Page 8 of Light Up the Night

Chapter Four

Forest Wilds Magic

Chalice

We left young Fish to get his rest and headed up top to see what the final count was. The passengers had sectioned themselves off in groups and were nibbling on bread.

“We didn’t have enough rations to really feed both ships. We will touch down in a few hours. So, for now, they are making do with what we have,” Messiah explained.

“How many are able-bodied?” It wasn’t packed, but they were of a decent number.

“Ninety on this one. Last count was one-hundred on the other, but I have no idea if that was including the infirm.”

“So, we have three-hundred.” I laughed but inwardly groaned.

What if the men we freed from the Dark Jewel refused to come to our aide? What if the Savage Queen lay in wait and we ended up massacred before we even got started?

“You have three-hundred men who have a lot of anger in them,” Pariah sang while pulling himself to his feet. “They’ve been caged. People tried to break them. You’ve a small army, Your Highness.”

I cut him a sideways glance, certain he was trying to belittle me. But then I remembered, it was my title now. I was the Queen of the Fallen Gods, after all.

“Then lead the way,” I called over my shoulder, unwilling to take my eyes off the speck of land in the distance. It stretched into a woodsy coast. Tall ancient trees lay in wait. I closed my eyes as we sifted closer and smiled at the fresh earthy scent that greeted me.

“Home,” Keif mumbled, wrapping his arms around me. His cool cheek brushed against mine while he sheltered me from the brisk breeze.

“It isn’t as bad as the Iron Inlet,” I optimistically pointed out, only to be met with a laugh that rumbled his chest against my back.

“The only thing that keeps them free of the Iron Inlet is the Valley of the Afflicted. Two-hundred years it’s held them at bay.” He whistled in admiration while I twisted my head and stared up at him.

“A Valley of Afflicted?”

“The Valley of the Afflicted,” he corrected, earning himself a playful elbow to the ribs. His big arms gave me a bear-hug type squeeze and his cheek shifted against mine. “It is where the Afflicted are sent when they are noticed to be sick. Early detection saves the herd.”

“Afflicted with what?” My whole face scrunched at the notion of sending someone to the wilderness as opposed to the infirmary.

“The Affliction,” he repeated.

I closed my eyes, convinced he was testing my patience. “Yes, yes. They are afflicted, I get it, but what are they afflicted with? The plague? Fevers? What?” He struggled to form words, but he kept stopping short.

“It… I don’t know. That is what they call it, The Affliction. Those who suffer are the Afflicted.” He rubbed the back of his neck and stared across the water.

“What?” I all but spat.

“The Affliction is a disease only known to the Forest Wilds,” Messiah spoke up from behind us.

“Well, what is it… I mean, what does it do… is it a plague?” I wasn’t certain I wanted to drop anchor in the place.

“It causes them to go mad and waste away,” he quietly explained.

“Rabid skeletons, more like it,” Keif scoffed.

“There is no known cure,” Messiah continued.

I threw my hands in the air and shook my head, refusing to hear another word of it. I couldn’t. I was scared if I did, I’d back out. A land with diseases that couldn’t be spoken about, and Valleys full of monsters. I cringed and did my best to focus my attention on the waves and majestic beauty of the water.

An hour later, we arrived on the shore of the Forest Wilds. I thought the boats would never stop transporting our new soldiers. Our landing, it turned out, had been expected. High pitched human noises rang throughout the Forest, imitating the sounds of the native monkeys which were playing peek-a-boo from the treetops.

“Are they going to attack?” Keif asked, nervously glancing about.

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