Memories of Gaia: Seeking Shadows in the Storm
Chapter 23 follow that wisp

The next morning Valeena was awoken by the horrible sound of a giant gong that seemed to shake the castle. She had not slept well the night before as fear gnawed away at her soul. The sun still had not made its way into the sky as the moon continued to rule the stars.

Valeena smiled, however, as her eyes found Elden lying on the floor near the balcony doors. He was illuminated by the light of the small, flickering candle a maid had lit. Valeena had not heard him return last night but was thankful he had. She had been secretly worried about him as she knew he could not control himself once the beast took over.

The doors to their room burst open, the handles striking the wall as the general thief marched in, shouting at them to get up. He threw their belongings at him, demanding they hurry.

“We haven’t got all day!” He continued his verbal assault on them as a maid scurried into the room to light the wall sconce. Her hands were trembling as she struggled to strike the match, cowering as the general stepped forward.

Rowan used his crystal to help the terrified woman, even though she never noticed. She went about lighting the candles as Valeena pulled herself out of bed, stretching. She heard the general huff in impatience as she deliberately took her time sliding her feet into her boots.

Once everyone had dressed and collected their belongings, the general thief led them through the sleeping castle halls and out the back door, where a majestic ship was waiting for them. The wood the ship had been constructed from was a lovely light tan color and had a golden griffin painted on the side. The mighty ship appeared to be new, as not even a barnacle could be seen on the side of it.

The massive sails were already open, billowing softly in the cool, morning breeze. King Caspian was on deck, barking orders at the crew, his face red from anger. The presence of the team seemed to irritate him more as he mumbled something about dead weight.

“The castle is at least a days trip and we are already behind schedule! I was not aware that sleeping all morning was your idea of preparation!” King Caspian shouted angrily as he gathered the thick coil of rope in his arms. His cane was nowhere in sight.

“A day?” Nyles asked, not looking forward to spending even a moment on board the ship.

King Caspian huffed in annoyance as he shoved the coil of rope into one of the crew’s arms. He glared darkly at Nyles as he said, “Unfortunately we are unable to fly like you and my sister.”

Akari stepped forward, doing her best to appear confident even though she felt as though she may pass out. She cleared her throat and said in a low voice, “Aira can help us get there faster.”

“What nonsense are you spewing?” King Caspian asked, stepping forward so he could hear the timid girl better. But Aira came to the girl’s rescue and sneered at the king.

“Get this out to sea and I shall do the rest,” Aira informed him, crossing her arms over her slender chest. She glared as the King let out a loud bout of laughter.

“You must be touched in the head if you think I will allow you to be captain of my ship!”

His comment angered Aira and a mighty gust of wind forcefully shook the ship, causing it to tug hard on the ropes that were holding it securely to the dock. Several of the crew stumbled and fell to their knees, calling out in panic.

King Caspian raised his eyebrows as a smile that suggested he was impressed with the elf crossed his red face. He nearly smacked one of the crew members that was rushing by as he waved his arms, demanding to get the ship out to sea now.

With the help of Aira, they had traveled the miles of harsh, ocean waters in a matter of a few hours. King Caspian held onto his captain’s hat with both hands as he stood beside Aira at the wheel. The salty water had soaked the ship as the waves struck the fast moving vessel. Most of the crew were using brooms or buckets to get the water off deck and back into the ocean, feeling as though they were just spitting in the wind.

Nyles insisted on resting on the crows nest, informing them that he would flee at the first sign of trouble. Rowan, however, took hold of a broom and began helping the crew. He was twice as strong as they were and moved far more quickly. He laughed to himself as he saw several of the men fighting to keep up, determined not to be outdone.

The sun was making its way into the sky, smearing the clouds in a lovely shade of pink as the rays broke through the darkness. Valeena sighed deeply as she saw the golden light of the sun. The day she had been dreading for weeks had finally arrived.

The King docked the ship at Vaughnstein, not daring to get an inch closer to the Star Kingdom. Valeena glanced nervously at Elden, who smiled encouragingly. He knew she could find the door again and he had vowed to help.

Valeena felt sick to her stomach as she saw the once beautiful village was now nothing more than a rotting pile of debris. She kept her eyes down as she ran through the village, holding her breath so as not to breathe the fetid fumes of the molding fruit.

“What a waste.” King Caspian said as he strolled passed the once bountiful fields of strawberries. Tiny red buds dotted the vines that had remained, a sign that the strawberries were growing again.

Valeena led the King into the trees of Evil Forest, ignoring his constant complaining and his demands for her to just hurry up. The trees were becoming uncomfortably thick and darkness was falling upon them as they moved deeper into the forest. Valeena felt a hand slip into hers and she glanced up to find Elden was beside her, his crystal glowing.

Valeena bit her bottom lip so as not smile and kept her eyes on the path before her. Elden had used his crystal to give her some type of night vision and she was now able to see the forest clearly.

Wisps were rising out of the gray fog that seemed to be breathing on the ground, swirling around their feet. A horned animal glanced up at the team as they passed, but did not move. It seemed to be afraid of Elden and cautiously watched him.

Valeena took the team deeper into the forest, wishing she could find the door. The King was huffing from annoyance, making it clear that he felt he had been tricked.

Fenrir appeared, having stowed away on the ship and falling asleep, walking to the right of Valeena. He glanced up at her, his yellow eyes glowing softly. “Keep going,” He said, as though Valeena had much of a choice.

A wisp that was the color of fresh blood rose out of the ground, whispering softly. It was larger than the other wisp that called the forest home and moved slower than them. Valeena had only seen red ones back in the Necrodomus and could not help the hairs from standing on the back of her neck.

The wisp circled her head once before bobbing forward, whispering once more. Valeena glanced at Elden then Fenrir as her heart began to beat faster.

“Follow it, ” Akari said in a barely audible voice. Valeena reluctantly did as Akari suggested and followed the glowing orb.

The wisp faded in and out like a light flickering in the distance. The other wisp seemed to avoid it as it led the team through the trees, pausing at a mound of stack rocks.

Valeena smiled and walked faster, tugging on Elden to keep up. The wisp had led them to the door.

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