Chapter Fifty-One – The Trees have Eyes and Teeth

Darkness cloaked the forest sooner than expected, forcing the group to find shelter.

Walking past thick trees, with some stripped of their bark, they stumbled upon a wetland. Though the wet, grassy ground jiggled under every step, it was stable enough to prevent any of them from sinking beneath until they found somewhere solid enough to settle. They perched themselves within a massive, decayed mandible of a long-dead animal. Despite its deceased state, its mouth remained open. The upper jaw provided the perfect cover from the storm that the group knew would soon be upon them.

Glancing up, Ailith winced with every flash of lightning that illuminated the sky. Clouds roared with enough power to make the water around them tremble. Critters scampered out of their hiding spots momentarily before retreating out of sight.

She braced herself against a strong gust of wind. Her attention was drawn towards Nassandra. The Princess, with Fethawi by her side, also stared out into the world, rubbing her arms tentatively and shivering. Her padded clothing may have helped somewhat, but Ailith knew that her friend was most likely new to battling the harsh elements of the world.

''You can borrow my jacket if you like?'' Ailith offered.

Nassandra flinched at Ailith's proposal. She looked at the warrior's attire and shook her head. ''There's no need.''

''You look cold.''

''I'm fine.''

Pursing her lips, Ailith turned to Fethawi. ''Is she cold?''

''Nassandra's body temperature had reduced by-,''

''Fethawi!'' Nassandra silenced her companion. When she returned her gaze to Ailith, her expression softened. Her lips curled slightly into a smile. ''I'm fine, truly. But, thank you for your concern.''

Ailith appeared unconvinced and clearly had more she wanted to say, however, her lips remained sealed.

The conflicted silence between them came to an abrupt end as Levana attempted to start a fire. ''Don't you worry, Your Highness. I'll provide us with warmth in no time.'' Kneeling down, she grasped a small stick between her palms and rubbed frantically against a small pile of bark wood she had gathered. The creases along her brow became more prominent with every passing second. Not even a spark appeared.

A short distance away, Cadere glared at her. ''Is it safe for a fire? We don't want to draw attention.''

''If there are beasts out there hoping to devour me, I'd like to see them. Considering where we are right now, I realise the irony in my statement.'' Levana replied, occasionally glancing at the rows of rotten teeth, each the size of a sword. Her actions slowed. ''Are we sure this beast isn't luring us into a false sense of security before biting down?''

''No, it's dead,'' Ailith assured her, pointing down the dark hole that was the animal's throat. ''Its breath has a strange smell that attracts prey. Even if we wouldn't feel it, we would have smelt it breathing if it were alive.''

''An expert on Albino Gigagators, are we?'' Cadere inquired.

She shrugged. ''I know a little about them. There was someone from my camp who saved some eggs. Before she could cook them for breakfast, they hatched and were already the size of an adult human. Then, I had to save her from becoming their breakfast.''

Levana gulped. ''So, even the offspring are hungry for blood? Good to know.''

A click sounded above her shoulder. Suddenly, the pile of wood in front of her sparked into a small fire. She bolted back from her crouching position, landing on her back and looking up to see Turrock walking around her, tipping an imaginary hat to her. The trainee grimaced but said nothing to him.

The warmth of the fire drew everyone closer. Along with the sound of burning wood, they could hear the patter of rainfall across the land. Their fire waved furiously under the strengthening wind.

''There must be a storm on the horizon,'' Emlyn stated, showing little reaction to the bitter cold.

Nassandra suppressed a shiver as she rubbed her hands over the fire and glanced at the gator's swaying upper jaw. ''We won't stay long. If there is a storm on the way, we will need to find stronger shelter. I feel we are exposed right now.''

A small light under the creature's mouldy palate caught her eye. She stared intently, feeling her heart beat harder until it was crawling up her throat and dropping into her stomach at the same time. The light fluttered like butterfly wings. More lights flickered, revealing small insects with curled heads and spiral wings that spun slowly and hypnotically as they descended from above.

Nassandra's gasp alerted the rest of the group. They looked up to see the insect floating above them and were ready to draw their weapons.

''Don't!'' Turrock barked, keeping his voice as low as a harsh whisper. ''They say the soul of anyone that kills a Sagewing is blighted for eternity. I do not wish to welcome curses aboard our already strange party.''

''Do we ignore them?'' Ailith asked.

''You could. Or, you could admire them.'' He smirked. To everyone's surprise, he held out his arm, undaunted even as the insects drifted over and under his limb.

Ailith watched their motion, mesmerised by the way they seemed to dance along Turrock's tattoos. Looking closely, she could see the Sagewing's needle-thin limbs brushed over the ink. When she felt a tickling sensation running down her own arms, she turned and saw that more Sagewings had appeared and were circling each of them, creating calm channels of pulsating light balls.

''What are they doing?'' Ailith inquired.

''They fed off of the magical aura from all living things,'' Turrock answered. ''Trees. Animals. Small enough that you'll barely notice them and life can go on for all.''

Ailith relaxed after hearing Turrock's assured words. More Sagewings gleamed into view. Twisting her body, Ailith saw everyone marvel at the creatures showering them with light and affection. She noticed that Emlyn seemed to attract the most attention, despite her unreceptive attitude towards them. Cadere and Levana eyed the insects apprehensively. Although, Levana couldn't hide a giggle when a Sagewing got close enough to tickle the back of her neck.

Her eyes locked with Nassandra's and the two friends stared in wonder at what was happening. Their beaming smiles shone as brightly as the light dancing around them. The bitter cold and harsh winds now felt like a distance memory. Noticing a particularly bright spot next to them, they turned and saw many Sagewings perched on Fethawi's body, grouping wherever his Sorgink carvings were.

''It appears that they like me,'' Fethawi commented.

Nassandra laughed. Despite her heavy heart and clouded thoughts, warmth blossomed inside of her. She'd give anything to hold onto that feeling forever. In the midst of her excitement, an idea came to her.

Walking over to Ailith, she grabbed the warrior's hand and lifted it in the air.

Ailith furrowed her brow. ''What are you doing?''

Nassandra hesitated to answer and almost released Ailith's hand, wondering if she had overstepped her boundaries. ''I-I wanted to test a theory. If...if they can sense potential aura.''

''Wouldn't Emlyn or Cadere be the best people to test that theory with?''

Nassandra interlocked her fingers with Ailith's. ''I want to test it with you.''

A faint glow moving closer snagged their attention away from each other. Half a dozen Sagewings slowly floated towards them, battling against the strong winds. All eyes were on the luminescent creatures that twirled over and under Ailith and Nassandra's joined hands. The cold that prickled their skin vanished with the Sagewings' glow warming them more than the forgotten fire had.

Ailith's smile widened. They were like dancing stars that could be touched.

A bright flash of lightning in the distance averted Ailith's attention away from the Sagewings. Her heart plummeted. Moving between the trees, she saw the silhouette of a monstrous beast.

She squeezed Nassandra's hand and pulled her closer. ''Put out the fire and hide!''

The loud groan of trees being toppled alerted the rest of the group to the threat. They could see the creature's head and long neck emerge from the trees as it trampled forward on four huge legs into the wetland, causing the ground beneath the group's fee to quake. The Sagewings scattered in every direction before anyone could blink.

Turrock's leg lashed at the small fire, extinguishing it, leaving only a small puff of smoke. One by one, they rushed out of the other side of the Gigagator's jaw and hid behind it. Only their head and shoulders remained above the murky water. Their weapons were already drawn, and Ailith had coated her arms in diamond, although, even the warrior doubted that it would have made a difference against such a colossal behemoth.

It towered over the corpse of the Gigagator. Its tail lashed mimicked the lightning above, carving trees in its wake. It had two horns, half the size of its head, spiked out above the eyes. The eyes, greyer than its hard skin, surveyed its surroundings as it sniffed the air. The long neck rumbled with a low growl.

No one dared to speak or breathe. They didn't even need to glance up to see what the creature was doing, opting instead to watch its shadow reflected in the water.

Another violent flash of lightning ripped through the sky, and the beast struck with its mouth clamping over the head of the Gigagator carcass. The sudden momentum knocked the group forward. The beast's teeth tore through the dry rotten flesh of the corpse, and as it reeled its long neck back and pulled, the Gigagator's head was ripped clean off.

Half-hidden within the water, the group watched slack-jawed at the beast making short work of devouring the chunks of stringy, bloodless meat. As it chomped, it twisted its enormous body and began walking in the other direction. The wetland shook with every step until it disappeared within the trees and became nothing more than a shadow that overwhelmed the forest.

Ailith stood up, soaked to the bone and still trying to catch her breath. She noticed Nassandra trying to get up and quickly hurried over to help the Princess to her feet. The rest of the group were soon on their feet, still staring wide-eyed down the demolished path left in the beast's wake.

Levana rubbed her face. ''What was that thing?''

''I don't know,'' Ailith said.

''I'm with diamond-rough on this one,'' Turrock continued grimly. ''I've never seen a monstrosity like that before!''

Cadere grunted and lifted his face, allowing the heavy rain to wash the dirt off his face. ''Journeying through Mameth Forest is suicide. We'll never make it to Fylian. Your Highness, we must turn back.''

Nassandra flinched at the Marshal's tone. Her eyes darted back and forth between where the beast had departed and the shaken group. She could not only see their fear and confusion, she felt it. She trembled and couldn't get the words out of her mouth. The voices of doubt pierced through the back of her mind, ready to make her confidence crumble.

''The Princess is right.'' Emlyn declared, marching forward. ''We're exposed. We need to find shelter.''

Sighing silently with relief, Nassandra made sure to collect her items and waited until Fethawi was by her side before following the swordswoman. She kept her gaze low, afraid to look anyone in the eye.

A/N: Hello guys, girls and everyone else. I am so sorry that it's taken me so long with this new chapter. Personal life took priority, but I should now hopefully have the time to fully dedicate myself to updating and finishing this story as soon as possible. What did you think of this chapter? Will the group make it through the forest unscathed? Will they encounter The Beast again in their travels? What other dangers await them? The next chapter will be a big one, so don't miss it. Thank you all, and take care.