Chapter 74 Finding Devastey
As we followed Otsiano and Master Ashelainn through the forest, the sounds from the surrounding woodland filtered through.
It was as noisy as a city, with the hisses and pops of insects, the constant birdsong, the rustling of bushes as wild animals made their way through the undergrowth, and the ever-present sound of water from the various streams and creeks that crisscrossed their way through the forest.
We fell into a comfortable pace, lulled into silence by the warmth of the day. There was something magical about the land here. It felt like we were being watched every step of the way, and Otsiano had verified this.
“The gods of the land here are found within water, land, and air,” he said.
“And the fire of the sun. They are—like me—living gods of the world, outside this realm and yet part of it. Even we aren’t sure of our origins.
There are usually creation myths, but they are hidden in time.
We are bound to this world, yet not fully of it—we straddle dimensions. ”
“How many gods are there?” Ray asked. “I’m a cleric without a temple.”
“And you seek someone to follow? Think carefully before pledging yourself, my friend,” Master Ashelainn said. “The gods carry deep secrets, all of them. Even Master Otsiano, Lord of Bears, here. Some secrets are benign, and others run dark and shadowed.”
Ray nodded. “I’ll remember that,” he said.
“There are many gods,” Otsiano said. “More than you can imagine. I shy away from many, for they are chaotic and dangerous to cross.” He paused, then pointed ahead. We’d been walking for several hours. “There, beyond that stone marker. The Waypoint.”
We made sure the way was clear, then hustled into the clearing.
A stone marker sat to one side, and a few yards away was the Waypoint.
It was fashioned like the others, and I stepped inside and, following the pattern I had before, activated it, feeling a sense of relief sweep over me.
Knowing we had some transportation between the different countries made me feel less at the mercy of this world.
“We could go home for a visit,” I whispered, but before the others could hear me, I wiped the thought from my mind.
If we did that, it would give Zaran a chance to get to Devastey before we did, and the last thing I wanted was to fight the necromancer.
If we could weaken him first, then so much the better.
“All ready and activated,” I said, rejoining the others.
“Once we finish, let’s go back to Liesel’s.
I want to see Star, and we need to tell her what’s happened to us through the past weeks.
” Truth be told, I realized that I’d lost count of the days since we had set forth from her house.
The moment I draped the key around my neck, I had embarked on a fork in the road that—if I’d just given some thought to—might not have happened.
Ah, a thought whispered inside my head, but then you wouldn’t have met any number of helpful souls—including Otsiano and Master Ashelainn.
I didn’t like thinking that everything happened for a reason, but I was starting to feel myself bend toward that line of thought.
“How far to the entrance to the Summer Kingdom?” I asked.
“We’ll reach it by midday tomorrow,” Otsiano said.
“I’ve noticed that, so far, we haven’t really encountered anybody along the road here,” Reggie said. “Is the land sparsely populated?”
Otsiano shook his head. “No, actually, but the people of the Summer Kingdom keep to themselves. There are a few big cities and several large towns, but the people tend to stay within the borders. The forest-folk, those who make their home in the woodlands—tend to be magical and unpredictable. Rheyna’s rule seldom reaches the inner sanctums of the forest, and while she may rule the free-folk of the realm, she does not rule the dwellers of the forest. At least, not except in name. ”
“I’ve felt watched since we first entered the forest,” I said.
“That’s because you have been. We’re being watched even now, though you can’t pierce the veil of shadow they place across their homes to keep unwanted eyes from prying.” He looked even more solemn than his voice sounded.
“Are they really so dangerous?” Thornhold asked.
“That and more so. The Summer Kingdom is one of the older lands in this world, and the older the land, the stronger the magic. The stronger the magic, the more chaos that fills the realm,” Master Ashelainn said.
“It reeks of chaos,” Brynn said. “I can smell it—like dusty summer nights filled with the fae folk.”
“Right,” Otsiano said. “Watch for faerie rings; they’re rife here and they’ll speed you into dimensions you’ll wish you'd never found. As you’ve seen before, the Fae here can be chaotic.”
I nodded, keeping my eyes open and my mind as alert as I could as we marched onward through the forest.
By nightfall, we hadn’t seen another person.
We built a cautious fire out of deadwood, and Ray and Thornhold gathered water from a nearby creek.
Only, instead of eating cold food, we decided to make a stew out of the rest of our dried meat and some potatoes that Marta had given us.
After dinner, we stretched out around the fire.
“So, tomorrow we find Devastey?” I asked.
Otsiano nodded. “You should make certain you’re as prepared as possible, in case Zaran got there first. Also…
while she can’t fight, she may have managed to find some form of protection through the years she’s been in there.
I can’t even guess as to what, but don’t go in expecting the quest to be easy. ”
“I think we lost those expectations weeks ago,” I said. “I just want this done with. I want to feel like I’m choosing my path instead of having it chosen for me.”
Otsiano laughed. “Good luck on that. Even the gods don’t always get to choose their paths.” He sighed. “I miss my wife and home. Yet here I am, because I’ve been the one assigned to guide you, and to watch over you after this.”
“Who assigned us to you?” Ray asked. “Does that mean I’m your cleric?”
“I suppose you can be, if you like,” Otsiano said.
“And to be honest, I can’t answer that. Not because I’m being obtuse, but I truly don’t know.
I just woke up one morning knowing I had to find you and that you were under my care, as much as I can offer you.
” He leaned back against a tree. “When reality gets inexorably linked to a creation of the mind—as in the game weaving itself into reality—the rules are difficult to decipher, but they’re there, nonetheless. ”
I stretched out on the ground, staring up at the stars that began to appear. In less than six weeks—actually, I wasn’t even sure how long it had been—we’d gone from our everyday lives to a new life, a new reality, a new world.
As I lay there, I heard a muffled weeping. Frowning, I rolled to my feet and followed the sound, till I found Ray, cross-legged on the ground, sobbing.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Everything’s just hit me—my girlfriend, my pets, everything’s gone and I miss them. When Otsiano said he missed his wife, it hit me in the gut. I was going to propose, you know. I was going to propose on her birthday. And now…” He dashed the tears away. “I can’t imagine what she’s thinking.”
“Probably that we’re dead,” I said, placing my hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry. I wish we’d never come on this adventure. I wish we’d decided to fly to Mexico for a vacation, or just...”
“I guess it’s too late for regret,” he said. “But it’s going to take me time to get beyond this. I try to hide it because we need to keep as upbeat as possible, but I think we’re all hurting in our own ways. I suppose we should be grateful we’re alive, and that the attack didn’t destroy us.”
“I suppose so, but we need to grieve what’s gone, and then do our best to embrace the future.” I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. I wasn’t usually touchy-feely, but I could feel his need for comfort. “Come back to the fire. We have a big day tomorrow.”
As we headed back to the campsite, I wondered what the next day would bring. Would we all be alive by the end of the day? Would I be free of the cursed key? And if we all made it through…then what?
Too many questions filling my mind, I did my best to fall asleep, but it was near dawn before I slipped into an exhausted slumber.