The Second Stranger

“Faster!” Laska shouted.

Al let out a piercing whistle. The wagon shook violently as Al urged the beetles to their limits.

“Come on, Goro! Gora! You heard the Sergeant, faster my babies!” Al yelled. He was standing up now in the driver’s seat. He had a wild look in his eyes and his black hair flew in the wind like dark fire.

My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline surged through my veins, and my knuckles whitened with tension as I gripped the back of the carriage. The forest blurred past us, like dark smears of shadow and dirt.

Behind us, the pack of monstrous creatures gave chase, their massive forms becoming more visible the closer they got to the lanterns hanging on the side of the wagon.

I leaned forward, my grip still tight around the wood railing.

—Fern, can you see anything? I thought, panicked.

—‘I can’t look!’ Fern shrilled with terror.

I cupped my ears as if he were screaming next to me. But, as I should have expected, cupping my ears didn't help.

—At least stop screaming I’m trying to focus, I insisted.

I forced myself to study the pursuing beasts, bit by bit, as they ran closer to the light.

Six beasts total. Six legs for each beast.

The unnatural fluidity in their movements sent chills down my spine. Their elongated snouts, longer than any wolf would have, held rows and rows of teeth. Black matted hair covered their body. Their pursuit was silent, excluding their blood-curdling howls. Howls that sounded like a wolf mixed with an elephant.

“Burning hells! Don’t they sound bloody friendly, eh, kids?” Captain Hopsander said over his shoulder. “Don’t look too much at em if ya wanna keep your sanity.”

The wagon shook and creaked over each bump we hit. However, the beetles pulled us faster than the monsters chased. I turned around against Hopsander’s warning. My curiosity outweighed the good sense that Fern displayed by hiding.

I shouldn’t have looked. Crimson eyes feasted on me. I froze in their stare.

Three blood-red spots on each side of their long skulls glowed in the dark, devoid of pupils. They had a mass of feelers protruding down their spine, a rubbery-looking tail, and remarkably enormous claws on their hind and forepaws. The demon-dogs looked like they crawled right out of a cosmic horror book.

A high-pitched scream pierced the air, and I tore my gaze away from the monsterous dogs to see one of the gray-haired twins cowering in her sister’s arms.

“Sora, calm down, please. Trust in them,” the gray-haired girl said while patting Sora’s back.

The more composed of the twins leaned forward embracing her scared sister in a hug. Behind her gray hair, the light revealed a severe burn scar on her right cheek. She looked up and saw me staring at her. She quickly sat back up and adjusted her hair. Her long bangs covered the right side of her face, hiding the burn scar.

“Shut her up, will you, Rinka?” The gaunt, white-haired boy turned to the calm twin. He scowled at the huddled girls before turning towards the front of the carriage.

“Can’t you lose them? Can’t kill them? Isn’t this your job? I thought the Cinders were stronger than a bunch of dogs,” He said arrogantly to Al and Hopsander.

—Immediately his voice pisses me off, I said to Fern.

I opened my mouth to tell him to shut it, but Ruriel, the boy with slicked-back indigo hair, kicked his foot out between the skeleton-like boy's legs.

“Oy, Lucius, if you don’t shut your prissy ass up, I’ll throw you out there to be dog chow.” Ruriel said with a heavy accent.

—Now he, I like. I nodded my head in agreement with Ruriel.

Fern was too busy panicking in my head to care to respond.

“What’s that you say?” Lucius stood up. For as skinny as he was, he carried himself to look very tall.

"Bwahhhh!" Hopsander let out a loud, low, guttural croak.

It shut up both Lucius and Ruriel. Even Sora stopped crying as loud.

The frog-man captain pulled out a small egg-shaped metal orb. Attached to the small silver egg, a thin metal string lay coiled in his large hand. He held the item over his head and swung it faster and faster until a loud whistle sounded from the egg. Hopsander jerked his arm to the right, then twitched his arm back towards us and the rope-dart flew from his hand. Whistles filled the air above us. I turned just in time to see the metal dart crush one of the demon-dogs' skulls.

Hopsander let out a low laugh before turning his head back to Lucius. “We have been in control since we entered the forest.” He gave a wink to the now-humbled Lucius.

I couldn’t help but admire the frog-man’s composure as he twirled his weapon. With a flick, he sent the dart flying across the night air. It smashed into another pursuing beast’s skull with pinpoint accuracy. The demon-dog crumpled into the ground and tumbled down the road.

Al was laughing along with Hopsander. He now held a small, repeating crossbow in one hand, and the reins in the other. Bolt after bolt took down multiple beasts that had tried to attack one beetle. His unique weapon looked as if it had a chamber that held dozens of bolts attached to the top of the crossbow.

“Keep us steady, my lovelies!” He whistles loudly and the two giant beetles pulling the cart craned their antennas and let out their loud whistle-song in reply.

Laska was a whirlwind of motion, her sword flashing as she kicked and slashed at any beast that got close enough to claw up the carriage. One smaller demon-dogs snarled and jumped at Laska. With almost no reaction on her face, she swung her short sword quickly, I barely saw it cut the head clean off. The body of the demon-dog fell mid-air and slammed into its pack.

—‘S-She’s a beast,’ Fern said as if he was peeking from behind a circle.

—They all are. This is what it means to be a Cinder, to be Voidblood but, still powerful, I replied in awe.

A loud screech drew my attention forward. The male beetle, its horn glinting in the moonlight, swung its head back and forth as it ran. I realized it was deliberately drawing the wolves’ attention, protecting its mate and the wagon. It hummed a roar with each wolf it flung out of the way.

“Alright, enough playing around, Laska, use it!” Hopsander’s voice cut through the chaos, directed at Laska.

She nodded, and her eyes glowed brighter. Frost fell out past her lips. “Aye!”

Laska’s eyes burned brighter. Her short black hair stood up like she had a dark crown of thorns. She muttered something under her breath and stepped up to the back of the wagon, facing the charging pack. She stood up on the wooden railing and pulled her sword up to her lips. Frosty air danced from her mouth, bathing the blade. It glowed blue, like her eyes. She twisted the blade back behind her, almost cutting Mel and I. Sharp metal stared at me before Laska grunted. She swung the blade in a wide arc. Blue light erupted from her blade.

A blast of frigid air rushed past us and shot out of the wagon. The arc of cold air slammed into the pack of tentacled wolves, and they froze in place. The bright blue light gave Al the opening he needed to pick off the ones still harassing the beetles.

Beasts fell, and the survivors howled in pain as we hurtled down the road. The pack stopped the chase and stayed on the road we left behind. As we barreled away from the pack, I watched in fascination as the uninjured demon-dogs gathered around their fallen comrades. The once frightening multi-eyed abominations now looked…sad.

The panic in the wagon settled as we put distance between us and the wolves. I unclenched my hand from the railing and the dagger Dario had given me. Unknowingly, I’d been holding it beneath my shirt. My hand muscles were tight. I massaged my hands with each other and looked at the other teens.

The other kids calmed down. Sora, the frighted twin, had stopped screaming and was leaning forward, taking deep breaths to calm herself. Her sister Rinka gently patted her back and offered her some water.

The white-haired Lucius huffed, slumping back into his seat.

“That was too close,” he muttered. “Are you really members of the Cinders? That took way too long.”

“I’m sorry, but do you just plan to be an idiot every day, or is that how you were born?” The girl across from Lucius said.

She crossed her arms and gave the boy a nasty look.

“Did you not see the perfect accuracy from the Corporal? Or how about the Captain’s powerful rope-dart? What about Sergeant Laska’s runesword?” The dark-skinned blond girl gestured to our three escorts.

“Oh wow, look at you Zenobia, not even a day with Cinders and you’re already kissing ass. I knew you’d be like this,” Lucius said. He leaned forward and glared at Zenobia.

She turned her head and rolled her eyes. Zenobia flipped her curly blond hair and looked towards Hopsander. The Frog-man was watching the argument play out.

“Oh? Do we have some backstory drama?” Hopsander Asked. “Don’t be too hard on the boy. He’s scared.” Hopsander let out his bellowing laugh.

“I’m not scared!” Lucius said, standing up in protest.

“Sit down.” Laska shoved the boy down. She looked at all of us, rubbed her forehead, and sighed. “Just please, all of you, shut up until we make camp. We don’t need your yapping to distract us from any threats.”

I glanced around, noticing Mel taking off her metal-clawed glove and putting it into a small bag attached to her hip. Silas, who froze up during the ambush, got his breathing back in control. I shook him on the shoulder.

“You ok?” I asked.

“Yeah, but, wow.” He looked up at Laska. “They are all amazing.” Glee sparked across his face. Although he wasn’t initially sold on becoming a Cinder, Laska and the others made a strong enough impression on him to make him want to give it a try.

He looked up at Laska like she was a god. I too saw the power that these three had in them but, I wondered just how hard the journey was going to be to reach their level. The power these Cinders had, wasn’t just impressive; it was a necessity for their survival in this world.

The relief of escaping the beasts’ attack was short-lived. After another hour of speeding through the dark path, our wagon came to an abrupt halt, the beetles’ chitinous legs skidding on the dirt road. They started chirping like large birds to one another and then to Al.

The dual moonlight brightened and Al cursed.

“Shit, uh Laska?”

Laska, who kept watch from looking out behind the carriage, turned around.

“What is it, Corporal Al?”

“The bridge…”

I leaned forward to see past him, but the titan-beetles blocked my view.

“What about the bridge?” Laska asked.

“It’s gone.”

“The bridge is gone?”

“The bridge is gone.”

“What the, let me see.” Laska hopped out of the back of the carriage and turned around to us. “Stay put.” She glared at Mel and then at me.

She walked around the carriage and cursed.

Mel tilted her head, looked at me, and hopped out the back of the carriage. I followed her. Then Silas followed me, and the other teens, too.

Laska looked over her shoulders and scoffed as we approached, but she said nothing.

We walked past the carriage and up to Laska. The canopy of the dark forest gave way. Cut-down trees and weeds lined the landscape, revealing a wide canyon of gray stone. Where a broad bridge should have spanned the chasm, there was nothing but open air. Remnants of the bridge lay splintered on either side. The road simply... ended.

Hopsander’s gravelly voice broke the tense silence. “Well, what should we do, Sargeant?”

I glanced at Laska, noting the annoyed look on her face. She took a deep breath, and buried the annoyance and any hint of anxiety.

“Alright everyone,” Laska turned towards us, her voice firm. “Grab your packs. We are continuing on foot.”

“Are you kidding me?” Lucius said beside me. I hadn’t noticed the skinny boy until he spoke. “Just what kind of escort is this? Walking in the Deep Woods? We may as well ask the beasts to eat us now.”

“Do you ever stop complaining?” I mumbled under my breath.

“Excuse me?” The white-haired boy turned to me. He was taller than I was in Fern’s body, but only by a little.

I cleared my throat. “Oh, it’s nothing, your majesty.” I bowed dramatically.

Lucius’ face twisted in anger, but before he could say anything, Al whistled loudly.

“You heard the lady!” Al yelled out.

Laska shot him a look.

“Uh, I mean you heard the Sergeant. Go!” He shouted out. Al rubbed his head and quickly bowed his head to Laska. She rolled her eyes and clasped her hands behind her back. She walked up to the ledge of the canyon and looked across it while we moved.

There was a flurry of activity as we all scrambled to comply. I reached for my pack where I had sat and grabbed Silas’ too. I tossed it to him. Both of our packs barely contained anything other than a couple of wraps of dried meat strips.

Lightcutter dangled under my shirt, held by its thick leather cord. The weight of the dagger was a comforting reminder of my last option of defense.

Silas and I stepped back from the carriage, watching the others grab their belongings.

Most of their packs were also empty, save a few rations of food. A few of the teens had a personal item with them.

Mel was checking her metal clawed gauntlet and slid it onto her right hand. The large boy, Tevin, slid a small wooden carved animal into his front pocket while he helped Zenobia grab her bag. She held a small trinket in her hand that I couldn’t see. Lucius grumbled and complained to himself as he climbed into the carriage and grabbed his pack. He reached inside and slipped a silver pendant around his neck before hastily throwing the twins their packs.

Once we were all off the wagon, Laska turned to Al. “Have Goro and Gora meet us at the camp 8.”

Al nodded, approaching the massive insects. He whispered to them softly, unhooked their harnesses, and lifted one of the beetle’s wings, inspecting something before sending them off. I watched, and my heart leaped in my throat as the beetles casually walked off the canyon edge.

Tevin ran to the edge, and I followed him. I peeked over the vertical drop and saw the canyon was hundreds of feet deep. On the side of the canyon wall, though, the beetles were climbing down effortlessly, like they were walking on flat ground.

“Amazing,” Tevin said. I nodded and watched their obsidian shells glint in the moons' light before I turned back to the group.

“This way,” Laska called, gesturing for us to follow her.

We walked through tall weeds and dead trees along the cliff’s edge for what seemed hours. Laska led, Hopsander stayed in the middle of us, and Al covered the rear. The rest of teens spread themselves between the cinders. Silas, myself, and Ruriel, the too cool for school purple haired kid, were in the back, next to Al.

We fell into line, carefully navigating the uneven terrain.

The twin moons were full tonight. Without the cover of trees at the cliff's edge, Pale teal light bathed the land.

Across the canyon, there was no dark forest. Instead, an expanse of dead grass and withered trees stretched before us, rolling hills of gray sand leading toward jagged mountains in the distance. Beyond that, a huge, ominous shadow rose high into the sky, taller than any mountain I’d ever seen.

—‘This place feels... wrong,’ Fern’s voice whispered to me. I couldn’t disagree.

As we trudged through the undergrowth, a small but constructed dirt path appeared at our feet.

Laska’s voice called back to us. “Keep your voices down,” she warned.

Ahead of me, I heard a yelp followed by heated whispers. I looked past Ruriel and Silas to see Lucius turning sharply, his posture stiff and eyes narrowed in irritation. Zenobia stood opposite him, her golden hair catching the teal moonlight, a determined glint in her dark brown eyes.

“Watch where you’re stepping!” Lucius hissed, his voice low but laced with annoyance.

Zenobia raised an eyebrow, unfazed. “It was an accident,” she replied coolly. “Maybe if you weren’t so fixated on walking perfectly in the center, the rest of us could get by without tripping over you. At this rate, your obsession with precision will slow us all down.”

Lucius’s jaw tightened. “Some of us care about maintaining order,” he retorted. “Your reckless haste is a liability.”

She smirked slightly. “And your meticulousness is a drag. We’re on a tight schedule, remember? Try not to let your need for perfection hinder the rest of us.”

Laska whirled around, her patience clear at an end. She stormed back to two and with two swift movements; she knocked them both on the head.

Something in the hidden foliage of the forest to our right rustled. The sound of crushed leaves filled the silence.

“Quiet!” she growled. “There are much worse things out there in the forest than the lich-wolves.”

The threat in her voice sent a shiver down my spine.

—Lich-wolves…so that’s what they are. What could be worse than those six-legged monstrosities?

—‘I don’t know Erik but, I am getting scared again.’

—Of course, you are. I said to him, rolling my eyes.

Suddenly, a piercing scream shattered the tense quiet. Sora held her long gray hair in her hands. She was shaking. Laska pushed past Lucius to investigate.

“What did I just say?” Laska whispered furiously. “Oh, shit.” Laska grabbed her short sword and drew it.

She looked back to Hopsander and Al, who readied their weapons as well. I leaned left and right, as did all the other kids, to see what it was.

There, at Sora’s feet, half-buried in the underbrush, was what looked like the rotting corpse of a child.

Laska shook her head and whispered. “Goblins. We need to move. Stay quiet.”

As if in response to Laska’s words, a horn blast echoed through the forest. We all froze, the sound sending ice through my veins and lightning through my bones.

“Shit. Captain, Corporal, Defend!” Laska pointed into the dark forest and the Frog-man and bearded man charged to her pointed destination. “Let’s go kids,” Laska ordered, and then she ran. Silas and I glanced at each other and then sprinted with the group.

I ran past the corpse that made Sora scream. Too fast to take in any details, but the weird bubbly skin was enough to tell me it was not human.

Another horn blast. Then three short blasts.

Movement in the forest caught my eye, and my blood ran cold. The trees shook, leaves crushed, and the ground rumbled. A hundred small eyes reflecting in the twin moonlight glared back at us. They bobbed like furious fireflies. Then, a mass of bodies poured out of the trees. Hundreds of them.

Goblins.

I shouldn’t have looked. It distracted me. I crashed into Silas and he crashed into Ruriel. We fell on top of each other. I scrambled to get up in a panic. The other kids ran on ahead as we lay in the dirt. I turned on my knees to stand up when a face peeked through the bush. A goblin’s face.