7. The Blackwoods
The Blackwoods
Fintan
Fintan’s armor was not gold-plated like Kaiden’s but as the chancellor’s son, it was second best. The armored plate was polished until the steel gleamed upon his reflection like polished silver.
Unlike Kaiden’s large phoenix, his was smaller and placed in the upper left of the breastplate above his heart.
Tiny elaborate stars were etched into the rest of his armor encircled by intricate swirls.
You would never be able to tell what the design was from far away.
If you were close enough to see them you were either a friend or it was the last thing you saw.
He laid another blanket across the armor packed behind his saddle to hide the shine from the moonlight.
Tonight he was dressed in black leather, with a heavy cloak pulled over his head.
If they were to travel in the safety of night he needed to become a shadow himself.
Hay crunched under his heavy steps as he slid his hands down his horse’s long nose in comfort.
They would be traveling a long way from home this time.
He had made sure each horse received double oats.
Who knew the next time they would be back.
It had been a full day of packing for their trip and finally the night had come to head out.
“Are you ready?” Kaiden’s voice called from the stable doors.
Fintan saddled his horse and pulled himself up in one graceful push. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
They rode out of the stables and into the courtyard, not bothering to look back. The palace wasn’t going anywhere and he breathed a little easier when away. Even on missions they didn’t agree with. The distance provided freedom from the smothering duties he was forced to perform.
With a small kick his horse took off in a canter through the town and toward the edge of the city.
People scurried out of the way as he led through the gates and into the open field.
Under the cover of night, he enjoyed the wind whipping across his face as they raced west. Pirath was less than a two days' ride away.
With this pace they would make it before the sun was at its highest peak by the second morning.
They rode in silence for hours. Each one in their own thoughts.
“We’re nearing the Blackwood Forest.” Kaiden’s voice broke the long silence for the first time. “If there’s any monsters hiding, the forest is a good dwelling place.”
Fintan nodded hesitantly but followed Kaiden’s move as they steered toward the edge of the forest. He threw a cautious glance back at the cleared path which would take them around the forest, regardless of the additional time it would take.
The Blackwood Forest held a sickly atmosphere as if anxious to devour whatever dared enter.
“Not scared are ya?” Kaiden smirked behind him.
Fintan scoffed at the idea and jumped down from his horse. He strapped extra daggers to his side and grabbed more arrows, stuffing them into his quiver.
Kaiden’s whip dangled from his waistband. The ends frayed with sharp blades twisted against each other as he walked.
Fintan led the horses by the reins, whispering in their ears and calming their jittery nerves. They waited at the edge of the forest in silence, looking into the massive trees.
“Alright,” Kaiden said, taking the first step. “Here we go.”
They moved deep into the forest. The trees were black as midnight, earning the forest name.
The cluster was so close it was hard for any light to come through.
It was easy to get lost if you did not know your way.
Multiple roads were cleared throughout and yet many people traveled around it, opting for a longer route, avoiding the forest entirely.
Every so often someone would venture through the forest but never emerge on the other side.
Villagers began to whisper about the forest being cursed and dark things residing in it and feeding on the innocent travelers.
It was all rubbish of course. Fintan had a hand in clearing most of the paths and there was nothing dangerous about it, if you knew your way.
Still, the creeping feeling settled on his shoulders like a warning.
He stopped abruptly to throw his hand up, signaling to stop. “Listen.”
There was quiet before Kaiden slipped behind him. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Exactly.”
With all the knowledge in his family's libraries, Fintan specialized in finding and killing creatures lurking the borders or those who escaped from the Veil. As a warrior, he was deadly, as a hunter he was inimitable.
“It’s too quiet,” Fintan said.
Owls no longer hooted back and forth, the leaves were still and the wind had quieted.
An eerie stillness overcame the forest as if everything was holding its breath.
A sharp slice filled the silence as Fintan drew his blade, turning around he nodded to Kaiden.
He could feel Kaiden’s heat as fire sprang from his fingertips, forming an orb of light above them.
The ruby ring on his finger glowed with the use of his power.
Kaiden touched a tree to balance himself as he moved. A scorched handprint was left behind.
Neither spoke as the air grew unnaturally thicker and the forest blackened.
Branches clung together like claws, blocking the moon completely.
They had just begun to walk through the forest, but it already felt like he had been stumbling around for hours.
He couldn’t help thinking about the villagers' whispers of the “darkness” plaguing the forest. He had enough darkness to worry about. He pushed the warnings out of his mind.
“Smell that?” Fintan whispered into the night.
Kaiden sniffed slightly before recoiling behind his hand. They knew the smell well.
Death.
Fintan’s gaze landed on a huddle of carcasses over fifty paces away in a small clearing. They moved closer into the clearing.
Twenty paces away.
Sweat slid down Fintan’s back.
Ten paces.
Fintan coughed to hide the bile rising in the back of his throat.
Three paces.
They reached the pile and stared in horror.
“Gods above,” he said hoarsely.
Bloated, maggot-infested bodies were strewn on top of each other.
Stacked high enough to come up to Fintan’s thigh.
Dried blood had already seeped into the ground creating a black circle underneath them.
They were barely recognizable as humans.
Their limbs were torn apart and discarded throughout the pile as if someone was dining on a cooked chicken and casually threw the wings and legs aside.
The putrid decay of flesh stuffed its way into his nose, making his eyes water and throat burn. Kaiden waved his hand above the closest body in a futile motion, trying to scare away the buzzing flies walking on its flesh.
“Skaraks?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Kaiden answered. His voice was hoarse as if the rotten smell burned his vocal chords.
The villager's warning screamed in Fintan’s head, bouncing against the walls of his mind like warning bells.
“Whatever it is, we find it and kill it, tonight,” he growled.
“How do you know it’s still around?” Kaiden stood surveying the forest with a hand over his nose and mouth.
“Look at the bodies.” Fintan dug his sword into the pile, trying hard to ignore the stench as they were moved around.
He focused on finding a full body instead of how easily his sword punctured the rotting flesh.
“The ones on top are … fresher than the ones at the bottom. It wasn’t just one big killing, these ones are already decomposing.
So whatever monster did this has been coming back and discarding the bodies on top of each other.
It has to be close by, I imagine this is its food source until someone … fresher comes along.”
“There could be more piles throughout the forest.” Kaiden quietly cautioned.
Their eyes locked as worry coursed through Fintan.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. If we find more we’ll deal with it.
” Placing a hand on Kaiden’s shoulder, Fintan stood, taking a few steps back and surveying the pile.
“It’s sloppy and careless with its kills.
It’s got to be a dwelling creature since it has made no move to step outside the forest, and most likely prefers the dark instead.
This could be our monster from the reports,” he said.
“Look at these punctures on this body.” He pointed to one of the fresher bodies on top.
From the neck down to the hip and right arm were three claw marks, each about an inch wide and at least two inches deep.
“It’s big enough to take what looks to be a full man down in one swing. ”
“Morana have mercy,” Kaiden cursed, spitting on the ground. “These poor souls suffered. The claws were jagged, not sharp. It tore through them with jerky movements. They were probably still alive, if they didn’t pass out from the pain first.”
Kaiden stepped away from the bodies with a shudder. With a wave of his hand he circled the pile sending streaks of fire into it, lighting it ablaze. In a few minutes Fintan stood next to a pile of ash, breathing a little better.
“Since when did monsters travel so far away from the Veil?” Kaiden muttered what they were both thinking.
“We’ll add it to the mysterious things we have to solve,” Fintan said. He scanned the ground with a triumphant grin, pointing at large prints leading farther north into the woods. “Right now, we have a monster to hunt.”