Scattered in rows across the clearing are large and small boulders that almost appear to be headstones as if this were some kind of graveyard. Finally, Zavy speaks up and asks, “What is this place?”
“It looks like a graveyard,” I say, admitting my first impression of the clearing. I walk to the nearest boulder and kneel next to it. Alexander, Zavy, and Cooper follow and kneel next to me. I take my hand and brush away the vines and moss that are suffocating the stone. Martin Core is jaggedly carved into the rock. There’s some kind of symbol sketched under his name, and it takes me a second to recognize it as the symbol for a gifted with an enhanced sense of touch.
“I don’t understand. All of these people died here?” Zavy asks to no one in particular.
“I think there’s something more to who these people are,” Cooper says in a low voice. He stands and moves to the next boulder and brushes away its overgrown vines and says, “Sarah Temp, she had an enhanced sense of hearing.”
“Thomas Shepard, enhanced sense of sight,” Alexander says as he kneels at another rock.
I stand and walk through all the rows of boulders and glance over them. “They all have symbols of gifts on them,” I say and I try to work out the details in my head.
“I thought Libertas was where everyone with gifts went,” Zavy says confused, and then asks, “Are we sure this isn’t Libertas?”
“Are we too late?” I ask. I turn and see the shock set on Cooper and Alexander’s faces.
“This doesn’t make sense, our father planned for us to come in seven years. We aren’t late. We are right on time. This doesn’t add up,” Copper says.
“Then what is this place?” Alexander asks the open-ended question that we can’t find an answer for.
“These markings look older than seven years,” I add and run my hand over one of them. “These look like they’ve been here for decades.”
“I think you’re right,” Alexander adds. I watch as he places his hands on the stone. “I’ll try to use my gift to pull some information,” he starts to say, but suddenly there’s the sound of a branch snapping off to our left where we entered the clearing.
“What was that?” Zavy asks in a low voice and takes my hand in hers.
“Who’s there?” Cooper yells and him and Alexander both draw their swords. Suddenly, there’s another snap to our right and then another and another all coming from different directions.
“We’re surrounded,” I say.
“Who’s there?” Cooper yells again, but there’s no response.
We all stand completely still, and the world falls back into silence. Just when I’m about to say that we should go back to the camp a large vine shoots out of the woods and twists itself around Alexander’s wrist.
“Alexander!” I yell and run to him, but before I can get to him a large green vine has wrapped itself around my waist. “Cooper! Help!” I shriek and watch as he runs toward me with his sword, but it’s no use. Another green vine comes in and twists itself around Cooper’s ankles and pulls him to the ground.
“What’s going on? It’s like they have a mind of their own!” I yell out to the group. Zavy runs over to Cooper and takes his sword from his hands. “Zavy, look out!” I yell at her. She whips around and slices through the vine just as it lurches out to her. She makes awkward stiff swings with the sword, showing she’s clearly more comfortable with her old bow and arrow. I try to wiggle free from the vine that has wrapped itself tightly around my waist, but the more I fight it the tighter it squeezes.
Zavy starts running to me with the sword to cut me free, but as she raises the sword I watch another vine lurch out and twist itself around her wrists. “Don’t fight it, it just holds on tighter,” I say to them, but instinct has taken over and everyone is twisting and trying to pull their way free. The vines start to drag all of us in separate directions into the woods.
“What are we supposed to do!” I hear Zavy yell, and before I can answer, a figure jumps into the circle. Her long golden hair peeks through the hood of her cloak. She pulls a long sword out from her cloak and starts slicing into any vine that launches out to her.
The vines around my waist begin to weaken their grip and eventually drop me to the ground. I gasp for air and try to fill my crushed lungs. Once I’ve gotten enough air into my lungs I race across the clearing, pull out my own sword, and back up the mysterious woman.
We slice our swords through every green image that falls into our path. I start to lose a grip on my mind and become completely engulfed in the battle. Vine after vine drops limply to the ground. My blood pulses through my body and my movements come in flashes. I never fully think of what to do, I just do it. At every flash of the green vines, my sword meets them instantly. Finally, the mystery woman says, “I think they’ve stopped.” I drop my arm with the sword to my side and take in deep breaths to slow my heart rate.
“Alexander,” I say and run to him as he is dropped from the vine’s grasp. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he says and rubs his wrists. “Where’d you learn to fight like that?” he asks me.
“I don’t know. I’ve never even used this thing before without also using my gift,” I say, looking down to the sword and
