Feyrith was fairly certain that the only reason he'd gotten any sleep was how tired he'd been after the trip to the jungle. Their enchanted tent had provided them with protection throughout the whole night, which was a very good sign, but even as he lay there in the enclosed space, everyone else sleeping still, he could hear things. The jungle was still very silent, eerily so, but every so often, there was a growl, or the snapping of a twig. They were surrounded by beasts who would love to make a meal out of them.
The only reason why Feyrith wasn't feeling completely hopeless about their quest was simply that now they had two elves capable of magic with them, and both were quite powerful if Enaryl's show of earth magic was any indication. But of course that didn't mean that they would survive, it simply increased their chances of success.
He studied the dark shape of one of the quasir, who were all sleeping huddled next to each other in the opposite corner of the tent, just a few feet away from him, watching one of them kick out with its leg as it slept. Feyrith had been worried about getting enough sustenance for their mounts, but the vegetation growing all around them in the jungle had been enough. The quasir even helped them clear a place for the tent they had been so ravenous. No fern, plant, or insect in reach had been spared as the quasir ate everything in sight before laying down in the same place they were still at. They'd ended up setting up the tent around them.
They were all lying next to each other, but Feyrith was pleasantly surprised at how well they all managed to fit inside, despite the tent's not incredibly large size. It was very large, but just enough to fit them all. Still, it was a good thing the tent wasn't bigger, as it would be very difficult to fit it anywhere in the jungle. As it was, it took them quite a while to find a space to put it, and even then Ralis had had to use magic to push a large broken log out of the way.
Feyrith's eyes drifted over to Ayd, who was laying next to him, as he mumbled something in his sleep and twitched. Feyrith hoped he was okay. What had happened with those flying beasts had been concerning, though understandable. Ayd had simply gotten scared because of his prior experience with those particular beasts. But it was still odd to think about. Ayd hadn't seemed like an elf who would be afraid of anything. Feyrith would never hold it against him, of course—he had been scared too—but it was simply surprising.
"Morning," mumbled Ayd quietly as his eyes cracked open and found Feyrith's, who tried not to duck his head in embarrassment when he realized he'd been staring. "Maybe. I'm not sure how we'll be able to tell time in this place."
"I do not think it matters," Feyrith whispered back as Ayd pulled himself up into a sitting position, Feyrith doing the same. They needed to be very quiet in order not to wake anyone up.
"True." Ayd rubbed his eyes, sighing. There was a tiredness in his features that went beyond simple sleepiness. It made Feyrith worried. But before he could even think of addressing it, Ayd spoke again, looking Feyrith right in the eye. "Look, Fey, I'm sorry I panicked the way I did yesterday. It will not happen again, I promise."
Feyrith frowned, feeling his insides churn. He wasn't sure what he was feeling right now, but he knew he didn't like it very much. He was taken aback by not only the unexpected directness but also the way Ayd was avoiding his eyes. He was clearly feeling guilty, but he'd done very little to warrant it. "It's...okay."
"No, it isn't." Ayd shook his head. "You need me to be useful, and I was very much not that last night. We cannot afford to make mistakes out here. So, I apologize, and I will do better."
Feyrith truly wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't been in a situation like this many times before, and he still hadn't fully grasped how to approach certain emotions. While very fascinating, humans weren't the best in explaining why they did or said certain things, so Feyrith had had to guess a lot.
So instead he decided to subtly change the topic.
"Are you okay?"
Ayd smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, making it look sad rather than happy. "Yeah, it's just...." Ayd took a deep breath. "When I saw those beasts, I...I remembered that horrible night. How nothing we did stopped them from...." He took another breath, shaking his head again. "And I just felt so hopeless. Like we had to run away, or we'd die."
"And you would have been right if it weren't for Enaryl's arrival," Feyrith pointed out, hoping that in some way it would make Ayd feel at least a little better. Because he had been right. They wouldn't have stood a chance without two magic-wielding elves on their side, something Ayd's village hadn't had.
Ayd said nothing for a moment, his eyes drifting to where Enaryl and Ralis slept, laying shoulder to shoulder. "Good thing some elves still seem to care." Then Ayd's eyes immediately snapped to Feyrith's. "Don't tell Ralis I said that."
Feyrith couldn't help but smile a little at that, even if inside he felt saddened by the reminder of how much Ayd and Ralis didn't get along. He hoped they would both put their grudges aside in the jungle at least.
"Makes you wonder, though," Ayd continued, keeping his voice even lower now and leaning in closer to Feyrith so he could hear him better. "Do you think they already had problems with the Council given their relationship? It seems odd that either of them would defy orders and leave. Surely the Council will punish them for it."
Feyrith grimaced. He didn't want to think about what might happen to the two elves if they returned to Aendor. Rebellion was simply not a common thing, and it wasn't talked about, so he could only imagine what kind of punishment would follow.
He wanted to believe that if they were successful here and stopped the threat the beasts posed, the Council would let both Enaryl and Ralis return with little more than a stern lecture on discipline, but after what the Council had done to him, he wasn't so sure anymore. It seemed as though they weren't acting in humanity's best interest, or even rationally in general.
"It is simple," said Ralis, not bothering to whisper, making Feyrith's head snap to her. She was now also sitting up, looking a little annoyed, but not as much as Feyrith had been expecting for the situation. "We will not return to Aendor. Ever."
Ayd smirked. "Won't the Goddess be angry with you?"
Ralis gave him a withering look. "You would know what that is like, I suppose. But no, I don't believe she will disapprove of us helping humans, even if it is against the Council's will."
"It's morning already?" moaned Arbane from where he was still laying, not bothering to move the arm he had over Lanna's chest to let her get up either. Not that she looked like she particularly wanted to. "Why are you arguing again?"
Next to Ralis, Enaryl sighed, standing up and stretching. She said nothing, but she did seem disappointed in both Ralis and Ayd. Feyrith couldn't help but feel surprised at her response, though, as while the petty, hostile comments did make him sad, but he was certainly expecting them.
As everyone woke up, so did the quasir, and though most of them were content to stay stretched out on the ground, Feyrith's quasir got up and took the few steps it needed to get to him before laying down again in front of him, putting its head in Feyrith's lap.
Feyrith blinked, not sure what he was supposed to do for a moment before Ayd laughed and started petting the quasir's head, which the animal responded to by letting out a small squawk and shutting its eyes, clearly content.
So very odd.
"See? I told you to name him Cuddles," Arbane commented, his voice more of a mumble, having sat up and was now rubbing his eyes.
Ayd laughed again, this time much harder. Though Feyrith wasn't sure if he found the name or the concept of naming a quasir funny, he did like hearing it. It seemed as though Ayd was genuinely amused, and Feyrith was pleased by that.
"The squawkers were weirdly calm last night," Arbane pointed out, making Feyrith raise an eyebrow. He hadn't had the time to even notice that the quasir had likely not panicked as much as they should have given the situation, but that didn't mean that he agreed with the assertion that they had been calm.
"I cast a calming spell on them as we entered the jungle," Ralis explained, barely looking at the man as she started to eat a piece of bread she'd retrieved from her satchel. Feyrith supposed that made sense, but he was surprised he hadn't noticed it.
"You could have mentioned that," said Lanna, a displeased frown on her face as her eyes drifted over to Stomper, who was busy preening Aggra's feathers.
"Why? Would you have objected to stopping the quasir from running off the moment we came across a beast?"
Ralis' words hadn't been meant in a hostile way, Feyrith didn't think, but he was sure the humans would see it that way because what she'd said had been far too direct and dismissive. And his fears were confirmed as soon as he saw Lanna's eyes narrow, her brow furrowed as she threw an irritated look Ralis' way. The elf did not react, however, continuing to eat.
"Well, I guess not," Lanna admitted, though she didn't sound at all happy about it. "But I would like to know what happens to Stomper."
"Your attachment to the quasir is unsurprising, but potentially very problematic."
Arbane's hand immediately flew to his wife's shoulder even as she glared at Ralis, fists clenched. Clearly, it was time to change the subject.
"How are we going to know if it is safe to come out?" asked Feyrith, drawing Ralis' attention to him instead, thankfully.
"Unfortunately, I do not have a solution for that problem. We will simply have to hope for the best."
That was not exactly the answer that Feyrith had been hoping for, but he wasn't shocked by it either. He wished they had a better way of doing things, though. For all they knew they could be attacked the moment they stepped outside of the tent. His only comfort was that the beasts were likely not clever enough to realize that the large boulder in their way hid anyone within, so listening for any suspicious sounds nearby should probably be enough.
They all ate a modest breakfast to ready themselves for the dangerous stretch of the trip ahead of them. Feyrith wondered just how far they would be able to get before the jungle became too thick to traverse on their mounts. Though so far the place was more open than he'd been expecting, even though he likely should have been. Large animals lived here, after all, and it was fair to assume that many of them would feed on the vegetation, much like the quasir did. Just because most of the well-documented beasts were predators it didn't mean that other kinds of animals didn't exist here.
Once everyone was ready, it was time to exit the tent and continue on their journey. And Feyrith was once again filled with dread, his palms sweaty and jaw clenched as Ralis dispelled her enchantment, removing the illusion. From the inside, nothing happened, but Feyrith knew very well that now the tent once more looked like a tent rather than a boulder. Which meant they had to move.
The first to leave the safety of their shelter was Ayd with his quasir, walking out with his bow ready in his hand. It was like there was no fear in his body, despite showing Feyrith quite the opposite yesterday.
Taking in a deep breath, Feyrith followed after him, hurrying outside before he gave himself more time to think about it and grow even more anxious. His quasir didn't seem as eager to leave the tent, however, it followed anyway, only letting a short, displeased caw that made Feyrith grimace. It was simply too loud in the all-too-silent jungle.
He climbed onto his mount's back, quickly looking around as everyone else joined him and Ayd outside, and Ralis started to fold the tent with magic. There was nothing anywhere near them, and yet the darkness of the place put Feyrith on edge the same as if they were surrounded by rabid elementals. The dark almost didn't seem natural, as if a black fog was covering the entirety of the jungle, letting them see only a dozen feet in front of them. There should be light coming in through the trees above, but if it was, it was barely letting them travel without crashing into anything.
He almost flinched when he heard a high-pitched buzzing coming from behind him, only to realize it was a long-legged bug of some sort sitting on a tree. At least it was until Aggra bounded off to it and swallowed it whole, running back to Arbane the next second, happy and content. Feyrith was impressed with whatever calming spell Ralis had used because he was sure this was not normal behavior for a quasir in this situation.
"Let us be off," Ralis said, having folded and tied the tent to her quasir's side, just like yesterday. It was a good thing that she used magic to make it stand up because Feyrith couldn't imagine transporting whatever poles they would need to set it up. Even if they decided to fashion some new poles every time they stopped to rest from the branches of the trees all around them, it would be incredibly impractical since danger lurked around every corner and the longer they stayed out in the open in one place the worse.
No one said anything as they once more set off, following after Ralis who apparently knew where to go. Feyrith was completely lost at this point. When looking for a place to set up camp, they had continued heading southwest so as not to lose their sense of direction, but now, after sleeping, Feyrith had no idea where that direction was. He'd even taken care to try to notice specific vines, ferns, anything that would help him remember which way they were supposed to go, but now everything looked the same to him, every tree just like the one next to it.
The jungle was as silent and unnerving as ever, but at least for now, there didn't seem to be any danger around them as they slowly made their way ever deeper into the jungle. Feyrith oh so desperately wanted to go faster, but he knew that was simply his instincts telling him to run away. They were making enough noise as it was, the quasir's claws thudding, making leaves crinkle and branches snap. If they went faster, this would only get worse. And yet the clawing need to get this over with as soon as possible wouldn't leave Feyrith be.
He did his best to ignore all the thoughts swirling in his mind, however, only looking around for any sign of beasts nearby. He'd not seen anything so far, and even though they'd been traveling for only a little while, seeing nothing at all was somehow putting him more on edge than the alternative. He didn't want to see animals move in the corner of his eye, nor did he want to see eyes glowing in the dark, watching them, but this was strange.
Someone?
Feyrith started, almost falling off his quasir. Goddess, whose voice had he just heard? The echoey, somewhat garbled whisper sounded like nothing he'd ever heard before. Or had he even heard it? It had felt more as if it had been in his head.
Had he imagined it? He wanted to ask if anyone else had heard it, but he forced himself to stay calm. He couldn't talk right now. It could alert whatever might be stalking around them. Maybe he was just growing completely paranoid and was imagining things. That was surely it, and there was nothing—
Yes, you, came the voice again, somewhat clearer but just as echoey. It sounded like what Feyrith had imagined ghosts might sound like if they existed. The voice also seemed very pleased for some reason. It made Feyrith's skin crawl.
Who are you? he tried to think, keeping his mind as clear as possible aside from this question. And it seemed to work as the voice replied.
Friend.
Swallowing, Feyrith took another sweeping glance of their surroundings, but there was still nothing and no one. Nothing in his studies had ever mentioned voices like this. But then, no one had gone this deep into the jungle and returned before, so whatever he'd learned on Aendor was likely not going to be enough and almost anything was possible.
Pack of beasts hunting you. Be careful.
Feyrith's stomach tied itself into even more knots as a shiver went down his spine. He didn't want to blindly trust this voice, he didn't even want to listen to it, but it would be foolish not to heed its warnings. The worst thing that could happen would be there not being any beasts and the voice simply making fun of him, which Feyrith would be much happier about than actually having to fight.
He listened even more closely, trying to notice even the tiniest rustle that wasn't made by any of them. But he saw one of the beasts before he heard it. Glowing, red eyes flashed between trees, disappearing the moment Feyrith looked into them.
"Look out!" he cried, pointing in the direction where the animal had just been. Immediately, Ralis summoned a shield, enveloping everyone, but she kept going, increasing her speed, clearly not interested in fighting the beasts. The glow from the shield exposed them like a beacon, but its light also exposed the beasts hunting them. Feyrith found himself pushing his quasir to go faster at the sight of the wicked teeth and claws, ready to tear them apart and devour them.
But even as they made their quasir run faster and faster, the beasts kept up, willing to continue chasing them. At least until Enaryl, who was at the very end of their group, summoned a strong gust of wind at them. Feyrith turned to look just to see the beasts get thrown back, disappearing in the jungle's darkness behind them. None of them attempted to slow down their mounts though, letting them run at top speed for a while longer before finally letting them slow down as Ralis dropped her shield.
"This is way easier with two elves," Arbane said excitedly, making Feyrith look at him over his shoulder. "Uh, I mean magic-using elves. No offense, Fey. Ayd."
While Ayd huffed and shook his head, Feyrith didn't respond because, essentially, he agreed with the human. It was going to be much easier to traverse this place with two magic users. He didn't enjoy the reminder that he wasn't one anymore very much, but that was not Arbane's fault.
"What is this place?" Lanna said, looking around. Feyrith frowned, not sure what she was talking about, but then he saw it as well. Among all the trees, plants, and large mushrooms around them, there were broken-down stone walls—ruins left behind by only the Goddess knew what civilization. Perhaps the same one that had built those ruins in the mountains.
Except these looked even more extensive. Feyrith couldn't see far enough to be properly able to tell, but what little he could see, partially obscured among various vines and ivy, was all around them. It was difficult to tell what these walls might have originally been, but there were many of them. Perhaps this had been a town. But who would build a town in the middle of a jungle?
Unless of course the jungle didn't use to be here. According to elven teachings, the jungle had always existed, and it wasn't something anyone ever truly thought about, so Feyrith had nothing to work with, and yet the idea that whatever people had built these structures had built them in the jungle seemed too far-fetched for him.
"Probably more danger," Ayd replied, looking around through narrowed eyes as they continued on their way, heading deep within the ruin. Feyrith liked that there were more places to hide behind now that they weren't so out in the open, but at the same time, who knew what manner of beast could be hiding among these walls? And they might not even spot them before they pounced at them.
Not unless that voice in his head warned him once again. Feyrith needed to tell the others about that, but he would wait for a more opportune time, likely when they set up camp once more. He needed some time to make sense of what had happened, also, and as confusing and unnerving as that voice had been, Feyrith didn't think it posed any danger, or it wouldn't have warned him, so surely discussing it could wait for the moment.
"These ruins..." Enaryl whispered, almost as if to herself. "I have read about them being found in the jungle. But I never imagined them to be like this."
Feyrith had also read about them, but that said, there had been very little information to speak of. He wondered what books specifically Enaryl had read. Perhaps she'd had access to more restricted tomes given her connection to Ralis.
He still wasn't sure what to think of that, but thankfully they had much better things to do, such as staying alive and saving human lives, so he could avoid the subject as much as he desired.
"We've seen ruins like these before in the jungle, close to Sunwood," Arbane added as they went even deeper inside of them, keeping to a single line, so they could fit between the walls, trees, and anything else that came their way. For once Feyrith was glad the jungle was as eerily silent as it was because he didn't think he'd be able to hear Arbane or Enaryl under normal circumstances, being as far behind him as they were. "But nothing this huge. Just a single wall, maybe two."
"Who would build anything in the jungle?" Lanna apparently had very similar thoughts to Feyrith, but he didn't get a chance to say as much when out of the corner of his eye, he saw something flicker. His head immediately snapping to it, he frowned, not sure what he'd seen because there was nothing there. Only dark trees and ruined bricks.
Taking a deep breath, he turned his attention back to where they were going, trying not to feel too alarmed. Perhaps his still panicked brain from just being chased by dangerous beasts was trying to spot danger around every corner.
Hopefully, the voice would warn him of danger when they came across it again. At least, he liked to think so, even if he didn't trust it at all, not until he understood it, at least. Unexplained magical phenomena were simply something he shouldn't assume was safe without any proof.
"As for who built it, we do not know, but whoever had done it, it must have been thousands of years ago," Ralis said, her quiet voice making Feyrith blink as he focused back on his companions. He must have missed a chunk of the conversation. "There are no records of it anywhere."
No matter how fascinating it was to think about what life here must have been like thousands of years in the past, Feyrith couldn't help but feel disturbed by their lack of knowledge. What could have happened to make a civilization capable of building towns like this disappear so completely that not even the elves had information about it? They didn't even know if they had been built by humans, elves, or someone else entirely. It seemed impossible to him, given how much knowledge the libraries on Aendor contained.
But they couldn't get distracted exploring these ruins in search of answers. The longer they stayed in the jungle the less likely it was that they would survive. They needed to stay focused. And it seemed everyone agreed with that sentiment despite Feyrith saying nothing because once Ralis was done talking, no one else said anything, letting the silence of the jungle envelop them once more.
Feyrith swallowed, tense now that everything was deathly quiet once more, but rationally he knew they were safer silent than when talking. Even though the beasts could pick up on their scent, at least they wouldn't hear them as easily. At least Feyrith prayed to the Goddess that was the case.
He clenched his fists around his quasir's reins, his head snapping to the left as he saw the same flickering from before. But this time, he wasn't alone.
"What was that?" Arbane cried out, his alarmed voice far too loud in the absolute silence of their surroundings, but whatever light they'd seen was gone once more.
"We should keep going. Quickly," Ralis said immediately, and though her words seemed as though it was a suggestion, her tone was hard and resolute. No one argued with her.
Seeing Ralis start to go faster, Feyrith nudged his quasir to keep up with her, bringing it to a run as they zipped and zagged through the ruins, trampling tall ferns in their wake and doing their best to navigate the place.
But no matter how fast they went, the flicker kept reappearing, sometimes behind them or next to them, sometimes right in front of them, and yet it kept disappearing too quickly for Feyrith to properly see it, even when he looked right at it. All he knew was that it was bright, almost blinding in the darkness of the jungle, that it was more than likely dangerous, and that it was possibly limited to these ruins as it hadn't started appearing before they entered them, which meant that they might be able to get away from whatever magic this was as long as they got away.
As the ruins began to grow less compact, the walls making up what used to be buildings more spaced out and therefore much less of a barrier, Feyrith brought his quasir into a gallop, trying to keep up with Ralis who had once again increased her speed, clearly as eager to leave the ruins as he was.
But just as they were about to leave the ruins behind them, light exploded all around Feyrith. He cried out in shock, temporarily blinded by the sheer intensity of it, his quasir cawing in fear. He forced his eyes open as soon as he was able to, blinking rapidly as he tried to get used to all the light surrounding him.
His eyes went wide as he finally opened them properly, only to see fields of nothing but sand all around him, as far as the eye could see. The sun was beaming down on him, and yet he didn't feel any hotter than in the stifling environment of the jungle. But that was impossible. All of this was impossible. What had happened?
"Where are we?" came Ayd's puzzled voice from behind him, prompting Feyrith to crane his neck so he could look at the other elf over his shoulder, dismayed that the rest of their party was nowhere to be seen. The confusion and alarm on Ayd's face mirrored his own.
And Feyrith had no answers to give him.