Legacies of light

As we ride through the forest a chilling feeling goes through my body. It is a place filled with dark trees that look like they have been burnt to ash yet maintain their form and texture.

Through those trees, a red Firey energy flows as if a flame that was used to burn this forest simply got captured and ingrained with the trees themselves.

No light from the sun can pierce the giant forest we are encased inside, with the only light source being the purple leaves that exist within the trees. It is hard to breathe as if feels like the air in different places moves from pure and clear to utterly putrid.

There are fruits growing off each tree. They look dead as if all life has left them, yet they throb over and over again just like hearts. These sounds fill the area and make a rhythm that unnerves me deeply.

However what truly scares me is that as I look away and then back at the trees, I swear they are shifting. It makes me feel like I am going crazy and I start to swear, but then Setanta says with joy, “The trees keep moving like they are alive how exciting!”

“LIKE HELL IT IS!” I shout.

“Why are you always so moody, you're lucky I took you with me since you lack the gifts of an elegant lady.”

My brothers laugh, and I say, “He got you their Laeg.”

Turning around on my horse, I start to grab his face and say, “An overactive brat like you shouldn’t be telling me anything to do.”

“Hey I am merely twelve years old, don’t call me a brat you low-born brat.”

I look at him then scoff and say, “You're still pretending you’re of high birth, you should be ashamed since you’re the help!”

“Your my help,” he says sticking his finger into my cheek.

Ibar says, “Spoken like a true child, if you want me to teach you some manners ask an adult like me.”

Setanta immediately jumps over to my brother's horse and puts him in a headlock saying, “Don’t talk to me like that.”

With the same annoying air of superiority, Ibar says, “It is find Setanta, do you want me to teach you how to brush your teeth.”

Setanta tightens the headlock and as he does, I say, “That’s big talk coming from someone who still picks through his food to remove the stuff he doesn’t like.”

“SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE IS A CHILD YOU DUMB HORSE!”

“I DON’T WANT TO HERE THAT FROM YOU DUMB DOG!”

Laeg and Ibar become so caught up in the shenanigans of Setanta that the tension they feel starts to vanish. But maybe this was a mistake.

-Break-

See a source of water, I say, “Whis that some water!”

Setanta then says, “We have finally found what I was looking for!”

“Huh,” Ibar says.

“Just go touch it.”

Jumping off our horses, we walk off to the water source which is steaming, and then upon putting our hands in it, we learn that it is not only rather deep but warm.

“Isn’t this.”

“A hot spring,” Setanta says.

“You knew it was here?” Ibar asks.

“Of course, it is the main reason we came here, I wanted both of you to experience it due to how helpful you have been.”

I make a face of happiness and my brother makes a face of embarrassment as Setanta says, “Thank you so much.”

“Don’t thank me, just let me watch you get into the water fully naked!”

My and Ibar instantly kick Setanta in the face sending him flying into the tree then, I whistle which causes the two horses to gang up and attack Setanta.

“What is going on these are my steeds.”

“When you make them ride for days nonstop they tend to pick better partners since after that.”

Ibar whistles again, and the horses return to us, and say, “You traitors after all I did for you two horses.”

“Horses are majestic and logical animals of course they would choose us over you.”

“That’s it, I am leaving.”

Setanta moves towards Ferdiad checks if he is asleep, makes a victorious gesture, and then grabs something from Ferdiad, and says, “I am going to go until you guys are finished,” With a smile.

“Wait a minute, what were those suspicious actions.”

Playing dumb, he says, “What do you mean.”

“You know damn well what I mean, and what is with that smile? And what is that you are holding?”

He pauses for a moment, then he makes an expression as if he has thought of an answer, then says, “Asking me all these questions to get me to stay, I know you must really want to show your naked self to me, but we are compatriots I cannot take you as my fifth wife.”

Using the strength in my legs I get a stone at high speed towards then yell, “GET OUT OF HERE!”

“Ok!” He says as he joyfully wanders off.

“What a pest.”

I hear my brother snicker, and say, “Is there a problem?”

“Nope!”

-Break-

The two siblings lie in the hot spring with the horses taking a well deserved break.

Swimming over to my brother, I say, “When was the last time we took a bath together.”

“Don’t care and don’t feel like remembering that cramped basin, but can you please move away I don’t feel like seeing your disgusting body right now.”

“How rude,” I say swimming away.

Looking up into the purple leaves that have started to fall from above, I say, “Do you think we will get to enjoy baths like this from now on.”

“Depends on how well we do.”

“Well then let’s go do our best for everyone,” I say jumping up out of the water.

As I jump off I notice that Ferdiad is awake and is on the other edge of the hot spring we are in, he looks like he was about to tap on my shoulder from behind, but now that I have jumped up I have exposed myself.

But before I can even react, I notice that I am covered in the robes he used to hide himself when he first arrived and that I am also in his arms.

I feel panic, confusion, and embarrassment all at once as I have barely had seconds to understand the situation that is transpiring.

Ferdiad says, “Please don’t worry I only saw a bit of your back,” With a red face.

Still stunned by the overflowing emotions rising inside of me, I say, “It is ok.”

“Sorry for this, but could you tell me where we currently are?”

“I believe Setanta called it the mailítree forest.”

With a look of polite shock, he says, “You mean the forest the red branch has designated a forbidden area, due to the fact that all who enter it never return.”

Ibar slaps his hands against his face, and says, “That bastard tricked us.”

In a moment of anger, Ferdiad slams his fist into the ground, then goes back to his usual cheery self, then asks, “Where is Setanta.”

“He ran off, saying he had something to do.”

Suddenly throughout the forest, we here shaking, and then he says, “Both of you get dressed now, something is coming.”

Getting up, we both rush to get into clothes and moments after we sloppy put them on, we see Setanta jump through the trees and following behind him, is a giant mass of trees that look like a giant beast.

“I have returned!”

In disbelief, we all look at him and even though we exchange no words I can tell we are all thinking the same thing, this stupid idiot!

We all jump on the horse, and Setanta lands on mine, then instantly we all take off. As the be tree beast chases us, I ask, “What is that?”

Ferdiad says, “It is a man-eating plant, this entire forest is just one giant man-eating plant.”

“Isn’t it great,” Setanta says.

As me and my brother ride the horses at full speed, Ferdiad says, “What is wrong with you!”

“Nothing, I just wanted to check if it really was as dangerous as everyone says.”

“IT WOULDN’T BE FORBIDDEN IF IT WASN’T! DID YOU JUST THINK YOU COULD WALK IN HERE AND DEFEAT WHATEVER UNKNOWN MONSTER LIES IN WEIGHT!”

“You are screaming a lot Ferdiad, but really did expect anything else from me,” Setanta says with an unapologetic smile.

Face palming, he says, “You’re right.”

“Now onwards to victory,” Setanta says as he jumps off the back of the horse directly into the beast's open mouth.

Branches stretch from the beast and attack Setanta, but he easily beats them away with his spear. The way he fights makes the giant difference in size between the two of them seem like a non-element.

Using his spear he destroys the branches until he reaches the head of the beast where he prepares to stab it in its head. As the blow lands Setanta says, “I have one.”

Ferdiad shouts, “It isn’t an animal, it doesn’t have a brain!”

Suddenly from the beast, a green gas is released and then a branch knocks Setanta all the way to right over our heads. Jumping up Ferdiad catches him, and we see his face is all puffed up, and snot is leaking from his nose.

“See this is why I told you not to mess with them.”

Ibar says, “What are we going to do if Setanta is down, how do we fight.”

“Don’t worry the moment I heard we where going around this area I planned ahead.”

Grabbing something from my horse, Ferdiad says, “Man-eating plants are formed when any normal plant takes in a family of parasites that change its internal structure forcing it to devour living things.

The red fiery substance you can see in the trees are the parasites, and the answer to destroying man-eating plants are simply, to destroy the parasites.”

From the bag, he takes out things that look like icy blue balls, and says, “These are experimental weapons I borrowed from one of the druids back home, made from a mixture of plants that will freeze anything upon contact, so I am going to need the both of you to get in close and help me throw these in.”

“You can’t be serious,” Ibar says.

“We promised to be your chariot riders but that isn’t even human, we won’t make it!”

“Don’t insult us. These Macha and Crunniuc are no fools, they are a stiggly duo who hate being controlled by those they can’t respect, and in the few days you have been here you have already earned their trust.

Setanta here is an amazing warrior, so don’t for a second think you both can survive if you aren’t just as amazing in your given field. And if you both doubt you are no that among the six of us here only you two doubt yourself.”

Setanta in his nasally state says, “Run fast my legs!”

I look at my brother and he stares back, we smile and then we turn our horses around. Throwing Setanta a bag, Ferdiad says, “I don’t care how sick you are don’t miss.”

“Let’s do this!” Me and my brother say.

The beast is an amalgamation of plant life and as we run towards it, the beast throws that life at us as a shield to protect itself from our advances, but we press on.

These horses are incredibly responsive, and we can ride them without any issues at all truly great steeds. Me and my brother move ourselves through the never-ending attacks of plant life the best we can, and as we do giant smiles appear on our faces.

I have never felt this free.

I have never felt this powerful.

Riding into battle is fun!

As we approach both Setanta and Ferdiad on our backs throw the bag into the plant, and in that moment they freeze it including the fiery parasite inside.

After this happens, Ferdiad screams, “MORE WILL STILL COME WE HAVE TO GO!”

And just like that, we continue racing on as the sounds of more beasts quickly approach us. We eventually reach the edge of the forest, and as we do we see seventeen different beasts chasing us.

But as we break through the forest they are all stuck inside, and moments later we are greeted by a wonderful sight in the distance.

“Is this it?”

“Yes, it is the capital city Gorias!”

Seeing it all the emotions of excitement I have been feeling overflow, and I see my brother smiling the same.