Corner of my eye

Crouching against the edge of the moonlit barn I took a deep breath of the crisp night air, letting the cold sear my lungs. I never usually slept well, my mind always jolted me awake with the same cruel, twisted memory from that day.

I shivered and cast the thought aside. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I tilted my head upwards. Moonlight bathed my face as I rose and strode back inside. Today would be my day, it had to be. Grabbing my satchel and lacing my boots I roused Hector.

 ‘Come on boy’ I murmured ‘If we leave now we’ll get a head start on the others’. One eye half opened as he snorted at me and rolled over. ‘Seriously? You know what happens to both of us if we are empty handed at the end of this Lunis'. As if understanding what I meant he begrudgingly stood up and started munching on some nearby hay. ‘Thank you! Right, now, let’s get a move on’. Throwing on his saddle I didn’t tell him today would be different, he would never come with me if I did, not where we were going.

I had grown up in Ikatha, in the Tribud region of the Gorge. My Far had raised me on the stories of Emperor Rakar, and the magiks he stole from our lands. Such discussions were treason under the order of Rakar’s successor Shrikun, but Far believed in the Old God Gia, espousing that ‘the old prophet would return’ and ‘the fires of false faith would quench under their rule’ whatever that meant.

I miss him. Every day. From his grumbling and gruff, scratchy beard to his inner fire and coherent retellings of ages past. When Shirkun’s supporters heard of Far’s beliefs they came to our village and took Far for questioning as we watched our village burn. Far died that night, an ashen spear found through his head as he lay on a nearby riverbank. Officially it was declared a tragic accident, that his sins had finally caught up with him, but our village knew better.

I snapped out of it as the slow swaying of Hector underneath me suddenly stopped. ‘Come on Hec it’s only some trees’ I protested, giving him an encouraging kick. Up ahead the green-blue hues of the foliage rustled in the quiet breeze, the silver of the moon dancing off their leaves in dulled flashes of starlight. Hec tossed his head but resumed his rhythmic gait. ‘It’s just the wind and the moon dancing together, Hec. Just like Far told us’. He didn’t seem convinced, snorting in response. I clutched the opal pendant that hung around my neck, inclining my head once more toward the moon as we entered the eastern edge of forest Charr, and as we did I could have sworn I heard a ripple of laughter dance from the heart of the forest.

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Massaging my skull I sat up. Realising I was lying on the forest floor I bolted to my feet. Adrenaline pumping and heart pounding I darted my eyes around. Nothing. I released the grip from the knife hidden at my thigh. I must have fallen. Where was I? The green-blue hues of the foliage and mossy floor confirmed I should still be somewhere in forest Charr, but it was too bright. I looked around again, tuning into all of my senses as I was taught to do. The only sound was a delicate whisper of zephyr through the greenery. The ground felt damp to the touch and was fresh yet peaty to the nose. The air was… salty? I must be near the sea of Altur. How long had I been riding for? Hector. Where was Hector!? On my feet now I sprint with panic calling out. ‘Hector! Hec! Come here boy! Hector!’. Stopping to regain my breath I look up and realise as the moon douses my face that I’m in a clearing. Okay, the moon is still up so I could have only been out for a few hours I reassure myself. Hec can’t be far, he probably just spooked and will be somewhere nearby. I still have time before the others start, sunrise isn’t for at least an hour or so. Just as I begin to calm myself, I notice it - the silence. There was no breeze rustling the trees, no birds chirping in the lofts above, no dull hum of the forest, nothing. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw it for the first time – moonlight skittering, laughing, together, alive.

Frozen to the spot I started to sweat. Don’t look at it, my instincts told me. Slowly closing my eyes I instinctually reached for the opal around my neck. My hand recoiled as to my shock it was.. hot? Maybe it was just an Ikkamut or a wondering Pinkalump Far had told me about. Far. What would Far do now? Before I had time to consider this I felt a hot, wet breath on the back of my neck. I remain frozen with my eyes closed. If it was an Ikkamut at least this would be over quickly, I thought, comforting myself. I felt it circle me, casting a shadow from the moonlit night that was somehow brighter than the moon itself. Sweat dripped down my neck and palms as I tried to control my breathing and remember my training. I listened for something, anything, but no one else would be stupid enough to come here, particularly alone, especially at night. Think, Ikarna, Think! I felt it pause. Then I felt the voice…

Ik..arna? It can’t be…

Right then my world shattered. My pendant turned scorching around my neck and I fell to the ground. I dared not open my eyes but my world span around me. My entire body burned cold. All I could hear was the din of a thousand voices shouting, screaming fused into one. The burning continued to sear my chest as I frantically torn at myself. Then, it stopped, and I heard the birds singing.

A large, soggy tongue dragged across my left cheek and brow. Still disoriented I carefully sat up, feeling in front of me to find two hoofs leading up to two fluffy legs and a big, heavy head that I knew only too well. ‘Hector!!’ I shouted with delight, allowing my eyes to finally open, only to then be blinded by the light of the morning sun and pushed over by another enthusiastic lick from Hector. The sky was bright and blue through the dense treeline. Shielding my eyes from the sun I looked around to find myself in the same clearing but alone, trees rustling once again in the wind. What was that? I considered. Had I imagined it? Maybe I did hit my head pretty hard. I mean an Ikkamut wouldn’t have left me alive, and a Pinkalump would only leave if you fed it something sweet first. On cue a sharp throbbing began manifesting from the back of my skull.I winced as I felt felt for it, ‘I must have had a pretty good fall, hey boy?’. Concern seemed to flood Hectors eyes as he took a gentle step back. ‘I’m alright boy, don’t worry. Wanna help me up?’. He dutifully bowed his head as I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull myself up. ‘Strange dream this time, Hec. You don’t even wanna to know this one’. With one arm leaning on Hector’s neck, I used my other hand to shield my face from the low-lying sun. The rest of them would have set off by now, I had barely started and one Sun had already risen. I had until the end of the third rise before my final Lunis set in, the thought alone sent me scrambling to my feet. Aching and sore I clambered into the saddle, trying to shake the strange thoughts swimming around my mind. With the moonlight now gone I had to move quickly if I was going to make it in time. It is not an option I told myself. You will make it by Rakfall, you simply have to.

‘On boy’ I commanded Hector with a suggestive kick. As the methodical trot started up again I rubbed the back of my head, which was still thumping with pain. I was so distracted by my headache that I didn’t notice the now velvet, sunbathed trees seemed to simply glide out of my way, or that if I felt for my pendant I would find it had melded to the skin on my chest, or even that if I listened closely I would hear a subtle voice singing in the distance 'Ikarna, Ikarna, Ikarnaa’.