The Reader - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The border of Layene was not as far as Emmeline had been expecting. She thought they would be riding for hours - the thought of which had scared her at first. Riding with Newt for hours after what had happened? She couldn’t keep from blushing the whole time, it would be impossible. 

Void, Angel, and Rusty Bob were exhausted, especially the two latter who had to be stolen from the village stables where they had been left. But there was no better option other than to ride and Beckett was still too weak to walk far. 

Clara had done her best to work her Blessing, but apparently Elyviella only worked so hard. Beckett’s odd colored vein-like markings did not disappear, although the light did fade after a while. Forrest had seemed skeptical to ride with Beckett at first, but he preferred the boy to Clara and her incessant chatter. 

The Sky Plateau actually bordered Layene so once they had rode down the steep paths, the group reached the outskirts of Layene. 

Forrest, Beckett, and Rusty Bob lead the way, Forrest holding up the leather-bound book with a map in it. Void and Angel were content to trod along the sides of the winding paths. It was mid-afternoon when the group stopped for a quick break. Forrest announced they would reach the entrance to the Tower Ruins before nightfall. 

After a small meal from the foodstuffs that Coral, Forrest, and Newt had managed to purchase, they were on the road again. 

Emmeline slept for a while, leaning against Newt before she woke with a start. 

“Emmeline, we’re almost there,” Newt whispered in her ear, brushing the hair out of her eyes. Emmeline wished Newt would stop with these affectionate actions. She had enough on her mind, she didn’t want to think about unnecessary thinks like … like weird emotions. “Coral suggested we all change so we don’t seem as suspicious, even though the Ruins are supposed to be empty.” 

“Obviously someone lives here if we’re supposed to find the Ancient Reader here,” Forrest called out. “And if Emmeline wants to hide her ‘condition’ from any other passerbys I suggest we change quickly.” 

Emmeline practically leapt off of Void. She didn’t want Newt to help her off. 

All of them took turns ducking behind trees to change into cleaner clothing, as well as garments that had thicker fabric. Emmeline was glad for an excuse to cover up her bare arms now, the wind was frigid. 

Beckett had a bit of trouble fastening his cloak around his neck, but Forrest helped him. With the colorful lines twining around the dark markings, Beckett’s arms were almost as abnormal looking as Emmeline’s. Almost. No one could ever be as unique as she, Emmeline had never met another Reader before. She had no idea what to expect. 

“Anyone know anything about this place,” Clara asked as the horses edged closer to a crumbling gate. 

“It’s ruined,” Beckett said smartly and Clara glared at him. 

“Whatever happened, it was over a century ago,” Coral said, extending her fingers to brush the side of the broken gates. “The rock is old, way older than what we use to build now.” 

“Let’s go in,” Emmeline decided. “Bring the horses but don’t ride them - I don’t know how far we’ll be able to get through with them. Forrest, how far does the map say to go into the ruins?” 

“Pretty far,” Forrest admitted. “But it’s not working entirely right. The dot keeps moving back and forth, blinking out of sight.” 

Had Ibenily gave them a faulty map? Emmeline had thought the goddess was trustworthy but maybe she was on her daughter’s side. No, the map had to be right. The trees were probably just interfering with the map. 

It was a terrible explanation, but Emmeline didn’t want to think about being lead into a trap. 

Emmeline went first into the gates, Beckett close behind her and Newt not far after the boy. The road was obscured by objects and fallen debris. She had to catch her balance after almost falling several times. 

After climbing over the debris Emmeline found herself in a street, the debris cleared to the side. Newt was right behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder as she took in the view. 

The streets were lined with houses that seemed to stretch to the sky. The windows were taller than Emmeline herself, each one filled with colorful glass. The streets themselves were made of stones, each one engraved with tiny sketches of creatures and plants. 

Someone would have had to clear the streets, but there was no sign of life whatsoever. It was so quiet Emmeline could almost hear her heart beating. 

“We should split up,” Newt decided, removing his hand from Emmeline’s shoulder. “We’ll cover more ground, and besides, it’s going to take forever to search this no matter how hard we work. The Ancient Reader person isn’t going to just pop out and start talking.” 

“Sounds like a great way to get killed,” Forrest mumbled before his voice shifted higher. “‘Let’s go split up so we can all get possessed and attacked and killed.’ We’re not splitting up again.” The boy crossed his arms, daring Newt to argue with him. Emmeline was conflicted - splitting up would cover more ground but it posed a risk for an attack. 

“Groups of three or two?” Coral asked, pushing Forrest aside. She turned to look at him. “Forrest, if we all stay together we’ll be here until tomorrow.” 

Forrest sighed, knowing he had lost this battle. “Groups of two,” he decided. “Groups of three will take longer, and we’re already putting ourselves on the chopping block.” He sniffed, and Emmeline rolled her eyes. Were they really going to argue about this? 

“I want Beckett,” Emmeline voiced. She wanted to speak to him about her secret and also his power. 

“The last time you and Beckett were alone it nearly ended in your death,” Newt said, shaking his head. “Emmeline and I can go together. Coral and Beckett, and then Clara and Forrest. We’ll be pretty even in terms of fighting.” 

Emmeline shook her head hard. She didn’t want to be alone with Newt, not after what happened the last time. Her lips and cheeks flamed with the memory of the kiss. 

“Sounds good,” Beckett smiled brightly, wrapping his skinny arms around Coral’s waist. “I can’t wait to have a day with Mom all to myself.” Coral patted his head, laughing as Clara pouted. 

“Come, Clara,” Forrest called, grabbing the girl’s wrist. “We’re taking this side of the street.” 

“What if we get possessed again?” Emmeline said, her voice shaking. 

Beckett rolled his eyes. “For the last time, Echo, I purged all of you. There’s no way the Rogues can inhabit any of you without suffering dire consequences.” 

Emmeline knew there was no getting out of this one. Newt had won, they would be going off alone again. Coral and Beckett strode off in another direction, and Emmeline let Newt drag her along in the last way. 

“Do we check all of the houses?” Emmeline asked Newt. “I mean, how many places can the Ancient Reader actually be hiding?” 

“How you ever played hide and seek with an old person?” Newt asked her, ignoring her. “We don’t anything about them - their gender, what they look like, where they hail from. For all we know they could be a child-sized person.” 

Emmeline sighed, knowing they would have to check every house.

She climbed the steps of the first house on the left, turning the doorknob. The door didn’t budge. Emmeline threw her weight against it, and the door cracked open, making hr lose her balance and fall. 

Newt offered a hand to help her up but Emmeline ignored it. She got to her feet, brushing herself off. 

The first room was mainly empty with the exception of a small sitting area, the couches ripped. There was a pair of wooden chairs in the corner, but a thick layer of dust coated them and there were no features that screamed someone lives here. 

In the far corner was a spiral staircase that stretched upwards. Newt went first, testing each step to make sure none of them were eaten away. 

When the wood supported his weight he invited Emmeline up to the next floor. 

And so the search went. 

The second floor was a kitchenette, the washbasin drained and cracked. The small fire stove was blackened with soot, the stones dark as night. 

The third floor sprouted off into three different bedrooms, each one meant for what Emmeline guessed was a child. The beds were stripped of their linens and quilts, the cots stained and ripped. Emmeline and Newt checked under the beds, but there was nothing there. Each bedroom contained a small wardrobe, each one empty of both clothing and of Readers. The lanterns were shattered. 

Whoever had lived here previously had obviously left in a hurry, or died and buried with their belongings. 

The fourth floor was a washroom, and Emmeline was busy inspecting her reflection in the cracked mirror when a scream shattered the silence. Emmeline and Newt shared a terrified look for only a moment before they raced for the steps. 

Down, down, down Emmeline and Newt raced. The wood creaked under their boots as they ran for the front door, bursting out into the streets. 

“Where did it come from?” Newt asked, his voice high and panicked. 

“It sounded like Clara,” Emmeline responded before gesturing in the direction Forrest and Clara had gone. 

They raced off in the the direction Forrest and Clara had headed, feet pounding on the stones. Emmeline felt a sense of dread hanging over her. What if Clara and Forrest had been killed? She pushed the pictures of bloodied bodies from her head and forced herself to run faster until they passed a house with the door wide open. 

“They’re here,” Newt said. He rubbed his head with his hand, grimacing. 

“Is everything okay?” Emmeline asked him, forcing her voice to sound calm. Panic began to flourish in her chest. 

“I’m fine,” Newt mumbled, inhaling deeply. “There’s just a lot of phantoms calling for me to summon them. A considerable amount of people probably died here, and they all want freed.” 

Emmeline didn’t know what to say, so she grabbed one of the daggers from Newt’s belt and held it up in front of her. The first room in the house was empty of life, the furniture thrown aside. Forrest and Clara either did a good job searching the house or something had attacked them and dragged them away. 

Emmeline climbed the first flight of steps, entering another empty room. Up and up, Emmeline and Newt ascended the steps. 

Every room was the same, furniture thrown aside, no sign of Forrest or Clara. 

We have to be nearing the top, Emmeline thought to herself after what felt like the tenth set of steps. This time, the room was entirely empty - no furniture or people - with the exception of a small ladder hanging from the ceiling. 

Emmeline gripped the dagger hilt between her teeth as she climbed up the ladder, Newt right behind her. 

The good news, Forrest and Clara were in the attic of the house, both unharmed unless Clara’s fearful expression counted. The bad news, they weren’t alone, and the company wasn’t Beckett and Coral. 

Two bodies were chained to the wall, the faces pale and lifeless, the skin cold as ice. 

“Are they … dead?” Emmeline’s voice caught in her throat. 

“Obviously,” Forrest choked out. “And based on the fact that there’s no maggots, the bodies are probably preserved by magic which means we have no idea how old they are. Did the Ancient Reader have friends?” 

Emmeline’s heart seemed to stop. Could these … these dead people be the Ancient Reader and a friend? There was one male and one female, but neither looked harmed. In a way, they could be sleeping, except for their bony cheeks skin that looked like marble. Emmeline couldn’t bear to look at them any longer. 

She turned to see Beckett and Coral standing behind her, shocked expressions plastered on their faces. 

Coral saw the bodies and immediately her eyes teared up. She fled to Forrest and wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder rather dramatically. Forrest blushed from the contact but patted Coral softly on the back, still too shocked to comfort her much. 

Beckett, on the other hand, didn’t show any signs of emotion at first. His face remained calm and Emmeline watched as he crept over to the two bodies, actually reaching out and touching the woman’s face. 

And then came the wail. 

At first Emmeline thought some creature had snuck up behind them, but no, the unearthly sound had come from Beckett. 

The boy fell backwards, tears streaming down his cheeks like rivers. “No!” he screamed. “No!’ He got to his feet and flung himself at the closest person, who happened to be Emmeline. He wrapped his skinny arms around her, holding tight like she was the only thing left in the world. 

“Beckett?” Emmeline whispered, sharing a look with Newt. The older boy shrugged, his eyes wide. “Do you recognize these people? We thought one might be the Ancient Reader.” 

It was hard to tell if either of them were a Reader, their arms were covered by thick, expensive looking fabric. Beckett didn’t answer her at first, he continued to sob into Emmeline’s tunic. 

“Of course I recognize them,” Beckett cried out at last. He pushed himself away from Emmeline, regaining his composure and wiping his eyes. “They’re my parents!” 

The realization hit Emmeline like a carriage running over a child. 

Now that she looked closer, Beckett had his mother’s tiny nose and his father’s soft blonde hair. He shared the curls of his mother and the freckles of his father. 

Emmeline felt stupid. Here they were, speculating if maybe their quest had failed because they found two mysterious bodies. Of course Ibenily wouldn’t have sent them all this way for a dead Reader. They were freaking out about nothing while Beckett - poor, poor Beckett - had lost his parents all over again. 

“The legendary King Rook and Queen Persephone,” Forrest whistles as Coral loosens her hold on his neck. “How do you think they died?” 

Emmeline wanted to tell Forrest to shut up and let beckett grieve, but her voice was gone. Newt answered his question, though his voice was much softer. “They were obviously chained to the wall, so thirst or starvation.” 

That explained the gaunt look. 

“Please be quiet,” Beckett whispered, wiping his eyes again. “Can you…” His voice cracked and he sent Emmeline a pleading look. 

“Let’s go,” Emmeline whispered, finally get her voice to work. She grabbed Newt’s arms and dragged him to the ladder, Coral, Forrest, and Clara in tow. They waited under the ladder for Beckett and he climbed down not long after. 

The young boy didn’t say a word, but Emmeline noticed his fingers clenching and unclenching, his skinny arms shaking with rage. 

He looked up, meeting Emmeline’s eyes. “Whatever I do, I am going to kill the Green Kingdom and the Silver Kingdom. I will avenge my parents.” And as Emmeline looked at him, she knew there was no doubt about it. Beckett would either destroy the world or save it.

Emmeline knew better than to mess with Beckett when he was angry. The green and silver tendrils seemed to pulse with his every step.
It wasn’t until Emmeline saw the figure in the street that she finally reached out a hand and pressed it against Beckett’s chest, forcing him to slow. She pressed a finger to her lips, sharing a look with a very confused Newt. 

But the figure had already seen them. It grew closer until Emmeline could make out dark hair and skin. The figure was a woman, not old but not young either. 

“Who are you?” she ordered, withdrawing a crossbow from her back, aiming it at the group. Emmeline saw the crossbow shift from her chest to Beckett’s to Newt’s, never fully stopping so everyone was in danger. 

“We come in peace,” Newt began, and the crossbow was pointed straight at his head. He raised his hands slowly in surrender. 

“Who are you?” the woman repeated, her eyebrows knitting together. Emmeline forced back her fear, knowing that the crossbow was deadly. She could almost see its bolt protruding from any of her friend’s chests. 

“I’m Emmeline, and these are my friends,” Emmeline answered slowly, the crossbow shifting to rest pointed at her chest. “Who are you?” 

“I’ll be asking the questions, thank you,” the woman snarled. “Are you spies from the Green Kingdom? Silver Kingdom?” 

“We’re travellers,” Emmeline answered, but the woman didn’t seem convinced. So Emmeline lowered her voice, speaking in no more than a whisper. “We’re here to see the Ancient Reader.” She didn’t say how they knew the Reader was there, nor did she mention that she was a Reader too and Beckett was a prince. 

The woman’s crossbow and jaw dropped. “How do you know about that?” 

“I … I can’t say right here,” Emmeline said. She was lying, of course. Nothing prevented her from telling this woman the details of her quest, but she wanted past the woman. Maybe she could provide Emmeline and her friends safety and a place to stay. 

The woman nodded as if this was a perfectly good reason. “Unfortunately, I must speak with some others before we let you enter. If you’ll just wait-” 

She didn’t have time to finish her sentence because Coral let out a loud gasp and a grunt as Emmeline spun around. Forrest had collapsed, and Coral was left to support the bigger boy’s weight by herself. 

Newt rushed to help, but Coral shook her head frantically. 

“Don’t get close,” Coral groaned. “It’s his Curse, he’s going to be livid. Everyone take a step back.” 

Emmeline obliged as Forrest straightened up. His face was bright red and he seemed ready to burst. The woman lifted her crossbow, aiming it towards Forrest. The boy didn’t seem to notice as his eyes flickered open. 

“Forrest…” Clara said, her eyes wide and her hands out in surrender. 

Forrest snarled at her, unsheathing one of his swords. Clara spoke up again. “Forrest, you have to fight through this. We know you’re in there.” 

The small girl made the mistake of reaching for Forrest’s arm. Luckily, the boy’s sword was in the other hand. He shoved her aside and Clara stumbled backwards, tripping and falling to the ground. 

“Don’t touch her,” Beckett growled, approaching Forrest. His colorful tendrils were beginning to glow and Emmeline reached for Beckett. 

“Beck,” Emmeline tried, hoping it would calm him down. The last thing they needed was Forrest and Beckett to start a brawl in the middle of the street. It would ruin any chances of this woman excepting them into wherever she lived. 

“Let me fight, coward,” Beckett yelled at her. Emmeline grabbed him tightly, but the boy’s skin grew unbearably warm. Emmeline let go of him with a yelp, which sparked Newt’s attention. The older boy drew his own sword, holding it at Beckett’s head, and the younger boy drew his knife. 

“Stop!” Coral shouted, jumping between Forrest and Beckett. 

“Get away,” Forrest shouted. Coral stayed still holding up her hands. Forrest slapped her face with the back of his hand, the movement so fast that Emmeline barely saw the hand move in the first place. 

Coral let out a cry of shock and pain as she tumbled to the ground. Emmeline had had enough. 

She grabbed Newt’s free arm, pulling it backwards. “Stop, we need to behave.” It felt childish to say it, but Newt ignored her anyways. He wrenched out of her grip, preparing to swing at Beckett. 

“All of you will stop right now,” the woman screamed, tapping her crossbow like she was eager to fire. Perhaps she was - Emmeline’s friends weren’t being very warm at the moment. The boys ignored the woman anyways. “Stop!” she yelled again, but to no avail. Finally, the woman huffed and whistled loudly. 

Other people flocked to her side, and there were so many of them Emmeline couldn’t count. Each one held either a crossbow or a spear, the points on each wickedly sharp. 

The people surrounded Emmeline and the others, not even helping Coral or Clara to their feet. Forrest’s face grew redder, if it was even possible. “Get away from him!” Coral screeched, desperately crawling to her feet. “He’s claustrophobic! You’re making it worse!” 

The people either didn’t care or didn’t think the threat was idle. 

But Forrest was a good swordsman, even before his Curse took over. So no one was prepared when he spun around, whipping his sword wildly. The people the woman had called tried to contain him, but Forrest was literally going insane. 

He lashed out with his sword, never drawing blood or even hitting the people, but forcing them backwards. It seemed like the attacks would never stop. 

Until Coral leapt in front of Forrest, her face swelling up from where he had hit her. No recognition flashed in his eyes and Forrest raised his sword for the strike. It seemed like Coral wasn’t going to move, like she was going to embrace Forrest’s sword. 

He only managed to scratch a gash in her cheek and shoulder as the girl ducked and dived away. But the sword had done its damage. 

Coral winced as she wiped the blood from her face, seemingly shocked by the fact that Forrest had attacked her. But the boy’s reign of terror was over, he trembled as he saw the blood flowing from Coral’s wounds and he promptly collapsed. 

Coral doved to catch his head, holding it in her lap as she formed a water compress with her Blessing, holding it to the boy’s head. Tears streamed down her face as Forrest’s complexion turned extremely pale. 

“I told you to stay back,” Coral cried to the people. “Now look what you’ve done.” 

Emmeline was frozen in shock. She hadn’t wanted to be on the tail end of Forrest’s attacks under his Curse, but Coral had willingly stood in front of him. It was either crazy brave or crazy stupid. 

The woman that had questioned them was the first to break out of the stupor. 

She held her crossbow with confidence as she declared, “You are all to be detained until the Elders have decided what to do with you.” 

“We didn’t do anything wrong,” Clara protested, ignoring the spears aimed at her precious head. 

The woman waved a hand at Forrest. “He openly attacked our soldiers, not to mention I saw how you acted. Hostility is not a prized trait, young lady. And if I were you, I would be on my best behavior otherwise you might see on of these spears in your own heart.” 

Clara shook with fear or anger, Emmeline couldn’t tell. 

She felt a spear poke her back and edge her towards the direction the woman was heading. One of the guards lifted Forrest over his back like the boy weighed nothing and the group continued walking into the heart of danger.