With my bow under construction, all that was really left was to go pick up Lu’s old armor set. To do that I’d have to find her first… And hope she didn’t feel awkward around me… and probably get past whatever attitude she might have at the time.
Don't get me wrong, I still loved her as my little sister, but she was… exhausting. Especially for someone like me who considers themselves an introvert. I sighed just thinking about it.
Walking from the workshop to the house I checked the kitchen and then her room, but I couldn’t find her. Finally, I went back outside and checked in with some of the guards. The only one that seemed to know was Jerry.
“She headed outside the castle just a little bit ago, I just got off duty watching the gate so I saw her go.”
‘She must be rock climbing again to blow off steam. So she’s at the canyon then right?’ “You let her go out alone though?” ‘I know for sure Mara told her to not do that by herself.’
I started to get a bad feeling. “Did she take anything with her?”
“Hm… Well her sword, she takes that thing everywhere. Besides that though, I think she did have some rope with her.”
I thought back to the wolves that had attacked me. I ended up being fine, but they were dangerous enough that even Mara got hurt looking for us… “I’m glad she has her sword but is it really ok to let her go out by herself?”
Nillous was overhearing the conversation from nearby, and I could practically hear him say “You’re one to talk.” Just by looking at his expression.
“Well, yeah. She comes and goes every now and then, it isn’t that unusual.”
Nillous walked up behind him. “Jerry, she’s worried about the dire wolves. Remember Mara and Catherine left to clear them out. They haven’t come back yet.”
I looked over at Nillous who kneeled down in front of me. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. Your mom never actually ordered us to be on alert or stop anyone from leaving so it can’t be that dangerous.”
He stood back up and whispered back to Jerry. “Go get the horses ready.”
‘Are you kidding me?’ I gritted my teeth. ‘Everything’s fine huh…’ Even if they were well-trained soldiers, I knew their horses couldn’t hold a candle to Fritz. So if I was really worried, there was only one clear path forward.
Nillous walked over to the table to grab his sword.
I felt my nerves start to light up like fire spreading through me, telling me to move. “Even if I’m no good in a fight Fritz can take on three of those things by herself.”
The moment he turned his back I ran out the barracks door towards the stables.
Sprinting in past Finlo, who was feeding the horses, I quickly went to open her stall, realizing it was still broken.
I suddenly felt myself lift off the ground freeing like a wild animal as Finlo picked me up with a firm grip on my shoulders, setting me down away from the horses.
“You're making them ancy, calm down. What’s going on?”
I turned around calmly, backing away to make some distance and rub Fritz's fur. “Lu went outside alone. There are still Dire wolves in the plains, we have to go find her.”
“That’s not our job, the other guards will take care of it. Besides, after the scolding your mother gave to that horse, she hasn’t budged, even without us fixing the stall door.”
I turned to her and she looked away. “You know how much faster she is. If I want to make sure she’s ok then I need Fritz.”
He rolled his eyes. “Hey, I wasn’t given orders to stop you from leaving or anything, so you can do what you want.”
I swallowed, still feeling the adrenaline running through me. “O-ok, Fritz, let's go.”
She didn’t move.
“Fritz?”
“I told you, she won't budge.”
“Fritz come on, you love rides, don’t you? Let’s go for a ride.”
She still didn’t react.
Since she wasn’t kneeling down like before I tried to mount up by jumping into the air. Taking a couple steps I left the ground and landed on her back. Surprisingly enough it worked, but she still wouldn’t move. She was like a statue of a horse, rather than a living one.
“Come on Fritz…” I whined. “I really need you.”
She lowered her head and then looked over at Finlo.
‘Why is she even listening to Mara anyway? Unless she isn’t…’ I tried my best to calm down, gently rubbing her neck. “You're just worried about me getting hurt… That’s what this is about right?”
I followed her eyes to Finlo. ‘She’s seen how the great beasts respect him, so she must think he’s strong, is that why she’s looking at him? Maybe she’ll let me go if he tags along?’
“Finlo get on. She won't leave unless you come too.” Of course… I didn’t know that for sure, but it was my best guess.
“I don't know, last time I tried to ride—”
“That's an order…”
He sighed. “Yes mam,” he said all too quickly, giving a quick solute.
Without a moment's hesitation, he jumped on behind me and grabbed my waist. “I’m sorry Catherine, I didn’t have any orders to stop her, but I thought it might be dangerous so I decided I should go with her for safety. Really you should be praising me for taking extra precautions.”
Had I not been so worried I would have laughed at his monologue of how he was going to explain everything, but there was no time for joking around. “Come on girl, let's go.” I grabbed Finlo’s hand for a moment. “You're going to want to hold on tight.”
Just like I said, he tightened his grip, resting his chin on my shoulder. “I just figured this would make you ancy.”
Right as he finished I tightened my own grip and Fritz went into a full gallop so fast he slurred his last few words.
‘To be honest, his hands being there do make me uncomfortable… But that’s not important right now.’
Out the stall, right past Nillous, out the stable, and out the gates before the guards could react. I couldn’t help but think I was making them look a little bad at their jobs, but given the circumstances, I also felt like they kind of were.
In no time we were outside the castle. ‘Knowing Lu, she would have taken the quickest route there, probably leaving right after she lost that duel.’ That’s what I was hoping anyway. The truth was that I didn’t know Lu… That’s part of what made me so nervous.
Without hesitation Fritz's feet turned, leaving dents in the ground with each step as we raced across the plains.
‘She could probably take a few on her own, but if they catch her with her guard down…’
I thought back to when I was in the pit with the starving beasts. If they were dire wolves I would have been torn apart, even with magic. I couldn’t help but think that could be happening to her. I felt a shock run through me as my head began to pound.
Suddenly an all too familiar image burned itself into my brain just after the word “Fear” shot across my eyelids in blood red against the blackness of my closed eyes.
‘Not again… I’m just feeding this thing more…’
A gravestone appeared before me as a gentle breeze rustled the flowers next to it at sunset. In seconds nighttime broke through like a glitch in time, and everything began to look torn down and mangled, like the world had ended.
It was a seen I couldn’t forget. One I had only seen in the nightmares brought on by the ghoul.
My older sister's grave wasn’t there though… This time it read a different name.
“Wayalusayo.”
Time glitched again and I could see her body, torn to pieces and pale like death, her clothes were shredded and stained with blood, and she was missing her left arm, tattered cloth covering the wound.
My stomach twisted in knots as I nearly fainted, barely holding it together as I felt a crushing pressure start to burry me. ‘No… I can take it. This is all fake. And this pressure, I’ve felt worse.’
I wasn’t in the abyss, but I focussed my thoughts on Raffi and started to circulate my power through my body. The illusion cracked and shattered, bringing me back to reality.
“SIYA!”
“I’m fine, sorry…” I muttered. I still felt nauseous, and a little dizzy, but if nothing else I now knew that the demons illusions wouldn’t work on me anymore.
With my bow under construction, all that was really left was to go pick up Lu’s old armor set. To do that I’d have to find her first… And hope she didn’t feel awkward around me… and probably get past whatever attitude she might have at the time.
Don't get me wrong, I still loved her as my little sister, but she was… exhausting. Especially for someone like me who considers themselves an introvert. I sighed just thinking about it.
Walking from the workshop to the house I checked the kitchen and then her room, but I couldn’t find her. Finally, I went back outside and checked in with some of the guards. The only one that seemed to know was Jerry.
“She headed outside the castle just a little bit ago, I just got off duty watching the gate so I saw her go.”
‘She must be rock climbing again to blow off steam. So she’s at the canyon then right?’ “You let her go out alone though?” ‘I know for sure Mara told her to not do that by herself.’
I started to get a bad feeling. “Did she take anything with her?”
“Hm… Well her sword, she takes that thing everywhere. Besides that though, I think she did have some rope with her.”
I thought back to the wolves that had attacked me. I ended up being fine, but they were dangerous enough that even Mara got hurt looking for us… “I’m glad she has her sword but is it really ok to let her go out by herself?”
Nillous was overhearing the conversation from nearby, and I could practically hear him say “You’re one to talk.” Just by looking at his expression.
“Well, yeah. She comes and goes every now and then, it isn’t that unusual.”
Nillous walked up behind him. “Jerry, she’s worried about the dire wolves. Remember Mara and Catherine left to clear them out. They haven’t come back yet.”
I looked over at Nillous who kneeled down in front of me. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. Your mom never actually ordered us to be on alert or stop anyone from leaving so it can’t be that dangerous.”
He stood back up and whispered back to Jerry. “Go get the horses ready.”
‘Are you kidding me?’ I gritted my teeth. ‘Everything’s fine huh…’ Even if they were well-trained soldiers, I knew their horses couldn’t hold a candle to Fritz. So if I was really worried, there was only one clear path forward.
Nillous walked over to the table to grab his sword.
I felt my nerves start to light up like fire spreading through me, telling me to move. “Even if I’m no good in a fight Fritz can take on three of those things by herself.”
The moment he turned his back I ran out the barracks door towards the stables.
Sprinting in past Finlo, who was feeding the horses, I quickly went to open her stall, realizing it was still broken.
I suddenly felt myself lift off the ground freeing like a wild animal as Finlo picked me up with a firm grip on my shoulders, setting me down away from the horses.
“You're making them ancy, calm down. What’s going on?”
I turned around calmly, backing away to make some distance and rub Fritz's fur. “Lu went outside alone. There are still Dire wolves in the plains, we have to go find her.”
“That’s not our job, the other guards will take care of it. Besides, after the scolding your mother gave to that horse, she hasn’t budged, even without us fixing the stall door.”
I turned to her and she looked away. “You know how much faster she is. If I want to make sure she’s ok then I need Fritz.”
He rolled his eyes. “Hey, I wasn’t given orders to stop you from leaving or anything, so you can do what you want.”
I swallowed, still feeling the adrenaline running through me. “O-ok, Fritz, let's go.”
She didn’t move.
“Fritz?”
“I told you, she won't budge.”
“Fritz come on, you love rides, don’t you? Let’s go for a ride.”
She still didn’t react.
Since she wasn’t kneeling down like before I tried to mount up by jumping into the air. Taking a couple steps I left the ground and landed on her back. Surprisingly enough it worked, but she still wouldn’t move. She was like a statue of a horse, rather than a living one.
“Come on Fritz…” I whined. “I really need you.”
She lowered her head and then looked over at Finlo.
‘Why is she even listening to Mara anyway? Unless she isn’t…’ I tried my best to calm down, gently rubbing her neck. “You're just worried about me getting hurt… That’s what this is about right?”
I followed her eyes to Finlo. ‘She’s seen how the great beasts respect him, so she must think he’s strong, is that why she’s looking at him? Maybe she’ll let me go if he tags along?’
“Finlo get on. She won't leave unless you come too.” Of course… I didn’t know that for sure, but it was my best guess.
“I don't know, last time I tried to ride—”
“That's an order…”
He sighed. “Yes mam,” he said all too quickly, giving a quick solute.
Without a moment's hesitation, he jumped on behind me and grabbed my waist. “I’m sorry Catherine, I didn’t have any orders to stop her, but I thought it might be dangerous so I decided I should go with her for safety. Really you should be praising me for taking extra precautions.”
Had I not been so worried I would have laughed at his monologue of how he was going to explain everything, but there was no time for joking around. “Come on girl, let's go.” I grabbed Finlo’s hand for a moment. “You're going to want to hold on tight.”
Just like I said, he tightened his grip, resting his chin on my shoulder. “I just figured this would make you ancy.”
Right as he finished I tightened my own grip and Fritz went into a full gallop so fast he slurred his last few words.
‘To be honest, his hands being there do make me uncomfortable… But that’s not important right now.’
Out the stall, right past Nillous, out the stable, and out the gates before the guards could react. I couldn’t help but think I was making them look a little bad at their jobs, but given the circumstances, I also felt like they kind of were.
In no time we were outside the castle. ‘Knowing Lu, she would have taken the quickest route there, probably leaving right after she lost that duel.’ That’s what I was hoping anyway. The truth was that I didn’t know Lu… That’s part of what made me so nervous.
Without hesitation Fritz's feet turned, leaving dents in the ground with each step as we raced across the plains.
‘She could probably take a few on her own, but if they catch her with her guard down…’
I thought back to when I was in the pit with the starving beasts. If they were dire wolves I would have been torn apart, even with magic. I couldn’t help but think that could be happening to her. I felt a shock run through me as my head began to pound.
Suddenly an all too familiar image burned itself into my brain just after the word “Fear” shot across my eyelids in blood red against the blackness of my closed eyes.
‘Not again… I’m just feeding this thing more…’
A gravestone appeared before me as a gentle breeze rustled the flowers next to it at sunset. In seconds nighttime broke through like a glitch in time, and everything began to look torn down and mangled, like the world had ended.
It was a seen I couldn’t forget. One I had only seen in the nightmares brought on by the ghoul.
My older sister's grave wasn’t there though… This time it read a different name.
“Wayalusayo.”
Time glitched again and I could see her body, torn to pieces and pale like death, her clothes were shredded and stained with blood, and she was missing her left arm, tattered cloth covering the wound.
My stomach twisted in knots as I nearly fainted, barely holding it together as I felt a crushing pressure start to burry me. ‘No… I can take it. This is all fake. And this pressure, I’ve felt worse.’
I wasn’t in the abyss, but I focussed my thoughts on Raffi and started to circulate my power through my body. The illusion cracked and shattered, bringing me back to reality.
“SIYA!”
“I’m fine, sorry…” I muttered. I still felt nauseous, and a little dizzy, but if nothing else I now knew that the demons illusions wouldn’t work on me anymore.
