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Chapter 5: Shadows of the Past
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2024-12-16 21:46:35The road to the Shadowlands was fraught with dangers. Every step closer felt like diving deeper into the unknown, where the air grew heavier and the shadows seemed to stretch endlessly. Sienna and I moved swiftly, keeping our pace brisk but cautious. The map was our lifeline now, the cryptic markings our only guide to the Crown.
We had barely covered half the distance when the faint scent of smoke reached my nose. I halted, holding up a hand to stop Sienna.
“You smell that?” I asked.
She nodded, her senses as sharp as mine. “Someone’s nearby.”
We crept forward, staying low and hidden within the thick brush. As we rounded a bend, the source of the smoke became clear—a small campfire flickering amidst the trees.
Two figures sat near the fire, their voices low but distinct. One was a burly man with a thick beard and a scar running down the side of his face. The other was a lean woman with fiery red hair and a mischievous glint in her eyes.
---
Sienna nudged me, her voice barely above a whisper. “Rogues?”
I shook my head. “No. They don’t smell like rogues. They’re not pack wolves either.”
As if sensing our presence, the red-haired woman looked up, her sharp gaze locking onto our hiding spot.
“You might as well come out,” she called, her voice tinged with amusement. “We don’t bite. Much.”
Sienna and I exchanged a glance before stepping into the open. The man immediately rose to his feet, his hand hovering near the hilt of a massive sword strapped to his back.
“Easy,” I said, raising my hands in a gesture of peace. “We’re just passing through.”
“Passing through *here*?” the man said, his voice gruff. “That’s either brave or stupid.”
“Probably both,” Sienna muttered under her breath.
The woman chuckled, her eyes scanning us with curiosity. “You’re not ordinary travelers, are you? What’s your business in these parts?”
“None of yours,” Sienna shot back, her tone defensive.
The woman raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further. Instead, she gestured for us to sit. “Fair enough. My name’s Freya, and this big guy is Bram. You’re welcome to share the fire, but if you try anything funny…”
Bram’s hand tightened on the hilt of his sword, his meaning clear.
---
Reluctantly, we sat down, the warmth of the fire a welcome reprieve from the chill of the forest.
Freya was the talkative one, her energy infectious as she recounted tales of their travels. Bram, on the other hand, remained stoic, his watchful eyes never straying far from us.
It wasn’t long before Freya’s curiosity got the better of her.
“So, what’s your story?” she asked, leaning forward with a playful grin. “You’re not exactly the picture of happy campers.”
“We’re looking for something,” I said vaguely, not wanting to reveal too much.
“Something, huh?” Freya said, her grin widening. “Well, you wouldn’t be the first to come this way chasing shadows.”
Her words piqued my interest. “What do you mean?”
Freya exchanged a glance with Bram before answering. “We’ve seen others pass through here recently. Wolves, mostly. They didn’t look like they were here for a stroll in the woods.”
“Do you know where they were headed?” Sienna asked, her tone sharp.
Freya shrugged. “Toward the Shadowlands, same as you. Whatever you’re after, you’re not the only ones looking for it.”
---
The news sent a chill down my spine. If others were also searching for the Crown, it meant we were already at a disadvantage.
“Why are you here?” I asked, changing the subject.
Freya’s grin turned sly. “We’re treasure hunters, of sorts. The Shadowlands are full of secrets, and secrets tend to be valuable to the right buyer.”
“Or deadly,” Bram added, his deep voice cutting through the conversation.
Freya waved him off. “Details.”
---
Despite their lighthearted demeanor, there was an edge to Freya and Bram—a sense that they were more dangerous than they let on. But for now, they didn’t seem like enemies.
As the night wore on, Sienna and I made the decision to keep moving. Staying in one place for too long wasn’t an option, especially now that we knew others were on the same path.
To our surprise, Freya and Bram offered to join us.
“You’ll need more than sharp teeth to survive the Shadowlands,” Freya said, her tone teasing but serious. “And we could use the company.”
Bram didn’t look thrilled about the idea, but he didn’t object either.
Sienna pulled me aside, her voice low. “Are you sure about this? We barely know them.”
“We don’t have a choice,” I replied. “If the Crown is out there, we’ll need all the help we can get.”
---
The four of us set out together, an uneasy alliance forged by necessity. Freya’s knowledge of the terrain proved invaluable, and Bram’s sheer strength was a comfort in the increasingly hostile wilderness.
But as we ventured deeper into the Shadowlands, the air grew heavier, and the shadows seemed to take on a life of their own.
Strange noises echoed in the distance—howls that didn’t belong to wolves, whispers that seemed to come from nowhere.
Freya’s usual cheerfulness waned, her sharp eyes darting nervously at every sound. Even Bram, unshakable as he seemed, kept his sword at the ready.
---
It wasn’t long before we encountered our first real challenge.
The path ahead was blocked by a massive chasm, its depths shrouded in mist. A rickety rope bridge stretched across the gap, swaying ominously in the wind.
“This feels like a trap,” Sienna said, her instincts on high alert.
“No other way around,” Bram said gruffly, already stepping onto the bridge.
The rest of us followed cautiously, the creaking of the wooden planks echoing in the silence. Halfway across, the wind picked up, and the bridge began to sway violently.
That’s when they attacked.
---
Dark shapes emerged from the mist, their forms vaguely human but twisted and grotesque. Their glowing eyes and razor-sharp claws marked them as something unnatural—creatures of the Shadowlands.
“Move!” Bram shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.
The fight was brutal and chaotic, the narrow confines of the bridge making it nearly impossible to dodge the creatures’ attacks. Freya moved with a dancer’s grace, her twin daggers flashing as she cut through the attackers.
Sienna and I fought back-to-back, our movements perfectly synchronized from years of working together.
Bram held the rear, his massive sword cleaving through the creatures with brutal efficiency.
---
When the last of the creatures fell, we collapsed on the far side of the chasm, panting and bloodied.
“What were those things?” Freya asked, her voice trembling slightly.
“Shadowborn,” Sienna said grimly. “They’re not alive, not really. Just echoes of something that used to be.”
Freya shuddered, her earlier bravado completely gone.
As we regrouped, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. The Shadowlands were testing us, and the worst was yet to come.
---
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