°??───??10??───??°

  The fight in which Kally finds out the difference between a tree sprite and a tree spirit

  °??───???───??°

  The yellow sheen pulsated with a life of its own. It glistened, twinkling in the knowledge that all inside it was safe and trapped within. Kally, guilt-ridden and gloomy faced, banged on the barrier despite knowing the futility of it.

  She had to do something.

  In reality though, all she could do was watch the monstrous scene before her unfold. A nervous tingle enveloped her soul and the familiar throb of her toe, potent, reminded her that she was not alone at least. With her eyes still fixed on the cloaked man, she fumbled with her laces and unsheathed her foot.

  Looking on with horror, she could only watch as the gnarled tree beast grew to its full height. She gasped. Towering at an obscene altitude, competing with mountains, a knotted face twisted into being. Wood grain for veins, a pale complexion. She grimaced despite already knowing the truth; Naevii was not a tree sprite but a tree spirit. A vengeful spectre high in resentment and dripping in power and demonic energy.

  If only she had listened to him.

  Her chest tightened, a hot burning choked her throat and her heart felt like someone was crushing it. She could hardly breathe.

  “What did I miss?” a voice interrupted her turmoil.

  “Kat, Kat—oh, Kat!” Kally flung her hands to hug her toe. “I can’t believe it, I can’t—”

  Kally, struggling to find coherence - as is often the case in these moments - ran Katoia through all that had happened whilst she was happily asleep.

  “Is there any way to escape that man’s barrier?”

  Kally shook her head. “I’ve tried. It’s too strong. I just bounce right back off it.”

  Katoia’s cuticle formed a frown. “There must be a weak point somewh—”

  A loud roar stopped her in her tracks. They both turned their full attention to the scene outside. Naevii’s mouth was open, the size of a cave entrance and about as inviting. Purple vines for teeth and emerald green gums dripped with sap. These stringy globs of sap vibrated from the force of the blood curdling screeches coming from deep within.

  Kally’s heart lunged. The cloaked man was out there, facing the beast. The ring of trees surrounding the arena seemed to lean in and were all facing inward, their leaves cackling in the breeze. Pressed against the barrier, she tried to force her way out again.

  “Kally, he’s not going to let you out, you know.”

  Kally huffed.

  “Some help you are.”

  “What do you expect me to do? Kick my way out?”

  “I don’t know. Just… something.”

  Kally reached around without direct purpose, eyes scanning until they fell upon the sigil. Surely this was the weak spot?

  She turned her wrath upon it.

  Banging and prodding and poking, a mixture of aggression and subjecting it to jibes in an attempt to subdue it through irritation. The sigil itself was unbending. It crackled with the same intensity as before and seemed to smile down at her in condescension as if to say, you won’t break me like that. She stomped her foot and ultimately yielded. There was no use; she could not destroy it. All she could do was watch.

  ???

  Kally, still pressed against the barrier, watched as the cloaked man unsheathed a scimitar concealed all this time under his cloak. It shone bright with dazzling blue energy. His power filled up the stage, the blue light almost engulfing the purple smog.

  “He’s been hiding that all this time?”

  “I mean… what do we really know about him, Kally?”

  Kally frowned. That was true. They had only known each other a short while. Still, it felt like she should have known something like this. He was obviously powerful, yet all she had seen of his powers was this barrier. As he did not light the fire at the campsite, she had just assumed his powers were not that great. Boy was she wrong from the looks of it.

  Her mouth agape, she looked at him again. His cape billowed in the ferociousness of the roars coming from the tree spirit. His feet were planted, an immovable object, as if he himself was also a tree. He held his sword in one hand, drawn to his side, ready to strike at any moment. His other hand was braced, fingers electric with an abundance of power, also ready to strike. This stance of his conveyed every ounce of the hero she had previously mistaken for a lunatic.

  “He’s got a chance,” squeaked Katoia.

  An abrupt silence assaulted their ears, making them ring.

  “Ow-ww—wuhhh—!” complained Katoia.

  “Naevii’s stopped. Why has he stopped? Kat—!” Kally, frantic, garbled, “Kat, what’s he going to do now?”

  “Maybe he’s going to sing.”

  Kally kicked her with her other foot.

  “Hey! Look, he’s got a stage and a captive audience. It’s not that obscene a suggestion. I know that’s what I’d do.”

  “Oh shush. I know what you’d do.” Despite her nerves, Kally rolled her eyes. Kat would always have that effect on her.

  Instead of singing, Naevii lurched towards the cloaked man who deftly dodged and swung his sword, shearing a few branches. Now is not the time for topiary.

  He rolled. Naevii scoffed.

  “You think that little sword of yours will affect me?” Booming and husky, the voice splintered through their nervous systems, forcing out involuntary shudders and coughs.

  “Spirit beasts can… talk?” Kally voiced her thought aloud.

  “Seems that way.”

  The cloaked man, who had been forced to the ground from the boom, looked up and smiled.

  “I hope you’re ready for a real pruning.”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Kally groaned at this. His lines needed improving.

  At this, he launched up and, in a few leaps, succeeded in removing an abundance of branches. They quivered as they hit the purple ground and morphed into dead hair clumps.

  Naevii laughed, “Is this all you can muster? I had heard you would be a challenge. I see I was misinformed.”

  Kally looked on in horror as the stubbed branches twisted and eked, straining until they had regenerated into larger and sharper versions of that which had fallen on the floor.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Katoia exclaimed.

  “Has he still got a chance?” Kally asked, forlorn. She twisted her hair in her hands and sucked an end, reverting back to old habits from childhood.

  “Of-f course,” Katoia reassured.

  Kally’s eyebrows furrowed. Why couldn’t she leave? Surely she could be of some help. Though, she was not too sure what she could do.

  This was all her fault.

  She sighed. Spiralling in her own thoughts was not helpful. She watched as the cloaked man jumped to miss the vine-like attacks of Naevii’s branches which were pounding down with such force the ground cracked and spit up debris. The cloaked man panted and frowned slightly, holding tightly onto his scimitar. His other hand shook in anticipation, pulsing, and biding its time.

  He dodged and dodged, intent on wearing the tree spirit out. He still slashed with his blade but with less purpose and fervour, the knowledge of regeneration at the forefront of his mind. Slashing the tree alone would not suffice. It might need more this time. Still, he ran rings around the tree spirit until signs of fatigue began to show. The power and tenacity of Naevii’s branch whip attacks were fading, each strike less forceful than the last. The gnarled face was long, its eye bags sagged and its mouth was a hollow husk, open in a perfect oval.

  Now was his chance.

  He tensed his other arm and with a flick of his wrist and calmness of mind, brought his power to the tips of his fingers. They seemed to bubble in delight, as if they had been barren for eons.

  Kally watched in awe as she saw a cyan wave - swirling and dancing in a column in the air - originating from the cloaked man and directed at Naevii’s mouth. The pure power of the water, magnetic in its pull, enchanted the purple mist which wove its way towards it. A swirling torrent of water, intertwined with the purple, choked Naevii.

  The purple was taking effect.

  Naevii’s eyes bulged, his mouth tightly shut. He spluttered and gagged as hundreds of purple frogs burst from his mouth. Weakened, Naevii halted in a daze.

  Kally rolled her eyes in exasperation. That was what magic decided to do at this moment? It couldn’t have done something more on brand, like turning the tree’s arms into meat ready to be sliced? Just frogs. She felt for the cloaked man. Water alone could never defeat this earth beast. No matter his levels of power. Skill in swordsmanship was unlikely to help either, judging by the regeneration. The choice of enticing the magic into its mouth, using the water as a vessel was a beautiful plan - if only magic had played along. This was infuriating. It was excruciating only being able to watch too. The last time she had felt this sort of tension was when Katoia had done that at the bar—

  “Oh no, Kally!”

  Katoia brought Kally’s attention back to the fight at hand. It won’t stop for you, you know.

  Somehow, despite Naevii’s weakened state, the cloaked man had ended up in his clutches. Perhaps he was drained from casting the water, who knows. Whatever the sequence of events, Kally had missed them, and now was witnessing the awful sight of the cloaked man, grasped by the waist by those wretched vines, hoisted up to the eye level of Naevii - high above the ground.

  Naevii’s booming laugh echoed through the forest. The audience of trees fidgeted and chattered, their leaves rustling a frantic tune in a duet with the wind. Kally held her breath. Even Katoia was quiet - a dire circumstance indeed.

  Naevii scoffed once more. His nose twitched and flared. A large branch, brandished as a functioning arm, reached out to the cloaked man’s face. Its closest branch strummed on his mask.

  “I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”

  Kally crawled further inside herself, her spine pricked and a hard lump formed in her throat. She could feel Katoia’s anguish, a burning sensation and prickly cold sweat settled on the top of her foot.

  The cloaked man’s demeanour gave nothing away, his jaw clamped shut and mouth twisted into a placid smile. The grip loosened and he flopped backwards. His hood cascaded onto his back. Kally held her mouth in her hands, as if forcing her heart back down. His platinum hair, sleek and long was tied in a half bun; his lengths flickered to his shoulders, the rest concealed within the body of his cloak. A large streak of brown, front and to the left, covered part of his face. Despite this, Kally could now see his mask clearly. It covered the top half completely, even covering his hairline. Grey and thick, it looked heavy; a harsh punishment. Naevii’s fingers stroked the rim playfully.

  “At last, I will have them. You cannot hide them forever.” A large grin creaked into place upon his face.

  “Yes, they will finally be mine.” Naevii cackled, his fingers curled under the mask and pried it up.

  All it took was a slight motion, a quick thumb. A bright flash of blue blinded Kally and her head pounded. She heard Katoia, a distant voice, shouting her name and a rush of emotion overcame her once more.

  °??───???───??°

  That faraway kingdom. Dulcet tones caress her ears again, weaving into her soul. A courtyard, cobbled and old yet well maintained. No speck of dust has been allowed to fall, diligent in cleanliness. A young knight, bow in hand, shoots apples off a table.

  “Yes!” he smiles, hitting them all. He steps back and repeats. This cycle continues a while until he is an inconceivable distance from them. Crack. He still hits the target. He laughs, beaming, his blue eyes twinkling in delight.

  He puts aside his bow and quiver and brandishes a scimitar. Long and sharp, his reflection shines back in its sleek curve. The ornate handle, silver, looks as if it was made to fit his hand. The sword, an extension of him, shines with the blue energy synonymous with his clan. He stares at the sword, transfixed. This is his. His mouth shuts firm, he needs to practice.

  Kally watches as he trains, practising stance and form. Enthralled, she gazes upon his feet which shift and sway in precise movements, and on his arms as they reach out to jab with the scimitar. She looks at his face, the determined jawline, and chuckles though unsure why.

  Her heart lurches as an agonising howl encroaches upon the tranquil scene. This scene fades away and Kally is brought back to reality with a bang.

  °??───???───??°

  The cloaked man, floating in the sky, was the root of the noise. His face was contorted, mouth almost dislocated as it mimicked a tunnel, and a low moan - rising and falling in tone - escaped. His mask, though not fully dislodged, was askew and a blue eye was revealed.

  Kally thought she saw small brown flecks in this eye. Her attention was soon drawn to the fresh scratch just below his socket. Blood trickled down to his cheekbone. She bit her lip.

  Brown vines, willowy and thorned, protruded out of the cloaked man’s hands. A murky brown glisten of energy and liquid, similar to the blue before, surrounded his fingers. The palms themselves, dripping with blood, forced more and more vines out. He roared in pain. He rose his arms until in a T-pose, palms facing towards Naevii. Kally banged again on the barrier.

  “Let me out! Kat… we need to help.”

  Katoia did not answer. She was white, ashen, and unresponsive to anything Kally did.

  The cloaked man focused his power into his hands, drawing everything out. His vines tugged upwards, defying gravity, and wrapped around the beast’s trunk. The tree spirit was constricted, in a boa like grip. The brown energy swarmed Naevii, whispering and cackling, crisp and sharp. It consumed him whole. His bark peeled, and leaves shrivelled, until all that was left was a disintegrated pile of ash. From out of the ash, a black spirit fled upwards to the purple abyss in the sky. The remaining brown energy swelled and rushed back to its owner, smacking the cloaked man in the chest. He jolted back, still in mid air. Twisting and turning, he somehow managed to cover his eyes again with his mask before he fell to the ground.

  ???

  A heap. Kally sprung forward at the impact. Thwack. She rubbed her nose. The barrier cracked at the point she had hit it, its power diminishing. Frantic, she clawed at the crack, pulling and tugging a way through. She heard the barrier rip, velcro, and it shattered like a delicate china. A foul smell hit her nose - musty and earthy, a swamp like smell, of algae and salt water. Her eyebrow twitched. How much had they been protected from in there, without knowing. And just how much of his energy had it taken up… protecting them? She rushed towards him, the heap of clothes limp and so small.

  His complexion was as pale as it could be without being transparent. Flecks of blue and brown veins were prominent in his skin. He breathed lightly. She heaved. At least there was breath. She could work with that, she thought, as she rummaged through Karin’s supplies. She found a box of medical supplies and thanked Karin internally: pain relief, antiseptic, bandages and an energy revitalising concoction. It could have been a secret beer stash for all she knew. Karin. You gem.

  He mumbled.

  “Shh…” Kally whispered, “It’s okay. We’re all fine.”

  A faint scowl appeared on his face as he searched in his pocket. Kally restrained his wrist.

  “There’s no need to wo-r—” His arm had broken free of her in an instant.

  He flicked up a pre-made paper sigil and channelled his remaining energy into it. The familiar barrier enveloped them once more and, with that final act, he passed out.

  °??───? Author’s Note ?───??°

  Things are really heating up now. Kally’s in a cage (thanks to the unexpected twist with the tree spirit) and the cloaked man’s finally showing some of his hand (and hair).

  A fight with a terrifying spirit, more questions about the cloaked man, and Kally’s toe… well, being Kally’s toe.

  I’m curious what you all think of this sudden shift.

  Drop your thoughts in the comment section, I love hearing them!

  +~ ! ?? ! ~+

  ? Coming up - Chapter 11 title ?

  °??───??The day in which the cloaked man finally receives a name ??───??°

  ?? Vision Watch ??

  ? A faraway land, with blue eyes and pale faces vying for attention (Chapter 5)

  ? Gribbles play as a celebration is happening and Kally wakes up mouthing a name - Alena (Chapter 8)

  ? A young knight trains in a training ground (Chapter 10)

  ~ SK Payde

  ? ? ?