Evermoore: Chapter Thirteen pt 1

         CHAPTER 13

         We rested with the Saphira and the Unicorns for an evening after our path had been chosen.  It was agreed, Saphira would lead us to Evermoore’s Underdark beneath the roots of the Tree of Hope to see the Golden Dragon from my dreams, Jorumangar.  We took this time to rest and gather our strength, but time was a luxury I was afraid we could not afford.  Every second we spent lingering was another moment the Darkness continued to tighten its grasp around Evermoore.  I wish I could say this was the only reason I felt a sense of urgency to continue our journey, but it was not.

         The truth was, when I stopped to think of our quest, I would remember my doubts and fears.  No one knew how to defeat the Darkness, much less what my role in its downfall would be.  What if there were no answers to our questions?  No end to our quest?  No path to lead us to the light?  These thoughts would cast a dark shadow over my mind and heart with which I would struggle to evade.

         But Corindra had insisted we leave on the morrow, and she paid no heed to my concerns or desires.  To Corindra, I was merely a nuisance, and her presence on our journey was merely at the insistence of her Father.  I can honestly say I didn’t blame her, for I could not see what could be hoped to gain from Jorumangar any more than she.  The pieces we had found thus far had only led to more questions and uncertainty.           

         There had been only one whose faith in me had never wavered.  And it was why I had to see him before we left, one last time.

         “Please, let me pass,” I said to the two Unicorns who stood guard before of one of the few trees which grew in the Cave of Mysteries. 

         His legs were bound together, and his hands wrapped around the tree’s trunk.  He would be held until Saphira returned where she would determine his punishment for setting the Weirwood aflame.

         “Queen Saphira has said…”

         “I am a guest of the Queen,” I said, interrupting the guard.  “He was our companion, and my friend.  I only wish to tell him we will be leaving soon.”

         The two guards looked to each other with mixed expressions while I peered past them towards Shay.  He lay unconscious and disheveled against the small tree, his breathing slow and shallow and the wound on his head still untreated. 

         Their exchange complete, the two guards stepped aside.  Eyeing me cautiously as I knelt by Shay’s side, I laid my hands gently upon his face and closed my eyes.  The lingering wounds he had received from the Unicorns ran deep, and I winced as I took them upon myself.  I could feel a wound form upon my brow and my mind became cloudy and confused.  Yet with a small effort, I pushed them away as clarity returned.  The effort had become less taxing with each time I used this healing ability, and I was able to smile brightly as Shay slowly opened his eyes. 

         “Fayth,” he said softly, his voice weak and raspy. 

         “Shh,” I whispered softly.  He tried to sit straight, but nearly tumbled over.  I grabbed his shoulders and held him steady, blinking away the moisture in my eyes. 

         I then told him our tale.  After assuring him we were safe, I told him how we came to the Cave of Mysteries, and of Saphira and the Arachnids, the Tree of Hope, and Jorumangar.  He listened, wincing with each breath he took, but his resolve growing as I went on.

         “So… to the Underdark… then,” he said, strength returning to his voice.

         I nodded while brushing aside a strand of his hair which had fallen over his cat-like eyes.  He looked as though he were ready to stand and leave that instant.  But as his gaze fell to the bindings around his hands and legs, then to the two Unicorns standing on either side of us, his resolve suddenly faded. 

         “Shay, I’m sorry…”

         “Do not be,” he said quickly, though it caused him to wince.  “They are a fair people.  I trust whatever judgment they come too will be just.”

         Anger coursed through me, and I felt my cheeks grow warm.  But I quickly subdued my anger knowing it would not be helpful.  Instead, I tried to comfort Shay as I would have comforted  my foster siblings on Earth.

         “If it wasn’t for you, the Arachnids would have captured us,” I said.  “We‘d be dead.”

         “Perhaps, perhaps not,” Shay replied.  “We can never know, we only know what has occurred because of the choices we make.”

         I nodded softly as a wave of helplessness swept over me.  It felt unjust and unfair, yet there was nothing I could do.  It was a feeling I had felt often in my life.  When I was younger it used to anger me, but by now I had learned that when you feel helpless, anger is a futile feeling.  Besides, Shay seemed resigned to his fate, and if that were so, then there was nothing else to say.

         “Goodbye, Shay,” I whispered.

         He looked to me as I rose to my feet.  Despite his wounds and the sorrow which burdened his heart, there was still strength behind his cat-like eyes.  There was so much I wished to say to him, but could not bring myself to speak any more than my farewell.  I believed he felt the same, or at least I wanted to believe. 

         Yet all he said was, “Farewell, Fayth,” in a soft whisper, before he turned away.

         I joined Corindra, Saphira, Sirius and a small host of Unicorns at the edge of the plateau.  Saphira led us down a steep path to the waters edge below where a few small wooden rafts bound together by sap and rope rested upon the rocky shores of the cold and dark water. 

         We boarded the rafts, and the Unicorns lowered their ivory horns into the water.  The dark water began to glow softly as our rafts pushed away from the shore.  We drifted across the still waters towards a small chasm with in the stone walls. 

         I shivered as the air grew cold.  Ever sensitive to my feelings, Sirius drew himself near and I wrapped myself within his warm fur.  As we neared the chasm, I looked behind me to steal one last glance of the plateau, and Shay, who was still bound to a tree.  But as our rafts entered into the darkness of the chasm, the plateau disappeared from view, as did Shay.

         We drifted along the soft current through a narrow passageway, the glow of the Unicorn’s horns our only source of light.  As bright as they were, they did little to cast away the blackened cave of the chasm.  As we drifted by, tiny cave dwelling creatures flapped their wings above us, and small eyes glowing softly in the darkness stared at us from below. 

         I stood perfectly still, a tense and uneasy feeling sweeping over me.  Beside me, I would hear Sirius sniff here and there as he stood stiffly on his hind legs.  Saphira stood in front, her horn held high, while Corindra stood at the rear, dipping her horn within the black waters too adjust our heading when needed.  Casper stood at the front of the raft behind us, while his two herdsman stood at the rear. 

         Soon, their was a deep chill to the air, and each breath I took caused me to shiver.  Further in, I felt a strange and unwelcome sensation.  I had felt it before, very recently actually, in the Library the day I met Shay.  The day he took me from Earth to Evermoore.  Quickly, I looked above, behind, and all around us.  Searching the darkness of the cavern as best I could, for like that fateful day in the library, I felt as though I was being watched. 

         Beside me, Sirius stirred uncomfortably after sniffing the air again.  “I say, will this darkness ever end?” he asked.  He was met with silence, save for Corindra, who snorted irritably.  I however, drew myself closer to Sirius and took hold of one of his front legs.  His fur no longer held the warmth it had earlier, and I felt us both shiver. 

         Along the way, we would encounter splits within the cavern.  Saphira would softly whispered a direction and Corindra would dip her horn into the water to steer us the way Saphira desired.  There were subtle changes to the cavern with each new direction.  The ceiling would lower.  The walls narrowed.  Some directions were empty of life, in others life grew in abundance.  But with each one we passed, the uneasy feeling that I was being watched grew heavier upon me. 

         The current had also increased its pace.  Subtly at first, but by now I feel it clearly.  The air was also beginning to grow warmer, and soon, a strange scent filled the air.  It was a familiar scent, one I had smelled often.  It was the scent of wet wood and dirt, and it reminded me of my many walks through the woods after every rainstorm on earth . 

         Ahead, Saphira’s eyes slowly swept the cavern, her horn illuminating the darkness and casting away the shadows.  “We are close,” she said with sadness in her voice.  “These are the roots of the Tree of Hope, resting deep within the earth.”

         Lifting their horns, they illuminated the cavern, and I could see more roots, moss, and greenery embedded within the stone cavern ahead.  The strange sensation of being watched slipped from my mind as I was distracted by the sight of the roots and the warm current of air which met us.  But it returned as though someone had splashed water upon my face as Sirius sniffed the air, and a look of fear appeared upon his face.  Slowly, my gaze turned upward, and my insides froze with fear.

         The moment of recognizing the gleaming red eyes is inseparable from the moment they fell upon us.  It was a battle of silhouettes.  The black shadows of the arachnids slipped swiftly on their webs upon us.  The air was filled with the hissing of the arachnids and the whinnying of the Unicorns. 

         I heard Casper shout, “My Queen!”, causing Saphira to glance over her shoulder in time to see an arachnid poised to strike her.  But it toppled into the water with a violent splash as it was met with powerful kick from Corindra. 

         I stumbled as three more arachnids dropped from the cavern ceiling and onto the rafts.  Gripping the edge of the raft as it nearly tipped over, Sirius dug his claws into the wood, but lost his grip while slashing at an arachnid falling directly over us. 

         “Sirius!” I shouted as he splashed into the water.  I reached for him as he pumped his legs furiously, but he became ensnared by a web and pulled violently from the water.

         He wriggling and wretched,  furiously slashing his claws at the webs as he dangled above us.  Then, I heard Casper shout and looked over to see him dangling in the air as well. 

         Saphira and Corindra fought on either side of me, warding away any arachnids who tried to land upon the raft.

           “Help them!” I shouted, pointing towards Casper and Sirius.  But as I looked into the distance, I realized we were helpless as more arachnids were skirting along the ceiling to join the fray. 

         With a powerful kick from her hind legs, a tangle of webs wound itself around Corindra, binding her mighty legs tightly.  As she struggled, she was lifted into the air and spun end over end until she was fully wrapped in webbing.  I ran towards her, unsure of how I would help, but determined to try.  But then I was tripped by a long silhouette, and I saw the world spin end over end as I was lifted into the air.  I  bounced helplessly off the long but strong legs of the arachnid as its webs wrapped tightly around me.  When the world settled moments later, I was dangling, upside down, beside Sirius, Casper, and Corindra. 

         There was a splash, and I managed to see Casper’s herdsmen swimming back the way we had come. “Go!” I heard Casper shout as they dove beneath the waters surface with several arachnids skittered along the cavern’s ceiling after them. 

         Below us, there was only Saphira, whose horn continued to glow brightly.  The arachnids were circling around her on the ceiling and walls, their red eyes gleaming against the darkness.  Though they outnumbered her, and had the advantage, they did not attack as they recoiled away from the light of her horn.

         As I struggled against the webs which bound me, the tighter they became.  I could feel the blood rushing to my face, and breathing became more difficult.  The arachnids who were not focused on Saphira looked upon us lustfully with hunger in their eyes.  It did not occur to me to ask why they hadn’t simply killed us there, or how they found us in the first place. 

         “Enough of this!” Saphira shouted.  The arachnids paid her no head as they continued to carefully circle her, slowly closing upon the raft.  With a strong and steady voice she said, “I am Saphira, Queen of the Weirwood,” to a reply of hisses and clacking from the arachnids.  I learned later they were speaking in a dark language I could not understand, but caused my body to grow tense.  After the hissing and clacking faded, Saphira spoke once more saying, “If you release my companions, I will stand before your Queen, without resistance.”

         There was another round of hissing and clacking as the arachnids spoke from the hive mind they shared.  Corindra ceased to struggle against her webs, and looked down upon her mother as she treated with the arachnids.  I could see fear within her deep eyes as the hissing ceased once more, and the cavern became still.  Saphira and the arachnids stood silent and still for several moments, until Saphira closed her eyes, and lowered her head slowly. 

         “Very well,” she said. 

         Before any of us could say anything, the light of Saphira’s horn grew dim, and the shadows of the arachnids grew ominously.  The arachnids swarmed Saphira with deadly swiftness, taking her and encased her within their webs from hoof to neck.  Only her head, with her proud horn remained visible.  Despite the cries of Corindra and Casper, the Queen did not resist as the arachnids hissed and jeered around Saphira, who now dangled from the ceiling with the rest of us.

         What concessions the Queen had made in exchange for her cooperation I did not know.  But I watched with a heavy heart as the Queen of the Unicorns, who was as beautiful and magnificent as the Unicorns in the stories I read as a child, dangling beside me, her eyes which had once emanated so brightly with hope now filled with endless despair.           

         We were taken deeper into the cavern, hanging from their webs and often striking the walls of the cavern or brushing the surface of the water.  The air grew warmer, as did the smell of wet wood and dirt as we began to descend the roots of the Tree of Hope.  Yet now the air had become tainted with the same foul stench of the Weirwood.  The stench of  death as Shay had put it. 

         The thought of Shay filled me with a small amount of relief.  Perhaps his imprisonment, as unjust as it may have been, would spare him from whatever fate awaited us.  But Shay was quickly pushed from my thoughts as the stench grew worse and we were carried through a thick mass of webs. 

         The arachnids crawled through their webs with us in tow.  The air became so humid and damp breathing became difficult, and I broke out in a sweat.  I nearly gasped when we broke through the surface into fresh and open air.  The stench was less potent, but lingered still as we all collapsed on the earth and gasped for air.  The pile of damp and brittle leaves I had fallen upon told me we were still in the heart of the Weirwood, which the arachnids had consumed.  And ahead, I could see a great mass of protruding roots which belonged to a mighty trunk which stretched far above.  They had had taken us to the base of the Tree of Hope.

         Before I could marvel, or we could catch our wind, we were freed from our bonds and pushed hastily to our feet.  All except Saphira, who was dragged along the ground as if she were a sack of grain.

         “Foul pests!” Corindra whinnied furiously.  Her horn began to glow brightly as she thrashed it wildly about.  The arachnids quickly circled around her, their gleaming red eyes filled with swelling arrogance.  Clacking their fangs and lifting themselves to their hind legs in a challenge, which Corindra seemed more than willing to meet.  Above, the canopy began to stir, and I saw groups of red eyes appear between the leaves and branches all around us.

         Digging her heels into the hardened earth, Corindra snorted and glared at the arachnids, until the soft voice of her mothers softened her.

         “Corindra… hold yourself,” Saphira said. 

         She did not turn to her mother, whose voice was weak and tired from the venom of the webs.  I saw an angry glow in Corindra’s eyes I had not seen yet.  She had the look of one determined to fight, but seeing there was no hope for victory. 

         “Please… daughter,” Saphira continued.  “Your pride has always carried you through the darkest of times.  But these are times unlike any we have ever seen before.  And the walls of pride always fall against the winds of change.  Now is not a time for battles, for we must let what will come to pass come to pass.”

         “Mother! They will…”

          “They will treat me as they will,” Saphira continued firmly.  “For we have made a bargain, but if we do not comply, then all will be lost.”

         Corindra barred her teeth angrily and shook with a quite rage.  But she lowered her horn, which had become dim and dull, and withdrew her challenge.  The air filled with the triumphant hissing and clacking of the arachnids as their hive mind shared their victory.  The Unicorns had submitted to their will and mercy; it was a moment they had dreamed of seeing since the day they were cast away from the surface of Evermoore.

         Hastily, the arachnids pushed us along.  Surrounded on all sides, we were lead through the massive roots protruding from the earth.  We followed Saphira, who was dragged with little regard through masses of dead leaves, mounds of dirt, and wet mud.  My sorrow grew as the once beautiful, proud, and gentle Queen of the Unicorns was now soiled and stained. 

         Over and around the massive roots we went, until we came to the base of Great Tree‘s trunk.  I could not help but stare in awe, for I had seen it from afar, but could never had imagined its greatness.  However, here I could see the signs of the death the arachnids had afflicted upon it. The leaves were a mass of colors like those seen in autumn season of Earth.  Beautiful to the eye perhaps, but it was a sign of a season of death to a world which had never known it before, and could not hope for the season of life to return. 

         The air turned cold as we were led to a wide path carved into the wood of the trunk.  It wound its way around the trunk, circling through the limbs and branches and into the canopy.  With these were carved shelters and flats where the Unicorns used to dwell before they were driven from the Tree.  The arachnids were littered throughout, desecrating and defiling all they touched with their webs and venom. 

         They peered through the leaves, branches, the cracks of the trunk, and beneath the stairs with their gleaming red eyes as we passed.  As each spotted Saphira, they hissed and clacked mockingly, causing my chest to tighten.  Fear and despair was what they thrived on, and I was determined not to give the arachnids another reason to mock us.  So I faced forward as we went, hiding my fear beneath a still face.