Chapter 14

At the royal palace, the guards were on patrol. They were searching every corner of the building, every bush in the gardens to make sure that nobody sneaked beyond the walls. In the absence of the king and the Nightfall team, everything was possible. The dreadful thing that gave power to the soldiers was that their endeavor would be in vain if they made a mistake. Their hearing became sharper and every little wind breeze, every little noise was making them to stay with their weapons ready. As they were walking down the hallway, two soldiers, one in his mid thirties and the other one in his fifties, were discussing about what happened in the last few weeks.  

"I can't believe that the Nightfall team hasn't come back yet. It's been a month already. I wonder how His Majesty could endure all this pain." the young soldier said.

"The king said that they need only two weeks to catch those filthy brats of wolves. It was extremely hard for him to wait every day for a sign from his daughter."

"Indeed. I still remember when Her Majesty, queen Celia, was murdered. The only support of the king is princess Edra. That forest is a cursed place. Not even her and her friends managed to get out of there."

"That's true. Many people entered there and never came back, but I heard that His Majesty received a sign from the earthbender of the team."

"God protected them. Those teenagers are, in my point of view, among the strongest people in the Evonk land. So young, yet they still decided to dedicate themselves for the sake of their homeland. But still, I have some doubts."

"What are you talking about?"

"There won't be so much happiness when they return. I don't know why I feel this way, but this is what my intuition tells me."

"I hope you are wrong." 

"I hope so, too." the older soldier whispered, letting out a sigh.

A cry of joy echoed in the hallway and they grabbed the handle of their daggers. As they were ready to attack, they saw king Daivat and behind him, the Nightfall team. 

"Your Majesty!" the soldiers exclaimed in a solemn voice and bowed their heads.

"What are your reports?"

"Nothing happened during your absence. Every inch of this palace and the gardens were checked in the most careful way." the older soldier answered.

"At last, people!" Blake screamed, hugging the two men. 

"Don't act like a savage!" Zev intervened, grabbing his brother by the back of the neck. "Remember that we must concentrate on how we can restore Edra's powers and save Faye."

"You can withdraw." the king told the two soldiers.

After they were left alone, Asher dashed to the library.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" the fire wielder asked when they arrived.

"Search in as many books as possible for useful information. We mustn't waste precious time."

Everybody agreed and started to check every book. Blake just yawned and grabbed an old history book. He sat down at a desk and turned the pages in a bored manner.

"What the heck, man? We don't have time for the speed of the snail." Edra yelled and hit the table with the fist.

"I'm just tired. Let me rest a bit and I'll help later."

"I don't know what else to think about you. You're just like the weather. In a moment you're determined, in another you're just a lazy idiot."

"Please, Edra, believe me this time. Seriously, I regret what I did to Faye and I want to bring her back. I'm just tired."

"Hold on a second! Look at this! Everybody, come quickly!" the princess announced her friends and father.

Blake just stared in utter shock when he saw that on the page he was ready to turn over, was a detailed drawing of two pendants: a blue sun and a moon. 

"That's similar with Faye's pendant. Man, you're a genius! Maybe if we read what's written here, we can find out something new." Noah exclaimed and punched Blake friendly in the shoulder. "Read it loud and clear."

"Alright." the grey-haired male agreed. "It says here that if the two pendants are reunited, they can unleash such a great power that can destroy entire lands."

"What the..." Rishima said, slapping her forehead. "Wait a second. If Faye has the blue sun, then who has the moon?"

"Good question. Here it's another interesting thing. These are called "Destiny pendants". It means that their owners are destined to meet, no matter the circumstances. It's like the red string of fate."

"Dude, we're not talking about a love story here. It's a matter of life and death." Noah scolded his comrade. "Plus, it's not possible. I think that her necklace is gone by now. What if it gets in the wrong hands? We will be as good as dead."

"No. There's more. The pendants will glow when they will be near."
"Alright, but this doesn't make any sense. How is this supposed to help us?"

"If the owners reunite the pendants, they can make any wish, but there is a condition."

"And that condition is..."

"In order to awake the power of the pendants, there is necessary something and here is sort of a riddle. It is patient, it is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. It does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Everything that this paragraph says is a nonsense. What can it be? Honestly, does any of you have an idea?" Blake complained, stretching his arms in despair.

"I don't know, but at least we must keep this in mind. Good job, Blake." Edra complimented his partener.

"Guys, check this out, too." Asher intervened, holding a thick encyclopedia, with time worn covers. "Let's take a look. Maybe we can find an antidote for Edra."

The water wielder let the book fall on the table with a loud thud, making Blake to jump from the chair and cough because of the dust which had risen. He carefully looked at each page until he spotted the poison the princess was forced to drink.

"This is it." Asher said after ten minutes of searching. "Kirin is one of the most dangerous poisons on the face of the earth. The necessary ingredients are: ragwrot, which affects the respiratory system, daphne, which causes headaches, delirium and convulsions, bloodroot, which causes drowsiness leading to a coma and death, and lily od the valley, which is capable of slowing the heart rate, inducing vomiting and abdominal cramps. All these plants are deadly, but if the one who makes it doesn't want to kill his or her victim, a special flower is added: mirans. It has purple and orange spiralled petals with yellow dots and bluish stalk. This is one of the rarest plants in the world and the only thing known about it is that it can make the one who drinks it loses his or her powers. In some cases, the person loses them for good, or, in some lucky cases, for a limited period of time. It can be a few days, weeks, months, even years. The antidote is made from: calendula, borage, arugula and fennel. It must be prepaired in special conditions."

"What's with all these special conditions?" Noah grunted.

"The person who makes the antidote must be one with dignity, with a pure heart, no hatred, a brave soul, who can be able to sacrifice his or her life in the name of the greates power in the world."

"It sounds weird. I think that the information we have now are linked somehow." Zev affirmed, leaning his chin on his fist thoughtful. "Ash, you seem to fit this description. We can go and gather what you need to make your work easier."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this. I have my soul full of hatred for those who hurt Edra and captured Faye. I just can't let it go. Because of them, I lost my house and my father. If it wasn't for king Daivat, I would have still lived on the streets like a stray dog." 

"Then who can do it? There are no options. I don't think we can find someone who can fit this description." Rishima snapped.

"Calm down. I know what I should do, but I must do this alone. I will go back to the Forest of Venom to gather the ingredients for the antidote and we can keep them safe. It's the only thing I can do until we can find someone suitable."

"Are you insane?" Blake growled, grabbing Asher by the collar of his shirt. Do you realise what you want to do? Basically, you want to commit suicide. Only Faye could find her way back thanks to her wings. How will you survive?"

"Simple: positive attitude. I'm sure nothing bad will take place."

"We already lost a member of the team. We can't afford to lose another one."

"then what's your suggestion, Mr. Skill?" Asher grunted, raising his eyebrow in confusion.

"I'm coming with you. There's no way I can leave you alone. It's my way to pay for my mistake." 

"Guys, I don't want to interrupt your conversation, but you will need this in case you have troubles." the princess replied, giving them the half of an amulet. "What you have to do is to say 'knari' which means 'help us'. The other half will let us know we must come to save you. Understood?"

"Of course." the two males said in unison.

"Alright. When do you have in plan to return in the forest?"

"Tonight, right now." Blake affirmed.

"Why do I always have to be surrounded by crazy people?" Edra questioned herself out loud.

"Faye isn't here with us because of me. I must contribute to our plan as much as I can. Trust me, I will make everything possible to come back alive and take care of Asher."

"In this case, do you want to walk or to be teleported?"

"Second option." the two said.

With a snap of fingers, Edra sent Asher and Blake back in the Forest of Venom.

"I can't believe I would return here in such a short time. I'll make a small fire in my hand so we can see better the flowers."

"Good idea, but be careful at its size. We don't want to be spotted. I think we can find them if we go to north. I remember a place when we were going in circles trying to find the way back to Filaria."

"Let's go then."

Blake lit a small fire in his left hand and Asher was watching in every direction to see if they were followed. Now that they were alone in the middle of the night, it was much scarier than before. They were along with their other four friends and knowing they had help near them made them feel a little at ease. The amulet was in the fire wielder's pocket, but they weren't sure that the help would come on time. Blake was concentrating on keeping the fire at a reasonable size until Asher dragged him behind a thick fallen tree, making him extinguishing the fire.

"For Heaven's sake, what're you doing?" the grey-haired male whispered-yelled angrily.

"There is someone near us." Asher responded with his index finger pressed slightly on his lips, signing his friend to be quiet.

"Dude, you're freaking me out. It's pitch black and you can still see?"

"Shut up! If we're discovered, we're dead."

Blake poked his head out a little and heard a person moving closely to the trunk they were hiding. 

"Man, you're right! Someone is near us. I'll say the word so we can call for help." Blake whimpered.

"Alright, but first, do you think we can make a run for it?"

"How do you think you can exit this forest at night time?" a mysterious voice asked them.

Blake and Asher screamed at the top of their lungs while they were hugging each other. They kept their eyes shut, waiting for the stranger to kill them. Instead, Asher took a look closer and saw a tall young man with purple eyes, staring at them curiously.

"What are you doing here at a time like this?" the man asked confused.

"I can ask the same question." Blake asserted.

"Are you two brothers or something?"

"Hey, hey, hey, who do you think you are to interrogate us?"

"Man, leave him alone. Maybe he's lost like us."

"I'm trying to go to Clarito kingdom and the only way I can do it is passing through this forest. I heard there this is cursed place, if I'm not mistakening."

"Once you enter, you don't come back alive."

"Is that so?" the man asked with fake curiosity.

"Alright then. You go in your way, we in our way. Ash, let's get our business done here." Blake snarled, grabbind his friend's arm and dragging him away. "Something is off about this person." he then whispered.

A dagger flew milimeters away from his side, thrusting into a nearby tree. 

"Don't you know that it's not politely to speak someone behind his back?" the hoarse voice of the strange person broke the silence.

The two friends took their fighting positions, but noticed that the man was approaching them with incredible speed. This caught Asher off guard and the stranger took advantage of his amazement. He jumped behind him and hit him in the back of the neck. The water wielder's vision blured and soon the only thing he could see was darkness. Blake created fireballs one after another and tried to aim him. The attacker was dogging them with relaxed movements, as if he was dancing. He kept doing this, hopping that it will tire Blake. He took a short glance at the ground and spotted his amulet. When he looked back at Blake, he saw a fireball only inches away from his face. He made a wheel and before landing, took the talisman. 

"What happened? Tired already?" the stranger asked as he watched the fire wielder falling on his knees, drops of sweat dripping down his face. "I thought you were better than this."

"Who are you? You can't possibly be a human. You don't even show a sign of fatigue."

"I am well trained. So what kind of business do you have here at a time like this?"

"Open your mouth once again and I swear I will burn you alive."

"Oh really? You have indeed the guts to mess with me and even provoke me. I'm quite impressed... Blake Almain."

Shock overtook the wielder's face when he heard his name. 

"You don't have to be surprised. I know everything that is to know about you and the Nightfall team."

"Shut up!" Blake gave a cry fight, but the stranger grabbed him by the throat before he could use his fire attack.

"My, my, my, who could have predicted that you will see me face-to-face like this? I hope you have a good view. I don't know if you will have this chance again."

Blake chocked in his grip, trying desperately to escape. The man was strong, even though he seemed frail. His eyes were purple, the colour of mistery, yet the desire of spreading terror was burning in them. But, there was something else beside it, something that Blake couldn't understand.

"I know who you are, but do you know who I am?"

"How... am I... supposed... to know?" Blake asked him, scratching his wrist in hope that he will be released.

"Then describe me and maybe you will remember. You have one chance. Wrong answer, dead end. So be careful."

"You were so silent when we noticed you approaching our hideout, your movements were so relaxed, your skills were incredible for someone like you. At a moment I couldn't even track you. You were so fast, kind of like a..." the grey-haired male said with his eyes going wide.

"Kind of like a what?"

"A shadow when the light is shining on it."

"Correct answer." 

Shadow gave a malicious laugh and released Blake. 

"There's no way you are..." the filarian bursted out.

"You're still surprised? Actually, I didn't know I was fighting with sponges. Your friend was a pretty easy prey." the assassin giggled, gesturing with a thumb to Asher.

"Why don't you try to kill us? That's what you do, right? You had a chance with me."

"Actually, I wanted to meet you."

The seriousness in Shadow's voice took Blake aback. He was his enemy. He couldnt understand why would he have such a wish.

"As I can see in your eyes, you are shocked. Let me explain so it will be clear. Right after the ambush, I followed you so I could take all of you down, but then something strange happened. You had a fight."

"Indeed." Blake answered and bit his lip.

"Poor Faye. Who could have thought that her efforts would be rewarded with an attitude as disgusting as you? She truly is a talented fighter and I have to admit, I was impressed."

"What have you done to her? Where is she?"

"Don't worry about this. She's safe with me."

"Safe with you? That's the biggest abberation I've ever heard."

"I pity you." Shadow grimaced. "You're just like the element she can control, the weather. You are not consequent in your behaviour. Once, you didn't want to search for her saying that corpses disgust you. A proof of you so-called loyalty towards her. Then, you accepted after your friends' threats. You cried and begged God to switch places with her. Another proof of quick changing. Now here you are, trying to play the hero. You couldn't even protect your friend and you secretely hoped to defeat me."

"How do you know so much about her?"

"This is a long story which started when we were children." the assassin said with nostalgy in his tone, looking at the black sky. "I made a promise back then, but I couldn't keep it. Now the time has come to face the past."

"What the... What are you talking about?"

"I can't let her leave until I fulfill my promise. It's something I should have done a long time ago, but now I finally have the chance to do so. At this chapter, I thank you. You were a source of help."

"What are you intending to do with her after you... accomplish your plan?"

"I don't know. Future is such a funny thing. You never know what it has prepared fo you. I still need time, though. Will you help me, Blake?"

A shiver went down the spine of the fire wielder. In front of him, was the one he and the team had been trying do take down for so long. Their enemy. The most infamous assassin in Evonk. And he asked him for help. Blake had no idea what he could do. A wrong word could bring the end of him and Asher. He recalled the entire conversation and, as much as he hated it, admitted that everything was true. His death enemy showed him how the things really were.

"I can't trust you." Blake finally said.

"I must fulfill my promise. This is my only chance."

"What are you asknig for?"

"Five months. Give me just five months."

"This means almost half a year. Are you insane?"

"You swore loyalty to the princess. Now you find yourself stuck between good and evil. But believe me, this time this isn't about my own interest, it's about Faye. If you don't want to do this for me, then do it for her."

"Why did you suddenly change?"

"Because this is my wishful thought. You can change, too. Just a little piece of advice: prepare yourselves. Soon, there will be bloodshed in this forest."

The assassin raised a hand in greeting and dissapeared in the darkness, leaving Blake at a loss.