Chapter 32
Darrow
Fall weather had finally reached Jollure Island. Unlike the last time I’d been here, it wasn’t hot and muggy anymore. The temperature was still higher than in Veronna, but only because the warm sea breeze kept it from cooling as quickly.
The one thing that hadn’t changed was the dark, oppressive atmosphere that permeated the land.
Even when the sun was out, it was strangely dim as if a shroud obscured it.
Usually, darkness was a visible, tangible thing that could be easily recognized.
It was apparent by its shape, color, and depth, but not here.
On Jollure, it crept up on unwary visitors and sank its mystical teeth into them.
Even those of us who were completely aware of its existence couldn’t escape the tension and shiver of anxiety it invoked.
It pulled and tugged at the cold, calculated side of me that I tried so hard to suppress.
I hated being here any longer than necessary and had no idea how my cousin tolerated it for weeks and months at a time.
He was a better person than I, so maybe that helped.
Aella, Jax, and Loden moved with me away from the portal ring on the beach.
I was far past due to check in with Bogdan and needed to see if he was safe.
We kept our friendship a secret, so he wouldn’t get in trouble with Karganoth’s king, but we’d been close since we were children.
The trials we’d endured growing up only bonded us more.
It had been a balancing act to hide our relationship, though.
As we stepped into the thick woods, I noticed Aella searching the ground. “What are you doing?”
“Checking for any interesting plants,” she said, pausing now and then to let her hair fall over her face as she squinted at various flora within the thick vegetation.
How was it that even in the dank, oppressive atmosphere of Jollure, my wife could make me forget everything except her? And her favorite hobby, of course.
I gave Aella a wry smile. “You don’t have to rush to fill your garden.”
“No, of course, not. I only want to see if there is anything worth coming back for another time.” She had a defensive tone that amused me. “I’ve seen rare plants here before, so I don’t want to miss anything.”
Jax let out a melodramatic sigh. “We are not carrying any more plants for you today, or this week, for that matter. I, for one, need a break from murderous and vengeful flora.”
“I find her garden choices quite interesting and look forward to seeing what she adds next,” Loden said, giving her an approving look.
I would have worried my friend was taking too much interest in Aella, except that he meant it innocently.
He was completely guileless, so what you saw was real with him.
One thing I’d learned over the decades of our friendship was that he loved learning all sorts of things.
Flora and fauna were among his favorite reading subjects.
About a year after we met, I offered to let Loden see the castle library.
He got lost in there during his first visit.
I could get him to do almost anything in exchange for time browsing the many shelves.
While I valued his friendship, I wasn’t above using it to my advantage.
It was something both my parents had taught me.
Halfway to Bogdan’s home, Aella squeaked as she caught sight of something on the ground. “Everyone, stop moving!”
Her tone was urgent. We froze, confused since we couldn’t see any danger.
I leaned closer and tried to spot what had attracted her attention.
Could it be a plant that would kill us if we touched it?
We trusted her when it came to such matters, so if my wife said to stop, we didn’t dare question her.
She stared at something with a stem and five white leaves in a circle.
I couldn’t imagine what had her so worked up about such a small, tender plant.
“What is that?” I asked. Did it spray poison into the air or morph into a dangerous creature? This was Jollure, and who knew what the dark, oppressive island could produce. I’d never noticed this plant before.
My wife beamed at me as if she’d found a chest full of gold coins. “It’s Wormrut, and where there’s one, there are usually many.” She ran her gaze around us and began pointing at others. “See that’s five, six, seven…eight! There’s probably more than that if we keep looking.”
“What is so special about them?” Loden asked, frowning. Apparently, it was a species he hadn’t studied.
Aella tucked a strand of her blond hair behind her ear.
“Well, they attract bogger worms, which are highly nutritious for carnivorous plants and keep them happy, so they’re less likely to snack on things they shouldn’t.
During winter, wormruts use their plentiful root system to protect the young cocoons filled with eggs.
When spring comes, the baby worms hatch, grow, and spread throughout the soil.
They provide plenty of food and save me from having to feed my plants other things as often. ”
“I didn’t see any of these when we relocated your garden,” I said, thinking I wouldn’t have forgotten those white leaves.
She sighed. “The last batch I had died two years ago when several frogs snuck into my garden and brought a disease that I couldn’t cure fast enough for this particular plant.
All of them were gone in a day, and I haven’t been able to find more since then.
It doesn’t help that they are only visible in the fall and winter.
After that incident, I gave the crunchertraps and jawtraps strict orders to eat all amphibians the moment they entered, so it doesn’t happen again. ”
“I assume they’re not affected by the disease?”
Aella shook her head as she lightly grazed her fingers over the flower’s petals. “No. Very little can harm my carnivorous plants aside from sharp blades.”
“So, uh.” Jax shifted from foot to foot. “How many of these are we grabbing and taking back?”
I gave him a surprised look. “Didn’t you just say you weren’t touching another plant for a long time?”
“Well, after that sob story, I’ll feel like an ass if I don’t help.” Jax shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “Anyway, we all benefit from her crazy plants getting a proper diet that doesn’t include us, so it’s a matter of self-preservation. I’m looking out for my best interest.”
Of course, he could have done that by avoiding her garden, but I didn’t point that out.
Aella exchanged an amused look with me before responding to him.
“We’ll grab as many wormruts as we can on our return trip.
It would be ridiculous to take any now and have to carry them there and back.
Plus, Bogdan will think we’ve all gone mad if it looks like we’re bringing bouquets for him.
” I chuckled at the visual she produced. “Just please watch where you step.”
From that point forward, our trip through the woods slowed down considerably.
No one wanted to risk ruining even one plant despite wanting to get on and off Jolloure as quickly as possible.
The oppressive feeling intensified as we moved deeper into the forest. Aella’s plant fixation kept us from feeling it as much as usual, though.
A half hour passed before I guided us to Bogdan’s small cabin in the thickest part of the forest—only a few hundred feet from the large portal that could open to Faelaria and other planets near Paxia.
Unfortunately, the designers didn’t build it strong enough to funnel power for crossing the galaxy, or we could have used it to reach Earth.
Aella could probably open this one without a power boost if she had a reason.
I knocked on the solid wooden door. My cousin had heavily warded his place, so even I couldn’t get in there. From inside, snoring that resembled a saw cutting through a log leaked through to us.
Elves didn’t usually snore, but he’d had his nasal cavity badly damaged during one of our trials in Karganoth that still left us with lingering nightmares. The damage had become permanent by the time he could seek a healer. Despite the temptation, I never teased him about it.
That entire month was something we avoided discussing, but I’d heard that when my grandfather found out what they’d done to us, all of those trainers were executed by being stoned to death.
It was a slow way to die for our kind, especially if drawn out, and it took three days for them to succumb to their injuries.
There were lines even dark elves shouldn’t cross, and what they’d done to us had gone too far.
We each took turns knocking until about fifteen minutes later, when Bogdan opened the door and scowled at us. “What do you want?”
I noted his black eye and swollen lip. “We have some questions.”
Aella gasped. “What happened to you?”
“Thank you for your concern,” he said, answering her first. “My uncle Radan visited late last night, or very early this morning, depending on how you look at it. We had a chat.”
“His chats are never pleasant.” I grimaced. “I’ve had a couple of those recently and don’t recommend them. What did he want?”
Bogdan let his loose, black hair fall to cover much of his face. “Mostly, he thought he’d remind me of my place in the family, and he asked if I’d seen you.”
“It’s been almost a month since we last saw each other,” I said, confused.
My cousin shrugged. “He’s paranoid as usual, but it sounded like you did something to upset him.”
I detailed my encounter with our uncle in Porrine, and how I nearly killed him before he teleported away. Then, what happened at our second meeting when Vas arrived to run Radan off. “You’re the last nephew he hasn’t seen, so maybe he wanted to make a point.”
“Yes, well, he made it with a few friends to help. I guess he didn’t want to take any chances with me,” Bogdan said, shaking his head.