Soundtrack of the chapter: New Life by Thomas Bergersen ( please do play it for Casper feels!)

Media: CASPER ( again, I know. I can't stop my feels :'))

*****

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Hall of Shadows (Part II)

The heavens treated them well. There were no sign of thunderstorms or the incessant wails of horrific winds which Jasper told Cady that always tore through the Shadow towns. Of course, there would be the occasional downpour, but nothing they couldn't handle. It had become a routine for the past few days-dismount and build shelter when it rains, clean, change her bandages, feed and move on.

Cady's eyelids fluttered open. She held them half open as the morning sunlight filtered past them, so that she saw a dense patch of red behind her eyes.

She got up, stretching herself like a cat. It didn't hurt as much as it used too when she did some intense movement. Jasper had forbidden her from doing anything that might rip her stitches apart, and that included helping him gather firewood.

Speaking of Jasper, Cady wondered where he went.

His sleeping bag was empty, the blankets askew. The mouth of his pack yawned open, spilling out some changes of clothes and bandages.

Her heart seized. Where was he?

Panic clouded her. Her head spun from rising too fast, and she might have torn a stitch from her actions.

She didn't dare to call out, there might be enemies in hiding. If Jasper was disarmed...she cringed at the thought of it. Jasper was undeniably powerful, and his Gilded Tarot could decapitate anyone he set his mind upon. The defeat of the great Decanate on their camp earlier was already more than enough proof. In order to take him down, the opponent must be terribly mighty.

The familiar coolness of her Celestial Blade found its way into her hand. She gripped it tight, just like how she was taught before. Threading on the leafy ground with care, Cady ducked behind the trees, one at a time.

Water sloshed down the waterfall nearby, the crashing sound of it drawing nearer as she approached it. A flicker of shadow shifted against the wilds. Cady pressed herself hard against a tree, her blade poised and ready.

Calm down Cady, calm down.

She poked her head from the tree, just enough for her to peek at the river.

Someone was down there in the river, with his naked back facing her. Cady squinted, the morning sun too bright for her eyes to focus on the figure. It looked like a man...with dark wet hair. Her eyes adjusted and she gasped.

Shit!

She leapt back behind the tree as Jasper turned around, his eyebrows knitted together tight.

Dammit, dammit, dammit.

Her face was on fire. She sheathed her blade and crept back to the camp at top speed. The sound of pattering footsteps followed her and she picked up her pace. She dived into the tent and pretended to be looking for bandages.

A few moments later, an amused Jasper lifted the tent flap. Cady tried not to look at his lean abs, visible under his towel slung over his shoulders. His dark hair, unruly and wild, was now plastered all over his face.

"Are you okay, Cady?"

"Uh...yeah," she replied, a little too brightly. "I was just looking for bandages."

He arched an eyebrow. "In the food bag?"

Shit. "This isn't the food bag," she said. "I'm certain this is the medical bag...kinda."

She stopped fumbling and stood up, thrusting the whole bag into his arms. "Whatever, you find it. I'm going to take a walk."

Jasper caught her by the arm. "No, we're very close to the Hall of Shadows. Don't waste time."

Cady grumbled her dissent but still helped Jasper clean up camp and load everything to the mare. She snorted, tussling Cady's hair with her heavy breath, as if disgruntled to be carrying the goods at all times.

She patted the mare on its white snout. "Don't worry girl, we'll finish our mission and be on our way home in no time."

"Hey, you coming or what?" Jasper yelled. "Stop talking to the horse!"

Cady smiled. "Ignore him, he's nuts."

The mare snorted again. This time, in agreement.

*****

It was quiet in this part of the woods. Cady's eyes roamed the vicinity. Lizards darted in and out of the crepuscular shades, sunlight was rare in this area from the tight-knit leaves of the huge trees.

After some endless chattering about the properties of a fungi (much to Cady's dismay), Jasper fell silent as they crossed a little stone bridge into another patch of woods. The leaves, she observed, held a darker shade of color compared to those growing on the other side of the bank.

"We're here," he whispered.

Cady shuddered. A chill crawled up her back. Whispers seemed to flood out of every plant, every flower. The horse neighed, stopping once or twice, but Jasper urged him forward with a kick in the flank. Even the horse was reluctant to enter the land of the dead, the haunted sarcophagus that held the bodies of thousands of perished innocents, none given proper burial.

They pushed their way through the choking woods, their branches clawed and arched all over, as if trying to protect its dead and its city from any intruders. They have stood and watched a massacre, and they refused to see another.

The last bough parted, and tears burst from her eyes.

Skeletons. Thousands upon thousands of skeletons littered the ground. It piled high on stones and it sprawled over wagons. Skulls had rolled and hit a stand-still, broken and withered bones lay on the ground, festooned with moss and dirt. The charred frames of houses stood in dilapidated rows, ready to tumble down at the slightest human touch. Broken Celestial blades-blades used to hunt Decanates, turned onto a Starlet in the war poked from the ground. Many protruded from the rib cages of the dead. Flags, ruined and dark from splattered blood, flapped lazily in the breeze, signaling the fall of the Walkers.

Cady thought she saw the blackened frame of a Decanate wing, and she almost retched.

The most impressive sight was the Hall of Shadows. Black and burnt, it still stood tall. Its many turrets had crumbled, but its tallest peak, where the flag of the Walkers once streamed, remained proud. Like fingers of the devil, the Hall of Shadows rose in the distance; majestic and deadly.

She felt the warm and reassuring fingers of Jasper on her back, but it didn't make her feel any better.

Her eyes scoured the dead. Her mother and father could be among those skeletons. They were no longer recognizable. They would never hold her in their arms. They would never call her name, and they would never know that their daughter came to see them.

If the world believed that the Oracles were innocent, they were wrong. No Starlet with a heart would commit this... outrageous slaughter.

The remains of a fountain lay near them. She couldn't muster the courage of confirm her doubts with Jasper, but she was confident that was the fountain Jasper spoke of.

She never knew the Hall of Shadows, but the image of her birthplace in ruins was enough to make her weep.

It must be beyond terrible for Jasper; someone who grew up in the Hall of Shadows, someone who knew the people now nothing but dust and bones on the ground.

"Cady." His voice was gentle, soothing. Cady buried her head in his chest and wept.

She wept for the family she never knew. Her tears fell onto the ground, the tribute of the last Walker. She cried for the Consorts and Ascendants, the High Priestess and her people. Her screams were for the mother and daughters, fathers and sons, victims of a mindless massacre committed by an old man who believed in his own blind justice.

Jasper held her as she sobbed. He rested his chin on her head, running a hand over her back, telling her that everything was alright.

When she had no more tears to weep, she turned back and addressed the Hall of Shadows.

The last Walker had come to pay her respects.

She allowed Jasper to guide the horse down the wrecked pathways. The horse avoided the bones, but sometimes, there would be too much for him to walk over. Each loud crunch of the old bones sent a jolt of guilt and pain through Cady.

This wasn't right. The dead shouldn't be left like this.

Jasper guided the reluctant horse toward an old well. He quickly dismounted and helped Cady down.

He looked her in the eyes.

"I know this hurts, but don't let it distract you. We're here to gather Blood Flowers." He pulled out a roll of paper from his pocket. "Here, this is what a Blood Flower look like. Red petals, bright yellow core, like a dew drop."

She nodded, taking a good look at the hand-painted flower.

"You drew this?"

"Copied it." Jasper slung an empty pouch over his shoulders. "It's from one of the library's old herbal books."

Cady started scouring the place for it, trying not to touch any of the cracked skulls. She turned every blade of grass and gently nudged any stray bones aside with a short dagger. Jasper went to the other side of the little town. He too, was careful with the bones of the deceased.

The dead must be watching, she could feel it. Cady felt a prickling sensation down her back, as if many eyes were staring at her with a hungry curiosity. She tried to brush them all, telling them silently that she was here not to disturb them, for she was too a Walker.

But the dead had grown distrustful of the living, Walker or not. The eyes still followed her, even when she slipped into one of the broken houses.

A large piece of the ceiling collapsed when she entered it, missing her head by a hair-breadth. Her hands flew to her mouth, muffling the surprised scream. A cloud of dust rose, choking her.

Wheezing, she made her way to another room. Taking in the details, she made a wild guess that this was once a bedroom. The charred frames of the family still hung from the pegs, but the photos were long gone, consumed by the fire.

The bedroom gave way to the bathroom. Grime and moss spanned the cracked walls, and grubs peeked from the seams. The steady drip, drip from a leaked pipe above penetrated the eerie silence and the indiscernible chants of the dead.

A profusion of red undulated under the maze of pipes. Cady edged closer, her dagger at the ready.

The flowers had a sweet scent to it, reminding her of the scent pouch Van once bought her from China. The petals were heart-shaped where it elongated and split into two at the very tips. The core of the flower was a brilliant yellow, reminding Cady of how the setting sun would reside on a bowl of mountains.

Her head dipped for the parchment reference.

"Jasper!" she shouted. "I found them!"

His faint reply floated back to her. A panting Jasper appeared at the doorway a few minutes later, his fringe plastered to his face.

"Where?"

She pointed at the patch of scarlet flowers. Excited, he barged right into the room and knelt before them. He picked one up with trained fingers and rubbed a petal with his thumb and forefinger. Then, he raised it to his nose and gave it a tentative whiff.

A wide grin broke across his face. "I think you've really nailed it, Cady. These are Blood Flowers, no joke."

Jasper laid a stretch of clean cloth on the dirt and whipped out a small knife. Gathering one flower at a time, he severed them clean by the stalk and arranged them on the fabric.

Cady joined in. Both worked in perfect rhythm, and the bundle was soon full.

"I wonder," Jasper suddenly mused aloud. "If these flowers can cure a poison as lethal as Mandrake, maybe it could be used to heal Eli's sickness."

Her heart soared. "Do you really think so?"

"It's a long shot, but worth a try," he said, winking. "We've got nothing to lose, right?"

She agreed. The flower in her hand seemed to wink at her, telling her that everything would be alright, and Eli would be safe. Cady took their word for it. At such dire times, everything was worth a shot.

They walked toward their horses and secured the bundles containing the precious plants to their saddles. Jasper helped Cady up, using his knee as a prop. She found it far easier to ride now than she first started out, her wounds were healing fast, much to Jasper's joy.

Jasper's horse snorted, too pleased to leave the dead town behind. Cady however, wasn't.

She kept on casting a backwards glance, trying to commit everything to memory-the houses, the decayed infrastructures, and most importantly, the Hall of Shadows. She tried to imagine them in their glorious days, shining under the Esvaniran sun. It must be paradise for the Walkers, when they were free and not hunted like she was.

Freedom often came with a deadly price, she realized. This time, it was the lives of her people.

The Hall of Shadows grew smaller and smaller as they advanced. Eventually, it became a little black speck and disappeared.

Cady sighed. It was time to return to the Hall of Spirits, a place she could never call home.

*****

A/N

Note to self, always bring a mask so you can hide your blush after incidents like that XD

War is a horrible thing, whether it is fictional or real. Cady has finally paid her respects to her ancestors and is heading back to the Hall of Spirits aka enemy territory.

Alright, happy moments are up! We're in for even happier moments in the following chapters! I won't spoil but you'll see. ;)

Tofu,

Stef