- Whispers and Wonders: Longing for the Dead

Climbing through the forest brush and the heavy mulch laid freshly on the paved ground, Lia made her way past the thick tree trunks, past boulders and rocks, past small streams and waterfalls. She cared little for the forest around her, her goal did not lie in the forest itself, it lay hidden behind the forest canopy.

Lukali and Rian trailed behind her, occasionally looking back over the hill towards the white marble manor that plastered itself against the black sea of shadows hidden within the forest roof. The land the manor was situated in was less like a valley and more like a walled off pit that fell deeper into the ground than the land on the other side of the mountains.

Because of this, Lia only had to climb for about an hour through the woods before she could see clearly over the manor's roof. And she hadn't even reached the mountain's feet yet.

She had given Rian and Lukali a small run down of her interrogation, to which the two were quite unhappy at Marcus' behavior, however, they kept silent about it, knowing that it was most likely already dealt with.

Armed with the information she had, a simple location hidden behind the woods, Lia wasn't about to wait until dawn to find this place. Already the sun had set behind the tall peaks both crescent and sharp, piercing the sky with their tips. What would have been five in the afternoon now appeared to be seven at night. They were an hour behind the sunlight due to the mountain's shadow.

Time was wasting before them, even before Lia and her friends had bothered to leave the manor's land. Lia wanted to be out of there, closing in on the location she had beaten out of Marcus herself, hoping that this wasn't just another dead end.

She made small talk with Cain as she walked, hoping some of the gaps would be filled, if he chose to share what he knew.

'Did you know about any of this before?'

'Specify please?'

'You know what I'm talking about. Voln. Did you know before?'

'I can't tell you what I know unless I know what it is you're looking for.'

Lia silently groaned to herself, getting tired of Cain's constant need for specifications.

'Anything. Just…I could use anything at this point.'

'Caught between a rock and a hard place, eh?'

'You have no idea…'

Their conversation drifted off and Lia began to wonder if Cain had left her, wallowing in his own realm. It was then that her mind suddenly had a thought.

His realm.

That dark and empty expanse that looked so devoid of emotion and life. It seems empty yet, filled with some unseen eyes. It was not a welcoming feeling.

She began to wonder what it would be like to live in that place, for how long, and for what purpose? Life there seemed empty, yet endless at the same time, almost as if it was a never ending cycle of birth, death, and rebirth all over again.

An endless cycle made for one torturous prison.

'Is he a prisoner?'

Lia looked back on her memories with Cain, watching him walk through the waters, black and murky, yet clear enough for her reflection to shine as brightly as if the moon was focused solely on her.

'....or is he the warden?'

'Both.'

Cain's voice entered her head, causing her to jump, attacking the eyes of Rian and Lukali, but seeing that she was deep in a conversation with Cain, they kept quiet.

'I…I didn't know you were -'

'Listening? Lia, I can hear your thoughts.'

'Oh…right.'

They grew silent again, an awkwardness hitting them like a wave of nausea, while Lia began to wonder if he had really heard everything she was saying, and what he thought about her saying it. Though she was careful to make sure Cain didn't hear it, learning a trick or two in that field after having her mind read so many times.

'Cain…'

'Yes?'

'Why…'

'Why what?'

'...why act so calmly? You're always calm, like the world is always going to go right for you? Is there some trick to feeling that way?'

'Well, when you're as powerful as me, the world can't do much but do what I want.'

She shook her head, rolling her eyes at his narcissism.

'Listen to me Lia. There are lessons in this world that you will be taught. Until then, you can only go off what you know, and use it the best way you can. This is a lesson itself.'

'So I take it you won't tell me anything about Voln, or why he was there.'

'No.'

Lia sighed, looking for something else to talk about, as Cain was quite entertaining to listen to when he wasn't gloating over himself. It was then that her mind shifted back to the moment in the halls, where she had bumped into a glass display case, right before she had met Winslow in the halls.

'Hey Cain?'

'Yes Lia?'

'Uh…what was that scroll from before? You know, the one -'

'I know which one.'

He interrupted her, clearly already knowing what she was talking about, though his tone suggested he wanted to pretend that he didn't want to talk about it at all.

Nonetheless, seeing that she had nothing else to do for some journey, Lia kept at it.

'Why were you so…familiar with it?'

'It used to belong to someone I knew.'

'Someone you knew. Like a summoner?'

'Correct.'

One of his past summons was the idea that she came up with, quite excited to hear about an old summoner of Cains. Lia thought it was the best way for her to learn from the mistakes of others, while also learning from their successes.

'Then, could you tell me who? Who was it in Morden that called out to you in your eternal abyss?'

'A berserker.'

Lia did a double take, surprised that Cain had revealed something like this so easily, though he was much more held back a second ago.

As if to answer her unspoken curiosity, he spoke in a calm voice explaining it all.

'You would have asked later, and I can't stop you from asking. Yes, I can stop from answering, but then what would be the point? Hearing the same question nearly a dozen times over? No thank you.'

Glad that Cain had given her the 'go ahead,' Lia began to ask questions, eager to know about Cain's past.

'So, what was this berserker like?'

Cain began, narrating this tale like he was reading a fairy tale, though it sounded far too real for something of mere fiction.

'During the old days of Morden, when the war was still fresh as the wound on their backs, the blood was still flowing down the rivers into cities and towns, a young boy was left on a mountain peak by his parents in an attempt to save him from the pillagers who burned his town to the ground. They killed everybody. Not one person survived.'

'Sounds terrible.'

'It was. The kid was crying all day and morning and if I had not showed up, he would have been eaten by wolves. Imagine my surprise to learn that someone I could see as clear as day across worlds, was only a child.'

'What did you do?'

'Well, I suppose you could say that I insured he would find a safe home. A place he could grow up away from the war. But…'

'But?'

'...the brat called me again, when he was only fifteen years old. He was chosen by his town to call forth a summons, since it was his turn. He called out alright, like a pounding, screaming brat's shrill voice in my ears. I didn't sleep much that night.'

Lia chucked to herself, loving the fact that Cain could sound so innocent when he was being bullied by a child. A fact that Cain was not too happy to relive when thinking about it.

'The boy was trained, and soon, he found himself back on the front lines again. They sent a kid out to war because he had a summons in his shadow. Sounds rough, right?'

'Greatly. I've heard of similar things in the North, but still, I think people vastly underestimate what it means to be a summoner.'

'Yes, they do. He didn't have much training, but his battle worn body kept up with my steps. He called me an older brother, since in his eyes I pretty much was. He was brave, strong, and pretty soon, he had an army at his back, fighting against their enemies by his side. I guess it was because of his kind and respectable personality that earned so many people's loyalty. But he fought like the world was at stake, because for him, it was.'

Lia grew quiet, finding the matter of comparing herself to older summoners of Cain's somewhat less exciting than it had appeared to be.

'A warrior, who had an army behind his back…sounds like one hell of a summoner.'

Cain could sense Lia's growing insecurity, but didn't stop. In his mind, if she was unwilling to compare herself only to herself, she was unwilling to call herself a warrior of any kind. It didn't matter who could kill the enemy better. All that mattered was that you could kill. No details needed.

'The kid was a champ. I taught him a great many things but he took after one particular summons. Warriors. He grew older, older, and pretty soon he was nearly fifty years old, with two kids and a wife back home. Imagine my surprise when I left him alone for three years only to come back to that.'

'Wait, you left him for three years?!'

'Personal matters on the other side. I gave him access to my entire army and he did well with them. But he forgot to be subtle, quite. He was loud, obnoxious, and still a brat. I met his wife and kids, gave them all summons as bodyguards and so on.'

He drifted off, as if the story was finished, to which Lia found the story itself somewhat satisfying.

'That's it? Nothing else?'

'There isn't much in war, kid. Just blood, death, and gore.'

'But, what about the army? His loyal followers, his loving family - give me details Cain.'

'...'

'Cain?'

'War is war. It doesn't matter if it's over land, sea, or even the sky. War is war….and gods know you don't put a kid in that.'

'...Cain?'

Lia's voice grew meek as she began to realize a certain held back expression from Cain, an expression only she had demonstrated before.

'...I don't like killing kids Lia. And certainly not when fighting by their side. He…he changed a lot, but inside he was still the kid that never got to grow up.'

His voice contained a hint of sadness within them, and suddenly it was all clear to Lia, who watched the moving forest before her with empty eyes.

'...did he…did he die?'

'Yes. All humans do eventually, Lia. He died doing what he could. He died fighting to protect his family…and in his honor I ensured they would always be protected by my power, my reign, and my soldiers. He was a kid, and in my opinion, he didn't deserve to die on the front lines. He deserved to grow up a child, live like a child, be a child in his own heart. His soul was broken long before the end of his time. I guess it just finally shattered.'

'...I'm…sorry.'

'Don't be. Life and death are lovers in hand. I know he's gone somewhere else, but let this serve as a lesson to you Lia.'

'Yes?'

'Don't. Kill. Kids. I hate the people who do and will kill them a thousand times over inside, before I ever start cutting away at flesh.'

'I understand. We remain the same in that regard.'

Lia never liked the idea of war either, but if there was one thing she hated above all that, it was the idea of the repercussions that came with them. If people wanted to fight, they could fight on the front lines for all she cared, but when the after shock of war hit those hiding behind walls, simply trying to survive, she would grow angrier than her father, who would send legions of men to rid the world of those who attacked civilians.

It was one of the few things she respected about her father, and his crown.

'So, what was the scroll then?'

'When I was away from him for a few years, dealing with personal matters, I gave him that scroll. It could be used a total of three times before it disappeared. Until then, my magic would always keep it alive.'

'What does it do?'

'I think this is enough of our talk. You're getting closer to your location.'

Truth to Cain's words, as Lia's focus turned back on the forest, she realized immobility that she was not walking on dirt, roots, or even rocks. She was walking along a paved path, long overgrown with small weeds, leaves, moss and a variety of other plant life. In total, this area had looked as if it hadn't been touched in some decades.

Rian and Lukali, who had remained silent until now, approached Lia with the intent of garnering her attention.

"Lia, I hate to interrupt but, this area…"

Rian drifted off as he glanced around, the occasional rock structure dotting the area around them. Some tall pillars of stone, other large boulders with some encrusted cravings on the side. Appearances that would have taken years to make, as well as a ton of effort as well.

"I see them."

Lia said, her eyes snapping from one rock formation to the next, spinning in a circle until she came on the same rock she started on.

"They're everywhere."

"What do you think they are?"

Rian asked from her side, similarly looking past the rocks, searching for anything else in the wooden surroundings.

"I don't know. The trail ends here so…we should be seeing something."

"Are you sure this is the area that man gave you? Could he have tricked us."

"Doubt it. I gave him enough pain to last a lifetime and some over. He wouldn't lie to me, otherwise I would kill him."

Rian glanced her way, Lia not taking much notice as she was far too busy searching for something of use to them.

"...remind me never to get on your bad side."

He said, mumbling to himself as he looked around them for any signs of something odd poking out of the ground or occasional bush.

"Hey guys, get a look at this."

Lukali called out to them from his position near the edge of the tree line, pulling away some vines and bush branches from a small rock.

"What is it?"

Lia and Rian approached slowly, careful to watch their step in case they tripped over a root. Hover, when they got there they were both surprised to find a name written in the small rock.

"Clarence Bayloft."

Luakli read the name aloud, scratching his head as he looked back at the two of them.

"Whose that?"

Lia's breath caught, as she felt a gnawing suspicion creep up her spine. Turning around swiftly, she looked to the other stone structures, drawing herself closer to each of them before reading the names aloud.

"Lucia Bayloft….Krill Manson…Billy Tormow…..Lawrence Green….Abigail Green…"

Rian and Lukali glanced at one another, before joining Lia in drawing back the vines, brush, dirt and moss from the various dotted stones hidden behind trees, larger rocks, half sunken and destroyed stone structures, even the occasional broken piece had to be ripped from the earth.

"There are names on all of them."

Lukali handed Lia one of the broken stone bits, the rock seemingly newer than the rest of the stones they had passed, both heavy and yet clean.

One name was written, carved into the stone like all the rest. Whoever this was, this stone with his name was put here recently, and it only furthered the chills Lia got down her spine.

"...Daniel Green."

They were getting closer.

Closer.

And closer.

It was then that a thought entered their minds as a collective belief, as they all turned to glance in various directions around them, seeing more and more rocks positioned upright in various spots, overgrown and half buried in the earth.

As one, they all spoke clearly to the other.

One word was all they needed.

"Graveyard."