Fan Fiction ❯ Jiikron: Legend of the Two ❯ Troubled Waters ( Chapter 6 )

To make up for the short ending of the first arc, I present to you: chapter six, with extra long goodness. Enjoy. Oh, yes… >_> Did I mention how mean I am to my characters? >=D

 

“Most people learn by observation, and there are a few who learn by experimentation. And then there are those who actually touch the fire to see if it's really hot.” -Anonymous

 

-Chapter Six-

-Troubled Waters-

 

Mikona returned to the Ynla Valley carrying several bags- old vegetable sacks, it appeared- filled to the brim with clothes and blankets and tools. He tied another smaller bag to his belt, this one containing whatever nonperishable foods he could find, and some flasks that held week old water. He had found that the village well was contaminated with blood and who knew what else, and had made do with the slightly bitter tasting fluid that he found. He felt a pang of guilt as he removed the possessions of his old friends from their homes, but he knew what he was doing was necessary. The dead would have no use for material things, anyway.

 

Besides the essentials he managed to recover a few things of sentimental value; the lore book Voide used to teach Vitani, a holy scripture that Kona's master gave to him for his coronation ceremony as a priest, and a wooden dove that Mikona, himself, had carved and painted for his wife, shortly before he asked her to marry him… Only three years before she left and disappeared forever.

 

Voide was able to bring to life a hearty fire with the flint Mikona brought back and a bundle of dried sticks he foraged for. The four of them sat in relative silence around the flame, wrapped in quilts and picking at pieces of the rabbit Mikona caught and cooked, not really eating anything but trying to look occupied.

 

Every one of them knew they had to get moving. Their provisions would only last so long. But they were tired, emotionally and physically, and none of them could really find the drive to get up and get moving just yet. Silently, they all agreed to one night's rest before they moved on. And so after several useless hours of pretending to eat, they settled down on their blankets and tried to summon the will to sleep. It was elusive, and it was not until well after darkness had fallen that any of them fell into a slumber. Vitani, all too aware of the threatening shadows around her, found no comfort in the absence of the moon; the stars were far too tiny to banish the nighttime creatures that lurked, stalked her, plagued her every thought. Eventually, sleep claimed her, but not without dreams of poison and death and evil beings along for the ride.

 

~@%%@%%@%%@~

 

Kona woke to the hushed murmurs of his father and Voide, both of whom were packing up the supplies they'd made use of the previous night. Straining his ears, he could just barely discern parts of their conversation.

 

“… Lasah is closest.”

 

“Yes, but the Ynla-“

 

“We'll find a way around it, Mikona.”

 

“How can we? We're not properly equipped.”

 

“Then what do you propose?”

 

“Why not go north, instead? We can cross the Vel and go to the Twin Cities.”

 

“The distance is greater!”

 

“Not by much, Voide. And the land is more fertile there. It's bound to have natural resources we can use-“

 

“You know as well as I do, anyway, that the people of Tel and Hi are not so welcoming to strangers.”

 

“How can they turn us away when they learn that we've no home?”

 

“People are not all so kind hearted, Mikona-“

 

“No one is that cruel!”

 

“You may wish to believe that, but it's just not true.”

 

Kona had heard enough. His father was getting worked up, and the last thing they needed was a disagreement. He sat up and produced a loud yawn. Voide and Mikona looked his way, trying to fake smiles and failing spectacularly.

 

“Good morning, son,” the latter greeted with as much warmth as he could muster.

 

“Father,” Kona returned with a nod of his head. Glancing to his right, he saw that Vitani was gone and her blanket had been neatly folded and prepared to be packed.

 

“Your sister had to relieve herself,” Voide supplied when he noticed where Kona was looking.

 

Vitani returned a couple minutes later and together they finished putting away the rest of their supplies. Mikona gave two of the larger bags to both Kona and Voide, keeping the last one for himself and letting Vitani carry the smaller food bag.

 

“So, what's our plan?” Kona wanted to know.

 

Voide cast the twins' father a no-nonsense look before replying, “We're going east, to Lasah.”

 

“But doesn't that mean we'll have to cross the Ynla River?” Vitani asked.

 

“Yes, Cantilena. You're right.”

 

“We can't cross that!” the twins protested at the same time. “It's dangerous,” Kona finished.

 

And he was exactly right. The people of Jiikron, especially those of Hyran, who occupied the river's valley, all knew the stories that were told about the infamous Ynla. Monsters, it was said, lived in its murky waters, waiting eagerly to drag any unknowing swimmers to the black, muddy river bottom. Tales of merchants' boats being capsized on tumultuous currents, the people aboard never being found, were common in the country, earning the Ynla its nickname: the Blood Stream. It was often said that its water ran red on the night of the full moon, a reminder of its infinite victims, and that if you drank from the Ynla, you'd go insane.

 

In truth, no one was positive what, exactly, caused all the deaths in the river, and so the stories thrived, growing wilder as they were passed on. All anyone knew was that people had lost their lives on the Blood Stream, and that was enough for them to avoid it at all costs. Thus, it was considerably understandable that none of the Maercles' wanted to venture east, not with the Ynla River in their path.

 

“Look, I know the risks,” Voide said with an annoyed expression. “But our only other option is to go north, along the Vel to the Twin Cities. But that route is longer and the people there are far less friendly. Once we've crossed the Ynla, our trek will be easy.”

 

Vitani's face looked dubious, but her voice was resigned. “Fine. If those are our only choices. But you'd better have a way for us to make it across that river, Calleo.” She looked at him sternly, daring him to challenge her. Voide managed a small smile; his pupil's attitude had returned with the sun, it seemed.

 

“I'll get us across, Vitani,” he promised her. Satisfied, she nodded once and turned on her heel, walking determinedly off in the direction of the rising sun, three bewildered men behind her.

 

~@%%@%%@%%@~

 

“You did well, pet. Two pesky villages destroyed in one night.” Andsaca was pure glee and he slowly circled his way around an apathetic Shiva. Her eyes followed him, blank and without any light, as if she was deaf to his praise. If he noticed, he didn't say.

 

“Don't you think she was marvelous, Averna?”

 

The Queen of the Night wanted to scream and tear her master and his angelic minion to pieces; his endless compliments were grating on her last nerve. Instead, she conjured up a counterfeit smile with ease, borne from years of practice. “Yes, my lord. Absolutely splendid.”

 

Shiva regarded Averna with her cold eyes. The latter repressed a shudder. Did the hellion know she was lying? Mentally, she chided herself. No, that was impossible. Shiva knew nothing beyond what she was told… Right? Right. Of course…

 

… She hoped.

 

“What now, Master?” Devoid of any tone or emotion, Shiva's voice was very much like her eyes, which had returned to encompass Andsaca.

 

A sneer, an expression of undiluted evil, sheer, untainted wickedness, made itself a home on his visage. “Next, my dear, we're going to Worr.”

 

~@%%@%%@%%@~

 

 

Raizo Lodrin had never felt so completely weak in his entire existence. Reduced to a sick, fluid leaking, bloody, immobile mass of flesh, he felt like he was going to die. On nights when the pain was like billions of rusty blades churning around in his body, he almost wished he would. And he knew that had not the strange old man who found him come along, his wish would have been granted.

 

The man, whose name Raizo still didn't know, was now stirring a pot of something that almost resembled food over a cheery fire. The smell was making him gag.

 

“What in all the worlds are you making?”

 

A toothless grin and bald head flashed his way. “This here be gruel, and `tis the only thing you'll be gettin' down that throat o' yours, so don't be complainin'.”

 

“Ugh.” With a disgusted snort, Raizo let his head fall back against the filthy rags he had been using as pillows. But he didn't argue. He knew the man was right. His throat was still tender and sore, his voice still raspy. Speaking was a difficult task, but one he stubbornly pursued much more often than he should have. Plagued with coughing fits that produced blood and bile and mucus, he couldn't help but wonder if he was ever going to recover completely.

 

A little while later, the old man kneeled beside Raizo and extended the bowl of gruel to him, along with a roughly carved wooden spoon. “Here it be. Make right sure you eat it slow, or-“

 

But Raizo, suddenly ravenous, ignored the appalling smell and look of the dish's contents and immediately downed half the meal in a few gulps. Not a minute after, he was bent over in the grass beside him, spilling the contents of his stomach onto the ground, along with whitish foam and blood that stood out shockingly red among its pale companions.

 

The old man's amused cackle rang loud into the night.

 

~@%%@%%@%%@~

 

 

“Ooh, my feet hurt!” Vitani moaned for what Kona swore had to be the millionth time since they had started out a little over two weeks ago.

 

“Can't we take a break?” She pouted.

 

“We've almost reached the river, Cantilena,” Voide assured her. “Just a little while longer, and then we can rest.”

 

“I don't want to rest next to the Ynla,” she told him. “It's not safe there. Besides, we haven't stopped since lunch. That was hours ago!”

 

“Vitani, we-“

 

“Hush!” Kona asserted. Three heads turned to stare at him. “Listen,” was all he said in explanation.

 

So they did, and they were greeted with the sound of tons of rushing water. Knowing what it promised, Vitani shuddered. One hill lay between them and the enormous obstacle that stood in the way of their goal. And then they had reached the top, and there it was.

 

Sparkling, fast-moving water, easily spanning two hundred feet, shone up at them, the fierce sun reflected off its surface. Surrounded by lush greenery, glimmering in the light of day, it was almost possible to forget that countless deaths had taken place there, among the breath-taking scenery. Almost.

 

Kona groaned inwardly. He hadn't realized how massive the river really was. How on earth were they going to cross that? Apparently, his sister's thoughts were following the same path.

 

“Um… Voide?”

 

“Yes, Vitani?”

 

“You have a plan, right?”

 

“Of course I do. I promised we'd make it over, didn't I?”

 

“Well, yeah…”

 

“Then just listen and do what I say, all right?”

 

Three black haired heads nodded, and Voide smiled. “Good. Now, we can't possibly swim across, for obvious reasons,” he gestured out towards the water. “But a raft, a nice sturdy one, once the current slows, would be fine.”

 

“A raft?”

 

“Yes, Mikona. We've got rope from home, and there is a small grove not far back that way. Surely, with those supplies, you could build something for us?”

 

The twins' father thought for a moment, then nodded. “I could, with a bit of help.”

 

“Of course! We'll be your assistants.”

 

“All right. Then you and Kona should go retrieve as much wood as you can from that grove. You can use my carving saws. Vitani and I will prepare the rope and adhesives.”

 

“Adhesives, Daddy?”

 

Mikona turned to his daughter. “Yes, sweetheart. We'll need more than ties to hold that much wood together.”

 

“How much wood is `that much?'”

 

Mikona shrugged. “However much it takes to keep us afloat.”

 

Vitani felt her stomach sink. “You're not sure about the amounts?”

 

A smile that held no humor flashed across Kona's lips. “Well, it's not as if we've ever done this before.”

 

“I know that…” his sister shot back, indignant but unable to be truly angry while blossoming terror threatened to consume her.

 

Voide ended the debate. “It's certainly not doing us any good to just stand here. We should cross before it gets dark or we'll end up spending the night here, and I don't know about you, but that thought doesn't really thrill me.”

 

The looks on his companions' faces told him that they heartily agreed.

 

~@%%@%%@%%@~

 

Hours of chopping and moving wood, measuring and cutting rope, gathering weeds and mud finally resulted in a rectangular raft that looked stable enough to carry the four of them across the Ynla and onto the opposite bank. Or, at least, that's what they hoped it would do.

 

Together they pushed the product of their labor to the edge of the water, then took their time securing all of their possessions to it with the remaining rope. Finally, Vitani and Kona got on while Voide and their father moved the raft farther until they were waist deep in the water. Quickly as they could without rocking the craft, they climbed aboard it. Mikona stood carefully and used one particularly long tree branch to stop them from being swept away by the current.

 

They were not fifteen feet from the river bank when a large, dark shadow swam beneath them. One startled jump and shrill scream of terror later, Vitani tumbled into the water and was swallowed up by the Blood Stream.

 

~@%%@%%@%%@~

 

Ta-dah! Another peek at the bad guys, a couple new characters, and a whole lot of trouble. Hate to leave it at a cliffy, but… Wait… No, actually, I love cliff-hangers! Hah! XD Hope you do too. If you don't… Well… That's too bad. ~_^

 

Thanks:

Dice - Wolf - Mrs. Brewer

 

Disclaimer: This story is a product of my imagination. Any and all similarities between real people/places and those in the fiction are purely coincidental.

 

~ The Neko Kami of the Fruit Loops