Shadow Nymphs

Shadow Nymphs

Garvin Pouw

“Shadow Nymphs”

Garvin Pouw

First issued August 2023

Publisher: Godijn Publishing

Coverdesign: Jen Minkman

Covermodel: Ingrid den Elzen

Coverphoto: Depositphotos

Translation: Eris-Eye

Special thanks: Carina te Witt

ISBN 978-94-6464-132-5

ISBN E-book: 978-94-6464-133-2

NUR 334

©2023 Godijn Publishing | www.godijnpublishing.nl

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced and/or published, by print, photocopy, microfilm or any other means, without the prior written permission of Godijn Publishing.

Nîve

Somewhere in the depths of the vast Valta a forest river flowed. A thousand feet of canopy should block the stream from light, yet darkness was unable to claim its flow. A shimmer found its way through the mists and donned the valley in a yellow hue, a strange addition to the pink shine radiating from the running water.

The damp roof of the Valta was carried by gigantic pillars, humongous tree stems whose broad footings rose hundreds of meters apart. Their wide branches spread as far from the ground as clouds would float above meadows, but the denseness of their leaves was intense and more suffocating than any cloud could be. In theory, no light should ever find its way to this forest floor, but then no forest other than the Valta would give birth to something as miraculous as mirror leaf. Mirror leaf consisted of leaves as bright as silver, able to harness any form of light and amplify it echoing down. It enabled the canopy to shine as if it were a sun in its own merit. Never as bright as the real thing, but all the more magical. A radiant mystery providing life and all its blessings. Down here it allowed paradise to be. It shone across fields of giant lilies and reflected in the water, causing a beautiful pink rippling that echoed across the petals of those treelike flowers. The water drew its colors from these pink and white petals and as a result the lily woods exchanged the glow between water and canopy. It was both peaceful and beautiful, though at one point the tranquility of the water was roughly disturbed. It was the place where Nîve had decided to jump.

Pink drops, as they fell, provided a sharp contrast to Nîve’s blue skin color. The strange creature which barely escaped her grasp couldn’t care less. Nîve’s spear had missed it, for the frog-like fish had been quick to dive and now provocatively reappeared on a faraway bank in order to mock her. Nîve squinted her eyes. She should have jumped in straight away when Nakisa had warned her of the critter. Now the beast filled its cheeks with air in the shape of a proud smile only to slide back in the pinkish water. Nakisa’s laughter echoed loudly.

“This water’s too murky,’ Nîve stated in her defense. Hunting was one of her many prides and she took her failure far too serious. She was right though. These large lily leaves had turned the river into a blurry mess. The only thing that seemed able to shine through was her crankiness. Perhaps she should have just left things as they were, but for some reason she couldn’t stop glaring at herself. The green eyes looking back from the water betrayed a wide range of emotions. She seemed both tired and angry, even though the day had only just begun.

Nakisa didn’t seem to share Nîve’s problems. Her cousin enjoyed her comedy of failure and leaned back on the scaffold in a sensual pose. Nakisa presented herself as an embodiment of relaxation whereas Nîve just embodied grumpiness.

What was this about anyway? They hadn’t come to hunt. Nobody had told her to kill the fish thing. Nakisa, noticing the creature, could have just left it at that. Whatever happened to live and let live?

Apparently Nîve still struggled with instincts left over from a time when food gathering was the only priority in play. That time of great hunger was long gone, but for some reason her reflexes had never gotten that memo. Nakisa was in the right here. She should have just stayed ashore, enjoying the early mirror leaf. Now she had made an ass out of herself and Nakisa was right to call her out.

So why was Nîve unable to just smile and let this go? Even now her dismal reflection seemed silly enough to send any person bursting into laughter. Staring at her murky face she took to her hair and straightened the bright white locks that never should have been there.

Nakisa was the one who had thought it fun to take this morning off to dye their hair. She had found this wonderful flower which turned blue nymph hair into something with a pearly shine. Far too bright to Nîve’s liking, but then, was anything ever to Nîve’s liking?

Nakisa seemed to be the only one putting in an effort to cheer her up and perhaps this awkward exercise in hairstyling was just that, a harmless attempt to provoke Nîve’s moody blues.

Nakisa deserved points for effort. Sitting on these banks, waiting for their hair to dry, would brighten anyone’s day. So why was Nîve thinking of cutting these locks altogether? She really didn’t like what she was looking at. They were only two locks, but somehow they estranged her appearance. They made her seem bright and colorful, but they only did so on the outside. They didn’t change a damn within. Perhaps that was what bothered her the most. Changing one’s look is all too easy, but to change one’s frame of mind? Two white locks didn’t change the fact that she could never feel as safe and untroubled as Nakisa did. She could never be as carefree or creative.

Nakisa was Nîve’s opposite. Whereas Nîve was troubled by just these locks, Nakisa changed her look on a weekly basis. Two weeks ago Nakisa, on impulse, had decided to shave her entire head. It had come as quite a shock to Nîve, for the strange gel spikes that now decorated her head could hardly be called an improvement. The girl sported the look of a wet hedgehog. Now she had dyed it all and she shone like a lamp. It was exactly what her cousin was like though; an attention grabber, an exhibitionist. She was exactly what Nîve could have been if she had not strayed from her path .

‘C’mon girl!’ Nakisa smiled as she stretched her hand to lift Nîve back on the bank.

Nîve made use of the gesture, but she still wouldn’t let go of her hair.

‘It will look better once dried, except you just made sure that‘ll take twice as long.’

Nîve stared as Nakisa took her locks between her fingers. The die besmirched them, but Nakisa didn’t seem to care. She was staring at Nîve’s face. ‘I so envy your eyes,’ she muttered. ‘If only you realised how much of a rarity green eyes are on a river nymph.’

‘You would have spared me the hair then?’ Nîve wondered if she could ever be more to Nakisa than just exotic looks.

‘If only we could get you to smile,’ Nakisa frowned. She seemed to assess Nîve. ‘You could really do with more radiance. Same goes for your hair. You ought to do something with your coupe, because this simply will not do. Nymphs should either wear it long or short, not this mess in between that you’re upholding.’

‘I thought you liked things that are different.’

‘Not if different looks boring.’

Nîve mumbled. Had Nakisa ever properly looked at herself? If this was her way of cheering her up, she couldn’t be further off.

Nakisa noticed her lack of tact and decided to compensate. ‘You weren’t that far off you know? With the fish thing? You had great aim,’ She nodded to where the beast had been. ‘I probably scared him away.’

Nîve turned to face the river. Something about the water vexed her. ‘I don’t get how I managed to miss him. He seemed faster somehow, more alert than he should have been.’

Nakisa giggled. ‘Perhaps it’s the whiteness of our hair? It does make us stand out.’

Nîve didn’t think hair had anything to do with it.

‘Oh, c’mon! You think the beast was bewitched?’

Nîve turned and lifted her chin. ‘It’s a possibility,’ she grunted.

‘You’re exaggerating Nîve.’

‘Possibly,’ Nîve sighed. ‘Then again, there are things that can never be exaggerated.’

A dark gloom took hold of Nîve’s green eyes and Nakisa took it as a sign. It was useless to try and stop her cousin from brooding.

‘There are vile spores in the wood,’ Nîve muttered. ‘They have been found close by. Kaysen and Nidira have found some on a higher level and if Dwaelia is to be believed, the well at Antrisi is contaminated.’

‘If Dwaelia is to be believed she is impregnated by a unicorn,’ Nakisa scorned.

Nîve refused to laugh. ‘There’s foulbrood nearby, Nakisa. I’ve seen so for myself, just two days ago as I went hunting with Trize. We spotted it at the falls of Yiterna, that’s hardly seven miles from here. It was foulbrood, not just a vile spore and the waters that flow over there also flow here.’

‘Fine!’ Nakisa growled. ‘So there’s foulbrood over there! So there are vile spores drifting about! But they aren’t here, Nîve! They’re not here!’ Nakisa’s anger made way for sadness. ‘I know that our world is dying, but its end is not today Nîve. Today the mirror leaf shines. Can we please just have some laughter?’ She shook her head. ‘I cannot change your past Nîve, nor can I look into our future. I don’t know when our doom will come for us, but when it happens, it happens. I don’t want to add to it by living in fear. So could you please just stop?’

Silence took hold. Nîve was well aware she had ruined the moment. She should have just let it go, but standing there whilst wondering about the river, she realized she’d probably never be able to. Not daring to face Nakisa again, her gaze drifted to the far reaches of the lily wood. Beyond the mirror-leaf seams she could see the wild colors of the canopy. Up there many new levels of the Valta awaited them. Some had forest floorings of their own and between those wild webbed branches entire cities lay hidden. The Valta was a world of secrets and marvels, but Nîve could no longer look at it with longing. After witnessing what she had witnessed, one could never again be enchanted. All one could see was doom and gloom. Even now, within the bewildering beauty of the lily wood, Nîve stayed anchored in her trauma. She couldn’t see past it. Not here, not there, not ever. She sighed. So much for this morning of joy. Looking at Nakisa, Nîve could see how pretty much everything was ruined. Nakisa was already wrapping up her gear. She had decided to give up. ‘You coming?’

Nîve looked around. The village was about half an hour’s walk from here which meant they had to endure each other’s company for at least that long. Without another word Nîve fell in behind her cousin.

Clearly there was friction between Nîve and Nakisa. They didn’t hate each other, but their respective worlds seemed worlds apart. Today ought to have narrowed the gap. Nîve still had the look of a nymph, but according to Nakisa it had been too long since she had acted like one. All Nîve ever did was hunt. She preferred spending time with the kjenna elders to being near Nakisa’s nest. She didn’t bring warmth, nor did she seem to enjoy any pleasures for herself. She was a guest who took little, but gave even less.

No one really blamed her, though. Everyone showed compassion and today’s effort on Nakisa’s behalf seemed a genuine attempt at easing Nîve’s mind. Apparently it was still too early. Nakisa’s family just hadn’t figured out how to reach Nîve, but that was something they could hardly be blamed for. Everyone who really knew, had died.

Nakisa’s kjenna was the only shelter left to Nîve. The place hardly had ties to Nîve’s origins and at times it seemed so distant it made Nîve doubt she’d ever find a way to belong. She accepted Nakisa as her cousin, but it wasn’t clear that even that was true. The only thing that was factual, was that they were related in some way. Due to the ever changing nature of nymph contacts it was hard to backtrack who was related to whom. Parentage was difficult to establish and as one aimed to search relations beyond that, one easily got trapped in a maze. A daughter falling in love with the man who would later be revealed as her father was hardly an exception. The word ‘family’ held a different meaning to nymphs , but that didn’t say all bonds were worthless. Even when details were vague, a kjenna would still embrace anyone who seemed to be of equal blood. Nakisa’s mother had somehow been acquainted to Nîve’s mother and as such she was the only relative Nîve had known to find. The claim of acquaintance had been enough to accept Nîve in Nakisa’s family nest. She had been welcome from day one, but she would never call it home. Nothing could ever be called a home after one had been forced to see their home burn.

As Nîve was pondering such matters, the lily woods disappeared behind a hill. They reached an empty plain in the forest and Nîve took her time gazing up amongst the trees. She knew many refugees of her former kjenna had taken shelter beyond those branches. It was common knowledge that higher levels held more safety. The forest floor was deemed the most dangerous level in all the Valta. The tree people would have eagerly welcomed Nîve had she chosen to flee that way, but Nîve was still a river child. Water was her blood and she was certain she’d find less of it up there. This world below was dangerous, but it was large enough to hide many valleys and villages. Not even the intruder had been able to scout out all its lands and it was well possible he would never find this kjenna altogether. The chances of Nîve crossing paths with a second disaster were as slim as in any other place. It could be never or it could be now, such was the curse of the Valta nowadays and it made all choices equally senseless.

Nîve shook her head. Enough of that. Did every thought need to end on a gloomy note? She wasn’t that far gone was she? Things had been fine lately. In fact, everything had been great up until the moment she’d set foot in the river.

Nakisa sensed Nîve’s struggle. She decided to put in another effort to lift her cousin’s spirits. ‘You know what we should do? We should visit Weanon! You still need to be sculpted, Nîve! You’ve waited far too long as it is.’

Nîve’s jaw dropped. Nakisa was bringing out the guns. To be sculpted by Weanon was no small treat. In fact it was such an honor that Nîve couldn’t help but glow at the prospect.

Weanon, by far, was the oldest person in the kjenna of Ikesfelia. His hut was located under the bridge, next to a spring. It was a marvelous place, though no one could tell whether that had always been so or if that were somehow Weanons doing. Many a nymph seemed to have a theory about it, but it was commonly concluded that Weanon was versed in magic. He was able to do things with soil which no nymph could fathom nor mimic. His greatest achievement however was his garden of sculptures. Without a doubt it was the greatest wonder Ikesfelia had to offer. Weanon used clay from the nearby river to sculpt replicas of just about everyone of the villages inhabitants. He had done so for countless years. As a true artist he had provided every nymph with his or her own mirror image. He granted them eternal life and if the word of other nymphs was anything to go by, the process itself was a life changing experience.

Nakisa’s eyes sparkled as she recollected. ‘His hands,’ she swayed. ‘He doesn’t sculpt anything without first getting the feel of it. He’ll slide his fingers around your every curve. After doing so he will take that feeling into the clay, he’ll repeat and repeat, until he is done. Until his feeling with the clay is identical. It’s nothing short of a godly massage. Whoever gets to share his nest must be the luckiest nymph alive.’ She quickly turned to Nîve. ‘You can’t imagine what it is like, but you soon will! He has been asking about you for weeks, Nîve. Today you will not escape your destiny.’

Nîve wouldn’t even try. She had heard enough about Weanon’s art to genuinely look forward to it. She had visited his statues and had touched a great many of them. It had felt like stroking real life beings. Talent aside, the fact that Weanon had asked about Nîve should indeed be considered an honor. It was a sign of acceptance by the kjenna. A rise in status. It meant these nymphs would treat her as a sister and they would protect her with their lives, just as she would do for them. This place might never feel as home to her, but it could definitely become a place of belonging.

Nakisa noticed Nîve’s proud smile and somehow their world seemed to brighten. Their mood was on the rise and the flowers around them seemed to embrace the radiance of the moment. They both sped up their pace and before long they vanished between mists of pollen. Wandering through nature’s splendor until a hill-like root belonging to one of the giant trees blocked their path. That hill was the last obstacle in their way, but it so happened that as they put in the effort to climb it, destiny lashed out.

Without warning something shook the ground. A great trembling caused the giant tree to moan, while cracks opened up throughout the forest floor. It seemed like an earthquake, but it happened just as much above them as beneath their feet. Branches crackled and bark fell from the giant stem. Both earth and moss were swallowed in crevasses and somewhere a large boulder started to roll. It came to a halt near the massive root and in doing so it marked the end of the quake. All that remained was a sudden silence in which Nîve and Nakisa caught their breath.

Nakisa trembled. ‘O-okay,’ she stuttered. ‘What just happened?’

Nîve didn’t answer. It had been the very ground beneath their feet and even now one could hear the rustling of a thousand leaves making their way towards new depths. Quakes weren’t common, nor was the pain that seemed to affect the trees around them. Nymphs could sense when nature was hurting and it was that very sense that strained Nîve’s heart. Something wasn’t right at all.

She turned to Nakisa but dared not utter what she was thinking. A cold breeze made its way towards them and Nakisa gazed at a darkness that seemed to shroud their horizon. Petals danced upon a whiff of air as she crouched to listen more intently.

‘Do you hear it?’ she turned towards Nîve.

Nîve shut her eyes to make use of her other senses. The thing she heard was a rumbling, but it wasn’t a second quake.

‘Look!’ Nakisa pointed to shapes she saw running alongside the root hills. A herd of cream colored gazelles came stampeding their way. Nîve and Nakisa had to be swift in order to get out of the way. The leaping animals almost grazed them, but the gazelles swerved and went in another direction. They vanished in the undergrowth. Nîve understood that whatever happened had upset the balance of the forest. It had alarmed all living things and the gazelles were the swiftest breed around. Other animals were soon to follow. Nîve reached out to Nakisa in order to pull her against the stem of the tree. As they were climbing they could see a rising shine as a cloud of woodsprites made its way towards them. Mice and other rodents raced along the ferns beneath their feet. One would be surprised at the amount of life the Valta was able to hide and now everything was showing up at once. The fairies were the brightest amongst the bunch. Their bright colors and sparks passed them like a meteor shower. A big brown bear running amongst them growled at the little ladies as they passed him. Nîve squinted and for a moment she thought she spotted a black unicorn amidst the storm. She would have loved to focus on that, but three warthogs brushed against the tree and she had to solidify her grip. These were moments in which one could easily be trampled so her priority should be to stay out of harm’s way instead of peeking. This stampede couldn’t last that long and indeed mere moments later the whistling stopped.

While only some stragglers remained on the floor, Nîve and Nakisa released their grip and landed in their middle. A confused armadillo almost bumped against Nakisa’s heel, but luckily it veered off and headed elsewhere.

‘Something very bad has happened,’ Nîve managed to state.

‘Well duh,’ Nakisa rolled her eyes at her.

‘I mean it,’ Nîve pointed to where the animals had come from. ‘The forest has gotten darker over there.’

‘I know,’ Nakisa pondered. ‘I just want to know why.’

The darkness lay in the direction of their village. Nîve didn’t dare call it, but she was already calculating possibilities. Only one stood out.

‘Over there!’ Nakisa had spotted something among the stragglers and doing her best not to step on mice, she started towards two rather large butterflies. She managed to ensnare them before Nîve was able to recognize them.

‘Just the two I needed!’ Nakisa proclaimed. She opened her hands to reveal two beautiful fairies; Flutia and Jit. The two seemed rather uncomfortable in Nakisa’s hands. They almost made Nîve laugh, two scared fairies and Nakisa as the evil giant holding them, but the severity of what was happening forbade humor. These fairies were never meant to be afraid of anything, not at the least a nymph.

Normal fairies kept their distance from nymphs as much as they could, but these two happened to be fairies of a different kind. These girls held a story all their own. The smallest, the one with the brown petal-like wings, was famous within the kjenna. She had been born a mute. Deaf and unable to speak she would have been an easy prey, but nymphs that had noticed had taken her in their care and kept her in the village. Her sister Flutia, was welcomed thereafter to keep her baby sister company. The two were quite the item, but that was just the thing, they were an item within the confines of the village, what could they possibly be doing out here amidst the wilds?

Nîve dared not listen to the answers they provided to Nakisa’s quick interrogation. Yes the two were scared and hardly without reason. When they told all they knew, both Nîve and Nakisa had faces as pale as the elves.

‘It can’t be.’ Nakisa tried to catch her breath. ‘He can’t be here. We have nothing of value!’

Nîve knew better than to deny it. The village was situated upstream. It was in the waters of the pink river where turmoil had grasped her mind. Along with the quake the signs added up. Her nightmare had come again.

‘We have to leave, Nakisa. We have to leave straight away.’

‘Leave? We can’t leave now. We need to go straight back to the kjenna!’

Nîve wisely shook her head. ‘We can’t, Nakisa, not any more.’

Nakisa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She turned on Nîve with fiery eyes. ‘You can’t be saying we should just leave everyone behind. There is just no way Nîve! No way!’

Nîve realized Nakisa couldn’t cope with the situation as emotionless as she was able to, for even she felt troubled. She just had to make Nakisa understand.

‘Please, Nakisa,’ she pleaded. ‘If what Flutia just told us is true, essentially there is no kjenna to return to. Only if we run now we stand a chance of surviving this.’

‘But what of the rest!’ Nakisa snarled. ‘What if there are still nymphs fighting? We should help them!’

Nîve bowed her gaze towards the forest floor. ‘Chances are there is no one left Nakisa.’

Nakisa turned her face away from Nîve to stare into the distance. The last animals had fled and except for two flutter fairies, they stood all alone. Even Nakisa sensed the doom as it was making its way towards them. It slid between the trees like an evil whisper. Planting suggestions in her head. Nakisa suddenly turned on her cousin. ‘Is that what happened with you before? Is that how you were able to survive that time around?’

Nîve stood aback.

Nakisa pointed her finger at Nîve’s chest. ‘You must’ve just upped and left. You never fought or sought help, you just left them all to rot.’ Nakisa’s voice started trembling. ‘Well I won’t! I am not leaving this place before I’ve tried!’

Before Nîve could stop her, Nakisa turned and started to run towards the village. Nîve watched her vanish in a curl of mist, yet she did exactly as Nakisa had implied before. Nothing. She just stood there paralyzed in fear.

‘No Nakisa,’ she whispered quietly. ‘I didn’t run the first time. I only wish I had…’

Ikesfelia

Nîve had no other choice but to let Nakisa go. She knew the effects of the dark poison and she had already been exposed once. A second exposure would be hard to survive. It would mean certain death.

Nakisa wasn’t right, Nîve’s reluctance to dive back in wasn’t cowardice, it was sanity. Nakisa’s insinuations proved that the dark enchantments were already at work. Even at this distance, the whisperings of the spores had begun to poison minds. Snaring all within reach. The vile spores were more than just an omen. Every place that was visited upon by evil, betrayed itself by these wild spells running amok at its fringes. Spells that could not be seen nor smelled, they could hardly be noticed by the minds they touched, but Nîve had experienced them before and she could sense their foul taint even when they inhabited another’s thoughts.

All the riddles of this day suddenly began to make sense. Her mood swing this very morning should be attributed to a spell within the water. Now, drawing closer to town, a similar spell had taken hold of Nakisa, but she was far less familiar with it and therefore, unable to resist. These enchantments amplified dark thoughts. They forced you to think the things you didn’t want to think, even made you act upon them. They could find a shadow within every kind of soul. Luckily Nîve knew her demons well enough to recognize them, but Nakisa just wasn’t as prepared. She couldn’t be blamed for the nasty things she said, nor the stupidity of running straight into danger. But that didn’t make her right. She wasn’t right when she implied that Nîve cared for no one but herself. How else could it be explained that Nîve was pulling herself through the river this very moment? Grasping branches that reached in the water, pushing herself upstream, sensing very well the coldness that seeped into her blood. She was in so deep even her eyes could see how the spells were affecting her. Her skin was fading into a darker blue. She seemed more grayish and shadowy, even though the mirror leaf had hardly changed its hue, but she was right in the thick of it. Dead center in the poisoned water.

Bringing herself to a halt, she looked up against a wall. A pink flow came seeping over the edge of the dam. She knew full well the village would be right beyond that ridge yet it seemed frightfully silent. This was it. This was her point of no return. Moving on through this poisoned stream would be a one way ticket and she knew it. If only she was a coward as Nakisa had suggested. If only she had learned from previous mistakes. Unfortunately that wasn’t her. She could never leave and do nothing. Never back down from doing the right thing.

Passing through the infected stream was hardly the easiest way she could have chosen, but she knew the dark ones would never expect her to come this way. Somehow, within the confines of her warped mind, this made sense. She was already risking all she had and hoping to keep her dark thoughts at bay. Long enough to possibly save her cousin. Broodingly she sank back in the flow, allowing the spell to master her, but staying conscious throughout the process. She kept the fear away, but she used the coldness of hate to empower her. Tugging the leaf bow on her arm she was eager to do some damage. She was just about to make her move when suddenly two fairies approached her from behind. Her aggravation almost made her strike them.

‘We’re here,’ Flutia reported, but Nîve was already beyond caring. The little girls had been in the village and therefore, had knowledge. She needed them to provide directions. Standing in the darkness of the river, Nîve had already stopped thinking of their welfare. ‘Hurry up!’ she snarled at the little elf. The fairy looked frightened, but her mute little sister complied and climbed up before the dam. It wasn’t long before both fairies rose into the yellow light beyond.

‘What do you see?’ Nîve hissed.

Flutia looked left and right. ‘Nothing. All clear!’

That didn’t comfort Nîve in the least. She took a breath and slid back in the darkness of the flow. Diving felt like immersing herself in evil. Being a river nymph, Nîve was always more agile in water, but here she had to fight against a wide range of impulses as the stream was draining her soul. She had to keep it brief. She swiftly shot across the bottom and then leaped upwards like a salmon. She threw herself against the dam and managed what no other swimmer would be able to. Her slick body disappeared beyond the ridge. When she resurfaced, she had reached a new level in the river and she was immediately wary of her surroundings. The only things visible were her dyed locks and her piercing green eyes. She had run the first gauntlet, but she knew there would be many more.

Ikesfelia seemed like a merger between the world of river nymphs and their high-forest counterparts. Wooden houses could be found on flats that had the same shape as water lilies in a pond. Most such islands stood in the river, lifted on poles and connected with rafters, but the huts also cluttered against the stems of the trees and piled high above one another. About six of the giant trees surrounded this bend in the river and houses covered their bark-like mushrooms. The canopy started a little lower than most places and some brave nymphs had even dared to attach their huts to the lower branches. Their technique couldn’t differ all that much to those of the tree nymphs. It was a clear indication that this kjenna had close ties to the peoples of the upper levels. Somewhere up there, there was a road that would lead into the higher regions of the second level and beyond. The village therefore, served as a crossroads of sorts. Perhaps nowadays it was a common thought that a high house could bring the benefit of a swift flight should need arise. In Nîve’s opinion that didn’t seem very practical as it distanced one from the water, but merits could be argued.

At that moment, Nîve had far better questions to ask herself. Everything around her seemed quiet, but it was that very stillness that disturbed her. She didn’t see movement in any of the houses, there were no sounds, not even a whiff of wind. Lurking from the river she didn’t spy any dangers, but she didn’t see any signs of life either. No one was walking on the bridges, no one was wading through the waters. No lights, no voices. She seemed to have surfaced within a ghost town. The silence of it all prompted Nîve to be even more wary in her movements. Her oily skin enabled her to swim without leaving as much as a wrinkle. She managed to reach a large bridge and took shelter within its shade. From there she moved on to a floating platform, but she still didn’t have the vantage point to see beyond the edges. She felt threatened, but she couldn’t discern smoke, nor hear any battle cries. It seemed very different this second time around and she didn’t know what to make of it. They couldn’t have all just disappeared. Fact was Nîve wouldn’t become any wiser hanging out in this spore infected water. She had to make shore. She double checked the bow that was attached to her forearm and then, nodding to Flutia to follow her, she dived back under. She cut through the shady pink river and rose on the opposite bank.

Being on land changed Nîve’s perspective. She was suddenly able to see into the narrow streets and as she turned she could look upon the flats. That was where they’d all gone: The nymphs of Ikesfelia lay on their bellies and faces or they’d been turned on their backs. They lay slain and tossed aside. Staring with eyes that could no longer see. Nîve shut her own. She hated being right. This was how she had expected it, but there was a difference between imagining it from a distance and facing it. She knew these nymphs, she knew their faces and their names. It was a lot to take in.

This was where the dark spell of the stream brought her strength. Any normal nymph would have succumbed to her emotions, but Nîve was full of dark and bitter thoughts. She didn’t linger in her mourning, she was able to ignore what she saw in order to prioritize. She had known all these nymphs to be dead before she had even started. Nakisa was the only one she was here for and therefore, Nakisa became her sole focus. In fact, cutting off Nakisa was the very reason Nîve had opted the river in favor of land. She knew it was her only way of getting ahead of her cousin. The only thing she wanted was to stop Nakisa from getting this dark taint which was already hers. To do so meant she had to keep Nakisa from whatever evil was in the village and if doing so demanded her sacrifice then so be it.

Assuming she was here first, Nîve tried to determine which road would bring Nakisa to the scene. She turned a corner and made her way across a bridge. She recognized the head before her feet, but said head didn’t startle her as much as the body that went with it. The body lay several meters beyond but it wasn’t as alone as the rest of them. Before Nîve could even discern the creatures feasting on it, she had shot her bow. Razor leaf crossed space between her and her target and a shriek resounded. An animal that seemed all but nature’s creation, went into convulsions. As it dropped, a second one looked up and it espied Nîve with a fierce glare. Its head wasn’t much larger than Nîve’s fist, but the head and mouth were hardly the problem. It was the limbs she had to watch out for. Not the arms and legs, but the four protruding branches that sprung from its back and had nasty claws attached to them. Those could service some nasty cuts, but luckily the monster lacked the courage to use them. It turned tail and used its extensions to grasp the side of the bridge and maneuver itself underneath.

Nîve was glad that it had done so. Reloading her bow demanded a pause and she remained vulnerable until it was done. Grasping in her pouch she cut herself on the razor leaf, but she was able to rearm at an astonishing rate. Knowing these little monsters could probably pass underneath her, she expected an attack to come from behind, yet when she stood her ground to aim, she noticed the critter had already fled to another roof and was actually out of range. It no longer posed a threat, so she had better cool down. The vile spells of the water had filled her with adrenaline and apparently they had added to both her reflexes and aggression. It clouded her wits though. She didn’t have much razor leaf at all and to spill it on these tiny scavengers proved she wasn’t as clearheaded as she should be. Unfortunately she didn’t get the time to sort herself out.

Nakisa’s cry was loud and echoed across the street. Nîve instantly knew where it had come from and she stormed towards it. She jumped several corpses and chased away two more scavengers. She aimed towards the end of a street that was covered in fog. It was there that she spotted Nakisa rolling on the ground and she could just discern the shadow of the creature that had tossed her. That wasn’t a little one. The monster which turned in her direction was large enough to withstand a rain of leaves, but Nîve shot at it anyway. The razor leaf landed in muscle and flesh, but most of it bounced upon a bony armor. An exoskeleton protected most of the monster and it was able to lash out the second Nîve got close. Nîve’s rage had kept her from halting and she was only just fast enough to escape the reach of those weird looking arms with the crooked hooks attached to them. When she jumped, she landed on the creature’s back, but she couldn’t grab on to fur or anything else, the monster’s back was slick and dirty and she instantly fell off again.

It all happened so swift, Nîve didn’t even know where she had dropped. It wasn’t very far though, for a monstrous face immediately rose in front of her. Long teeth above too small a lower jaw were pressed against her face. The claw arms struck left and right of her head, but Nîve was able to kick. She hit the monster in its mouth. This made him back off for just a second, but as it moaned, Nîve saw an opening she could use. Grasping in her pouch she took a full hand of razor leaf which she then tossed in the creature’s open mouth. She almost lost her hand when the jaws shut, but that was just the start of it. Before the monster could assault, it staggered and it roared. It withdrew from its prey as blood began to pour from the corners of its mouth. When the beast opened its mouth to cry out, all that it spread were parts of his inner body. It literally spat its throat from the inside out, right before it simply choked on its own fluids.

The creature itself had been ugly but its way of passing was gross and revolting. As it fell to its side, Nîve just sat there looking horrified. She wasn’t the only one. Grasping her leg, Nakisa could hardly believe what had transpired before her very eyes. That strange creature, its grasping arms and then Nîve? Nîve shooting it and making it choke in its own blood? She now looked upon her cousin who lay covered in its juices and Nakisa’s stomach turned.

Nîve tried to scramble to her feet, but Nakisa couldn’t do anything but look appalled. It wasn’t until Nîve grabbed her hand, that she would come to her senses.

‘I-I don’t know what happened,’ Nakisa trembled. ‘He came from nowhere, he was just there. He didn’t ask anything, stated no demands and then…’ Nakisa’s gaze turned towards her leg and she saw the drippings of her own blood. ‘H-he hit me,’ she whimpered. ‘Why did only you come to my rescue? Why has no one else…’

Only now was Nakisa able to see beyond Nîve and for the first time she noticed the bodies littering the street. Nîve was quick to pull her head against her breast. ‘Don’t look at them Nakisa,’ she whispered. ‘Don’t look or you’ll be seeing them forever.’

Nakisa trembled and she sobbed. Even Nîve had a hard time keeping herself together. The silence had returned and it seemed to sneak its way around them. Nîve already espied the scavengers returning.

‘Can we leave now?’ she asked Nakisa.

This time there was no protest. Her cousin nodded solemnly.

‘Can you walk?’

Nakisa had suffered quite a cut, but it didn’t seem that deep. If she could just stop shaking she should be able to stand on her own. Nîve nudged Nakisa to at least open her eyes, but when Nakisa did so, she found herself staring at the strange monster that had assailed them.

‘I think this is a morger,’ Nîve stated. ‘I haven’t seen one before, but I’ve heard talk of them.’

Nakisa calmly nodded. ‘A morger…’

Nîve quickly studied the corpse. At the end of those long forearms it seemed as though two fingers had merged into a hook-like claw.

‘They are Isinger’s answer to our tree nymph cousins. His satar weren’t agile enough to maneuver the upper levels. I had heard he bred new hunters, I just never crossed their path before.’

Nakisa hardly seemed to hear her. Nîve tried to talk in order to help her calm down, but it didn’t seem to work at all. ‘I guess by now you regret not having attended any of the hunters’ meetings, huh?’ she tried to jest.

Nakisa only turned her gaze.

‘C’mon,’ Nîve pulled her wrist. ‘We have to leave the village.’

Nakisa looked around in fear. ‘You think more will come?!’

Nîve saw no need to answer. Nakisa came to her own conclusions. ‘We have to get to the river. The water will provide the fastest way out!’

Nîve stopped her right away. ‘Not the river Nakisa, I may be able to make that, but you won’t, especially now.’

Nakisa didn’t get it, but Nîve seemed different somehow. She seemed more mature and able. Nakisa followed her while Nîve reached near the body of another nymph. She lifted a green brown sword and handed it to Nakisa.

‘I-I’ve never fought,’ Nakisa shivered. ‘I’ve hunted, but I’ve never fought.’

‘Hunting and fighting are the same thing,’ Nîve stated. ‘The only difference is the hunters hunt each other.’

Nakisa gulped. ‘Are they better at it?’ She nodded towards the morger.

Again Nîve didn’t provide an answer. ‘We should never have come,’ she muttered.

Nakisa had just come to Nîve’s side when suddenly they fell victim to the second blow. It wasn’t a bang or an explosion. It just seemed as if a sudden hole had appeared at their horizon sucking all air, earth and space its way. There appeared to be a sound, but it was rendered mute in an instant. The most notable thing was the tremor that shook the ground, for it resembled the quake they had felt when they had still been in the forest. It ended about as abruptly as it had begun, but this time it was followed by a great crackling high above them. The sound of thunder came rolling towards them from every angle. A branch that was at least thirty foot thick, slammed past them and leveled three houses. The force of the impact was enough to break through foundation poles and a dark chasm opened right next to them. The ground beneath their feet gave way and they were only just able to scramble from the edge.

Nîve gazed up in horror. Such a branch could only have fallen from one of the giant, level bearing trees, but she had never heard of a force strong enough to level such a Levianth. Her eyes didn’t lie though. Her perception was blurred, but she could clearly see one of the giant stems shifting downward. It seemed a whole section of the Levianth had gone missing and now the upper half of the eight hundred meters of tree started to shift down, taking everything that its branches carried with it. Houses all around them were crushed and rains of leaf pressed upon them as a storm. Knowing they wouldn’t stand a chance, Nîve threw herself against Nakisa and she sent the both of them sliding into the hole. As she shut her eyes, she was convinced that this was it. Their world came tumbling down. It would wipe out all that had ever stood beneath it.

A tree giant like the Levianths carrying the Valta could grow as large as a mountain. Within the grandness of the forest these trees basically supported each other, but no such mass was able to withstand the disappearance of its stem. Even though only a ring of several meters had vanished, the weight leaning down was so vast, gravity couldn’t ignore it. It couldn’t tumble for too much was still surrounding the giant, therefore the only thing it could do was sink. Most of the damage came from breaking branches and parts of level plates raining down upon the forest floor.

How could this have happened, or why? Such questions had to remain unanswered, but the violence of the moment was indisputable. The quake for all intents and purposes ended cataclysmically for all that lay underneath. In a world where levels were stacked upon levels, a quake of this magnitude caused boundaries to fall aside. It allowed worlds to mix as they scattered across the forest floor, bringing only chaos in their ruin.

Nakisa was fairly convinced of her death. She had heard stories about the moment of death and about a light shining at the end of a tunnel. At this very moment she lay stuck underneath a mountain of rubble and all she could see was a strange blue shimmer shining in her face. Blinded by the brightness of the light, she had to squeeze her eyes, but there was something strange about it. The light had a restfulness about it. It seemed to tell her everything was right.

She wanted to reach it. Despite her pain she dug herself from her grave and she started to crawl. Crawl towards the light… Somehow, in spite of her efforts she couldn’t get closer. It took her some time to realize distance wasn’t the factor. The light itself was shrinking and fading. Growing smaller even as she was drawing nearer. She still had to try though. She wanted in on the tunnel. Just before she could touch it, Nîve’s hands clasped her fingers.

‘Don’t,’ her cousin whispered close to her ear. ‘It’s a will-o’-the-wisp, if you touch it, it will die.’

Nakisa was supposed to know such matters, but at that moment it didn’t make a difference. The wisp was dying anyway. It started to dim, it flickered, and then it disappeared altogether. A silvery kind of dust fell to the floor, then all was caught by darkness.

The world had broken. The place Nîve and Nakisa now found themselves could just as easily have been a place hundreds of feet up within the Valta. Fact was this was still Ikesfelia. They were still in their kjenna village. It had become a strange place though. Leaves had blanketed just about everything and behind them a blanket of fairy dust provided a spooky shimmer. It was too much dust to be attributed to Flutia or Jit, perhaps even too much for a whole cloud of fairies. Now that the will-o’-the-wisp had died, it was the only shine to go by.

They really needed some bearings. Nîve and Nakisa had understood but a little of what had transpired. They had no knowledge of the how or why, but it was all too clear that the ceiling had come down upon their town. Their village had come to its end in the most definitive way possible.

Nîve was the first of the two that tried to stand again. Here in the darkness no one could see how dark her skin had become, but she was frantically fighting to keep control of her anger and her fears. She threw her white locks aside and peered up. She knew this chasm was struck by the first branch to fall and luckily it had shielded them from much that had come after. Somewhere above she could still discern the light of the mirror leaf so the world itself had not yet ended. They wouldn’t be able to reach it up there though. Walls of rubble surrounded them and seemed very unstable. Fearing more could still come down from above, Nîve tried to find another route for them to take. She ended up facing a wall with a still standing door, but by the time she stepped through, she noticed that was exactly all there was. A door onto nothing. The house it had belonged to had vanished beyond the wall. Beyond the threshold another layer of thick leaves awaited her, but these leaves were wet. They had mixed in with a body of water and Nîve came to wonder if their fall had brought them back towards the river. In an effort to pierce the darkness with her gaze she noticed dark pools between the leaves and an apparent flow between the branches. She could smell the dark curse of the water and needed no further convincing. Was it her imagination or were these waters rising? They had to leave this place quickly before this would become another niche of foulness. They were being approached by exactly the sort of evil from which she tried to shield Nakisa.

‘This water is poisoned,’ she tried to explain when her cousin stepped in behind her. ‘If you put as much as your foot in it, it will start feeding on your sorrow. It will drive you to despair and it will try to make you drown yourself.’

Nakisa just stared. ‘I already want to drown.’

‘No you don’t,’ Nîve stated briskly. ‘It’s this air that makes you think that. It’s a vile spore. It wants you to see no beyond, no future. It means to weaken you, so that it may catch you.’

‘What does it matter anyway?’ Nakisa shrugged. ‘Who cares if it takes me?’

‘I care!’ Nîve grabbed her cousin by the shoulders and forced her to look her in the eyes. ‘I managed to survive this and so shall you!’

‘But why?’

‘Because I refuse to be alone,’ Nîve fearfully stated. ‘I got into this mess to save you.’

Strangely it seemed enough for the moment. Nakisa had the choice of dying alone or staying alive with Nîve. She opted for the latter. The pinkish water had risen to their toes.

‘How do we go about this?’

‘We stay above the water by grasping the branches and stuff. If we hurry we will make it.’

‘But if we fall?’

‘We won’t fall!’ Nîve had already pulled herself across a root and she reached out for something higher. The green wood was already turning black, but she didn’t mention that to Nakisa, she just encouraged her cousin to follow suit. Nakisa begrudgingly climbed up behind her, but she halted to stare Nîve in the eyes. ‘How do you do it? How do you keep it from whispering to you?’ She nodded towards the water. ‘How do you keep yourself from listening?’

Nîve looked away. ‘It’s not telling me anything I don’t already know,’ she sighed. ‘I’ve been stuck for weeks in this kind of muck. I know what it does to drive you crazy and part of me has stayed crazy ever since that first time. That doesn’t mean I wish the same upon you.’

Nakisa softly turned her head. ‘You’re so different,’ she muttered. ‘So different from who we thought you were.’

‘You didn’t know what you had taken in,’ Nîve sighed. ‘I’ve never told you who I am inside, because I was sure you would never understand, not until now, not until you can taste it for yourself. I have been beyond hope for years now.’

Nakisa gave her a frightful look. ‘Is that you speaking, or is it the spell?’

Nîve stopped to glare in the water beneath her. She wished she knew.

There wasn’t much time to linger. As the water was rising the vile spores within it were drawn into the roots of the surrounding plants and it couldn’t be long until a foulbrood would start festering around them. Only by staying above the water did Nakisa stand a chance. If only Nîve could shield Nakisa long enough so that they might escape this den of chaos their home had become. If they wanted to keep ahead of these soul eating fumes, they should try and make their way upwards. To Nîve the roads of the tree nymphs seemed like the only way out of this spreading cesspool of evil. They had already improved their climbing. Flutia was flying ahead of them. They had found the fairy a little way back, but Jit had disappeared entirely. The fairy was torn between a desire to find her sister or simply survive by keeping close to Nîve. Nakisa was surprised the fairy hadn’t already given in to despair. Could it be that the pureness of the little creatures somehow shielded them from larger evils? Nakisa seemed unable to stop struggling herself. The dark chaos surrounding her hardly resembled her village as she had known and loved it. She wasn’t able to recognize places and all she could see, was the water gradually rising around her. Whatever had happened had obstructed the river’s flow. That meant that all huts and houses close to its banks were now flooded. Her own house had been fairly close to the water’s edge, which was a harsh thing to realize. The house that had been hers and her mother’s was probably swallowed up by the same pink murkiness that went out of its way to get at her.

Was it any consolation that the dark warlord had probably slaughtered everyone before these spells could grab them? The only thought that took hold of her in that regard was an incessant one: why? Why the hell had Isinger bothered to bewitch her insignificant kjenna? She hadn’t addressed the matter with Nîve, but Nakisa wasn’t a complete idiot. Even she knew this had to be him at work, but why here? What could Ikesfelia have to offer him? The Valta still held a multitude of other targets, strongholds like the Heart, the Wreath, anything beyond this backwater of a town! For all intents and purposes Ikesfelia should have been the last place in the world for him to visit. There simply was no explanation. No sensible reason why her family and friends all had to die. It had to be her. This had to be her well-deserved misfortune. The price for her stupidity. She had never been much good to this world, so it was only logical that everything was doomed because of her. This was her curse. This whole world would be far better off without her. In fact; that was something she had better remedied right now.

‘Nakisa!’ Nîve had turned to her and she stared her in the eyes. ‘Whatever it is you’re thinking, Nakis, stop it. Dismiss the thought, it isn’t yours!’

Nakisa swallowed. She instantly knew Nîve was right and she thanked her for stepping in. These waters had such a weird pull on the mind. She didn’t want to look at them, but their invisible cords kept pulling her down. Looking down in the murkiness, Nakisa gazed upon her own reflection. She saw but a shadow of whom she had once been. She thought she could see something taking shape down there, something meager and devoid of beauty. Something with thin long fingers that stared upwards from dark, empty sockets. She froze where she sat, but again Nîve held enough of a grip to pull her away.

‘Don’t linger, Nakisa and especially not above the water!’

She pulled her cousin aside. Nakisa nodded and concluded the river was making her insane. The worst part however, was when she looked up and saw the look on Flutia’s little face. The fairy stared exactly at where she had been looking and seemed terrified.

‘Did you see that?’

Nîve suddenly shushed them both. Pulling Nakisa towards her, Nîve pointed to an opening ahead. Out there a yellow light shone beyond the darkness, but it was blocked by a silhouette. It was a nymph frozen in her place, showing of her features in a way that didn’t make much sense. Her legs were slightly spread and her gaze seemed to be turned in another direction, as if she was teasing someone whom they couldn’t see.

Nîve was the first to recognize the deception. This lady did not move and as they approached her, the brownish color of her skin betrayed her not as an earth nymph, but as one of Weanon’s clay statues.

They immediately realized their whereabouts. This was supposed to be the kjenna’s hidden treasure. The most beautiful site along the river, but it too lay in ruins. Thick logs and branches were piled throughout the garden and the water level had risen, causing most statues to be submerged. A lot of statues lay broken. An ironic reminder of what had transpired with their living counterparts.

Nakisa placed her foot next to a severed head. It seemed so ominous. Everyone who had known Weanon’s creations knew them to be exact replica’s and seeing them share this doom packed a punch. There wasn’t time to ponder this happenstance though. A sudden cry resounded and Nîve quickly pulled Nakisa down into the mist. Nakisa thought she saw where the cry had come from. She even thought she could recognize to whom it belonged. She shed Nîve’s grip and dashed forward, up against the hillside and away from the mists and drowning statues. Nîve overtook her as she was about to cross a bridge.

‘Stop!’ she demanded, but Nakisa pointed her attention underneath the bridge.

‘It’s Weanon,’ she exclaimed. ‘It is Weanon and he is still alive!’

Nîve was able to see what was happening below them and she could only conclude the same. Weanon was down there, but unfortunately he wasn’t alone. Where once stood his home, Weanon was now pressed to the ground by a circle of beings. Nîve instantly recognized the satar, but she also saw morgers crawling along the edges of the mist. Then, partly hidden in the fog, she laid eyes on him.

It was her first time ever, but she was absolutely sure it was him. She smelled it, sensed it. He wasn’t bigger than the others, not more gruesome or dark. He had something going for him that was far worse, for he was handsome, prettier even than Weanon who was crawling at his feet. There seemed no doubt about it, he was clearly a member of the first generation, a child of the Goddess, but burned and embittered within the forges of the Dark Lord.

Nakisa recognized him as well. ‘Is that…’ she stuttered, but there was no need to complete the sentence. He was Isinger and even though he stood far beneath them, there could be no doubt.

They had ventured deep within this snake pit, even though they had only sought to escape it. They had ended up in the very midst of shadows and it seemed all but a matter of time before someone took note of them.

Nobody thought of rescuing Weanon. Nakisa didn’t even struggle as Nîve pulled her away from the bridge and back towards cover. Even she had to realize the numbers were just too large.

Nîve turned to face the darkness of a looming tree stem. One of the Levianths rose up beside them and it gave fruition to her first and only plan: Climb to seek shelter with the tree nymphs.

She pushed Nakisa to make her way up, but even then she hardly believed that they could make this work. This way up was a hard one and Nîve couldn’t help but guess that a warlord such as Isinger wouldn’t have forgotten to block their every exit.

It didn’t take long before an obstacle barred their way. Thin, glimmering cords could be seen spanning the bark of the great tree. The strings formed a broad and sophisticated web, weaved with the purpose of detecting stragglers. Nîve couldn’t spot any of the spiderlike scavengers she had faced before, but she was pretty sure they were out there. They were patiently waiting for someone to trip a wire.

Working on a solution to this new and dangerous puzzle, no one seemed to pay heed to the cries and pleads of Weanon below. Neither of them dared to look down for as much as a glance. They tried to concentrate on their grip, had to focus on not touching those damn wires, but Nîve looking ahead, understood there was no hope of that. The web got thicker and thicker, perhaps she could make it, but Nakisa wasn’t as adept a climber and her clumsiness would inevitably betray their passing. Somehow Nîve deemed it wiser to accept the unavoidable on her own terms.

Without discussion she pulled out a leaf knife and she cut one of the wires. Better to have the monsters come at her instead of her cousin, but even Nîve was surprised at how many of those critters had been lurking. They leaped down by the dozens!

Nakisa was surprised, but she managed to suppress a scream. She hadn’t seen these spiderlike beasties before so she didn’t quite know what to expect. Crawling and sliding along their slimy cords, the first were already upon them. They weren’t very strong, but they had many sharp edges and with these numbers they wouldn’t have a hard time subduing the nymphs. Nîve had all but run out of razor leaf and she was forced to fall back on nothing but her dagger. Nakisa was still in possession of a sword, but she hardly knew how to hold it, let alone wield it in a way that would be beneficial. This skirmish would end up in hand to hand and it was bound to become a very ugly one at that. The first black head moved in for a bite and Nîve was quick to grab it by the throat. She pressed down on its windpipe and was rather surprised to feel it buckle under her grip. The river’s effect was still lingering in her body and she made good use of its strength. While she was suffocating the first of the monsters, another was using its extra limbs to cut across her back. Blue-grey skin was getting peeled, but Nîve turned to strike and she sent the critter surging into the deep. Her arm was already reddening and she was pushing through the pain, but she was offered no chance for recovery. Many other monsters leaned in to get a piece of her and she struggled to keep her grip as she endeavored to fight them off.

By then Nakisa had also fallen victim to the beasts. One of them was biting her shoulder and little claws were groping her hair and poking along the edges of her face. She panicked and completely forgot about balance. She wasn’t accustomed to heights and didn’t take the depth into account as she turned to shake the monster of her shoulders. Before she knew it she was falling, but she ended up lucky. The critter cords stopped her fall before it could turn to disaster.

Nîve had seen her drop, but was hard-pressed to reach her. She had her own fights to fight and she would have to let go of the stem as well if she wanted to help.

Her assailants weren’t about to let her go. They jabbed and bit and she had to do some fancy fencing in order to ward them off. Many a limb got severed and fell into the deep, but the critters just kept coming. Clearly Nîve had bitten off more than she could chew.

Nakisa was on her own. Flutia was the only one that made a decent attempt at reaching her, but one flutter fairy could hardly make a difference. Nakisa had turned and twisted too much already. She’d become entangled in the wires and had no way to fend for herself as the tiny monsters jumped down after her. Her legs were tied and she had a wire around her neck, but the shearing of the cords was hardly as hurtful as the reaping of the monsters on her back. A cut along her forehead caused blood to drip in her eye socket and with dizziness all around, Nakisa chose to blindly strike with her sword. She couldn’t see the decapitation she performed, nor the manner in which the little head fell down into the fog that had begun to rise beneath them. The only thing she noticed was the room she got to climb. Perhaps she went too fast in doing so. A blackness blinded her and suddenly another of those beasties bit her in the leg. She turned to stab and maybe she hit him, maybe she didn’t. The only thing she found out for certain, was that she managed to cut the one wire she should never have cut. She instantly dropped again and sent herself swirling in the deep.

Nîve couldn’t believe it as she watched it. The stupidity of the move, followed by the absurdity of seeing Nakisa sway towards the fog, still hanging at the end of one long cord. When her cousin disappeared Nîve bellowed an incredible cry.

Nîve knew that single wire was the only way to retrieve Nakisa so she ignored her own battles in order to wrestle herself towards a ledge. She pushed herself away from the tree and took a dive aimed at the cord as it was swinging back towards her. Blessed by some miracle Nîve was able to grasp it, but gravity instantly took hold of her. It pulled her down the wire which ended up burning her hand. She slid along the cord, unable to stop herself and approaching the fog at speed. Her greatest horror awaited her when she noticed that the cord ended without a Nakisa at its bottom. In the next instant Nîve was soaring through the open sky.

She didn’t fall straight towards the river, for she had left the cord at the end of its swing. She did fly towards an edging stem cutting her fall far shorter then she’d expected. She bumped hard against the wood, almost bouncing back of again, but she was able to clasp to the bark thus staying her mad descent.

Dazed and suffering she was only now able to see the vista that the fog had covered up. She clung to the Levianth that had been the cause of all the chaos. The very tree that had somehow been wounded and forced to cave in upon itself. Looking straight down she saw the damage that had been visited upon the village, branches large as trees had leveled streets and the waters had flooded far beyond the banks. Isinger’s minions were scouring the still dry patches and Nîve could only pray none of his hunters would have the impulse to look up. She was no longer beyond their range of sight.

She didn’t see Nakisa. There were heaps of debris down there and she could have landed anywhere. Nîve closed her eyes as she was battling her fears and her thoughts. To have come this far and have it all be for naught! How stupid had she been, thinking she could save something within this hell!

Here she hung, a hundred feet above the worst evil ever to invade the Valta and even up here she was surrounded by dozens of monsters. Not even the tree she was clinging to could be trusted. Whatever magic had caused its demise, the darkness of it seemed to spread beneath Nîve’s fingers. The tree wasn’t just dying, it was being consumed. The same poisons that were spreading through the river had eaten through the wood. The bark was going soft underneath her fingernails. Green mosses were turning black and started to liquefy. What if the wood itself would melt beneath her feet. Nîve was no tree nymph, but she could sense this tree’s agony as it went, as it changed from a force of nature into a dark and twisted mess of things. Evil was feasting on this corpse and there was no telling how far this disease would spread before it was ever stayed. Nîve had become tired of fighting it. She didn’t want to think anymore about death, darkness and decay. She didn’t want to die in the way this tree had done. Didn’t want to become a breeding ground for dark and festering things. Nakisa was lost and though Nîve still clung to life, she knew it was a lie. Perhaps it took some time for the creatures to find their way here along their wires, or maybe they would just wait, knowing she wouldn’t be able to hang on forever. Or maybe they had just made room for an even worse version of a demon. Peering over her shoulder Nîve saw two of the creatures coming down, but these weren’t crawling, they were flying. Ragged wings filled the gaps between their extra limbs carrying them from the tree beyond, straight towards the place where Nîve held on. They didn’t seem built for flight. They came about rather clumsily, not able to calculate their speed of descent. None of them slowed down as they fell upon Nîve. One was able to claw itself against the bark as Nîve had done, but the other bumped into her at full strength. Nîve could have broken under the impact, if only the tree’s liquefied bark didn’t give way first. Somehow the wood beyond the bark had rotted away, leaving a hollowness beyond. Nîve fell inside the tree with the demon clinging to her back. She was suddenly surrounded by darkness without a surface, falling through an emptiness until the falling became a sliding. The demon shrieked and Nîve braced herself as she went, but nothing within this darkness could stop her. Nothing could keep her from descending into a dark unknown.

Shadow breath

Nakisa was drifting through the void, curled up against the pain this world had inflicted upon her. Entranced by murky twilight, hovering in a place that didn’t acknowledge above nor below. If anything, then perhaps the yellow shimmer to her right marked the surface, but why would she go there? What would be the use? Everyone had died up there; family, friends, possibly everyone she had ever known. In all likelihood Nîve had been shred to pieces high up in that tree.

Nothing from her world seemed left up there, so why bother going back? She could just stay here and swirl in her misery, mope and sob while silently sinking. At least this way she could join her brethren, lay herself down with them on the bottom of the river.

Though Nakisa was contemplating her demise, she wasn’t prepared when somebody actually came for her. Opening her eyes, she had a hard time discerning the shapes that were circling beneath her. Slim figures silently rose in her direction, weaving their arms and pushing with their long, narrow legs. The silhouettes she was gazing at had hair like seaweed, it followed them against the currents as they mystically made their way towards her. Whoever they were, they beckoned Nakisa to come with them and as she didn’t answer, they decided to come and get her.

Nakisa narrowed her eyes for clarity, as there seemed something familiar about these creatures from the deep. Shadows gave way to their features and Nakisa blinked. Nymphs? They were nymphs! They were the inhabitants of her kjenna, finally coming to rescue her?

As they swam up to her, their narrow fingers clasped along her leg. Their swirling hair stroked against Nakisa’s body as they started to surround her, but something wasn’t right. These nymphs were different. Their bodies too thin, their limbs too boney, there was no shine in their hair and their touch felt cold. Horror struck the moment Nakisa pushed some hair aside and gazed a nymph straight in the face. There were no eyes there, only white and bloodshot.

Reality kicked in and hope reborn began to crumble. These bodies were mere vessels, there was no life within. No soul beyond those eyeballs. This was an animated spell at work.

No longer did anyone tempt Nakisa to come with them, they simply clawed and pulled. They dragged her down by force. Nakisa found herself claimed for the deep and no matter how she fought, no matter how she screamed, all she achieved were bubbles heading towards the surface. Her fate became inevitable. The dead had grabbed her and they would never let her go.

This certainty of death, was something Nîve thus far refused to acknowledge. She had dropped dozens of meters through the tree, gliding along a channel that had once pumped the tree’s fluids towards its branches. Now it had just become a slide for all the rot and decay as its insides were gradually dissolving. Acid burned Nîve’s skin and she sported a contingent of fresh bruises, but the fall had eventually stopped. She sat in a puddle of goo, black ooze stretching between her fingers with the stickiness of tar. Even though she had hardly recuperated, she was determined not to rest. She grabbed her head and tried to stop its dizziness. Both her hearing and memory warned her that she couldn’t be alone down here. She had taken a critter with her as she fell and as she concentrated she could hear the noise of something scuttling around her. It didn’t splash, so it couldn’t be stuck in the puddle. It had probably attached itself to the ceiling as she had already seen them do before. She decided to focus on her hearing. With her dagger at the ready she tried to pinpoint where the sounds were coming from and suddenly she jabbed straight up. She hit and felt the blade push through some kind of membrane. All sorts of wetness came pouring down, but so did the limb creature. It went through a few last spasms as it sunk next to her, but Nîve was quick to stab again and she didn’t stop stabbing till all was completely still.

By then her eyesight had become of use again. She had adjusted to the dark and could finally make out what was left of the winged creature. It partly prevented her from standing up, but she managed nonetheless. This was some sort of cavern in the Levianth, a crossroads for many corridors that resembled some kind of vein system within the wood. Some cracks seemed darker than others, but there was one that sported light at its end.

Dazed she tried to make her way towards it. Her hands grabbed the rotten wood and she tried to balance herself as she gained some footing on the slippery floor. It wasn’t easy, but she reached the opening. It was mostly covered by a thick net of foliage and pushing it aside required much effort. Nîve remembered these plants for boasting flowers, but the flowers here had withered and the vines seemed less sturdy. Whatever was eating its way through the tree seemed to affect the undergrowth as well. By the time she had pressed herself beyond the plants all she was holding was some slimy and rotten material that seemed to die between her fingers. She worried. Whatever was affecting these plants could affect her just the same. Maybe it was wiser to turn around and try another way, but Nîve figured the entirety of the tree was a deathtrap. This was a foulbrood come into being and the best course of action was to get out before she got ensnared within.

As she was making her way out of the plant filled tunnel she couldn’t see that some vines were curling her way behind her. Like worms some of the laces reached for her, but Nîve held a brisk pace and she was able to reach the tunnel’s end. Light shone bright into her eyes and it bedazzled her as she clung to an opening in the bark. She still had to shove some plants aside, but the hole was large enough to pass. She wasn’t eager to leap into the clearing, though. Nîve remembered the amount of monsters she had seen scurrying here from above. If she was to escape this way, she’d best do it carefully. She decided to watch before making her move.

From her hidden opening in the foot of the tree she looked out upon a clearing, a dismal field of wreckage. Shadows covered large patches of the ground and broken branches and poisonous pits tore the earth. Things seemed to melt out there and she couldn’t say whether they were just plants or also corpses. She had to cover her nose in order not to sicken. This didn’t resemble the kjenna in any way, but it was exactly the décor she would imagine to find the kinds of monsters that accompanied Isinger on his campaigns.

Nîve had to press back into the foliage when suddenly she espied a morger. The beast stepped forward amidst the acid fumes as it was scouting the terrain. This was the second time she saw one of those monsters up-close and it hadn’t gotten prettier. As it made its way it was followed by satar, beastly monsters resembling both a man and an animal in their features. Some of them wore armor, others would just go about on all fours, sporting necklaces with bones or fairy skulls. They belonged to a large and barbaric horde in the outside world, but Isinger had brought many of them into the Valta and here they served as the mainstay of his army. They had a good sense of smell and Nîve could only hope her muckiness would cover her from the power of their nostrils.

Thus far she seemed safe, but this was only a vanguard. While they were searching the area Nîve decided a withdrawal was her wisest choice of action. She stepped back, but was surprised when she couldn’t finish her move the way she wanted. Her ankle appeared to be entangled in a vine that had grown on the spot. Suddenly her other limbs were caught by the plants as well. The vines were quick to curl around her and one of the laces slid through her mouth stopping her from uttering the remotest scream. Wrestling offered no respite as the plants lifted her right of the floor. She came to hang in the opening like a fly within a spiders web, but the web was growing and the wires themselves seemed to gnaw at her.

Nîve didn’t dare to fight harder. The satar were relatively close by and alarming them would probably be worse. She had no choice but to stay as she was, hanging outward in the opening, looking at the demons pass, but unable to move. Something in front of her had changed. She couldn’t see any more monsters, but in their stead a dark and looming shadow had positioned itself just beyond the damp and fumes. It was too big to be a morger or satar, but it moved and therefore, it had to be alive. Nîve found herself staring at the enormity of the entity in wonder, but in doing so, the thing itself stopped. It halted as if perceived and Nîve was certain it turned to gaze at her. Was that an eye? There was something black within its darkness, something with dark red veins twisting and entangling as if the veins were all that could keep the eye from becoming a total void.

Nîve didn’t know what to do about it. She couldn’t move nor could she turn away. Strangely the creature made no other movements. It just stood there and gazed, as if it was guarding the area with its presence. Clearing the path for someone more important?

Nîve couldn’t believe her eyes. She had often fantasized about the look of Isinger the Temptor. The warlord was known to be a devil, the strongest warrior in the service of the Dark Lord and Nîve had always pictured him as a monstrous tyrant. A fierce warrior with large blades and mountains worth of muscle. She had thought him to be a demon, a nightmare monster with a thousand faces. As it was, she would have chosen each of those nightmares over the real thing, because the real thing? The real thing was drop dead gorgeous!

Isinger was amazing. They had both had a glimpse of him from above, but here he stood in all his wonder. A beautiful and handsome man. He wasn’t too large, nor did he seem small, his build was perfect, his face such a gem it made Nîve swoon. Isinger covered his hair underneath a tiara, wearing it in the fashion of a nymph lord of allure. His complexion seemed angelic and could shame a god. His gaze as he came stepping past the fumes, was both piercing and blinding. It made Nîve tremble. Forever waiting for a smile to grace those lips.

Such a smile would never come, for Isinger was like evil wearing a white dress. Nîve forced herself to see beyond his enchantments and remember the snake for what he was. She tried to focus on his pointy armor. On the weapons on his side. She had to turn from the veil his dreamy aura spread, but honestly she couldn’t. All she could do was finally grasp what his title ‘Temptor’ really meant. Goddess, this man was dangerous. Only by concentrating on his eyes, could Nîve steer her mind away from the wild fantasies his presence evoked. It was in those eyes that she could pierce the spell and catch a glimpse of what the real man was like. There she could see the coldness of his malevolence, the icy stare of a killer.

Even though Nîve was completely sucked into the presence that was Isinger, he in turn didn’t seem to notice her. She had been convinced that the darkness in the background had espied her, but not even that dark shadow made a move towards her. She either remained hidden to all or was completely ignored. Nîve was apparently doomed to bear witness to something which was rarely seen. Never by someone left alive.

Isinger came to a stand. With his boots upon the rotting remainders of the kjenna he tilted his head and his dark black hair fell past his shoulders. Nîve could see some nymphish green in there, but Isinger was no nymph. What he was exactly was beyond her knowledge, for he had a skin color alike that of a nara, but more magical than anything in existence. Nîve could only conclude that Isinger was just Isinger, the doom of their world.

In his wake the traitors showed. Nîve saw two dark nymphs tugging the lifeless body of Weanon. These weren’t nymphs as Nîve knew them. Their skin, though green, was so dark it had become a shadow on itself. They both possessed a fiendish beauty, but only something that could have grown within a foulbrood. Would that have been her had she not escaped? As she was guessing at that, she hardly noticed the figure that sprang to life within their midst. She had thought her just a shadow at first, but when she stood out it seemed as if Nîve was looking in the darkness of a mirror. A nymph wearing a dark red dress rose from between her servants and she brought herself forward to face Isinger. Only by her contours and her movements did this woman still appear a nymph, for her darkness bore more similarity to a ghost than anything still living. She was black as the darkest bit of night, no hue was left in her hair nor any shine upon her lips. She was black as ink unto the palms of her hands and all was reverted to void behind the yellow glare of her amber colored eyes. Those eyes were filled with an unearthly fire. They seemed bound in the same spell Isinger cast all around him, but with this woman it got even closer to Nîve. This presence took hold of her.

Fearful emotions had to wait, for both the lady and her servants kneeled before Isinger and Weanon was tossed before his feet. There was no life left in Weanon and the dark lady stepped along his corpse as if it had already been forgotten. She turned her icy glare upon her lord.

‘Fell…’ Isinger’s voice resounded like the whisper of a wind.

The lady set to face him and her lips curved up to form some kind of smile. ‘It wasn’t my fault lord. He succumbed before it was time. Before I was done doing what needed to be done.’ She perceived his disapproval, but that had been exactly what she had been waiting on. ‘It wasn’t too early though...’ she added playfully.

By all rights it would be considered dangerous to toy with a man like Isinger, but for some reason he seemed to condone it. His gaze demanded clarity nonetheless. ‘Do we know now?’

Nîve could hear his voice just as loudly inside her thoughts as on the outside and he had her full attention.

‘We know,’ the dark lady smiled. ‘As it turns out we were closer than we knew.’

‘Where?’ Isinger demanded.

The black nymph drew confidence through her leverage and decided to dare him. She slithered her way towards him and sneaked her arm around his waist. She tried to snare him with her tempting gaze.

‘Why don’t you first tell me why we pulled our armies from our fight, just to visit this backwater?’

The nymph spread her hands across the chaos.

Isinger looked down on her. ‘We are here because I was summoned here.’

A startled look swept over the dark lady. ‘Was this on the order of your master?’

‘My only master,’ Isinger confirmed. ‘There is a place where he desires my presence and when he so demands, I serve.’

The shadow lady smiled. ‘And I as well?’

‘As long as I tolerate your presence.’

Nîve never saw the move coming, but suddenly the temptress had been grabbed by the throat and she was lifted off the ground. She let herself drop docile within his grasp.

‘Now tell me Fellkra, where do I need to be?’

The lady choked. ‘It’s a place we’ve already visited once,’ she gurgled. ‘Not further, but rather some way back.’

Isinger dropped her to the floor. Fellkra knew she had to accommodate him now, so she swiftly stroked her neck. ‘We visited the place years ago, during the main invasion. It was right after our conquest of Viliria. Do you remember the temple complex near the Windpool? They put up quite the fight there. You didn’t venture there yourself. You had the place crushed and sacked by your morgers and the traitor of Taishlan.’

Isinger closed his eyes in order to remember. ‘And you are sure that is the place?’

‘That was it,’ Fellkra nodded. ‘The second gate of the world already lies within our territory.’

Isinger gave room to a frightful smile. ‘We have conquered so many places. It stands to reason for us to have missed something. Especially if the Order misled us by simply not turning attention its way.’

‘But now you know,’ Fellkra grinned.

Her master nodded solemnly. ‘Now I am close to reaching our goal.’

Fellkra was unable to resist her curiosity. ‘Do you know what your master seeks to find?’

Isinger turned towards her with a solemn glare. She just kept trying, kept probing him, but with the endgame in sight perhaps he could finally be lenient with his secrecy.

‘There is an anomaly,’ he spoke. ‘My master was able to sense it. Somewhere within the confines of this world, something is stirring. This phenomenon seems connected with the island Vyrendia and Valtada’s magical axis. Our God is always vigilant towards the Goddess’s power center, several years ago he was able to sense something, a shift within her magic. He sensed something that was not just an energy, but rather something in the flesh. Something worldly within Valtada’s core. There are only two gateways in existence that provide access to the core and since the northern one is unassailable to us, our God has ordered me to secure the other. This shift within the powers of the Goddess can be turned to our advantage. It can be the key to winning the clash in the end of days.’

Fellkra looked up to him. ‘Does he believe it to be nigh?’ she asked.

Isinger cleared his throat. ‘There is a rumor going around. Word of a prophecy stating that, our adversary, the Goddess of creation, is about to manifest herself mortally upon this world. She means to take on corporal form in order to challenge our master directly. She seeks to take back all that we stole from her.’

Fellkra smiled. ‘And we believe such nonsense? The Goddess has never been seen since the closure of her island.’

Isinger narrowed his eyes. ‘That’s what is whispered and at the same time our master senses this presence. He tells me a power is growing in the world’s core, disturbing the very equilibrium of magic. Our God does not discount this, so nor should we. What is held safe within the axis, needs to be pulled from it. We needed a way in and now you have provided me with the location of the gate. This Windpool you speak of, will yield its secrets. We shall thwart the Goddess’s plan before it can be completed.’

Isinger turned to what was left of Weanon. ‘Was the location all he could provide?’

Fellkra nodded. ‘Yes and even that came at great effort. His collapse did not seem like our doing as much as it seemed his own design. He stopped himself from revealing more than he had already done.’

Isinger nodded calmly. ‘So be it. We have enough to act on.’ The warlord took a moment to brood.

‘The Order must not be allowed to hear any of this.’

Fellkra kneeled beside Weanon. ‘He is quite dead.’

‘Dead is not enough, I wish to leave no trace of this meeting. No one can know we learned his secret.’

As he spoke those words Isinger turned to the shadow that was lurking in the background. A deep fear took hold of Nîve, for the only thing that knew of her presence now came forward through the fumes. She tried once more to loosen the vines along her wrists, tried reaching for her pouch, but she didn’t get far. The shadow stepped into the light and Nîve froze where she hung.