CHAPTER FOUR
Waters of Anguish
As night approached and the day was almost over, Elayne rode back into the woods with Talbis and Captain Meldrin on horseback to where they found Kale on the road. The calm wind of fall was nippy, but she didn't know if it gave her the chills or the evil that had consumed the forest. They arrived at the group of four soldiers guarding the horses. Dismounting their horses, the soldiers approached them.
"Did you find out anything, mam?" One soldier asked.
"We know what we're up against," Elayne said. "I need two of you to come with us."
She paused as she observed the forest illuminated by flares in the sky. "They need our help, so let's go;"
Talbis and two of the soldiers followed Elayne into the forest. The woods stood silent, with no animals in sight, not even a single insect. Elayne grew worried and bothered. This was an experience she had never encountered before.
Dison looked on in shock as flames surrounded him. He felt the heat of the fire and watched unfamiliar buildings burn, figures screaming in terror. "What's happening?" he thought to himself. The visions felt so real, and then a voice spoke to him. "You are not where you belong," it said. Dison needed to understand what the voice meant. Abruptly, a familiar voice called out to him, "Dison, Dison!" Opening his eyes, he saw Rosetta and Rivera hovering over him.
"Are you okay? What happened?" Rosetta quickly questioned him.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Dison rose and looked for the woman who attacked him. "Where is she?"
"Who?" Rivera wondered.
"The monster that attacked me." Dison said in haste.
"Calm down, there's no monster here." Rosetta said with concern for him.
Dison shared his experience with them, and they exchanged looks of disbelief, realizing something unusual was occurring in this part of the forest. Rivera gathered some sticks as it got darker and fashioned a torch for each.
Dison knew they did not believe him, but he was sure Tina was still out there somewhere. He needed to be prepared for anything. He found his sword stuck in the ground and sheathed it. "We need to save Tina."
"Let's go on then. We'll find her." Rosetta smiled and reassured Dison.
They journeyed further into the dark forest, their torches the only light source.
Tina grew scared as it became so dark that she could no longer see. Though Alivia's presence comforted her, she could only hear her footsteps crunching on the leaves below. The silence was unsettling—no owls were hooting like she usually heard at night, nor were there any crickets chirping. "Where are we going, Alivia? You said it wasn't far, and it's dark now. I should go home," Tina said, growing more worried.
"It's just a little further. I promise," Alivia said with a smile.
They continued further until they arrived at a small lake. The clouds had parted just enough for the moonlight to illuminate the water and the shore. A small rowboat rested near the water, gently nudged by the waves.
"No." Alivia stood still, overwhelmed by confusion and frustration. "No, no, no. Not again. Why?" She dropped to her knees. "Why do I always find myself here?"
Tina approached from behind. "Are you alright? I think we're lost. We can go back the way we came and go to the town. You can stay with me until tomorrow."
Alivia sat silently as the wind picked up, blowing leaves past her. Tina felt uneasy.
"Alivia. I don't like it here. Can we go?"
"I remember now. Did you know a girl died here?" Alivia spoke in a dark tone.
"No. I didn't know that," Tina said.
She and her sisters were traveling from the capital when bandits ambushed them. The little girl ran away, leaving her sisters behind. She was a coward."
"She was a little girl. Why are you telling me this?" Tina said, confused.
"The bandits chased her all the way here. With nowhere to run, she ran into the lake, swimming to escape. Thinking she was safe, but she saw a woman with a bow. She felt a sharp pain pierce her and her lungs fill with water. She felt her life leave her body."
"I'm sure that was terrifying. Did you know her?"
"The girl washed up on the shore. Confused and scared, she returned to the carriage, where her sisters were." Alivia rose and walked into the water as the moonlight shone on her. "When she got there, she found the oldest one lying on the ground, stabbed to death. Her blood stained the ground and the other sister, they pulled up into a tree, where they hung her. How long did they torture them before death set them free? How could people be so cruel? The girl couldn't do anything. She ran for help but returned here whenever she ran toward the town. Whenever she saw someone in the forest, they'd look past her like she wasn't even there! Why didn't they help her? Why didn't they help me?"
Tina felt uneasy about Alivia and backed away. "Why are you telling me this?"
"I just want a friend. I'm tired of being alone. All the lonely nights, always so cold." Alivia turned to Tina, her pale skin shone by the moonlight. "Stay with me, please." She reached out her hand.
Tina took her hand. "You're not alone now. I'll come visit you whenever I can."
"Tina!" Dison yelled out.
"That's my brother, Dison. Come on, I want you to meet him." Tina tried walking back to shore, but Alivia would not release her. "Alivia, come on, let go," Tina struggled.
"No. He's come to take you from me," Alivia shouted in anger as she turned to reveal a hideous form with black eyes. The lake grew furious as the tide rose with force.
Tina screamed. "Dison! HELP!"
"You're my friend. No one is going to take you away from me." Alivia spoke in a monstrous voice.
Dison, Rosetta, and Rivera ran toward them, but Alivia waved her hand, creating a forceful wave that knocked them back. They struggled to their feet, gasping for air after being suddenly overwhelmed by the water. Dison rushed in again, only to be hit by another wave. He rose to his feet once more. "LET HER GO!" He yelled.
"SHE'S MY FRIEND! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HER FROM ME!" Alivia screamed.
Tina struggled with all her strength to break free. "You're hurting me. You're hurting your friend!"
Alivia looked with sad eyes. "I don't want to lose you." Her expression shifted to anger. "You want to leave? You want to leave me like everyone else! I won't let you!" She screamed in a demonic voice.
Tina was stunned when Rosan amputated Alivia's arm. Abruptly, he picked her up in his arms and jumped away. He gently set her down. Tina felt a sense of relief. She ran to hug Dison, who stepped in front of her protectively.
Rosan looked at Alivia, who focused on Tina as her arm grew back from the water. He realized she wasn't interested in him. "I guess we found the other one."
"ALIVIA! STOP IT, PLEASE!" Tina yelled.
Rosan recalled the names that had come from the monster's mouth. "You're Alivia, huh?! I ran into your sister."
"My sister?" Alivia looked with concern. "Where is my sister?"
Rosan glanced at the others, aware he needed to maintain Alivia's attention. "She's gone! Back to where she belongs! Never to harm another living person again!"
Alivia looked at him with sadness. "My sister wouldn't hurt anyone!" You're lying! She was kind." Her expression shifted to one of anger. "You're lying!" She rushed at Rosan, floating on the waves, forming waves to attack him.
Rosetta watched as Rosan ran, dodging the waves crashing around him, trying to catch her breath. She turned to Dison and recalled what he had told her about the other monster in the woods. "Dison. Like the last one, you must pierce her with that sword."
Dison looked in disbelief. "She's just a little girl."
"Dison, you know as well as I do; that's not a little girl anymore." Rosetta said. "That's a vengeful spirit! She'll kill us all to get what she wants. Right now, that's your sister."
Dison looked at Alivia with sorrow, knowing he had to follow Rosetta's orders. He picked up his sword and rushed towards Alivia.
"Dison, DON'T!" Tina screamed.
Dison hesitated as Alivia turned to him and then glanced at Tina. "My friend," she said, creating a massive wave that engulfed everyone and swept them into the lake. They all struggled to keep their heads above water a midst the fierce waves.
Dison searched for Tina. "Tina!" he shouted, diving under the water to look for her, who was being pulled into the darkness. Dison swam toward her as quickly as possible, carrying a sword. When Dison reached her, he saw Alivia gripping her leg while Tina struggled to break free. Dison placed his sword across Alivia's arm and sliced it, making a shallow cut. Alivia clasped her arm as the cut shimmered, and her voice echoed through the water. Dison pulled Tina to the surface, but she lost consciousness.
Rosetta swam to them and helped carry Tina to shore. She immediately began chest compression's. "Come on. You're going to be okay, little one," she said.
"SHE'S MINE!" Alivia yelled in a booming voice that echoed across the lake.
Dison turned to see Alivia walking out of the water with a massive wave behind her. He could not believe what he was seeing. The wave approached them intensely but stayed behind Alivia, and Dison did not know what to do.
Silvara flew before them, her hands glowing with a blue aura. The air instantly turned cold, freezing both the waters and Alivia. "Take the girl away from here now!"
An expansive version of Alivia crashed through the frozen wave. "YOU CAN'T HAVE HER!" She splashed a wave toward Silvara, but Silvara quickly froze the water in place.
Rosan stood on a rock far away from the others, holding his sword with both hands as he breathed deeply. Blue flames shot up the blade of his sword. He swung it with such force that the intense flames caused the waters to evaporate. The fire struck Alivia, making her unstable and causing her to fall apart back into the water. He turned to Rivera, who stood behind him. "We need to find her body or something!" He felt the rain pouring down on his head. "This isn't good. We need to end this now!" Rivera and he made their way to the others.
Dison looked at Tina, who had just woken up. For the first time that day, he felt relief. She ran to him. "You need to leave now," Dison told her. "Rosetta, take her away from here."
Rosetta took Tina's hand. "Come on. We need to get you far from here." She led Tina into the woods, but a heavy downpour of rain halted their progress, like a waterfall.
Alivia walked out of the downpour. "I thought we were friends," she said with rage.
"Stand back, Tina," Rosetta took a battle stance, her hands lit by crystals as she smiled. "I don't know what you are, but you're not that little girl everyone sees anymore. I love fighting monsters."
"I'm not a monster!" Alivia expressed her confusion and rage.
"Then, why are you trying to kill a little girl?" Rosetta watched as Alivia's anger and confusion grew. A giant hand emerged from the waterfall, reaching for her and Tina. Rosetta smirked and charged in, punching the ground and releasing a shock wave that dispersed the surrounding water. "Now, Dison!"
Dison charged toward Alivia. "She is no longer a little girl." He reminded himself as he ran in and slid the blade into her stomach. He turned away in anguish.
Alivia looked at Tina. "My friend." Her voice echoed over the lake as a blinding light flashed from her as she disappeared.
The lake and rain had calmed, allowing everything to return to normal. The clouds gradually dispersed throughout the forest, revealing the night sky. Tina ran over and hugged Dison as they all gathered together. Urision, Elayne, and Talbis emerged from the woods to join them.
Elayne went to Rosan, feeling a sense of relief. "Commander, are you alright?"
"Come this way." Rosan led her away from the others, walking along the shore in the moonlight. "Did you find out what these things were?"
"A curse involving necromancy."
"Necromancy. So someone made these things?" Rosan said.
"Yes. That's my hunch."
"That means someone is going to do it again. We need to be ready."
"Should we report this to the High Order?" Elayne pondered deeply as she asked.
"No. This is a problem for Aardocia. They would just condemn this whole town, even though they did nothing wrong."
"That was my thoughts as well."
"There's been no activity of this kind here before. So, either someone is good at hiding it, or this is an attack from an outsider. Either way, we'll handle it."
"I hope you're right."
"We lost three men. Let's concentrate on finding them and giving them proper burials." Rosan reflected on everything that had transpired the previous day and night as the daylight peeked through the forest. He gazed at Dison and Tina on the shore as Talbis, Urision, and Rivera approached.
"So, this is Dison. All grown up. Quinn trained him well." Elayne said.
"Quinn always was an excellent teacher. But he'll need more training if he wishes to be a soldier. Take them back to town. Talbis, Urision, Rivera! Come with me!" Rosan walked into the forest, followed by the others.
Elayne approached the group. "Let's get you all home!"
Tina took Dison's hand as he dealt with what he had done. "She's happy now! You broke the curse." She turned and waved at the lake.
Dison turned and waved back, thinking that Tina was trying to reassure him. "Can she really see Alivia?" he wondered to himself. Even if she couldn't, it was still a kind gesture on her part. They both waved goodbye to Alivia and then left.