Radiance - The Alight Archives Book #1

39. Duel at Dark

On the outskirts of Page, there was an old, rickety bridge that, against the odds, survived its battle with history, even after all of the years flowing by like waves in an endless stream. Past it, there expanded a large meadow decorated by intricate collages, pools of flowers that swayed with the gentle breeze spanning over the terrain. This meadow spanned far into the distance, where there was an enormous forest of dense trees appearing as little more than pinpricks balancing on the horizon line.

Mother had prohibited Elaine on countless occasions from venturing too close to the bridge, warning that there was a local tribe of goblins in the area, and those creatures had a tendency to be aggressive around humans, even if they were rather cowardly and rose to be no taller than a small child. Moreover, there were also rumors of a band of rogue mages using Gallow Forest as a temporary hiding spot, and sightings of strange men patrolling its perimeter at night.

Those Elaine took a bit more seriously, and if the Velvet Wolves really were prowling somewhere close by, then she really didn't have any reason to be out here. So then, what was preventing her from turning around and making her way back into town like the sensible daughter her mother had raised? Simple: she had a "child" of her own to take care of. 

Sighing, Elaine trudged over the bridge that gave a wooden ache with every step, the sound of gushing water from the river beneath her filling the relatively quiet summer day. Clouds paraded across the blue sky, though slivers of the sunlight poured over the rolling green blanket before her, highlighting spots with flickering gold. 

By memory, Elaine followed a path that existed only to her vision, and it led her passed an oddly shaped boulder that, to Liam, looked like a giant thumb. He'd often joke that some stupid titan had accidentally snapped off its own thumb by picking its nose too hard. A crass hypothesis, she had to admit, but it had earned a slight chuckle from Elaine, and nothing more.

She steadied herself as she descended a downward sloping hump of a hill just as an explosion followed by someone's frustrated grunt severed the natural song of silence. Some meters from her, there stood a proud and ancient oak tree, its canopy of thick branches and leaves splotching a freckled shadow onto the grass. Elaine settled underneath the oak's massive canopy, sitting with her legs tucked underneath herself, and she rested gently beside her the picnic basket she'd been carrying.

No, she wasn't supposed to be here, and if her mother ever learned of their constant visits, why, Elaine didn't want to imagine what the woman might do. She was more terrifying than even a two-headed dragon when she got upset. However, Elaine felt like she had to come, even if it wasn't to look after her embarrassment of an older brother.

She loved Page more than anything; it was her one and only home. However, every now and again, a piece of her longed for something more. What lay beyond the distant mountain range? Where did the river go once it disappeared on the other side of the horizon? Confined inside of Page, Elaine would never find out the answer to those questions. At the very least, this meadow, this oak tree, was outside of what she knew, and she'd cherish this semblance of freedom, even if it was a mere splinter of the mysteries Incante had to offer.

Exhaling, Elaine didn't give the slightest flinch as another explosion detonated not far from where she sat, followed this time by an even louder curse. Elaine rolled her eyes as she sat back, leaning against the coarse exterior of the oak's trunk. A few more minutes, and she caught sight of Ellend stalking toward her, defeated, exhausted, his clothing littered with either black scorch marks or grass stains whilst his hair was a disorganized mess.

"I almost had it that time," he grunted to himself. "I swear to Aeris I did!"

Elaine tipped her head back to look up at him. "Care for something to eat, brother?"