it was nothing, just a hobby. But Silas knew better.
As time went by, Garland began to appear older and gaunt. It was striking to see how much he had aged in only two years. The fear of him growing older and dying was not ever a prominent thought in Silas’ mind. But then Theron and Marcus had visited them and they were forced to travel further west, and Garland had ultimately died. Silas' night was not over. Death was still a possibility for him as well.
He was shaken from his memories when Kaden’s voice told him they needed to hurry. Kaden Osric had not been completely thoughtless. Before their trek through the possibly dangerous Stühoc-ridden terrain they had searched the cave for food and water. They were able to find enough water to quench his thirst, but they found no food. He could feel his body absorbing the energy as the water of the small pool reached his lips. He still felt as though he could sleep for the next week, but the small boost would have to do for now.
He wondered, as he lifted his head above the pool, if all the training he had endured had been leading up to this night. He wondered if it had all been part of ‘the plan’ or ‘The Reckoning’ that Kaden had spoken of. Perhaps it was. It would make sense, although it hadn't really helped much yet. Being good with a sword could help in a handful of situations, but it was never a match for a gun, thus it hadn't been a big help for Garland. Things were falling into place and questions were being answered, but it was all happening so quickly. He hadn’t known whether to believe Garland when he was told about his rescuer, but it was difficult to dispute his existence now. And a Stühoc horde? What was he to think of it? Sure, there had been instances or perhaps references to Stühocs in his childhood, but only in the last two years had it started to become more serious.
The two of them left the mouth of the cave and plodded through the tree-covered darkness. Silas tried to remember the way to the road where they let the truck roll off the mountain. He still had no idea where the truck landed, but it couldn't have been too far. He carried his sword on his back with a sling over his shoulder and Kaden kept an arrow fixed on his bow, ready to pull and release at any moment. He had said there was no evidence of the Stühocs yet, but often times they did not leave a trace of their passing.
“How difficult is it to fight a Stühoc?” Silas asked as they walked through the woods toward the road.
“That depends on how well you can take care of yourself in a fight,” Kaden said a little more than a whisper. “One or two don't take too much effort, if you possess decent combat skills. But they can soon overrun you. That's how they fight. They overwhelm their victims until they are powerless. If you ever come across one then you should run. One is probably a lookout for twenty or more.”
Silas still wasn’t completely convinced about all this talk of Stühocs, but he played along anyway. “Are they spiritual, or physical?”
“They are physical beings,” replied Kaden.
Silas nodded to himself, keeping his eyes wide open on the path ahead of them.
“How much farther?” Kaden asked.
“I'm not sure,” said Silas. “We came through quickly, it was almost dark then and it's dark now. We'd be lucky to be on the right side of the mountain.”
Kaden threw up a hand to hush Silas, seeing movement in the distance. “Get down!” he said.
Silas dropped to the ground; a new fear gripped his insides. He held firm to the sword in his hands, ready to take on any enemy. Kaden was bent to one knee and had his arm cocked and ready.
“What is it?” said Silas.
“Something's moving.”
“What's moving?”
“Shhh.”
Kaden pulled back his arrow and closed an eye. The target was far away and Silas could not see anything from his position on the ground. For several long breaths Kaden kept a steady aim then released. There was nothing but a whistle through the air and a thud as an arrow landed in its victim. A brief, but loud shriek flew through the wind.
Kaden swore under his breath. He had hoped the arrow would silence the victim, but it instead pinpointed