Secret Of The Crest (7 page)

   Placing it on Sam’s lap as she spoke.

   ‘Here are some local foods you will probably like to snack on when you get tired. I have made spanakopita(spinach pie) and creatopita(meat pie). I believe it will be a delight after walking through the mountain trails for a few hours. All that fresh air gives birth to hunger, you know. There is a variety of fruit and some nutty snacks and don’t forget to fill your canteens with water before you leave’ the woman reminded.

   ‘We don’t have canteens, we have plastic bottle though’ said Sarah.

   ‘There are plenty of canteens in the cupboard over there for all of you. The cupboard that is behind the door there. Fill them up, they will keep your water cold for hours and they hold much more water than your bottles. Believe me when I say; you will need plenty of it!’

   Gregor walked into the room with a somewhat troubled look on his face. Going over to the group he asked.

   ‘Everybody ready?’

   ‘Yes, of course’ answered Cassandra.

   ‘Okay then, pick up your gear and meet me outside; I will be there in a few minutes’ he said.

   After preparing their canteens they all took the rest of their things and left.  Gregor stalled at the door turned to his grandmother to speak but she beat him to it.

   ‘Gregor, why are you upset?’ she asked.

   ‘I have just been informed that there was a massacre at the point we are going today. A young hunter, only nineteen. He was attacked by two of them. They have done it purposely leaving him to become one of them. We had an agreement. They didn’t keep their word about turning others nor about staying out of our territory. I can not put those young peoples life at risk today by going out there!’ he said troubled.

   ‘Gregori, you are rightfully upset but then again you are the strongest of the line. If they should cross your paths you will be able to protect them. Besides from the four of them, only Cassandra is innocent, only she needs your protection. The rest will not draw them. Keep your eyes on her at all times!’

   ‘Grandmother, Rebecca is also innocent; I was very well drawn to her from the start. I scratched her myself, I couldn’t control it. They are both at risk. How can I protect both of them at the same time?’

   ‘You mustn’t let them separate. Keep them together and at eye’s distance. You will come through, I am sure of it!’ the woman replied.  

   ‘Now go, they are waiting for you!’ Gregor kissed his grandmother’s forehead, took his backpack and left. Upon meeting the others outside he gave them instructions.

   ‘Before we set off, you all must have an understanding of how dangerous it is in these parts. Not only because of wild boar, bears and snakes but also because of animal traps that have been set to catch them, trails that can lead you deeper into parts of the forest you cannot get out of without a compass and a guide and hills that have abrupt steep cliffs that are not noticeable until you are falling off of one. Those are only a few of a hundred or so dangers that we’ll find where we are heading. For these reasons I strongly suggest that we all stay close together and as a group at all times, no wandering off by yourselves. Now, go ahead, I’ll catch up in a bit! If one of us needs to stop we will all stop together. Is that understood?’ he asked seriously.

   ‘Sure!’ said Sam. The girls also answered yes all in one voice.

   ‘We won’t be meeting any monsters out there will we?’ Sarah asked teasingly.

   Gregor’s eyes darkened, his lips tightened and still very serious he answered.

   ‘Yes, or much worse!’

   Every one of them turned to look at him hoping that it was his way of joking. Sam put on a huge smile and spoke again.

   ‘This should be fun. W have a great guide and with a sense of humor too!’

  The rest stopped looking serious, laughed and they began their excursion into the woods.

Chapter Three

   The sounds of the forest were beautiful. The rushing river waters played tunes that the forest birds danced to. All of nature’s elements gave a harmonious symphony in the midst of the mountains. It was not imaginable that on such beautiful land, such terrible massacres had happened in the past and now were happening again.

   Every step of the way Gregor explained exactly where they were, how far from the hostel and of course how they could get back to the hostel on their own should an emergency arise. While he went on, Cassandra turned to Sam and said.

   ‘I don’t think he is going to leave us alone, meaning that he is probably going to join us to all the sites we wanted to see later.’

   ‘Yes, you’re right! Did you notice he is a living, breathing navigation system? What detail indeed!’ Sam replied.

   Along the trail Gregor pointed out to some trees and some bushes that had edible berries and nuts and challenged the group to try some. He also showed them how to distinguish between berries that were poisonous and those that were not.   

   ‘Gregor, how do you know so much about the forest?’ asked Rebecca.

   ‘Let’s not forget that I was born here and raised here.  I played in the forest throughout most of my childhood and I have hunted here since my early teenage years until now. It is home and I know it like the back of my hand’ Gregor replied.  

   ‘Gregor, are you going to tell us the rest of your story?’ asked Cassandra. 

   ‘Yes, why not. We are pretty far from our first point, that is, if everyone else agrees?’

   The group all agreed.

   ‘After the authorities confirmed that my parents had surely disappeared and neither of their bodies had been found after weeks of searching they found the courage to tell my grandmother to be strong because she was chosen by fate to endure a great loss but also to be challenged to raise her grandson who had now know other family but her. She knew what needed to be done and didn’t need outsiders telling her how to go about her business. She hastily got rid of them telling them to go away and leave us alone.

   She was cold as ice, rude and full of fury. Then she showed them to the door and slammed it behind them without a second word. She turned towards me and her eyes were flooded by her tears.

   “
Gregor,
” she said, “
I will never let harm come to you, I will die before I allow harm to come to you. I am your grandmother but today I will become your mother and your father as well!
” She promised and took me in her arms squeezing me tightly. I will never forget that day. I felt her enormous pain over my own. After everything that had happened though my grandmother didn’t want me to live in fear so she tried her best to give me a most normal life given the situation. Every morning she brought me into these woods and said, “
Gregori, you will grow up to love your homeland and even though death lingers all around this forest you shall not be afraid to live, to breath to be a part of the natural scene!
” She taught me every trail I know, showed me every secret cave and every last crevice in this forest. Later in that year after several months had passed, Marina let me go out alone. She warned me not to take the long trail to the river and to take a whistle with me so that if I should stumble upon trouble, I could use it and she would be there in no time.

   My first time out alone wasn’t scary at all; I had no fear what so ever after my grandmother’s talk. Deep in my heart I believed that my parents were somewhere nearby and that they would be found no matter in what state they were. I would go out into the woods more and more and searched for clues believing that one day I would find them.

   One day, about two years after those events, at Martyr Point another family was attacked and found their macabre death. None had survived. I sat on a boulder at that point waiting endlessly for the trout to bite the line. I heard the thrashing of the autumn leaves as if someone was walking through the forest. Turning I saw no one. I tried the line again, sending it out deeper into the river waters and felt peaceful and serene without a fear in mind. Sometimes this made me wonder about myself. Why wasn’t I fearful after all that had happened or of what could happen?

   The thrashing sounded even closer a moment later and again I turned to see but again nothing was there. I scoped the area in detail and that’s when I saw man behind a large maple tree. He was slouched and had a sun burnt face and stared back at me. I noticed he wasn’t alone. There was a woman with him as well. She had long black hair. Having no fear I called out to them. “
Hello, I am Gregor, Gregor Dracopoulos.
” They held each other’s hand and backed away. That’s when a hunter appeared.

   “
Boy,
” he said. “
You shouldn’t be out here alone. There are many wild animals that can rip you to shreds. Come along I’ll escort you home.
” 

   Finishing his sentence I saw the two slouchers come out and attack him. He hadn’t seen them being all interested in my safety. They ripped their long nails through his neck and wrists draining him of his blood. The poor man hadn’t the chance to even put up a fight. Everything happened so fast he hadn’t seen it coming. Finishing off their victim they suddenly looked up at me and I became aware at that very moment that all that time I could have ran to save myself but I had just stood and watched putting myself in great danger. The woman tried to get closer to me but not as if to hurt me but as if she wanted to get a closer look at me. The man pulled her back violently and they quickly disappeared. That was the first time I encountered the ghouls. They were human, alive not dead, they were just like all of us and I felt sorry for them. Sorry because they hadn’t asked to become what they were, it just happened to them and they were condemned to it. Their eyes looked sorrowful. It seemed that they had a heartache of some kind and I realized at that point that I sympathized with them.

   I picked up my line, bucket and the two trout I had caught and headed home. I was a six year old with no fears, capable of providing to survive. I had become an adult prematurely do to the circumstances and again knew not why I was so fearless.  When I arrived home my grandmother was waiting nervously pacing at the door. “
Come Gregori, I was so worried, you are very late!
” she said.

   “
Grandma, I caught two fish today!
” I told her.   

   “
Bravo my boy!
”

   “
I also, saw a man and a woman drink the blood of a hunter.
” I said.

   “
What? Are you alright” Did they come to you?
” she asked.

   “
I am fine grandmother, they were staring at me for a long time but they did not come near me nor did they talk to me. Then they ran into the forest.
” I answered her.

   “
I told you to blow the whistle, why do you have it hanging in your neck of you are not going to use it?
” she asked angrily.

   “
I didn’t blow on the whistle because I was not in any danger and most of all I was not afraid!
I stated. 

   She looked at me strictly at first and then her eyes became calm again.

   “
I know you are not afraid and I don’t want you to be but that doesn’t mean that you must stay in danger’s way. You must promise me that if you should ever come into a similar situation, fearless or not, you will get away as fast as you can and blow that damned whistle! Promise me right now!
” She had raised her voice. She did that once in a blue moon. “
I promise!
” I said.’

   Marina knew that Gregor had come across his parents who had been turned to ghouls. That was the reason their bodies were never found. Had they been other ghouls they would have taken Gregor with them. His parents though wanted him to live his original life and would never attempt to turn him into the freakish monsters they had become.

   ‘After that day, I went nowhere without that whistle’ he said.

   ‘Let’s stop here please’ said Cassandra. ‘I want to take shots at this point first. It’s beautiful here!’