Chapter 7
Stumbling out the front door, I squint at the warm, kaleidoscope of light that breaches through the dense canopy, warm purples and greens swaying along the dark dirt. Glancing up as I crouch behind the cabin, the intense need to relieve myself subsides as I see the sun halfway across the sky. Standing, my hips pop while I lean from one foot to the other, testing out the threshold of my sore leg. The front door comes back into view as I stand before the cabin, rolling out my shoulders and stretching my back towards the ground. Years of neglecting to stretch after exercise had finally caught up with me. Growing up, I considered myself lucky—fortunate to pursue my passions, to have a roof over my head, and to be surrounded by people I genuinely enjoyed and loved. It wasn't until Maya and I became close that I began to understand just how much I'd been given. Not in the sense of material wealth, but in something far more enduring: love, and the kind of support that shows up, stays late, and claps loudly no matter the outcome.
If I wanted to try something new, my mother made it happen. She told me—again and again—that there was no goal too ambitious, no dream too absurd. Hockey? Gave it a go. Spelling bees? Entered, failed spectacularly. Cross-country? Crushed it. Musical theatre? Never hit a note right, but my mother applauded all the same.
Maya had been visibly stunned the first time my mother offered and paid for both of us to sign up for recreational sports teams. My mother had always tried to make it discreet, always for a reason such as a birthday gift or a graduation present, Maya quickly became like a second daughter, easily integrated into our family. She practically had her own bed at my house. We grew up together, went through heartbreaks together, graduated together, applied for jobs together. We did everything together. And then her mother had passed. And then everything seemed to change.
Rotating my hip flexors one final time on each side, I glance back at the cabin before rushing inside to grab the parchment that King Taro had handed me on that first day.
Attend dinner each evening
The words simmer as anxiety strikes. I had no idea what was coming since I'd missed dinner yesterday, too tired to wake up before nightfall, and now I had no idea what to expect. King Taro hadn't disclosed what would happen if any of the rules were broken, but given his volatile temper I was afraid to find out. I pocketed my knife before vanishing out the door, wondering if perhaps this time, I would actually use it. A sweet scent filled the air as I walked through the forest, being careful not to step on uneven ground, not to unsteady myself. The scabbing had begun, but there was still significant swelling and discomfort, no matter how much I tried to ignore it.
I took the knife out of my pocket, gripping it firmly as I walked, feeling on edge. Bytes words replay in my head,
Orange bark, highly flammable.
I don't recall previously seeing any orange bark. The humid air slicked my hair to my forehead within a matter of minutes. I was using so much energy just walking, and my throat was already dry before I realized that I had forgotten my canteen. All I had was my knife, but I suppose that was better than nothing. As the path in front of me began to wind, the trees that grew around it took on odd shapes, some spiralling skyward, others plunging themselves back into the ground. It looked as though gravity had no effect, and they simply grew in whichever direction called to them, even if that meant returning to the earth. Long vines hung from the canopy, some almost long enough to grab.
I reached my finger up to brush against one, the texture buttery against my skin. There waswere far less sound radiating from the trees in this area, giving it an almost unsettling silence. As I continued down the path, a gentle hill camecomes into view, sloping downopening into a lush glen. There was long grass and other greenery, but no tall trees to obstruct the view. I waded through the thick brush, the ground beginning to change texture, becoming much softer and silty. Using my sore leg to part the grass and look below me, there lay smaller sprouts piercing towards the sky.
The base, orange and a sprouting flower-like shape protruding from the top, a deep purple. I reached down for the sprout, touching the orange part. It was deceivingly hard, a woody texture without the visual appearance of such. I tore the sprout out of the ground, holding it up at eye level to get a better look. I figured that this was likely the closest I would get to finding any sort of 'orange bark' during my wandering, since I had not seen any orange trees. I tore more of the sprouts from the ground, wiping them off to the best of my ability before stuffing them into my pockets. With my hands now covered in dirt and not a drop of water to be had, I walked back towards the trees, my shorts pulling at my hips from the weight of my now spilling-over pockets. Without tree coverage, the small valley was hot, too hot for my liking, so I dragged myself into the treelined before settling beneath broad branches and lying lazily against a sturdy trunk.
A subtle shift of movement in my peripheral vision catches my attention as I begin dozing off to sleep. My heart skips a beat as I watch, transfixed, as a creature emerges from behind a large, dark green bush. The creature's mouth was filled with leaves, its jaw moving in a circular motion as it chewed. Its head resembles that of a deer, with large antlers that protrude from its skull, connected by a thin membrane of flesh that moved in the breeze. It glanced to the side, revealing two eyes on either side of its head. A long tail emerged from above it before lashing back down into the grass, seemingly swatting at bugs. The sun shimmered against its chestnut coat, dapples shining fiercely.
With a sudden start, it seemed to sense my presence, swivelling its head unnaturally towards me, further than what a human neck would be capable of. I remained still, leaning back against the tree. It regarded me for a moment, the slits along the base of its head flaring ats it intook the scents surrounding us. Its tail now slithered behind it in the tall grass. The grass parted slowly as it slinked towards me, each footfall near silent. Its fluidity blended seamlessly into the surroundings of the forest, simply a breeze amongst the trees. As it walked out of the sunlight and into the shadows of the canopy, the membrane between its antlers became dark, losing its translucent appearance in the light that had shown all the veins and blood vessels within. The creature maintained eye contact with me as it came closer, now only a few meters away. I held my breath as I shakily began rising to my feet. The creature's nostrils pulsed as it lowered its body to the ground, stepping towards me still. I out stretched my hand slowly, carefully taking a small step forwards. As my foot connected with the ground, a twig snapped beneath my shoe. The creature's head shot up and it bolted away from me as an arrow whizzed by my hand, embedding itself into the tree to my left. My head snapped towards the source of the arrow's trajectory, forgetting completely about the creature. Standing there between two towering trees was the tall, shaggy haired man I'd seen at dinner, bow outstretched in his hands.
I freeze for a moment, ice seemingly rooting my feet to the ground. His head is tilted slightly downward–I can't even tell if he sees me or not, but I sure as shit can see him. I slowly straighten and his posture turns predatorial. Raising his head slowly, his dark hair sways against his brow. I take in his features, sharp, carved, but as I notice his eyes, alarm seeps in. There are no pupils. No iris. No sclera. Nothing. Simply black pits in the place of where bright eyes should be. My legs are moving before I can even register the concept, after a short protest from my leg. I am, once again, sprinting on this godforsaken island, terrified for my life, as if cardio is the price of survival.
The trees whip by me as my adrenaline level spikes, spurring me forward. I take a sharp turn, hurtling myself off the path, hoping to lose him amongst the trees and bushes. Fear tears at my chest like icy tendrils as I hear the footsteps behind me, gaining on me. But no matter how hard I push, the man is relentless, and I feel his body slam into mine, sending us both toppling over. My body rolls along the forest floor, scraping at my hands and knees. As I regain clarity, I try to scramble to my feet, but before I can do so, my back is slammed against the tree behind me. Breath leaves my lungs with a heavy whoomf as I sputter. This man was now mere inches from my face, with his bow pressed firmly against my neck.
"If you had stayed still for another minute, I would've had dinner tonight", he growled, keeping his voice low. I stared at him wide-eyed. My mouth refused to work, I couldn't form words, my brain would not allow it. I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to shrink back against the tree. As I lifted my gaze to his face, still within mere inches of my own, I took a good look into the sinking black pits. Smoke seemed to twist and melt within them, circling like a serpent.
"Why were you so far away from your cabin?" he asked, still tense, "the creatures in these woods will hunt you for sport and tear you limb from limb". The pressure against my throat lessened for a moment, demanding an answer.
"I-" I start, my voice hoarse. "I was looking for bark to light a fire".
He remained positioned above me, "You could've gotten killed out here, even in broad daylight", he says.
"I have my knife", my head tilts towards my pocket, pressing the bow further into my skin.
"Yes, that seems to be helping you a lot right now", he quips, standing swiftly.
I struggle to my feet, legs still shaky. He glances down at my scabbed leg and bloody shirt but says nothing.
"What were you hunting?" I ask, suddenly curious. He lets out a ragged sigh, brushing his hair out of his eyes- or sockets. I don't know what to call them.
"That was a tetraldys" he says, motioning in the direction it had bolted off to. "Finicky creatures, hard to catch and kill. I'd been tracking that one for days and would've finally had her had you not showed up and scared her off."
I glance at him, "she seemed quite curious".
"She's never approached me", he finished.
Awkward silence held the air, but he didn't seem to notice. Now that I wasn't being held at bow-point, I had many questions to ask. I'd been here for multiple days now and hadn't seen a single sign of them. If we didn't have mandatory dinners, I wouldn't even know they exist. I would have continued to think that this island only housed King Taro and I.
Looking off in the direction of the tetraldys, I asked, "where are the rest of the people I saw at dinner?".
"They're out there", he motioned outwardly at nothing in particular, "and they also know what lurks out here. They're a kill first, ask questions later kind of group. For your own safety, you need to stick to the paths."
I hadn't been marking the trees when I came out here, and now that I'd been chased in a random direction, I wasn't entirely sure where I was. I glowered at him,
"Why on earth did you chase me?"
Recognition flashes across his face but quickly subsidies,
"because someone senseless enough to attempt touching one of those things deserves to be."
I rolled my eyes and sighed, how arrogant.
He pointed behind me, "that's the direction of your cabin. Go back that way". He began to stride off in the opposite direction, the long grass parting like the seas beneath him. I stared at him as he disappeared behind the trees.
–
Unbearable hunger gnawed at my insides. And exhaustion. The perfect combination. Half the canteen was gone in seconds, the remaining water sloshing around in the metal as I tossed it back onto the ground. The shift in temperature from day to night was stark—stuffy and hot inside the shaded cabin by day, but frigid as soon as darkness fell. That fire needed to be lit soon. A small pile of orange and purple sprouts lay beside the fireplace, most of them flying from my pockets as I was chased within mere inches of my life. The axe leaned against the wall, smug and still. I needed larger pieces of wood, but that would require energy, and that was something currently in short supply. With a grunt, I hauled myself up and dragged heavy feet toward the door, beginning the slow ascent back toward the castle. The knife spun idly between my fingers, a distraction more than a weapon.
The fear I'd felt as the arrow whizzed past me stilled me to my core. How uselessly frozen I'd been when approached, no instinct to defend, just stillness. If that man had tried anything, there would've been no stopping him. A bum leg and a tendency to freeze under pressure—I was truly a predator's dream. The knife sliced through empty air as imagined threats took form and fell before me. Mindless practice, maybe. But still practice.
Entering the foyer of the castle, the knife stayed firmly in my grip while walking through the halls until reaching the large red doors. The smell hit me as I pulled them open, cured meats and roasted vegetables. The four strangers were already seated, none of them acknowledging my arrival. I take my seat across from them at the huge table, a strong sense of separation settling in. King Taro does not turn to me, and the whirring from Byte quickly fills the room as he enters with the golden bell. He places it beside the king before tapping it with his metal appendage. King Taro begins his ravaging of the table, frantically dumping things onto his plate. As I stretch my hand out towards the delicious looking plate filled with some sort of cooked bird, I hear a snap. The plates within my vicinity vanish. Fixated on the now clear space in front of me, I blink my eyes once. Twice. Before slowly turning my head towards King Taro.
"My beautiful Dahlia," he coos, "you didn't assume your deeds would evade retribution, did you?"
I sink back into my chair as his lips curl into a saccharine smile while he sips at his usual amber drink.
"Given that this is your inaugural transgression, I'll grant leniency. However, your absence yesterday results in no feast tonight."
The others all stare at me, no emotions revealed on their faces. So I sat there, for the rest of the meal, without so much as a drop of water to alleviate my now dry mouth.