11. In the shadows of the forest

The caravan’s trip through the tunnels and escape from Cerelon’s automatons is finally ending. That is not to say that the dangers have decreased.
 
 
 
That night, though the meal was meagre, spirits were up. The explorers had been on the surface, and Marius had seen a way out of the caverns. By a faint glow from the chasm, the lighthouse reflecting off the surface of the underground lake, they talked about where they are going and who they’d left behind.
 
“I was there when Marcus died,” Yitti mumbled into the campfire. Somehow, the talk had gotten around to Marcus, Jaden’s husband lost two years before. Though it would have been hard not to have known about it at the time, Nox was surprised to find out about Yitti's involvement in the gentle and patient tinker's death.
“He knew Jaden had a project and needed the iotum. As most of the good stuff went straight to High Redoubt she’d found it frustrating to get what she needed.”
“Marcus was a good friend, a man. It was hard to tell him no. When he decided he’d go through the tailings after the mine shut down for the evening, he couldn’t be dissuaded. So, I went along as a sort of guide and to watch his back.”
“I knew the tailings were dangerous, they’d sometimes slip on us during a shift, but there was always someone around to dig us out. That night, it was so dark, we couldn’t see the peak of the tailings pile against the sky. We stumbled into the lee and, in our fossicking, disturbed the pile.”
“I had to run back to town, wake up every dritman I could get a hold of and direct them back to where the collapse happened. He’d been stuck under there twenty, thirty minutes. It took us another hour to find him. By that time…” Yitti cut off his story, his voice catching. Jaden picked up the rest of the story.
 
“He’d been trespassing. The Devotees of Erina could have prosecuted his estate, ruining me financially and socially. But they quietly returned his body and left it. I guess they figured he’d already paid.”
 
Across the fire, Marius sat silently listening, tight-lipped and keeping close attention on Yitti, as if perhaps a new side to the Dritman had been revealed. He’d been a stranger in town during Marcus’ death and, like Nox was an outsider to events.
 
Her head aching, Nox sat up and tried to soothe the ache with the palm of her hand.
“Here, try this, “She heard a voice beside her. Marius had snuck around the campfire and now held out a damp cloth smelling strongly of herbs and medical oils. She placed the cooling cloth on her head and breathed in the scent instantly feeling an easing to her headache.
“Thank you.” She said shyly watching the Dritman leader as he packed up his first aid kit.
“Yitti’s revelation came as a bit of a surprise to you as well, didn’t it?” He asked, not looking up from his work.
“I was in the shop when they came to tell her about Marcus. Jaden…closed up for a long time. Closed up the shop, closed up herself...” The memory of that lonely time reminded Nox of her headache and she lay back down. As a kid not yet fourteen she was not privy to the politics of adult life. She’d not understood Jaden’s inability to get the parts she needed for her project and had not known the extent of Marcus’ love that he would risk trespass, even death to see she had what she needed. All she remembered was being on the outside of every conversation, having no place to feel safe or wanted. When she'd try to make contact with Jaden telepathically she was met by a wall of grief and guilt she didn't understand and couldn't cope with. She did know that something cheerful and accepting had been withdrawn from her and she wondered what she'd done to deserve it. Feeling the soothing balm of the medicine doing its job, Nox slowly drifted off to sleep, her last conscious thought, to send Jaden a feeling of a warm embrace. Her dreams that night were filled with the smell of herbs and the gentle man who had not needed to raise his voice to get his message across.
 
Nox woke early the next morning, the headache throbbing behind her eyes. She pulled herself out from under the caravan, packing up her bedroll like an elderly woman, her clumsy movements catching the eye of Marius who was just coming off watch.
“What you need is a good massage,” He said, placing his warm hands on her shoulder and started gently kneading up her neck and along her collarbone. Nox froze, every part of her aware of his strong warm hands. Not knowing if she should scream or melt. Nox instead froze where she was. Marius felt the tension and instantly realised what he was doing. He pulled his hands away, quickly folding them against his chest.
“On second thought a massage isn’t what you need. You need a good brisk walk in the fresh air.”
 
Nox, her face red with embarrassment, stalked off without turning back. Walking a little way from the caravan, she was about to bury her face in her bedroll when she felt someone watching. A few metres off a tall figure in a dark robe stood silently. A mask like the swirling patterns of the night sky completely hid the stranger’s face.
 
“Hi there, welcome to our camp,” Marius had seen the being as well and had walked up, his hand outstretched, “What’s your name, friend?”
[centre]THE MOON IS FULL AND THE SHARD IS FREE.[/centre]
The being said, not moving from their spot. The mask angled towards Marius.
[centre]WHY ARE YOU A MAN OF TWO?[/centre]
“Wha…he doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”
The mask tilted back to look at Nox.
[centre]WHY WHEN YOU WERE NINE DID YOU BOUNCE THE BALL THREE TIMES AGAINST THE WALL AND FOUR TIMES AGAINST THE GROUND?[/centre]
“How about you answer a few questions for us, like what’s your name?”
The being ignored Marius’ question and continued to proclaim.
[centre]YOU MUST SEEK THE CENTRAL SPIRE.[/centre]
[centre]TRAVEL WITH THE ONE WHO FELL FROM THE CHORUS FOR THEY ARE THE SION.[/centre]
“Does this have to do with Fureva?” Nox asked, using only Fureva-Yung’s first name and the one she associated with the intelligence inside.
 
The being said nothing. Frustrated at the cryptic declaration, Nox reached out and tried to read the mind of the being.
 
Her head was filled with thoughts beyond understanding. Past the swirling stars of the mask, something imperative, something important, caught her attention. She felt pain, but it was distant. She focused her thoughts on the one crucial thing, and a stream of information poured into her mind. When the information ceased, she pulled away and gasping, she found herself kneeling on the ground.
“What? What did you do to Nox? Nox, are you alright?”
[centre]YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR NAVIGATOR.[/centre]
The figure pronounced and disappeared before their eyes.
“Well, that was unhelpful,” Marius helped Nox off the ground, “What happened to you?”
 
Nox started pulling away, her mind spinning with the possibilities of a plan for the first time.
“I need to find Jaden,”
 
Now running, all thought of headaches gone, Nox found Jaden’s sleeping spot and shook her away.
Jaden! Wake up!
“I’m awake. What do you need?” Jaden replied sleepily.
Nox paused for a moment. She could look at a device and work out how it worked, but naming the components that made it up was beyond her.
Um…I’ll know them when I see them. Can I look inside Bellyache?
“Sure, sure, just let me grab your waist, Bellyache goes deep, and he’s likely to swallow you.”
 
Not waiting, Nox opened the walking chest and started picking out parts that fit with the plan in her head. Jaden noted four synth parts, two io and one apt clay, before Nox sat crosslegged on the ground and started putting the pieces together. By this time, Marius had caught up.
“Are we sure we want to build this?” He asked. Nox ignored the question, entirely focused on the task of building, “Hey kid, calm down!”
“Shhh…”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know…”
 
Jaden watched quietly and determined that the object being made had something to do with navigation.
“If it’s supposed to be a compass, you need to label it north, south, east and west,” She said, pointing at the glass sphere with a suspended arrow that currently pointed north-east and a little up.
“It points to the Central spire,” Nox finally said as the manic energy subsided and the sphere lay between her hands. Spent, she handed the Navigator to Jaden. Now it was complete, she found she had little interest in it.
“Central Spire? Never heard of it. What is it?” Jaden probed, concerned at Nox’s behaviour.
“It is an oracle, “ Fureva-Yung, drawn by the activity, watched and listened, “The wise people listen to them….”
“ And fool themselves,” Jaden scoffed, but Fureva-Yung paid no attention.
“And shape their course by what they learn.”
I listened…what does that make me? Nox grumbled at Jaden’s off-handed dismissal of such an important event, What sort of idiot am I to be fooled into making a compass.
“We don’t need a mysterious being to tell us what to do? We don’t need a fancy compass thing to know where to go. We are masters of our own destiny.” Marius assured the group, getting a querying look from Fureva-Yung.
“I’m not!”
“Shut up, you.”
“Well, regardless, this Navigator thing is pointing in another direction to where we’re going. Out is in that direction,” Jaden pointed ahead and noted the needle a little farther north.
 
 
Later that morning, the caravan walked out into the sunlight near Saravellen’s garden. The figures of trapped margr poking out of the tall grass nearby. On the other side, the dark boughs of the Endoval forest cast shadows over their emergence from the caves.
Jaden, who had been walking with her travelling trader friends, asked Oslo, “Have you ever been so far through the Endoval ? Do you know what’s in this land?”
“No, no one has been through the forest from our neck in forever,” Oslo replied, looking almost intimidated by the daunting task of travelling through the unknown land.
Jaden checked the Navigator, “Hmm, this thing is taking us away from Cerelon along what looks to be the same path as the transport. Marius, anything near here we should visit before moving on?”
Marius stepped up, pointing in the direction of the floating rock, “There’s a town near the spaceship, a few crude shelters, not much else.”
“Not civilised. Could it be where the margr are coming from?”
“Possibly,” Marius replied in a voice that suggested he didn’t want this suggestion dismissed, “Or it could be a pop-up market town, a temporary structure. There’s also a pyramid on the rock that looks interesting.”
Fureva-Yung distracted Marius by trying to rub some of the blue off his face. He waved her away like an annoying insect.
“We missed our chance at pretty colours,” Jaden turned to Nox.
“Yeah, I could be green and blend in with the grass. Or maybe purple and be as beautiful as one of Saravellen’s flowers.”
“Or maybe there were beige and puce coloured steams,” Jaden thought, and Nox made a face.
“You’d look good in puce,” She said and ran away into the caravan.
“Cheeky!” Jaden called after her, “Anyone can tell I’m an autumn.”
“Well, regardless, we should have someone scout ahead. I’ll go,” Marius volunteered and started to walk away, stopped by Fureva-Yung.
“You go alone? Through margr?”
“You can come too!”
 
The two companions walked out of camp, taking the long way around any of the margr plant cocoons and keeping Serevellen’s garden between them and any watchers on the rock. Fureva-Yung in particular, kept far away from the frozen margr. Marius listened to the voices on the wind, focusing on any that sounded like speak of any kind, no matter how intelligible. The wind brought back on grunts, roars, cries and nervous bleats. From their vantage point, they could see the pyramid on the rock and the rope bridge that led directly from the margr encampment up to the pyramid. They could see the pyramid's exterior carved in intricate designs even from a distance, though what they represented was beyond them.
“See, spaceship!” Marius gestured to the rock as proof of his theory.
“It is no ship,” Fureva-Yung replied with the confidence of experience. It was true. The rock was hardly ship-shaped.
“How many margr do you think there are? Thirty to fifty?”
Counting visibly on her fingers, Fureva-Yung replied, “That leaves twenty for me. Yeah, na.”
 
Behind them, something moved without fear. Along with the clop of heavy cloven hooves, the guttural chatter of the margr was clear to hear. Fureva-Yung and Marius hunkered down and watched as three margr came into view, a wooden pole held between two of them. Tied to the pole a man in the uniform of the Cerelon Warden Militia, barely conscious. The third margr seemed to be in charge, and besides carrying a very lethal looking machete at their hip, they barked and growled at the other two to move quicker. The margr had no idea that Marius and Fureva-Yung were watching, not twenty-five metres away. They were just about to let the margr know their mistake when the one holding the pole at the back froze to the spot, a scintillating energy flowing around them. The one in the lead kept walking, not knowing there was anything wrong with his partner. The pole fell from his hand, and he turned and barked at the frozen margr.
“I know that energy. We will have words later. Go Furry, go!” Marius crept away to hit the margr from the side as Fureva-Yung roared, charging out of the scrub. Intent on the margr in front of him, Marius completely missed Nox hiding in the grass just ahead. He fell over her breaking his stealth.
“Keep down these guys have weapons,” Marius hissed.
“Ouch! You didn’t see me. Why do you think they will?”
Before Marius could look up again, Fureva-Yung had engaged the leader margr as the lead pole carrier moved in on her from behind. The margr, now free of his load, withdrew a jagged blade and slashed at Fureva-Yung.
“Stay here, stay hidden,” Marius hissed, getting up and sprinting to Fureva-Yung’s aid. Fureva-Yung dealt a killing blow to the leader as Marius ran up and engaged with the pole carrier.
From her hidden position, Nox used her Hedge Magic to move the machete from the dead margr. When Marius saw the movement, he pointed to the still militia, and the blade made a quick reverse and darted into he militiaman's hand.
Marius’ strike hit, gaining him the attention of the pole carrier.
“It's okay, my friend will be here soon,” He said confidently as Fureva-Yung loomed behind the pole carrier, “Oh, Too late!”
SPLAT!
Fureva-Yung and Marius circled the last margr, still frozen in stasis. When they were ready, Nox dropped the energy field, and margr never knew what happened.
 
The Cerelon militia man’s name was Alton Tora, and he’d been stationed in High Redoubt when the attack occurred. As Fureva-Yung kept lookout towards the margr camp, Nox cut Alton’s bindings, and Marius did what he could to bandage up his wounds.
“I’m glad to see another human face…ur…friendly?” He gestured to Fureva-Yung.
“Friendly. She’s one of us. Our big pink rage monster,”
“As long as you don’t call me fluffy,” Fureva-Yung replied, sending Nox into giggles.
“We were starting to think we were the only ones that escaped.”
“How did you end up out here? This is a long way from home.”
“We fled from the centre of the High Redoubt when the automatons attacked. One of our number, Caros Waldrin, worked on a floating barge concept for easier travel over the mountains. We piled on board the barge: two other militia besides myself, Caros and several other members of the Highside Redoubt…Resina Keris.” Marius and Fureva-Yung glanced at each other at the mention of Resina Keris' name. As owner of the mines, she was their boss and one Marius and his Dritmen had issues with.
“We flew for a bit…then the power gave up, and the barge made a rough landing in the Endoval Forest. We were then walking, trying to move to the northern edge of the forest as much as possible. Then we started meeting with the margr. “
“The first night, we repelled them. I wonder if they were just testing us to see how tough we were. The second attack, they made off with one of the civilians, a woman. The third attack…I think the group got away…” He touched his head where a matted blood and hair made a sticky mess with leaves and dirt.
“How long ago did they take you? Where were you when the attack occurred?”
“I’m not sure. I think it happened yesterday, but as to where I couldn’t tell you.”
“Who did you lose?” Nox asked quietly, wanting to know the woman's name, even if she didn't know them.
"Who did you lose?" Marius asked at the same time just as intently.
“Um…a lady…she worked in The Worthy Hearth, a tavern in Highside. Her name was Binna Mayes.”
“Were you lighting fires?” Marius asked, knowing what the answer would be. It had been their mistake that first night too. Only makeshift walls and the strong arms of Fureva-Yung and the Dritmen made the difference.
“We did the first night. We figured that’s what drew them. After that, they started attacking at all times of the day. The third attack was just as we stopped for a midday meal.”
“Lunchtime, yesterday? Damn!” Marius swore as he realised they were all out of the surface at that time.
 
“Marius, what does it matter? Why are we looking for that herd?” Fureva-Yung asked this time after being silent for the whole conversation.
Marius replied, “They’re from Cerelon. They’re us!” He tried thinking from Fureva-Yung’s perspective, “Look, we’ll be stronger with them.”
They may know where my family is, Nox added silently in their minds and to that, Fureva-Yung agreed.
She nodded, “Can see more from high ground.”
“That’s a good idea. Wait for me!” And Marius leapt away up the mountainside in giant bounding steps. Fureva-Yung, Nox and Alton silently watched as Marius made the peak in a few minutes and scanned the forest for signs of the other party.
It’s going to be hard when Marius can’t fly, Nox commented as they waited.
So, it is wearing off?
Yes, it will wear off.
She is very useful when she flies.
Nox nodded thoughtfully, Marius is always useful.
 
Up on the top of the crystal mountain, Marius strained his cypher enhanced senses to gather what he could from the forest. He could see where something large had clipped the tallest trees. Maybe five days walk from where he was. Of the travelling party on the ground, he could see nothing. This second group were frustratingly close. They might be only a day's walk away, but in what directions? He knew they were travelling due North, so he’d need to cut across country North-West to have a hope of finding them. At the same time, the Navigator was leading their group to the North-East. Today they may be a day apart, but tomorrow they’d be three, then five. Not knowing what to do for the best, Marius started levitating back down the mountain to the speck that was Fureva-Yung, Nox and the militiaman and reported what he’d seen.
 
“We can move fast with the caravan, we can catch up,” Fureva-Yung suggested helpfully.
“Yeah, but I’m loathed to take them back to a forest swarming the margr.” They started back to the caravan.
 
Nox was silent. Knowing that the other group were so close made her want to run into the forest to find them. But the forest had proven to be a dangerous place, and if Marius and Fureva-Yung were worried, what hope did she have.
“We could kill the margr home base here. Make it safer,” Marius mused as they walked along.
“They die easily in small numbers,” Fureva-Yung acknowledged.
 
When they made it back to the caravan, Nox ran ahead, gathering people around Marius so he could share the news of the second group. Engrossed in her task, she was quickly discovered and apprehended by Jaden, who had searched the small caravan twice looking for her.
“Where have you been? I was worried sick about you!”
“I snuck after Marius and Fureva-Yung. They didn’t even know I was there. We found a group of margr carrying a militiaman and saved him. I put stasis on one, and Fureva-Yung and Marius attacked and chopped them to bits…hee-hee, Marius tripped over me… I was that sneaky. The man’s name is Alton, and he says there is another group of refugees from Cerelon in the forest, and he was taken only yesterday at lunchtime, and Marius needs everyone to gather and decide what to do next….” Nox replied, her words stumbling over each other in their desire to be heard.
“Snuck away? Margr? Nox! What if something happened? Something did happen! What if you’d been hurt? No would know.”
But, I was careful, Now that accusations were being laid , Nox automatically changed to telepathy, No one knew I was there until I put stasis on…
“Exactly. Nox, that was very irresponsible of you. I’m deeply disappointed.”
But I helped… The voice was smaller, less insistent.
“Nox, you need to be more responsible if you want people not to worry and trust you. Please say you’ll let me know next time?”
Nox did not reply, but Jaden’s words stung. Hadn’t she shown she was reliable by helping? But Jaden didn’t usually say things to be unkind. Jaden took Nox’s silence for compliance, at least for the moment. She directed Nox back to where the group of fifteen refugees had gathered to hear the news. When they arrived, Temela was already doing what she could for Alton as the story of his rescue was discussed.
“Why should we risk our necks for a bunch of Highsiders?” Some of the Dritmen were already saying, “Yeah, why should we worry about the toffs?”
Yet others were more pragmatic, “It would make sense to gather together. We’d be able to fight off the margrs, maybe wipe them out altogether.”
“Come on guys, they’re humans from our village, and we can’t leave them to the wilds,” Marius spoke up, and the Dritmen, out of respect for him, quietened down, “Well, at least I’m glad you agree they’re humans.”
 
As the group talked, a number of plans started floating around the group:
 
 
As a caravan, track and find the other group.
Though many thought of sticking together, very few wanted to risk the dangers of the Endoval forest again. The caravan intact would be as fast as the group on foot. They would never be able to catch them up.
 
Clear our the margr encampment, so they’re no longer a danger to the caravan or the others.
Appealing to some of the Dritmen who felt they were left out of the action, no one thought taking on a village of maybe a hundred margr was a good idea.
 
Ignore the other group and continue on their path.
A plan encouraged by Fureva-Yung, but both Marius and Nox were against it for their own reasons. Jaden felt that leaving refugees behind would be cruel if they could do something to help.
 
Split the caravan. The fast go after the second group, the slow follow the Navigator.
The navigator was new to most of the caravan, and the group spent some time talking about the device and where it may be leading them. Splitting the party was not popular. The fast group would invariable be made up of the caravan’s best fighters, leaving the slower group undefended.
 
Send Alton back when he’s well with information about where the caravan was heading.
Though a popular suggestion, many felt they were sending an injured man to his death in the woods. The addition of a Dritman escort was discussed, but none of the Dritmen volunteered for the task.
 
Ask Shereveen for some creation of theirs that could find the second group and deliver a message.
Many in the caravan had only second-hand knowledge of Shereveen, and what they’d gathered from the captured margr left to die around the garden did not instil confidence. There was a vocal few, stirred on by Jaden, who felt that such a powerful creature was better off left alone.