Shadows of the Woods

Chapter 3

"Goddess!"

There was the thundering of hooves, and a great, scarlet shape thudded into the clearing. I couldn't help but beam at the happiness on Eisha's face; her grey eyes were bright as she galloped toward us. Just in front of us, she bent forward on her tiger legs, her nose almost brushing the dirt floor. Behind her, the faerie sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Apparently he was used to the robust klaae woman's antics.

"Goddess of night." She said in a low voice. "I, your humble servant Eisha, am honoured to stand in your presence."

"Eisha!" I skipped around Apollo to go to her. Now that she was still, not a great red blur, I saw with shock that her gorgeous mane of curly red hair was gone. Someone had shaved her head clean, and the lack of hair was jarring.

She rose to greet me, and I saw that the brightness in her eyes were tears. "Goddess, whatever shall we do?"

"You're not sick?" My hands fluttered awkwardly toward her; Eisha stood way taller than me due to her tiger half. "Are you well?"

"Yes, yes." She nodded. "But not everyone is as fortunate as I. We prayed for weeks, the black sickness kept on taking our people! Even the gods cannot protect us from this."

"Eisha." Apollo cleared his throat. "Eisha, where is Laen? Is he... is he here?"

Eisha turned to look at him. "Yes, he is here."

My shoulders sagged with relief.

"Laen?" The faerie piped in. He looked at us in surprise. "You came for Laen?"

"Yes." I took a step towards him. "Please, if you would let us see him...?"

Eisha whipped her head around to glare at the faerie. He sighed and looked back wearily. "You denied the goddess and her muse entrance to the kren?! But why?"

"Eisha, I've told you a thousand times, we have to follow regulations - "

Her responding growl was definitely tiger-like. "And I have replied a thousand times! You are the strange ones in our home, you decide who enters or does not enter the kren! How dare you act so imputively!"

The faerie just sighed again. He looked between Apollo and I with tired eyes, and I could see his resolve thinning. Apparently he wasn't equipped to stand for long against the barrage that was Eisha.

"Alright, fine." He finally said. When Eisha and I cried out in glee, he narrowed his eyes. "But Eisha, if I get in trouble, you better back me up!"

"Yes, yes." She threw a patronizing smile back at the faerie as she picked me up and dropped me on her back. "I will protect you, young faerie."

He looked heavenward. "Dear lord."

"I will lead the way!" Eisha daintily pawed passed him. Apollo followed her silently, his face barely reigning in his amusement. "Our kren still needs you, dear goddess, even though even the gods cannot stop the evil blackness."

---

The village in the trees was now a ghost town. The wooden structures built in the cradling branches of ancient trees were exactly as I remembered, except they seemed empty, like shells. I looked around as Eisha pranced toward the clearing I remembered from my first trip here. The reds and bronzes and oranges that were the klaae people roaming in the trees were gone. The lack of colour made everything look washed out and drab.

"Where is everyone?" I asked Eisha.

To my surprise, she didn't reply. I looked back at the faerie, who's name Apollo and I learned was Vindaii, and he looked back at me squarely.