Spirit of the Ice – Chapter Twelve
The Hostages:
Aria headed towards the Tree of Light at a steady pace, her stamina increased as Alda prowled at her side. The snow leopard was tense and cautious, as if she blamed herself for not warning Aria in time during the release of the poisonous gas.
As she neared the tree, she could finally grasp to the full extent how massive it was. The trunk was as thick as a small house, and at least a thousand branches, each the size of a normal tree trunk, stretched outwards in all directions. Tiny bulbs of light hung precariously to the shrubbery like large spots of sparkling dew.
Tree of Light, Aria mused as she pulled out her sword. The Satans would have the tree well defended.
Alda growled, pacing. Her tail lashed as she slunk backwards into the undergrowth. Aria trusted Alda's instincts more than her own, and she slipped into the dense shrubbery behind the snow leopard.
Voices were just audible, and Aria strained to identify them. Then suddenly her hearing was sharper, more acute, and she could make out the voices clearly.
"Just up ahead," a female voice said, "Take your weapons out."
Aria's heart soared. It was Meilin's voice!
"It's huge," came Conor's voice.
Conor and Meilin! Aria breathed a sigh of relief. They were experienced Greencloaks that would know how to deal with the Satans.
"Do you think the others are there?" it was Dawson that spoke.
The three Greencloaks emerged from the undergrowth with Meilin in the lead. Conor followed behind her, clutching his axe, and Dawson held a staff tightly with both hands, his face pale.
"Meilin!" Aria hissed as she passed, and Meilin's eyes instantly met Aria's. They were slightly surprised and defensive, but she relaxed as she saw who it was.
"Aria!" a small smile spread across Meilin's face, "Is it just you?"
"I had Kirat and Kaiina with me," Aria replied, getting out of the bush. Alda purred as she padded elegantly out of the brush.
"Had?" Dawson echoed, looking anxious.
"I think the Satans are holding them at the Tree of Light," Aria said breathlessly.
"Tree of Light?" Conor repeated in bewilderment.
"The giant oak tree," Aria explained, then she told them everything that had happened. The poison gas, the village, the elder's advice, Arijua's story.
"So Bamukket was human?" Meilin raised one eyebrow once Aria had finished.
"And they've got Kirat and Kaiina!" Dawson exclaimed, "We've got to go rescue them!"
"Hold it, hold it," Conor hissed, "Keep your voice down. We'll wait and see if any of the others made their way here. Then we'll have a higher chance with more numbers helping us out."
"Right," Dawson grunted reluctantly.
Alda suddenly stiffened beside Aria, and she stopped stroking the leopard at once.
"What's wrong?" Meilin asked tersely.
Then Alda purred, her ears pricked brightly. She tugged at Aria's shirt with sheathed paws and bounded a few steps before turning around, as if waiting.
Then came Raisha's disdainful voice from a little far off, "My feet are falling off."
"Be quiet!" Takoda snapped back, "There could be Satans here!"
"We can take them," Grif's confident voice replied.
"Don't be over confident," Abeke replied, and Aria heard Uraza rumble in agreement.
"Do you reckon the others are here too?" it was Cordalles, "What if this is the wrong tree."
"Meilin said a giant oak," it was Tasha's fair and calm voice, "What else could she mean?"
"Quiet all of you!" Rollan's voice ordered, and Meilin visibly straightened in delight, "I hear something."
The voices went silent, and Meilin called, "Rollan! Over here!"
"Meilin?" Rollan's hopeful voice replied.
"It sounds like here," Abeke said.
"Rollan!" Meilin called back, "Right here! It's me!"
A moment later, the tanned boy burst from the undergrowth, Essix sitting on his shoulder. The rest of the group came forwards as well, unharmed, but looking rather disheveled.
"The Satans chased us so far, we almost couldn't see the tree anymore!" Cordalles exclaimed, "But luckily we had Rollan and he used Essix to find the tree again!" Halawir screeched indignantly overhead and swerved to land on the girl's shoulder. Cordalles stroked the eagle's feathers, "You too."
"Where's Kaiina?" Raisha asked immediately, shoving through the crowd. Her eyes were dark with worry, and Aria remembered that the two girls were extremely close.
"The Satans have here," Meilin replied darkly, "Along with Kirat."
"What?" Raisha's voice was tight with fear, "Would they have killed her?" she shuddered in terror.
"Probably not," Meilin said, "More likely a way to draw us in, as bait."
"Where are the others then?" Takoda asked, scratching his head, "Niri, Anuqi, and Anda?"
"Don't know," Dawson said fearfully, "What if the Satans have them too?"
"They could be on their way," Tasha suggested hopefully.
"Or they could have been ambushed," Rollan said tartly, "We should rescue them right away, before the Satans decide they aren't worth keeping alive."
"We should send a scout," Abeke said helpfully, "Just to check where they are and such."
"Good idea," Meilin nodded, "Abeke, you go. You've got Uraza, and Aria, you too. Alda and Uraza's abilities are well suited for it."
"Can I go?" Grif asked, "I want to do something useful."
Meilin shook her head, "Sorry Grif, Arax wouldn't be the best stealth spirit animal." And when Grif visibly withered, she added, "But we need all of us to help set up camp."
"I want to go," Raisha said, "I want to see Kaiina."
"You won't be able to speak with her, but if you could let them know we're there that would be fine," Meilin conceded, "And I supposed Gerathon would be fine with this mission."
The cobra hissed at Meilin in response.
Meilin looked at the cobra in an intense disliking, "Alright then, you three head off. If you're not back by sunset, we'll send a patrol after you," she ordered briskly. Then she strode over to speak to Rollan.
Abeke glanced at Aria and Raisha. Raisha had her arms crossed, "You lead," she said crisply to Abeke. Abeke shrugged and headed off, Uraza at her side.
It took only a few minutes to reach the roots of the tree, and the smallest roots were as thick as Aria's body. The entire tree base was surrounded by Satans. The mangy creatures were all accompanied by an undead animal. A giraffe, a mountain lion, a zebra, a badger, a hawk, and a cheetah.
"Stay back," Abeke whispered as she and Uraza slunk into the cover of the lush undergrowth. Raisha did the same, and Aria followed suit, Alda at her side. The snow leopard's white coat would be a dead giveaway, and Aria wished she had figured out the dormant state.
"They can sense the presence of spirit animals," Aria whispered fearfully, as one of the Satan's glowing red eyes swept over the patch of undergrowth the Greencloaks were hidden within.
Abeke's lips thinned, and Uraza disappeared immediately. Gerathon was gone in a flash of light, leaving Aria both flustered and embarrassed, "I can't do the dormant state," she admitted softly.
Raisha groaned, "You'll get us caught!" she hissed, much like a snake, "I knew she shouldn't have come!"
"Meilin chose her for a reason," Abeke said quietly, "Don't doubt her." She nodded at Aria, "Just try."
Aria bit her lip in apprehension and turned to look directly into Alda's wide blue eyes, "Look," she breathed into her leopard's ear, "If you don't go into the dormant state, you'll get us all caught. Just please…"
Alda cocked her head in understanding, leaned in closer, and became a mark on her forearm with a briefly painful flash of heat. Aria's heart soared.
"See," Abeke said to Raisha, "Now, we need to get into the tree… hmm…"
"Couldn't we just kill all of the Satans?" Raisha suggested loftily.
"Walking out there into the open is suicide," Abeke said briskly, "We're merely scouts, this isn't the real mission."
"But what if—" Raisha protested, but Aria cut her off.
"Look!" she hissed.
Three new Satans emerged from the other side of the tree. Behind them were a scorpion, a jaguar, and a mink. Abeke gasped as she saw them arrive. Across their shoulders slung three bodies. Anda, Niri, and Anuqi.
