Tales & Treasure Chapter 15

Vatis - The Kokor Forest

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I should not be leading. Vatis stepped carefully over the soft, muddy ground, holding his arms close to his chest to stop them from shaking. He tried to play a new character as he entered the forest, a brave hero like Dabin or Dinardo or even Vidmar, but bravery was something that he could not fake. So, he quit acting and focused on moving. Each breath caught in his throat. Vidmar was right about one thing: the air felt different. It was heavy in Vatis’s lungs and clung to his skin like a misty rain. 

His eyes toiled in the darkness, looking for anything familiar. Vatis stopped briefly to examine a coarse, abnormal plant. He touched one of the emerald leaves; it left a trail of slime on his fingertips. He pushed the leaf away and pressed forward, mud clinging to the heels of his boots. 

Everywhere Vatis looked dark trees grew in twisted patterns as if the branches had to fight the air to taste the sun’s rays. Crimson and violet tulips drank in the sour nutrients between gnarled roots. He heard Vidmar breathing heavily behind him, but nothing else. No crickets chirping, no birds singing, nothing, except the disturbance they caused. The silence sent shivers down his spine. 

Your story better be worth it, he thought as he felt Vidmar’s hand against his waist. Vatis kept walking, one careful step at a time, but stopped when he heard a humming noise like a mother rocking her baby to sleep. What’s that? The tune was vaguely recognizable. “Do you hear humming?” Vatis asked.

“No. I don’t hear anything. Vidmar?” Kamet answered.

“Everyone hears different things in this forest; don’t think about it,” Vidmar whispered. “Just focus.”

How can I focus? I know that tune - is it The Giant and the Lamb? Vatis felt an almost irresistible urge to investigate the noise, but every time he stopped, Vidmar nudged him forward. He tried to remember all the stories he knew about The Kokor Forest. The subject had never interested him: stories of fairies, magic, and legends. They were all tales for childish bards who never outgrew their youthful whimsy. They can’t be true, Vatis thought while trying to ignore the increasingly terrifying humming. Sweat dripped from his forehead. The air smelt like recently fallen rain, reminding him of his childhood on the streets of Barna.

We are the Kokor Forest, Vatis. A voice whispered in his head, not his voice, not one of his characters, but a familiar voice.

“Did you hear that?” Vatis said. His knees quivered, but Vidmar still pushed him forward. 

Vidmar whispered. “Keep moving. Don’t get distracted.”

Vatis, the voice called again. We know who you are - what you are. You are one of us; join your brothers and sisters and rest. Vatis swallowed. His throat dried like he had eaten a spoonful of salt. He bit the insides of his cheeks to stop his teeth from chattering. Suddenly, a dark shape sprinted across their path. 

“Please tell me you saw that,” Vatis begged. The forest seemed to be playing tricks on him. Vatis no longer trusted his usually keen senses. Even his taste was obscured; a queer, sour flavor lingered on his tongue. 

“Yes, keep moving,” Vidmar said, increasing the pressure of his push against Vatis’s back. 

“Can’t you move any faster?” Kamet whispered. “I feel like something is watching me.”

“Something is watching us,” Vidmar said. “I saw it in the trees. It’s been following us. Here.” He handed Vatis a blade.

Vatis examined the gold hilt; the object felt foreign in his sweaty, shaking hands. The voice hissed in his head. Put that away, Vatis. His fingers opened involuntarily, and the knife fell into the mud. He bent down and reached for the dagger. Something slithered between his feet. He jumped back, nearly falling over, but Vidmar caught him, wincing as Vatis crashed into his injured hands. 

“What is it?” Vidmar said, grimacing. 

“I think it was a snake,” Vatis answered, shaking as he bent down again to find the knife. I hope it was a snake.

Kamet snarled. “Let’s get the fuck out of this forest.”

Vatis scrambled to find the dagger. The closer his nose came to the ground, the harsher the smell of mud became. He was blindly searching for the blade. His hands dragged through mud and leaves and twigs until, luckily, they collided with the knife. The hissing voice screeched desperately.

“Did you find it?” Vidmar asked.

“Yes,” Vatis said, standing up. He wiped his hands on his pants, alternating which hand carried the knife. The blade felt better in his left, and he slowly convinced his feet to move. He hadn’t taken more than ten steps when he stopped again.

“What is it now?” Kamet called.  

A figure loomed in front of them, cloaked in shadow. It was no larger than a child with a vaguely human shape. Fairies and monsters and legends, what is that thing? Vatis watched its outline shimmer like a reflection on a pond. He felt a need to call out to it, but he couldn’t force his voice to cooperate. Vidmar slid in front of him, fiddling with a blade in his left hand as he nudged Vatis backward. The shadow remained in their path, observing them. Its head twitched as Vidmar took another step forward. The voice returned, its tone teetering somewhere between anger and hatred. Sheathe your blades. We decide who passes through the Kokor. 

Vatis tapped Vidmar on the shoulder. “Did you hear that?” he whispered. His voice cracked on the last words. 

“No,” Vidmar answered sharply, never taking his eyes off the shadow. 

The dagger felt hot in his hand as he watched the creature shift back and forth along their path. “The voice said to sheathe our blades,” Vatis said, handing Vidmar the dagger.

Vidmar pushed the knife toward Vatis but kept his eyes on the shadow. “What voice?” 

I don’t know what voice. The heat from the blade intensified as the hissing monster’s call tickled the hairs on the back of Vatis’s neck. “The voice, its voice, the forest’s voice, it’s talking to me,” Vatis said, trying to articulate his scrambled thoughts.

“The forest’s voice?” Kamet asked.

“Yes, put your weapons away,” Vatis said, forcing the dagger into Vidmar’s hand. “Now.”

“No chance,” Vidmar replied quickly.

“Vidmar, please, trust me.”

Vidmar looked at Vatis. “Fine. I trust you.” He exhaled and faced the creature again. 

Vatis watched Vidmar slowly store his knives, placing one in a sheath on his hip and the other in a slit in his jacket. The maneuver took much longer than it used to. The treasure hunter grunted each time the blades missed their mark. Before the injury, it seemed like Vidmar could conceal several knives in seconds, but now he could hardly replace two without cutting himself. Vatis heard Kamet’s mace clink into place a few seconds later. 

Good, the voice called. The shadow didn’t move. Now join us, Vatis. You’re tired; you need rest. 

“What now?” Vidmar asked, turning back toward Vatis. 

Vatis rubbed his temples as the voice hissed louder in his head. Leave these thieves to their fate. Come, rest. The voice was right; Vatis was exhausted. When was the last time I slept more than a few hours, he thought as he stepped off the path. 

Who are you?  Vatis asked in his head as he stepped further into the forest. Can you hear me? How do you know who I am? 

Of course, we hear you; we are brothers. The voice screamed as Vatis felt his collar jerk backward.

“What are you doing?” Kamet and Vidmar asked in unison. 

The creature screeched again; its head twitched. Then, a shrill cry escaped, and it darted forward. Vidmar threw Vatis sideways, yelling as he stepped in front of him. The shadow passed through all of them like a cloud, encapsulating Vatis in a blizzard as an icy wind crystallized every joint in his body. The pain forced Vatis to his knees. Kamet groaned. Vidmar hissed through gritted teeth, and Vatis cried. The screeching surrounded them. Even after Vatis covered his ears, the high-pitched wailing wouldn’t stop. 

We are the Kokor. We decide who passes, Vatis. Join us. 

Vidmar was screaming now. Vatis saw his knees shake as he tried to stand. The screams were relentless. Kamet’s roars softened into whimpers. Somehow, Vatis stood. “Stop,” he yelled. 

The unbearable noise ended abruptly, leaving Vatis feeling like he had stuck his head in a ringing bell. He swallowed to break the painful bubbles clogging his ears. After an excruciating pop, Vatis felt like he was underwater; every sound was muffled, though the lack of sound was a welcomed replacement to the screaming and bell-ringing. He shifted his jaw left and right. Vidmar and Kamet slowly rose to their feet. Vidmar inserted his little finger into his ear. Kamet took a more vigorous approach, smacking his ears with the heel of his hand and shaking his head. 

“What was that?” Kamet yelled. 

“What?” Vidmar yelled in return. They both seemed to struggle to adjust to a normal conversational tone. They each tried their preferred method of sensory recovery once more.

“What the fuck was that?” Kamet said, slightly softer than the first time but still louder than his usual tone. 

Vidmar stretched his mouth open. “What?” he said, leaning forward. 

Vatis swallowed again. “I think it was the forest,” he said as normally as he could. Or whatever lives in the forest. What does it want from me?

“Follow me,” Vidmar yelled, either not hearing or ignoring Vatis. He took off, tilting his head and scratching his ears as he moved. 

Vatis tried to keep up as Vidmar jogged through the forest. The treasure hunter’s pace was unsustainable; Kamet pushed Vatis every time he fell back like a carriage driver whipping a stubborn horse. Vatis gasped for air. The thick forest fog burnt his lungs and throat. He felt like they had been running for hours. He could barely hear; he only saw vague outlines of shapes, and his mind raced faster than his feet. Vatis didn’t know if it was his imagination or if the creatures were running beside them. Every time he looked, a dark shape ruffled the foliage alongside the narrow path and hissed in his ear. Join us, Vatis. Before it’s too late. If it weren’t for the mercenary pushing him from behind, Vatis would have collapsed and given in to the forest. I’m so tired. 

We know. Come, rest, Vatis. The forest answered his desperate thoughts. 

The outer edge of the Kokor Forest glowed a translucent jade as more light filtered into Vatis’s line of sight. Vidmar ran faster, extending his lead. He leaped through a narrow opening. Sunlight poured into the forest, creating the most beautiful, golden door Vatis had ever seen. Dust danced in the yellow light, illuminating their path to safety. The voice screamed in his head. No! Vatis felt as though vines were pulling him backward.

“Go, go,” Vidmar said, ushering them through the branches. 

Vatis forced his body forward, ignoring the forest’s pleas, and jumped through the opening. 

Bright sun temporarily blinded him. Golden specks twinkled in the knee-high grass as he blinked furiously to regain his vision. He squinted gently, easing his eyes all the way open. He looked up and sneezed; pain shot through his body, and the stars returned, dancing more voraciously amongst the white flowers in the tall grass. Vidmar and Kamet fought through similar reactions. 

Finally, Vidmar spoke, “Never, again,” he said, breathing hard.

“Fuck,” Kamet said, rubbing his eyes.

Vatis searched for words. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how to feel. The forest talked to him, and he spoke back telepathically. Was that magic, or am I going crazy? Rarely had his travels taken him north of Barna. In fact, he had only been to Yimser once as a boy with his mother, and they had stayed far away from the forest. Yet, he still felt pulled toward the Kokor like the watchtower at Hobb’s farm – he needed answers. Something tugged on his natural curiosity; something or someone knew too much. Why? What does it know?

Vatis tried to remember their trip through the forest, but everything was a blur besides the voice in his head and the shadow creature. The journey seemed to last days, but judging by the sun, Vatis guessed they only spent a few hours in the Kokor. A tap on the shoulder brought him back to the present as Vidmar handed him a waterskin. “Drink,” he said. 

“Thank you,” Vatis said. The water cooled his aching throat. 

“Easy, that’s all I have until we get to Yimser,” Vidmar said, extending his hand.

Water dripped down Vatis’s chin as he swallowed one last gulp. “Sorry.” He handed Vidmar the nearly empty waterskin. Vidmar jostled it, listening to the hollow splashes, and shook his head.

“What was that?” Kamet asked. “We’ve been through twice before and have never encountered anything like that.”

Vidmar looked back at the forest. “I don’t know what that was. Was it talking to you, Vatis? You said you heard voices.”

Vatis nodded. “I don’t know if it was talking to me, but something spoke to me.”

“Why?” Vidmar asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t know if it was some spirit, fairy, or monster trying to lure me to my death or if it was trying to help me, but it could hear my thoughts,” Vatis said as tremors reverberated down his legs. “It could hear my thoughts.”

“How do you know?” Vidmar asked. He and Kamet stepped closer, but Vatis backed away.

I don’t know, but I can’t reveal too much. Simple is better.  “I asked it something, and it replied.”

“What did you ask?”

Vatis struggled to stand. His teeth chattered. He hugged himself to stop the shaking. Vidmar lightly rubbed his back. “It’s alright. We’re out. We’re safe.”

“For now,” Kamet said.

“Shut up,” Vidmar snapped. “We can be in Yimser tonight if we hurry.”

Vatis nodded. He didn’t want to be in Yimser any longer than he had to, but he wanted to put as much distance between himself and the Kokor as possible.

“Give me a moment,” he said. Vatis knelt in the tall grass. The rough fescue itched his exposed ankles. Nearby, a dove cooed. The soothing, familiar music reinvigorated him. He adjusted his boots, straightened his pants, and stretched his neck. He looked back at the forest. In his mind, a faint, distant voice called, Vatis. He forced his feet to move north.