.
"We're not lost."
"…Of course not, sir," replied the corporal.
John looked up from his map and found himself in a familiar clearing in the woods; it was at least the third time Section Four had passed through it since leaving camp that morning. Once Gurth had marked the location of the massacre site on his map, John insisted on leading the section there himself. He assumed it would be part of the way Riven would assess his abilities during the venture.
"How hard can it be to walk in a straight line?" the lieutenant muttered to himself as he checked the compass again. Then he pointed in a new direction out from the meadow. "We need to go that way," he declared with the same confidence as the last time they left the clearing.
As before, two scouts hurried off in the new direction, followed minutes later by the rest of the section.
Captain Riven lingered at the very end. John was careful to avoid her gaze. She had not said a word since leaving the encampment that morning, seemingly content to let the young lieutenant bumble his way through the Ionian wilderness. Occasionally she checked her own compass and map, but never shared her findings with the rest of the section.
They walked for nearly an hour, up and down the slope of the valley. John glanced at his compass from time to time, altering their course along the way. He was thankful that the trees shielded them from the worst of the cold winds coming down from the mountains, yet he still felt a chill. Perhaps it was from Riven's penetrating glare as he struggled with the basic navigations, yet he still felt as though someone else – or something else – was watching them from the forest.
"Is any of this looking familiar to you, corporal?" the lieutenant asked, glancing nervously at the dark forests around them. It was well past midday. What little sunlight made its way through the dense treetops was casting longer and longer shadows on the ground.
Gurth looked around with a shrug. "One tree is the same as another out here, sir. I was more concerned with getting back to the company last night than with cartographical notations or landmarks."
"The area where you found Tengen and his men; what was it like?" asked the lieutenant as they continued through the forest.
"Some rocky outcroppings, a stream not too far away, and the forest as dense as ever around us. No real path leading there to speak of," Gurth replied after a moment's thought.
One of the scouts returned and reported that there was another clearing ahead.
John's heart sank as he led the section into the clearing. Even in the failing light, he could tell that it was the same meadow they had passed through numerous times during the day. "We're not lost," he muttered to himself. "We just can't find our way."
Overhead, the sky was turning from brilliant blue to the soft yellows and pinks of sunset. The forest around them seemed darker than ever as it came alive with the sounds of nocturnal creatures stirring from their slumber.
The lieutenant looked around the clearing. His section, and Captain Riven, all looked at him expectantly, waiting for his decision. With a sigh, he gave his orders. "Ok, everyone. We'll camp here tonight, then find the gravesite in the morning. Squad one, set up camp. Squad two, sweeping patrol around the clearing. I want to know if there's anything to worry about within one mile distance. And I want the scouts out further than that."
As the soldiers went about their work, John approached the captain. "Well ma'am, we're getting closer," he said with a weak smile.
"No we're not," Riven replied, not looking up as she continued to make notes on her map. "While I admire your willingness to jump into the situation, you failed to take advantage of people who had been over this ground before. This is the result." She held up the map.
Riven had been marking their path throughout the day in red pen. From the campsite that morning, John had led them in no less than four loops up and down the same side of the small mountain, passing through the meadow every time.
He studied the map, shaking his head as he realized that not once had they been close to the massacre site. Wilderness tracking had never been a strong-suit of his, but with his experience as a city planner's apprentice back in his provincial town, John thought he could simply follow the map to their destination.
"You're failing this test, John."
The lieutenant looked up in surprise. This was the first time Riven had used his first name.
"Listen, I don't expect for you personally to find the gravesite," she went on. "Only to see that it is found. You have twenty men under your command. If you provide the leadership, they will provide the results." Riven placed a hand on his shoulder, then walked off towards the edge of the clearing.
John studied the map Riven had left with him. He thought back to what Gurth had said about a stream running by the gravesite. There was no stream marked on the map, but the way the valley was sloped near this small farmstead… He looked up from the map as Corporal Gurth approached.
"You must really like this meadow, sir," Gurth said with a wry grin. "I was satisfied after the second visit, to be honest."
"Shut up, corporal," John said with a friendly smile. "Did the scouts find anything for us to worry about?"
"No sir. Just some smoke columns from a settlement up the valley, the one Tangen was heading to. We're still waiting for Scout Nisus to report back, but it's looking like we'll be secure for-" The corporal was interrupted by a commotion across the clearing.
Looking across the meadow, John saw Nisus escorting a young, emaciated Ionian boy, not more than ten years old, into the camp. The boy's eyes were wide with fear as the Noxian scout led him to the lieutenant.
"A spy?" John asked.
Nisus shook his head. "Worst spy ever if he is. I found him wandering the woods, looking as lost and terrified as he does now. But he was carrying this…" The scout handed John a short dagger. The hilt bore the familiar symbol of the Noxus XVI Legion.
"One of Tangen's daggers. Where did you get this, kid?" John asked the Ionian, holding the weapon up to his face.
"D-demon!" the boy shrieked. "It was a demon!"
"That's all I could get from him too," said Nisus. "Can't get a name, a home, or an explanation of how he got one of our daggers. He just keeps going on about some demon."
"Where did you find him?"
"Up the valley a ways, closer to the farmstead."
The boy began to howl again. "The demon! The demon!" Much of the section was now gathered around to watch. More than a few of the soldiers cringed at the yells.
John felt unnerved with every scream from the child.
"We could take him to that farmhouse or village," Gurth suggested when the Ionian had calmed down. "Maybe they can give us some information, and if not, they can at least take the kid off our hands."
The sun had just set. They were far enough north that the twilight would linger for some time yet, though the forest floor was already shrouded in darkness. "It's getting late. We can investigate the farmstead in the morning," John decided, glancing reassuringly at the campfire nearby.
"You really want to keep him locked up in camp all night, sir?" asked Gurth. "That shrieking will get old pretty fast. I might even start believing in demons myself if it lasts all night."
"Well, it's too late to-" John began to reply.
"No it isn't," Riven interrupted as she joined the group seemingly from nowhere. "Scout Nisus, can you locate the place where you found this kid? Or at least the farmhouse? How far away is it?"
"I can find it. No more than an hour away."
The captain turned to John. "What are you waiting for?"
"Um, morning. Ma'am, it's too dark to-"
"Lieutenant, are you afraid of the dark?"
John felt his face grow red. "Yes…" he muttered, looking down. More than ever, he wished he was back home in his village by the sea.
Corporal Gurth smiled, but stifled his laugh when Riven glared at him.
"Do you know who else is afraid of the dark, lieutenant?" Riven asked.
John shook his head.
"General Darius," the captain said with a smile.
The entire section stood in stunned silence for a moment.
"T-the general is afraid of the dark?" John asked presently. "How do you know?"
"I served in his legion in the Noxus capital garrison," Riven explained. "He always carried his own torchlight during night exercises. Now, why is Darius our general?"
"Because he's the strongest?"
"Right. And that's relevant because…?" Riven motioned with her hand, forcing John to continue.
"He's stronger than his fears!" John realized.
"And so the student learns," Riven said happily. "No one is fearless, but the strong do not let their fears control them. Now lieutenant, are you stronger than your fears?"
John looked off into the dark forest, then back to his fiery-eyed captain. "Yes!"