The Trials of Ildarwood: Spectres of the Fall Read online

  Aiden was desperate to disagree but could not refute either of his brother’s claims. “At least I’m not always gettin’ in trouble like you,” he scoffed. “Shouldn’t I get some sorta credit for that?”

  “You probably would if you didn’t keep throwin’ those little hissy fits every time she asks you to do somethin’,” Rennie answered with a laugh.

  “Did you seriously just come in here to make fun of me?”

  “Nah. I was just gonna tell you I’m goin’ out with the guys,” Rennie said as he rose up to his feet. “Makin’ fun of you was really just a bonus.”

  “Wait, wait, wait. You can’t leave,” Aiden insisted, jumping up. “You’re supposed to watch us while Mom’s at work.”

  “Okay, so, first of all, I’m an Ildarguard now, so now she really can’t tell me what to do, and second of all, what Mom doesn’t know won’t hurt me, so have fun bein’ grounded.”

  “Oh, come on, Rennie! Can I at least come with you if I promise to be good?”

  “What part of ‘grounded’ don’t you get?” Rennie asked with a chuckle. “I mean, it’s not like I really care what you end up doin’, but Mom’s favorite little tattletale is right downstairs, and I’m pretty sure he can’t wait to rat you out after everything you said, so . . .”

  Huffing and glancing around the room, Aiden considered his options for a moment before finally attempting to broker a deal. “How about this? If you let me go with you, I won’t tell Mom you went out with your friends.”

  Laughing in response, Rennie walked back over to Aiden and said, “You really wanna try that with me?”

  Noting the golden flicker in Rennie’s eyes, Aiden remembered all the reasons why he should never get on his brother’s bad side. “Okay, fine,” Aiden grumbled before collapsing back onto his bed.

  After moping by himself for several minutes, Aiden could only bring himself to glance out his bedroom window once he heard the commotion of Rennie and his friends yelling to each other outside. From his room, he watched as Rennie greeted each of them by grabbing ahold of their right forearm while whacking them on the shoulder with his free hand. Aiden could not help but feel envious of all the friends that his older brother had–especially one boy named Darrick Davernon.

  Thinking back to when he had first met Darrick, Aiden recalled how the whole Davernon family had been warm and welcoming to the Verdanis when they had arrived in Ranewood three years earlier. Since then, Darrick in many ways had acted just like the older brother that Aiden had always wanted. Kinder, funnier, and smarter than all the other boys Rennie chose to spend time with, Darrick was the one who always made sure Aiden and Torian were included whenever Rennie and his friends were outside playing games. And on those not-so-rare occasions when Rennie decided to pick on Aiden in front of everyone, Darrick was always the first to stand up for him.

  Knowing precisely how enamored Aiden had become with Darrick, Rennie had made sure to warn his little brother days earlier that he should not expect to see Darrick much, if at all, once Aiden’s Trials finally started. If what Rennie had told him was true, after all, first-year Ildarbound were not allowed to go more than a few miles into the Ildarwood until they had proved they could survive the woods beyond. As for Darrick, Rennie was convinced that they would both be assigned to patrol Ranewood’s borders with the Deepwood, where not even Preceptors could keep Ildarbound safe–though from what, Rennie never quite said.

  Increasingly fearful that he might not ever see Darrick again, Aiden wondered if he should risk both pain and punishment to sneak out and at least say hello. But it was the unexpected smile and wave from Darrick in his direction that proved to be all the motivation Aiden needed. After watching Rennie and his friends vanish into the greenwood forest behind their house, Aiden leaped up from his bed, bolted over to his bedroom door, and turned the knob with utmost caution. Desperate not to make even the most minuscule sound, he slipped out into the hallway and listened for any sounds from his little brother. Hearing none, he proceeded down the stairs toward the home’s main hall.

  After avoiding each of the known-to-be-creaky stairs, Aiden tiptoed over to the living room to ensure his treacherous little brother was sufficiently distracted. And much to Aiden’s delight, Torian had decided to keep himself busy that day by skimming through his favorite book while lying on the living-room floor. For several moments, Aiden watched as his little brother flipped through page after page without reading, only to stop each time he came across a picture. That way, he could press his finger against it and see the story come to life inside his head.

  He’s even lazy at reading, Aiden thought before heading back toward the kitchen. Knowing that the back door was the loudest in the house, Aiden could only hope that his escape would be quick enough to somehow go unnoticed. And so, taking a deep breath, he counted, “One . . . two . . . three!” before yanking the back door open and closing it as quickly as he could behind him. From there, he bolted across the backyard, raced past his mother’s gardens, swerved around their fishpond, and sprinted underneath the lamppost at the very edge of the woods. Not even once he had reached the safety of the forest did he dare to look back. If nothing else, he reasoned, he had at least earned himself a solid head start.

  Deep into the woods he ran, until at last he stopped in one of the more secluded parts of the West Highland Forest. Taking a deep breath, he bathed in the serenity of the scene. Nowhere else did he feel more at home. So attuned to the forest had he become over the past few years, in fact, that he did not need to pay any attention to where he was going. Knowing the paths far better than either of his brothers did, he could always find his way, even in the dead of night. And as far as he knew, he was also the only one who had ever bothered to climb the particularly steep hill that overlooked the secluded spot in the woods where Rennie and his friends always trained in secret.

  Arriving at the overlook despite how challenging it was to reach, Aiden could clearly hear Rennie and his friends shouting and laughing in the distance. As he crawled slightly closer to the hill’s precipitous edge, Aiden was surprised to find so many of Rennie’s friends carrying swords and shields made of Ildarglass, jagged though they were. Some of the boys even wore light Ildarglass armor, Aiden noticed, while others carried Ildarwood bows with Ildarglass arrows at the ready.

  There was something exhilarating about watching Rennie and his friends spar, Aiden had discovered. It always made him dream of one day becoming an Ildarguard himself. After all, in Aiden’s mind, there was nothing in the world more noble than helping those in dire need. It was just another way in which Aiden had grown to envy his older brother, who was both fit and skilled at combat. So capable with a sword was Rennie, in fact, that he rarely even bothered to carry a shield to protect himself–a decision that made Aiden cringe and gasp every time it looked like his brother might get hit as he sparred. All the while, the distinctive clang of Ildarglass swords and shields echoed throughout the forest and sent sudden jolts of nervous energy through Aiden’s chest. His only regret in that moment was that he could not join in.

  And then came an altogether different jolt to Aiden’s system. Without any warning at all, a sudden deluge of frigid water cascaded down upon him, causing him to gasp for air until the shock finally wore off. Turning slowly where he knelt, he was stunned to find a familiar older boy grinning proudly just behind him.

  “What . . . the . . . frick . . . Darrick?” Aiden demanded between gasps.

  “Rennie warned us you might try sneakin’ out,” Darrick said before placing a large wooden pail on the ground. “You know it’s against the law for you to watch us practice, right? Normally, we wouldn’t really care, but now that we’re Ildarguards, it’s kinda our jobs to make sure everyone else our age follows the rules.”

  “You . . . s-s-s-suck!” Aiden stammered, causing Darrick to burst out laughing.

  “Hey, don’t get mad at me just ’cause you got caught. Y
ou’re the one that’s supposed to be grounded.”

  “I’m just takin’ a little break,” Aiden replied through chattering teeth.

  “A break from bein’ grounded? What’s Rennie gonna say when he finds out you were spyin’ on him?”

  “Come on, Darrick. Can you please just keep this between us?”

  Then, as if on cue, Rennie called out from below. “Hey! Everythin’ okay up there?”

  “Yeah!” Darrick yelled back. “I’m just talkin’ to Aiden! He said he doesn’t want you to know he’s up here spyin’ on you!”

  “Oh yeah?” Rennie replied as Aiden glared at the older boy. “Did he forget he’s supposed to be grounded?”

  “Nah!” Darrick shouted. “He said he’s just takin’ a quick break!”

  “Oh, okay!” Rennie answered as his friends burst into laughter.

  “Do you have any idea how much I hate you right now?” Aiden asked.

  “A pretty good one, yeah,” Darrick replied before taking off his cloak and throwing it at Aiden so he could use it to dry off. Only then did Aiden notice the unusual leather attire Darrick was wearing beneath.

  “What’s with the outfit?” Aiden asked with surprise as he stared at the insignia on Darrick’s chest–a Ranewood tree with an eye carved into its trunk and a sword, shield, bow, and quiver all resting against it.

  “What? You mean Rennie hasn’t shown you his Ildarguard armor yet?”

  “Just those things on his arms, but he wouldn’t tell me what they were.”

  “They’re called bracers,” Darrick said with amusement, “and I guess I’m not surprised. The whole uniform isn’t exactly the comfiest thing in the world. I just like it ’cause the material helps me hide in the woods. See?” Then, taking one giant step back toward a tree, he very nearly vanished from sight.

  “So that’s how you sneaked up on me?” Aiden asked as he struggled to see past the illusion.

  “Nah. I didn’t even need this. You just weren’t payin’ attention.”

  Scoffing at the notion, Aiden wrapped himself more tightly in Darrick’s cloak as a late-winter breeze chilled him to the bone.

  “Okay, I think you’ve suffered enough,” Darrick declared while walking toward him. “Let’s get you home before you freeze to death.”

  “But I wanna watch you guys practice.”

  “I promise you’ll get to see more than a few sword fights in a year or so, once the Preceptors know it’s safe to start teachin’ you, but for right now, we should really get you back to your house to warm up. Besides, I’m pretty sure your mom will come lookin’ for me if you end up catchin’ a cold on First Day. You know how much Rennie loves it whenever she’s mad at someone else.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it,” Aiden grumbled as he watched Darrick reach behind a tree and grab the Ildarwood staff he had brought with him.

  “Whoa, what is that?” Aiden asked with amazement at the weapon’s stunning beauty.

  “My way of stayin’ out of trouble,” Darrick answered with pride. As he held it out in front of him, Aiden marveled at the staff’s intricate design. Made from polished black Ildarwood, the staff was lined with narrow bands of violet Ildarglass, which ran through it like winding veins of amethyst deep inside a mine.

  “Can I hold it?” Aiden asked excitedly.

  “Only if you wanna get hurt,” Darrick warned. “You know how much it stings when you touch something made of Ildarglass you’re not supposed to, right? Well, Ildarwood weapons are designed to do that too. That’s how we make sure no one else can ever use ’em against us.”

  “Aw, well, I guess that makes sense,” Aiden replied with disappointment. Yet only then, as Darrick grasped the staff firmly enough to make the Ildarglass crystals glow, did Aiden notice the Ildarglass crest on the back of Darrick’s left bracer. In the shape of a Ranewood tree, it gave off an ominous red glow of its own that continued to fade and brighten with each passing second. Despite knowing full well what might happen, Aiden could not resist the urge to reach toward the shimmering seal, and the moment he touched it, it released an intense vibration that forced them both to leap away from each other in alarm.

  “Whoa! What was that?” Aiden demanded, but Darrick was at a loss for words. “Darrick?” Aiden pressed, out of fear that he had just done something wrong.

  “I don’t know,” Darrick said, his eyes darting around as he tried to understand what had happened himself.

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “What? No, Aiden. It’s just . . . you need to be more careful.”

  “I’m sorry. I was just tryin’ to figure out why it was glowin’ red like that.”

  “It’s not red, Aiden; it’s—” But before Darrick could finish, he noticed the alarming crimson hue of the symbol on the back of his left bracer. “Uh-oh,” he managed before grabbing Aiden by his cloak and dragging him over to the hilltop’s edge. “You need to leave. Now!”

  “What? Why? What’s wrong?”

  “I really can’t tell you. You just need to go home. Right now! Quick! And don’t take off my cloak until you’re safe. Okay?”

  But before Aiden even had a chance to answer, Darrick launched him down the side of the hill, forcing Aiden to sprint as he struggled to maintain his balance. All the way down, Aiden could hear Darrick shouting, but he dared not chance looking back. Only once he reached the bottom did he finally stop and attempt to catch one last glimpse of his friend. It was a decision he would come to regret, for the moment he turned to run again, he collided with an object so rigid that it knocked him backward onto the ground.

  Dazed for a moment, Aiden glanced up toward the sun and noticed a tall, thin figure standing over him.

  “What’s your name?” the boy asked, but his voice was unfamiliar.

  “Aiden.”

  “Aiden what?”

  “Verdani.”

  “Oh, so you’re Rennie’s little brother?”

  “Yeah,” Aiden replied, hopeful that the boy was one of Rennie’s friends. Then the boy drew a blood-red dagger made of Ildarglass from his belt and said, “Good,” before lifting it into the air.

  Fearing for his safety, Aiden began to scuttle backward while trying to get back onto his feet, but only once he reached a spot where the trees blocked out the sun could he finally see the boy’s face–or rather, the terrifying illusion that the boy had cast over it. Like some barely visible distortion that hung in the air just inches from the boy’s beak-like nose, it gave him the subtle appearance of a vicious, feral bird. And the only physical feature Aiden could see behind the boy’s intense spectral visage was the wild ruby glow of his twitching, bloodshot eyes.

  “What do you want?” Aiden asked fearfully.

  “I want you to call your brother. Make him come here. Now!”

  “Not if you’re gonna hurt him!”

  “Look, kid, either you call him right now so I can make him pay for what he did to me, or I can use this to practice on you till he gets here. So which is it?”

  In response, Aiden threw a handful of dirt in the boy’s eyes, then leaped up and ran into the woods as fast as his legs could carry him.

  “Get back here now!” the boy demanded, but Aiden did not even attempt to look back.

  Through thicket and brush he ran, along well-worn paths and ones only he had discovered. In the distance, he could barely see the very top of his house through the trees, but it was still so very far away. Then, as if from nowhere, another boy with a distorted spectral face appeared on the path ahead of him.

  “Aiden? Aiden, where are you?” a voice called out from deeper in the woods, but the source was not clear, and Aiden dared not answer back. He needed to find somewhere to hide before it was too late.

  Racing through the thick brush of the forest, Aiden thought of several spots deeper in the woods where he could hide, but getting to the
m quickly proved far too great a challenge. In every direction in which he ran, one boy or another with a distorted face would seem to appear out of thin air, and every single one of them shared the same hate-filled expression and burning eyes that Aiden had seen on the first boy, near the hill.

  No amount of running allowed him to evade them. No matter how fast he ran, they always caught up. Like wind, they moved through the forest unseen and unheard, unable to find him but still around him on all sides.

  Out of time and out of breath, Aiden finally stumbled to his knees and waited, alone and terrified, as his pursuers closed in.

  “Hey, over here!” one of the boys announced as he approached, daggers drawn. “I just found our bait!”

  “P-p-p-please,” Aiden stammered. “Please don’t hurt me!”

  “You think this is gonna hurt?” the boy whispered, leaning in. “This is nothin’ compared to what the Cynders are gonna do to you out there.”

  Shrieking with terror, Aiden covered his eyes in the hope that it might somehow lessen his suffering.

  An instant later, he heard a dull thud as the boy was tackled by some mysterious savior. Opening his eyes again, Aiden was amazed to find Darrick locked in a violent struggle with the strange boy just a few feet away, and though Darrick appeared to have the upper hand at first, the boy savagely knocked Darrick onto his back with a strike from his fist. Then Darrick regained control once again, but as soon as it appeared that he might succeed, the boy threw another punch directly into Darrick’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to collapse onto his side.

  “Darrick!” Aiden shouted, leaping to his feet only to be kicked backward into a tree. Disoriented and afraid, he grasped about the forest floor for anything he could use as a weapon. Only then did his fingers find Darrick’s Ildarwood staff, which sent a sudden jolt of pain up his arm. Pushing through the sting, Aiden grabbed ahold of the weapon and struggled up to his feet.

  Then, just as the boy with two faces lifted his blade high into the air, Aiden wound up and smashed the staff against the boy’s back, releasing a burst of energy so blindingly powerful that it blasted Aiden three whole yards away. And then there was darkness.