There is no hum of the ground to guide our paths. I almost worry that we have been going in circles in these trees with nothing more than the rising and setting sun to guide us. But we haven’t strayed. A hill stretches up to the eastern side, just as it should. I remember crossing the river, deviating from the road leading to Arion’s territory. We had followed everything down to the carefully painted letter.
“Yes,” I say.
Niht makes a sound a few paces away. “I need to stop to take a piss.”
I look up and see his hair spilling out of his braid. He shifts his weight to his back leg, puts one hand on an armored hip, and raises the other to his shoulder, where a new bird is perched.
“Will you leave me in peace, little one?” he asks. The bird squeaks and flutters away. He smiles and disappears behind the tree.
Sighing, the rest of us dismount and ourglacialmarasfloat together, curling in comforting motions and expressing their weariness.
I riffle through my pack, pulling out a spyglass. Switching the crystal in the lens to look for hidden magic, I study the landscape.
Nothing.
All of us are quiet, resigned.
“Maybe we missed a turn—” Niht starts upon returning.
“No,” Ra'Salore bites out. He crosses to Ulla, who is still reading over Turalyon’s notes. “I propose one final scan of the area. Perhaps there is some hole in the ground, covered by leaves.”
I look at the golden sunlight shining through the tightly packed leaves as the sun dips into the horizon.
“No more than an hour. We need to set up camp before dark.”
To be honest, I don’t know much about the monsters that lurk in these forests. It’s possible that the cold ones followed us to this point. There are also tales of large creatures lurking in Elvish lands: wolves the size of men covered in moss and thickets, and dryads who protect the land from those who would seek to destroy their sacred space.
As the others scour the region, I ensure theglacialmarasare tied up. Rahda’s twinkling chimes grow louder as I approach.She separates from the others, who appear to be playfully crashing against each other and tangling up their leads.
“Shh,” I murmur as I stroke my hand over her head. “You have flown so well during this trip. It would be foolish to be so loud that you give up our location.” My words are scolding, and I am unsure if she understands, but the tip of her long, jagged tail whips out behind her.
I sigh, leaving my friend, and walk deeper into the forest. The peculiar structure of the trees still disorients me—unlike the expanses of crystal that followed me everywhere in Enduvida.
One thing I know with my whole being: they are alive. But I do not hear their song, and they seem to have little concern about making their secrets known to me. They just watch. Study me and my every move. Neutral in this moment, but in the next? Would they be our enemies? They certainly hadn’t been my enemy in the past.
Their leaves are different from the elm trees in Zlosa. Normally, I try not to think about the giant capital, but being surrounded by a forest has made me pensive.
When I had first arrived on my mission, I wore my finest doublet and jewels. Walking up the marble steps was odd, as I knew the giants cared little for stones.
My father had spent years describing every inch of that place in excruciating detail.
It was almost as if his voice had been whispering in my ear, guiding me behind doors I was not shown. Mistrust was everywhere, even in my own heart, despite my relaxed smile. It wasn’t until I was escorted into the throne room that the first lick of fear chilled my innards.
The image of High King Erdaraj sitting on his great wooden throne and his wife, Queen Lijasa, seated on a smaller chair at his side still makes my stomach clench.
Lijasa’s room was on the top floor of the giant palace. It had massive windows that overlooked the capital city and the surrounding forests. After I finished servicing her, when she was sleeping, I would stand and watch their leafy tops sway in the wind.
Sometimes, their violent whipping felt like the pieces of my soul I’d given away to that cruel woman.
The flutter of wings to my left draws me back to these forests we are in now. Swallowing hard, I glance back up at the sky and see how far the sun has sunk. We aren’t searching for ghosts, we are searching for allies.
Though, perhaps they are ghosts because these allies apparently don’t exist.
Taking one last sweeping look around, I turn on my heel and head back to the clearing. Only Ra'Salore is there, and he is already undoing the pack on hisglacialmarato set up camp.
I follow suit in silence. My head is full of monsters. His might be as well—as the tension between us never truly abates.
Ulla and Niht soon join us. Before the last rays of light fade into inky darkness, four leather tents and bedrolls are neatly arranged a safe distance from a modest fire. Ulla sets up a few crystals to mask the flames and smoke.
