The Forgotten Hero - PART TWO

V – The Price of Peace

 
The darkness of the jungle spun by in a blur. Branches whipped and scratched at Liana’s legs and arms, but she ignored them all.
Heaving through shallow breaths, she desperately ran as fast as she could, knowing the enormous spider was closing in. Its powerful legs hammered the ground, each one searching for her as it knocked over trees and threw out mud and rocks in its wake.
Her legs burned, though she would not slow down. She jumped over logs and ducked under branches, not knowing where the next obstacle would be until it was before her.
A thick leg skewed the ground beside her, throwing her to the side. Crying out, she pushed off against a tree and kept moving.
The rattling hisses of the giant spider followed her, seeming to penetrate her mind.
Another leg stabbed the ground in front of her rising foot, and she fell forward, rolling and scrambling in the mud. She turned on her back, utterly exhausted, to see the great orbs of the spider close in on her. From its small mouth came a green glow, matching its eyes. Its shuddering hisses echoed through the jungle–or through her mind. She could see the ridges within the mouth as it opened wider, luminous bile dripping from it.
Suddenly something disturbed the air above them.
“No! No!” came a familiar screech.
Hooky spun and darted back and forth through the air, his bat-like wings flapping furiously.
“No!” he barked, growling and hissing.
The great eyes of the spider rose and blinked.
Liana lay there, waiting for the spider to strike and end the courageous Hooky, who was darting around like an incessant fly.
The spider hissed. It considered the squealing Hooky, and then, to Liana’s great surprise, it backed away into the night. Its glowing eyes rose up into the trees, and disappeared in the darkness above.
Hooky lowered to her, moving slower now. His small shoulders also heaved, and his eyes were wide.
“O-kay,” he said softly. It sounded the most human Liana had heard him yet. His tongue whipped out and ran along his fat lips, and he smiled at her, blinking.
Liana would have laughed, were it not for the sheer terror she had just experienced.
As Hooky led her back to the hut, she hugged herself, soaked from sweat and shivering in the cold night.
Not even attempting to go back to sleep, she lay awake for the rest of the night, unable to stop the traumatic images in her mind.
Hooky lay down in the front room, between her and Jerrim; she could see his furry tail from behind a box. Even though she could hear his soft snores, she felt that the creature remained there to look out for them.
It was around the time of the early morning birds’ songs that she eventually drifted to sleep.

***

When she groggily awoke the next morning, she was surprised–and elated–to see Jerrim on his feet.
He pretended not to see her at first, which gave her the impression that he had just been watching her. He always pretended to ignore her when he had been caught staring at her.
She rose to her feet and went to him, fighting the throbbing in her head.
When she hugged him, he let out a suppressed groan, and she realised she had squeezed him too tight.
Stepping back, Jerrim moved his hands to her waist and looked at her, that sorrowful look in his eyes. She offered him a weak smile and turned away, not wanting to hold his gaze for too long. She let the rest go unsaid.
“What happened?” he asked suddenly, his eyes widening.
She followed his gaze to the scratches on her muddy arms, and noticed the bandages on her thigh had been torn some.
“You know how clumsy I am,” she said lightly. “Just fell over yesterday in the jungle with Elias.”
He eyed her suspiciously.
“Is Elias around?” she asked, changing the subject. She looked around for Hooky but saw no sign of the creature.
Jerrim shook his head. “Haven’t seen him yet. Looks like the day is getting on already though.”
The heat in the hut told her it was well into mid-day.
Looking around briefly, she voiced the feelings that had been building up. “Look, Jerrim. Let’s forget about the treasure and just go home.”
Jerrim’s brows furrowed, signalling that he was about to put up a fight. “What are you talking about? We left home for the treasure. We’re not going back without it. We can’t.”
She sighed and turned away, searching for a way to reason with him.
“If I don’t come back with the treasure, then my family is ruined,” Jerrim continued, his voice rising. “We need the money, Li. And what about you? What happened to you wanting to start your own life? To forget about Dorian. Or… do you want to go back to him? Do you… still love him?”
“I… I don’t know. I just don’t like it here.” She sighed again and started pacing. A part of her felt that she was lying when she said that she didn’t like it there, but she pushed that feeling aside.
“I’m not going back without that gold,” Jerrim repeated sternly.
She hated his stubbornness.
The front door creaked opened, and Elias walked in. A mess of tech parts and wires hung from his hands, and he laid them into a box by the door with a few other parts. He nodded to the box and looked to Liana. “Some chores for you.”
She tried to keep her face neutral, unsure of how to respond.
Elias softened his voice, perhaps sensing her apprehension. “I thought you could make yourself useful while you’re here. It’s mostly junk, but some have their uses.” He picked out a long object with a wooden handle. “You can keep what you fix, if you wish.”
He threw the long device, and she caught it awkwardly with both hands against her chest.
“A cross-bow,” he told her.
She looked up at him, this time emphasising her raised brows.
His grey eyes pierced her, though he said no more.
Liana shivered, and she wondered if Elias knew of her ordeal with the spider last night. Or knew they were planning on leaving soon.
“To keep you busy, anyway,” he said, turning from them. “I have errands, and will be away for most of the day. There is fruit and bread in the kitchen. And fresh water. Help yourselves to anything you find.”  
After he left them, Liana and Jerrim silently agreed not to continue their previous conversation. While she attempted to keep their talk light and friendly, Jerrim mostly sulked and made little conversation.
Liana passed the time by repairing the tech Elias had left for her, finding that she enjoyed the task once settling into it. She thought of the times she had helped her father with some run-down tech around the house. She had loved spending time with him when she was younger, the tech bringing them closer together. She wished things were still like that.
Jerrim announced he would prepare them lunch in the kitchen.
After some time a strange sensation passed over Liana, like a cold shiver. Her skin tingled and her hairs stood up. Rubbing her arms, she went to the door. She left the hut and studied the surrounding jungle, searching for the source of the familiar sensation.
Hugging herself, she stepped between the trees and through the incessant bugs, careful not to wonder too far from the hut.
A wave of sensation washed over her, taking her breath away. Her pacing quickened now as she felt the source of the energy.
Further on, she could see Elias now. His heavy coat was off, revealing a thin dark vest. His powerful arms glistened as he moved them slowly over his head. She watched him turn and take a controlled step, his hands moving in wide arcs.
She gasped when she realised she had seen the specific movements before. The vivid memories came of her mother praying to Iselda, back in the Crown before they moved to the Central Plains. Though it was so long ago, Liana remembered the same sensations coming over her when she would watch her mother meditate.
Approaching the old man, she saw his eyes were closed with an expression of deep concentration.
She suspected that he was praying to Waton, the Magus’s god. But she wondered why his movements were so similar to her mothers, and why the fuzzy sensation felt so familiar.
Caught up in the moment, she found herself lifting an arm and widening her stance. Rotating her wrist and bringing her arm down across her chest, twisting her body, she attempted to mimic Elias.
She moved opposite him, as if a reflection of his movements, stepping and turning, their hands curling through the air.
Time seemed to still. At some point Elias acknowledged her. His sweat-covered face turned to her with a hard look.
Blinking back the sweat in her eyes, her breath was heavy as she said, “That was an Iselda prayer.”
He nodded grimly. “Aye.”
“But… how did you…?”
“I have little experience of the Ice Maiden, though I was able to channel a part of her through Waton.”
Liana swallowed through a dry throat. She wondered just how powerful this man was to draw upon another god from channelling his own. She didn’t even know that was possible.
Her wide eyes remained fixed on him. “But… why?”
At this, Elias looked away. “To wish you both well on your travels. The Jungle of Ari can be a dangerous place without a god’s blessing.”
She was lost for words, still unable to comprehend how he channelled Iselda, and why he would want to bless their travels.
“Would you like to join me?” he asked after a while, surprising her.
She shook her head. “I… I would know how…” she lied. “I couldn’t…” The thought of touching Iselda after so long caused her to sweat more.
Elias nodded with understanding. He turned and brought out a towel from a sack, and patted his face and arms with it. 
“I… I’ll leave you to it. Sorry to disturb you,” she said with a shaky voice. Flustered, she turned away.
“Liana,” he said. It was the first time he had used her name, and it sent a chill through her.
After some time, she faced him.
“Iselda does not easily forget.”
The words, and his steel gaze, froze her. What did he mean? What did he know?
Her lower lip quivered as she held his stare, before finding the strength to turn away. She left him and made her way back to the hut, thankful that he did not say any more.
His words rang in her ears as she walked. Did he mean that Iselda had not forgotten her, and her younger self’s prayers? Or did he mean that Iselda was unhappy that she had stopped worshipping her, and would not forget about her?
With these thoughts, memories of her mother came back to her in floods. Her crooked smile, her annoyingly loud laugh, the way she said her name… By the time Liana reached the hut, she was wiping away the tears.
Inside the hut, Jerrim was on the floor with Hook. A beeping device lay in between them. Jerrim tapped a series of buttons, causing a succession of beeps, with Hooky then bashing buttons on his side of the device.
She watched them play with a smile on her face, until Hooky saw her. His large eyes narrowed and he turned his back to her. Her breath caught, and wondered what to make of the reaction. She thought Hooky saving her from the spider may have brought her closer to the strange creature.
“Hey,” Jerrim said. “What happened? Hooky told me you went to see Elias. I went out to find you but couldn’t see you.”
“It was nothing,” she told him, trying to keep her voice steady. “He just needed a hand with something.” She knew being vague with Jerrim wasn’t a good idea. He was far too sensitive and curious to just let things go.
But now he just nodded, and returned to his game with Hooky.
Sometime later, Jerrim felt the urge to go for a walk, while the sun was still up. Liana went with him, and they had a relatively pleasant walk, keeping their talk light, reminiscing about home. Jerrim was soon fatigued, however, and they ventured back to the hut, with Liana supporting him near the end.
Hooky helped Elias fix them a dinner of vegetables and potatoes in a creamy sauce, and crusty bread. While Jerrim passed the time with the harder version of the toy that Elias had given him, Liana continued to tinker with the run-down tech. She found the cross-bow was not so damaged, and managed to repair it easy enough. Some ornate items had an antique look about them, something that could perhaps have once been worth a lot, but were now little more than garbage.
Iselda and her mother continued to find their way into Liana’s thoughts, and she spent most of the evening in a numb haze.
When darkness fully came, Elias left them. Liana felt the urge to ask him where he went each night, feeling somewhat more comfortable around him now, but she resisted the question. She remembered that they really didn’t know anything about this man still.
The drowsiness of sleep eventually took her, and she retreated to her bedroom crevice. Jerrim and Hooky finished up their last game together, and she fell asleep with the sounds of the beeping game.

***

A few hours later, heavy boots crunched through the jungle. Several armoured men approached the hut, their dark forms moving like ghosts in the darkness. They prepared their weapons as they surrounded the hut.
 
 

VI – The Flames of War

 
He swept through his hometown of Gerrun Edun, like a bird soaring over the thatched roofs and brown farmland. He saw the docklands and fishing huts where his father spent most of his days. He thought of his time in Gerrun Edun before Liana Keamy moved there with her father, and of the times when he would see her around the town, and of the few times they had spoken. Jerrim still found it hard to believe that he had left their hometown with someone who was little more than a neighbour.  
Being partially aware of the dreams he was having, he urged himself to change the scenery. While he attempted to picture the fabled Treasure of the Mare they had set out for, the image of a green field lined with pointed trees came into view. Dozens of birds chirped all around, and the croaking insects gave the field a musical voice of its own. When he noticed spark bugs flittering over the field, the scene reminded him of a forgotten picture he had seen as a child. As he considered the old holy picture, it appeared to come to life before him. A blinding light grew in the air ahead of him.
 When the light subsided, the form of a pale-skinned woman looked upon him. Her curly green hair wavered in an unseen wind, as did her flowing robes, which faded away below her waist, leaving a glowing light where her legs should have been.
Jerrim’s breath caught, overwhelmed with the sight. Before him was the goddess Xylophia. His goddess… if he were a more religious person. He hadn’t prayed to or worshipped her since he was a child and religion had been thrust onto him by his parents.
A smile formed on her heart shaped face, and her large brown eyes were warm and soothing. Somehow, they reminded him of his mother’s eyes. He didn’t wait for her to speak, for he knew that Xylophia only spoke through the sounds of nature.
The birds and insects continued their chirping, and the leaves and grass rustled audibly, although Jerrim could not determine any words from them.
Xylophia’s smile turned into a frown, and her eyes narrowed. The look froze Jerrim.  
At first he didn’t notice the sky darken, but then he saw the rumbling clouds that formed over the field. They swept over Xylophia, dulling her light and then hiding her, until there was nothing but a dark mist that filled the world.
Tall towers formed within the mist, as did dozens of dark shapes that dotted the land that could now be seen. Explosions erupted across the scene, and Jerrim realised he was seeing a war. He knew the images, somehow, as if someone were explaining them to him. He was witnessing the Shadow Wars. The devastating wars that almost destroyed the world around thirty years ago, when armies of Umbrai Incola left their underground homes and attempted to gain control of Eclauria.
Through the mist he saw one soldier, long hair flowing as he flew through the air throwing balls of light and swinging a great sword. Jerrim felt drawn to this particular soldier, somehow knowing that he was the key to stopping the war and putting an end to the invading forces, known as the Army of Nox. Jerrim had heard the man’s name before, for he was a famous war hero, although he could not remember it at that moment. The mist became swept up in the soldier’s spinning attacks, and gave way to a growing darkness that built up and surrounded him.
Within the endless darkness came a dull thud.
Then a louder thud.
The front door splintered and crashed to the ground, bringing Jerrim to life.
In the dim darkness of the hut, his blurry eyes fixed on a large shadowy figure by the front door, sharp points and bulbous armour giving the intruder a monstrous silhouette.
Two more figures squeezed through the entrance behind the first, revealing the large rifles they carried.
Jerrim cried out before he realised he had done so. It was a cry of alarm and of warning to Liana, who was jerking awake in her bedroom crevice.
Booted feet stomped towards him, but the other two figures moved to Liana.
Ignoring the sharp pain in his bandaged side and the throbbing headache from having suddenly awoken, Jerrim shot to his feet and raced to Liana. Before he could take a second step the first intruder was on him, a gauntleted hand grabbing his arm. Thick fingers squeezed his arm and threw him to the ground. The ground knocked the wind from Jerrim when he fell, but he tried desperately to raise his head and look to Liana, who was screaming now.  
The towering intruder lifted his rifle to Jerrim’s head, forcing him to stop all his movements.
In the dull light, he saw that the person wore a ridged helmet that covered his entire face, three rows of slits over his eye area and a long vertical slit down the centre of the metal helmet. Large rounded shoulder pads were studded with spikes, as were his large gauntlets. The rifle was a thick cylinder of mechanical parts, and looked heavier than anything Jerrim could pick up. The image was somewhat familiar to him, but he couldn’t think where he would have seen or heard of such people.
One armoured man raced to the kitchen and surveyed the surrounding area in wide strides, while the other brought Liana to her feet, despite her struggles and protests. Jerrim almost smiled at the fire in her, even in their dire situation.
The first intruder said something to the others in an unrecognisable language. Before Jerrim knew what was happening, a flame erupted from the hand of one of Liana’s captors. The glint of a metal ball could be seen in the flames as it flew from a gauntleted hand and ignited the boxes and trinkets around it. Sweltering heat enveloped the small hut, and Jerrim began to sweat, from the heat and from fear.
He was pulled to his feet and his helmeted captor brought him close. His eye slits only showed darkness.
A gruff, thickly accented voice said, “Where is Ellaison?”
Jerrim blinked back his surprise, not knowing what to say. Images of his fever dream came back to him­–Xylophia’s worried expression and the images of war he had been shown–but his head was a hot mess of fear and confusion to make sense of anything.
A shiny object flew across the room and struck the intruder furthest from them. Sparks of electricity shot out and wrapped around him, causing him to convulse and drop to the ground, his body shaking even after the energy had dissipated.
When a new figure appeared, Jerrim knew straight away it was Elias.
The cloaked newcomer darted towards Liana’s captor, his fists flying in rapid succession. His blows knocked the armoured man back, whose strikes missed the spinning old man. Their flickering shadows danced over the room as the flames grew around them.
When Jerrim’s captor raised his rifle, Elias’s cloaked form flew across the room. In a blur, Elias broke the rifle in two and knocked the intruder to the ground with a spinning kick.
Without pause he darted back to Liana’s captor, spinning and striking several blows, before throwing both palms out and knocking the final intruder through the wall.
He turned to them both. Under his great hood, his face was flushed in the glow of the room.
“Come with me. Now.” With that he stepped to the empty door frame.
Jerrim ignored the old man and rushed over to Liana, wanting to be sure she was unhurt. He laid a hand on her shoulder, though he could tell from her furrow-browed expression that she did not want his comfort at that moment.
“Come on,” she breathed, little more than a whisper.
She curled an arm around his waist and put his arm over her shoulder. He told himself it was an emotionless act, just to get them both out of the hut before it burnt down.
The night air was cold and alive with insects when they left the heat of the hut. Both of them were barefoot, and they stumbled through the harsh undergrowth, trying to keep up with Elias.
Rapid gunshots burst through the night air, popping on the ground by their feet and throwing up dirt and mud. Jerrim pushed Liana down as he ducked, putting himself between her and where he thought the shots had come from.
Further ahead, Elias ran to them and swung an arm out. A ball of white energy shot out over their heads. Turning back, Jerrim saw the glowing ball light up the surrounding trees as it soared to the roof of the hut. It struck a shadow he had not seen, momentarily lighting the armoured guard on the roof, who fell into a thick bush.
Elias tilted his head behind him, before racing off into the dark jungle.
“Let’s go,” Liana said to Jerrim, still with an arm around his side.
He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he heard more boot steps carrying on the wind.
They traversed the thick jungle as best they could, trying to stick to the cold muddy paths and away from the harsh jungle floor. Along with Liana, Jerrim’s feet were scratched and bloodied, and each step shot a new pain through him.
His heavy breaths brought stabbing pains to his side, but he would not say so to Liana and dare slow them down even more.
When he looked back, he could see the bright glow of the burning hut against the blackness of trees in the far distance.
Twice they thought they had lost the shadow of Elias, and Jerrim wondered why their protector was so far away from them.
When they finally met up with him he had come out from the side of the jungle between two large trees. His sudden presence startled them both.
Without a word, Elias waved a hand towards him, and stepped back into the undergrowth.
Following him further into the darkness, they came to the rocky surface of a ditch wall. Moving several large leaves and sheets of wood, Elias revealed a hole in the rock wall, around four feet in diameter.
“In,” he barked, waving his arm to the hole.
Liana approached and stepped ahead of Jerrim, but he held her back as gently as he could. He preferred to be the first to enter an unknown and possibly dangerous place, he told himself, despite what Liana might think of his actions.
Crawling on his hands and knees through a short declining tunnel, the ground soon gave way to a wider space. Jerrim found himself in a room with a domed rock ceiling. Candles were spread along shelves on the walls and table tops, casting the room in a dim, wavering glow. For an underground cave, if that’s what this was, the room was surprisingly homely. Red carpets lined most of the ground, picture frames of several sizes hung on one of the walls, and a large maroon sofa lay next to a bundle of sheets and blankets in the corner.
As Liana appeared from the entrance hole, it occurred to Jerrim that this was where Elias had been staying the past few nights.
Wiping the dirt from her shorts, Liana looked around beside him.
“What is this place?” she asked aloud.
“A safe place,” came Elias’s voice behind them.
He rose to his feet and threw back his large hood, finally revealing his stern gaze and deep frown. 
“We will be safe here for a while,” he added as he approached a shelf lined with bottles and vials. “Are either of you hurt?”
Liana shook her head, and Jerrim managed a weak “No”. He had a hand on his bandaged side, though he saw that his companions did not notice.
“Sit. Rest,” Elias said, gesturing to the large sofa and the wooden chairs nearby. He poured three glasses of a dark drink. Jerrim chose a wooden chair beside the sofa that Liana sat on, which could have fit them both. His feet burned as he flexed his toes, finally able to rest.
Elias placed the glasses on a table between them and looked them over. His eyes paused on their muddy and bloodied feet. Jerrim realised they had dirtied the carpets with clumps and smears of mud, and felt bad for ruining what looked like such a well-kept place.
“Who are those people?” Liana asked in a strained voice.
Elias studied them with narrowed eyes, the candle light casting shadows on his lined face. “They are very dangerous soldiers,” he told them.
“You know who they are?” Jerrim asked, surprised that Elias would know the intruders.
Elias sighed and looked away, pausing a moment before answering. “They are Umbrai Incola.”
A tense silence fell over the room, before Jerrim managed to speak. “Umbrai Incola soldiers. As in, the Umbrai Incola army from the Shadow Wars? The Army of Nox?” He couldn’t believe he was asking those questions. Images of his fever dream came back to him, and he struggled to remember as much of it as he could.
Elias watched him closely, his eyes glinting in the darkness under his heavy brows.
“They may be remnants of the Army of Nox, from what I could tell of their armour. They are very dangerous men.”
“You know the Army of Nox’s armour?” Jerrim asked.
“How do you know them?” Liana quickly asked beside him.
After another thoughtful pause, Elias muttered to himself, “The flames of war still flicker.” He looked away with a solemn expression. “I fear I have put us all in danger.”
“Who are you?” Jerrim asked. He knew this was the right question to ask, and somehow felt as though he already knew the answer.  
Elias’s cold grey eyes pierced them across the candle light. “I once went by a different name. In a different life. A long time ago, I was called Auren Ellaison.”
Jerrim looked upon the old man with a new found awe, a numbing shiver running through him. He finally remembered the name.
He was looking at the hero of the Shadow Wars.
They were in the presence of the legendary Saviour of Eclauria.

VII – The Plan

 
Looking over the shelves of the underground room, Liana found many things she did not expect to see. Several photo frames, both on the shelves and hanging on the rock wall, contained the image of a woman. In some of them she held a small child, and one with an older child that could have been the same person. Liana guessed it was a wife or girlfriend of Elias, perhaps an older sister, and then wondered if Elias had any children. Not that he would have told them if he did, or any personal details. All the pictures together made her think of a shrine, and she thought it strange for someone like Elias to have such a thing.
Although she realised that they had only just met the real Elias. The war hero, Auren Ellaison. She still couldn’t believe it. The hero of the Shadow Wars. The old stories said that he had died shortly after the wars, or that he had ascended to the godly realms. No one had heard from him in decades.
And they had stumbled upon him in the Jungle of Ari. It was a story straight out of the old tales.
She flexed her feet, feeling the soothing balm squash between her toes. Elias–Auren–whoever he was–had tended to their damaged feet, and after applying a cool salve, he had given them leather moccasins which stretched and tightened to their foot size.  
Liana never thought she’d be so happy for such simple footwear.
She picked up a photo frame that caught her eye. The woman was smiling, though her large eyes were sorrowful. Her brown hair hung loose and fell over her slender shoulders. Behind her appeared to be a cave, and the red rocks reminded Liana of something–of pictures of the underground caves that the Umbrai Incola live in.
“My mother,” Elias said from behind, his deep voice startling her. “She died when I was young.”
Liana was afraid to meet his eyes, and so kept her gaze on the photo. “She’s beautiful,” she told him, and replaced the photo frame.
“She was an Umbrai Incola,” Elias admitted.
A shuffling from behind told her that Jerrim was nearby.
“I am half Halitae-Magus, and half Umbrai Incola,” Elias went on, his voice becoming sorrowful. “When I fought in the Shadow Wars, I fought against some of my kin.”
She finally turned to him, finding his face closer to hers than she thought.
“I always thought the Umbrai were a peaceful race,” she told him.
“They are,” he said. “Although the Army of Nox had different ideals. They were cast out by the rest of their kind once they declared war on Eclauria.” He paused a moment before adding, “It is easy for the past to consume you. While we cannot forget what has been, we must not let it affect our present. Or future.”
Liana searched for the words to give. She had never known their protector to be so open.
Elias kept his keen eyes on her before turning away, and addressed Jerrim. “And how are you, young man?”
Jerrim laid a hand to his bandaged side. “Better. But… still a long way to recovery. I can still fight though.” He added this last part quickly.
“It would not do well to be so hasty to fight,” Elias told him. Auren. Liana had to remember to use his real name. But she was so used to calling him Elias.
“But I need to fight. To…” Jerrim’s eyes darted to Liana before sheepishly looking away. “To help,” he added sullenly. His voice rose when he said, “I say we go out there and rush them, take them by surprise. I see some weapons in here, and what can be used as weapons. If we all go out there at the same time–“
“We will all die at the same time,” Elias said sternly. “No one ever won a battle by rushing blindly into it. It is not courageous to let your enemies kill you so easily. We don’t know how many men are out there. What their strategies are. What their intentions are.”
Jerrim wanted to argue more, Liana could tell, but instead he huffed and dropped onto the sofa, taking a sip of the dark drink.
Liana looked to her empty glass on the table. The creamy drink was cold yet it had warmed her insides, and somehow helped her wake up and focus. The pain from her injuries had lessened also, likely temporarily. 
“So what do we do?” Jerrim asked, finishing his own glass.
Elias sat on a chair next to him, nodding his head to Liana for her to sit with them.
“We won’t be safe in here for too long,” he told them. “We go out, but we go prepared. I know this jungle better than anyone, and can get us to the western shores where I have a boat.”
“How many of them do you think there are?” Liana asked.
“Two dozen at the least.”
“And they can’t be fought?” Jerrim asked. “You took care of three of them in a confined space easy enough.”
“We take on one or two, soon more will come, and we will be overwhelmed. We were lucky to escape the hut without more finding us.”
Jerrim looked around the room. “Where’s Hooky?”
Elias shrugged. “He comes and goes as he pleases. And can take care of himself when he needs. He may even still be asleep somewhere.”
“How do we get to the boat?” Liana asked, leaning forward and clasping her hands together. 
“I know a few routes and shortcuts that should get us there safe. Although we must prepare for confrontation. I have a few tricks here.” With that Elias stood and went to a cluster of boxes under a large shelf.
Liana expected nothing less from a Halitae-Magus. A part of her was even excited to see what kind of tech he would have hiding around. As a Halitae, she couldn’t resist a good bit of tech.
When she saw the handle of an overly large spanner sticking out of one of the boxes, she decided to rummage through them with Elias.
She removed the open-end spanner and saw it was almost the length of her arm. The larger end’s curved points were corroded and blunted, but the smaller end was in perfect condition. It looked like it would prove an adequate weapon.
She turned to see Elias hand Jerrim a long wooden stick, with metal components around the mid-section and a rounded metal top. Jerrim leaned on the stick to stand, before moving it around and assessing the weight in his hands.
Elias removed something from the box nearest him and held it out to Liana. She saw a broken sword tip in his hand, the length of a forearm and width of a thigh. It still looked very sharp. “Would make a good addition to your weapon,” he told her.
Liana spent the next few minutes strapping the sword point to the larger end of the spanner, although she would have preferred to have fused the metals together if she could.
When she saw Elias sling a satchel over his shoulder, she noticed he wore a heavier, darker coat. Jerrim wore a lightly spun shirt over his usually bare chest, buttoned up to cover his bandages, and also held a satchel slung across his body.
“We leave soon,” Elias told them.
Liana stood, lowering her weapon. “Elias. A-Auren,” she stammered.
The old man smiled under his beard. “Please. Call me Elias. I have not gone by Auren for a long time.” His face became grave as he considered something, his eyes shivering back and forth in thought. He stepped to the corner near his mother’s shrine, and knelt by the rocky ground. His broad back hid was he was doing, but Liana saw a hole in the ground when she shifted her position. Elias pulled on a pair of padded leather gloves.
A buzzing sensation overcame Liana, and she had to steady herself. Her head became numb and dizzy, and she felt fatigue weaken her. Looking at Jerrim’s pale face, she saw that he also felt something.
When Elias stood, he held a bundle in his gloved hands. Within the folded cloth came a fierce red light, as if it were on fire. He carefully unwrapped the bundle and the glow within bathed the room in a rich blood-red light.
Liana faltered and caught herself against the wall, seeing the glistening gem within the cloth. A powerful, aggressive force emanated from the fist-sized gem, but it was also soothing, like the warm rays of the sun.
Elias quickly re-wrapped the gem in the layers of cloths, which cleared Liana’s head somewhat.
“I apologise,” he said soothingly. “I forget how powerful it can be for people who are not used to it.”
“What is it?” Liana managed to say, though her throat was pained and her eyes stung.
“This is a Nuneus Chaeolite,” he told them.
“A Chaeolite?” she asked. She had heard of such things before, but did not know much about them. It was one of the things they taught at school and spoke of in stories, but Liana had never been much interested in them. She knew that a Chaeolite could not be touched my mortal hands, which was why Elias wore the thick gloves.
“This is a special Chaeolite. An old possession of Nuneus himself.”
Nuneus. The God of War. The words ran through Liana’s mind, sounding foreign and unreal. How the old man could be in possession of such a thing was beyond her. She must have just experienced what it was like to be in the presence of the fire god, and the thought made her stomach lurch.
“How did you get it?” Jerrim asked. “What will you do with it?”
“It is very important that it remain with me. It is too dangerous in anyone else’s hands. I kept it here to hide it away from the rest of the world. Away from Nuneus. Now I must take it with me, to where fate will take me.”
He removed a glove and wrapped it around the cloths, and then did the same with the other glove, before putting the large bundle in an inner compartment of his satchel.  
“Let us be gone,” Elias said, stepping to the entrance hole first.
Liana shared a look with Jerrim, both assessing the other. She thought his expression was fearful, his eyes wide. Then his brows lowered, like they did when he looked at her for too long and didn’t receive the return look he hoped for. Liana was all too familiar with the expressions. Their eyes still on each other, a smile slowly crept on both their faces, and they ended with a small laugh. An awkward barrier had been broken down by the strength of familiarity.
She stepped to Jerrim with a hand out, but he dismissed her, his face hardening. “I’ll be fine,” he said. “I can move on my own. Thanks.”
Liana assessed him to see if he was in pain. Even through the dim candle light she could see his pupils dilate when he looked at her. Something she had learned to look out for a long time ago.
“After you,” she said to him, trying to sound casual.
She followed Jerrim through the short tunnel and they emerged into the cold night air. The jungle continued to croak and buzz with life, dozens of spark bugs lighting the area as best they could.
With a wave of a hand from Elias they turned into a narrow pathway between the trees, keeping away from the wide muddy pathway they had arrived on.
Liana constantly moved her head, darting left and right, behind and ahead, up in the trees, watching and waiting for anyone to jump out of the darkness at them.
When they arrived at an intersection of narrow pathways between the larger bushes, Elias knelt down and retrieved something from his satchel.
Liana saw it was tech from the way it caught the light, but she did not know what it was.
A switch clicked and a motor softly spun, before it diminished and became inaudible.
When Elias stood and left the object among the leaves and mud, she realised it was a trap of some kind. Perhaps a mine.
She spared a look to Jerrim, whose attention was on the darkness around them. He appeared to be coping well, not showing any signs of heavy breathing.
They continued to follow Elias through a cluster of trees and tall grass. Liana was greatly relieved that her damaged feet were protected in the moccasins now. She tightened her grip on her spanner-blade, reminding herself to be ready for anything at any time, and to be strong when the situation called for it.  
Elias stopped suddenly and froze, as they did also. Liana could do nothing but listen, only hearing her short, shallow breaths. She hoped they weren’t in the sights of one of the invaders. A part of her expected gunfire to rip through the air any second.
A rustle came from a large bush to their right. At least that’s what she thought. She stared at it without moving her head, waiting for any signs of unnatural movement to confirm her suspicions.
Another rustle. This time she definitely saw the leaves move. She readied her weapon.   
A cry burst in the air as large glistening eyes flew out of the bush in a frenzy of movement. A furry shape dashed towards Elias, screaming, “Lias! Lias!”
Hooky wrapped his arms around Elias’s neck and licked his face vigorously. The old man reeled back and pushed him away, holding him at arm’s length. Hooky continued to push forward but remained held back in Elias’s hand.
“No,” Elias hissed, keeping his voice low. “Hooky, quiet. Quiet now.”
The winged monkey-creature stopped struggling and looked at his master with wide, confused eyes. “Quiet time?”
“Yes, yes,” Elias said, relieved that Hooky would understand without further protests.
A laugh left Liana, and she quickly brought a hand to her mouth.
They all looked at her.
She stifled another laugh, but couldn’t help the large smile that spread across her face. She had never felt so relieved before in her life.
Jerrim also smiled, and they enjoyed the moment of watching Hooky’s confused expressions.
 
 

VIII – The Fight Back

 
The pleasant scene did not last long, and their situation and surroundings soon came back to Liana.
At once, they were off into the dark jungle again. Elias soothed the excited Hooky with hushing sounds and open palm gestures.
As they walked, Jerrim reached down to scratch the back of Hooky’s ear, but the creature shied away and nestled further into the folds of Elias’s coat, giving off a small growl. Liana and Jerrim shared a questioning look, wondering what to make of Hooky’s uncharacteristic behaviour.
They came upon a field of tall grass that stretched almost as high as them, with several rock formations reaching above the grass. An unseen creature called out in a rippling cry, and was met by a croaky call further away. Liana hugged herself, trying not to think of all the unknown life forms hidden in the darkness.
By the largest of the rocks, Elias stopped and told them to wait for him. He then jogged to the edge of the clearing and laid another of his mechanical traps among the rising leaves, before doing the same on the opposite side of the field.
When Elias was done, he turned to them, and froze.
A chill ran through Liana when she saw the wide-eyed look on Elias. She strained to hear or see what had made him pause. Blades of grass brushed against her arm and sent another shiver through her, and she suddenly felt very exposed.
Their protector quickly snatched the trap he had just laid and threw it into the darkness to the side of them. It connected with a shadow Liana had not seen, and in the electricity that burst out she saw the form of a stout armoured figure convulsing. Their attacker fell to the ground as rigid as a statue.
Hooky cried out and darted towards Elias.
Stomping footsteps and clinking armour came from behind, and Liana spun to see another attacker approaching them through the tall grass. A blast of red energy shot from his rifle. Jerrim shoved her and they both fell to the ground, narrowly missing the shot.
Jerrim rolled off her and became lost within the undergrowth. Liana kept low, hoping the darkness and tall grass would hide her for the moment. With a racing heart she edged closer to the soldier’s direction.
Hooky’s cries and growls rang through the air, and a flash of white light and commotion told her that Elias was fighting with another invader nearby. Rising to a crouched position, she tightened her grip on the spanner-blade and held it over her shoulder, ready to strike.  
Their attacker stepped closer, his searching rifle aimed low, but he had not seen her yet.
When he was as close as she dared him to be, Liana jumped out and swung her weapon as hard as she could. The rifle spun from the soldier’s hands and fell into the nearby grass.
Her attacker moved quicker than she could have imagined. Before she could raise her spanner-blade for another attack, the back of a gauntlet swung across her face. She fell to the ground with pain shooting through her burning face and the taste of blood in her mouth. Lights spun through her blurred vision, and for a moment thought she was going to pass out.  
Jerrim’s shout brought her focus back, and she saw him rush towards the soldier. In an instant, he was lifted up onto the large shoulder pad of the invader and thrown to the ground, becoming lost in the tall grass.
Liana also lost sight of their attacker, and fought through the throbbing pain in her head to look for him through watery eyes.
The armoured soldier came out of the grass, towering over her with his rifle back in hand.
A second figure appeared in a blur of motion. Elias threw several punches, denting the armour where they landed, and finished with a powerful uppercut that sent the guard flying backwards.
Though they were both hidden within the darkness of the tall grass, Elias laid eyes on Liana and Jerrim instantly.
“We keep moving,” he growled through heavy breaths. Hooky circled him, humming excitedly.
They both rose above the grass, and Jerrim went to her.
“Your cheek,” he said, concern shaking his voice.
Liana gently touched her face before Jerrim’s reaching hand could. She grimaced at the burning cuts and sore flesh, her hand coming back wet with blood. Jerrim’s hand lowered and hovered over her bare shoulder, before falling back down. He gave her his strongest worried expression, his wide eyes shivering with concern.
“I’m fine,” she told him, trying to sound strong, despite her dizziness. She found a weak smile, and was glad that Jerrim was with her in this situation. They had been through so much in such a short time. She gripped his arm and squeezed. “Thank you,” she said with a sincere smile.
“The gunfire will have drawn others to our location,” Elias told them.
That was enough to get them moving. Liana instinctively reached a hand out to support Jerrim, before remembering that he didn’t need her help to walk anymore. She knew that he noticed when he looked away and attempted to focus on something elsewhere, the way he did when she caught him watching her.
Hooky hovered a moment, his bat-like wings flapping rapidly, and watched them both. He turned towards Elias, and then back at them, his eyes hooded in thought. For a moment Liana thought she could see an intelligent mind working behind his large eyes. His serious gaze switched to a crooked grin, and he sang “Hanks, hanks, hanks!” while spinning and following them.
At the edge of the field of tall grass, they passed an unconscious soldier with a smoking burn mark on his chest armour.
When Jerrim shifted beside her, she thought that he had tripped, before she realised that he was reaching down. He straightened and brought up the invader’s large rifle. Managing to raise it high before he faltered, his hands dropped, almost losing grip on the heavy rifle.
“Leave it,” Liana told him, seeing what he was thinking. “We’ll be safer without you swinging that thing around and shooting everything in sight.” She tried to keep her voice light, knowing that he didn’t like being told he couldn’t do something.
Jerrim dropped the rifle with a frustrated sigh. He nodded in compliance, trying to hide his heavy breathing, but Liana noticed a lot more than she showed. Reaching down again, he unclasped a baton from the soldier’s belt. He held it up and nodded, deciding for the both of them that it was the correct thing to take. The indented buttons on the handle told Liana that the baton was the extendable kind.
“Come. Come,” Hooky said to them eagerly, nodding his head towards Elias.
Liana wondered why the creature was so keen for them to continue, before she realised that he probably thought they were playing a game, and had no idea of the danger they were in. 
After a few more steps, a towering, jagged shadow could be seen ahead of them. Liana eventually saw that it was a thick cluster of bushes and thin trees. A footpath reached alongside the large bushes, and Elias stopped them on the muddy surface.
“Wait here a moment,” Elias said to them. “I will not go far.” He moved down the path, followed by Hooky. They saw Elias reaching into his satchel as he became lost in the darkness ahead.
Liana hugged herself once again, feeling the cold of the night seep into her bones, despite her burning cheek. The two of them alone, she felt that Jerrim was going to speak, though he must have decided against it. She resisted looking at him directly.
Leaves rustled down the path. She thought Elias was returning, before she realised that the sound was coming from behind them.
An armoured guard burst from the bushes, a staff raised over his head.
Jerrim cried out and pushed Liana to the side, leaving the staff to crash into the ground between them.
Lying on her side, Liana saw Jerrim charge at the soldier. His baton swung across the squared helmet of their attacker, but did little more than jerk his head back. Jerrim raised the baton for another strike, but the soldier moved in a flash and swung his staff into Jerrim’s shoulder, sending him to the ground.
The staff rose, preparing for another strike on the dazed boy.
Liana rose to her feet, but she knew she would not reach them in time.
A screeching cry signalled the approach of Hooky, who slammed into the soldier’s helmet and wrapped his arms around him.  
Reaching them, Liana cried out and plunged her blade into the side of the soldier’s body armour. It penetrated the thin covering, but did not reach as far in as she had hoped.
The soldier managed to grab hold of Hooky and throw him off, while Liana readied for another attack. Jerrim also charged with his baton in hand.
Like the others invaders, the large soldier moved far quicker than them, and swung his staff before their attacks could reach him.
As the staff swung down towards Liana, a great ball of light shot by her and splashed over the soldier, sending him through the air and landing on his back, where he lay motionless.
Elias rushed out of the shadows and assessed them.
“Are you hurt?” he asked them.
They both shook their heads.
“We are not too far now,” he added, his eyes constantly moving.
Hooky jumped up to hover beside Elias, eagerly bouncing up and down.  
“Let’s go then,” Jerrim said, taking a step.
Liana could tell from his strained voice that he was hurt, and she looked him over. Her eyes fell on a patch of red on his shirt, over his bandaged side.
“Jerrim!” she exclaimed, louder than she intended. “You’re bleeding.”
Jerrim pulled his open shirt to cover his body, but not before Liana saw the blood seeping from the bandage underneath. “It’s okay. I’m okay. Just the adrenaline. I feel fine.”
Dropping her spanner-blade, she stepped to him and gently pulled his shirt open, finding parts of it stuck to the blood underneath.
“Li,” he protested, although said no more.
She carefully ran her fingers over the bandage, keeping away from the blood stain, feeling for any further injuries. Her hand moved to his back, before sliding back along to his side. She stopped at his stomach, and found her trembling hand reaching up towards his bare abdomen. For a moment she was lost in his sweaty torso.
“Li,” Jerrim repeated, his voice breaking.
She blinked back her focus, as if a dream had just taken over her. She lifted her head towards him, not bothered that their faces were close together. Somehow, it felt right to be close to him. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Jerrim’s wide eyes met hers, and he breathed heavily through his opened mouth.
She could feel his heart beat fast, as did hers.
His sweaty face held her gaze a moment longer, before they both noticed a light grow between them.
A spark bug floated passed, wavering lazily in the air between them.
The sudden illumination brought them both back to their senses, and Liana pulled away with an embarrassed smile. She pretended not to notice the stunned look that remained on Jerrim’s frozen face.
The bug had tickled her nose, and she rubbed her nostrils rigorously, attempting to keep busy and not look at Jerrim.
Elias, who she had not realised was watching them, turned and walked down the path in the opposite direction to the trap he had set.
Liana picked up her spanner-blade and followed him. Keeping her back to Jerrim, she couldn’t help but wonder what their moment had meant. She stopped herself before she was lost in thought, telling herself that now was not the time to think about… about anything to do with what just happened with Jerrim.
She felt a tingle inside her as she shook the thoughts away, and supressed a smile, even to herself. She could still feel the heat of his body on her.
Their situation returned to her when she focused on the darkness of the cold jungle. Tree branches above them swayed in the wind. She wrapped her arms around herself, tucking her weapon under an arm, and concentrated on Elias’s shape in the distance, which was accompanied by a hovering Hooky.
The ground suddenly burst by her feet. Stuttering gunfire ripped through the night and sent clumps of mud in the air.
Liana jumped with a spasm of flailing arms, waiting for the bullets to find her.
Elias launched into the air and disappeared in the trees. A commotion of flashing lights and deafening gunfire told her he was battling a soldier above them.  
Hooky cried out and flew into the trees after his master.
Clanging armour and crunching leaves came from all around them. Liana spun, her heart racing, waiting for shadows to burst out of the night.
Jerrim leaned back against a tree, holding his baton with both hands, ready to attack.
A strong wind howled over them, chilling Liana to the bone. Her sweaty clothes clung to her.
Liana turned to see a stout armoured figure charging towards them.
The flashing light in the tree tops appeared further down a pathway, and she realised Elias was moving away from them.
“Run,” Liana cried to Jerrim.
It took him an instant longer to start running after her, towards the sounds of battle in the trees. The approaching soldier continued his pursuit.
A dark figure dropped from the trees into their path, and it was only when Hooky followed, that Liana realised it was Elias. He had dropped his satchel in the fall, and his movements slowed when he retrieved it, carefully slinging it over his shoulder.
Liana remembered the Nuneus Chaeolite within the satchel, and was glad that it had not fallen free or cracked. If it was even capable being damaged. Remembering the throbbing energy it emitted, she hoped she would never again feel its power.
“Follow me,” Elias called out when they reached him, now running further down the path that was slowly fading into undergrowth.
“Aooohhhh!” Hooky called as he flew alongside them. He shouted several more times, howling to the jungle and waving his arms around. Liana imagined he was enjoying the game he thought they were playing. She wished for such ignorance and bliss.
Soon they were running through knee-high grass, which was sharp enough to scratch and irritate Liana’s bare legs. When they finally cleared the sharp grass, she was sure her legs would be covered in blood, but only rough scratches could be seen.
She risked looking back, and saw two powerful forms closing in on them, snapping branches and trees in their pursuit. To the side, two more running figures could be seen through the grass, closing in on them.
Suddenly the trees shook above them, leaves falling all around. Branches snapped with the sound of thunder, a great wave of movement approaching them. Liana feared many soldiers would come down on them at any moment.
But something much worse came down. Liana recognised its glowing eyes. 
A massive bulk crashed onto the ground behind them, the force almost knocking Liana to her feet. Long furry limbs brought the furry creature up, with others shooting out in all directions and stabbing at the ground.
A loud commotion of gunfire and screams and breaking trees came from behind them as they ran.
When Liana turned, she saw the dark shape of large spider from the other night. Several of the pursuing invaders were thrown around and pierced with sharp limbs, while they attempted to fight back.
Soon the sounds of the struggle faded away, leaving them running in silence.