Esterpine
Koldis followed after Claire and Jeanine. Their chatter was a calm sound at the forefront of his mind. He split his attention between their voices and his surroundings, careful to stay alert. He didn't trust this place. There was something...unwell about it. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Everything around them was teaming with life. Thriving with happiness. Nothing looked amiss. Yet, a current of fear existed beneath it all. As if waiting...for something.
He'd felt it the moment they entered, days ago. It was the same unease he felt months prior, when first venturing here. Only now, it felt worse, like a building pressure, a bubble close to popping. He wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't like it.
"And no one knows where the princess went?" Claire was saying. They were discussing Princess Taylynn, who'd apparently been absent for weeks.
"Not even Feowen," Jeanine said. "I'm told she goes on forays into the forest and sometimes Feowen has to go find her."
"To earn more Sprite marks?"
"Oh..." Jeanine fell quiet. "I'm not sure."
A branch snapped and his shoulders tensed. The others continued like it was nothing. Perhaps it was simply his nature to be wary. The Drengr were not meant to dwell here in the forest. But Talon hadn't mentioned feeling anything like this. And the other pairs said nothing. Then again, none of them had his particular brand of magic. Just as none of them had magic like Cyrus.
Cyrus... Gods, he missed his mentor. It was Cyrus who'd discovered him all those years ago. Seen his potential. Encouraged him to become a Shield. Cyrus was the only one who'd known the strange magic that lurked beneath his skin. And kept his secret too, until they'd decided to tell Talon. Because Cyrus was perhaps the only one who might understand what it meant to be...different.
It was no wonder he'd lost his head when he saw Cyrus laying dead, skin blackened, in the middle of Claire's yard. No wonder that he'd immediately assumed she was the culprit. His own queen! What a fool he'd been. But he'd loved Cyrus deeply. A kind of love words could never describe. Admiration, adoration, brother, friend, all bundled into one feeling. Even the word love didn't do it justice. And now he was simply...gone.
But no, not quite gone. Claire sometimes told him of the little snide comments or pieces of advice Cyrus offered. Especially as of late, since they'd taken this journey to Esterpine. And he cherished every word that was said, every word Claire deigned to share with him.
A ball of pressure swelled in his sternum. He faltered but kept moving, rubbing the place with his thumb, keeping his free hand on his Sverak. He knew what it meant, had gotten better at ignoring it over the years. Though it was hard to do here in the forest.
His ears pricked as the forest went silent. They continued on, making their way down the overgrown path. He strained for noise of any kind. There was nothing, like an absence had formed, like they'd entered a void.
He glanced over his shoulder. Til, Darcie, Verider, and Edith looked ill at ease. So...he wasn't the only one. "Stay alert," he advised them. "Something isn't right."
Ahead, Claire's footsteps faltered. She had heard his voice in her head too, though not intentionally. It was simply a product of her impressive abilities—to overhear all telepathic conversations when she wasn't actively blocking. She glanced back at him, brows creased. "Should we go back?" she asked.
He hesitated. "I'm sure it's nothing. Jeanine doesn't seem bothered. Just...keep your eyes open."
He wasn't sure how deep her connection with the forest ran, or if she could sense what he sensed.
They moved slower, more carefully through the undergrowth. Up ahead, he could see an opening in the trees, perhaps a clearing. An area less oppressive than what they traveled through now. He almost breathed a sigh of relief. Almost.
The pressure in his sternum doubled. Alarm coursed through him. He cursed his nerves. Cursed his magic. The forest wouldn't have bothered him half as much if Claire wasn't his responsibility to protect. Talon would never forgive him if she came to harm. Talon's anger aside, she was his queen. He knew his duty. And it was his honor to serve.
"I think there's a break in the trees up ahead." Jeanine's voice carried back to him.
"Have you ever been this far in?" Claire asked.
"Not...quite. Or at least, not to this clearing."
His hand shot to his ribcage, rubbing the tender place in the middle. The hairs on the back of his arms stood on end. "Claire, I think we should—"
"Oh!" Claire parted the foliage stopped short. "Look! It's just..."
The silent world froze. He threw a panicked look over his shoulder at their pairs and rushed up behind her, looking into the clearing. "I think we should leave," he whispered. "Back away, quietly."
"But it's...it's just a stag. Look."
And it was. The stag had its back to them, head down, antlers low as it grazed. But there was something very, very wrong. As if sensing them, the stag's ears pricked and it picked up its head, swiveling around. Teaming about its antlers, darkness swirled like shadows, where light ought to exist. But it wasn't the stag's antlers that captured his attention. Its dark eyes were surrounded by black veins like poison, and the side of its face was...rotting. He shuddered.
"Oh my gods!" Claire's panicked whisper broke the silence.
"What in the name...?" Jeanine backed away a step.
The stag's depthless eyes darted between them, assessing. Enemy! It said. Threat! It pawed the ground. The pressure in his chest turned painful.
"Claire..." he whispered another warning. He didn't give her time to react. Instead, he grabbed a fistful of fabric on her gown and dragged her back.
The stag lowered its head and charged. Claire yelped, her shock finally shattering. He didn't give her the chance to react. He simply acted on instinct, wrapping his arms around her, hauling her out of it's path. Just in time. Its antlers caught in the underbrush taking out a swath of low-hanging branches. It charged on, thundering away.
Enemy! Destroy! The thoughts were distinct. Panicked.
"Is it...is it gone?" Claire breathed heavily against his chest.
"I...don't think so." He released her, drawing his Sverak. The other two Drengr did the same. Darcie and Edith drew their bows. Jeanine, her kingdom sword. Claire had her Sprite dagger in hand. The seven of them backed into the clearing.
Their breathing filled the silence. Everything fell quiet. Listening. There! A thundering crash. They turned, trying to pinpoint the location of the sound.
"Jump from it's path, if it comes again," he advised, herding everyone into the center of the clearing, to give them the best vantage point. "I'll take care of it."
Another crash. Enemy! It was the only warning before the beast burst from the foliage at their right. Everyone spun towards it and jumped from its charging antlers.
He alone stood in its path and lifted his sword to deal the killing blow. The stag's head was low, ready to slam into him. In a split second, he hefted his Sverak and sprung away.
"Stop!"
His blade never reached its target. A flash of blinding white light lit the clearing. He staggered back from the force of it, unseeing. Another pulse of light lit the world before the dim forest returned. The stag lay heaving on the ground, breathing hard, its head at an odd angle to accommodate its antlers. Still alive.
Relief! She is...relief...
The strange thought pounded through him at the same moment as Claire's gasp. He spun around, eyes wide. A female stood at the edge of the clearing, arms raised, chest heaving. "You cannot kill him," she proclaimed, a wild look on her face. "You cannot."
He wasn't sure what she meant. Either the stag was immortal, or killing it would be a terrible crime. He didn't care. He didn't care that she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, with bone-white hair woven through with with leaves and twigs and flowers. Like a wild thing. Or that the sight of her sent heat pooling in the pit of his stomach.
He stalked forward, devouring the distance between them. He stopped a hand's breath from her. Anger coursing through him, he pinned her with his gaze. "That thing almost killed us," he said, his voice turning to a low snarl. "Don't tell me what I cannot do."
"No." The authority in that single word rippled through him. He took a step back. "It is sick. I will heal it and all will be well." She eyed him a moment longer, taking him in. The appraisal left him overly self-conscious. When she stepped around him and went to the stag, all he could do was watch, his anger sputtering.
She knelt beside it, whispering a few words in her native tongue. The stag tried to move, to lift its rotting head, and failed. As if she held it down by some invisible force. Her words became a quiet hum, but he couldn't understand what she said. From her belt, she removed a dagger and sliced open her forearm, breaking the lines of several luminescent markings.
Claire's gasp drew his gaze. She stood frozen beside Jeanine, eyes wide, watching.
The Sprite female let the blood of her forearm drip onto the stag's rotting jaw. Where her blood landed, the rot sizzled and steamed.
Relief! Blessed relief.
The forest around them held its breath. He couldn't pull his eyes away. Fascination drew him as slowly, the rot subsided, and then disappeared entirely. Even the blackened veins around the stag's eyes began to fade. Next, the dark shadows swirling around its antlers.
Safe. Better! Safe.
The stag's words carried a desperate measure of relief. He blinked, unsure if what he was seeing was real. He continued to blink as the stag got to its feet and nuzzled the female affectionately.
Safe, it said again. His brow furrowed.
"Be at peace, great one," the female whispered. "Go."
The stag bounded away, and everyone stared, open mouthed. It was Jeanine who broke the silence. "Princess Taylynn. You're back."
He huffed. Of course! Of course this was the princess. No one else would have defied him so thoroughly.
"Jeanine. And Lady Claire." Claire only gaped at her. Taylynn turned, fixing Koldis with her gaze. "And you. Pompous and controlling. You must be one of King Talon's Shields."
He sputtered, crossing his arms. "Lord Koldis."
"Right," she said, dismissing him almost as quickly. A flash of extreme annoyance stole over him. He was forced to glare at her back as she turned to Claire. "I apologize that you had to see that. I had hoped to track him and heal him before he got this close to the city."
"What...what was that?" Claire managed.
He didn't miss Taylynn's hesitation. "Just as the world thrives, so too does it flounder. Balance is a precarious thing, Lady Claire. Light and dark. Good and bad."
He withheld a snort. It was the worst answer he'd ever heard in his entire existence. And apparently his was a pompous and controlling existence at that. It was enough to make him roll his eyes at Taylynn's back.
"So that was...evil?" Claire asked. "I didn't think there would be anything like that here." She didn't seem to mind Taylynn's cryptic explanation.
"There should not be. But such is the price." Claire opened her mouth, but Taylynn continued. "It is good to see you again, Lady Claire. Good to see you thriving. I wish we had met here under better circumstances, but there is still much need of me in the forest." Claire frowned. So did he. For they had never met...had they? "I will return to you soon. Until then, be at peace." Taylynn bowed her head and moved away, giving Koldis one final disparaging glance before disappearing into the forest. He gaped at her retreating figure as it disappeared. Was she truly that angry at him for almost killing a thing of evil? Gods! Females...
"Uhm..." Claire stared after her. "Did that just happen?"
It was Jeanine who laughed. "Well, I couldn't be less surprised by any of that. Feowen will want to know. We'd better return so I can tell him."
"I take it she's always like that, then?" Claire asked, still staring at the place where Taylynn had disappeared.
"Gods, you have no idea."
"I still have so many questions, though." Claire tugged at her braided hair.
"Perhaps Feowen can answer some of them," Jeanine offered.
Claire nodded. "Yes, I hope so. Plus, I wanted to ask him if he could show me the way into the treetops."
"Oh, I can show you that."
And just like that, all was well again. Claire and Jeanine continued speaking while their pairs sidled close to him.
"Some greeting that was, hmm?" Til asked.
This time he did snort. "We need to get back to the city. I don't like this one bit. Moreover, I'm not sure how Claire is supposed to make quests into the forest when there are things like that lurking about. I'm liking the idea less and less. We should return to Kastali Dun."
"Perhaps Princess Taylynn can teach her how to handle it," Darcie offered. "She seemed to handle the situation just fine."
"Right! By cutting her forearm open and bleeding all over it. What was that, even? Some kind of Sprite blood magic? Gods!"
Darcie appeared thoughtful as she said, "It was a strange thing indeed. But it worked."
He huffed, annoyed to admit it. Annoyed that the Sprite princess didn't give them answers. Annoyed that she'd blatantly insulted him. Annoyed that she'd disappeared as quickly as she'd appeared. Annoyed that she was so clearly at ease with what had happened, like it was something she did regularly.
But most of all, he was annoyed that he couldn't get the image of her face out of his mind.
Gods damn this place. Gods damn the Spites. And gods damn his stupid ability to hear the thoughts and feelings animals when he was the world's most lethal predator.
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Happy Friday Book Worms!
I've been so excited to share this one with you. This chapter is what I would consider the "inciting incident." Every good story in existence has an inciting incident. It's the moment that truly sets the story in motion--sets the hero on their journey. It's a statement/illustration of the problem, and a clear need for a solution. In this case, the problem is that the forest is sick in some way, and the solution is that it needs to be healed. But how? By Taylynn's blood? Or something else.
And Koldis. I love him so much. He's been a character i've been excited to explore for years! But I have patiently waited. And now I finally get to dig deeper into his life and his secrets. Also, what was up with him and Taylynn? It's like insta-hate. Hah! Is it a Sprite-Drengr thing? Or what? Y'all asked if Koldis was going to have a love interest of some sort. Maybe it's Taylynn??? wink wink. We shall see...
I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Until next week.
-Mel xx