Little update: A big thanks to those who are following this story so far! In case you are wondering, this is a self-written story (an amateur attempt I know) during the days when I was fascinated by the stuff about knights, castles, kingdoms and sorcery, you get what I mean. For those who wish to check out the previous chapters, here's the link! With that let the adventure continue!
Chapter 47
It was indeed Maltov’s voice. Rak stretched out his hands but he could not feel Maltov’s presence.
"Rak, I'm sitting on the ground."
"Why are you on the ground?" asked Rak.
"I have twisted my ankle and I can’t walk. Do you think you can help me?"
Rak nodded and after feeling around, he managed to get Maltov on his back.
"Maltov, how did the skeletal sabre end up in the Perisher's hands? I thought you were the one that took it yesterday afternoon."
"It's a long story. After I stole the sabre from him, he gave chase and both of us ran into the woods. After I lost him, I tripped and twisted my ankle. I decided to crawl my way out when I saw groups of skeletal warriors combing the woods. They could not see me of course, but they saw the skeletal sabre. So the group came and took the skeletal sabre from my hands and I could hardly put up any resistance given the state I was in."
"I'm lost here, Maltov. It seems that the woods have transformed into a maze. Do you think you know the way out?"
"A maze? The exit is just in front! Walk forward till I tell you to turn left. Then keep going straight and you will see the grassy plains."
Surprised by his answer, Rak asked, "How did you know this area so well?"
"I don't know. It seems that I was here before."
"Here before? You are the son of the King! Why would you be here?"
Maltov thought hard. All of a sudden, memories of his night adventures flooded his mind.
It all began on his eighteenth birthday. On his birthday, the King gave him a larger room at one of the newly-constructed wings in the castle. When he stepped into the room for the first time, the first thing he did was to look out of the window. Unlike his previous room, which only had the view of the courtyard, his new room overlooked the woods of Doria. The green pastures below, coupled with the dense forestation ahead, were a mesmerising sight. From then on, he would spend his free time looking out of the window, gazing at the sky and woods. His room was not located on a high level, so he was unable to see what was beyond the woods. He then went round the castle asking people but no one seemed to know or bothered to find out the answer.
Eventually, he decided he was going to make a trip down to the woods. So one day, after dinner, he grabbed his sling bag and made his way down the window using a thick rope. As he was the young prince, he could walk out of the castle freely.
When he reached the edge of the woods, it struck him that the woods were extraordinary. All the trees seemed to belong to the same species. Also, all of them looked old and their branches were shaped and twined in a unique way such that the sky above was well covered. Despite the absence of sunlight, the undergrowth was still thick enough to cover his whole feet. In addition, he realised that there were no animals or even insects in the woods.
As a precautionary measure, he would remember the number of steps he advanced, turned left, or turned right. On his way out, he would walk in the opposite direction. Then, when he returned to his room at night, he would record his movements on a piece of canvas to see the areas that he covered. After a few months, he was able to remember how to get in and out safely without counting his steps.
"That was smart of you!" Rak exclaimed, with Maltov still on his back.
"Oh, I almost forgot. You should turn left now."
Maltov continued, "One night, I noticed I wasn't alone in the woods. On some days, I saw this shadowy figure moving through the woods, but it never fails to shake me off. No matter how quietly I treaded, it always sensed my presence and went into hiding. One night, I happened to find the Perisher's cave and I saw two people conversing inside."
"They must be Ariton and the Perisher."
"You are right, but at that point, I had no idea who they were. Moreover, I didn’t get to look at their faces because their backs were facing me."
"What were they talking about?"
"I was not very close to them. Still, I managed to hear something about a yellow crystal that was very valuable to them. At the point, it didn't occur to me that they knew I was eavesdropping and was using the yellow crystal as bait. So when I traced my path back, the yellow crystal miraculously appeared and I picked it up."
"So the yellow crystal made you unconscious?" questioned Rak.
It was a rhetorical question.
"And invisible as well."
Carrying Maltov, Rak made it through the final few trees and emerged from the woods of Doria. As soon as they exited the woods, they heard explosions in the northern part of the city of Doria.
Rak said, "Something’s not right. I hope the castle is not on fire."
"Let’s move along!" replied Maltov, who was still being carried by Rak.