บท 11: Valley Of Trials
The night was fast approaching. This was the first night that the expedition team would be spending together. While General Ronin led the team along with the elders and his sons, Axue and Madam Rea spent their time inside their carriages.
From the bustling capital of the central pains to the tropical rainforest of the west, the scenario completely changed. Gone were the cemented roads replaced with the unchartered territory around them. Gone was the noise of the people and carriages replaced with the sound of virgin nature.
Though Theta felt the prying eyes of the people from the capital city when the entourage passed through the streets, it failed to match the predatory gazes that she was feeling at this moment – and it was all from different directions!
The war horses neighed in vigilance, slowing down the process in the end.
General Ronin calmed his horse before he pulled the reins. He ordered his men. "Hasten the horses! We will not stay in this rainforest for the night… It is not safe." The last part was not meant to be heard, but the surroundings were eerily quiet so everyone still heard him – earning him a series of gasps, especially from his wife and the household's servants.
Theta merely raised her brows for a fraction of a second before she looked around. There was nothing special that caught her sight, but the feeling of being watched was constantly there.
This rain forest was the entrance of the Valley of Trials according to Ruka. Ruka, who had lived in this place as he grew up, told Theta about what to expect in this unchartered territory. After all, there was a reason why the king gave this place to the Mariyah Household as a token of a gift for protecting the borders.
It was because the Valley of Trials was a place full of perils. Warriors like General Ronin and the elders were well aware of the dangerous topography of the place. A rain could flood an entire campsite overnight. A herd of beasts could flatten an entire team over a split moment. And a stray walk could lead a person to be trapped for all eternity on maze-like roads. All in all, it was named a 'Valley of Trials' for a good reason.
'Spatial lock,' Theta whispered the command words of her spell at the back of her mind.
On cue, the predatory gazes toward her stopped. It was not the time yet to make Chehin experience what it meant to be a waste – not until General Ronin and the elders were there to protect him.
'Chehin, you adore our father so much that you follow his footsteps more than Lexin did. So I am giving you a chance to be the hero you always wanted to be. Be the hero then become a failure one; that will be the most interesting scene in this Valley of Trials.' Theta thought.
LIKE WHAT General Ronin said, the expedition team of the Mariyah Household made it out of the rainforest before the sun could set. Now, every servant along with Theta was setting up the campsite. The Mariyah Clan's sigil, which was made with dragon wings wrapped with rose thorns, was laid out to every tent of the legitimate heirs – except for Theta who did not get into a tent and was made to sleep with the livestock under a Wisteria Tree.
The moonlight sheen graced a small plain surrounded by canyons. This was the eye of the Valley of Trials and everyone was clueless about it except the key figures of the expedition team. Among the clueless ones, Madam Rea and Axue were sleeping soundly inside their shared tent.
Chehin, who General Ronin and the others tasked to stand guard while the others would scout, stood with his chest puffed out and chinned up. He surveyed the surrounding area with his sharp brown eyes while maintaining to stay within the illumination given by the torch's light.
He dared not venture out to the dark unknown – at least that was what his instinct was telling him. Five more elite guards patrolled the parameters of the campsite and Theta was wide awake while it happened.
Theta faked a groan when she felt a sharp kick on her right arm followed by Chehin's annoying whispered voice. "Hey, bitch. Wake up and join the patrols. You are scaring the livestock by displaying your wretched face here."
Sitting up, Theta answered. "But Madam Rea said that I must guard the livestock or else the–"
Chehin kicked Theta's ribs in frustration. "Shut up, bitch! You will stand up or I will cripple you for good?"
Feeling satisfied as he watched his half-sister stand up limping, Chehin scoffed as he led Theta to the part of the camp which was situated at the darkest spot among the stations of the patrolling guards.
Everyone could see what Chehin was doing, but no one dared to remind him that a petite woman could be eaten alive in the corner if he left her there. No one cared more than their own lives. It was hard enough for them to be alive in the Valley of Trials and the night was still young. For them, caring for a waste like Theta was plain suicide.
"You will stand guard here and be useful rather than be a dead weight in this team," Chehin spat as he pointed at the dark place where even the torch could barely reach. He pointed at her while glaring. His voice was filled with venom. "Do not ever make a noise about this or your days with the expedition team will be bloody and fun."
Beneath the blowing red hair that framed Theta's face, a gleaming pair of amethyst eyes stared right at Chehin which made the latter stop for a few seconds. Chehin was unsure where that oppressive aura came from so he looked around the dark area warily.
Theta nodded.
Awooo!
A series of howls resonated. Its eerie noise pierced through the night which alerted the patrolling guards and servants outside the tents. Chehin was the first one to snap from his momentary trance.
'That is the source of the oppressive aura that I felt earlier!' Chehin screamed in his mind as he turned away from Theta.
A cold wind blew, carrying the nonstop howls of the beasts.
It was at this moment, when Chehin was three meters away from Theta, that Theta called Chehin. "Third elder brother!"
"What?" Face filled with irritation, Chehin glanced back.
"Don't die, alright?" Or the show would not be fun anymore, Theta continued her train of thoughts at the back of her blackened mind.
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