Chapter 80: Vylonia Rider

Chapter 80: Vylonia Rider The moonlight filtered through the ancient canopy, casting dappled patterns on the forest floor as two riders guided their horses along the winding path. Both women wore the distinctive marks of Vylonian warriors—heads shaved smooth as polished stone, lightweight armor crafted from treated bark that moved like second skin, and ceremonial patterns etched in blue dye across their scalps. "Three days of riding, and we’re still at least two more from Thornvale," muttered Seril, the younger of the two. Her fingers absently traced the intricate sound-wave patterns tattooed on her forearms—the mark of a sound manipulator. "I still wonder why the Queen insisted we should deliver this message to Thornvale." Captain Nari shot her a cold glance over her shoulder, the moonlight highlighting the nature symbols etched across her bare scalp. "It’s not our place to question Queen Elizabeth’s commands." "But wouldn’t a dream-message have been faster? The Queen’s dream-walking is legendary," Seril persisted, adjusting her position on her mount, a sleek chestnut mare bred for speed rather than strength. "Some messages cannot be entrusted to dream-paths," Nari replied. The captain’s voice was firm but not unkind. "Dreams can be intercepted, interpreted wrongly. Physical messengers ensure the message reaches its intended recipient exactly as it was meant to be delivered." Seril sighed, her breath creating a small cloud in the cool night air. "Still, I’ve never heard of this Veilwalker before. And now we’re racing across the continent for him?" "Not for him," Nari corrected, guiding her gray stallion around a fallen log with practiced ease. "For all of Vylonia. Whatever Queen Elizabeth saw in her dream-walking must have been dire indeed for her to send us on this urgent mission." The two rode in silence for several minutes, the rhythmic sound of hooves against packed earth and the occasional night bird’s call the only interruptions to the quiet. The forest around them grew denser as they traveled, the silver-barked trees unique to this region crowding closer together. Moss hung from branches like tattered curtains, occasionally brushing against the warriors’ shoulders as they passed. "Have you ever been to Thornvale?" Seril asked, breaking the silence. Nari nodded, her expression softening slightly at the memory. "Once, when I was not much older than you. I accompanied Queen Elizabeth’s sister on a diplomatic mission." The captain’s lips quirked into what might have been a smile. "The elves there handle their nature elements differently than we do. Less... intuitive. More structured." "And their Queen? This Elena we’re supposed to meet?" "Young, by the standards of elven royalty. But wise beyond her years, from what I’ve heard. And powerful—a master of the earth element." Nari’s voice dropped slightly, as if sharing a confidence. "There are rumors she’s the one who helped the Veilwalker discover his abilities." Seril opened her mouth to ask another question when Nari suddenly raised her hand, signaling for silence. Both warriors went still, their training taking over instantly. "What is it?" Seril whispered after a moment, her hand moving to the hilt of her sword. Nari tilted her head, listening intently. "The forest has gone quiet." Seril extended her awareness outward, using her sound manipulation to enhance the faint signals around them. Where normally the forest would be alive with subtle noises—insects chirping, nocturnal creatures moving through underbrush, leaves rustling in the breeze—now there was an unnatural stillness that made the fine hairs on her arms stand up. "Something’s disrupting the natural rhythms," she confirmed, her voice barely audible. Nari nodded, her eyes scanning the darkness between the trees. Slowly, she extended her hand, palm down, toward the forest floor. The moss and undergrowth beneath her fingertips trembled slightly before small tendrils began to rise, responding to her nature manipulation. The captain closed her eyes, connecting with the plant life around them. "The trees are... anxious," she murmured, brow furrowing in concentration. "They sense something unfamiliar moving through their midst." Seril slid silently from her horse, placing her palm against the silver bark of the nearest tree. She sent a gentle pulse of sound through the wood, using it as a conduit to extend her awareness further into the forest. Sound waves traveled back to her, painting a picture of their surroundings that her eyes couldn’t see. "Captain," she said quietly, eyes widening. "Do you hear that?" Nari dismounted in one fluid motion, drawing her sword in the same movement. The blade, forged from rare green steel, caught the moonlight and held it, glowing faintly with a verdant light. "What is it?" the captain asked, scanning the darkness between the trees. Seril’s head tilted, concentrating on the feedback from her sound manipulation. "Something... large. Moving fast." She pointed to their left. "Coming from that direction." Both warriors stood back-to-back now, swords drawn, horses shifting nervously behind them. Nari extended her free hand toward the ground again, and the undergrowth responded to her silent command, hardening and rising to form a protective barrier around their mounts. "Whatever it is," Nari said calmly, "it’s about to—" A flash of movement caught her eye—something darting between the trees with impossible speed. Just for an instant, she caught sight of what looked like eyes reflecting the moonlight—too bright, too aware—before the shape disappeared again. "Did you see that?" Seril whispered, her knuckles white around her sword hilt. "Yes," Nari replied, her voice steady despite the tension coursing through her body. "Ready yourself. It’s fast—faster than anything I’ve encountered before." The creature moved again, this time visible for a fraction of a second longer—a blur of motion leaping from one tree trunk to another, using them as springboards to propel itself through the forest. Nari caught a glimpse of what appeared to be silver hair flowing behind it, but the shape was gone before she could be certain. "It’s circling us," Seril observed, her back pressed against Nari’s. "Playing with us." "No," Nari corrected grimly. "It’s assessing us. Deciding how to attack." As if triggered by her words, the creature suddenly changed tactics. The blur of motion surged forward, no longer circling but charging directly toward them. Nari caught only a fleeting impression—lithe body, unnatural speed, silver hair streaming behind it—before she was forced to react. "Now!" she shouted, swinging her sword in a wide arc. Seril dropped to one knee, pressing her palm flat against the ground. A visible ripple of sound energy pulsed outward from her hand, causing the earth to shudder. The approaching creature faltered for just an instant as the sound wave hit it—just enough time for Nari to adjust her swing. The captain’s blade cut through the air where the creature should have been, but it had already adapted, twisting its body in a way that seemed to defy natural movement. Before Nari could recover, the creature lunged forward, its mouth opening to reveal rows of gleaming teeth. With shocking speed, it clamped those teeth around Nari’s sword. The captain’s eyes widened in disbelief as her prized blade—forged from the strongest green steel in Vylonia—cracked, then shattered completely in the creature’s jaws. "Captain!" Seril shouted in warning, already moving to assist. Nari stumbled backward, off-balance and momentarily defenseless. For the first time, she got a clear look at their attacker—a humanoid figure with silver hair cascading down its back, but with features obscured by shadow. Its arms were unnaturally long, ending in fingers that appeared more like claws, already swinging toward her exposed throat. In that split second, Nari knew she couldn’t dodge in time. She tried to call upon her nature element, reaching for the trees around her, but the creature was too fast—its attack already in motion. The air beside her whistled as Seril’s sword flew past, thrown with desperate precision. The blade struck true, embedding itself deep in the creature’s head and pinning it to the trunk of a nearby tree. The creature’s attack faltered just inches from Nari’s throat, its body convulsing once before going still. "By the forest spirits," Seril breathed, moving quickly to Nari’s side. "What is that thing?" Nari stared at the creature, now impaled against the tree trunk, silver hair hanging limply around its shoulders. "I don’t know," she admitted, her voice shaking slightly. "But we need to—" "Captain!" Seril interrupted, already pulling at Nari’s arm. "The horses! Now!" They sprinted back to their mounts, Nari using her nature manipulation to drop the protective barrier she had created. Both women swung into their saddles in practiced, fluid motions, and spurred their horses forward without looking back. The forest blurred around them as they rode, branches whipping past their faces as they pushed their mounts to greater speed. Seril’s mare took the lead, the younger warrior leaning low over the animal’s neck. "Do you think we lost it?" she called back over her shoulder after several minutes of hard riding. Nari didn’t answer immediately, concentrating instead on scanning the forest around them. Something didn’t feel right—the trees were still too quiet, still communicating their unease through her nature connection. "Captain?" Seril pressed, glancing back. That’s when Nari heard it—a faint sound, almost like wind through leaves, but sharper, more directed. Her training took over instantly. "Down!" she shouted, throwing herself sideways in her saddle. Seril’s enhanced hearing caught the sound a fraction of a second later. The younger warrior twisted her body, narrowly avoiding what appeared to be a spike of hardened water that sliced through the air where her head had been moments before. Both women pulled their horses to a skidding halt, turning to face the threat. There, standing twenty paces behind them on the path, was the same creature—or one identical to it. The silver hair was unmistakable, flowing down its back like liquid moonlight. But what caused both warriors to freeze was the sight of water swirling around the creature’s elongated hands, condensing and reforming into deadly sharp blades. "Is that... a water element?" Seril gasped, disbelief evident in her voice. Nari stared at the display of elemental control, her mind racing. "Impossible," she whispered. "The water element belongs to the Moonlight Kingdom... not to... whatever this is." The creature tilted its head, studying them with unblinking eyes. Its hands continued their hypnotic dance, water flowing between its fingers like living ribbons before hardening into deadly weapons. "Captain," Seril said quietly, her voice tight with fear, "I don’t think that’s the same creature I killed." Nari’s eyes narrowed as she assessed their opponent. "No," she agreed grimly. "I don’t think it is." The creature’s mouth curved into what might have been a smile, revealing those same terrible teeth that had shattered Nari’s sword. It took a step forward, water blades glinting in the moonlight. "Queen Elizabeth’s message must reach Thornvale," Nari said, her voice low and urgent. "No matter what happens to us." Seril nodded once, determination replacing fear on her young face. "For Vylonia," she said softly. "For Vylonia," Nari echoed, as they both prepared to face the creature that blocked their path—a creature they never had of, wielding an element that shouldn’t be in its possession, in a forest that had gone deathly still.