Embers

Chapter Seventeen

The brightness was getting too hard to bear so with trembling hands, Franklin covered his eyes and groaned when he breathes in and out. He felt stiff as a rod, and his legs were numb from being in an awkward position for some time. Franklin woke right where he laid bleeding. He groaned in pain and agonizingly shook with weakness as he got to his knees. His trembling hands did little to support his weight. Then he witnessed something horrific. He gently took the leaves from him chest that were piled on and rested them on the ground. Upon doing so, he looked around, realizing what had happened. All around him laid leaf faeries. Some turned black, some barely showing green, and some laid lifeless, as though it drained them of their health and green pigment. Some were white even which meant they have been there, trying to save him.

Franklin tried remembering what happened. He picked up the leaf that looked barely alive and whispered something to it. Immediately, it began turning a healthier green. Then the sting in his neck began trickling down his back and to his left arm. Turning to see who was its savior, it blinked and turned away once more. Hurt radiated from the leaf creature, and Franklin began crying. He is hurting so much, yet he didn’t know what to do to make it better.

“I am sorry,” he sounded mournful. “You should have just let me die instead of killing yourself.”

He began crying some more, tears fell on the little leaf he clutched in his hands, begging for forgiveness on his knees. The little leaf hoisted itself from Franklin’s hands showing a glowing green, but not long after it disappeared into thin air. Franklin felt worse than he could ever possible. He held on to the ground, crunching the dirt, and finally in frustration, he began beating on the forest floor, hurling shouts and screams, letting it all out. He screamed, forcing all his emotions to break in him, and just throwing it out.

Franklin felt all the pains at once, hurt, rejection, foolishness, anger. He finally thought to himself, he had enough of it. He was tired of people protecting him, to care for him, to show him respect. He deserved nothing like that. He wanted to make things right in the forest then try to sort out his other mistakes.

He found his backpack, food barely there, and the book beside his sword. Shredding parts of his clothing and strapped his sword to his belt, he aimed to not get ambushed and hurt again. Too many times, he had let his guard down and others paid for it. It wasn’t going to be easy now to distract him.

Franklin saddled his gear and sped off, running like no other. He started moving beast-like. He felt ruthless within himself, snarling and waiting anticipatedly for the next predator who wants to hunt him down. He intends to find all these dark monsters and vanquish them of life, and the destruction they caused, they must pay for it. He was angry and with that fire burning under his skin. He could feel it trailing hotly, as his breath became ragged, and fury took over and clouded his mind. Walking now, after hearing crying noises, he saw a few of the creatures that attacked him cornering the other creatures of the forest, the good ones, the ones that saved him just swallowing them whole.

Franklin, charged at one, slicing him open as his sword dug into his flimsy body, and he crumbled to the ground.

He made sure the other four felt the same wrath he rested upon the first. His sword was ashy black, as though it had bathed in death. The light creatures all scattered away, far from danger, and hiding deeper within the forest. Their sickening cries were probably warnings to give to nearby others that someone was hunting them. It was about time, thought Franklin.

He had been walking for quite some time, and being hurt only led him to feel more tired. He was beginning to regret leaving Prentice behind. He wondered what he must be up to, if he was still continuing his journey to meet his sister. The thought of the woman once again did not sit well with him. He shook the feeling off, and stumbled on a giant dead tree root. Franklin looked up at the tree and gasped in utter shock. Coiled thickly at every branch was those serpent -like demons, glowing but resting. Nothing was amiss and they did not seem to notice him. The place was brighter but Franklin had no idea where the light was coming from. He needs to get past here without making a sound or else he surely would die. Franklin stood straight, forgot his pain and stealthily made his way across the forest like a cunning animal, blending into the trees and move his feet slowly on the forest floor.

At some point Franklin realized he was out of danger, he saw something on the floor, pinches of green. Deciding he would be alright to rest for now, he sat down, and pulled his shirt up to see the damages. At this point, no one would believe he never went to war for his kingdom. They would call him a liar but a hero for fighting. Franklin’s body was covered in bruises, and cuts, and most of all the giant bleeding gash on his stomach. As he let his guard down, a serpent demon emerged slowly from the darkness behind Franklin. He wasn’t big like the others, but his attacks were quick. It was quick enough to fly Franklin from where he was to the other side of the forest within a blink. Franklin groaned as he felt the hotness underneath him. The gash probably was bleeding again, he thought to himself.

To his surprise, Franklin saw something rather saving. His fingers went through something, and pulling it out, he saw them again. Reaching out quickly, his fingers disappeared again. What on earth was going on? Turning to go left, he heard crunching from his right, and looking closely, he saw an opening. He held his breath and slid past the demon. He grabbed his backpack and dashed to the other side, and began running like a crazy person. All he remembered there was brightness and then a giant tree came out of nowhere and knocked him out cold.

Franklin woke up right where he had been. He laid on the ground, the grass tickling his ear. They were green when he turned to look. Not just pale green but the most vivid shade of green he had ever seen. For the first time he could see what his hands look like clearly. His fingers were worn from cuts and dried blood. The place seemed brighter. The light was everywhere. It did not seem like the sun though. It was paler yet the imitation was there. The big tree he clumsily bumped into was shading his generously. He groaned painfully as he got up. There was a difficulty breathing so a few bones on his ribs might need tending to at any time, and his feet were killing him. He would probably look like death himself if he saw his reflection. He got up to look around, with his arm shielding his face from the light and the other dragging his baggage behind him.

He took in the scene before him. There were giant trees not as big as the one he just came from but they were big. There were not any animals around though, as well as water. He looked around longingly for a source of water, and that was when he spotted something close to life itself. He saw a little house built within a tree, almost looking like a hollow piece in the biggest willow he’d ever seen.

Entering cautiously, he saw habitation, more like someone who had occupied it, hidden thickly with branches, and thick vines, but he noticed something about this place. It was brighter, greener than the other parts of the forest, but when he knelt to pluck a flower, he heard a voice commanding him to stop.

Grabbing his sword quickly, and throwing it in the direction, only to hear a scream and a furious girl looking back at him. He was stunned to find a girl, she looked him over grimacing, holding a bleeding shoulder and a sword that pinned her to the tree bark.

“Who are you?” She demanded in a shrill voice. Her feet kicked off the tree and a sickening pull of cloth material being ripped could be heard.

“I could ask you the same. What are you doing here? How did you get here?” Franklin asked bewildered he is seeing someone for the first time since he parted ways with Prentice.

He was making his way to her, but stopped to look at her face as he noticed something peculiar about her. Then it dawned on him, remembering he had seen her somewhere.

“Lily,” He said, and she looked up at him straight away. Her hand was still on the small sword, trying to pry it out, but without avail. Her hand dropped and she looked at him. The knife was still stuck on her shoulder and maybe she was weak to not pluck it out just yet. He motioned for her to stop, and she threw him a look of pure loathness.

“How do you know who I am?” her voice was always laced in a hard tone. Her eyes never letting go of their steely stare.

Franklin took hold of her shoulder and showed her to take a breath as he held tightly on to the handle. “I found your missing newspaper clipping in a book. Why did you come here?”

This puzzled him a little how he came to find the girl he thought about. This could be either luck, or simply coincidence of the bad side.

“I came here to have a sense of adventure. It was going well for two seconds, then I got tricked into staying here. I was saved by a woman, but she told me it would be wise to stay where I am and not leave.”

Franklin looked at her face wondering if what she said was true or if she was feeding him lies and then lure him into a trap. He groaned when he exhaled and she noticed quickly. He watched her as he tried to remember if she looked the same as the picture. It can’t be though, the picture seemed to be very old, yet she looked as though she hadn’t aged all that much. 

“I am Franklin. My protector and I were looking for something, but I ran away. I got injured and then found this place.” Franklin said giving her a short preview of how disastrous his life suddenly turned.

Franklin gently removed the sword that had her dress torn and a scratched shoulder, nothing too serious. Seeing the way, she looked at him and then at her shoulder, he knew she was not going to show him a kind face, or at least not one so soon.

She gave him a once over and she sighed, telling him blatantly to his face, “You smell like death. You have seen those creatures, haven’t you? The giant ones with the dark aura around it.” She stated, then began walking away, and climbed into the treehouse. It was indeed one, all vines and green, it seems very unreal but quite cleaner than he expected. He kept on looking at her and he felt something off, she moved fluently as though she was floating, or perhaps his eyes were tricking him. She couldn’t be what he thought, could she?

“You are not human, are you?” He whispered to himself, as secretly he has been looking her up and down and remembering the picture, she looks exactly like it. She has not aged at all. Her face seemed young, and she had no wrinkles, nothing about her seemed different except her adaptability.

“No, I don’t believe I am. I can do things, but I am sure you must know about it too, since you are not,” she exclaimed wryly. All the while she had been preparing a table that was enclosed at the side of the wall.

“Why do you say so? Of course, I am human,” he said as he tried his best to lie. BY now Franklin had partially accepted he was unlike any human he would see…or probably never see again.

“I know because there is a barrier around the place, set by Freda, and until she dies this place will with her too, bonded by blood to death, she said. Although, it takes a lot of faith to believe such a thing.”

Franklin listened to her carefully and she sat down, looking at him too, “What does that have to do with me?”

“All evil beings cannot see this place, they cannot enter, and I cannot leave. I have been here for quite some time. I haven’t had the courage to try leaving,” she said while bowing her head.

“What is it can you do? Do you know spells too?” Franklin said sitting down at the far end of the table. At least they were getting somewhere to talk, and to understand what was happening to them.

“Spells? No, I can manipulate myself how many times I want. They are me, only thing is, I let you see them, and how I want you to see them.” She explained, taking out her book to show him her journey.

“Wow, that is impressive. What else do you know?” He asked, flipping through the pages of her books, and her drawings. She only drew in black, the leaves, and the trees, maybe only because her colors unvaried.

“There are not many things to learn how closed off I am, but I have been trying something and so far, it has backfired, literally.” She said with an angry grunt. Her arms was folded and she laid back slouching on the chair.

“Well, allow me to help you, if I can. We can work together, until we find our places. What are we working with?” He said inching closer to the table.

“Alright then, just be careful. The other Me’s could be a handful at times, especially Brave. She is quite competitive.” Lily said, sighing and getting up to move away.

“Well, show me what I am working with,” he said and exercised his arm. All over ached, but now wasn’t the time to think about it. He wanted to see what powers she had.

She rose her eyebrows at him and watched him intently, and then to his side, telling him, “You’re hurt, if you forgot. I won’t work with you until you properly heal yourself.”

Now it was Franklin’s turn to look at her, “I have been able to talk with you all this time.”

“Yes, and you’re bleeding on my floor.” She said stepping away once more only for his voice to stop her.

“I have strapped it to stop the bleeding, and it is not bleeding that much.” He tried to argue, but as he did, breathing became a little more difficult.

“Lie on the floor, will you? I have a few things that can get you on track.” She said giving him the option to choose the only one she willingly gave.

He went to lie on the floor, groaning as the pain kicked up as he knelt, hardly breathing. With his back on the floor, he saw her over him, and she was taking things out from a brown bag. All the while she was still moving as though she was floating, her hands moved slowly, and Franklin thought he would die soon.

“Okay, listen. This is going to dose in you but don’t worry they’re all herbs. It stings and you may be sleepy after a while.”

“I’m sleepy now. There is just something about you Lily. You’re moving so slow, and flowing.”

“You lost a lot of blood Franklin, it’s about time the hallucinations start kicking in. Suck in a breath for me,” she said stripping his clothes, from the neckline, to the bottom, and pulling it gently off him. Resting his head back down slowly, she looked him in the eyes.

“Franklin, your eyes are turning up. Are you feeling alright?”

“Haven’t you applied the herb yet? I am feeling so tired.”

“I haven’t. You need to stay awake and keep breathing, okay? I am going to apply it now.”

“Ahh! Hell! That burns! What the hell is that?”

“Keep breathing, Franklin. Stop talking, just focus on your breathing, okay?”

“Thank you,” he said as his whispers faded off and he was out cold.

Lily was working hard to improve the other personas to be strong on their own, yet she refused to show Franklin what she was actually working on. Coaxing her into telling him details about the others she can conjure up, but realizing after being cooped up in here, some things she prefers to keep to herself.

After her tiredness wore her anger down to a pulp, she succumbed to sleep in her little treehouse. Giving Franklin one last look, she tiredly yawned, but it nagged her to throw a blanket on him. Hesitant, and tired also, he accepted silently and unmoving. Soon the night fell on them like a cool blanket.

Along the lines of the borders, dug a living moving plant, bright red attractive petals, and purple thorns. Moving with a mission, it stops at the protectant border, and waits purposely, yet hidden solely away for its purpose.