Chapter 15
A howling noise draws all of our attention deep into the woods as we stand at the edge where the dark trees become almost a solid wall of formidable onyx.
Wraithmere Forest.
Home of the living, trapped souls, and the witch that binds them. Maethrel.
The forest is a place people love to tell scary tales about, but most have never stepped foot in the dark woods.
The trees are so tall and thick, it’s like an eternal night in there.
It’s said that the wraiths the witch created—the old souls still tied to their long decaying bodies—haunt the woods.
Their screeching can be heard from anywhere within. But that’s not all that lurks in there.
When I first heard the tales of Maethrel as a child, it terrified me to my core.
I had nightmares about her for weeks. I pictured a female so pale, she was nearly translucent, and hair matted and black with a bent, distorted posture.
She’d crawl or float toward me in an unnatural, predatory sweep, and I’d usually wake feeling utter terror.
She’s hundreds of years old. But not as old as the curse. I don’t know where she came from or if she has any familial ties to the witch that cast the curse, but she’s the only living one I know of. And the only seer that I know of.
“Well, it was nice knowing you,” Raef says to the both of us. I know he’s joking because he still holds himself with an almost cocky confidence as he rests his hand on the hilt of his sword that’s strapped to his back.
Daegan doesn’t laugh.
Looking at this massive, foreboding forest that stretches farther than my eyes can see on this particularly dark gray day, with Daegan and Raef suddenly taking on tense postures, weapons strapped across their bodies, I feel completely foolish.
What was my plan when I decided to come here alone?
Did I think I’d simply skip into the forest along a carved path, have some tea with the witch as she reveals every answer I seek, and be on my way?
Embarrassment washes through me, then gratitude that Raef and Daegan—who I’m assuming are trained fighters—insisted on following me.
“Which way?” Daegan asks.
I hesitate. “There are no clear directions from here… in the journal I found, it said that you just need to… wander… and if Maethrel decides you’re worthy enough to speak with, she’ll make her presence known… somehow.”
Raef runs his hands down the sides of his face, releasing a groan. “You’re telling me we’re just walking in there blindly, completely at some crazy witch’s mercy?”
“Pretty much…”
Raef looks at me, then back to the forest, then back to me. “You see how dark it gets in there, right? You hear those noises?”
“Yes,” I say. I shift my gaze to Daegan, hoping for… something. Some sort of hope.
He studies me for a moment in silence, his arms crossed. “Is it worth the risk?”
I nod. “Yes.”
Something shifts in his gaze as he studies me a moment longer. Then, finally, he nods. “Okay.”
He turns and walks straight into the forest, not looking back to see if either of us follow. I look at Raef in surprise, but he doesn’t seem to match it. With a sly look on his face, he gestures for me to go, then he takes up the rear. I have to jog to catch up to Daegan.
We walk for a while in silence. The forest has gone completely quiet around us, and it doesn’t feel right to fill it with our chatter.
Daegan’s head slowly shifts back and forth nonstop, and I get the sense that he does things like this often. Goes into dangerous places, faces unknown threats, has possibly even been in real battles. It’s something in the way he carries himself.
Adrian acts tough, but I don’t know if he’s seen a true fight a day in his life.
I reach for a fire orb, but Daegan senses it and looks back at me with a quick shake of his head. Noted. We don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves, I suppose.
That’s just as well, it’s not as dark as it should be because of what’s all around us.
The trees are all onyx in color, but around their bases are many different colored luminescent plants.
Some green, some blue, some deep red. Their glow is mesmerizing, and it offers enough light to see our path ahead.
I can’t rip my eyes away from the beauty of it all.
I look behind me and I can tell Raef is thinking the same.
I guess he can’t take the silence anymore, because he finally pierces it.
“Can I pick a few and bring them home?”
“No,” Daegan and I say at once. He glances back at me with a blank look.
“We know nothing about these plants. They could be highly poisonous,” I scold him in a whisper.
“You haven’t read about them in one of the many dusty books your nose is always in?”
I shoot him a glare. “My nose is not always in books,” I retort in a harsh whisper.
“It is. It’s that or that Greenwood simpleton.”
My mouth hangs open, but I don’t look back at him as I don’t have a response yet. Daegan remains steady ahead of us. I’m not sure he’s really paying attention to any of our bickering.
“You’ve only known me for a fortnight,” I finally whisper harshly once more. “You know nothing.”
“Oh, I know things. Is he truly as dull as he seems? Or is that just around us?”
“Not as dull as Daegan.” My eyes widen as I realize the words I just uttered without even thinking.
Luckily, Daegan continues to lead the way, and Raef chuckles behind me. “You hear that, Day?”
“Yep,” Daegan replies without turning around. My stomach flips.
Great.
“Day?” I ask in a teasing manner.
He finally glances back for a brief moment, looking grumpier than ever. “Don’t start calling me that.”
I look back with my eyebrows raised, meeting Raef’s gaze, and he’s holding in a laugh. He shrugs his shoulders, and we continue forward.
I stare at the back of Daegan’s head as he walks, his hair in waves that touch the middle of his neck, wondering why he’s so grumpy all the time.
Obviously, he hates all elves and still doesn’t trust me, but I thought maybe we were finally starting to crack the surface for some silly reason.
I suppose I was wrong. Or maybe he really is just like this all the time.
I like a challenge, though. I decide to poke at him a little more. Out of bravery or stupidity, I do not know.
“How do you put up with him?” I whisper back to Raef with a grin, knowing Daegan has been listening to all of our hushed whispers. “You’re both so… opposite.”
I thought I’d get another laugh out of Raef, but instead, his expression turns serious as he looks ahead past me. “It’s not always like this. We’ve been best friends since we were little firebreathers. It’s—” He shakes his head in dismay. “He’s not always like this.”
And that’s the end of that topic.
Something he said makes me wonder something though.
Firebreathers?
Is that just a term they use to describe each other, or is it more literal?
I’m about to question him further when a hissing noise pierces the silence. It sounds far too close. We all freeze, not uttering a word. Both males silently unsheathe their swords.
Another hiss comes from the same direction.
It’s closer this time.
My heart races as my eyes travel through the small clearing we’re in. It’s hard to see everything around us. The glowing plants light scattered areas in the distance, but there are patches of complete blackness still.
Another hiss sounds, and then another. Whatever it is, there’s more than one.
The three of us end up with our backs to one another as we scan the area. The only movement is my chest rising up and down.
Another hiss from right behind me, and Raef lets out a shout.
I turn to see him fighting off something dark and small, almost the size of his chest. I don’t have time to focus on it because Daegan also begins to fight something off.
I look at the ground, sensing motion, and several more of the things scurry toward us, hissing so loud it hurts my ears.
They’re giant, fuzzy, spider-plant creatures with giant glowing eyes that look far too intelligent. And vicious.
I freeze. It all happens so fast I don’t know what to do. I see some of them snapping sharp pincers that extend out of their mouths where there should be teeth.
A pained shout from Raef whips me out of it at last, and I shoot a rush of water at him. He’s still trying to fight off the creature that clings to him. It hisses and pounces off Raef backwards. I shoot more water at the ones on the ground in front of him. They hate it. Most of them are retreating.
“Elle!” Daegan shouts, battling his own beast that’s clung on to him.
I spray water at it with as much pressure as I can muster.
I feel a small sense of victory as it jumps away, but it doesn’t last. They haven’t given up.
They’re just angry. I extend my hands and spray them again.
And again. The hissing is a haunting sound I’ll never forget.
I see their glowing, angry eyes through the water.
They stop retreating, all of their eyes shifting to me, and I swear, they look even angrier.
They suddenly scatter so fast, I don’t have time to track them all.
And before I can suck in a breath, they’re surrounding us.
I don’t think. I just keep spraying, now spinning around, not caring if I hit Daegan and Raef. They begin to chop at the ones that get close, their cries ringing out through the clearing before they die.
Then an obvious idea hits me. One I should have already thought of.
I should heat the water that I’m shooting.
My hands begin to glow a very faint blue as I think about the amount of scorching water I want to conjure.
This hasn’t happened too often in all the times I’ve used my magic, but I don’t have time to marvel at it.
The water I project at them is now scalding, and the creatures wail as their fur burns away, then their skin, before they die.
I have to be more careful though. I don’t want to hit Daegan or Raef.
I turn my back to them and do what I can while I hear them grunting and slicing away at more behind me.
I hear one loud growl that I know is from Daegan, and then I feel an intense heat behind me, and the whole clearing is illuminated by a brilliant orange light.
I whip my head around and see Daegan crouched over, panting, all the creatures in front of him burnt in a pile of blackness.
A couple of the bushes and plants are on fire, so I quickly douse them with cold water.
With the shock and confusion, I forget about what’s behind me. Daegan spins and looks over my shoulder, eyes wide, as he pushes me to the side and slices his sword. I feel something graze the back of my hair before I hit the ground, the side of my face hitting the black dirt.
I don’t get up right away because I feel that burning heat at my back again, and I see the orange light illuminate the clearing once more. I remain face down, my hands planted, as I wait out the blaze.
When I sense the worst of it is over and I hear Daegan’s hitched breaths, I push myself up to my feet and look back.
Plants are on fire again. And a tree. Fatigued, I lift my arms and muster as much water as I can.
It’s enough. The last of the flames go out with a sizzle.
Somehow, I know they’re all gone, and relief washes over me as I fall to my knees.
I sit back on my heels as I catch my breath and take in the scene around me.
Daegan does the opposite, rising from his knees to stand at his full intimidating height. His shadow-cloaked face has black soot on it, his hair is dripping with water, and he has a tired look to him, but he remains stoic as he takes in the scene around him, pushing his wet hair back with one hand.
It’s then I hear Raef fall to the ground with a groan.