“The sun is gone. The stars shine bright. I seek revenge.”
Through the monster infested wastelands above the ever expanding caves of humanity, Lih alone searches for the Sunblighted. He is a false savior in Lih’s eyes, letting those who could actually bring change stay underground and refuse to take charge.
But as fate would have it, Lih finds himself carrying a greater burden: to save the world. He will trek across dangerous territories, travel through time and space, and fight those who have been deemed unkillable for a world that has never been by his side.
Will Lih stay true to his ideals? Or will he succumb to those who have destroyed the world?
Following the sound of their footprints, I catch up to Sil and Gefrol.
“Well, where I am from does not matter right now,” Gefrol says while lazily brushing branches out of his way. “We travelers do not think much of where we come from, only where we are going. Once we get to the campfire, we will have to find something to eat. It all depends on what you bring from place to place, not the place itself.” Sil’s mouth moves with Gefrol’s voice, mimicking the words like an awestruck child. “Is that not true, Lih?” I turn my attention back to Gefrol. Despite the rags he wears on his body, he moves with grace and speaks with lofty tones, like he is a worldly person of status.
If he acts like that, why even hide his identity with those clothes? “He speaks truly,” I say to Sil, falling into step with the two of them. “Once you leave, it is easiest to forget where you were, to prepare for what lies ahead.” Although, the caves of Grisuē were not as pleasant as the town we came from.
I see Sil staring at me, ignoring the path in front of him. Suddenly, he sputters for a moment as a branch catches the back of his lowered hood, holding him in place. “If you could tell us your abilities, that would be helpful,” I say as I help get Sil unstuck. He really is like a child … I see Gefrol smirk out of the corner of my eye as Sil is finally freed. He nods his thanks vigorously. He sees me as strong; I understand that. But is it not tiring to act with such passion at every interaction? “What can you do, Sil?”
He opens his mouth to speak, but quickly shuts it, a small blush rising on his cheeks. Oh, come on. He must be able to do something! I feel a squirming, like bugs are crawling on my face, but ignore it as we continue to walk in silence. We make a left, then a right, then another right, go straight for a moment, then left again—
Wait, why am I keeping track? I glance left and right, realizing that we have entered a different environment. The trees have become more spread out, and while the old smooth trees are still present, there are new, roughly textured trunks as well, with thicker branches and darker foliage. On the edge of most branches are round, light-brown bulbs full of patterned holes. They swing gently in the breeze.
So, where is the campfire? “Gef,” I start to ask the default leader of our group. He turns to me, his eyes still glimmering gold, brows raising apprehensively. I wonder what he sees me as. Weak? Gullible? “Do you know where we—”
“I got it!” Sil exclaims. “As a member of a troupe, we would always return to where we started.” He looks back wistfully, like the path we have been walking on was a close friend of his. “The journey was always a way to explore parts of the world, but hunting in the more dangerous parts of the country always led to more conflict with beasts and the like.” Staring up at the treetops, Sil seems to get lost in a memory. “I was always on fire duty first. ‘Make sure the campfire stays lit during harsh winds, boy. Never let it go out.’ That is what Pik would tell me every night …” Sil stops walking and looks to the both of us, worry creasing his eyes. “By the way, I have been meaning to ask,” he says as he puts his hands together for a moment. “How are we to cook or fend creatures off without a source of flame? I do not see any tools on your person, despite weapons and rocks.”
What a spoiled child! I glare down at Sil. Saying everything that comes to mind without pause—
Gefrol laughs and pats him on the shoulder, the sudden force of it causing me and Sil to cringe. “Do not worry, we just—”
A sudden CRACK shakes the ground, and a THUMP comes soon after. Sil grabs a rough tree trunk as the sound of the air fills with a violent cry:
GGGGGRRROOOOOOOOOOWLRRRRRRR
I take a ready stance and grab my spear, feeling unprepared. What beast is this? Another CRACK and THUMP come from the left. Everything goes quiet, but the THUMP does not go away. It only gets quieter. Another CRACK goes off in the distance, freezing us in place for another beat before Gefrol breaks the silence.
“What was that?” Gefrol whispers quickly from … Is he in the tree?
“That could only be a brouner on the hunt.” Sil calmly speaks up, but when he lets go of the tree, his hands start to shake constantly, and he starts to speak faster and faster. “They are large furry beasts that turn over bulb-trees with their powerful paws to find the honey that bees produce in the trunk.” His eyes are darting back and forth; from tree to tree, bulb to bulb. “But the bees make those poison bulbs using wax from their bodies to protect their tree hives from the strength of the brouner. Therefore, brouners have developed a keen sense of smell, and spiky hairs that are able to pierce a trigger …”
I look up to see Gefrol sitting in the leaves of one of the thicker tree branches. He looks down at me, eyes just as wide as Sil’s. He quickly composes himself once he notices my gaze. “I am trying to get a better look, up here, obviously,” he says, blustering. Yeah, I am sure your flying powers are being put to good use here. “But I cannot get any higher than this.” Gefrol frowns. “We must be too far from the campfire.”
“I thought we were heading to the campfire!” I whisper sharply over the approaching THUMPs and CRACKs. “Can you still generate a flame to scare off the beast?” I ask him. He only shrugs. My eyes strain to glare at him, but he turns around on his wooden straddle. We are all going to die because of my directionally-challenged patron deity. “How do you not know?!” I whisper sharply again.
Sil turns to me in panic. “How did you travel and survive out here if you did not even come prepared?!”
It feels like nothing has changed, and I am back in the wilderness, being hunted by beasts. I turn to Gefrol, hiding in a tree like a coward, and Sil rummaging through his satchel for anything to use. I am all alone in the woods, fighting for my life against the creatures of the night. I have been here before. As Sil pulls out a knife longer and sharper than mine, I grin.
“Throw,” I command. I catch Sil’s knife and feel its weight in my hands. This will do well. “This is how I survived against large beasts,” I say as I stab my spear into the ground at an angle toward the noise. I take out my pale-grey crystal torch, its wooden base strewn with marks. Thin white veins that tell of my own journeys from my old home. If it is still there—
GGGRRROGRGOWLRORRORRRR
“Lih!” Sil snaps me out of my trance. “What do we do?”
I scowl instinctively. “I am not in charge of—”
Oh. He is reliant on me.
I stare at Sil, who shakes even worse. The CRACKs and THUMPs become louder, and the falling of the trunks of the trees begins to shake the ground we stand on. Gefrol’s words return to me in a flash: ‘Do not think that this action does not have consequences.’
And yet, this is the life I have chosen. I must work with what I have. With the people around me.
“Sil.” He looks over to me like cornered prey, still shaking and shifty. “Tell me more about this creature. If we are successful, we will have a feast before our adventure properly begins.”
Sil’s eyes shine as bright as the stars do in the sky. “I will do my best!”
End of Chapter 14
Author’s Note: Oh, to go on an adventure! There really is nothing like the feeling of the wind at your back and the world as your oyster. Writing about people going on adventures gives me that feeling, without even leaving my seat! (✷‿✷). Anyways, thanks again to my editor for powering through and helping me out through my lore-filled ravings. Thank you to my friend @mo_sketchesstuff on Instagram for making that sick online graphic and also listening to my rants. You can catch up on previous chapters, all available on the “Tales from the Empty Notebook” page at brandeishoot.com/author/mgmail-com/. And if you want to ask me a question, click the link here if you’re online or scan the QR code, and I might answer it here! Thank you all for sticking around if you’re still there. See you next time!
