Blade of Eüthrail

Chapter Four

Nigel

"Nigel..."

Squinting through my weary lids, the embers glow in the pit. I rise from the dirt, searching the area for Damien, but he is missing. The dead scout is the only one that remains with me, while the other is missing too. Did Damien desert me or did something happen while I was asleep?

The thick canopy above blocks out the light from the sun, but tiny patches pierce through the gaps between the leaves. A breeze brushes my hair from my eyes as I look in the direction it came from. With a dense forest, no wind can pass with this much intensity. The gray smoke curls into the air from the pit when I hear the faint hum of a woman's tune in the distance. An enchanting sound which can pull the toughest warrior from his own post.

"Nigel..." the whisper sinks into my mind. The hiss sends chills up my spine, while the hairs run up my arms to the back of my neck.

"Who are you?" I ask, stepping into the forest without a second glance at the fire pit.

The shadows shift from one trunk to the other as a hazy substance floats in the air. The dark particles rise and settle like waves crashing against the shore. When it finally hovers over glowing embers, pitch black surrounds me. The background sounds of rustling tree branches and the wind seizes. A lump of anxiety presses against my chest as I step back, feeling the tree trunk against my spine. I'm alone with this entity. A fowl presence I've never encountered before, but her voice soothes my mind.

"I'm not here to welcome you as your host. Your kind have tainted my home. You've turned it into a playground for warfare. Do you think I'm interested in letting you remain here any longer?" the voice deepens with malice. "I've come with a message. Tell your king to fall back. There is to be no more bloodshed in the Marrow. If he chooses to ignore my warning, I will create my own chaos within his walls."

"You can't just push us out!" I argue.

"You are mere flesh and bone. There is nothing you can do to a being of my stature. We can test this now if you'd like."

"Why should I listen to you? For all I know, you're some figment of my imagination. A nightmare. Nothing more than a puff of dust in the sanctions of my mind!" I push forward without hesitation.

"Do you think because you hold a blade and have strength far superior than the others back home, you can force me to fall back?" a chuckle echoes around me. "You are quite the naïve man."

"Why have you come to me? There are others here. Why did you choose me to send this message?" I ask, letting my guard down.

"I've watched you, Nigel. They seem to trust your word and give you the benefit of the doubt."

"If I go back to the king with this message, he'll send more men to find out what you are. Do you really think he cares about a message from a ghost in my dreams? He's more concerned about taking down King Adrian," I answer.

"King Adrian is nothing to worry about. His downfall is coming but for you, there is nothing more. If you return here, I will slaughter your men swiftly while you watch in agony. You'll watch all of your friends drown in their own blood, while I make you suffer slowly. This is not simply a child's threat, Nigel. This is a promise... Come back here and you will all face a death worse than both kings."

"Who are you?" the question slips from my dry lips.

"Jocelyn." The voice hovers in the air for a brief second. "Now go!"

Her wretched laugh pierces my ears as I fall to the ground, clenching the sides of my head tightly. I dig my nails into the dirt, trying to hold myself up on my two feet but the noise is painful. It tears into my brain like a serrated blade, stabbing deeper into my aching irises. Squeezing my eyes closed, tears roll down my cheeks.

"Okay, stop!" I scream as the silence surrounds me again. Looking up, I see the embers of the fire return to their orange hues. The moon's light peeks through the canopy above and the ache lingers at my temples. "What happened?" I cringe, looking up to discover Damien fast asleep against the hilt of his sword.

Pressing my palms against the dirt, I glance over at the corpse lying on the ground. I rub my eyes when I find the other scout is no longer against the tree. The shock of losing a prisoner, riddles through my bones as I scurry to my feet. I run to Damien and grip his shoulder, shaking him awake.

"Damien, wake up! The scout it gone," I yell, running to the tree we left him at.

"Wait, what? That's impossible. He had bones in his nails," he yawns, quickly jumping off the fallen tree to search the area with me. "Why would a wounded man wander these woods? I'd prefer having my head severed in the courtyard than face whatever death waits in the shadows."

"We have to retrieve him. He'll send a message back to the king," I answer, kneeling down to find a trail of blood smothered in the dirt. "Here, it's still fresh. He couldn't have left too long ago."

Damien bears down on my shoulder and pulls me back. "No, we can't go after him. The sun is still below the horizon and he will meet his death. There's something about this place. It's like we're being watched."

I reach for his collar and pull him close, grazing the tip of his nose. "I will not allow that boy to return to his leader to end their watchdogs here. We find him and finish what we started."

"Nigel, we can't. It's too dangerous," he answers.

"You fucking twat, stay here like a coward. I'll drag him back here myself. Just remember who fell asleep when they were supposed to keep watch, then we'll see whose head will be rolling on cobblestone back home."

Damien bites the inside of his cheek and shakes his head. "Fine. Let's get on with it," he answers, following behind me into the shadows of the Marrow. "You really are a jackass."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's not like I haven't heard that a thousand times," I answer, pushing through the underbrush.

My nightmares may try to put doubt in my quest, but my warrior instinct won't shy away from a security threat. Killing the messenger is the only way to send a warning to a corrupt king.