Scepter

“Hey! Nice way to take first watch,” Aidan whispered.

  Daniel rubbed at his eyes. “Wha...?” he mumbled, forcing his eyes open. Aidan’s face was mere inches from Daniel’s. Startled, Daniel jerked back and smacked his head against the trunk he was leaning on. “OUCH!!!” he cried, pushing Aidan away from him and rubbing the rising knot on the back of his skull. “What’s your problem?”

  Aidan answered quietly, “You were supposed to take the first shift. You fell asleep.” With that, Aidan stood up and stepped gently around Olivia who was still dozing. “I’m going to go pick berries. I’d like something to eat other than jerky and biscuits. I’ll be back in a bit. Why don’t you wake up Olivia and see if you can find some water while I’m gone? My pouch is almost empty. I’ll leave it with you in case you find some. We can eat when I get back and then get going. I’ve got a bad feeling, and I want to get going as early as we can.” With the rustling of leaves as he pushed his way through the shrubs, Aidan disappeared quickly into the thick forest and soon his footsteps could not be heard. After picking up the knife he’d dropped next to his leg while whittling the night before, Daniel leaned forward and gave Olivia a gentle shake.

  “Time to wake up,” Daniel said softly. Olivia’s eyes fluttered open. Not recognizing her surroundings, she bolted upright with a gasp, her eyes open wide as she jerked her head around.

  “Where?” she started, before realizing where she was. “Oh, sorry,” she mumbled and sat back down next to Daniel. She rubbed her eyes to try and clear the last of sleep away. “Where is Aidan?” she asked.

  “Went out to find some breakfast,” Daniel replied. “Guess he’s already tired of jerky and biscuits,” he joked. Olivia smiled. They talked about what lay ahead of them while packing up the few items they’d taken out the night before, and Aidan returned a short while later. He’d untucked the front of his shirt, forming a small basket in which he was carrying a sizable collection of fruits and vegetables.

  “Breakfast is now served,” Aidan announced while kneeling down next to Olivia. He dumped out a large quantity of raspberries and about a dozen baobab roots onto a small matted down section of grass. Daniel crawled closer and sat on her other side before grabbing some food. He quickly finished his portion of what Aidan had gathered and began putting on his pack. Aidan stood and followed suit while Olivia shoved her share of the roots into her pockets.

  “What’s the rush?” she asked, bending to pick up her pack.

  “I’d like to get started before the day gets too warm,” Daniel replied, stammering over his words in an attempt to sound normal. “I don’t think we’ll have as much shade today, and since we didn’t go find any water to refill the pouches, we’ll need to conserve it until we find a spring to refill them.”

  “Oh, okay,” Olivia remarked and pulled on her pack. Aidan, standing behind her, gave Daniel a quick thumbs-up. Olivia fished the rest of her breakfast out of her pocket, pushed her way back through the bushes to the path, and followed Daniel northwest along the route back home. It was difficult to keep pace with the boys and eat at the same time, but she figured she needed the energy for another long trek.

  The walk was monotonous and Aidan’s mind wandered in the silence. He began probing the nearby woods for animal friends until he found what he was looking for. Aidan reached out to a young deer grazing a short ways off with its mother. He brought them both to the side of the path just north of where they were walking. Olivia gasped at the sight of the fawn and doe waiting at the edge of the trail. She turned to Aidan.

  “Can I pet them?” she asked eagerly. Her voice quivered with excitement and a smile played across her full lips.

  “Of course,” Aidan answered. “Just move slowly. I don’t want to make the mother any more scared than she is already.”

  Olivia knelt and extended her right hand, her palm forming a small cup under the fawn’s nose. The deer dipped its head slightly and pressed its wet nose to her skin. Olivia giggled and placed her left hand on the animal’s neck, petting it softly. It flinched at first, but then leaned into her touch as it became more comfortable. Olivia stared into its black eyes, sensing the intelligence behind them. She stood, careful to avoid alarming the doe who was watching her every move. Olivia ran her hand over the fawn’s large ears and down its back, tracing her fingers between the white spots on its coat. When she finished, she gave the fawn a hug and slowly approached the doe.

  “Thank you,” Olivia whispered. “Your baby is beautiful.” She again placed her right hand under the animal’s chin so it could smell her. It nuzzled her right palm while she petted its muscular back with her left. She turned to Aidan, positively beaming with joy. “Thank you too. I really enjoyed this. They’re incredible.” She gave the doe one last caress before stepping back onto the path. The two deer bounced off through the bushes and vanished into the trees. Olivia grabbed Aidan and threw her arms around him, crushing him in her hug.

  “Okay, okay.” Aidan laughed when he finally escaped her clutches. “I’m glad you liked it. We better get going before Daniel scolds us for wasting time.” Olivia glanced up the path to see Daniel standing with his arms folded across his chest watching them.

  “You two done?” he grumbled.

  “Yes,” Olivia giggled.

  “Good. Let’s get back to it. There’s still a long way to go.”

  Hustling after Daniel, Olivia turned her attention back to Aidan. “So where’s Custos?”

  Aidan waved his hand off to their right. “He’s over there searching for food. I sent him farther away so the deer wouldn’t get scared.”

  “How come I haven’t seen him yet?” Olivia asked. “Not much of a pet.”

  “He’s NOT a pet,” Aidan groaned. “He’s just a friend of mine. He’s one of the first animals I really connected with.”

  “So why isn’t he walking with us?”

  “Well, he is, kind of. He’s just not walking on the trail.”

  “Why not?” Olivia asked, again searching the forest for Aidan’s playmate.

  “I thought he might, uh, scare you,” Aidan answered. “So I asked him to stay away from us.”

  “I’m not scared,” Olivia replied, puffing up her chest and raising her chin. “You can have him walk with us.”

  A grin crept across Aidan’s lips. “Maybe later.”

  They hiked late into the evening, which fell quickly once the sun dropped below the peaks of the White Mountains. They stopped and ate a quick dinner before bed. As they laid out their bedrolls, Olivia and Daniel started at the sound of a snapping branch in the nearby woods.

  “It’s just Custos,” Aidan commented, glancing into the darkness of the surrounding trees before lying down.

  A large bear rambled out of the woods. Olivia gasped at the sight of the enormous creature strolling toward them. She froze in place, standing between her blankets and the small campfire they’d built. Custos shuffled slowly over to where she stood until his front paws stood on Olivia’s bedding and he stood nose to nose with the girl. Olivia let out a high-pitched squeak when the enormous animal snuffled at her face, taking in her scent. Both boys laughed at the sound.

  “C’mon Custos,” Daniel chucked. “Don’t scare her.”

  Custos sauntered over to where Daniel stood and groaned appreciatively when Daniel gave the animal a quick scratch behind the ears. After visiting with Daniel, Custos turned to Aidan and rose up onto his hind legs. He trudged slowly toward the younger boy and stood before him, front paws raised. Olivia gaped in awe at the nearly nine-foot-tall bear standing before her. It let out a terrible roar, and Olivia clasped her hands to her ears.

  “Oh, now you’re just showing off,” Aidan laughed. He jumped forward and gave his friend a hug. The bear dropped its paws to the boy’s back and purred. Not really the purring of a cat, but deeper, more primal. “All right,” Aidan said, “lie down. You can sleep here with us tonight.” Custos snorted and collapsed next to Aidan’s blanket. Aidan sat and leaned back against his c
hildhood friend. Pulling the blanket over him and nestling into Custos’s warm fur, Aidan smiled at the others.

  “G’night.”

  Olivia dragged her blanket over to where Aidan and Custos lay. “Do you mind if I join you? You look pretty cozy there.”

  “Not at all,” Aidan answered, patting the ground next to him. “Make yourself comfortable.”

  Olivia set up her bedding and dropped down next to Aidan. “Thanks, goodnight.”

  “Good night,” Daniel murmured. “I’m going to put the fire out. It’s warm enough, and I don’t want to draw any attention to us.” The other two nodded their assent, and Daniel snuffed the flames with a few handfuls of dirt.

  It seemed they had just fallen asleep when the sun woke them up for yet another long day of traveling. Aidan would occasionally bring a different animal to the side of the path to break the monotony of the hike. Regardless, the long hours began to weigh on them all. The days seemed to grow longer and the walks harder as one day blurred into the next.

  On the tenth day of their journey, the morning was unusually hot and humid. The air was thick and heavy, and they had all gotten a nasty collection of mosquito bites as they’d slept. Scratching at the bumps, they pulled their packs on and ate a meager breakfast as they walked. There was no breeze to cool them, and by the time lunch rolled around, they were drenched in sweat.

  “I’ve got to rest,” Olivia groaned brushing her hair back from her sticky forehead so she could see better. “And I need more water. I’m almost out.” She lifted her pouch and shook it. The sloshing sound of the water let them know it was mostly empty.

  “Me too,” Aidan added. “We need to stop, and I have to get more to drink.”

  They spied a clearing through the trees just before noon and seized the opportunity to have lunch. Aidan sent Custos off to forage for food of his own.

  Pulling off his pack and wiping the sweat from his eyes, Daniel told the others, “I spotted fruit trees a ways back. I’ll go back and get some for our lunch, and we can take some with us. No point in passing it up if we can get it.”

  “How far back is it?” Aidan asked. “Shouldn’t we just eat, rest a little, and get moving again? We’ve still got a long way to go.”

  “It’s only a few miles,” Daniel replied. Daniel jogged across the meadow toward the path, taking a slightly shorter route back than the way they’d come. Approaching the edge of the clearing, Daniel stopped short, crouching as he slowly pulled his whittling knife from his belt.

  “What are you doing?” Aidan called out. The younger boy and girl stood and started approaching Daniel’s position. Custos stopped and raised his head, looking back toward the children.

  Daniel waved them off and turned his head putting his index finger to his lips. The two younger children stopped and hunkered down as they scanned the tree line where Daniel stood.

  Daniel looked back to the edge of the forest and at the collection of bones lying before him. He could see the trail not too far through the trees, but that small space was littered with bones of all shapes and sizes. The area was dim due to the foliage and thick hanging vines. Daniel’s eyes searched for signs of danger. He could see nothing to explain the evidence of death before him. Still, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he inched forward, his knife at the ready.

  He stepped softly under the cover of the trees, carefully shifting some bones with his foot. He pushed a thick vine aside and peered farther into the gloom. Carefully, he tiptoed along, his eyes sweeping back and forth, searching for any evidence of what caused the graveyard that surrounded him. After finding nothing, he turned back to the others and shrugged.

  “There’s nothing here!” he called out.

  “Uh, Daniel…” Olivia began. The vines hanging around Daniel had begun shifting and slithering toward him like dozens of snakes. Two grasped his feet and climbed rapidly up his legs to his waist.

  Daniel jerked, but couldn’t move as the creeper worked its way up his body.

  “HELP!” he cried out, slashing at the vines. For all those that fell away, others found him. He tried to keep them from rising to his stomach and chest. He hacked and slashed. It was a losing battle. He could feel the vines beginning to squeeze. It was becoming more and more difficult to breathe as one circled his chest and constricted. Daniel sliced at it. His knife caught it at an angle, pulling it from his hand, and it dropped uselessly to the forest floor just as Aidan plunged into the tree line.

  Shifting to his bear form, Aidan swiped his powerful claws at anything that moved, opening a clearing for Olivia to make her way through. She screamed and her hands flew to her mouth. She stood in shocked silence at the scene unfolding before her. Daniel cried out as another vine snaked around his legs. Aidan looked back at her and roared before returning to the battle that held Daniel’s life in the balance. Snapping out of her trance of disbelief, Olivia ran forward and followed closely behind Aidan until he reached the spot where the knife had fallen. More trailers from the plants dropped down around them, curling around their arms and legs in an attempt to capture even more prey. Custos came charging in with them, barreling this way and that and roaring ferociously as he, too, thrashed about.

  Olivia sliced a vine that held her foot and lashed out at one of the many that were slowly strangling Daniel. Hacking through the highest one, Olivia heard Daniel gasp for air as the pressure on his chest was released. She worked her way slowly down his body while Aidan and Custos stormed around the area shredding any vegetation that came within reach. Once Daniel was freed, he and Olivia stumbled back the way they’d come until they again entered the clearing. The two bears followed closely behind while the creepers withdrew up into the trees.

  Daniel and Olivia fell to their knees panting and watching the edge of the forest for any sign that the plants were attacking. Aidan stood with them for a moment before returning to where they’d dropped their packs. He grabbed his bag in his powerful jaws and wandered off with Custos to transform back into his human self and get dressed.

  “Thanks for helping get me out of there,” Daniel said, standing and helping Olivia to her feet. “I thought I was done for.”

  Olivia nodded. “Assassin vines. I’d heard of them before. I just didn’t think they actually existed. We can stay away from them now that we know what they look like. Just so you two know, I’ve been told the fruit is deadly too, so don’t eat that,” Olivia announced as Aidan rejoined her and Daniel.

  “Oh, I’ll stay as far away from those as I can from now on,” Daniel replied as he pulled his water from his bag and took a long drink. Aidan gathered his shredded clothes, shoved them in his pack and dropped it next to the others. With a long sigh he sat down and leaned against Custos.

  “Yeah, and let’s stay away from anywhere that’s covered in bones. Not a good sign.”

  The other two nodded their agreement.

  “So what exactly happened back there?” Olivia asked, looking at Aidan.

  “Sorry,” he stammered. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you about that. I can do more than communicate with animals. I can change into them too. It’s not something I’ve ever told anyone.”

  Olivia reached out and patted his hand. “It’s okay. I’m glad you did it. It surprised me, but it’s super neat now that I think about it. We wouldn’t have been able to save Daniel without it.”

  Daniel gritted his teeth. “Okay, great. Thank you both again. I’m gonna go get some fruit for lunch,” he said, dropping the water pouch back into his pack. “I’ll just go back the way we came in. Be right back.”

  True to his word, Olivia and Aidan had barely sat down with their meat and biscuit when Daniel reappeared with an armload of apples. Dropping one into each of their laps and a few in front of Custos, he set the rest down next to their bags and retrieved his own lunch. Taking a bite of his apple, he sprayed juice everywhere when he announced he’d also seen a spring when he’d gone to collect the apples. “I’ll take the pouches back after lunch
and fill them back up.” Knowing their water supply was ample for the time being, the group drank freely and enjoyed soaking up the afternoon sunshine while finishing their lunch and rehashing the encounter with the deadly plants.

  “And yuck, they stunk!” Aidan said. “If we hadn’t gotten out of there, the smell alone might have killed me,” Aidan added, laughing and patting Custos’s broad side.

  “Oh, by the way,” Daniel replied, “thanks for saving me back there, again. I was a little short earlier, but truly, thank you.”

  “No problem,” Aidan answered. “What are brothers for?” He cuffed Daniel on the shoulder and got back to work on his apple.

  Daniel tossed the rest of his half-eaten apple aside, grumbled under his breath and took off to get a refill of their water. Olivia frowned as she watched him go, suspecting he was unhappy about something. Again, he returned much quicker than Olivia could have anticipated, and he was barely breathing hard.

  “Amazing,” Olivia stated, forgetting about her concerns. He lifted an eyebrow and looked over at her.

  “What?” he questioned. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “It’s just incredible that you can run that far, that fast, and not even be winded. It’s really impressive.”

  Daniel turned away in an attempt to hide the hot blush now climbing from his neck up high into his cheeks and shrugged. “It’s a gift. Sometimes it comes in handy,” was all he replied as he knelt down with his back to her and began shoving the extra apples into his bag. He finished and slung his pack back over his shoulders before heading toward the path. “Let’s go,” he called. Aidan and Olivia scrambled to their feet, grabbed their stuff, and chased after him. Custos stayed put and finished the apples that lay on the ground before him.

  “I know we’re in a hurry, but what’s the big rush?” Olivia asked striding up next to Daniel. He glanced sideways at her, but ignored the question and kept walking. “Hey!” Olivia said, grabbing Daniel’s sleeve and pulling him to a stop. “Don’t ignore me,” she scolded. “What’s the problem?”

  “Nothing,” Daniel assured her. “I didn’t mean to ignore you. I just want to get there, that’s all. The less chatting and strolling we do, the sooner we’ll get to your sister.” Aidan hadn’t stopped when he’d gotten to where Olivia and Daniel stood. He’d wandered ahead of them and now stood staring off to the east side of the path. Daniel glanced at his brother and realized that Aidan still had not moved. Walking up next to his brother, he grew immediately concerned by the look on Aidan’s face.

  “What is it?” Daniel asked, taking a step back, pulling his bow off of his shoulder and drawing an arrow from his quiver. Daniel scanned the forest looking for the source of alarm on Aidan’s face. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he looked back to his brother. Aidan seemed lost in thought, his eyes focused not on something in front of him but on something or someone far away. Daniel poked Aidan in the arm. “Aidan, what’s wrong?”

  Aidan blinked, his eyes coming back into focus as he turned and looked at his brother. “They’ve reached the ocean,” Aidan murmured, glancing to make sure Olivia was out of earshot. She’d moved off the path and stood with the rifle at the ready. Though she was too far back to hear their conversation, she sat watching the two brothers. Aidan looked back to Daniel. “I felt a large flock of gulls fly across the path north of us. They saw ships on the water. I think it’s them. I don’t know how Argyle could have found out already, but I guess he does. His men are on their way to Olivia’s house. I don’t think we’re going to make it in time,” Aidan whispered, looking nervously toward Olivia.

  Daniel glanced back to Olivia who was now watching them with a quizzical look on her face. She’d dropped the rifle to her side when she’d realized there was no immediate threat, yet she seemed to realize something was dreadfully wrong. She looked to Daniel, her frightened eyes searching his for some clue to what the boys were discussing. Daniel’s mind was filled with images of what would happen if they didn’t reach Lilly first. Whether it would actually happen the way it played out in his head was impossible to be certain, but Daniel couldn’t risk it. If Lilly was going to be saved, he’d have to do it alone. That was the only way to reach her in time.

  Daniel shrugged out of his pack, but kept his bow and quiver of arrows. “Take Olivia west toward the mountains. I’ll get Lilly and meet you at the mouth of the cave at Slieve Gullion. You remember the spot?” he asked Aidan.

  “Yeah,” Aidan answered. “The place we used to go with Dad.”

  “If I’m not there by the day after tomorrow,” Daniel continued, “you’ll need to keep moving. I’ll try to track you from there and catch up when I can. Keep Olivia with you. I don’t want her panicking and trying to follow me. Understood?”

  “Yeah, I get it,” Aidan answered. “You should go. I can take care of Olivia.”

  Olivia, overhearing her name, left the bushes and approached them. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Why did you take your pack off?”

  “There’s been a change of plans,” Daniel replied. “Aidan thinks Argyle’s men are on the way to your house. I’m going to go on ahead, get your sister, and meet you at the base of Mount Slieve Gullion. Aidan, can you handle my pack?” Daniel asked, looking back to his younger brother. “We’ll need it when I get back.”

  “I can handle it for this trip. I don’t think I can take it much farther. If we have to move on, I’ll leave it in the cave for you.”

  Daniel nodded his agreement. While they were making their plans, Olivia stepped to Aidan’s side. Daniel turned to face her.

  “How do I get to your house from here?”

  “What?” Olivia asked, confused by the question.

  “How do I get to your house? I need very specific directions.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  “I just told you. Listen, we don’t have time for questions,” Daniel replied, struggling to contain his frustration. “Just tell me.”

  Frazzled by his curt reply, Olivia relayed the directions to her home.

  Turning back to his brother, Daniel continued their previous conversation. “Okay, then. I’ll meet you at the clearing in two days.” He patted his brother on the shoulder, turned north on the path, and disappeared. Aidan picked up the large pack and slung it over his shoulder.

  “C’mon,” he murmured to Olivia, “we’ve gotta keep moving.”

  Olivia stared at him in disbelief as she realized what was happening. “What? We’re just going to let him go by himself to face all those men? He can’t fight them all! They’ll kill him, and Lilly too. We’ve got to follow him.” Olivia stomped back to her bag and picked it up. Slinging her pack over her shoulders, she pushed past Aidan and marched along the path.

  “You can’t,” Aidan pleaded, grabbing her arm.

  “I’m going to get my sister,” she answered, pulling away from Aidan’s grasp.

  “You heard what Daniel said. We’re supposed to meet him at the mountain.”

  “And I told you I’m going to help. He can’t finish off the lot of them, not by himself.”

  “He’s not going to fight them,” Aidan tried to explain. Aidan ran his fingers through his hair, struggling to find the right words to convince her. “He’s going to run and get there ahead of them. He’s not stupid. He’ll get your sister and will probably be at the mountain before we even get there.”

  “He runs fast, but he can’t run that fast,” she yelled. “Nobody can. Not that far. Not that fast. We’ve got to follow him.”

  “No we don’t, because he can,” Aidan promised. Olivia stared at him, confused. “He can run that far, and he can run that fast. You remember when he said it was a few miles back to the apple trees?” She nodded. “You remember how fast he got back.” Again, she nodded. “You remember that he was barely breathing hard?” She didn’t even bother nodding this time. “That’s because he really is that fast. He runs faster than you can see, and he can keep running for a long time. I know you’re
scared, but he’ll make it. He’ll run himself into the ground to make it.”

  Olivia eyed him suspiciously. “He told me you said the men were on their way to my home. How do you know that?”

  Aidan shook his head and looked down at his feet. “I don’t for sure. All I know is that I felt some gulls up north heading away from where your house is. They’d seen a boatload of men. I’m pretty sure it’s Argyle’s men. I wanted to be safe and make sure your sister got out of there before they get there.” Aidan kicked a rock off the path and into the bushes. Looking back up at Olivia, he continued. “If he runs like I know he can, he’ll arrive in plenty of time.” He saw the look of relief on her face. “Do you think she’ll believe him when he tells her what happened, why he’s there?”

  Olivia’s eyebrows furrowed as she pondered the question. “I think so. If he tells her how we met, I think she’ll believe him. How else would he know me, what happened to me?”

  “Good,” Aidan answered. “That’s good. Then she shouldn’t have a problem going with him. Daniel won’t be as fast with her, but he’ll probably try to carry her on his back part of the way. I still think he’ll make better time than we will though. We need to get moving if we’re going to try and get to the meeting spot before them. Once we get there, we can decide how to get away from Argyle’s men for good.”

  Hesitantly, Olivia agreed. “Lead the way.”

  Chapter 8

  A Tough Road Ahead