text: Golden Springs, another backwood village that doesn’t make the requirements to be worth a spot on a map, Vania thought as her blue Citroen reached the first sign of civilisation, saying ‘Welcome to Golden Springs’. The GPS had left her in the middle of nowhere about twenty minutes ago, unable to find a signal. The moment Chief Richards stood in front of her desk and announced the news of her temporary assignment to the police force, Vania thought that it was probably one of his usual pranks. Driving blind, Vania was almost certain she got lost in the vast green of the suburbs. All she could see since she made that left turn on the split was a line of tar road slowly fading to a raw, bumpy brown. A huge veil of trees so high, that they could easily reach the clouds, the scenery was outstandingly intimidating. This cocoon of green was welcoming and threatening at the same time. Not quite persuaded that she was going in the right direction, Vania kept going straight. The route seemed endless. A time loop where she passed from the same spot again and again. The icon at the top left corner of the dashboard screen was showing a line crossing out the signal bars of her phone. Perfect. Something appears between the dense plantation. Vania thought she saw something red. As the road was turning to a sharp left, Vania sighed in relief. A red pickup truck was parked further down on the side. A man, wearing a dark pair of trousers and a light blue shirt was standing outside the vehicle. The moment he saw her car he raised his left arm, signaling her. Stopping before the red pickup truck, Vania turns off the engine and discreetly retrieves her gun, putting it behind her waistband before she opens the car’s door and steps outside. Meeting a total stranger in the middle of nowhere was always creeping her out. “Good morning” the man through her a bright welcoming smile, taking a few steps towards her. Vania responded to the greeting with a nod and a reserved smile. “You must be Vania. I’m Rob Carson, chief of Golden Springs police station” the man adds extending his hand to her. “Nice to meet you, sir,” Vania grabs his hand in a firm handshake. Something in the man’s face was saying that he was expecting her to say something more but Vania was not a very talkative person. “Under normal circumstances, we should prepare a proper welcome but I’m afraid time is a luxury we don’t have at the moment.” Chief Carson’s face lost some of its former brightness. The chief turns his right wrist, looking at his watch. “We should head to the station. The rest I’ll tell you once we’re there.” Vania returns to her car and turns on the engine, following the red truck to the police station. Passing the natural wall of high trees, Vania nearly gasped upon the view that lay behind them. The place looked like a small paradise. Picturesque houses were spread on both sides of the main road, with a sea of flowers in all colours and shapes spread, resting in pots hanging from the terraces’ ceilings. Little shops, lodged between the houses, with colourful signs and eye-catching fronts. Blocks of green grass were scattered in various spots - hosting swings and seesaws or little slides - as the car went straight ahead. Vania looked in question when she saw the red truck's brake lights on. But how could she have missed that? A massive fountain structure was thrown right in the middle of the road, forming a large roundabout. The water sound was loud enough not to pay attention to, but just enough to add a calming tone to the whole atmosphere. Chief Carson’s red truck preceded, taking the second exit that came to a dead end outside a small sand-coloured brick building. Vania stopped next to Chief Carson, following him in tow as he entered the building. Inside, the building was as plain as the exterior. A large open space welcomed Vania the moment she stepped into the police station. Four cubicle desks were spread in each corner. By the level of dust the two of them were having, Vania assumed that they’d never been used. Two blurred glass walls formed a smaller room in the open space, where the Chief’s desk must be. The seemingly empty building was filled with light chatting, echoing on the sand brick walls. Vania could see the face of a woman but the other two tall figures were standing with their backs to Vania. “No more bets, please! Your new colleague has arrived!” Chief Carson shouts clapping his hands one time and all whispers cease at once. The three figures stand straight as spears, turning to face their boss. “Everyone, this is Vania Conti. She’ll be with us for a while.” Vania stared as the three of them turned. The two towering men were almost blocking the petite woman from view. She has a bright smile on her face, but something about it tells Vania it must be pretending. Her chin was way too clenched to be genuinely happy. The men, however, don’t care so much to pretend. Taking a better look at the two of them Vania found a clear connection between them. They must be siblings. The one standing on the right had auburn hair lightly tanned skin and emerald green eyes. A warm smile was resting on his full lips. The uniform seemed to have a tough time under all this bulgy muscle. “I’m Eithan Woods” he nods. “Welcome to our team.” The woman next to him had vibrant red hair, fair skin and amber eyes full of suspicion. Her sight followed Vania all the time, smiling whenever they crossed looks. “Natalie, nice to meet you.” she chimed joyfully, waving her hand. Leaving Natalie, Vania’s eyes landed on the tall and lean physique of the man standing on the other side of her. Dark brown eyes, pale skin and a cloudy sky for eyes. The man looked distanced from the other two. A permanent frown on his brows made him look always angry. “Stephen” he nods. “Well,” Chief Carson begins, “as Richards already told you, we need your aid with the recent missing persons’ reports. The frequency of these disappearances has increased exponentially. If this continues, the situation will be out of control sooner than we can handle it.” The group fell silent. An invisible shadow cast above them, losing the joyful aura of some. Nataly’s smile drew back to a thin line. Eithan’s shoulders fell in disappointment. Stephen remained rigid. Vania immediately felt the weight of this assignment crushing her shoulders. That case was terrorising them for more time than they wanted to admit. “All I can say is that I’ll do my best and I hope my contribution is enough to assist you.” Chief Carson turns to Vania and the group, a soft smile on his face. “We all count on that. Richards told me you have the highest rate of solved cases in the records of the force. If there’s anyone who can help Stephen with this, it’s you.” Vania blushed at the chief’s words. She knew her results, but having someone praising her was always something she wasn’t very comfortable with. “Well, let’s get to work then.” Carson addresses the group before he turns and vanishes behind the blurred glass walls. Nataly turns to Eithan. Folding her arm around his thick bicep, she dragged him behind one of the desks. Stephen moved closer to Vania. “Please follow me.” With a stern nod, Vania follows Stephen as he makes his way past the open area, heading to a door that didn’t notice was there before. Bright white lights blinded her as she stepped in. Vania blinked a few times, before she found herself in a room with a large round table in the middle, three chairs and giant floor-to-ceiling boards on each wall with various diagrams, tables and X marks on a map of Golden Springs. Vania looked around nodding in agreement. She had to give it to him, the guy knew his job. A plethora of different photographs of various people was scattered on the walls. “Oh god,” Vania breathed out. Stephen briefly paused upon her comment. “These are the disappearances of the last two weeks.” he points to the wall behind him. At least a dozen people. The night seemed endless. Vania pushed her chair back as far as her arms could stretch. Her temples were banging to a constant beat. The missing persons’ list was far bigger than Chief Carson had initially informed her superior. Stephen was scrutinising her. Every time Vania lifted her head from the piles of files, she was meeting his examining look. “Ok, now that I have a clearer image of the case, what are your thoughts on this?” Vania leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table. Stephen took a moment longer to respond. “At first I thought that the culprit was one, but this seems not to be the case. Twelve disappearances in two weeks are in no way a one-man show.” Vania shook her head slightly, giving him a motion to continue. “It may sound weird, but maybe it’s a family thing?” Stephen’s brows shot up in confusion. “I noticed that the mass disappearances happen every twelve years.” “True” Stephen agreed. “There’s more though.” Reaching forward, he retrieved a green folder from one of the piles of files on the table. “At first, I was watching no resemblance between them all. Then I did some digging. Even though they all have different surnames, changed through court orders. Tracing back to their true ones, they all relate to twelve families, that were particularly prominent in medieval times and all were native-born of Golden Springs. “So, we are talking about a vendetta that goes back to medieval times?” Vania dared to ask, although this idea seemed quite absurd. Stephen remained silent. Looking around, he seemed to be searching for the right words. “I was wondering... what if we have to deal with the supernatural?” “Supernatural?” she laughed. “Do you think that an evil spirit or an immortal creature kidnapped all those people? What I see here so far is a serial killer family that has a huge grudge for those families.” “But they all disappeared in the Willow Forest at the north outskirts. And the reports don’t refer to two sets of footprints.” Although Vania thought she hit a nerve when she mocked his assumptions, Stephen retained his former expression. ** One week already in Golden Springs and Vania was feeling more tired than her routine in the city. She was leaving the small apartment above the bookshop - owned by Carla, the chief’s wife - at dawn and was not going back until past midnight. In the police station, things were pretty stable. She had spent a lot of time to be up to date with the case. Apart from that, the progress was little to none. Stephen had agreed to leave aside his assumptions that the solution to those disappearances was far beyond the sphere of reason but Vania could see that he was burning inside him for this to be true. Vania on the other hand, could not believe for a moment those allegations. Being a fond supporter of logic, there was no way to believe Stephen's nonsense. As for the latter, he was on edge as the days were passing. According to his information, there was one more person to be reported missing. He had informed Eithan and Natalie to keep their eyes and ears open in case something occurred but nothing was happening. Like hunting in a barren field. Until a call, sets everything in motion. Eithan run into the back room, stating that a person is missing. Stephen jolted up from his seat, grabbing his coat. “Let’s go.” he turns to Vania. Natalie was already in contact with the registry, only to validate a few moments later that the person missing had connections with one of the twelve families Stephen had located. Stephen and Vania first went to the person who reported the disappearance, Gina Green, the school teacher. Poor her, she started crying the moment she saw the duet standing by her door. From what Vania deciphered between the sobs, Gina had a day and a half to speak with her mother, which was something impossible for a person who was calling her three times a day. Getting back to the police station, Vania had enough of Stephen’s supernatural assertions. “You need proof? I’m going to the Willow Forest and get them for you.” Stephen spitted before banging the door behind him. The night came and still no sign of Stephen. Vania paced back and forth in the room, looking at the charts, tables and maps. All the trails were leading to the Willow Forest. But that couldn’t mean that the place is the centre of supernatural powers. It could be the killer’s location. Getting into her car, she decided to follow her stubborn colleague’s words and headed to the Willow Forest. A sudden chill brushed through the leaves as the car reached the end of the road leading there. Getting out, Vania retrieved a flashlight she grabbed at the station. Carefully, she let the ray of light scan the entry of the forest. Her hand moved left and right until the sign of a footprint came into view. Getting a closer look, the prints were matching Stephen’s boots. She kept walking deeper into the forest. The willow trees surrounding her were making her skin crawl. Never before she had seen so many willow trees assembled. Everything was very silent. Nothing except her footsteps on the crisp grass were breaking it. “Stephen, I’m warning you. If this is a prank I’m going to kick your ass!” Vania shouted but received nothing in reply. The footprints led her to a giant Willow tree. Vania went around the massive trunk, searching for the direction the prints took, but to no avail. The footprints stopped right there. No sign of another set of footprints. Stephen stopped right there. An unprecedented urge flew into her system. The more she looked at the tree, the more she wanted to go near and touch it. As Vania’s hand touches the tree’s surface, everything vanishes from view, leaving her in the middle of a dark void. Whispers surround her. Voices that speak a language she cannot understand. Until the eerie voice of a woman silences all. “Do you want to save them? After everything they’ve done to us? You have the blood of druids. How can you care for paladins?” “Who are you?” Vania shouts. “What do you want?” “I’m the one who saw the world crushing upon our heads. I’m the last who followed our people to the spirit realm. I’m the one who swore justice. The debt is paid. Let them go.” Vania opened her mouth to protest but a loud vibration threw her off her feet. The darkness started to take form, revealing a different place. The air smells of blood. The sky has turned red, mirroring the monstrosity spread on the barren lands. Once a piece of paradise on Earth, with an admirable variety of flora and fauna. Now the land is sick of drinking the blood of innocent people losing their lives in this massacre. The Druids, caretakers of the Golden Spring of Zetar and gatekeepers of the spirit portal were facing the verge of extinction. Silence floats over the village. Those who managed to escape the first attack, seek refuge in the Forest of the Sacred Willows. The paladins of Vodaan would not be stupid to bring a curse above their heads. Korakia, the great priestess of Zetar was under the giant Willow - at the centre, with a circle of druids around her - chanting protection prayers, calling the gods and deities of nature, sky and earth to protect those who survive and perish the intruders. A flock of crows launches up to the sky. Shortly after, the rhythmic stomp of the paladins resonates in the distance. They cannot hurt them while they’re in the holy forest. Or so they thought. Screams tear up the skies. Metal pierces the flesh. People are crying for help. But those near them have only one goal. To kill. Soon they reach the giant Willow. From the shadows of the trees, the paladins emerge. The moonlight casts demonic shadows on their faces. They no longer plead to the old faith. Korakia fell on her knees before the paladin that stepped into the circle. She placed one hand on the moist soil beneath her and the other on the paladin’s right knee. She begged to spare them when she saw the sanctity of this place violated. “By the order of the King, the druids are accused of blasphemy by using blood magic against the King and the throne. Therefore, you shall immediately be executed.” Eleven paladins step into the moonlight, catching and forcing each druid around Korakia to fall on their knees. The moonlight reflects on the paladins’ blades, set before the druids’ throats. Korakia looks around. There are no more screams in the distance. The rest of the druids sit still. Some have already closed their eyes, accepting the inevitable. The sky, sea and earth, all have abandoned them. The paladin standing before her slaps Korakia hard, making her fall to the cold soil. Before she can move, the paladin falls above her, placing her hands behind her back and immobilising them with his knee, while he retrieves his blade, setting it right above her neck. Korakia screams. “I will take revenge for everyone. A thousand and thirty souls. My soul, my energy, my core. I give everything to destroy you! The blood of those killed will fall upon you and your children! Cursed be all!”