Through the Woods

Jakob shrugged helpfully, and I turned once more to our elven guide. She was standing with her hands on her hips, waiting for my answer. Will crouched next to Jakob, a look of complete anger and outrage on his face. Jakob kept a hand on the other's shoulder to steady him, and the other hand on his sword. I took a deep breath, determined to get to the bottom of this problem, and quickly since our dark cover was already waning.

"How did he cause your suffering?" I asked bluntly.

Safyra raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You truly have no idea who you've befriended, do you? The Human Prince told me that you seek the council of my Queen in search of the silver acorn. You seek the acorn to stop the war, and return to your world. Can you not guess how this creature has caused all our suffering?"

I shook my head. Behind me, I heard Jakob gasp and I could only assume he had grasped the elf's meaning. Safyra laughed at me and shook her head.

"We found Will left for dead in the Huryl desert, imprisoned by his own people," I told her. "The sun had driven him mad."

"He was mad well before his imprisonment," Safyra told me. "A traitor through and through. Betrayed my Queen, betrayed his own. How long before he betrays you?"

I couldn't help but think of Clothis as Safyra spoke, her body lying dead on the ground as Will stood triumphant with the Faerie Queen's necklace. I squeezed my eyes closed to dispel the image and faced the elf again with resolve.

"Explain yourself," I told her, the anger evident in my voice.

"Leila," Jakob said in a warning voice.

Safyra relaxed her stance. "We haven't the time for this nonsense. The Queen will explain what has happened to your ... friend. We will loose the night if we wait any longer. Bring him if you must, but keep him at a distance from me. I don't want to smell his stench."

Will stuck his tongue out at Safyra's back as the elf turned and opened the gate to lead us into the wilderness. I followed her, feeling much better leaving the safety of Oponoe with the sword strapped to my back. Jakob came behind me, and Will came last. On the other side of the wall, Safyra led us at a brisk pace away from Oponoe
and into the darkening shadows of the forest.

We moved in silence, tiptoeing cautiously to avoid detection. Safyra had said her forest was not far, but each moment we were in the open was agonizing. I expected every shadow to leap out at us, transforming itself into an axe-wielding Huryl warrior. The forest spirits were quiet, and I scarcely saw them as we moved.

Time seemed to crawl by, but it was not long before the lights of Oponoe were distant memories and we had only the moonlight and Safyra to guide our steps. I wondered how long it would take for us to reach the Elven Forest, and I found myself thinking back to the map of this strange world I had seen in Damaeon’s study long ago. My recollection was dim, however, and I could only remember a vast forest spread out behind the capital of the Dyrel, with a mountain range to the north.

A moment later it dawned on me that the forest itself was far too quiet. Not only were there no calls of birds or animals amongst the trees, but I found the ever-present spirits had vanished as well. When we stopped briefly to rest, I sat next to Jakob and pointed out my observation to him. Safyra, who remained standing nearby, nodded.

“The spirits do not enter the Elven Forest,” she said, “anymore than the elves visit Faerie.”

“Why is that?” I asked. “I’ve seen plenty of elves in the Spirit Wood.”

Safyra smiled. “And no doubt you also saw the warm welcome the spirits gave the elves there?”

I thought back to the animal spirit who had brought me food when I was lost and alone, and the elven scout who had shot an arrow at her. There had been no love between them, nor between the scout and the great wolf that had rescued me and become my companion for a while. I found myself missing his presence, not for the first time, but more keenly than before now that I was without the protection of the spirits.

“There are three worlds,” Jakob explained. “Faerie, elven, and spirit. None of the three get along with the other two. It’s just how it is.”

I nodded in understanding, more grateful than ever for the sword strapped to my back and Jakob’s company. Safyra motioned for us to continue, and was already walking by the time Jakob and I got to our feet. I glanced around to make sure Will was following and we began to enter the silent, dark, forest.

“We’re not quite at the Elven Forest yet,” Jakob whispered. “But you should be able to see the border soon.”

Safyra stopped abruptly in her tracks and held up a warning hand, her head turning left and right as she surveyed our surroundings. I glanced around as well, unsure of what I was searching for. Jakob had drawn his sword and held it at the ready, all the while staying protectively close to me. Will held the long dagger given to him by Fynn, and was sniffing the air. Only Safyra seemed relaxed, standing tall with her staff held loosely in her hands. I reached up to drawn my own sword, but a warning look and slight shake of the head from Jakob made me pause. We waited, but no attack came from the silent forest.

I found that I missed the comforting presence of the spirits when danger lurked nearby. As much as I found them a burden, I had come to rely on them to be my eyes and ears. Now that we were within a stone’s throw from the elven border, I was unsure whether or not they would come to my aid, and I felt naked without them. I crouched closer to Jakob and shuddered, silently realizing my own mortality for the first time in a long time.

The branches to the right of our group twitched, and I gasped in spite of myself. The leaves moved again, and before we knew it, a group of four Huryl soldiers burst out of the thicket to our left, taking at least me by surprise.

It had been a long time since I had found myself face to face with a Huryl soldier. I still found their horned helmets, tarnished armour, and unyielding axes terrifying. Jakob and Will, however, met their attack straight on, battling their former countrymen with the same ferocity that had frightened me. Safyra was holding her own against two more soldiers, spinning her staff with blinding speed and deadly accuracy.

I backed away from the fight, my hands trembling, until I collided with something cold and hard. Turning, I found myself staring into the unwashed and unshaven face of a fifth Huryl warrior, who must have remained hidden when his companions attacked. He smiled savagely at me, and reached out to take me by the shoulders. I squirmed aside and held up my marked palm, calling for the fire spirits. They didn’t answer, and I didn’t even feel a tingle of power as I stood pointing my hand at my enemy like an idiot. The Huryl seemed startled at first, but his reaction lasted only a moment before he raised his axe to end my life. I found I could not move or look away as the weapon came down towards me.

Suddenly, an arrow materialized in the man’s throat and a surprised expression froze on his face. He dropped his axe and tumbled to the ground, blood gushing from his wound like a morbid fountain. I stayed where I was, my eyes locked on the dead man’s face until it dawned on me that not one of my companions carried a bow. Slowly, I raised my eyes and turned to see Fynn standing not far from me, his great bow in his hands. I managed a smile as my friends finished off their opponents and came to join me.

“Leila! Are you all right?” Jakob asked.

I nodded and raised a hand to point to Fynn, not trusting myself to speak quite yet. Jakob followed my gesture, but his eyes hardened when he realized whom my saviour had been.

Fynn approached our group, but stopped a few paces away. Safyra regarded him a bit oddly, then bowed low to him, much to my surprise. Fynn nodded his head towards her, then turned his brown eyes to Jakob. The former Huryl soldier would not meet his gaze.

“Come on,” Jakob said. “The border isn’t far.”

“But Fynn,” I began.

Jakob took me roughly by the arm and turned me around. “The Woodwalker is no friend our ours, Leila. Remember that.”

“That is true,” Fynn spoke up, his voice sounding distant and tired. I felt my heart break for him. He had changed so much since our first meeting in the woods.

Jakob released my arm and spun around to face Fynn, his sword still in hand and bloody from the recent fight. He took a few steps towards Fynn and swung his weapon, which Fynn avoided with a simple side step.

“Stay away from her,” Jakob cried. “She is no longer your concern. You made that choice when you murdered Clothis.”

The pain of the accusation was evident in Fynn’s eyes, but his face masked the emotion. I thought perhaps I was the only one to see how much of a toll his actions were taking on him.

“I don’t ask you to forgive me for something you don’t understand,” Fynn told Jakob, “but I know my duty. I have far more reason to be concerned for Leila than you do, Huryl.”

“I am no longer Huryl!” Jakob snapped. “You are not welcome, Soulstealer. You have no heart and no honesty. We cannot trust you!”

I gasped and took a step forward, wanting to end this argument between my two friends, but Safyra put a hand on my shoulder to stop me. I glanced up at her, but she kept her eyes straight ahead. I felt Will move to stand on my other side and sit on the ground to watch as if this were all an act.

“You are right again,” Fynn was saying. “I am not trustworthy, and I have no heart, but I will do my duty and you cannot stop me.”

“Enough!” I cried as Fynn drew his sword and prepared to fight Jakob. I stepped free of Safyra’s hand and took my place between the two swordsmen. They lowered their weapons and stared at me. I faced Jakob first.

“You don’t have to forgive him, but he is coming with us. Just stay out of each other’s way and stay civil, for my sake, okay?”

Jakob regarded me with the most profound expression of disbelief and shock that I found tears welling in my eyes to look at him. I thought he must feel very betrayed right now, and I promised myself I would explain things to him later. Instead, I turned to Fynn.

“And you,” I began only to find myself at a loss for words. “You are not forgiven. Just don’t provoke any more fights.”

Fynn nodded. Jakob turned on his heel and marched away. I took a deep breath and hoped I had done the right thing. My companions were all at odds with each other, Safyra and Will, and now Jakob and Fynn. I hoped that their disagreements would be put aside when it mattered, but I now felt even more exposed than I had before.

As Safyra led us away again, I moved to walk next to Fynn. I could see Jakob peering at us over his shoulder from time to time from his place next to Safyra, and Will tagged along behind us, seeming sad and alone. I found myself longing for the earlier days of our adventure, when we were all friends and fought together without anger or mistrust.

“Fynn?” I asked somewhat hesitantly. “Did you mean it, when you said you were not trustworthy?”

The Woodwalker looked a bit startled by the question, but smile at me. In that smile, I saw something of the man I had originally known.

“I believe I told you my story before,” he said with a wink. “How could anyone trust a creature that steals innocent souls?”

“And the part about you having no heart?”

He didn’t answer for a while and I thought perhaps I had offended him. I raised my eyes to his face and found that he held his head low and his eyes were once again full of sadness. I opened my mouth to apologize, but he began to speak before I could utter a sound.

“What does it mean to have a heart?” he wondered aloud. “I am nothing. I have no memories of the past, except those of pain. I am a servant sent on a never ending errand to fulfill the passing fancies of a soulless queen. I have never known contentment, joy, or even sorrow until I met you.”

I felt myself blushing. I had no idea how to reply to his remark, had no idea how he viewed his own life. I wanted to hear more of his life, I wanted to know what his painful memories were, and to comfort him, but I could not frame those sentiments into words. Instead, we both lapsed into silence and continued to walk.

“There,” Safyra said at last.

I could hear Will whimpering behind me as I looked ahead at the border to the Elven Forest. There was nothing that I could see that would separate the trees just ahead from the ones behind us, but both Safyra and Will could obviously sense the boundary. Our elven guide smiled broadly as she stepped forward, when suddenly the trees were filled with Huryl warriors, at least a dozen of them. Jakob pulled me closer to him and held his sword ready as the soldiers advanced.

“Come,” Safyra called. “Once we are past the border, they cannot follow.”

I nodded and both Jakob and I made our way to where she stood. Immediately, I noticed that neither Fynn nor Will moved. I called out to them to hurry.

“I cannot enter the Elven Forest,” Fynn said. “It is forbidden.”

Will just shook his head fiercely, clearly indicating that he would rather die at the hands of the Huryl than enter the realm of the elves. I hesitated, with Jakob still holding my hand and Safyra calling to us from the border.

“Go without us,” Fynn ordered. “Will and I will keep the Huryl from attempting to enter.”

“We can’t just leave you!” I cried. “You’ll be killed.”

“Leila, we must hurry. The elves will not keep the border open for long,” Safyra said.

I looked to Jakob for advice, as I often did. Should we abandon our friends to face the Huryl alone while we went to the Elven Queen’s court, or should we stay and fight together against the odds?