Anilyia (4 page)

They walked south next to the wall until
they reached the end. From there, they headed into the forest. None
of them noticed two pairs of dark-green eyes watching from atop the
wall.

The Willden Forest was one of the largest in
the world. A person could walk for a month in any direction and
still not escape it. It was home to many dangerous creatures and
even the occasional dragon, a fact Vevin verified. Most people
wouldn’t set foot in it, claiming the forest was haunted.

The one group residing in the forest was the
Druids, humans with an affinity for trees and nature. Some said
there was at least one Druid in every forest of Ryallon, while the
Willden had many. Each forest also had a Mother Tree, a sentient
being with magical powers, who managed the well-being of the
forest. The one in the Willden was ancient and powerful. It was she
who had had charged the companions with learning more about
Rojuun.

It didn’t take long before the party was
traveling through thick woods. The forest was alive with the sounds
of birds and other denizens, a few of whom stopped to glance at the
visitors. Light filtered through the thick trees down to the
underbrush below. Moss covered the rocks and fallen logs while
various insects industriously went about their business. The crisp
scent of pine and other trees mingled with rich earth. Tathan found
the path leading to the small druid village where their horses
waited.

Liselle was thrilled to see wildflowers once
more. The flowers in the tunnels of the Rojuun were nice, but they
weren’t the same and Puujan didn’t have near enough to satisfy
Liselle. Forest flowers were hardy plants that took whatever the
trees and underbrush left them. They added bright spots of color to
the muted browns and greens of trees, earth and moss.

As the companions walked along the path,
flowers turned toward Liselle, hoping she would notice them. At
first, she restrained herself, but it didn’t take long for her to
dash around to touch them. Tathan stopped for a moment, concerned
when she went off the path.

Vevin followed her, doing a new enthusiastic
dance. He was swinging his arms back, forth and above his head
while jumping from foot to foot. A few spins and somersaults were
thrown in as well. Tathan relaxed. The flowers would keep Liselle
safe and if they didn’t, well . . . Vevin was a dragon and the
forest didn’t have anything more dangerous.

“I believe she is safe, Master Tathan,” Sir
Danth said, thumping him on the back. Once again, Tathan staggered
under the blow. “Let them run off to pet flowers and dance as they
will.”

Tathan sighed as he rubbed his shoulder.
“Perhaps you’re right. They’ll catch up with us.” He turned to
continue along the path with the knight.

Liselle loved the flowers. She understood
what they told her, though they didn’t use words or thoughts to
convey their messages. It was in the way flowers moved and opened
their petals to the air. Each flower had something to say. At
times, it was something as simple as ‘look at me’. Other times,
there was a deeper meaning.

She understood their messages though. They
wanted her to go somewhere. Liselle knew Vevin was behind her, but
worried about Tathan and Sir Danth. Looking back, she saw that they
had moved out of sight. Thinking about it for a moment, she
realized the two boys could take care of themselves.

“Where are we going, dearest?” Vevin was
smiling and dancing. It was as though the forest had revitalized
him too.

“I don’t know.” Liselle reached down to
caress another flower as she passed by. “The flowers want me to see
something so I’m going where they’re instructing me to.”

“Oh.” He stopped moving. “I’m really smart
you know.”

Liselle stopped too. “I know, darling. I
didn’t think otherwise,” she assured him, wondering what brought
the statement on. A bird chirped merrily from a nearby branch,
watching them with interest.

“How do you know what the flowers are
saying?” he asked in puzzlement.

“Well . . . They move in certain ways and .
. .” It was difficult to explain. “They hold their petals and
leaves in specific positions I guess.” Liselle spread her arms out.
“I don’t know how to describe it.”

Amazement swirled in his eyes. “I’m smart,
but even I can’t understand what the flowers are saying. I think
you’re even smarter than me.”

She reached down to smell one that was
trying out a new fragrance. Liselle moved her hands, body and
facial muscles in such a way as to tell it she agreed that the
scent would attract more butterflies. The flower was happy because
it liked butterflies. “It’s not a matter of being smart. I just
understand the flowers. I understand the trees, bushes and other
plants as well, but flowers are the most important.”

Vevin tried to look at what the flowers were
saying again. He adjusted his eyes to examine them in microscopic
detail, but still didn’t see anything resembling language. With a
sigh, he let his vision go back to normal. Then he went back to
dancing along behind Liselle as she moved from flower to flower.
“The flowers really are pretty. I never looked at them much until I
met you.”

“That’s alright. I forgive you,” she replied
with a smirk. “You might like to know that the flowers like you
back.”

“They do?” he asked in surprise. He had
never considered how flowers might feel about him. He also didn’t
know what to think about Liselle forgiving him when he hadn’t done
anything wrong . . . at least not by his perception. He was wise
enough not to press the issue. “Why do the flowers like me? I’m
very glad they do, but I’m curious.”

“Flowers like dragons. Dragons don’t step on
flowers no matter what form they’re in,” Liselle explained.

“We don’t?” Thinking back, he couldn’t
remember a single instance when he had stepped on a flower or hurt
one. “Huh, I never even realized that.” Vevin looked at the flowers
nearby and realized that he instinctively went out of his way not
to harm them. It was a subtle impulse that required no conscious
thought or decision.

“They also like you because you’re big and
strong. You love and protect me too,” Liselle said with a shy
blush. “It makes them happy to know I’m safe.”

Vevin took her by the waist, turning her to
him for a kiss. Vevin held her in his arms for a moment after the
kiss. “How do they know you? Are all flowers connected?”

Liselle thought about the question. “They’re
each individuals, but they all have certain types of knowledge and
an awareness that other flowers exist. Sometimes they talk about
me. Birds, bees, butterflies and other insects gossip with them as
well.” It wasn’t a very good explanation, but it was difficult to
tell people how flowers worked. “They also communicate to the
ground. Even the air carries messages,” she told him as they
continued their walk. Vevin had stopped dancing in order to
concentrate on her words. “Plants and trees are able to commune
too, although trees spend most of their time looking at the sky.
Sometimes the flowers just know things. I don’t know how they know
it, and neither do they, but they know.”

Vevin nodded as he listened. He had never
realized there was so much communication going on. Dragons were
smart, but their power made them egotistical. He would have to
remember not to be so arrogant in the future.

“Just like people, most of the communication
isn’t all that important,” Liselle continued. “But every once in a
while something significant happens and flowers talk about it.” She
caressed a group of blossoms, smiling happily at them before moving
on.

“What do the flowers think is important?”
Vevin asked.

Liselle stopped and turned to him, a grave
look on her face. “Me. The flowers think I’m the most important
thing in the world right now. They talk about
me
all the
time.”

Vevin was still as the weight of her words
settled. “You’re important to me too. I will do everything I can to
protect you, Liselle.”

She nodded. “I know, darling. Please don’t
tell Tathan or anyone else. I don’t want them to be concerned.”

“I won’t. I think Tathan worries about you a
lot anyway and I won’t tell anyone else at all.”

“Thank you.” She continued in the direction
the flowers wanted them to go. Before long, they came across a
barrier of trees. The flowers were heavy, their fragrance filling
the air.

Two trees and the bushes in front of them
moved aside. A ray of light burst from the opening. Liselle passed
through the opening, trusting that flowers wouldn’t lead her into
mortal danger.

The light was even brighter on the other
side of the trees as though the sun had moved to the middle of the
small clearing they now stood in. Even the air was warmer. Vevin
and Liselle shielded their eyes from the glare.

“Pardon me. I didn’t mean to shine so
bright, but I’m excited to see the Child of Flowers,” a beautiful,
feminine voice said from within the light. The radiance dimmed,
revealing a bird with long plumage the color of the sun. There was
a burbling spring next to a large rock in the middle of the
clearing. It was on this rock that the bird set.

Liselle looked around and saw beautiful
flowers she hadn’t known existed. She leaned down and caressed them
with her fingertips, keeping an eye on the bird while doing so.

It was bright yellow and glowed like
sunlight. Liselle couldn’t look directly at it, so she kept her
gaze to the side, much as one would when trying to look at the sun.
The pool of water near the rock looked fresh and Liselle sensed
magic coming from it.

“I am Yebisu, the Yellow Bird of Sunshine,”
it proclaimed. “I have a great need to talk to you, Liselle of the
Flowers. The flowers agreed that they would ask you to come.”

“Hello, Yebisu,” Liselle said politely.
“What is it you need to talk about?” She wished Tathan were here.
He would know all the right things to say and ask.

The light from the bird flared, filling the
clearing. Vevin and Liselle shut their eyes, shielding their faces
with arms. The light gave off heat as well. Liselle noted that even
the flowers closed their petals to shield from the brilliance.

“I’m
so
sorry. I tend to blaze when
I’m excited,” Yebisu said in a flutter. The light dimmed once
again, even more so than before. “I promise to restrain my
brilliance for as long as possible.”

Liselle was able to look closer after her
eyes adjusted. Yebisu had a large body about the size of an eagle.
Its enormous wings and tail feathers were folded back. An orange
crest stood high atop her long head. The beak was bright red, the
color of flames. It was the most majestic bird Liselle had ever
seen.

“She’s a showoff,” Vevin whispered in
Liselle’s ear. He wasn’t impressed at all.

“The flowers like you even more than they
like me, Child of Flowers.” Yebisu seemed a bit irritated by the
fact. “I bring warmth and light even on rainy days. I am a child of
the sun, conceived from a sundrop cast in a dark place to bring
life.” She spread her wings wide, showing feathers like rays of
light. “That was ages ago and that once dark place is now a place
of life and sunbeams.” The Yellow Bird of Sunshine dramatically
folded her wings back and settled down with head held high.

Liselle decided to try flattery. It was what
Tathan would do. “You are beautiful, Yebisu. The very sight of you
warms my bones and makes me want to stretch my arms the way a
flower stretches its petals to the day.” She stretched mightily to
emphasize.

Vevin rolled his eyes. “Egads.”

Liselle came out of the stretch and swung an
arm to smack him in the chest, eliciting a yelp of surprise.
“Ignore my companion, Yebisu. He’s being silly.” She glared at him
playfully and linked an arm to let him know she still loved
him.

“I understand. Dragons think they’re better
than everyone else,” the bird said in a snobbish tone.

Liselle turned a narrowed gaze upon Yebisu.
Blue fire began to fill her eyes.

The bird of sunshine saw the expression on
Liselle’s face and the fire in her eyes. She started fidgeting,
hopping from one foot to the other while looking around for some
sort of escape. “Now, now. I didn’t mean anything by that. I need
to talk to you, it’s important!”

“Very well. What is it you
must
speak
to me about?” Liselle asked with hand on hip.

“It’s very important,” Yebisu declared,
bobbing her head up and down vigorously.

“Well then you had best tell me then, hadn’t
you?” Liselle persisted.

Vevin noticed that Liselle didn’t seem too
impressed by the bird now that it had insulted him. The thought
made him feel warm inside.

Yebisu paused for a moment to consider her
words before nodding. “Yes, I should tell you now. A bad thing has
happened, a very bad thing with terrible ramifications.”

The vague responses frustrated Liselle. “I’m
listening. Tell me what happened.”

“Princess Anilyia of Mayncal was kidnapped
just weeks ago. It seems a little thing in the world but it comes
with terrible consequences,” Yebisu informed them gravely.

“That doesn’t sound like a little thing at
all!” Liselle exclaimed. A kidnapped princess was a major event in
her eyes. The reaction caught Yebisu by surprise.

Vevin put his other hand on her linked arm
and explained. “There have been many kingdoms, wars and kidnapped
princesses throughout history, so to a long-lived creature such as
Miss Sunshine over there, or myself, it seems like a little
thing.

The bird glowered at Vevin for the ‘Miss
Sunshine’ comment. “Yes. Most of the time kidnapping is a matter of
ransom, political intrigue or evil purposes. This is
different.”

“How so?” asked Liselle. “You mean it’s
somehow worse than evil?”