anything, but I started to hear something in the distance, so I began to move forward. As I got closer, I swear I heard the name “Mr. Beefs”. I must have lost a lot of blood, so I ignored the briefly unsettling audible hallucinations and continued moving in the same direction.
After a few more yards, the ground started to vibrate, and the rubble moved slightly, jumping around like a bunch of Mexican jumping beans. The vibration only got stronger and faster with each step forward. I moved at a slower pace with as much stealth as I could manage—which from my previous attempt ending shortly landing me face first with the taste of dirt in my mouth, I’d say the odds were stacked against me. At first, I thought I saw one of Tre or Luna’s bodies impaled into the wall to my left, but the rancid smell or maybe the three arrows sticking out from its head, chest, and throat helped me come to that conclusion. Instant relief washed over me, especially after seeing another creature with a blade going through its head like one of those Halloween costumes with the arrow going in from one end and coming out the other. Not too far ahead, I heard rustling, more like fighting, and again “Mr. Beefs” was mentioned. This time I was fairly certain I was not imagining it.
I picked up the pace, expecting the worst until I heard Luna’s screaming Tre’s name. Immediately, I hit the gas and went into overdrive, sprinting in the direction of her voice. Suddenly, two figures emerge to my right the one I’m going to assume they call “Mr.Beefs”, the giant beast that looked roided up with a body fat percentage of 2%. Holy shit. Across from him was Tre, his eyes closed and muttering to himself as Mr.Beefs dashed towards him. I deduced that in about 60 seconds, Tre would permanently become part of the wall behind him and I’d be left without my best friend. I felt another tugging sensation in my stomach, but not the same as before. I reached out with my hand and could only pray I would be able to slow down time instead of pulverizing both Tre and “Mr. Beefs” which with my “extensive training” I was more likely to fry Tre than the actual beast.
I managed to slow down time successfully which meant not barbecuing my best friend or accelerating time. Even though this hadn’t happened yet, I wasn’t sure what my limitations were with any of my powers. I know I’m able to slow down time, but wasn’t sure if I could speed it up as well. After a huge sigh of relief, I noticed Luna sprinting towards Tre and by the looks of it, she wouldn’t make it in time to prevent Mr. Beefs from bulldozing him. I’d never encountered these creatures before, especially one of this size. He didn’t have any weakness I felt I could exploit and the more I planned, the less time I had to act. My body grew weaker and weaker; these powers must have come with a price and without thinking, I had almost drained every last drop of energy.
My vision was beginning to blur, and my bones started to ache. I flexed my fingers, then gripped the handles on my dagger. I sent a pulse of electricity to my hands, and sparks began crackling off the blades. I could feel the heat coming off them and saw the color of my blades go from dark gray to a light reddish orange like when you turn on an electric stove and crank up the temperature as high as it can go. For a moment, I thought my hands would melt away. I started sweating; before I lost both hands, I bolted towards Mr. Beefs and then blacked out. I wake up lying in the dirt while Tre and Luna look down at me with concern paired with fear. They lift me onto my feet and carry me further into the tunnel. Not a single word was spoken. All I heard until we saw light was the sound of feet dragging across the dirt and the steady flow of oxygen being inhaled and exhaled.
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Chapter 17 - Abel
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We made it out of the tunnel into a large meadow. A wave of warmth flowed through me as the sun touched my face. The smell of freshly cut grass reminded me of my many road trips with Uncle Arther as we took the scenic routes to our next home. It was one of the few pleasures either of us had to look forward to when we were out on the lam. I could feel the cool air brushing against my skin and rushing through my fingers. Blades of grass blowing in the wind, along with the sound of insects teeming with life. I had forgotten what it was like to hold on to a moment like this in the present, hoping the days would pass before me. Suddenly, I realized that this is what peace feels like. Despite the last few days, running for my life and almost dying twice now by grotesque, Gollum-looking creatures—I wouldn’t be surprised if they were related in some compacity—and a stinky, dusty ancient werewolf named Serverus.
This was what I needed to give me something worthy of fighting for, a gentle affirmation, "This too shall pass". Whether it is a beautiful or tragic event, nothing and no one is confined to a moment in time. A reminder that balance exists for a reason; you cannot have all the good without the bad. If we did, the good moments would not mean as much, and the bad ones would not teach us as much. Maybe I am finally on the right track to a better and brighter future… or I have gone crazy, which might make more sense considering recent events. This lovely moment, frozen in time, thawed quickly as Luna’s hand connected with the back of my head. “What the—Why?” I placed my hand on the back of my head.
“YOU ALMOST GOT TRE KILLED,” Luna said through clenched teeth. I sighed, then quit rubbing the lump on the back of my head. Not even a few seconds later, she went ahead and blessed me with another slap to the back of my head. “Geez, Do you naturally wake up and choose violence?” I placed my hand on my head—once again mind you—then pleaded my case. “I HAD TO DEFEND MYSELF!” Now, I was the one clenching my teeth. “Three of those creatures were about to rip the flesh off of my bones. What else was I supposed to do?” I paused, then balled my fists, holding back tears as they well up in my eyes. I took a deep breath. “Do you really think I wanted to put my best friend in danger? Put you in danger? I owe Tre my life, and now, I am starting to owe you. Racking up a debt I could not possibly pay for!” I hadn’t realized tears were running down my face; I felt guilty and useless.
“That is enough, Luna. We made it out of the tunnel alive.” Tre placed his hands on our shoulders. Luna knit her eyebrows, then scoffed at me. She looked at Tre and rolled her eyes. “Fine, I will drop it.” The truth was, her anger was valid... There was not a good enough argument or excuse that would undo my mistake. Frankly, what was the point? She was right. I made a mistake that could have cost Tre everything. “Tre, she is right… I’m sorry. Whether or not it was an accident, I should have been more careful.” He gave me a faint smile, then nodded, taking a deep breath. “Now that I’ve put an end to World War 3…” He dramatically pauses, then wipes his right hand on his pants as if he’d gotten his hands dirty from pacifying our heated conversation. “Man, near-death experiences make me I’m hungry. Anybody got an idea for dinner?” Luna and I couldn't help but laugh. We looked at each other and came to a silent reconciliation.
As she smiled and shook her head, Luna closed her eyes, then raised her head to the sky, taking a few seconds before answering. “Portum is a couple hours north from here, so let's hold off on dinner until we make it to the city.” Tre was more vocal about his reluctance than I was, but neither of us wanted to delay our arrival to Portum. “I don’t like this whole “waiting until we get to Portum” part…” All our stomachs growled in unison as confirmation to their unanimous declaration, “We’re with the one they call Tre.” Before we got moving again, Luna drew up a simple map on the soil underneath our feet. Based on her calculations, we’d arrive at Sunset; she warned us about being outside the city any later. From the expression on her face, whatever we could come across would be more terrifying than those creatures we met inside the cavern.
I’ll save you some time and spare you the details of this part of the journey until we made it closer to Portum. I mean, not much transpired. Luna led the way, walking slightly ahead of Tre and me. None of us said much; we seemed to be mulling over past events or what lay ahead shortly. I’m not a mind reader, but the fear of not being attacked or stalked seems to have brought a small amount of relief to the three of us. We did not abandon the idea or let our guards down completely; still, it was refreshing to walk for a couple of hours together; I’m not sure how many times we’re going to get to chances like these. Unfortunately, our fleeting moments of normalcy ended once Luna slowed down her pace as we came to a stop at the bottom of a mountain range.
“We’re here.” Luna sighed with relief. She walked up the side of the mountain facing us and began to scan the rocky formations and their surroundings. “Now, I just have to find the door to enter the city and hope the guards don’t kill us before I can explain why we’ve come all this way.” As she placed her hands on the rocks and moved them across the surface, I looked to my right, over at Tre. He was fidgeting, using his left hand to rub the knuckles on his right. I take a few minutes to get familiar with the area. From where we were standing, to the east, was a field with tall grass; their height was similar to cornstalks one would enjoy seeing while traveling through the countryside on plots of farmland. Over to the west, where Tre was standing, you could see a path leading into a slope about 100 yards away with jagged rocks sticking up from the ground. The path headed upwards into the mountains and was visible until it drifted to the right, then disappeared under an arch. The arch was connected like a bridge from one side to the other.
From what I discerned, nothing I recognized was an immediate threat. My eyes wandered to the South, where the hills in the distance flanked the meadow were undisturbed; there was no glaring difference. The only area I hadn't checked was North, where Luna was still searching for the entrance to Portum. I focused on the sky above, the colors changing from blue to bronze, and the clouds underneath with shades of white turned into haze. My eyes drifted back to Luna when I noticed a dark figure looming over us from the ridge. At first, there was only one, then they multiplied until about 8 or 9 shadows stood ominously along the edge. In a hushed tone, I whispered, “Tre, does anything seem off to you about this place?” He stood still and stayed silent; I nudged him to get his attention. “Like—” Tre cut in, “Like… when you see one dark figure multiply into a bunch of dark figures who stand along the ridge of a mountain, appearing without explanation while looking down at you ominously kind of off?” We look over at each other for a few moments, before screaming Luna’s name as we rush to her side.
As Tre and I race towards her, arrow after arrow, then spear after spear, pierce the ground at our feet. We dodged and weaved. For a few seconds, I thought whoever attacked us from above was only attempting to scare us off. “Tre! I don’t think they want to hurt us!” This assumption was inaccurate. I came to this conclusion when the first arrow pierced my right shoulder, and then a couple of spears grazed my ribs and thighs. I stumbled. Thankfully, Tre was close enough to keep me from falling face-first and becoming a distant cousin of the porcupine. “Hey Abel! Do you still think they just wanna talk?” Gasping for air, I manage to get out a few words. “NOT—NOW—TRE!” He snickers.
The next few steps, about a couple yards away from Luna, a spear lands right in front of Tre mid-stride. You know how in those comedy movies, someone steps on the rake head, and the handle flies upward, smacking the person, or in this case, the victim’s face? This is what happened to him. We made it to the wall Luna had been groping for the last hour with zero success in finding the entrance to the city. At the time, it wasn’t funny (okay, as funny), but karmic retribution has always found a way to be comical in live-or-death situations with either of us. I attempted to catch my breath; ironically, after watching him rub the large bump on his forehead, I did my best to hold it. In truth, I barely made an effort. I burst out laughing, “I thought that only happened in movies!” He didn’t think it was funny, letting me know physically with a few of what I would call “unwarranted jabs” (Tre felt it was appropriate).
“Hey Guys! I need you to keep distracting our little friends up on the ridge. I’m getting close to—” I cut Luna off before she gave us false hope. “I’m not sure how you’d like us to accomplish that with our Unicorn over here and my unwavering lack of commitment to getting myself killed?” Luna rolls her eyes, then gifts us with a few words of wisdom, “Figure it out!” I sighed. Tre was clearly, not fully recovered from the mild concussion. He kept swaying back and forth while pinching the bridge of his nose, only to confirm my suspicions. “Tre just… stay with Luna and do what you can to aid her in finding the entrance. I’ll handle the rest.” “A—Abel. I—I c—c—can.” He did his best to finish the sentence, but Tre soon realized this wasn’t up for discussion. There was little chance he could do anything more than stay out of the way until Luna found the entrance.
Before stepping out in the open, I racked my brain for anything useful. I highly doubted I could take them down, and even if I could, I had no idea if this was the first of many waves of attack. We were outnumbered and outmatched. I wasn’t going to get out of this using brawns over brains; there was a slim chance we’d make it out with clever tactics. I panic from all the pressure and Luna’s insistence on finding a solution to what lies ahead instead of confronting a life-or-death situation, intensifying my worries. “Luna, you’ve got to give me something I can use against them!” She stops her search to respond. “If my assumptions are accurate, they are the guardians of Portum. The guardians go by the name ‘Custos’”. Luna leans against the mountain with her palms firmly planted. The story goes:
King Ptor was a descendant of The Ancients, born in the Tal Nation, not sure which parentage; regardless, his blood was pure, and his life force protected the city. The King’s essence strengthened these walls over time, and as the years passed, Portum flourished. The economy thrived, battles were fought, and nations trembled with fear. Going to War against the city held no merit; those foolish enough to attack The King’s domain never returned with news of triumph. Survivors returned to their homeland to convince leaders that preservation superseded conquests. As long as The King lived, Portum’s borders were protected and undisturbed for centuries. The only enemy to penetrate the impenetrable city and cause the downfall of King Ptor was time itself.
Near the end of his reign, nations evolved, growing with power decade after decade. Alliances made with the other three Ancients and even the help of his brother King Nitas from the Enu Nation, gave Portum a fighting chance, but eventually, the weaker nations became formidable foes, and the Scarred War commenced. The Five Nations: Igna, Aquen, Ter, Enu, and Tal Collided for over a century. Many battles were won on both sides, and millions of people perished, decimating the population of the Earth. The amount of destruction crippled each nation, but the betrayal of once loyal Lords and their men, King Ptor, and his brother King Nita’s deaths became inevitable. First, his brother, King Nitas had been captured and then executed alongside all of his citizens. The massacre took 7 days to end, and the rivers turned red with the blood of thousands flowing from each nation into the Rubrum River, where they all connect.
When King Ptor heard the news of his brother’s vicious murder, he ordered everyone to evacuate the city grounds and head underground. Most citizens and beasts left, but others decided to stay and fight for the land they called home. Several nights passed with no signs of the three nations heading toward Portum. King Ptor sent out two scouting groups, and by the 11th day, neither party returned. He expected the worst, then five days later, the enemy’s forces could be seen a few hundred yards away. Portum’s military took it upon themselves to protect the city and their King. Against Ptor’s orders, they marched and fought for 3 days, giving him enough time to ensure no nation infiltrated the Portum for as long as the blood of the King flowed through its walls. The three nation’s forces were weakened but continued moving towards Portum until nightfall.
When Ptor saw the thousands of heavily armed beasts and men reach the front gate, he started chanting a spell. The ground shook beneath the enemy forces; rubble defied gravity and rose around them. The King levitated above the city, and as the fear grew in thousands of men, a vortex of energy swirled around him. Purple waves radiated from his body; cracks began to separate different sections of him, and then tears rolled down his cheeks. Ptor lifted his head to the sky and closed his eyes. The entire army could hear humming coming from the energy flowing in and out of him, then a bright explosion, a warm flash of purple blinded them. The King had vanished, leaving a trace of tiny particles in their wake. The air became still; fear and confusion flooded the thousands of men and beasts waiting for orders.
Suddenly, the dark figures could be seen running across the castle walls. One after another, these figures materialized and formed ranks in a line on top of the castle. Before they knew it, the enemy forces were face to face with hundreds of figures that arose from the depths of the earth. In one fell swoop, the front lines were eliminated; we are talking hundreds of beasts turned to ash, and men impaled by tens of arrows dropped to the ground like ragdolls. The remaining forces took defensive positions, lifting their shields while the archers nocked their arrows and prepared for the moment to strike back. Nothing occurred for the next couple of hours; the dark figures were quiet and made no advances.
The enemy forces grew impatient and began breaking rank, then without orders, the men and beasts ran towards the city gates, hellbent on ending the stalemate. Archers from several different positions on the battlefield sent volley after volley of arrows, impaling the first few ranks of Portum’s ground troops. Most of the dark figures fell with multiple arrows sticking out of them. As the enemy’s troops got closer and closer to colliding with the remaining defenders of the city. One after another, the dark figures stood off the ground, and the arrows on their bodies dematerialized. Struck with fear but already committed to their frontal assault, the men and beasts from the enemy forces clashed with Portum’s troops. Body after body, beasts, and men from the enemy ranks were slaughtered; no matter how many arrows the archers launched and hit their target, the dark figures would continue to rise and fight, laying waste to their infantry.
The enemy’s forces withdrew when the thousands of men and beasts were reduced to a few hundred. As they retreated, the dark figures lined on top of the city fired volley after volley of arrows, reducing the remaining hundreds of enemies to less than 50. Those who survived either went insane or took their own lives following the aftermath. Unfortunately, the three nations claimed victory and pillaged the last few allies Ptor and his brother King Nitas, had, but every attempted assault on Portum failed from that point in history. These dark figures, guardians of the city, were given the name Custos by the citizens and creatures that continue to thrive within the city’s walls. Generation after Generation, the Custos, without fail, defend and maintain the legacy of King Ptor. They honor the sacrifice he made for the inhabitants of Portum and the once-thriving nations he and his brother reigned over…
Luna sighs and then takes a deep breath. “You see? The Custos don’t have a weakness, no vulnerability, and if they do, those details haven’t come to light.” I stay silent. I do what I can to digest her story without asking millions of questions to get answers we don’t have time for. “I was looking for an answer to a question, but now I’ve inherited about a billion questions with zero answers.” Luna rolls her eyes, “To answer your question, I needed to give you the cliff notes version of their back story to help you understand. There is no way to defeat the Custos. We can only hope they’ll let us live after we surrender.” I shake my head in disbelief, “What?! Surrender? Cliff notes version? I don’t accept a plan where putting our lives in the hands of these ancient guardians is our only option.” Her brows furrow. Before I can protest further, Luna begins walking backward into the open.
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Chapter 18 - Tre
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Okay, so most of what happened—I’d say, 90%—was a complete blur after we were surprise attacked, and then I lost the battle with a spear mid-stride. When I look back, all I remember is Abel pulling me towards the wall Luna was tracing with her fingers. She’d spent the last hour or so trying to find a door or some kind of lead to get us closer to the entrance of Portum. You can imagine that I was quite disappointed when Abel and I reached the wall to find out she was no closer to getting us inside and out of harm’s way. If I had it my way, Luna would have all the time in the world to figure out how to uncover this elusive door/lead, but those dark, menacing figures didn’t exactly promote the idea.
As time passed, I became less disoriented. It still was not enough to decipher the mumbling from Luna and Abel’s conversation. As the conversation continued, I heard him say something about “Unicorns”—which plummeted my confidence in the progression to regaining my senses—and “helping out Luna”. I tried to tell Abel, “I can’t understand.” before either of them concluded that I could. Thankfully, they discerned this themselves, especially since I couldn’t manage to finish my statement. I fade in and out of consciousness, swaying back and forth. When I come to, Luna is no longer by the wall; she is walking backward into the open.
I become coherent enough to see Luna has decided to surrender but not enough to understand why. She slowly unsheathes her bladerang and dagger, gets down on her knees, and then raises her arms to the sky, revealing the palms of her hands. Abel whispered as loudly as you can while whispering, “Luna! What are—” I cut him off, placing a hand on his left shoulder, looking at him with sympathy. “We have no choice, Abel… This just isn’t one of those fights we can miraculously survive. Portum is our destination, and now that we are here, we must trust Luna, regardless of the outcome.” I sigh, “Getting you to the City is more important than our lives. Neither of us understands why you were born with the powers you have, but there is something in your possession that PURA and The Ancients want. All we need is a clue, some direction to get where we are destined to be, and Vates will provide that answer to us.”
I can see it in his eyes, the skepticism, the toll of the possible burden the cost of our lives would take on him. For the first time, I read an expression of primal fear on his face. The kind of fear that comes from confronting an unavoidable truth and becoming a willing participant in a premonitive outcome. Abel is now realizing he’s too important to kill or be ignored; any life in the confines of normalcy ended once PURA kidnapped him. He will soon come to understand that destiny is preparing him to be used as a tool, a weapon of mass destruction, an angel of death for any of the parties engaged in this ancient war. “I’m going to walk out there now. Once I’ve unsheathed my weapons and raised my hands, you will come out and do the same. If you can’t trust Luna, then trust me…”
I let my hand slide off Abel’s shoulder, then turn to Luna. I move towards her while unsheathing my weapons; I place my scimitar on the ground and then materialize my bow. The Custos send two arrows slicing through the air, which land a few feet in front of me and her, a couple of warning shots. I read the message loud and clear, so I slowly lay my bow on the ground next to my scimitar, then followed suit, raising my hands in the air. I avoid turning my head while asking Luna, “So… What’s the plan here?” She chuckles softly. “Plan? Yeah… I’m rolling the dice on this one.” I smile and shake my head, lowering my chin to my chest. “Haha, Figures. I made a convincing argument back there for Abel on your behalf.” “Wait… you’re telling me he thought surrendering ourselves was a bad idea? Like… he wasn’t on board with the possibility of getting murdered?” She laughs this time. “Oh, shut up.” We both glance at each other, smirking as Abel begins to walk in our direction.
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Chapter 19 - Abel
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What a fascinating couple of friends I have got here. Both casually chatting and laughing after two arrows struck the ground above them. Am I crazy for thinking this is a horrible idea? Perhaps I am the one who has flown over the cuckoo’s nest and joined the flock. Either way, I highly doubt we’ll live long enough for me to find out or long enough to tell them, “I told you so.” Unfortunately, I conform to what I believe is the purest form of naivety. I take a few steps forward, praying to whatever God is out there that an arrow doesn’t connect with any of my body parts. I unsheathed my Vindicta, placing both daggers on the ground and then pushing them forward with reluctance. I raise my hands and wait for these guardians, the Custos, to have their way with us.
I cannot be sure how much time had elapsed, but only silence fell upon us. All I could hear was each individual inhaling and then exhaling. I glance over at Tre and Luna, who are staring straight ahead; neither of us made the effort to speak to one another. I begin to get restless; I mean, how long can one stare at the side of a mountain? This isn’t a rhetorical question; I would like someone to answer this question. Before I lose my grip on reality, I take my chances looking and scan the ridge. I breathe a sigh of relief; the Custos aren’t looming over us anymore. It’s hard to admit, but I think Luna’s plan worked. “Guys! The Custos are gone.” They both lift their heads and follow my gaze. We all take a deep breath, then lower our hands, get up from our knees, and retrieve our weapons.
I sheepishly look over at Tre and Luna; they are both smirking with that smug look of “I told you so.” written all over their faces. “Okay…” They both raise an eyebrow. “O-Kay! You were right, and I was wrong. Is that what you want to hear?” Luna faces Tre, “Isn’t he cute when he’s wrong?” My cheeks warm up, and I go into full blush mode. He turns to face me and then roars with laughter when he sees the color of my face turn bright red. “I don’t know about cute, but this moment here and now… priceless.” I grimace at my so-called “friends." “I hate both of you.” They both chuckle, then say in unison, “We love you too, Abel.” Despite my bitterness, I am grateful to be alive and for their selfless acts in the face of mortality. Now, this is where I tell you Luna finally finds the door leading to the entrance of Portum without confronting the Custos. Instead, life keeps up her end of unpredictability.
As the sun sets, I set up camp for the night and keep a lookout. None of us are convinced the Custos aren’t watching because even if we don’t see them, it doesn’t mean they don’t see us. Besides the massive bump on his head, Tre maintains stability and recovers enough to put his efforts into working with Luna on finding the entrance. I took a trip to get us some food—don’t know why I bothered; I have a slim amount of experience in the wilderness/survival compared to those two. So, I'm not surprised when I only bring back some rocks, but when life gives you rocks, you make an unnecessary firepit to pass the time. After a few hours tending to the fire, I get up and walk over to impractical versions of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.
“Neither of you seem to be getting closer to finding that entrance. Why don’t I trade places with one of you?” Luna mumbles something under her breath but doesn’t reply. “Tre? I can’t hunt or see well enough in the dark to continue being the lookout. The fire is casting some light over the wall, so I’d be more valuable aiding her than sitting by the fire.” He turns around and nods his head in agreement, then walks into the forest. I approach the wall and place my hands on the cold, sharp rocks, moving them around slowly as I search for anomalies. “We are trying to locate the outlier, perhaps a symbol or other type of marking like the one you found along the stream that opened up the tunnel.” I scan the wall, then once more for good measure, “All I’m seeing is rock, a whole wall full of rocks.” She laughs, then takes her hands off the wall. “I need a break; I’m going to sit by the fire for a little and wait for Tre to get back.”
Before she leaves, I reach for her right hand as she leans toward the fire and lightly takes hold of it, “I’m sorry…” “What are you sorry for?” I take in a deep breath, “For all of this…” She turns her body to face me while keeping her hand in mine. “All of what?” “Whatever seems to be going on here... I'm not who you both could believe me to be.” She tilts her head, then gives a faint smirk. “And who do you think we believe you are?” I sigh, “Anything more than myself, anything more than Abel… Someone worth giving your life for. I turn 19 in a few weeks, and I’ve grown to accept that I may only live to be 18. Don’t waste—” She interrupts as she tightens her grip on my hand. “It’s not a waste, you’re not a waste.” Luna pulls me in, lightly placing her left hand on my face. She lets the silence grow for a few more seconds and then her warm lips meet the side of my face; kissing me on my cheek.
She smiles bashfully with her gaze glued to the ground, then turns heading over to sit by the fire. I’m left blushing and speechless; I get lost as I rewind the moment over and over, feeling her tender lips subtly landing on my skin. I clear my throat, “I’m just going to get back to it.” Tre returns with a rabbit and a handful of berries, he gives the rabbit over to Luna to start skinning. He walks over to me and without turning to face him, I open my hand requesting some berries. Tre drops a few berries into my palm, then immediately toss them into my mouth, with no hesitation. He chuckles, “My gods man, you’d be easy to poison.” I respond with a smirk, “Why don’t you take a break and go cook the rabbit with Luna? I’ll figure out how to gain entry into Portum, so we can have a proper meal and a bed to sleep in.” I look over my shoulder. He nods after tossing a few berries in his mouth. “I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready, don’t have too much fun now.” I turn back toward the wall, refocusing on the task at hand.
Tre calls me over for dinner, I don’t mean to, but I ignore him. “Abel! We can worry about groping the wall later, it's time for some ggrrruuubbbbb.” As I am about to give up on wiping the dirt off systematically on another rock, this time, I can see a clump of dirt on what feels like an indentation. Using my index finger to scrap out the dirt, I start digging further with two figures now, and a depression is revealed. I remove the remaining crumbles of dirt from within. This deep recess is shaped like a crescent moon, except with the sharp edges facing downward. The notch is large and wide enough to insert four fingers from my right hand, leaving my thumb resting on its left side. I tighten my grip around what I assume to be a handle, then pull toward the ground. At first, nothing changes or shifts.
I throw my hands up in utter defeat, so I kick the wall out of frustration, and then the warm, instant embrace of pain shoots up from the toes on my left foot, rising to my knee. I clench my leg as I raise it to my chest, hopping around on one leg, wincing and grunting, regretting picking a fight against a rock, a wall full of rocks. “Not worth it." The pain intensifies tenfold, “DEFINITELY NOT WORTH IT!” I hear laughter coming from the direction of the campfire. I let go of my leg, then start limping as I walk to the warmth of the flames and the sounds of two equally annoying buffoons. “Your foot is dragging a bit there, bud.” I clench my jaw and hold my tongue. I can always count on Tre and his witty remarks.
I sit down and hold my hands over the fire. The leg pain subsides following maybe an hour of being off my feet. Luna throws a piece of the rabbit that hits me square in the chest and hits the ground. I pick it up, then blow the dirt and tiny bits of rocks off the cooked hare. I take my time chewing on the meat, savoring the last chunk of protein we might indulge in until we enter the City walls. I wipe my mouth on my shoulder with the left side of my t-shirt. I haven’t said a word for a while. Luna got up several minutes ago to continue what I now believe to be a fruitless task while Tre catches up on sleep in the tent. I’m the only one who's gotten some shut-eye, and that was 24 hours ago. He and Luna have been running on fumes ever since.
As the hours pass and daylight approaches, I smother the fire and go to try and convince Luna to get some sleep. “Hey, Luna. You need to get some sleep. Let me take over for a few hours.” She scoffs, “I’m fine.” She sounds irritated. “I’m just trying to look out for you.” “I don’t need you to look out for me. What I need is to find this damn entrance—” She pauses for a moment, then traces her hands over a section of the wall. I get closer to see what’s got her attention. It’s a marking, but not the same symbol I found by the stream that opened the tunnel. This engraving looks more like Two Crowns; one crown is inverted over the other, encasing something that resembles a drop of liquid, maybe a teardrop or… “Wait, Luna. Didn’t you tell me that the Two Nations were ruled by Two Brothers?” “Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?” I don’t respond. Giving myself time to put two and two together.
Luna stays quiet as she tries connecting the dots, wondering what’s going through my mind. “Have you ever actually been to Portum? If so, did you ever use this entrance?” “I was in Portum with my father and brother when I was much younger but never returned. My brother mentioned a secret passage into the city years after our father passed. He didn’t tell me, nor did he have the chance to show or explain how to get there.” So many thoughts are running through my head, making connections and producing more answers than questions. “But, why did we stop here? What made you think we were remotely close to the City?” She shrugs. “It was more of a gut feeling than anything else. Once we left the tunnel, I felt drawn to the side of this mountain. There was no rhyme or reason; the body just took over, and as we got closer to the wall, the stronger the urge became.” I furrow my brows and tilt my head.
“Okay, so I have a theory. Bear with me. If this is a secret or hidden passage, I’d imagine that not just anybody can walk through even if they find the markings.” She nods her head. “I’m with you so far.” “Most things hidden or in secret need a key to unlock or reveal what's on the other side. When King Ptor gave his life to protect the city and brought the Custos, the guardians into existence, what did he do?” Luna takes a minute to answer, reaching into her mind to find the missing link, the catalyst. “Blood. He gave the city a few drops of his blood.” My eyes widen.“Yes! That’s it!” I unsheathe one of my daggers and put enough pressure on the blade to cut my palm. I make a slit diagonally from top right to bottom left. “Abel! What are you do—” She stops herself from saying more and begins to shake her head as her smile widens. We both have reached the same conclusion.
My blood fills the palm of my left hand. I take a deep breath and lay my hand on the symbol. I leave it there for a few minutes, waiting for something to happen, but nothing does, so I remove my hand. We both stand there and watch my blood fill the outline of the engraving. As soon as I come to terms with our time in Purgatory, the symbol illuminates, revealing the Two Crowns with a drop in the middle which I can safely declare as blood.
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Suddenly, the rocks to our right crumble, and the entrance appears. I look down the long, narrow passage lined with braziers on either side of the moss-covered stone walls. Its stench of staleness and mildew flows into my nostrils, and the dim-lit path stretches further and further beyond what the eye can see. Hope starts to chisel its way back into my heart, lifting my spirits. I feel the weight of my burdens slip away as I can envision waking Tre and getting him and Luna out of harm’s way, even if it’s only for the rest of today. A smile replaces the haggard expression lingering on my face for the past 24 hours; I turn around and take a few paces forward. In a fraction of a second, my mind communicates to my body, paralyzing the lower half of my body. An unsettling, gut-wrenching scene has unfolded; Luna lies on the ground, unconscious as she lies on the right side of her body. I rush to her aid, but as I’m within arms reach, the world is swallowed by darkness.
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Chapter 20 - Tre
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Getting dragged out of a tent, struggling against the grip of supernatural forces—half-naked, mind you—was a drag. The worst part was getting knocked unconscious multiple times, which I find to be rude and quite incompetent. I’m not sure what’s going on at the training facility at Portum’s security program, but none of these cadets learned how to knock someone out cold. Granted, I’m a fierce opponent when I’m on my feet and not squirming around helplessly—I’m desperately hoping the screams I let out were in my head, but that’d be wishful thinking I could hear the guards laughing after their second failed attempt at rendering me unconscious.
Every time I awoke, there were stone walls surrounding me; I saw braziers and felt their warmth increase as the gap between our destination and its entryway grew. The flames weren’t fierce as they emitted light radial to the braziers but faded as they stretched toward the ceiling. There were no signs that led me to believe Luna and Abel were held captive either. For all I knew, they weren’t around the campsite when I was taken. This brought relief. When they found an entryway into the city, I was confident they could explain and barter my release. The next time I regained my senses, there was a wicked stench of piss and… is that fecal matter? (or shit for all the intellects out there).
My body was sprawled out on the ground, my face lying in the dirt. I firmly place my hands on the ground and slowly push myself up as I groggily lift my head. I’m in dark confinement; I feel around the room, tracing my figures along the gritty surface. Four walls isolate me; three are stone, and one is wooden, which I deduce after removing a long, slender piece of wood from my palm. Gods, I hate splinters. I searched the wooden door for any weakness I could exploit, but my efforts were fruitless. Soon after, I hear footsteps approaching; I go to materialize my bow, which releases a heavy charge of electricity coursing through my body. The pain fades quickly, but as I try again and again, the pain increases tenfold. A burning sensation draws my hand to the right side of my chest to find a metal apparatus has sunk its teeth into my skin.
The sounds of the footsteps dim and then disappear. On the other side, I hear an obstacle being removed from the door. It’s quiet for a few more seconds; I step back into the wall behind me, ball my hands, then raise my fists, eager for my knuckles to connect with someone’s jawline. As soon as the door opens, I dash forward, and a fist bigger than my head almost connects. I dodge with his knuckles grazing my right cheek; I lower my shoulder and plow into the mountain of a man. We both roll across the ground, clipping legs, followed by the sounds of weapons rattling and men groaning. A foot drives into my stomach, then another, and as the third strick approaches, I sweep their leg. I leap on top of him, beating him unconscious, and flee the scene as the other men recover. They shout at me as the distance grows, and I head further down the corridor. I take the first right as an axe rips through the air, nearly separating all my genius from the rest of my body.
The more hallways I pass, the more men pour in from behind and join the hunt. I make another right and find two archers waiting at the other end. I see two spears mounted to the sides of the hall; I gain in speed, then lunge as one arrow streaks past my face while the other pierces my shoulder. I lose momentum but still manage to grab the first spear within reach. I hear two more arrows slice through the air, hurtling towards me. This time, I gracefully dodge both. I get within striking distance as the archers pull back the strings of their bows. I turn my spear perpendicular to their stance, I crash into them, and as their backs hit the wall, the spear breaks in half as I go flying out the window. I wish the only thing I hit was the ground; instead, I ricochet off the side of a wagon, roll off the end of a table, and right into the arms of an ugly, scarred, burly man. I grin, he frowns, and I jab him in the throat before arriving at my destination.
I scurry back on my legs as dirt and bits of rock grind underneath my feet with every stride. Sharp edges pierce and tear through my skin as I run barefoot down roads bustling with markets and animals roaming with men, women, and children. Each face, bright with smiles and excitement, morphs into fear and confusion. The adrenaline coursing through my brain, carrying signals to muscles subside. I can’t keep this up; pain spreads throughout my body, isolating itself around the arrow lodged into my shoulder and bloody feet. Every step I take mimics the experience of traveling down a path laid with glass. I might be able to outrun them, but the red stains stamped into the ground, eventually leading them to my location. Think. How can I get a message to Luna and Abel without knowing where they are?
As I deplete my reserves, I can’t think of anything to inform either of the two about my well-being. They’ll hopefully assume, the way I have, that we’ve been taken like them and isolated somewhere within the City. Needing a break, I find shelter in an alleyway underneath the shadows of a string of balconies built along the edges of a park. Within the park’s perimeter is a lake ringed by luscious trees triple the size of any mortal and a trail leading into the water. Across the waters lies a wooden bridge connecting the left end to the other. I’m sure I have the strength to swim to it, but going beyond the bridge won’t be feasible. Before I devise another plan, I race to the edges of the water and plunge into the deep. I sneak to the end of the alley and lean forward, sticking my head out to get a better view of both ends of the road perpendicular to the trail, inviting me into the water. I give the guards a few more minutes and then make a break for it. I put all my body weight into each stride, running past the shadows of trees and park benches with dry leaves crunching with every step. I hit the edge, diving into the cold, murky waters below.
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