Girl of Iron and Magic

3.

3.
Boom, boom, boom.

Fintan chirps became something more like cries.

The bombs began raining all around her, the deafening bangs of exploding airships making her ears ring.

The tree writhed beneath her, like a person cringing at a sharp sound.

More and more airships were coming, dropping their deadly loads onto the unnatural forest, as the elves below, visible only by the red light of their eyes, slashed airship after airship. What was she to do? She had an equal chance to get slashed or blown up if she stayed put or if she ran.

The tree shuddered strongly with every bomb, and she decided to climb lower lest the glow from her own eyes give her away to the human bombers. She'd never climbed a tree before. There weren't many trees in the parts of Raidox she was allowed to visit. Climbing trees, however, wasn't very different from climbing towers and besides, wasn't the elven half of her meant for this?

Lotte never had trouble seeing in the darkness with the light emitted from her own eyes. She looked around herself. For a moment, despite the earsplitting explosions near and far, she froze in awe. She had seen photos of Solles trees. Tall as towers, and strong, with thick boughs forking out all along their trunks, creating a type of ladder. The trees stood tall and proud as far as her eyes could see in every direction.

And they were moving.

The shudders and vibrations she felt, it wasn't just the bombs rocking the earth, it was the tree. Certainly, the tree she was on was moving slower than the others—they whisked past at an alarming speed—but when she looked down she could see a trench forming in the earth behind her tree. The forest, with its war, was retreating.
She began to climb lower, closer and closer to the ground. Soon, Lotte and her tree were on the outskirts of the forest and a marvellously ruined plane stretched out before her eyes. She could feel the tree squirm again, as if trying to shake her off.

The second she reached the lowest branch and jumped to the soft, crumbly earth, the tree chased its forest in a mad dash.

And so, the war moved on, leaving Lotte behind. She could still hear the beat of explosions echoing in the distance, and wind whistled in her ears, but the sky above her was so clear she could see stars glinting sharply.

Despite smoke rising from where the bombs had hit, the forest left the air smelling sweet and clean.

Her legs buckled underneath her and she fell to the ground. Her chest almost bursting with emotion, body screaming in exhaustion.

Fintan fluted questioningly.

"Just... just a minute," Lotte said. "Just give me a minute."

She couldn't stay here. Wouldn't the humans come with their tanks to see if the forest had left any elves behind? She had to keep moving, had to find somewhere better to hide. But she... she was so overwhelmed, so tired. Her mind was muddled, her body ached.
Fintan poked her with his beak.

"I know, I know..."

He poked her hand, and then her pack. What did he want from her pack? There was a little bit of money in it as well as her most precious inks and a few select brushes and pens, pieces of wood, leather, cloth, paper and parchment. She had not packed food because, obviously, she hadn't packed. It was her regular city pack, which she took when she worked on her street corner, selling enchantments to humans.

An enchantment! Of course. While the flying enchantment was partially to blame for her current fatigue, she could give herself more energy—or perhaps the illusion of energy—with an enchantment.