The sun was rising when we reached Fiverto Checkpoint. We had found a stream by which we cleaned ourselves. Eli stole some clean clothes from a farm on our way. By the time we reached the checkpoint, a haunted forest welcomed us. It surrounded the small village we had to go through. For those willing to cross Gangju River to Dunstead Province, they’d have to go through security checks.

But we were wanted. We couldn’t risk being seen by the guards. We left the ladies in a clearing while Eli and I went to have a closer look at the place. We were hiding by some bushes, observing early risers going through security checks. A wooden gate, almost ten feet tall, halted the travelers’ progress. On the eastern side of Fiverto, the river stood as a natural barrier. Gangju River was a hundred feet wide. Anyone willing to cross to Dunstead Province will have to hire a ferry or a bark from the village.

“What do you think?” the skinny man asked me.

“There are more guards patrolling the roads now. I’m sure more of them are stationed by the docks. If we are to cross the river, we’d need to find a smuggler.”

The reason why Helton was never taken was because of the natural formations that surrounded it. The city was built on the eastern bank of the lake it was named after. Lake Helton was so big it could be considered a sea. All-around said lake, lush forests, teeming with abnormalities, stood untouched for ages. Those crazy enough to venture into the haunted forests by night would never live to tell the tale, except the lucky few. It was easier to travel through by day, but crossing to the other side required a boat or a bark.

“Agatha can’t support us with her magic unless we help her recover,” I told my skinny friend.

“What do you suggest?” Eli asked.

“You were a merchant long ago, right?”

“Yes,” he said, squinting at me.

“Can’t you use your special charms to get us a pass inside?”

“I killed more guards than you have friend,” Eli said. “My poster will be larger than yours. I bet my face is on every wall of every tavern and inn by now. Besides, you need another pass to cross the river.”

“Let’s go back then,” I said, frustrated. “We cannot risk being seen in broad daylight. We’ll spend the day inside the forest and attempt the crossing by night. Nobody’ll come looking.”

“Are you mad?!” Eli whispered angrily. “There are things in there! The forest will kill us if we stay here overnight.”

“You forget that I’ve been on the run from the Church for ages. I know this forest very well, as long as we keep our voices down and our noses out of trouble, the monsters will leave us alone.”

“How did you cross the river when you first came here?”

“A smuggler put me in a barrel then threw me down the river as we got closer to Fiverto,” I answered. “Not my proudest moment, but I lived.”

“What about that Sister?” Eli asked.

He had a point. Zoey was scared of her own shadow. The monsters in the forest hated sudden movements. If they noticed we were invading their territory, we’d be reduced to minced meat. I looked at people passing by, presenting their pass and being allowed inside. Even if we managed to steal a pass from them, our faces, especially mine, were easily noticeable.

We went back to the ladies by the clearing. Agatha was lying against a tree, sleeping. Zoey paced around her nervously. She looked like a ghost. Her face was pale and she wouldn’t stop fidgeting with her clothes. When she saw us, her face brightened up a bit. She came running at us.

“She’s passed out. I don’t know if she’d ever wake up again.”

I patted the bag of bones I strapped around my torso. The ghost had been silent ever since we left the Crucible. The effort she made to help us escape pushed her to disappear. I hoped she would reawaken, at least for a few minutes, and help us cross that checkpoint, or at least help Agatha or something.

“What do you know of Essence?” Eli asked Zoey.

“I know it’s what people use to conjure spells. But I don’t know how to use it. I was never taught how to channel that energy.”

“But what happens when you run out of it, as it happened with her?” Eli said, pointing at the Herbologist.

“I-I’m not sure,” the Sister answered. Her eyes were misty and her lips quivered as she spoke. “I heard people go into a comatose state unless some mage reawakens them. She needs help. Oh it’s all my fault…”

Zoey started crying. Eli and I stood there, watching her whine and sob helplessly. I hated crybabies! I didn’t even know how to react to tears. Eli cleared his throat then spoke.

“She did that to save our lives. If it weren’t for your whimpering, we’d all be here in one piece. She would be tired, sure, but at least conscious. So stop your crying and help us think. The monsters in the forest will hear you and come looking. I won’t stick around to protect you. You can be sure of that.”

Zoey looked up. She had suddenly stopped her crying, replaced it with glaring stares at the skinny merchant. Perhaps he was harsh with her, but at least it got the job done.

“Zoey,” I said, my voice calm and soothing, or at least I tried to make it sound like it. “You’re the healer, what can we do to help her recover some strength? If she can move, she won’t slow us down.”

Zoey wiped her tears away and took a haughty stance. “Some types of fish, Gilly to be precise, can help with recovery,” she said. “There are also some medicinal herbs, but they don’t grow around here. If you can find Rosemary and Thym, I might be able to make a soothing tea for her. But we’ll need to wake her up too. Some Rosemary Essential Oils would do.”

“Eli, I think we’ll need to sneak into Fiverto…” I said, slowly turning toward the skinny man, looking apologetic.

“How do you reckon we’ll manage that?” he asked, incredulous.

“We need the medicine, there’s no way we can make the oil ourselves. Besides, if we go fishing by the river, we’re bound to be spotted.”

“And we’re supposed to leave them alone?” Eli asked.

“No, you’ll stay here with Agatha. I’ll sneak inside the village with this one,” I said pointing at the Sister.

“What? Why should I go?” Zoey asked, her voice a little too loud.

“Shhh!!” Eli and I snapped at her.

“We’re far from earshot but the monsters don’t like sudden noises here,” I explained. “Besides, you’re the one who knows what we need. Will she be alright if we stay here until nightfall?”

“She should be fine I guess,” Zoey answered. “She can’t stay unconscious for more than two days though. She’d need to sustain her body too, or she’d die of starvation and thirst.”

“I’ll go fetch some water,” Eli volunteered. “I guess our best shot is to sneak in by night.”

“I’ll go find us a way to get in, unnoticed,” I told the Sister. “Stay by her side and calm down. Pacing around her hysterically will only attract unwanted attention.” I took a step toward the village then turned to face the Sister. “And don’t wander off. We’re deep enough inside the forest. Patrols won’t come near this place. But monsters might show up at any moment. We won’t be safe until we leave this forest and this country.”

I headed for the village. A wooden wall surrounded Fiverto. Scaling it by night would be easy for me, but I wasn’t sure if the Sister could do it. Besides, the checkpoint was teeming with thieves and smugglers. They had their secret entrances where they’d transport illegal goods. All I needed to do was find them.

As I walked through the thick trees, I heard murmurs. I knew what it was. I’ve dealt with their kind before. People called them Whisperers, creatures that lived in the dark.

Every object and body casts a shadow. The Whisperers were creatures that inhabited shadows. Getting infected by one of those meant losing your life, no matter how strong you are. They slowly creep into your body and destroy it from within. They were parasites that lived by invading other living bodies.

I looked around me, the trees had decayed and even the ground seemed rotten. I slowly backed away, cursing under my breath. The closest part to the western city walls was infected by Whisperers. Hearing their murmurs was the first warning. I had to leave their territory immediately before attracting their attention.

‘We can’t stay here by night,’ I thought. ‘They’d swarm us and we won’t even be capable of fighting back.’

I slowly backed away until the trees regained their usual texture and the ground became greener. I looked around trying to remember the general direction I had to go to. The sun was to my right and I had to go east, toward the river bank. I slowly made my way to my destination, wary of unexpected whispers or movements in the trees above.

There were two kinds of abnormalities I had to steer away from, Whisperers and the Homopraelia. The latter were monkey like creatures that ambush unwary travelers who dared enter their territory. They were excellent fighters with gigantic bodies, twice as tall as a normal human being and three times larger.

By midday, I reached the river bank. I saw workers by the docks, carrying heavy boxes and chatting happily. Guards patrolled the docks and the area outside, near the walls. I hid behind tall trees observing a patrol that had just passed by me.

They were talking animatedly about some subject. I had a strong suspicion it was about us. I crept behind the trees and through tall bushes, following them at a safe distance. Information was key to survival. I had to eavesdrop a little.

“Marlo says they caught them this morning,” I head one of them say.

“Marlo loves the law!” another bellowed. “He’d lick the commander’s arse if it meant getting a promotion!”

“Well, he said it, didn’t he?” the first one retorted.

“I say they’re long gone by now. Why d’you think we’re stationed here today? Look at them,” the guard pointed with his chin toward the travelers at the dock, “prancing about as if they owned the place!”

“They’re pay our wages,” a third voice intervened.

“Speak of the devil!” the first voice I heard said. “Tell him Marlo, tell him what you heard this morning.”

“They caught the one eyed freak,” Marlo answered. “They say a Priest from the Church was after him. He caught him this morning, said he was trying to fool the guards at the Checkpoint.”

“Fool!” another man joined in the conversation. “The Priest’s here, aye. But he didn’t catch nobody. The Bloody Hound called ‘im in. A mean look about ‘im, the Priest, got a young boy with ‘im. Says he’s looking for his aunt too.”

The guards’ voices died away as they moved toward the western gate. I didn’t dare follow any further, but what I heard made my heart jump. A Priest was after us now huh? It must be Utar. The boy accompanying him must be Sam, that spineless son of a bitch. The situation had become much more complicated. Utar was an excellent tracker. I didn’t expect him to be on our trail so fast. This was bad, really bad.

A twig snapped behind me. I jumped backwards, ready to fight, but I couldn’t see a thing. The forest was as still as ever. Wind blew overhead, leaves rustled about, but there was no sign of any movement. Another twig snapped to my left. I turned again but didn’t see a thing. Who was playing with me? I’d lost my left eye. By the time I turned around, whoever caused the noise would have already disappeared. I wanted to scream at them but thought better of it. I stood there, looking around nervously.

“Stalwart?” a soft, misty voice said behind me. “Boy have you gotten ugly!”

“Who’s there?” I shouted. I didn’t like being played.

“Easy to irritate as always,” the voice said. “Look in front of you silly.”

I looked, but I could only see trees and fungi growing at their base. The bag of bones strapped to my torso started rattling. Then, unexpectedly, a figure materialized in front of me. She was wearing blue satin robes. Her long silver blond hair almost touched her hips. She had large emerald eyes that observed me with a calculating gaze. She held a straw basket to her wide hips which was filled with different kinds of mushrooms.

The woman smiled, then slowly walked toward me. “What happened to you pretty boy?”

“Do I know you?” I asked. The question didn’t seem to please the woman. She frowned. Her thin eyebrows frowned slightly.

“You’re in real danger here,” she said. “Are you alone?”

“I thought I asked who you were,” I insisted. Although I felt I could trust this woman, I couldn’t listen to my heart. I’ve done this many times, and I paid dearly for it. But for some reason, the sight of her calmed my anxious heart.

“Your name’s Myles Stalwart,” the woman said in her misty voice. Her perfume invaded my nostrils. I suddenly felt calm, as though nothing worried me anymore. “I helped cure your mother ages ago in Yanoku. I’m quite offended you don’t remember me silly boy. It’s me Raiya.”

Raiya, that name rang a bell. But my memory was hazy. I could only remember some things from my past, most of them sinister. But I remember a woman helping my bedridden mother. I felt immense gratitude toward this woman who called herself Raiya, but I didn’t know why. Perhaps she was telling the truth. Noticing my mistrust, the woman spoke again.

“Utar’s after you. It’s only a matter of time before he finds you. I can help you disappear. Are you here alone Stalwart?”

I shook my head.

“Lead me to them, there’s no time to waste.”