The Guardians of the Forest: Book Two by Kelly Napoli
***
Kiethara spent the rest of her day wandering the forest. She went to her mother’s clearing, which had earned even further charm in autumn. She added a few more flowers that had died in her absence, wondering whether she should do something like this to her own clearing. It would be pretty, but a lot of work. Besides, its rarity was one of the things that made her mother’s clearing special.
Right as the sun was setting she climbed into her hammock, using her new robe as a blanket. She dreaded the day it would start snowing. Winter had always been the hardest time of year. Winter meant numb fingers digging through the snow in order to grow something from frozen soil. Winter meant nights spent shivering, not sleeping. Winter meant frozen lakes and rivers, dodging icicles as they rained down on her head, avoiding the animals that didn’t hibernate and were hungry.
Eventually she drifted off into sleep; the last things before her eyes were her bottles rocking to and fro in her vine belt, which was hanging precariously on the tree limb above her…
Kiethara was standing at the bank of a river. It was nighttime; the stars twinkling above her through the tree branches. She craned her neck back to look at them, but not with much interest. She was strangely void of emotion.
She stood there for a moment, no thoughts, no cares. She could only faintly remember that she did have worries, problems, and pains. None of this interested her, though. So she just stood there in silence, looking up at the sky.
Silence.
The silence was so heavy that Kiethara suddenly felt as though the trees were closing in around her. She choked up a little and shook her head. The trees couldn’t possibly be moving, for they were rooted down in the soil.
But they were moving. Their leaves were rustling in the same breeze that was moving her own hair. Kiethara turned her attention on the river in front of her. The water was not still; it raced to the south, splashing heavily against the rocks.
Kiethara could see all of this, but she could not hear any of it.
It was as though the world around her was on mute. She couldn’t make a single sound, not even when she clapped her hands together. It was so wrong, so unnatural. Fear welled up inside her, choking her.
Help, she said, but no sound echoed through the trees.
Help! Kiethara cried, but nothing came out of her mouth.
HELP! Kiethara screamed, her heart racing ahead in pure panic. She could feel it thumping, but she could not hear it.
Kiethara fell to her knees and put her head in her hands, shrieking at the top of her lungs. It painfully ripped up her throat and tore through her mouth. Tears streamed silently down her face as the fear overwhelmed her.
There was no torture equal to this. There was no blow as painful. The silence was getting inside her head as though it were trying to silence her thoughts. As though it were trying to drive her mad. She did not know how long she kneeled by the river, shrieking silently until she was coughing up blood.
She was trapped.
She was alone.
And there was no way out.
Eventually, she fell over onto her side, silently gasping. Her eyes were wide, fists clenched, and her chest heaved. The fear was incapacitating her.
Kiethara? a worried voice called out.
Kiethara raised her head in shock. At the same time all the sounds came rushing back to her; the leaves rustled audibly, the water splashed loudly against the rocks, and the animals made their nighttime calls.
Shaking and trembling, Kiethara pulled herself into a sitting position. With wide eyes, she glanced across the river.
There was no one there. She had heard that voice before, in a dream long ago, and she was happy it was here. She tried to remember exactly when she had last heard this voice, but she couldn’t. And why was it coming from across the river?
Not close enough for you? it snickered from across the river.
It was such a relief to hear it call out again. Another voice, another sound, made her fear dissipate and her common sense return. There was only one thing that made her twitch uneasily. Why was the voice across the river?
Why don’t you come over here? the voice asked in a tone that suggested she was being rather foolish.
Cross the river? She had not thought of attempting something like that. The water looked rather cold and it was moving very fast. What if she got swept away, or thrown onto those rocks? Still, she didn’t want to be alone any longer.
Kiethara stuck her big toe into the water. She had been right about the temperature. It was freezing.
With a deep breath, she plunged in.
Again, it was silent chaos.
The water pushed and pulled her, dragging her down and shoving her away from the river’s bank. The freezing water caused her muscles to seize up and, before she knew it, she had lost track of where the surface was.
She faintly recalled being in this situation before.
The water shoved her again and her head—miraculously—broke the surface. The sounds came rushing back; she clawed at the soggy dirt and exposed bedrock. One hand obtained a firm grip and, heaving herself onto dry ground, she laid down, spluttering and coughing.
Nice, the voice said sarcastically.
Nice? She almost died! It had been the voice’s suggestion in the first place! She rolled over onto her back and placed a hand over her heart.
You want to try that again? it asked in a tone that was clearly mocking her.
Kiethara turned her head and, with a jolt, she realized that she had come up on the wrong side. She had accomplished absolutely nothing except, perhaps, frostbite. She would freeze to death, certainly.
Oh, so you actually care about something this time, it said in surprise. Do you not find it ironic that you’re always so happy to hear me at first?
Whatever the voice was talking about, Kiethara knew it did not matter. She couldn’t get across the river. She was all alone over here.
Someone is coming, it said suddenly.
Kiethara listened, but she didn’t hear anything. It must be coming from the other side of the river. She suddenly wished that the voice was on her side.
That desperate, huh? it asked in a gleeful voice. Why was it so happy?
Does this make you happy? it whispered, right into her ear.
Kiethara jumped clear out of her skin, looking around frantically. Nobody. The voice had crossed the river without even causing a ripple. Why hadn’t it done this before?!
I don’t know, it said after a moment. This place is messing with your mind, so it’s messing with my mind. We’re not thinking straight.
Kiethara opened her mouth to reply, but movements from across the river distracted her.
Navadar emerged from the trees, wearing a black tunic. His bow was out, loaded with a finely crafted arrow. His steps were cautious as they took in his surroundings, but, other than that, he looked the exact same way he had when they first met.
He finally saw her, but he did not put his weapon away. She lay there, wide eyed and confused, while he glared at her with cold, black eyes.
Black eyes?
They were not his eyes, but they looked very familiar. But her mind was too fogged, and she couldn’t put her finger on it…
Her answer came out of the trees behind her, walking forward until he was standing over her. His black eyes looked down at her and then flickered up to Navadar.
You always dream about these two? the voice whispered, as though Gandador could hear them.
Dream? What was the voice talking about? She—
Her thought was interrupted by another commotion across the river. Trinnia came into view, dressed in a black dress perfect for the scene around them. A devilish grin lit her face, her black eyes sparkling wildly. She went over to Navadar and put her arms around his chest, running her tongue up his neck.
Kiethara! the voice gasped.
Pain slashed through her body, starting and ending with her heart. Before she had a chance to be killed by it, a bright li
She turned around to see Aaron emerging from the trees. His light was not as bright as she had expected, in fact, it was rather dull. He, too, stood over her, and, like Gandador, he gazed across the river.
Kiethara did not want to look back across the river, but curiosity got the better of her.
Mallkin and Randall emerged from the trees. Kiethara could not tell which feature was more unnatural: the fact that they were not smiling, or the black eyes that glared at her. This was no longer eerie, it was sickening. Unreal.
Kiethara turned around, expecting for someone to come out of the trees as the pattern dictated; however, no one came.
Across the river, hundreds of people were filing out of the trees.
Some she recognized. The old man who had helped her, the men who had kidnapped her. Desan, the woman who had washed her in the river, Tina, Raynock…others were just faces she had passed in the streets of the kingdoms and others she had never seen before in her life. They pressed into each other until they all were side by side, shuffling up to the very edge of the river. Not one face besides Trinnia and Navadar’s held any emotion.
There were thousands of cold, black eyes staring blankly at her.
Oh my, the voice whispered in horror. For once, it had no snide remark to make.
A sob broke from Kiethara’s lips as she crawled towards the river. It was too much; the weight of their stare was threatening to make her crack. It was choking her, compressing her from all sides.
Kiethara leaned forward, over the surface of the water.
Two pit black eyes stared back.