Chapter 3 : Dark Eyes in the Golden Light
1879 Words
*Briella*
I bit my lip as a dark brown, shriveled stalk was held out to us.
Kai and Lillian shared a grave look that made my stomach twist up in dread.
“And this happened to an entire field?" Kai asked in a grave voice.
The young scientist nodded, his dark brown eyes serious. “The farmers claimed that it happened essentially overnight. There was no warning, and they had just checked everything hours earlier."
“What does it mean?" Lillian asked, looking at my brother in concern.
It was Mathias, the head priest, who answered in a hard tone. “It means that we need to figure out why this happened and as soon as possible," he said.
“Yes," my brother said with a sharp nod. He looked to one of the guards. “Send word to the farmers and let them know they need to do whatever they can to keep this from spreading. Disinfect tools and stay clear of the diseased field."
The guard turned to go to do just that, hurrying out of the temple and into the night.
I stepped forward to examine the innocent stalk of corn that was the cause of so much fear. I winced. While it was just a vegetable, it almost looked like it was in pain the way it was shriveled and bent as if it had bones that were broken and warped.
This wasn't good at all. No one was willing to stay it aloud, but this was a serious matter. If this was just the start and we were unable to stop the spread of this disease, we would all be risking starvation.
I narrowed my eyes at the stalk. “Kai, there's something not right about this stalk, and I'm not just talking about the fact that it's dead and clearly diseased."
Kai raised his eyebrows at me before focusing his attention back on the plant. Suddenly, it began to glow with an eerie shadowy tone that looked almost evil. A curse flew from Kai's throat. He donned a glove before taking the plant and dropping it into a sterile bag.
“What are you going to do with that?" Lillian asked, her bright blue eyes widening.
Kai sealed the bag securely before removing the gloves and tossing them aside. “I'll take it to the lab to have it studied and see if I can uncover the reason behind this strange disease."
Despite the dire situation, pride swelled in my chest slightly at my brother's initiative. He wasn't just a gifted healer. He also had started a whole department at the university dedicated to research to better the way Celestial Valley practiced healing and medicine. He and a small team were currently developing a new form of healing that focused on harnessing energy in natural elements.
I didn't really understand it, but it sounded promising and had already helped many people in the valley.
If he could do that, I was hopeful that he would be able to solve this issue as well.
“Please be careful while you study that thing," Lillian said, stepping up to my brother.
Kai smiled tenderly at her. I had to bite my tongue to keep from smirking at him. “Don't worry," he said gently. “My team and I are equipped to handle this kind of thing. We have all kinds of safety precautions that will keep us safe."
Kai was rewarded by Lillian's sweet smile. I marveled briefly at how kindhearted and soft-spoken the girl was. Those characteristics only seemed to be heightened when she was around my brother. She looked at Kai as if he could do no wrong.
And Kai returned that look to the shy girl.
I shook my head to clear it from distractions before focusing on the task at hand. I couldn't stand to lose this valley to something like a disease destroying the crops. I felt a familiar protectiveness and restlessness well up inside of me.
There had to be something I could do, some kind of action that we could take now.
“Kai," I said suddenly, turning to my brother.
“What's wrong, Bri?" he asked, handing the sample off to one of the guards, who was to deliver it to the lab.
I held his gaze seriously. “Do you think that this could already be spreading?" I asked, my throat starting to close up at the terrifying thought.
Kai hesitated and, suddenly, all eyes were on him. He looked down, considering my question before nodding once. “It is highly possible," he said. “We should see if we can figure out just how far this has spread if it already has."
I straightened, feeling determination steal my features. “Let's go walk the perimeter of the valley," I suggested. “We can see if there are other signs of this decay."
Kai's expression had the same determination as I felt. I marveled at how similar he looked to our brave mother. “Let us leave at once."
I was a bit relieved to be out doing something to help. I wasn't sure how well I would have fared if I was made to stay cooped up in a laboratory while my brother conducted a bunch of complicated experiments.
Kai and I walked together through the trees, searching for any signs of dying plant life in the surrounding forest. It was a cool evening. The sun was just beginning to set, casting a golden light over everything. It was beautiful but filled me with a strange sense of foreboding as if a chapter was ending.
Kai bent and pulled out a sharp metal tool to gather some samples from one of the plants nearby. It looked completely healthy. I felt my face crumple up in confusion as I watched my brother carefully slip the sample into a glass tube from his bag.
“Did that look like a dying plant?" I asked him.
Kai was scribbling something down on a notepad before he looked up at me. “No, it looked completely healthy," he told me. “But that doesn't mean that it is. I'm going to try experimenting on a bunch of different plants in each area of the valley to get an idea of what healthy plant life here is supposed to look like."
“I see," I said, although I only kind of understood his logic. I chuckled slightly, realizing just how different Kai and I were. I could never have the patience to conduct research and wait for results that could take weeks or even months to collect and analyze.
We walked a bit further, going a couple more miles before we started to get discouraged. Everything seemed pretty normal, and it was starting to get dark.
“We should probably head back soon, Bri," Kai said, looking up at the quickly darkening sky. “It's already starting to get dark, and we still have a ways to travel back."
I sighed but kept going. “We haven't found anything yet," I told him, trying not to let the disappointment come through in my voice. “Besides, we're completely safe out here. But if you're worried, little brother, just remember that your big sister is here to protect you."
Kai scoffed and glanced over at me with an amused gleam in his eye. “I seem to recall, little sister, that I surpassed you in height by the time I was twelve years old. Plus, I have definitely beaten you at sparring in the past."
I smirked, even though it was completely true. Kai had grown quickly once he hit twelve years old, shooting up past me in height seemingly overnight. Kai was basically my only sparring buddy in the valley, so it forced him to become something of my equal even though he was primarily a healer.
I waved him off. “Alright, we'll protect each other," I said, laughing. That's honestly how I preferred it anyway.
Kai raised an eyebrow before getting a mischievous look on his face. He tackled me suddenly, wrapping his arms around me and nearly sending us both to the hard forest ground. “I think it'll be me protecting you," he said, squeezing me in a bear hug. “Say it."
I struggled, laughing as I sensed his intentions. “No, never!" I spat, wriggling in his hold.
“Say it, Bri," he repeated in a low, dangerous tone.
“No!" I bellowed again, attempting to slip out of his hold so I could shove him away.
“You asked for it," he intoned, his fingers going for my armpits.
“Kai!" I squealed, laughing hard as he tickled me.
And just like that, we were children again, bantering playfully and just hanging out. It felt really good to be this carefree, allowing us this little slice of our childhood in the midst of a dire situation.
“Bri, look," Kai said suddenly, dropping his arms and pointing through the trees into a little clearing.
I followed his gaze through the shrubs to a beautiful four-legged creature with round ears and stick-like legs. Its deep brown fur looked golden against the light of the setting sun.
My heart wrenched when I realized that the creature's ribs were visible, looking almost painful in the way that they pushed against its skin and fur.
Kai and I didn't even want to breathe as we watched the graceful creature sniff around. It was then that we noticed the baby behind her, the perfect mini version of its mama. The baby looked around before toddling forward, its movements slow and weak from hunger. Its round ears flicked, and it looked up to its mother hopefully. The mother sniffed around a bit more, obviously searching for food before quickly ushering its offspring along.
That had been a sobering sight. Kai and I decided it was time to head back to the valley.
“What is going on?" I asked Kai suddenly, feeling much older than my twenty-two years. I felt as if the life was being sucked out of me.
Kai sighed, seeming tired as well. “It's hard to say," he said. “We've been in the dry season for a little while now, so harmful airborne particles are less likely this time of year. Maybe there's some kind of pest spreading this."
Kai muttered a few more theories but didn't seem hopeful about being right. I knew we were both thinking about the shadowy essence surrounding the stalk. This could have been some other kind of force entirely.
Kai suddenly grabbed my arm, pulling me behind him as the bushes nearby rustled violently. I reached for the dagger I kept in a sheath at my waist.
My eyes widened, and I let out a yelp as two men stumbled into our path, falling to the ground in a heap.
“Kryzen!" Kai gasped.
I stared in shock down at my childhood rival, his dark eyes glinting slightly in the golden light. He blinked as those orbs focused on me and actually smirked even though his shoulders were heaving with exertion.
“Just my luck," he spat, grinning up at me. “It's the spoiled Alpha's daughter."
- Writer
