A Tale of Light and Monsters

I blame the mushrooms

"This way. Put your foot here. No, this rock. Here, I'll pull you up."

Thafna reminded me of my sister. Petite and delicate looking, but heavy like a sack of root tubers.

I stared at the sky absorbed in my thoughts as she caught her breath.

We had departed from our little makeshift camp a bit later than I would have liked. The Styghbeast from last night had gone in the direction of our shortest path out of the forest. With no way for either of us to kill it, a detour cutting through the hills that would take about half a day was the best option. The destination was a village one of the birds had spotted earlier.

It didn't promise to be an unpleasant journey, however. The sun was kind today or rather the clouds were, with their large covers of shade. The breeze was rich with moisture and carried the scent of petrichor and the faint traces of a far-off spring or river.

"Excuse me, I might need another hand here," she called again in distress.

"Presently."

I helped her onto my ledge and we carried on along the verdurous incline.

Thafna must have been embarrassed about the sluggish pace we kept due to many such stops as she soon exclaimed sheepishly- "You see, I usually leave all these outdoor sun-beaten exercises to my siblings. I am perfectly useless outside a library."

I caught on the 'library' and immediately asked if she had one.

She raised an inquisitive brow. "Yes, my family owns one. Is that very strange?"

"Well, where I'm from, books themselves are a rarity. And where I've been, only the rich would own libraries."

"Oh, how interesting! You'll be glad to be here then. Books are as ubiquitous as the wood they are made from. Even more so among the Houses because they have to teach the use of Adroits. That's why- oh look, I know those mushrooms!"

Thafna had spotted a patch of wild mushrooms growing from the bark of a felled tree.

"Uhh...no thank you. Those look...suspect."

"Don't be silly. These are the good ones. They aren't poisonous. Here, let's build a fire. They taste amazing roasted."

The mushrooms in question had an uncanny resemblance to another of its kind that Ada and I had accidentally eaten on our travels with disastrous results. I politely refused citing that instance. Thafna would have none of that. She insisted on swearing that the mushrooms were anything but dangerous and that she would attend a hundred of Tulia's parties AND never read another book if she couldn't tell a something-something fungus apart. I eventually relented unhappily. To her credit, they tasted good.

The odd choice of food withstanding, Thafna had needed the break and she took to the climb with much more vitality. I used this chance to tease out the intel I so badly needed.

"So, you mentioned Adroits before?... And those are? "

"Simply put, the powers the Houses use to fight beasts."

"Isn't it enough to just use a sword or a bow though?"

She burst into laughter and almost lost her footing- I caught her arm. "Sorry about that, that was just such a bizarre statement to me. No, certainly not. If it were, then a solid two-thirds of the problems the Empire faces will be solved."

My hair had begun to tangle in the low-hanging branches so I pulled my dense mess into a quick braid. Thafna let me do hers as well.

I noticed her eyebrows had furrowed and she seemed to be in deep thought. She continued."I had heard that the Beasts within the Empire were much different from those without but I didn't know that all you needed to destroy them was plain force as you would a normal being."

She looked up into my eyes, hers full of curiosity "Do not your monsters grow stronger in the places of darkness and tragedy? And multiply in power when in the proximity of men with black thoughts? And most especially, at their moment of destruction rather revive once more with even greater power?"

I felt a chill run down my back and my hand reflexively went to that scar that gashed across my abdomen. A reminder. The descending sun seemed to dim just then and the wind had a lonely feel.

Thafna saw the fright in my eyes and looked away kindly. A few moments of quiet passed before I cleared my throat awkwardly and replied, " It is common knowledge that Styghbeasts dwell best in night and darkness. This is the first I have heard, however, of their being immortal. How is it possible that this land has survived then? I should think that not even a tree should be left alive by now."

She responded, smiling proudly as if talking about her own achievements, "All gratitude goes to our Ancestors. More than a millennia ago, those men and women were taught how to comprehend the truths of this world and weaponise them into Adroits capable of destroying monsters. They saved this land and their ways were written down in books and passed down through their respective descendant Houses. It is those Adroits that still protect us to this day. Even with the Beasts growing in strength and number every passing season."

Was this power what they had sent me here for? Would it be enough? If this was indeed the plan, would I even be able to master it in time? Distressing images invaded my thoughts. Of that last battle that tore my family apart. Of failing. I bit my lip to distract myself and discreetly changed the topic.

I eventually spotted the dark shadows of roofs and chimneys just as it had become dark enough for even the most careless traveller to be wary. We made it.

" Finally!" Thafna exclaimed in relief. " We will sleep safely this night and set out in a carriage for the capital in the morning. The ordeal is over!

I laughed, " Ordeal? Hardly! It hasn't even been a full day's adventure and yet you say- oooh, that's a pleasant scent."

"Scent?" She sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything. What is it like?"

"Really? It's quite strong to me though. Probably from the village. It smells ...flowery. Like lavender."

"Lavender? Dear God, are you sure?" She grabbed my arm and I saw her eyes stare at me in horror.

Half an hour later, with the sun completely down and the air completely clouded with the smell of lavender, we stepped into the town. I didn't need to notice the dead silence to understand that something was terribly wrong.