Chapter 5: To Cast a Long Shadow

A Chapter by Roselynne

Francine was only twenty feet away when she heard the scream; she completed the distance in a few seconds, her blood running cold. It was her job to protect the priestess; of course she didn't ask Helen to follow her, but that doesn't mean she wasn't still responsible for her safety. Her mind doesn't slow down until Helen-sitting safely next to the corpse, exactly where he left her-though even then, it refuses to return to normal speed. "Helen-"

Helen cuts her off before she can speak, pointing at an empty spot on the ground. "It's gone." Her voice is tinged with not fear, but terror. The fingers with which she points shakes in mid air.

"Francine's mouth pulls down into a frown. "Turn around, its-"

Helen's head shoots up to face her. "You really think it's a good idea to turn around when it probably went in that direction? We need to find it; we need to find all of the corpses for tat matter. I don't know how exactly they are able to reanimate themselves-no one else was anywhere near here-but it's obvious they can. We need to-"

Francine grabs her shoulders, forcibly shutting her up, and turns her around to face the body, exactly where she left it. "See? The body's not gone. You must have just turned around and not realized; all of the trees do look the same. I killed the last one, and I'm sure they're actually dead. I double checked some of the first shot down." Francine pushes Helen by the shoulders back to their camp, though Helen can't help sparing one more glance at the body; Francine may have been right, but it still sent shivers down her spine.

The world seems to stop for Elliot. The sound makes a ringing noise in his ears, but he ignores it. "Analise," he starts, trying to make sure his voice reaches her before the pain when the adrenaline wears off. He thinks he's talking at a normal level, but he can't hear anything, so for all he knows, he could be yelling. "Analise, listen to my voice. Open your eyes if you can hear me." They slowly open.

The pain in them almost shatters Elliot's heart. "I've healed your wound so don't worry about that. You're going to feel your injuries right now, so just remember to breathe. I'm going to have Thomas deactivate the shield. You're doing great. Thomas, come here."

The boy walks over, and him and Elliot work together to minimize any pain. Just as they finish, Francine and Helen walk out of the trees, Helen still obviously shaken.

Analise stands. "It doesn't hurt anymore, really; we should all just keep going. We do have a mission to accomplish."

Troy runs into yet another dead end; the voices seem to be drawing him to them. He knows he should try to ignore them, but it doesn't work. They've stopped just saying his name too. They tell him how Helen will be fine on her own; they tell him how she didn't want him there anyways. Though the voices begin to be more and more derogatory, he can't help listen. He isn't mad at the voices, but instead at himself. He believes wholeheartedly in everything they say.

The only reason he's still making any progress at all is that cat that kept following him. She decided which path he should choose and now she led the way. However, it is getting dark. Very little sunlight flitting through the tall trees' canopy. Troy is getting tired, too. After walking past ten more trees-it's always ten more trees-he stops learning against one.

"Look, I'm sorry cat, but I need to rest. We've been walking all day and I'm exhausted." The cat walks closer to him, rubbing her head against his leg. She then walks away from him, causing Troy to sigh. "I thought we were finally stopping."

The group continues down the long and twisting path. They have settled into a nice rhythm and over the past few days. They walk, stop to eat every few hours, and then stop for the night when it starts getting dark. Because they're still in the woods, it is easy to find shelter, water, and even firewood.

Every so often there are-of course-small hiccups to their almost domestic lifestyle; Helen will usually get mad at someone, Francine will end up making a comment that strikes a nerve. Tonight was no exception. After they set up their camp, even going so far as to making a small campfire, Helen was the first to go to bed; she had been quiet since she had seen the body move, so no one was really surprised. After a few moments, Francine breaks the awkward silence. "Who wants first watch tonight?"

Analise and Elliot both volunteer at the same time. They look at each other, and it's Elliot who speaks. "You need rest, your body was put through a lot of stress."

Analise shakes her head. "I can't sleep. I'm not tired."

"Well you two can work it out. Let me know if you decide you want me to do the second one. I'm going to sleep." As Francine heads into their shelter the last three share a look.

"I don't think I've even seen her so distracted," Thomas says, a smile playing on his lips."

"Or so brief," Elliot adds, and the two share a brief laugh, Analise zoning out.

"Well," Thomas starts, starting to feel a bit awkward, "I should probably get some rest too. Don't stay up too late, you two. We don't need Helen using her alternative methods of waking people up."

As he walks back into the shelter, Elliot looks at Analise. The light coming off of the fire reflects safely off of her red hair, making her whole head look like a flame. He becomes distracted watching her, but she doesn't move, simply staring into the fire. Elliot catches himself caught in his feelings for her, and he places a hand on her shoulder. "Ana-"

"Elliot?" Analise says, cutting him off. "Can I-can I tell you something?"

Elliot's heart pounds into his chest. "Yeah. Of course."

She looks away from him again, but doesn't pull away from his touch. "I'm scared. I mean, I know we're all scared, but after today-"

"I get it. You got hit by a magic arrow. That's-that's going to leave some marks."

"I know that; but everyone else feels like they're so put together. Not just through the way they're acting, but even their thoughts. Everyone else seems to only worry about our domestic issues. No one can just stay calm."

"I didn't realize it was making you so upset."

Analise glances at him again. "I'm trying to not let it get to me. Usually I'm good at this too-I mean it's kind of necessary what with my job-but there are so many animals too. I have to constantly shift through the input I receive and most of it is completely unuseable. And," she takes a breath, burying her face in her hands before she can start to cry. Her voice cracks. "And I feel like I'm losing control."

"Ana you're probably the most powerful person on our team." He rubs her back as tears begin to fall. "It's alright to be upset; you've earned it. You just need to relax."

Analise lets out a strangled laugh. "Relax? Don't you realize where we are? Or even just why we're here? We're the rejects. We weren't important enough to be needed back in the kingdom, so when the High Council hears about this crazy idea that we need to send people into the Forten to find a Goddess-which sounds stupider every time I say it-only those who were deemed replaceable were sent. That's us. So it's no wonder I feel like I'm losing control, I probably never had it in the first place."

Elliot stays silent for a few moments before speaking, letting Analise calm down a bit. "You're right. We were chosen because we don't really contribute to society. You, however, were specifically chosen to come here because of the recent missions you've been taking. If-when-we get back, I am to do a full report on your danger level."

Analise sits up straighter as he talks, all sadness fueling her anger. "You were-are-studying me?" Elliot opens his mouth, be it to defend himself or agree with her, but she stands before he can get a word out. "You're sick. You can take the first watch." She goes back into the shelter. Elliot had admired that about her from the first day they met; she always managed to keep some dignity.

Troy's eyes become bloodshot as he pushes forward in the darkness, not even sure if he was following the cat on even going the right way. He is too tired to care-all he needs to do is find the voices. They stopped taunting him, and instead took to offering him things; warmth, comfort, even a whole new life. He couldn't stop walking, needing to find them. He would keep going until he finds them. They would be his new family if his old one didn't want him.

Beside him, the cat continues to meow, trying to get his attention; it's no use, however, as he's too far gone. All semblance of who Troy used to be, has been lost here, in the darkness. His eyes become glazed over, and every so often, he feels a new mark burning into his skin.

Thomas walks into the shelter, nodding to Helen and Francine as Francine tries to comfort Helen. "Things got awkward out there?" Francine asks, turning away from Helen for a bit.

"Of course they did. I'm pretty sure he's going to tell her how he feels. He keeps looking at her and everything."

"I can't believe our Prince fell for the dropout merc. They'll make a good couple together, don't you think?"

Thomas smiles, though it is a bit strange. "Yeah."

Helen sighs. "I don't think she's very good for him. She thinks she's so much better than anyone else, but she needs to learn that she isn't everything. All three of us one better than her; at the very least we could manage to graduate school."

Francine frowns. "Well yeah, I guess you're right-"

"That doesn't mean they don't have good chemistry, you can't deny that." Thomas says, cutting Francine off.

"Thomas does have a pretty good-"

Helen cuts Francine off again. "That's not all that is needed in a relationship. He is the Prince."

Thomas glares at her. "Francine, you agree with me, don't you?" Both of them turn on her, staring her down.

"Well-um-"

"Francine. Answer him. Who do you agree with?"

Outside of their shelter, Analise's loud voice rises. They do not catch much of her tirade, but enough to stop their own argument. Francine glances outside, Helen and Thomas watching as well. Seeing Analise quietly sobbing while Elliot talks about his real mission tugs at even Helen's heartstrings. Analise calls him sick, walking into the shelter; Helen and Thomas try to pretend they weren't just watching everything, but Francine doesn't bother.

"What just happened?" Francine asks.

Analise glares hard at her. "Nothing."

"That obviously wasn't nothing. What-"

"I told you, Francine, it was nothing. Just drop it." She glares over her soldier, towards Elliot. "Just be careful around our lovely Prince." She goes to her makeshift bed, laying down. Everyone else follows suit; no one is asked to take the second shift.

Troy finally found it; the source of the voices. A small stone tower, overgrown with plant life, stands stark against the green of the forest. The doors open themselves for him, and he walks forwards, undeterred by fear. The cat left him a while ago, but he didn't care. The darkness is heavy, almost having a physical. "Troy," says the voice, all of the voices from before speaking at once. "Are you ready to join us now?"

Opening his arms wide, he smiles into the darkness. His eyes are now completely glazed, and the tattoos cover every inch of his now pale skin. The darkness surrounds him, completely surrounding him. It enters his mouth, seeps in through his skin and ignites the marks on his body.

After it calms down, Troy smiles once more. The excess darkness forms a robe around him. He opens his mouth and more darkness flows out. "We are one."

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