Chapter 22: Mistakes

  The late afternoon sun cast a warm orange glow upon the colossal redwoods, their massive trunks rising like ancient sentinels around the small clearing. A soft breeze rustled the canopy far above, sending dapples of light dancing over moss and fallen leaves. Amidst this hushed grandeur, Xin-ta stood with her spear in hand, gaze sharp and wary. Her triangular ears flicked in Joseph’s direction—he was the Kul soldier she had subdued earlier, and she still didn’t fully trust him.

  The beast-woman’s breathing came quick and steady, adrenaline still coursing through her veins from the recent fight. She’d been taught all her life that Kuls—beings from beyond the stars—were held at bay by the Goddess’s power. Sometimes, though, they slipped through. Her clan elders and the shaman told stories of these intruders and the harm they could cause if left unchecked. Something about this particular Kul made her uneasy, yet she also sensed his uncertain intentions.

  Nearby, Elaine lay unconscious on a patch of soft moss, her pale face half-hidden by unruly strands of hair. Unlike Joseph, she had no glowing gem embedded in her wrist—no obvious sign of the Kul’s mysterious power source. That fact alone marked her as different, something else entirely, although Xin-ta wasn’t sure what. She studied the woman’s features for a moment, silently hoping she would recover soon.

  At last, Xin-ta’s intense gaze flickered to the white-winged one—Zee—who stood close by, exhausted from her brief stint outside the “soul space.” The beast-woman’s grip on her spear relaxed, though she held it at the ready, the tip pointed toward the earth but able to snap upward in an instant.

  “What do you want to do with it?” Xin-ta asked in a low, guarded voice, indicating Joseph with a nod of her head. As she spoke, she subtly repositioned her spear, ensuring she could defend herself—or Elaine—without hesitation.

  Zee turned away from her study of the gem in Joseph’s wrist and gave a small shrug. Her fine white feathers shimmered in the fading sunlight, and she rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand as though drowsy. “Well… whatever Elaine wants to do,” she answered through a half-yawn, making it clear she was nearly spent after leaving her spiritual domain.

  Xin-ta’s ears twitched. “Why does she have to decide?” she pressed.

  A faint smile tugged at the corner of Zee’s lips. “Because she is my human. She’s the reason I’m even here, and I trust her judgment in these matters.” With that, the winged being turned to Elaine and inclined her head, almost like a fond guardian preparing to retreat. “Nighty night,” she said softly. “Keep that male from running off, or worse—hurting Elaine.”

  A faint glow shimmered around Zee’s form, and her body became hazy, as though made of drifting fog. Gradually, she melded back into Elaine’s prone figure. Joseph sucked in a sharp breath, eyes wide at the sight. Stories of the divine ones sometimes spoke of them possessing mortals, yet he had never witnessed such a thing.

  “That is new,” he muttered, sinking onto one knee in a gesture of weariness more than respect. His mind buzzed with surprise.

  Xin-ta turned from watching Zee’s departure and addressed him in fluent Kul. “Yes, yes it is,” she said curtly, her voice tight with distrust.

  Joseph’s jaw dropped slightly. Only moments ago, Xin-ta had been speaking a language completely alien to him, and now she conversed easily in his native tongue. “H-how…?” he began, before a strange voice in his head silenced him.

  Well, I’m translating for you now, came Marius’s calm mental tone.

  Joseph’s eyes darted around, unsettled by the telepathy. How is that possible? Even the System never directly connected to someone’s mind like this.

  Marius chuckled quietly. Each gem carries hidden features. Those with higher authority can use advanced functions, including telepathic translation.

  Interesting, Archangel. Joseph shot another uncertain glance at Xin-ta, who was now crouched by Elaine, checking her pulse. I never expected this level of sophistication, even from the interface.

  Marius’s reply came with a hint of amusement. The System is integrated into your mana veins and therefore tied to your thoughts and memories. It’s more intimate than you realize.

  Joseph tensed. My memories?

  After all, knowledge is power. Marius’s tone was light, as though he were flipping through a storybook. He seemed especially amused, though Joseph couldn’t tell exactly why.

  I’d rather you didn’t pry too deeply. Joseph rubbed the gem on his wrist with a rag, an old habit he’d picked up early in his training. He cast a quick glance at Xin-ta, who had turned her fierce golden eyes back on him.

  She stalked forward, lips curled. “You. Kul,” she snapped, the last word almost a growl.

  Joseph swallowed. “Ma’am?”

  “It will be dark soon,” she said, a note of urgency creeping into her voice, “and we need shelter before the magic demons come sniffing around.” In one smooth motion, she picked up his rifle from where it lay on the forest floor and tossed it to him.

  He snatched it out of the air, baffled that she returned his weapon. The charge crystal in the rifle hummed faintly when he checked it, so he slung the strap over his shoulder. Next, he hurried to retrieve the tracker's rifle from another fallen comrade, though it had a cracked stock. He rummaged for the mana crystal in the weapon and slipped it into one of his many pockets.

  Xin-ta’s gaze never left him. Her muscles were coiled tight as a spring, her eyes narrowed to slits, ready to lash out if he made the slightest move against her or Elaine. “What are magic demons?” Joseph asked, stepping carefully around the bodies, his voice subdued.

  Xin-ta’s tail flicked. “They are the dwellers of the Deep,” she explained, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Creatures the Guardian sealed below, hidden away from the sun.”

  Joseph froze mid-step. He was pilfering a medi-pack from a fallen grunt’s belt, and his grip tightened around it. “Hypothetically,” he said carefully, “what if the Guardian was… gone?”

  At that, Xin-ta frowned, her ears angling back. “Why would you ask such a thing?” She hesitated, seeming troubled by the notion. “We of the Clan ensure the Guardian remains unharmed, for it wards off those fiends in the Deep. The Goddess herself commanded that we leave the Guardian in peace. It performs many sacred tasks—its constant existence protects this forest.”

  Joseph lowered his gaze, mindful of how this knowledge was borderline heresy to her people. “Then we need a place better than simple shelter. We need something defensible. Something with real fortifications.”

  Xin-ta’s brow furrowed, a ripple of alarm crossing her face. “Why?” she demanded.

  Joseph lifted his rifle, double-checking the safety. “Because…” He swallowed, suddenly feeling the weight of what he’d done pressing on him like a physical burden. “I killed it.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  A beat of silence passed. The forest seemed to inhale around them—birds paused, leaves stilled. Then Xin-ta sprang forward so fast Joseph barely saw more than a blur of tawny fur. In a single motion, she drove her spear between the plates of his armor and pinned it to the ground. Her other hand found his unprotected throat, gripping it with crushing force and slamming him to the leaf-littered forest floor.

  “If this is true, Kul,” she hissed, her face inches from his own, “you will answer to the Clan for your crime. The crime against our Goddess.” Her canines gleamed with rage, and her fingers tightened. Joseph felt hot blood trickle where her claws pricked his flesh. “You will live, but only until our Goddess punishes you!”

  Somewhere within the gem, Marius sighed. I did warn you about how they’d react to this.

  Joseph, unable to speak, nodded as best he could under her vice-like grip. Xin-ta exuded a fury so potent he felt certain she might tear out his throat at any second. After a tense moment, she released him and stood, spinning away. There was a storm of conflicting emotions in her eyes as she glanced to Elaine.

  Slowly, Joseph pushed himself up, massaging the fresh cuts around his neck. He still recalled how easily this beast-woman had snapped bones in the heat of battle. He suppressed a shudder, mindful to keep out of range of her spear as she returned to Elaine’s side.

  “What now?” he asked softly. A slight rasp colored his voice, the result of Xin-ta’s crushing grip on his windpipe.

  She stared at him, hostility simmering in her glare. “We go to the Clan,” she said flatly, “and you will carry her.” She pointed at Elaine’s still form. “I am the stronger warrior. I know this sacred forest, and I will defend us from anything that lurks within it. But you…” Her eyes burned with anger at the memory of his confession. “You are a criminal Kul—remember that.”

  Joseph bowed his head in acquiescence. He approached Elaine with great care, bending down and scooping her into his arms. She felt feather-light, her body limp and vulnerable. Briefly, he wondered what might happen once she awoke to learn he had triggered such a cataclysmic event by slaying the Guardian.

  Xin-ta muttered something under her breath as she surveyed their surroundings. She disliked the revelation of the Guardian’s demise and the fear that came with it. Worse still, she had sworn a blood oath to Zee—and by extension, Elaine. She felt a knot in her gut, anger and duty warring in her mind.

  “Follow me,” she commanded, nodding toward a dim path winding between two towering redwoods. The golden light was fading, dusk shadows stretching long fingers across the forest floor. “We must run for four hours at least, until we reach Outpost Wyvern. It’s not the main city, but it has walls and wards to keep us safe.”

  Even in the growing gloom, Xin-ta could feel a new vigor coursing through her limbs. Whatever that woman—Elaine—had done to her earlier had amplified her strength in a way she didn’t fully understand. She flexed her free hand around the spear, feeling sinews ripple with renewed power. I’ll have to thank her, she thought, assuming I’m not made a slave first.

  With a determined set to her jaw, she took one last look at the injured man who had confessed to killing the Guardian and the unconscious woman cradled in his arms. Then she turned and broke into a brisk trot. Joseph, his mind heavy with guilt and worry, followed close behind, the crackling forest floor underfoot. Neither spoke, each haunted by the knowledge that as the sun dipped beyond the horizon, the horrors of the Deep might soon stir from their hidden realms beneath the earth—and they would be dangerously close to the surface.

  They ran through the towering redwoods at a pace just shy of an all-out sprint, the colossal trunks surrounding them like silent titans. Moss-covered roots and uneven ground made every step treacherous for Joseph, who cradled Elaine in both arms. Though he would have preferred the ease of slinging her over his shoulder, he dared not incite Xin-ta’s fury again—her temper, he had quickly learned, was as sharp as her spear. Carrying Elaine in front of him required more care and balance, forcing him to run slower than he liked, but he couldn’t risk stumbling and injuring either of them.

  Ahead of him, Xin-ta bounded through the foliage with a fluid, feral grace that made her look more beast than woman. A faint smile had touched her lips moments earlier, the thrill of her heightened strength setting her heart racing. She felt as though she were one with the forest, her senses attuned to every rustle of leaves and snap of twigs. Yet that sense of oneness abruptly vanished when she tried to channel light mana from the air—a simple illumination spell to guide them through the deepening dusk and ward off the predatory scaled jaguars known to lurk in the high branches.

  She flicked her hand in a practiced gesture, one the clan’s shaman had drilled into her until it became second nature. Her intent was to condense the faint motes of mana into a glowing orb. Except, this time, nothing happened.

  Xin-ta skidded to a halt, her bare foot kicking up decaying leaves and sending them spiraling into the gathering shadows. Joseph, struggling to keep pace while burdened with Elaine’s weight, nearly barreled into her from behind. He caught himself at the last second, letting out a ragged gasp as he steadied his footing.

  “What’s wrong, Xin-ta?” he asked between breaths, shooting a wary glance at the sky. Only the last vestiges of daylight filtered through the upper canopy, painting the forest floor in long, striped shadows.

  For a moment, she said nothing—only gazed down at her palm in disbelief. She tried the spell again. No soft glow sparked to life in her hand. No warm hum of mana answered her call. Panic flashed across her face. “I… can’t feel the mana anymore,” she murmured, her voice as taut as a drawn bowstring.

  She wheeled around, eyes fixing on Joseph and then on Elaine cradled in his arms. The confusion and budding fear in her eyes deepened. “What has she done to me?” Xin-ta’s voice trembled. She reached out, fingertips brushing Elaine’s cheek in desperation. “What have you done, Elaine?” she repeated, her tone verging on hysteria. The magical energy that once flowed through every breath now felt distant, gone.

  Before she could say anything more, a horrific sound rippled through the ancient groves—a laughter so haunting it seemed born of nightmares rather than any living creature. It resonated among the trunks, sending startled birds fluttering skyward. A cold shiver raced down Xin-ta’s spine; her ears flattened, and her pupils dilated with alarm.

  “It… it… it is here,” she whispered, voice quaking. Her knuckles whitened around her spear as her bravado seemed to melt away.

  Joseph swallowed hard, shifting his grip on Elaine. Though he had not yet heard of the “dweller” creatures, he knew instinctively that any predator bold enough to laugh in the face of armed prey was something far worse than a mundane beast. “How far are we from that outpost?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm and measured despite the dread blossoming in his chest.

  “Too far,” Xin-ta answered grimly, shaking her head. She might have been physically the strongest among them, but even that could mean little in the face of something from the Deep. Another echo of that macabre laughter sounded, this time from the opposite side of the clearing. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple. The dreadful realization that her mana was gone only made it worse.

  “How many… usually come?” Joseph ventured, eyeing the encroaching darkness. He gently set Elaine’s legs higher in his arms, preparing for whatever came next.

  “One… normally,” she said, voice trembling. “Rarely two.”

  Joseph stiffened. The notion that even one was enough to provoke this much fear made his stomach lurch. Before he could respond, a series of eerie lights began flashing deep in the forest—small, dancing flames of unnatural coloration. Their sinister glow flickered among the redwoods, accompanied by that unholy laughter rising from multiple directions at once.

  Xin-ta’s lips parted in a silent gasp, and her tail lashed behind her. “We die tonight,” she declared with a finality that turned Joseph’s blood to ice. “We take as many of the dwellers with us as we can before our last breath.”

  Despite the terror in her eyes, there was a defiant gleam in them, too. She raised her spear, the moonlight glinting off its wickedly sharp tip. In her other hand, she gripped a hunting knife, though it seemed far too small a weapon against the emerging horrors.

  Joseph inhaled, nodding slowly. He laid Elaine on a bed of soft leaves at the base of a thick redwood, doing his best to ensure she was out of immediate harm’s way. Then he unslung his rifle—a magi-tech weapon powered by the gem in his wrist. Rivulets of mana coursed along the chamber as he readied it, brightening the engraved lines on its side in a cold, electric hue.

  He lifted it to his shoulder and peered down the sight, scanning the shifting darkness for any sign of movement beyond the creeping lights. Sweat slicked his brow as he glanced sideways at Xin-ta, who planted her feet in a combat stance, spear braced. Neither of them spoke, but each understood the grim truth: dusk had fallen, and whatever crawled up from the depths came hunting.

  At that moment, the forest quieted, as though the towering trees themselves held their breath. Then a ragged snarl and renewed laughter fractured the silence, shattering whatever peace lingered. Joseph felt his heart hammer in his chest. Beside him, Xin-ta’s tail lashed, and her teeth were bared in a wild snarl of her own.

  They braced themselves for the next heartbeat, as something unspeakable stirred in the shadows. Their only hope now was to hold on to each other’s resolve—and fight.