Chapter 12

I don’t hear screaming, so that’s something.

I’ve been perched in this dol tree outside of Craforian for hours. No one has entered or left the grounds once, and it makes me both anxious and relieved. No one leaving could mean no one is allowed to leave, or it could mean no one wants to leave. It’s either a prison or utopia, and there’s no telling from the outside. 

I suck in a deep breath. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened either. It’s been quiet and boring, and I’ve even dozed off a few times.                                                   

The town looks fortified. The only thing visible is the giant wall surrounding the town itself. The dol trees tower over the wall, but the cement structure still stands roughly ten heads taller than my perch, making it impossible to see over. Theoretically, I could climb higher up in the dol tree, but would prefer not to test my balance any more. How they even made the wall this tall is astounding.

From my current location, I can’t see an entrance. I’ll have to walk around to find it, if I can work up the nerve to leave the safety of my tree.

Now is as good a time as any to enter the town. I have stalled long enough as it is. I’ve nearly talked myself out of this plan a dozen times now, but I’ll get answers if I go inside. Now, it’s just a matter of reminding myself why I need to climb back down this tree.

After some time, I gradually make my way down the thick, twisted limbs of the dol tree. Rusty orange leaves fall alongside me. When my feet touch the dirt, I readjust my back, grip my bow tightly, and set off towards the towering concrete walls less than fifty paces away.

Just before I reach the wall, a voice sounds off behind me. Startled, I turn on my heel and aim my bow in the direction of the sound. I pause, and my breath catches at the sight of a beautiful woman leaning on a nearby tree. Her hazelnut hair glows in the sunlight peeking through the canopy, and its cut short, falling straight to her shoulders. 

She moves closer towards me, and I can see she’s about my height, maybe a few inches taller. She’s slim and fit, and the subtle grace of her movements makes her seem otherworldly. She wears a tight fitted black shirt and pants.

But, despite the beauty, something is off. She’s too beautiful. What’s she doing out here by herself with no supplies, and why is she wearing large, dark glasses in the shade of the dol trees?

Then it hits me like a ton of rocks. She’s one of Them. The dark glasses effectively cover her eyes, eyes I would bet are an unusual color.

I have only seen two pairs of glasses before, they’re a rare commodity. Her hair covers her ears as well, ears that are more than likely pointed like mine. Had I no prior knowledge of Them, I might have just assumed her eyes were sensitive to light, or she’s merely a little eccentric. She still might be eccentric, but those glasses most definitely are a disguise.

And as if some whisper had escaped my lips and found its way to her ears, she slowly lifts the glasses from her face. As I stare at the glowing purple eyes, something else shines from within too. Something older, ancient even, peeks out from within their depths.

It’s disturbing.

The longer I stand and stare, the wider her smile grows. Obviously, I’m missing something. Nothing about this situation is remotely amusing. I suppose if it were the other way around, I would find the overreaction slightly entertaining as well. Grimace still in place, I lower my bow slowly. For some reason, this seems to amuse her more.

Failing to understand, and honestly not caring enough, I open my mouth to speak. Before any sound manages to escape my throat, she quietly introduces herself.

“Hello, I’m Elaine. I saw you sitting in the tree over there for two days. Is everything alright?”

I stare at her in surprise. Had she been watching me the entire time? How did she know I was there? Was she watching since the moment I arrived? I don’t understand how I didn’t see her, or feel her around. I thought my senses had gotten better than that, apparently not.

I startle to attention when a small hand waves in front of my face. I jerk my head away and snap out an irritated, “What?” My mood continues to sour the longer I remain in her presence.

“Your eyes kind off glazed over while I was talking. I wanted to make sure everything was okay. Are you hurt or something?”

I hesitate before shaking my head slowly. If this girl is at all connected to Craforian, I need to start playing nice. I need their help, and pissing them off doesn’t seem to be the right way to go about it.

Elaine’s smile morphs from amused to relieved in seconds, but it seems slightly forced. “Good. Why were you in the tree? You looked deep in thought up there.”        

The silence extends uncomfortably. I don’t want to divulge everything, at least not this soon, and not to her. “I was nervous about this place. I wasn’t expecting it to look like this. I didn’t see an entrance either so I hoped I’d see someone enter or leave. No one did.”

That answer seems to satisfy her. She shrugs. “We knew you were here the moment you arrived.”

Well that answers that. The thought that they watched me the moment I climbed into the tree makes me want to bolt, but I manage to hold myself together.

“All you had to do was approach the wall sooner,” explained Elaine. “I would have called out to you and we would already be inside. But it’s okay, nothing to be nervous about. I’ll take you to see our leader. He would like to have a few words with you.”

Looks like I don’t have a choice in the matter. That’s fine with me, the sooner I meet him, the sooner it’ll be over with. Before my anxiety can respond for me, I give a single, sharp nod. Elaine’s smile warms and she gestures with her hand for me to follow her. I hesitate briefly before following the strange woman.

As we near the gate, a loud grating noise echoes throughout the forest. Where once was once a solid cement wall, now stands an archway. It’s like the wall disappeared and in its place a hole materialized out of thin air.

My skin crawls as I pass underneath it. There will be no turning back once I’m beyond the door. Once they seal it closed again, I may not make it back out. Can I really take that chance?

Do I really have a choice?

I buck up my courage and take a deep breath. Whatever comes, I will face it. I can do this. For my family and the others, I will do this. Revenge is all I need to think about it. It’s my only focus now.

We pull to a sudden stop, and my eyes dart around the scene, scanning for any potential danger. I can’t afford to let anyone get the drop on me. I need to appear strong and prepared, ready for anything. I can only hope that these Others can’t sense the underlying anxiety and fear steadily building inside me.

Being this close to Them in Their home isn’t boding well for my emotional state. I need to stay calm and not set anything on fire. I count my breaths until my heartbeat levels out once more. Hearing and seeing no threat, I cast a glance at the woman in front of me.

Elaine watches me curiously. Why? I can’t say, but I don’t like it. It makes me feel like she knows something I don’t. I don’t like it one bit.

“Why did we stop? What are you looking at?”

She smiles a bit sadly and murmurs so quietly I almost miss it, “You, I’m looking at you. I hope he’s wrong.” She turns and glides away once more. I follow her, only looking back to see the arch closing.

I never expected the town beyond the wall to be so green. There’s so much nature here, it looks like the plants might take over the town soon. Even the buildings are overcome by plant life; the green keeps me calm. It doesn’t feel like prison.

From where I stand, a large white pillar-like structure stands in the center of the town. There’s a long gray building to the left of the pillars and a small brown square building on the right. We swiftly pass the brown building and come to a wooden two-story home sitting behind the building.

The home itself is beautiful and bright. Lots of windows decorate the outside and a porch sits below an overhang on the second floor. It looks inviting and cozy from the outside; is the inside just as warm?

All too soon, I’m ushered into the large wooden home. Elaine’s pace quickens again, and I have to nearly run to keep up at this point. She whisks me up a stairwell, down a hallway, and through a door. I grind to halt to avoid smacking into her, and my anxiety mounts. We’ve reached our destination. Time to face Craforian’s leader.

I count to steady my breaths. I can do this. Elaine steps inside and gestures for me to enter. She shuts the door behind me, and the man behind the desk smiles.