Shadows in the Trees: Book 1

Chapter 25

Freya adjusted the straps of the woven pack Vess had handed to her earlier that morning. Though the pack wasn't very heavy, the stiff straps dug into her shoulders with each step.

"Stop here," Vess ordered. Their little convoy had left the village at first light, and they hadn't been walking for long. The sun was only just starting to bleed through the green canopy above them, and dew still clung to the underbrush.

"Where are we going?" Julian asked. Freya had been wondering the same thing but was somewhat afraid to ask.

"You. Jensti girl," Vess said. Freya's breath caught. "Do the Jentsi still cavort with the Fae?"

"The Fae haven't been seen by humans in millennia," Freya answered, wincing as her voice cracked. "We tell stories of them, but no one I know has ever seen one, let alone interacted with one."

"But if any humans knew where the Fae were, it would be Jentsi," Vess said. Freya nodded.

"Aren't there Fae in the White Forest?" Rhiannon asked tentatively.

"Probably," Jubil said. "But wherever they are, they keep themselves well hidden. We haven't been able to find them."

"How hard could it be to find them? The White Forest isn't particularly large, and you've had centuries to explore it," Julian argued. Jubil glared.

"The White Forest is a bit of a labyrinth, as I'm sure you've noticed," Vess replied. "I'm sure they know we are here, and after their betrayal I'm sure they wouldn't want to be found. There are plenty of places for them to hide."

"Then why are we looking for them?" Julian asked. Malik elbowed him in the ribs, and Julian let out an oof.

"The past is the past. They learned their lesson, and they are in hiding, struggling to survive, the same as us. They will be willing to fight, and they will be powerful allies," Vess explained. "Jentsi girl --"

"She is called Freya," Cerridwen said helpfully. She trailed at the back of the group, running her hands through the brush and staring up at the leaves as she walked. Freya guessed she didn't get out of her cave much.

"Fine, Freya," Vess said with a huff. "Can you take us to the Jentsi?"

 Freya stuttered. She had not lived with her people since she was a girl, and she wasn't sure if she could find the meeting place. Even if she did, she wasn't sure she would be welcomed with open arms, or even recognized. Besides, the thought of returning home without her mother twisted her stomach. Malik nudged her gently. She looked up at him, his dark eyes full of sympathy. He nodded encouragingly, and she took a deep breath.

"It's been a long time since I've been there, but I think I can find the meeting place," Freya said. "If no one is there, we can send a signal, and any Jentsi roaming the plains will come quickly. Or if we're lucky, we'll arrive on a holiday, and almost all of the Jentsi from across the continent will be there." Freya knew there was a lunar festival coming up soon, but she had lost all sense of time in the forest. For all she knew, that holiday had come and gone, and the meeting place would be barren when they arrived.

"We head for the plains, then," Vess said. And with that, they were off once again, trekking through the pallid trees. Lost in thought, Freya slid to the back of the group, and Malik fell back with her.

"Will you be alright?" Malik asked, shifting his pack on his broad shoulders. Freya nodded.

"It's just . . . going home," Freya said. "I didn't know when, or if, I would ever go back, and I certainly never imagined I would be going back like this." Malik chuckled and shook his head.

"I can't believe all of this exists," he said, shaking his head. "How did we end up here?"

"It was all your fault," Freya teased. "You and your stupid recycling scheme."

Malik put a hand on his chest. "Me? You were the one who said it was a good idea. Besides, we made a killing doing that." Freya laughed, nodding in agreement. Her laughter trailed off and her face darkened.

"Do you wish we could go back?" Freya asked.

"Back to Elohine?"

"Back to before. Before we were in the White Forest, before we knew all of this."

Malik sighed. "No. Ignorance has only ever held me down, trapped me. Knowledge is pain, but it is freedom, too." He shook his head. "Besides, we can never go back. Wishing won't change anything."

"But if it could," Freya said. "What would you wish for?"

"I would wish that I had been born somewhere else," Malik said. She studied him, but his face had become hard, unreadable. She knew he had been born in Thrael, but she didn't know when, or how, he had left. She could only imagine why; her mother had never taken her there. Malik pointed to the muscular, dark-haired girl ahead of them discreetly. "She's from Thrael."

"How do you know?" Freya whispered. She watched the woman's black braid swing across her pack as she walked. Her skin was bronzed from the sun, and she had the steady, methodical steps of a soldier.

"The way she carries herself. The way she looks at Julian and I," Malik said, a sneer pulling his lips back. 

Freya studied the woman's companion, Princess Rhiannon. She had heard stories of her, and the other royals of Khepri and their exploits. They were gossip around Elohine. In appearance, the princess didn't quite live up to legend. She stood an entire head shorter than Freya, and her hair, though exceptionally long, was an ordinary shade of brown. Her face was round, her features full and broad. Pretty, Freya supposed, but nothing distinctive. She looked like any person walking the streets of Khepri.

 What marked her as a princess to Freya was the way she held herself. She stood straight, as though a string were pulling her up from her head and guiding her sure and graceful steps. She kept her chin high, looking straight ahead. She would have looked aloof, had it not been for the slight smile she wore and the twinkle in her eye. Freya looked to Julian, walking just ahead of the two women. He walked with all the pomp but none of the warmth that the princess exuded.

"Do you trust our companions?" Freya asked.

"I don't trust anyone," Malik said. Noticing her stare, he added, "except you, of course."

Freya sighed and looked ahead. Though everything looked the same to her, Vess was leading them confidently through the forest. It wouldn't be long before they reached the edge of the forest, and then Freya would have to face her biggest fear.

Home.