Chapter 28 Harsh truths and gentle lies…

Chapter 28

 

Harsh truths and gentle lies…

 

 

“Aerica please wait up!” Gerad called after her as he watched her disappear into the foliage again. She had set a grueling pace once they had exited from the secret tunnel. Gerad, Dahrin, Lucius, and even Meko were breathing hard trying to catch their breath.

Aerica stepped out of the bushes into the clearing they had stopped in, “We can’t delay.”

“I agree we must make all haste, but you can’t fight if you can’t breathe.” Lucius gasped out.

Aerica sighed in frustration and sat down on a fallen log and waited for them to catch their breath. Gerad thought back to what the Duku Tree had said, and eventually back to what the goddesses had told him. He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts of the ominous feeling, but it didn’t go away.

“Aerica, who exactly was Charkosh to you?” Dahrin asked suddenly.

Aerica slowly turned her gaze to him, Gerad and Lucius shrunk back reflexively from the anger in her eyes, but Dahrin calmly regarded her waiting for an answer.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Aerica replied standing up and starting the march once more. The guys looked at each other then hurried to follow after her.

 

Aerica sighed as she quickened her pace; she felt no pain from her muscles even though she knew they were screaming at her to stop. The transformation was nearing completion and every fiber in her being was crying for her to eat the guys. If they didn’t hurry she would.

 

“I’m so bored.” Sheik complained as he hung there limply in the vines. The poison had worn off hours ago and only left him paralyzed and itchy were the thorns had pierced.

“Of all the things to be in this kind of situation, bored was not one I would have listed.” G-Link grumbled out as he strained to break the vines.

“I wonder where Calhan is.” Selene mused, her arms kept cramping due to the position they were tied in but there was nothing she could do.

“Oh I’m sure he’s somewhere doing something getting into some kind of trouble.” Sheik answered. He was quite comical looking hanging upside down, the vines had wrapped him so much to get him to stop squirming that they had completely flipped him from his original position.

“What are you thinking about Meria?” Selene asked her. Meria had been in silent speculation since Charkosh’s apparition had left hours before.

“Huh?” Meria asked realizing they had asked her a question.

“Are you ok?” Selene asked concerned.

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry was just thinking about something.” Meria answered, “AH! I have this itch on my face and I can’t reach it!”

They all chuckled as they settled back down to wait for a rescue.

 

“Aerica wait up!” Gerad called after her as she disappeared from his sight once again.

“Is it me or is Aerica becoming more and more aggressive?” Lucius asked running after Gerad. Dahrin followed after him grunted in agreement.

Sweat poured from their bodies, it was so hot and muggy in the forest, and Aerica’s grueling pace didn’t help. Aerica reappeared around a bend and waited for them. Gerad controlled his reaction at the sight of her, she had morphed more. The only thing recognizable on her face was her left eye and even that was changing.

“I won’t wait for you if you fall behind again.” Aerica hissed out.

“We’re moving as fast as we can, Aerica.” Lucius gasped out as he fell over.

Dahrin knelt next to him and poured water into his mouth. Lucius coughed and sputtered but managed to get some down his throat.

“It isn’t fast enough. I don’t have long before I change completely. When I do change, you must kill me.” Aerica sighed. With that she turned and started on the trail again.

“Meko, is she serious?” Gerad asked.

“Yes.” Meko answered flying after her.

 

Amazingly they made it out of the Lost Woods into the courtyard of the temple. Krell waited for them amidst their tangled friends.

“Oh I see you finally made it! What took you so long?” Krell asked with his arms crossed.

“Let them go.” Gerad demanded as he made ready for combat.

“Tsk, tsk, not even a please?” Krell taunted them.

“Krell.” Aerica growled out.

Gerad glanced at her then hurriedly moved away as more vines erupted from her back. They twirled and slithered in the air around her. Her left eye glowed blood red as her body was enveloped with her sage glow. The vines that had replaced her arms merged together to recreate them.

“Oh ho! Seems I’ve pissed you off Sage! Come at me then.” Krell taunted.

Aerica let out a blood thirsty howl and charged, she moved so fast that she seemed to disappear then reappear in front of Krell. She kicked him in the face and sent him flying into the side wall. She didn’t let up but followed him and hit him again into another wall.

Gerad, Dahrin, and Lucius just stood in stunned silence as they watched the beating she gave Krell.

“Are you sure that’s Aerica?” Sheik asked in a whisper.

“I’m not even sure anymore.” G-Link replied.

Selene shook her head then yelled to her brother, “Stop standing there like a ding-dong and come cut us loose!”

“Right.” Gerad said shaking himself. The three of them went to work cutting the vines. As Gerad reached to cut Selene’s vines Aerica was thrown in between them. Gerad jumped back as Krell followed laughing insanely.

Aerica recovered from the blow and landed with her feet against the wall and shoved off of it back into Krell who caught a blow to the gut. He coughed up blood. Aerica hit him on the back of the head shoving his face into the stone making a crater.

She drew her arm back to hit him again but he moved out of the way when she threw the punch. She cried in rage and followed him. He blocked her swings then got a hit in on her face. She cried in pain but wrapped a vine around his outstretched arm and pulled herself back to him and hit him in the face again.

She wrapped more vines around him then picked him up and slammed him into the ground. She wrapped one around his neck and began to squeeze. This horrible smile of evil pleasure spread across her face.

“Oh, you’re actually going to kill me?” Krell croaked out, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

She didn’t answer but only tightened the vines more, the smile never wavering. The guys had gotten everyone out of the vines and now they just stood there and watched in horror as their friend slowly killed Krell.

“Goodbye, Shalras.” Krell grunted as Aerica squeezed out the last bit of life in him.

Her smile vanished as a look of sheer horror replaced it when Krell’s neck snapped. She loosened the vines and Krell fell to the ground. He had a peaceful smile on his face.

The air around them began to shimmer and Krell’s body began to glow. The apparition of Charkosh stood up from the body and regarded Aerica with a kind expression. She stared wide eyed in horror.

He reached out his hand and the thorns on her face pulled back into the flesh leaving it like it was before.

“Shalras! Why didn’t you tell me?!” Aerica cried, tears streamed down her face.

“Because, you would have risked everything to save me, to no avail. You can’t risk all to save a dead man.” Charkosh said gently.

 “I wouldn’t have cared if it meant getting you back, Shalras!” Aerica said stepping forward reaching for his face. Her hands went through him.

“I’m already dead, you must move on. I didn’t want you to know I was still here. I didn’t want you to live with that burden. But now I’m free of Krell, I can move on, and so can you, Shalras.” Charkosh whispered cupping her face in his hands.

Aerica stared up at him through her tears; his apparition leaned down and kissed her. She closed her eyes as their lips met, then he burst and the shards slowly dimmed and disappeared. She opened her eyes slowly and glanced around; seeing he had gone for good she let out a heart wrenching cry of grief and fell to her knees.

“Meko, what does Shalras mean?” Gerad asked him quietly as he watched her cry.

“Beloved.” Meko answered.

“So, Charkosh was Aerica’s…” Meria started to ask.

“Mate.” Meko finished for her.

“Why didn’t she tell us she was married?” Sheik asked.

“She didn’t want that knowledge to make you hesitate to stop Krell, she thought Charkosh had died a long time ago. She had no idea a piece of him was still left.” Meko replied calmly as he stared at Aerica.

“What will happen to the Kokiri now that Krell is dead?” Dahrin asked calmly.

“Go back to normal I guess.” Selene said shrugging her shoulders.

Gerad walked slowly to Aerica’s side and reached out a hand to console her, “Aeri-“

The others stared in horror as Aerica stabbed Gerad through the stomach with her arm. She pulled it out covered in Gerad’s blood as he fell to the floor. She stood there staring at them, her eyes completely gone, her body fully transformed.

“No.” Selene whispered staring at her brother.

“Now you will feel the horror and loss I have felt all these long years. I will take everything from you, Aerica, and you will watch helpless through your own eyes.” Krell’s voice came from Aerica’s lips as she talked.