Chapter 4

Chapter 4

           

            The mystery of Leviathan Path made Oryan’s steps rigid. He refused to let Esis’s dead body touch the strange ground, even though his arms throbbed and stung. He wouldn’t set her down until he could see, and at the moment, an unfamiliar mist blurred his eyesight. A white swirl entered his lungs and chilled his face.

            The pathway’s texture reminded him of sand, but he couldn’t be sure that it was sand. He used the tip of his toe to guarantee a clearing. Letting out a sigh of frustration, he felt disoriented and lost. He had counted thirteen steps.

            Suddenly, he heard a crash behind him, followed by a cry of pain. The cry sounded like it came from someone he knew. He paused to listen. The cry belonged to a female—a female in great pain. After the third cry, he turned toward the village, forsaking the progress he had made. He followed the cry to its location. Coming onto the clearing, he saw Presti nursing a broken leg. Oryan laid Esis’s on the ground and ran to tend to Presti’s injury.

            “Presti, what happened?” he asked.

            Oryan flinched, wanting to tend to her broken leg, but he held back, seeing the indignation on her face.

            “You entered Leviathan Path!” Presti put weight on her leg, trying to stand.

            “Presti, don’t move.”

            “The restricted path! You took Esis’s body on that path! Oryan!”

            “We didn’t have a choice. What happened to your leg?”

            “Oryan! How far did you go?”

            “Not far.”

            “Good! Maybe the Elders will show mercy. You might still be safe.”

            “I am going to walk the path, Presti. I am taking Esis away from here.”

            “No!” Presti attempted to stand again, but her injured leg couldn’t hold the weight.

            “Presti, calm down.” Oryan took hold of Presti’s leg and she winced in pain. “Your leg is broken in several places. What happened?”

            “I jumped off a cortex.”

            “A cortex? Why would you do something like that?”

            “It was running toward that dreadful path. It wouldn’t stop. I had to jump before it entered…” Presti trailed off, concealing something.

            Oryan distrustfully looked at the cortex and then back at Presti.

            “Presti, a cortex always listens to its master. They are extremely obedient animals. Why were you telling it to run toward the path?”

            Presti didn’t immediately answer, which made Oryan more speculative. She avoided his eyes.

            “Was there another rider?” Oryan wrapped a bandage around Presti’s leg.

            “No, I was alone.”

            “Then why would the cortex disobey…”

            “Oryan, don’t ask a question that I am not willing to answer!”

            Oryan surveyed the area to understand the situation better. Indeed, no one else was in the area. The cortex grazed a few feet from their location. Its side ladder was missing. Presti’s injury looked serious enough. She would need a healer. He needed more time.

            “I promised Ry that I would take his daughter away from the Elders. I can’t remain with you any longer. Especially, if you are going to be stubborn and not answer my questions. Can you ride the cortex to a healer?”

            “The path isn’t safe. You don’t know what you are doing. Esis is safer in the Elders’ care.” Presti’s voice softened.

            “It isn’t just about Esis. I think there may be more Elka fields beyond the path. The village will perish, if the crop fails.”

            “I spoke to the Elders about the sap. They are aware of the danger. You must trust them.”

            “I don’t have time to explain my actions. If I lift you onto the cortex, will you ride to a healer?”

            “I am not riding that cortex!” Presti’s body tightened.

            “Presti! Quit stalling! I know what you are doing. You’re delaying me on purpose.” Oryan went to Esis’s body and lifted her in his arms.

            “Oryan, don’t you dare!” Presti stumbled forward.

            Oryan entered the pathway, with reluctance. The mist encircled him, but not as before. Not as thick. He could faintly see the path before him. No longer blind, he saw grains of sand beneath his boots. His body shook, uneasy about the change in environment. The mist allowed enough sight to move forward, but never enough to reveal his destination. He looked behind him to see if Presti had followed him onto the path, but that was a foolish thought.

            After walking ten steps forward, Oryan noticed that the mist had a lifting quality to it. His arms no longer needed to carry Esis’s full weight. His aching muscles relaxed. Terror replaced relief as Esis’s body swiftly lifted into the air. He waved his arms upward, but the mist enveloped her too quickly. He yelled her name, but the only reply was a haunting echo.

***

            For Presti, Oryan’s betrayal hurt worse than her broken leg. She threw a rock into the path. She watched the path’s entrance, hopeful that Oryan would repent of his deviancy. Nothing moved, except for a peculiar, white mist that seeped toward her. She pulled away, and the white swirl responded by retreating back into the path.

            Dragging her body toward the cortex, she swatted its leg. Too busy gorging itself on a tuft of charred wheat grass, it barely noticed. Presti groaned in pain and then huffed. The cortex snapped its head up, as if something startled it. Presti saw Elder Nolan hovering a few feet before her.

            “Presti, why is your leg broken and why are you only a few feet from Leviathan Path?” Elder Nolan glared at her.

            “Elder Nolan! Thank you for coming! I have been trying to warn the Elders.”

            “Warn us?”

            “A voice. I keep hearing a voice.” Presti winced in pain. “I tried to warn you.”

            Elder Nolan’s transparent form darkened. He moved farther away from Leviathan Path.

            “If you tried to warn us, why are you here and not nearer to the Elders Keep?”

            “The cortex listened to the voice. The voice told it to run to Leviathan Path. I had to jump before it reached the path. That is why my leg is broken.”

            “That sounds like a ridiculous lie,” Elder Nolan said.

            Four other Elders appeared.

            “It is the truth.” Presti said.

            “I will speak with the Elders about your story. I am not fully convinced. There is something hidden here.”

            Elder Hester appeared, and seeing her injury, went to help. Elder Nolan lifted his hand and forbade him from touching her.

            “Someone must tend to her injuries,” Elder Hester said.

            “Not until we uncover what happened. She may have entered the path. If this happened, we cannot touch her. It will taint our perfection.”

            All three Elders bowed in submission to Elder Nolan. Elder Hester sunk back and joined the other Elders.

            “I didn’t enter the path. You must believe me. Everything happened just as I told you.” Presti spoke straight to Elder Nolan.

            “Then why do I sense deception in the air? There is something you are not telling me.”

            Presti felt cornered.

            “Esis drowned in Westin Creek. Oryan has taken her body into Leviathan Path!” Presti bit her lip.

            The Elders gasped. As if tossed by a mighty wind, Elder Nolan went back ten feet. Presti felt faint from a loss of blood. Attempting to remain conscious, she reached for Elder Hester’s aid.

            “Presti, can you see Elder Nolan? What does he look like to you?” Elder Hester shook her body.

            Letting her head slightly fall to the left, she looked toward the direction where the mighty wind had tossed Elder Nolan. Now his form and appearance were not at all attractive or familiar. He stood before them as a grey beast with yellow eyes.

            “He doesn’t look the same,” she forced the words out as she felt herself loosing consciousness.

            Elder Hester acknowledged the other Elders who gave the impression of being defeated. Presti couldn’t be sure, but she thought Elder Hester said, “It is time.” Then everything went black.

***

            Oryan yelled Esis’s name louder and louder, thinking it would catch the attention of whatever evil had taken her from him. The mist dissipated completely, but he felt more lost now. The narrow sandy path weaved between slightly transparent trees without leaves. Instead of leaves, the trees grew jewels. Any other adventurer would think this to be a prize, but as a harvester, Oryan knew that demand created value. There were thousands of jewels, making them less rare and therefore cheap. He didn’t need jewels; he needed Elka sap.

            The trees were exceptionally short, so he couldn’t climb to see beyond his current position. The jewels clanked against each other, making it hard to hear any other sounds. If a specter stepped on a twig, he wouldn’t hear it.

            “Esis!” Oryan yelled again.

            “Her body is safe.”

            Oryan spun around to find an imposing man, or a life form resembling a man. Standing a foot taller than Oryan, this being had all the features of a man, except for his eyes. Each eye was a pool of black with a star in the center. Oryan struggled to understand this being’s facial expressions because his eyes were so different from anything he had ever encountered.

            “What did you do with Esis?”

            “Do you believe I was the one who lifted her from the ground,” the being smirked.

            Oryan hesitated to answer, but believed that this being was to blame for Esis’s disappearance.

            “I believe you know where I can find her.” Oryan finally said.

            “You believe well.” The being chuckled. “Follow me.”

            “You will take me to her.”

            “I will take you to your village’s salvation.”

            “I knew it! This land does have Elka fields!” Oryan felt hope flood his heart.

            The being’s head fell. In conflict with his impressive stature, his soul looked defeated. He removed an emerald from one of the slightly transparent trees. He gazed at it for a moment and his starry eyes turned to emeralds. Then the jewel in his hand disappeared. Oryan’s mouth gaped open.

            “How did you do that?”

            The man smiled.

            “You consider my eyes a wonder. I consider your enslavement a wonder. How can you slave in those fields for sap? How can you bow down to Elders who require too much of you? How can you put your faith in a stone that is robbing you of paradise? That is a wonder in my eyes.”

            “Who are you? How do you know so much about me?” Oryan asked.

            “My name is Enhon. I am your creator.”

            Oryan laughed. “If you want to deceive me, you should try something more subtle.”

            “Deceive you? Why would I want to deceive you?” Enhon grabbed a ruby from a tree’s branch and after looking at it, his eyes transformed to rubies. The ruby in his hand disappeared just as the emerald.

            “The Elders warned us that this path is full of deception. They tell us that once we walk it, we will be lost forever.” Oryan began to follow Enhon who walked forward.

            “I know of these Elders. They use to be my servants. They are the true deceivers.”

            “They are my religious authority.” Oryan voice was quiet. “They protect us from a fiery death and lead us in righteous.”

            “I think you are trying to convince yourself of their piety. I don’t think I need to deceive you. You don’t need a path to lead you away from their teachings. You have already decided in your heart that these Elders are not trustworthy.” Enhon kept his face forward, not looking back as he talked.

            “There have been strange occurrences.” Oryan spoke slowly.

            “The green symbols on people’s necks and the weakening sap,” Enhon said.

            “You have been to our village!”

            “No. I am aware of what occurs in the village. However, I cannot enter it.”

            “Why not?”

            “The Purity Stone. It is vilest evil. It prevents me from entering your village. The Elders wanted to rule themselves, so they secretly created it long ago. I need one of the villagers to destroy it. Once the Purity Stone is destroyed, the village will be renewed, and my rule will be restored.”

            Oryan breathed in deeply and ran into the forest to conceal himself. He couldn’t be near such a vile man. A man who wants to destroy the holiest relic in their village. If this being doesn’t kill me, Presti sure will.