The night was coming and it was a welcome sight for the weary travelers. They had been riding for the better part of three days, mostly in silence. Shina had guided their path and she was entirely correct in the sense that it was non-conventional. They’d traveled through swamps, over dead lakes, and through forests that may have been older than all of them combined.
It didn’t seem like it went anywhere, especially with the way Shina led. Loose points of her hand forced them to retread paths they’d gone but only in very specific ways. Berating them for not guiding their horses exactly right. It was an exhausting process, to say the least. And it exhausted Alistair’s patience very quickly.
“We’re going to rest here for the night,” Shina said suddenly.
As the darkness encroached and the shadows grew longer they made camp in the old woods with tangled brambles and hunched over trees. John looked at her, his eyebrow raised but she was already sliding off the horse and onto the ground. The rocks and branches didn’t seem to bother her at all.
Alistair scowled getting off the horse and walked along the forest floor. Semperius joined him swinging his arm back and forth slowly to get his circulation back. “You know I never really had a chance to do camping.”
“Not a lot of camping at the monastery?” John asked.
“Not really. Unless you count the stone courts. Though,” he whistled a tune for a moment and heard a violin playing the same tune. But he couldn’t place where it came from. It was just familiar. “What about you John?”
“We did things similar to this as training exercises. It can be fun,” John said smiling. “Though we’d need better preparation.”
He looked at the horses and supply wise there were only a few bags. Definitely no tents or anything similar. He went through the bag and produced a flint that was easy enough to use. “There’s at least enough materials to build a fire while we’re here.”
Shina glided past him making her way through toward a clearing in the trees and brush. It was small and darker than any other part of the forest. Looking up it was like a cloud had decided to park itself over this one spot. She spun around slowly and crouched comfortably.
Alistair watched her still not convinced that she was someone that they could trust. Too strange for his taste. “We’re going to need firewood.”
“Yes,” John agreed. He started sifting through scraps on the ground picking up branches and gathering them in his arms.
Alistair on the other hand drew one of his swords and cut from a tree’s branches. Getting more branches than John had in his few minutes in seconds. Continuing to hack and pick up the pieces Shina laughed pointing a crooked finger at him.
“Be careful where you swing that. This forest is old. And doesn’t take kindly to being attacked like that,” she chuckled again.
“I’d listen to her Alistair,” Semperius said sitting down opposite the woman. “There’s a lot of weird energy here. Kinda bitter and cold. Not vibing with it.”
“I think I feel what you’re feeling,” John said shuddering. “I think we should listen to her Alistair.”
“What is this place called?” Semperius asked.
“If memory serves this is the Lost Innocence woods. The story of how it got that name is very intriguing,” Shina looked at them each. “Would you like to hear it?”
“No I think that’s fine,” John said holding out a hand. He was a smidge paler than before. “Let’s just be respectful of the forest Alistair. Please.”
Scoffing he rolled his eyes and sheathed his sword, “I think you’re a bunch of superstitious fools. But fine.”
Picking up the pieces of wood he followed John to their make shift camp and tossed them on the floor in the heap. John did the same and positioned them around into a campfire. He struck the flint off against his staff a few times to try and get sparks but wasn’t getting the job done.
“Dammit,” he said frustrated, and stood upright hands on his hips.
“I got it John,” Semperius looked at the fire and with his hands started making quick hand signs before thrusting a palm forward and igniting the sticks. It flared to life and they were bathed in the muted orange light. He made a gun with his finger and blew it out.
Shina stared at him, more specifically at his hands, and stroked her jaw, “That was an interesting incantation. And the hand signs. Magic isn’t done like that here. Or even in Reditus.”
“It’s not really magic,” Semperius shrugged. “It’s called ki.”
She blinked dumbfounded, “What is ki?”
He paused staring at her. No one had ever really asked him that question before. And she looked entirely serious with the question. Even more than that he wasn’t sure how to answer it. “I guess. Ki is energy inside you. And through meditation and concentration, you can use it like I just did. Or for simpler things like making your body stronger.”
“Fascinating,” she folded her arms. “It sounds like the magic from Reditus that was used as a body augment, but this sounds like a radically different way of harnessing said energy. I’ll have to learn this when I get the chance. Can you teach it to me?”
“I can teach basics. But a lot of it was from my monastery. And none of them are around anymore,” he frowned at that.
“Unfortunate,” she mumbled. “But I believe that I can learn some by watching you. I’ll keep an eye on you during our travels.”
“Oh uh. Okay,” he scratched at his bald head and looked toward John. “We got any food? Starving.”
John looked in one of the saddle bags, picking through the contents within. “There are some rations left over but there aren’t many. I advise we sit on what we have for tonight and restock at the nearest village.”
“Lame.”
“Or you could potentially hunt something in these woods,” John motioned to the dark maw around them. He took his hand back making a face and shook his head. “Though perhaps that’s not a good idea.”
“It could be worth a try,” Shina sniffed the air. “There are some living beings out there. Some could make a tasty meal.”
“Thought you said this place was hostile to shit like that,” Alistair said snarkily.
“Oh, it does give off that aura. But I’m sure you could fight off the things living here. Just not the forest itself,” she nodded. “A mouse won’t retaliate as badly as the trees and their roots.”
“What?” Semperius asked scratching his head again.
“She means it’s not worth the hassle,” John affirmed putting the bag with their rations away but keeping it near himself just in case. “We should at the very least get some rest.”
“I suggest keeping a rotating watch for yourselves,” Shina took off her cardigan and spun it unfolding it to a larger size. She wrapped it around herself tightly and she let it rest on her shoulders like a blanket closing her eyes.
It was seconds later that they realized that she was asleep. Alistair stared at her for a moment longer and then turned an accusing glare onto John, “This is what you found for us?”
“She’s gotten us this far,” he protested.
“Right. To a placed call the Lost Innocence Woods,” Semperius stated. “Which is just a lovely name. Best name. I’d love to live here one day.”
“Okay okay. I get it.”
“I’m just saying. Once this is over we can come back here and chill out.”
“Semperius please,” John glared and the monk chuckled covering his face. “Let’s just get through the night and figure out things in the morning.”
“Who’s going to take the first watch?” Alistair asked arms folded.
“Not it,” Semperius mumbled.
“Not it,” John added.
“Are you shitting me?”
He scowled looking at them both but neither seemed ready to contest. They went about getting comfortable against the ground. Grumbling he went to the edge of the camp and found a tree to lean against. Removing both his swords from his hips he laid them against his shoulder and looked past the fire to the woods beyond.
Without the light of their fire, the darkness was all encompassing. Though Shina said there were things to hunt out there he couldn’t see anything that moved. Couldn’t even hear anything. Just the silence of wind blowing past above and around him. Looking up at the sky he caught glimpses of the stars.
And then he blinked. His eyes went wide and he jumped his hand on the hilt of his sword. A sensation had made him almost fully panic. Looking around he saw that the other three were still fine and sleeping. The fire had shrunk but was still crackling. Looking around he panted and scowled. “Dammit. You’re losing it.”
“What’s losing it?”
Alistair glanced down and saw a girl staring up at him. She had pale skin somewhere along the edge of brown and grey. She had golden curled hair, large inquisitive eyes, and a mouth drawn up in fierce thought. She couldn’t have looked much older than four or five. Alistair scowled and began to say something when he realized that she wasn’t solid.
As he stared at her he saw the dirt floor, and rocks behind her. Her body faded in and out, some things showing pieces of her skull, sometimes just muscle and sinew. It was a constant fading in and out and it disturbed Alistair to a degree though he kept his face blank.
“Mister. What’s losing it?”
“What?”
“That’s what you said. I dunno what that means.”
He blinked slowly and lowered his hand from the sword. Despite whatever this child was, something told him that she wasn’t dangerous. At least not dangerous in the way that a sword could solve. Turning to face her he crouched down to one knee and met her on eye level.
“Losing it is a phrase. It means you don’t understand. Or something is bothering you. Make sense?”
“Ohhh. So like if I don’t know about my rithmatic I’m losing it?”
Alistair made a face but nodded slowly, “Yes. That’s a way to use that phrase.”
“I get it,” she giggled. “Losing it. Losing it. Losing it!”
As she shouted there was a loud creak of the trees above them. His eyes widened and he looked back down at her but she wasn’t paying any mind to that. She was just skipping around repeating the phrase over and over. He watched the little girl who seemed to float with each step, passing in and out corporality.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked finally.
“Me? I got lost,” she frowned at him which was somewhat made worse by the teeth and bones but then she flashed a smile at him.
“You got lost?”
“Yeah! I was with my daddy and he told me to stay put but I wandered off. I’m looking for him too now. But now I’ve met you!”
“Indeed.”
“Indeed. Indeed. Indeed.” She walked forward skipping lightly.
“Do you have a name child?”
“Elise. But with an A!”
“Alise,” he repeated nodding. “Hello Alise. My name is Alistair.”
“Alistair,” her eyes shined. “That starts with A too!”
“That it does.”
She spread her arms as she pranced around kicking at branches and rocks. He watched her and it was like watching a normal little girl. She somersaulted forward but landed upside down and blinked quickly. “Oh. I’m losin it.” But as she mumbled it correctly, she laughed grinning at him brightly.
The smile was really what disarmed him the most. Gasping he took a step back as she morphed from this strange little girl he’d never seen before to a much darker skinned girl, raven hair, bright red eyes, the same smile, but much more regal attire. Blinking he rubbed his eyes and stumbled backward.
When he looked at her again, she was as she was when he first saw her. She was laying down on the ground giggling as she pointed at Alistair again, “You look like you’re losing it!”
“I may very well be,” he replied shaking his head.
“What the hell.”
She sat up and Alistair looked as well as Semperius wandered toward them. He rubbed his eyes slowly, fighting a yawn, and glanced at the little girl. He looked at her and then Alistair and yawned. “You running a daycare or something?”
“Hi! I’m Alise!”
She sat up quickly and as she did her skin turned translucent again and he saw her eye, through her nose and the hint of bone. He blinked quickly and looked back at Alistair. “Wow. So that’s different.”
“Yes it is,” he replied. “This is Alise.”
“That’s what I said,” she pouted looking at him.
“Yes you did,” Alistair nodded slowly. “She’s lost and looking for her father.”
“What’s your name?” she asked raising her eyebrows.
“Semperius,” he said and looked at Alistair suspiciously. “Where is your dad?”
“I dunno,” she said. “But I know he’s in the woods somewhere. Maybe I should go back and look for him.”
Determined she jumped forward and started walking toward the darkness and trees. But then she paused and froze on the spot. Her arms were in the air and then she shook her head quickly. She whimpered and skipped backward quickly but didn’t turn to face them.
“Alistair.”
“Yes Alise.”
“I’m losin it.”
He sighed and looked at Semperius. She was shaking, her arms still up definitely and he nodded his head. “Then don’t go out there, child. You said that your father was looking for you out there?”
She nodded quickly still not turning around to look at either of them. She was trying her best to be brave in front of them.
“Then until the sun rises stay with us. It’ll be safe and perhaps your father will see the campfire while he’s looking.”
“Uh Alistair. Can we talk for a second?”
Scowling he nodded taking a step back and walking to meet his companion. Standing at his side Semperius kept his eyes on the child but as he did, he spoke more toward him. “So you’ve seen through her too right.”
“I have. It’s difficult to miss.”
“Just making sure. You’re treating her like she’s normal.”
“Considering things, I don’t think it would be wise to address that to her.”
“I mean yeah. She’s probably some kind of ghost.”
“Exactly.”
“So what we’re just gonna hang out with her then?”
“That was my intent,” he said taking his swords and sticking them both in the ground. As one left his hand he could mentally hear and feel the distress and frustration of the weapons. Neither was happy but he ignored them.
“Wow. Big bad Alistair going to stay up all night and play with a ghost girl. Maybe you do have a heart somewhere.” Alistair turned a vibrant red glare onto him and he laughed holding his hands up. “I’m just kidding.”
Scowling he looked away from him and watched as Alise finally turned back to them. She had faint blue eyes that glowed and ran back over to them. She crouched for a moment and then looked between the two of them expectantly as if they knew more than her. Everything about the little girl made him feel regret that he couldn’t understand the source of.
“Okay. I’ll stay here. I’m sure daddy will find us. And if he doesn’t, I can find him in the morning.”
Alistair smiled gently and nodded, “Exactly.”
“Well sport. What do you want to do while we wait,” Semperius asked already regretting his choice to wake up right now?”
“Do? Uhm,” she folded her arms going into her concentration, and pouted hard. Her brows furrowed and she looked like she was in the biggest point of concentration of her previously young life. “Oh I know! We can play guess!”
“Guess?” Alistair asked hesitantly.
“Yeah. It’s a game I played with daddy. I think of something, and then you have to guess what it is. But it has to be something that I can see. So let me see.” She looked around them quickly, twirling around for a few minutes before finally nodding. “I got it! You’ll never guess this.”
And they didn’t. The pair guessed and entertained this girl. She had no shortage of games and ideas to run by the pair of them that kept her occupied. Alistair, being what he was, didn’t need sleep and Semperius found a way to muscle through things. The exact reason and sole goal for all of his monk training.
When the sun finally came up, John and Shina awakened slowly. They saw their companions sitting on the ground staring at empty air. When they turned to look back at them their eyes were tired and ringed. John made a sour face looking at them, “What are you both doing awake? Did you sleep at all?”
“No,” they said aggressively and in unison.
John didn’t say anymore, holding his hands up. Shina stood up as if she had slept perfectly happily. She looked at the pair on the ground and chuckled amused. But beyond them her eyes lit on the space in front of both men. For a moment she seemed to see something that neither of them spoke of. But rather than say something she chuckled and started walking to where the horses had been tied the previous night.
As they went to mount the horses Shina shook her head, “I think your companions could use some rest John. How about we swap. Alistair can ride with you and I’ll make sure that Semperius does not fall off his horse.”
“No arguments from me,” Semperius mumbled. Alistair grunted that could have been agreement or protest. No one really knew at this stage. But he didn’t say more so they took that to mean some degree of consent.
They cleaned up their campsite from the night before and mounted the horses. Semperius wobbled in the saddle but Shina did most of the work, holding the reigns from behind him and leading the horse forward. Alistair on the other hand sat behind John, somewhat alert despite the exhaustion that clung to him.
Under Shina’s guidance, they exited the forest together into the rising sun of the dawn. With the last of the bent and crooked trees disappearing around them, both Semperius and Alistair’s stood up a little straighter.
The pair of them saw the cross of wood stuck deep into the ground. As they passed John looked at it closely, slowing their horse down. He frowned hard reading the name, “Alise. I wonder who’s grave that is.”
Semperius, still groggy lowered his head and mumbled a prayer under his breath. Shina heard him but didn’t comment on it. Whatever the monk felt was something that she had no business intruding on. Even if it did make her curious. Perhaps it was a simple ritual from his time at the monastery.
Alistair stared at the grave for a long time as they passed it. He saw the grave and could hear the voice of the little girl in his head. Asking them all sorts of questions and wanting them to guess the answers of her own. And continually he thought of his daughters waiting for him to come back and tell them stories of his adventures.
Semperius and Alistair exchanged tired glances and both looked back toward the forest. And for a moment they both saw it. The little girl waving at them from within the dark trees. Semperius gave a short flick of his hand and Alistair a slow nod of his head. But when John turned to look back he didn’t see anything.
“What are you looking at Alistair?” he asked finally.
“Nothing bagboy. I’m going to sleep. Make sure we don’t run into anything or anyone,” he told him and closed his eyes.
Semperius yawned and folded his arms, leaning his head forward. “Think I’m going to nap too. Wake me up when we get there.”
The Harlequin Library 