Outside the Everburn’s Warmth

Without a moment’s rest, I accompanied Captain Marth to the eastern outpost. Piers joined us on the pathway there, swearing by every deity he knew that we would find Zac together.

Just as the last visible Oakbridge house disappeared from view behind the trees, I saw a newly-constructed wooden tower by the roadside. Therein stood a man dressed in clothes made from the pelts of foxes, wolves, and boars. He wore a necklace adorned with the fangs of some enormous predator, and held in his hands a staff with a red lac stone on the end. He bore a burn scar over the lower half of his face, and his hair was as wild as a thornbush.

Piers leaned in close to me and said in a hushed voice, “That’s Lieutenant Cuthbert. They call him ‘Beast.’”

At the base of the tower stood four men in similar clothing.

“They’re Tagrosi scouts?” I murmured to Piers.

Piers nodded and whispered, “Disguised as bandits so the merchants stay away from these parts.”

Captain Marth pushed us both forward with the pole of her spear. “The Consul wants you to take these men with you to look for a lost boy in the forest.”

The one called ‘Beast’ popped a piece of blood-red root into his teeth and started chewing while it poked out between his lips. “A lost boy? In these woods?” He shook his head. “If he got lost last night in these woods, I’m afraid I’ve bad news for you. Seen some wicked things out here at night.” He reached down into the tower and produced a glass orb caged with copper. The orb held a tiny red flame suspended in the middle. “At times I worried if an Everburn lantern was enough to scare them off!”

“We’ll find him,” I insisted. By his surprised face, I deduced that I’d spoken out of turn, but I hated their protocols anyway. “We must.”

“You don’t understand,” Beast shook his head and pointed his staff off into the darker woods, where the canopy blocked out the sun. “There’s a… thing out there. It stands taller than a house, wears a black robe with a hood, and carries a sword made of ivory in its gnarled hands. Under the hood there is only darkness, and a halo of blood and fire hovers above it.”

I smiled. “Obviously, even a child knows to avoid something that looks like that. And a child has far more chance of avoiding it than a full-grown man. Are you really afraid for my son, or are you afraid for yourself?”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Piers raise a finger to his lips to silence me and give a panicked shake of his head.

“Because if you are afraid for yourself,” I continued, “I understand. I will search the woods on my own.”

Beast gave a self-conscious glance down at his subordinates, then at Captain Marth. “Umm… well, if you think there’s a chance then let’s start the search.”

I gestured to the woods. “Yes, let’s. Before I grow old.”

Beast climbed down from the tower and looked over his men. He poked one of them in the chest with his index finger and said, “Elling, you stay here and keep the merchants away. The rest of us are going with this civilian to search the woods.”

“Yes, Lieutenant.”

I set out into the forest with Piers, Beast, and his subordinates while Captain Marth headed back to town. Each Tagrosi soldier wore a wool cloak to shield his body from the freezing rain. Beast led the expedition, keeping us away from the parts of the forest where the canopy had blotted out the sun. Even from the well-lit areas of the woods where we tread, I could see red and golden eyes peering at us from the darkness. Whenever Beast noticed them, he raised his Everburn lantern and they vanished into the shadows.

The cawing of crows added to the already unpleasant sense I had about these woods, especially since there were so many of them. The black-feathered watchers sat on every third branch, their black eyes bearing down on us. If a murder of crows this large existed in this forest, surely it was a place which often saw death.

Miniature waterfalls cascaded down long, winding paths and grooves on the tree trunks around us, forming streams in the forest paths which carried away debris.

We traveled for hours in that forest, with eyes on the trees, the ground, and the distant shadows for any sign of Zac.

“Aha!” Beast bellowed, causing my heart to jump and crows to scatter from the trees in a panic. I craned my neck to see what Beast had discovered. He knelt low to the ground and pointed at little footprints in the muddy ground. “Unless we have other children wandering about in the woods, looks like we’re on his trail!”

I rushed in and took a closer look at the tracks. “That looks like his feet,” I said, realizing immediately how foolish it sounded. How could I really recognize his feet from any other child’s, especially with shoes on? The trail led off to the northeast, and, still crouching low, I followed the tracks, with Piers, Beast, and the others following close behind me.

The trees around us grew thicker, and the branches protruding out toward us held no leaves. They appeared as twisted spears or claws reaching out to ward us off. Soon, I felt no rain falling on my head, though I still heard the drops hitting the leaves above me. With every step, the forest grew darker. From my pocket I produced the glowing stone Elora had given me and strapped it to my forehead.

“Wait…” Beast said.

“What now?” I snapped, turning back to him.

Beast and his subordinates peered up at the treetops. “We’re getting to the dark parts of the woods… where the monsters live.”

“All the more reason we need to keep moving.” I pointed into the darkness. “A little boy’s in those woods, alone and scared! You’ve got your Everburn lantern, keep moving.”

Beast shook his head. “I have a responsibility to my men, and that includes not leading them into certain death. You said it yourself, Zac might be able to hide from the beasts of the forest. We can’t.”

“Fine!” I rolled my eyes. “Go ahead and turn back. I’m keeping up the search.”

“I’m afraid not,” said Beast, his fingers closing to form fists. “We can’t risk you running off to warn our enemies--”

“Oh, so you do think there’s a chance I’ll survive?” I asked.

One of Beast’s subordinates gestured for me to be quiet while watching the shadows with a frightened expression.

Piers turned to Beast, “Lieutenant, I may have concocted a solution which could prove pleasing to all parties.”

Beast gave him a confused look. “What?”

Piers said, “I have an idea.”

“Oh!” Beast chuckled. “Well, let’s hear it, then.”

Piers held out his hand toward Beast’s Everburn lantern, strapped to the scout’s belt. “I will accompany Ahv into the darkness to help him search for his son. I just need you to loan me the lantern.”

“Just?” Beast intoned with incredulity. “That’s no small matter you ask. That lantern is the only thing what keeps our outpost safe when night falls. If something happens to you in there and you don’t return before it gets dark again…”

Beast’s subordinates all stared at Piers with wide eyes and slowly shook their heads.

“We have many hours to complete our search,” said Piers. “Plenty of time before nightfall.” He reached for the lantern insistently.

Beast took a step back from Piers. “And if you get killed in there?”

Piers pointed to the west. “If we’re not back by the time you see the first hints of red in the sky, hurry back to Oakbridge, where their Everburn will keep you safe.”

Beast folded his arms. “And what am I supposed to tell my superiors, hmm? How am I to explain that I abandoned my post?”

“Tell them I stole your Everburn lantern,” said Piers.

“Pah!” Beast blinked twice and shook his head, as if recovering from a hard slap. “That would be insubordination…”

“I’ll take the risk,” said Piers. “Come on, Beast… there’s a child in those woods. I don’t know why you joined the army, but I did it so I could be a hero and help people.”

Beast groaned, unhooked the lantern from his belt, and slipped the ring into Piers’ waiting palm. “Fine! Go get yourself killed chasing after glory. See what I care.” He turned and left, grumbling the whole way while his subordinates followed him. One of them looked back at me and gave a silent apology with a shrug of his shoulders.

Piers patted me on the shoulder. “Swords out. Let’s do this.”