Verdantia: Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten: Above and Below: Part Three

So cold. It was the coldest Rei had ever felt in her life. Teeth chattered in her mouth as she lay shivering on the dusty floor of the humongous cavern, the ground almost cradling the side of her face. The voice she heard no longer spoke but its presence was unmistakable. She could feel the condensed hatred of its aura without even trying.

"Why?" The one word question emerged as a dry croak from her parched throat. There was no answer and she realized the thing that lingered there several yards in front of her inert form did not deem her worthy enough to respond. She was a meal, a source of energy to be used up until only a husk of herself remained before it moved on to something else. The thought made a small part of her inside burn with fury. But the anger inside of her was nothing compared to the despair she felt. The light was growing dim and it took her a moment to comprehend it was not the lights; her own vision was fading.

Oh Ashtarte, I survived that fall and that run across mushrooms only to become food for this, Rei thought. She willed her eyes to stay open but sheer force alone was not enough. Her body, already shaking with fatigue and coldness seized with the effort. This was it; her eyes were closing, she would cease to exist beyond this moment. It pained her to even breathe.

You are mistaken, Fire Maven. It is not your time.

The voice in her head was distinctly female, all-knowing and sounded somewhat amused. Rei's confusion was boundless before she was overtaken by heat. Inside of her, surrounding her, suddenly the air itself carried an undercurrent of heat. Flames erupted around her and her mauve eyes widened in shock. She was burning! How is it possible? First to feel as if she was freezing to death, now she was covered in flames. Eyes wide, encapsulated by wonder of the dancing fire along her arms she realized she wasn't actually on fire. The flames encircled her like a barrier, following the trail of her hands as she waved it in the air. Her were eyes alight with fascination.

The life that had been seeped from her flowed back into her body with much vigor. As the energy returned she noticed the flames themselves were dying but as time went on she realized the flames weren't dying down; rather they seemed to sink into her skin, into her very flesh and bones. It was the fire itself that was giving her back life, feeding her spirit which the thing had previously sucked out of her.

Ever since Rei was a child she had always felt there was something spiritual about fire. The flames could easily destroy but the aftermath of the destruction left room for a new cycle to begin. For farmers, burning their fields after harvests meant clearing the way for a cycle of new growth. Fire transformed crops and meat into edible foods. It cast light where darkness lay, eliminating the shadows which haunted the world since its birth. Like water, it was an important part of daily life and for Rei it was an element deserving of much respect. There was a buoyancy within her, a vindication that was quickly blossoming into a feeling of rightness. She suddenly understood how befitting it was that she felt that way her entire life.

The voices were absent but as she stood and began to hesitantly walk towards the pillars a shrill scream built up in her head. Her entire body began to shake with it. Her hands went to her ears, covering the shell-like organs tightly but it did not lessen the noise. Her steps stopped, her frame almost in a crouch as she bent over from the intensity of the scream.

Go, Fire Maven.

The voice came again and her body obeyed without thought even as the sound of the screaming grew. So strong it became almost impossible for Rei to walk. Her knees buckled, her head felt like it would explode but through sheer grit she kept herself upright, her shaking feet proceeding one in front of the other.

-x-x-x-

The hooves of the horse Haruka Tenoh rode pounded the ground, leaving a trail of dust behind them. She hoped she wasn't too late. She had not noticed until it was it was already dark; there it was a single beam of red light shooting down from the night sky in the far distance. Five more horses in her wake beat staccato rhythms against the floor of the earth carrying five of her most trusted warriors. For the past two days Haruka had been tasked with a strange sort of mission – to scour the stretch of land which lay between Lake Elnor and the Arctic Forest. To the east the town of Kura was still three days ride away. But she had understood immediately; the duty she had been assigned was of the utmost importance.

Summoned to the council room by the head Star Gazer and Royal Advisor, Setsuna Meioh, Haruka had not been particularly surprised to find Neo-Queen Serenity present. Even before the Neo-Queen had ascended the throne, Princess Usagi as she had then been called had displayed quite a fondness for the long-haired and serious Setsuna. Surprisingly the playful princess and the studious Setsuna complimented each other quite well. It was rare to see one without the other. It was no secret to those who worked in the castle that the two were very much enamored with the other. But Haruka was less concerned with gossip, she was a Royal Knighte of the Crystal and it was her duty outside of her own family to disregard all but the orders of her Queen.

The Neo-Queen gave her a warm smile as soon as Haruka entered the council room. "Thank you for coming so quickly, Haruka."

Setsuna did not smile but she offered her gratitude as well. "Yes, thank you, Tenoh-shi." The suffix shi, was an honorific denoting the highest position among certain skilled groups working for the royal family. Currently thirty years old, Haruka had already been bestowed the title since she was eighteen, the youngest knighte to ever achieve the position.

Quickly lowering herself, her right knee making contact with the floor, Haruka bowed respectfully as she replied with a nod, "Of course, your Highness." She nodded in Setsuna's direction as well, " Meioh-shi."

"Come, no need to be so formal Haruka. It is just us three after all. Though it is a matter of grave importance." The Queen beckoned and Haruka rose and joined them at the large circular wooden table. Hip-high to the Queen and made of dark, heavy wood the table itself was an imposing fixture in the council room. The diameter alone was twice the length of Haruka who stood almost six feet tall. Centuries of use had left the surface smooth with a sheen derived from daily polishing. On the table two maps were spread, one of the sky consisting of various constellations and another primarily of the land north of Lake Elnor.

"You will have to forgive me, Tenoh-shi. I do not have an exact location," Setsuna turned to Queen Serenity then and they shared a look of understanding between them before Serenity nodded. Setsuna's garnet eyes met Haruka's once more.

"As you are aware there have been strange sightings and attacks by creatures no one has ever seen before. The royal knightes have been dispatched more frequently this past month that they have in recent years. If this persists Verdantia and the rest of the world is in danger. The cause of it is happening directly below the constellations shown here." Setsuna gestured towards the land map.

Haruka nodded, waiting for further explanation, her eyes busy roaming the map north of the lake. She had traversed the area a few times via horseback. There the land was a mixture of rocky open hills and small forests before gradually melding north into the Arctic Forest. The roads there were practically non-existent. Most travel between Kura and the capital were done via water. It was easiest to ride the river down past Kura, enter the lake and exit the other side on a route heading towards the ocean, or even south if one needed to head in that direction.

"You will look for anything odd occurring here in this area," Setsuna indicated with a gracefully slender finger pointed at the midst of the map. "Destroy it if possible. If we can get to the root of the problem then we can avoid a war."

War.

There it was: the word Haruka had been waiting for. On the tail end of every whisper, and in subtly hinted questions directed at her by other knightes she shook her head, neither confirming nor denying the word until she had gotten her orders from either the Queen or Meioh-shi. Her own body had been feeling strangely tense as if waiting for something to occur. Even at home Michiru and Hotaru seemed on edge. She had wondered if she had been projecting her own feelings onto her family as well. But before she could properly speak to Michiru about it, the head of the Royal Navy had been called away to escort a high ranking official of a neighboring island home. Hotaru had been left on her own, the teenager insisting she would be fine. Haruka's thoughts returned to the matter at hand and the meeting had concluded soon after. The moment she exited the castle Haruka had sent word to her knightes to prepare.

"Haruka-shi!" The bassy voice of Sheik called out behind and Haruka drew rein slightly towards the left in order to slow down.

"What is it Sheik?" She asked the short but powerfully built woman who slowed down alongside her. Sheik was covered in dust, and Haruka realized she had to be as well, in fact they all were considering they had done nothing but ride for two days with small breaks in between. But their current state of cleanliness was of no relevance at the moment. Sheik lifted a muscular arm and pointed towards a cluster of darkness a hundred or so yards away to their left. Haruka deduced it could only be the beginning of another small forest.

"Mago spotted something weird in that direction."

Haruka tugged on the reins, her heels already nudging her favorite mount Azreal towards the trees, Sheik following closely on their heels. Mago was already halfway there, ahead of Haruka. The other knightes of their party, Dali, Lane and Azul she was certain brought up the rear behind Sheik. The light she had seen was further ahead but she did not want to split her group in two. On any given day each knighte could hold their own but she had been given the impression that whatever they were searching for wasn't a typical creature. Her intuition agreed it would be better to keep everyone together, every sword would be needed if they encountered what they were looking for. And even though they were all knightes she was still responsible for them as their leader. She wanted to return them all the way they had left – safe and sound and all together.

The tall aqua-haired Mago was already off her horse when Haruka arrived at the edge of the trees. Azreal came to a halt and Haruka dismounted in seconds. "What did you find, Mago?"

"I don't know what it is Haruka-shi," Mago answered. Her hand did not stray from her side where her sword hung sheathed. Haruka thought it was a good idea indeed, her own hand resting on the hilt of her broadsword. It was deathly quiet and Haruka did not wish to take any chances despite the lack of life. Or perhaps it was because of lack of wildlife that made her so leery. The piney scent of resin, musty earth and greenery clung to the cool winds blowing from the north.

They entered the trees unsure of what to make of the sight in front of them. What in the name of Ashtarte? Haruka blinked. There was a huge depression in the earth but what did not make any sense was the way the trees leaned in towards the center. There she saw other trees fallen atop the other, their leafy canopies in the bowl-like earth while their roots pointed upright. It was as if everything had simply fallen in on itself.