“A effin’ what?!” Jake’s eyes bugged as he misheard an earlier explanation.
“No, ya numpty! It’s called an effingee. People say it’s what harvest witches make when they want t’burn someone up.” Sooner replied to Jake with expressive hands. It was clear to the other three boys that he was excited about his discovery from earlier.
Jake, Avalear, and Pockets all followed along with Sooner outside the city of Gilneas. Daytime waned and the sun hung lower in the sky. Their curfew neared but this was the only time they could sneak away.
“Miss Cleverly’s goin’ to be awfully sore at us for leavin’ like we did. We should go back.” Pockets said softly to the others as he lagged behind.
“Ah, she’s still workin’ on supper. C’mon we’re almost there.” Sooner was quick to dismiss Pockets’ worry as he continued to lead.
The boys crested onto the hill and the canopy of The Blackwald would come into view. As the name eluded to, the wood of the bare, jagged branches looked as though they had been charred by a long forgotten fire. What looked to be dead trees reached toward the heavens in a desperate plea of release. A scar on Gilneas’ land remained from long ago but life still thrived within.
“I saw the effingee at the treeline.” Sooner continued, “Someone built it t’look like a tall guy with big glowin’ eyes! It was made of a bunch of sticks. We should set it on fire!”
Avalear’s lips tightened into a purse. He was already doubting that Sooner was telling the truth and he knew better than to meddle with harvest witches. But curiosity was getting the better of him.
Sooner stopped in his tracks and peered down into The Blackwald. The forest silently groaned in a gentle wind and rattled with branches striking together.
“You go first Pockets.” Sooner declared.
Pockets froze and quickly shook his head. It was easy for the older Sooner and Jake to pressure him.
“Leave him alone, Sooner.” Avalear piped up before Sooner could insist.
“You go down there then, Avalear!”
“I ain’t goin’ down there neither!”
“Pfft, you’re both scared babies. C’mon Jake.”
The air felt still even from a distance. It was unnerving peering down into the wilted brush of The Blackwald. Matron Cleverly warned the boys to never go into the forest out of fear of what kinds of beasts lived within.
Avalear and Pockets watched as Jake and Sooner hiked down a neglected path while the sun set further down the horizon. Night approached and the two boys were soon lost from sight while entering The Blackwald.
The silence was deafening. That was until Avalear and Pockets heard The Blackwald declare itself with a loud crack of wood that they could hear from the top of the hill. The noise echoed through the valley and it was soon followed by the screaming of Sooner and Jake.
A cold chill ran through Avalear’s body and adrenaline began to course through his veins. He didn’t even realize that Pockets was clinging to him. The screaming got louder and soon enough, Sooner and Jake would come into view.
“Run, Pockets!”
Avalear ushered Pockets back the way they came and soon enough the four boys were in a full on sprint back into the city. Never looking back.
“There’s word goin’ around the harbor that the Sister of the Shores is back.”
A young Avalear tucked himself under the covers with a dubious look. He was already doubting his father, Alder’s, story but he wouldn’t ask to put an end to any new tales his dad brought back from Keel Harbor.
“Sister of the Shores?” Avalear repeated with a curios brow.
Alder nodded, “Aye, that’s right.” He paused to point out toward the full moon just past the window.
It felt like a rare occasion for the sky above Gilneas to not be filled with grey clouds. The infrequency of the sight made for good ghost stories.
“Whenever the harvest moon is out, the Sister of the Shores appears and wanders the beaches of the Headlands. Even travelers from Pyrewood Village have said that they’ve seen her pacing the sands that far north.”
“Where does she go when there’s no moon?”
Alder’s eyes widened, “Nobody knows…”
Avalear didn’t look very satisfied with that answer. More questions rattled around in the boy’s head.
“There’s an eerie silence about her.” Alder continued, “Not even the weight of her steps can be heard splashin’ in the waves around her. She carries herself with a poise that rivals the queen herself. A haunting beauty with a veil of spiderwebs. She wears a tattered funeral dress for everyone she drags back down into her grave. I’d say she’s almost as beautiful as your mum.”
A soft snicker brought Avalear and Alder’s attention to the doorway of the loft. Avalear’s mother—Arleigha—lingered in the threshold still halfway donned in her armor after another long night on patrol.
“Don’t mind me.” She motioned for her husband to continue with an amused grin.
“But unlike your mum, any person who has been unfortunate to witness the Sister of the Shore’s beauty has never been seen again. Was she a Duchess lost to the sea on the way to Kul Tiras or a harvest witch cursed to wander Gilneas? Whatever her origins might be there’s one thing for certain. Don’t pull up her veil or you’ll be met with two spiders nested where her eyes should be and she’ll reach out t’grab ya!”
Alder would reach out to tickle at Avalear’s sides for an emphasis of his point. “And drag ya back to her grave!”
The two filled the room with laughter before settling back comfortably for Avalear’s bed time.
Uncle Edrick,
Thanks again for sending me those whetstones on short notice. I passed the rest out to some of the Lamplighters down here in Hallowfall. You came up in some conversation recently and I wanted to drop you a line.
The Taverns here in Khaz Algar aren’t as disorderly as you might like them, but the Earthen make a hell of a honey mead that I think you’d like. I’ll see about bringing you some if I can.
There was something else I wanted to thank you for though. I was thinking about how you would look out for me, Rell, and Oliver. Back when we were all still squires. I know it wasn't easy for you. You were filling boots that Wernher seemed to vacate.
Thank you. Thank you for stepping up and showing me Light could still be lenient and forgiving. I knew you could see Wernher too. You were always there for us when you needed us. Even for your brother-in-law. Tempering harsh lessons he'd want to vocalize.
I'll send you another letter for the next time I'll be in Stormwind.
Sincerely,
Avalear
“I’m hearin’ it again.” Avalear paused dead in his tracks as he listened.
The other knights of Avalear’s unit paused and listened as well. Something was there. A soft melodic hum barely noticeable under the howling winds of Icecrown. But it was only Avalear that could hear it. The group peered around and focused on their senses.
Avalear was met with an apologetic look or just confusion from his fellow knights.
“We need to press onward before the squall gets worse. I don’t want us to be caught in a blizzard.” The Captain broke the silence.
The Argent Crusaders began to move again but they didn’t discount Avalear’s concern. The squad had been sent to investigate disappearances, after all, and they would have to go off of any lead that they could.
When Avalear’s attention had been turned back to the Captain, the hum subsided and only the gusts were heard once more.
Plated footfalls sunk into the snow with heavy thuds as the knights marched onward. The flurry of snowfall worsened and soon enough all that they could see was a blanket of white before them.
“We’re losing our eyes here, let's regroup. Sound off! Morstead? ᴹᵒʳˢᵗᵉᵃᵈᵎ”
The Captain's voice began to be drowned out but not by the wind. It was the humming again. The smooth, melodic humming began to echo in Avalear’s head and his peripheral vision began to blur. His feet carried him forward despite his best efforts to explain why.
Avalear was a witness to his movements forward but he couldn’t stop himself. The closer he moved toward the source of the singing, the more drunk he felt.
A passage through the cliffs of Icecrown blocked the flurry enough for Avalear to recognize a form perched atop dark stone. A form cloaked in bright plumage that stuck out around the surroundings.
The source of the enchanted singing.
There was much more than The Scourge in the wilds of Icecrown.
The Scourge.
Avalear's body stopped once more to the creature's surprise. He remembered why he was here. He had so much more to fight for. No, his journey doesn't end here.
Defiantly, Avalear drew his blade from his back while his senses slowly returned.
There were still untamed wilds in the Frozen North and this was a good reminder.
A horrid screech cut through the air and the blade of Avalear's sword ignited with a dazzling holy light.
He journey doesn't end here.
@daily-writing-challenge
It's been a while since we've spoken. I'm sorry that I haven't written to you sooner. I hope you and the others of the Order are doing well.
I was thinking about how you would come find me at the stables to tell me that the governess was gone. I still think you're the only one who knew where my hiding spot was.
Oh, I met a donkey recently too. His name was Angry Jeff if I'm remembering that right. He reminded me of the one you guys had when we were growing up. A dear friend of mine helped me get his autograph. Sort of. It was Angry Jeff's rider's autograph. The rider drew an angry face for him.
I wrote Uncle Edrick telling him that I'd like to visit him the next time I was in Stormwind. If you're feeling up to it, I'd like to come see you too. I know you're keeping an eye on Rell, but remember what I told you, there's a bigger world out there than what the Dawblossom's have to offer. You don't have to stay if you don't want to.
I still remember the lessons that you taught me. Maybe not the lessons you actively passed on to me. Lessons that I had learned from being in your shadow. I still remember how discordant your light was. Even back then I could sense that anger in you and how that reflected in your spells. I could see how you refused to mourn and how that twisted your very being. Vengeance fueled you.
Do you still let yourself take such dangerous risks in hopes of reuniting with Amelia?
I was too young to really understand you, I think. Reflecting on everything now, I know that your anger and rage was born from pain and sorrow but that doesn't excuse what you did to Oliver, Rell, and me.
I don't know if I can truly say that I forgive you but I hope you've found peace.
Avalear
I still see you both when I look at myself in the mirror. For a while, it was too painful to even do that. It hurt to think that I’d forget what you looked like or what you sounded like. But those fears have been put to bed.
I still carry you guys with me. Beyond just the family resemblance. I still have the lessons you taught me when I was growing up. The stories that you would tell me. The memories we made together.
Mom, I remember how dad would tease you about me taking up work at Keel Harbor. Just like him. But you both wanted more for me. And dad, I remember those big hugs you’d give when I was feeling down.
I’m a knight now. Like mom. Maybe not exactly the same. A paladin like some of the stories we’d hear from the Second War. I know you’d both be proud of me. No matter what I’d be doing now. I miss you two but I know you’re both with me in more ways than one.
Love always,
Avalear
I didn’t know what to expect when Captain Trueflame had asked me to join in on her mission but I was glad to have the chance at seeing you again. And I did. I saw you in a different light than when I had met you. My uncle would say; “If you want to get to know someone? Fight with them”. I feel like I learned a lot about you when we delved into the Skittering Breach.
Just in case you need to hear it, I feel like it needs to be said. Or read in this case, right? You showed a great deal of care and selflessness when we were going up against that ascended Nerubian. We were on the same page about helping the others out and when you signaled for me to go it was like we were in harmony. A silent understanding that I feel is a rare thing.
You put your body on the line in an immense show of bravery. I know you were buying us all time to escape. It’s something I would have done too. Without hesitation. It’s really nice to see you up on your feet again, by the way. You showed a resolve that I’ve seen in some of the most veteran knights around me.
And now we’re on this journey together. Another mission for Trueflame and I can honestly understand why she had asked you to help her in the first place. If we encounter anything on the way back to the surface, I want you to know that you can count on me. I have a feeling that we can overcome just about anything together.
Warmly,
Avalear
Noughts & Crosses Champion
A mention for @eluviannaa!
@daily-writing-challenge
