19. Chapter Nineteen #2
“Green, and for summer, because I know you will wonder that next, I turn them a shade between blue and green.” He takes my hand and leads me over to a path.
“Let’s get started. I think we’ll work on a different creature every day until we run out of all the ones in the book.
” He shows me the chart of known mountain beasts.
“Do you have any experience with any of these?”
“Yetis, kelpies, sprites, and drakes are all creatures I’ve dealt with on my journey to the villages. I know what potions I need to make to peacefully subdue them. Some I’ve heard about, but there are several I never have.” I point out any I have no idea how to defeat.
“We’ll start with the dwarf dryads. They like trees that have their trunks almost entirely covered, like pines and spruces.
The name is deceptive as they aren't actual dryads and only pretend to be. They use trees as their armor and will blend in with the forest and eventually weed themselves into the bark to take control of their wooden suit. Watch for any strange movements from the branches.”
Zyon stays at the bottom of the mountain as I make my way up. I move my eyes from side to side on the path, looking for any unnatural forest movements. The higher I go, the more extensive the view becomes, and I enjoy the endless green hills and lakes.
Bark scratches my arms as tree branches hook under my arms and squeeze.
I try to wiggle free, but I can’t make any progress with my legs lifted off the ground.
The branches squeeze harder, pulling me backward until the upper half of my body is pushed toward my lower half, like I’m paper being folded.
Smaller branches hold my wrists in place, and I scream as they tug. My muscles are stretched beyond limit, and it feels like my limbs will be ripped from my body. I fall to the ground, and the creature disappears.
Zyon kneels in front of me. “You died on the first test.”
“Sorry. Trees don’t normally want to give me lethal hugs.”
“You weren’t paying attention. This hike is not the time to enjoy the view. We can take many scenic hikes if you survive this.” He helps me off the ground and waves his hand in front of us.
A moderately sized oak tree appears, but it quickly splits down the middle to reveal a scrunched-up tree face with clenched eyes and a bulbous nose.
Its mouth gapes, and it barrels forward on pointed root limbs that encircle the outer rim of the trunk.
Its branches twist and lower until they are flying all around like ropes rippling through the air.
I jump back to get out of its trajectory, but Zyon stands firm with his dagger pointed toward the charging tree.
He jabs his blade up into the gaping mouth and yanks it out.
Yellow sap pours out, and the branches drop to grab the king.
He dodges and drives the dagger into a hole in the tree's side. The botanical monster collapses.
Zyon wipes his weapon on the leaves and sheathes it. “Their mouths stay open. You stab upward until you feel resistance, then push harder and twist. It reaches their brain. It might be slightly delayed, so be on alert and willing to try a second time.”
“Okay, got it.”
He sets up several for me and has to shut down the fight on my first two attempts when I’m almost devoured. “You need some more distance between you and it as you kill. Try this.”
He hands me a large sword that I expect it to be heavy and hinder my ability to move quickly. It’s light in my hand and makes for effortless movement.
Zyon sighs and wraps his arms around me to demonstrate how to better use it. He adjusts my arms and hands. “Apparently you need sword lessons. It’s something you should have had with your training.”
“I've used a different kind before and killed Gulzar's father with it. That was borrowed from a friend, so it's not something I usually use. Swords are normally heavy and expensive.”
“Is your life not worth the expense?” He positions my elbow and helps me swipe.
“It doesn’t matter how valuable my life is when I don’t have the coin for lessons or the weapon itself. I have to make do with the weapons the guild and my employers allow me to have.”
“They paid you poorly."
“It was enough to get by, and I enjoyed the work.”
He sniffs my hair and lingers there before releasing me. “Now you try alone.”
I get the hang of the movements, but forget my feet, tripping forward and almost impaling myself. Zyon scowls and shakes his head, and we work on footwork next.
“This is going to take some work to get you ready. Are you trying to be difficult to spend more time with me?”
I laugh and laugh. “I was trying to learn so I could go on with my day. You’re not the greatest teacher.”
He raises an eyebrow and grabs the sword from me. “Watch carefully.”
A monster appears in front of him, but instead of going for the mouth, he flips up onto the creature’s back, all while keeping his sword at the right angle not to disembowel himself. He drives it into the back of the tree creature, and it falls flat on its face.
“That is another way to kill them.” He stabs and twists a second time.
“I can barely use the sword without tripping, and you think me flipping through the air with the sword in hand is a good idea?”
“It seems the curse will be repeating next generation.”
I scowl and give him a playful shove, which causes him to burst into laughter.
Zyon spends the next several days teaching me how to use the sword.
All we work on is technique, and after about a week, he decides I can finally return to the cave to take on the tree monsters.
I start up the path, keeping vigilant to anything that moves.
Barely audible creaking clicks behind me, and I spin around.
The branch slams into me, but I keep the sword out the way the king taught me.
Its branches flail like it's caught in violent winds, and I avoid them all as I move closer to it.
My blade slides into its mouth easily, and I push it up with significant resistance.
Yellow sap splashes everywhere, and the creature goes down.
Zyon has me take down four more before letting me relax.
After I shower to remove battle grime, we go to dinner as we have for the last several days, and it ends with us in his bed talking and watching the sky through the dome above.
His hand finds mine under the blanket, and I lean my head onto his shoulder. It’s peace before the storms we’ll have to face soon. I need to focus on getting the cloak and key, but his scent and warmth make it difficult to stray from his bed.