Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Kiera
It’s strange to view Zochal from the outside.
As the morning sunlight dapples the edge of the forest, I stand near Silas as he communes with the spirits, spirits he claims belong to old souls who once called my village home.
I don’t have the heart to inquire whether my parents are among them.
I don’t want to know. The mere thought is too painful.
Wherever they are, I hope they’re at peace, and I hope they don’t blame me for Daniel’s problems.
Admiration for Silas flows through me as I watch him while he works.
He’s seated on a large tree stump. His eyes are closed, and his hands are raised to the sky.
He appears intensely absorbed in his conversation with the spirits.
He speaks in a tone so hushed I can’t make out his words, and the spirits also communicate in faint whispers.
I glance at the village and search for the small building that serves as the gaol. My stomach lurches when I glimpse the guards standing out front. I look at the three barred windows, wondering which cell houses Daniel.
I also wonder if the gallows have been erected in the usual spot on the other side of the village, but from where I’m standing, I can’t quite see.
Is my brother sorry for what he’s done? Does he have any plans to change his ways? I suppose I won’t be around to find out.
I’m mated to a forest guardian, and it’s my understanding that we’re going to live in his cabin high in the mountains.
Zochal is no longer my home.
I expect a wave of sadness when I consider how abruptly my circumstances have changed, but it never comes. I’m still getting to know Silas, but there’s no denying that he’s my mate. There’s no denying that we belong together.
The bond we share only keeps getting stronger. A few times this morning, I was able to detect his emotions. He claims that in time, we might be able to discern one another’s thoughts. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but there’s no going back.
To my shock, an Elder approaches the gaol, speaks with the guards, then walks inside the building. I hold my breath as I stare at the entrance of the gaol, praying Daniel will emerge and walk free.
The conversation between Silas and the spirits grows louder, then there’s a sudden silence. I’m about to look at my mate when I spot a familiar, gangly figure walking out of the gaol. My brother heads down the street and disappears in the crowded marketplace.
I exhale with relief and turn to Silas. Papa. My heart brims with gratitude. I rush to his side and touch his arm. He opens his eyes and gives me a gentle smile.
“It’s done,” he says. He opens his arms, and I sink into his embrace. I breathe deep of his woodsy, masculine scent, a scent that’s already become familiar and comforting to me.
“Thank you, Papa.”
“You’re quite welcome, little girl.” He lifts me in his arms.
“You don’t need to carry me all the way back to the cabin.
I’m perfectly capable of walking, you know,” I say.
He’d carried me the entire way here, insisting on it since I don’t have shoes.
I suppose I could stride into Zochal and collect some of my things from the boarding house, including a pair of shoes, but something about returning to the village feels wrong.
Perhaps in time I’ll want to go back for a visit, but not today.
“How about we find those shoes you lost near the altar yesterday?” Papa suggests, and he carries me toward the white stones.
It doesn’t take long to find the white slippers that match the gown I’m wearing.
They aren’t the sturdiest shoes, but they’ll do until I’m able to get something more durable.
Papa has promised to take me to a mountain town he claims is very welcoming to him in the next few days.
He says he wants to buy me a brand-new wardrobe and anything else I might need.
I’m touched by his thoughtfulness, and I’m excited by the prospect of visiting a new village. Until yesterday, I’d never even set foot outside Zochal.
Papa sets me in a thick patch of clover and reaches for my feet.
He takes great care in the act of putting my shoes on.
His eyes gleam with reverence, and after he finishes placing the slippers on my feet, he plants a quick, playful kiss on my nose.
My heart beams with affection for him. He has a stern side, but he can also be rather sweet.
I’m starting to think it won’t take long for me to fall hopelessly in love with the massive, protective forest guardian.
“Would you like to walk for a while, little girl? Please know that I don’t mind carrying you. I like having you close.” He helps me to my feet and brushes a few leaves from my skirt.
“If it’s all right with you, I would like to walk and stretch my legs for a while.” I grin. “When we reach the really steep part of the mountain, you can carry me then.”
“It’s a deal.” He clasps my hand, and we set off.
It’s a beautiful day, and it feels like a new beginning. But as we walk farther up the mountain, the forest becomes unusually dark, and I notice Papa keeps casting cautious glances through the trees.
“Is it about to storm?” I ask.
He tightens his hold on my hand. “No. I don’t detect the scent of impending rainfall.” His eyes flash with worry. “There’s a chill in the air that’s unsettling. Stay close to me, little girl, and if I tell you to run or hide, you must obey in an instant.”
“Okay,” I whisper. Fear churns through me, and I try to keep my steps quiet as I listen for any odd sounds in the forest. Not that I know what to listen for.
“Don’t be afraid, Kiera. I swear I’ll keep you safe. No matter what.”
The seriousness in his voice causes my fear to deepen.
Without warning, a shadowy, red-eyed form rushes toward us. It happens so fast. I gasp, and Papa pushes me behind him, shielding me with his huge body. He lowers his head just as the dark creature reaches him, and there’s a horrid resounding crash as his antlers impact with the being.
A demon. The wind whispers that it’s a demon.
My blood runs cold.
Worry for Papa grips me. I don’t want him to get hurt. I stand against a tree, watching as the demon continually crashes into him. The demon laughs, and the dark cackle sends a chill down my spine.
“Get behind that large tree,” Papa says, and I’m quick to obey.
I hurry behind the ancient oak, though I occasionally peek out to see what’s happening. I send up prayers to the gods to please protect Silas. Please protect my Papa. Give him the strength to defeat this demon.
Is this wraithlike creature the very demon that’s plagued Zochal? It certainly fits some of the descriptions the hunters have shared. Is it responsible for the wasting disease that stole my parents’ lives?
The wind suddenly picks up, and it carries an urgent whisper.
It carries a name. Kalleus. The name makes me tremble, but something about the murmurs on the wind feels important.
I peer around the tree at Silas. Papa. Oh gods, he still hasn’t killed the demon.
Is it even possible to kill a demon? I reason if anyone can destroy a demon, or drive one away, it must be my mate.
He’s a forest guardian, and he’s lived for thousands of years.
Kalleus. The wind whispers louder. Actually, it’s becoming more like a chant.
I watch as Papa slams his antlers into the demon, and the dark creature goes flying into a large tree. It slumps on the ground briefly, then it floats upward and sets its terrible red gaze on my mate.
The Nameless One, the wind whispers. Its true name is Kalleus.
“Silas!” I call out. “Do you hear the wind? What does it mean?” I can’t help but think the wind is trying to deliver an important message, but I’m not sure why the true name of the demon might matter.
“I don’t hear the wind.” He turns to stare at me. “The wind has never revealed the true name of this demon to me, which is why I haven’t managed to kill it. Do you hear the wind?”
The demon’s true name. Oh, gods. Is that really all Silas requires so he might vanquish the dark creature?
I draw in a huge breath, ready to scream the demon’s true name, only for the being to zoom toward Papa so fast, neither of us has time to react.
The demon sends my mate slamming into the same tree I’m hiding behind.
I reach around the tree and touch Papa’s arm. “Kalleus!” I shout. “His true name is Kalleus!”
Papa looks over his shoulder and meets my gaze. “Are you certain?” His eyes widen with shock.
“Yes, I’m certain.” I peer around the forest as the demon disappears. Paranoia sweeps through me. Where did it go?
Papa gives me an urgent look. “Stay down,” he says.
“Stay as hidden as possible. I must find the beast and end it once and for all.” The wind howls louder, and his expression reveals his shock.
“Gods, I hear the whispers now. I hear its true name. Finally. After hundreds of years of taunting me, as well as other guardians, the wind is finally revealing the creature’s true name. I can scarcely believe it.”
I watch as Papa rises to his feet and roars into the trees. He shifts into his stag form and bellows, “Kalleus!” in a tone so resounding, the ground quakes beneath me. “Kalleus!” He calls the demon’s name again and again.
Eventually, the wraithlike being appears in front of Papa. It twists into itself as though in great pain, and its eyes keep closing. Its sharp-toothed mouth gapes open and it releases a high-pitched noise that hurts my ears, a sound of fear and death, a sound of destruction.
Papa runs in circles around the demon, and he keeps bellowing the creature’s true name. Every time he says the demon’s name, the dark being shrinks. The more Papa says its name, the smaller it becomes, until it finally disappears in a burst of black mist that rapidly dissipates in the air.
It’s dead. I think it’s dead. Gone forever.
I hold my breath as I await Papa’s confirmation of the dark creature’s demise. The Nameless One. Why was I able to hear the whispers on the wind that chanted the creature’s name? Why did the wind withhold Kalleus’s name from Silas and other forest guardians until now?
Papa starts rushing toward me in his stag form, but by the time he reaches me, he’s already changed to his antlered human form. He takes me in his arms, holding me out as he looks me up and down. “Are you all right, little girl?”
“I’m fine. What about you?” I peer at his antlers, which he’d used to crash into the demon repeatedly, but I don’t see any damage to them, nor do I glimpse any injuries on his body. Not even the smallest scratch.
“I’m also fine,” he says, and relief fills me to bursting.
As we embrace in the middle of the forest, a gentle breeze ruffles our hair. Papa lifts me in his arms and briefly presses his lips to mine. “You’re extraordinary, little girl,” he says. “You heard the voices before I did. You heard the true name of the demon on the wind.”
Yes, I suppose I did. But why? How? I ponder the question as he kisses me again. Joy abounds within me that he’s safe. We’re both safe, and the danger that’s plagued Zochal for years is no more.
“Let’s go home, sweet girl,” Papa says, and he carries me up the mountain.