Chapter Five:

 

Our horses quickly trotted through the woods. I stared at Ares suspiciously the whole time. Why did she lie to me? And, why does she decide to go back to Scarlett Valley after they find me? I know she thinks I’m strong but, there has to be more…

I look around my surroundings. Nothing much. Just trees. And moss. That’s about it. 

Ares told me that after they rebelled, Erinyes banned everyone who did and most of the citizens who were associated with them. 

And, in doing so, there were pretty much no villagers in the town. Plants and animals began to go extinct. The one that didn’t go extinct was the trees. I guess trees are like a symbol of peace to Scarlett Valley. 

But, now there is a stable population of at least one-hundred in the wealthy town of Scarlett Valley. I have no idea how that happened, though. 

The sun shined through the leaves on the trees and blinded my eyes. I pulled back the reigns on the horse, halting it to a stop. 

The horse whinnies. Everyone looks at me. 

“What’s the matter, Enya?” Ares asks. 

“The…sun got in my eyes,” I say, trying to make my eyesight clear again. 

She stares at me for a moment, deciding whether or not she thinks she should stop and care for me with her motherly instincts. 

“Ares, I’m fine,” I tell her from reading her expression. “Let’s…let’s go.”

Ares cracks the whip on her horse, improvising everyone else to follow. 

The ride to Scarlett Valley felt like forever. Everyone’s horses were the same speed: slow. I really don’t want to go into town. The chances of running into Erinyes or his guards are very bad for me. I don’t have good terms with them and I never plan to. 

My surroundings began to change as we got closer to town. There were actually more plants than trees, though of course, there are always trees in Scarlett Valley. But, the other plants were nothing like I had ever seen. At least, from when I was still living in the village. Which was…a while ago. 

As we approached the gate that surrounds Scarlett Valley, I saw something peculiar. Something…unlike the plants and trees I have seen. I steer the horse a little closer to the ground where I saw the peculiar object. It was…shining.

“Enya, what are you doing?” Liam hisses.

“Just hold on,” I say. “I see something down there,”

I look around, being sure that no one is seeing me. I pull the reigns back on the horse, slowly, so that no one will hear it. I get off the horse and walk over on the ground to where I saw the shining object.  

As I was coming closer to it, I…felt something. Something powerful and forceful. Something…magical.

I was maybe a foot from the object now, I felt a sort of force pulling me, wanting me, to have it. Just a little closer and I could be able to investigate it. Now, I was only a few inches away. Only a few inches, now, one little gap is between myself and the object. I can feel it in my grasp…

“You there!” I hear someone shout. 

I freeze. I know that voice. It was a guard. 

The guard is in front of me now. “You’re Enya Iris, wanted by Lord Erinyes!”

I smile fakely. “That’s me,” 

“You need to come with me. Now.” 

“I don’t think I’ll be doing that today, actually,” I say. 

The guard’s face stiffens. “And why is that?”

That must have been some sort of calling because then, all of a sudden, at least twenty more guards came. All of them had some sort of weapon. I guess Erinyes has a whole army out to get me now. 

I draw my sword. “You asked for it,”

But then, something terrible happens. 

Liam steers the horse toward the guards and almost runs over them. The guards run away in shock, probably off to report this to Erinyes. When all of the guards are gone, Liam pulls the reigns back on the horse as it’s about to trample me. The horse comes to a stop, just inches away from giving me a concussion. 

“You’re welcome,” He says smiling. 

I stare at him. “I didn’t need you to save me. I can take care of things myself.”

“Sure, but, do you really think you could have taken care of twenty guards?”
“Yes, Liam,” I say. “Yes, I could.”

Liam snorts. “Sure you could,” He continues. “We should go to meet Ares and the others. For all I know they are already in Erinyes’ throne room,” 

“Right,” I say. 

The two of us get back on the horse, riding along the path that goes through the gate which leads to the wealthy, inevitable, Lord of Scarlett Valley I would soon face. As I’m steering the horse toward the gate, I completely forget what I was upset at Liam about. 

And the shining magical object.

The town was not at all what I remembered it to be. Sure, they had a more stable population than what they had when the rebellions had begun. But, now, the town looked…almost dreadful. 

The horse’s hooves trotted against the unkempt dirt. Houses, little stands, farms, they all looked broken in their own way. But the people were still enjoying this, thinking this is the best town ever. 

Most of the people looked almost forced to enjoy this disappointing town. I caught a glimpse of a villager’s eyes. They looked…red. When I caught the glimpse, I felt the same magical presence as the shining object I had forgotten. 

“Do you feel a…magical presence?” I whisper to Liam. 

He looks at me, confused. “Magical?”

I nod my head. 

Liam chuckles. “Enya, there is no such thing as ‘magic’ in this world.”

“But…I felt something when I saw that object.”

He bursts out laughing but instantly puts his hand over his mouth. “I forgot…the whole banning thing,”

“I’m serious, Liam! I felt something!” I hiss, ignoring his words. 

“Yeah, sure.”

I roll my eyes at him. He wasn’t going to believe me, for all I know he probably thinks I’m crazy by this point. 

We continued to ride through the village on the horse, I kept seeing villagers with red eyes. And, the magical presence. There has to be something behind all of this…

“Hey, Enya!” I hear a voice call. 

I turn around, only to see Hebe waving on her and Ares’s horse from over a few yards away. 

They ride their horse over, as well as Phoenix and Koshin’s. Liam and I get off the horse to greet them.

Ares gets off her horse and walks toward me. “Where were you guys?!” She exclaims quietly so she won’t get caught. 

I, doing the same in response. “I…was trying to get to something.”

“What was this ‘something’?”

Liam looks at me. Obviously wanting me to tell Ares what I was after.

“It…it was nothing. Waste of time.”

She claps her hands together. “Well, let’s go into the palace.”

“I thought we were going to your old homes?” I ask her, playing coy. 

Ares looks at me, embarrassed that I caught her bluff. She then turns to Liam, having no longer a motherly look on her face, but a look that frightened even me. 

She looks like she’s about to choke Liam. “You told her?!”

“She wanted to know!” Liam replies, trying to protect himself from getting hurt by this new Ares. 

Ares turns to me and sighs, now having the motherly look back on her face. “Yes, what Liam told you is true. I wanted to go against Lord Erinyes again since we have you. I figured you were strong,”

I laugh a little.”Ares, you can’t just assume people are what you think.”

“I know, I know, but I…just figured because you had the sword and I caught you in the woods, it just seemed like that to me.” She says sorrowfully. 

I smile. “It’s fine, Ares.” 

Ares sighs of relief. “You know what, this…this was just stupid. Let’s go back to the hut.”

Everyone gets on their horse, ready to go. 

I felt like I related to how Ares was feeling. We both wanted to get back at Erinyes. She probably wants to make this town better than just winning against a battle with their Lord. And…I guess I want to make this place look nicer as well. Even though it gives me some…saddening memories from the past. 

Just then, an idea came to my mind. 

“Wait!” I say before we reach the gate. 

Everyone turns their heads around to look at me. Ares looks at me strangely. “What is it?”

“If we both want to get back at Erinyes, let’s make a plan to raid his palace and make this town great again!”