Authors: Aya Knight
“Neelan?” Kale quietly spoke as he entered a dark room. It took a few moments before his eyes adjusted enough to make out the silhouettes of large baskets which hung down from the tall ceiling.
As he walked closer, he could see they were woven hammocks made from long palm leaves.
This must be the room where Judith and Elanya sleep
. Kale turned to leave, under the assumption he had found an empty room, but a faint noise at the opposite side caught his attention.
“Hello?” he whispered, slowly approaching where the sound originated. “I can hear you.” Kale could definitely distinguish the sound of breathing, though he still could not see who was in the room. He inched closer toward one of the dangling hammocks which slightly shifted. “Please say something, I know you’re there.” His fingers slid over the edge of the basket-like bed as he rose up upon his toes to look inside.
Relief swept over him when he recognized the long stringy hair belonging to Neelan. She was nestled in a fetal position within her cloak. Kale smiled down at her.
She’s cute when she isn’t running her mouth,
he thought with a chuckle. Kale gently grazed a hand upon her face as he brushed a lock of her hair from her lips.
“Goodnight, Neelan,” he whispered.
Kale woke in the common room the next morning to the sounds of his friends conversing. He could smell the sweet scent of fruit nearby as he eagerly rose, rubbing his stomach.
I’m starving
, he thought hungrily. Kale enjoyed a hearty buffet of the juiciest and most gratifying fruits he had ever tasted, when Thomas approached his side.
“Good morning, Kale.” Thomas chimed in, “I must say, this is quite luxurious compared to our previous camp. Who could have imagined such a gem rested within the center of a dark and dangerous forest?” His tone suddenly dropped as his words grew serious. “I’ve spoken to Elanya about embarking to Tyrione. It would be wise for us to leave today—there is no time to waste. Each passing day, Jedah is destroying the lives of many while growing more powerful. Illadar and I are already prepared to depart. Lifting the curse on Judith will play a vital role in ending the general’s reign.”
“I need to find Neelan first,” Kale stated after swallowing a mouthful of yellow berries.
“She’s already waitin’ outside for our departure.” Illadar slung his pack over his shoulder.
“Do either of you have any idea how long it will take on foot to arrive at Tyrione?” Kale questioned from within the arched entryway.
Thomas pulled his shoes onto his feet. “It’s been many decades since I’ve traveled near that region; however I would estimate it will take a few weeks—possibly a couple of months or so.”
“More than a month?! That’s far too long; we cannot spend months on our journey while Jedah sends his men to ravage towns in search of us. If Jedah truly is increasing his authority by the day and tormenting the lives of the innocent, we must find a way to travel with haste,” Kale huffed heavily as he paced in a small circular motion.
Thomas laughed as he approached Kale. “Dear boy, you are traveling alongside a sorcerer.” He smiled proudly, “I will get us there—we will arrive with time to spare before nightfall.”
Kale felt a weight lift as relief swept over him. “Thank you, Thomas. Since Neelan is already outside, I’m going to bid farewell to Judith before we leave. I’ll meet you shortly.”
Kale had a hunch where he would find her. He made his way up what felt like an endless amount of spiraling steps. Finally, he arrived at the branch, winded, but glad to see both Elanya and Judith seated near the ledge. Even with the sun’s bright rays of light shining down upon Elanya, her pallid appearance seemed frost-like, and devoid of color.
“Good morning, Kale.” Judith greeted him with a smile that appeared oblivious to the previous night’s occurrence between them.
“Hello, Princess,” He said while attempting to casually look away in order to conceal his reddened cheeks.
“Please call me Judith. I do not care for such formalities among friends.”
There’s that breathtaking smile again. How does she do this to me
?
Kale’s body once again felt warm and his fingers fumbled nervously. “I wanted to say goodbye.” He quickly spoke in hope of suppressing the tension he felt. “We are leaving today.” Kale caught Elanya’s stern glance as if to caution him not to reveal their plan. “We have some business to handle.”
Judith gazed outward.
Kale could sense her disheartened emotions by the look upon her face. “I will come back for you, Judith, I promise.” He wanted to comfort her. “Myself, Thomas, Illadar—even Neelan, we’re your friends now. We aren’t going to leave you behind.”
She forced a smile and Kale knew she doubted his words. Judith had unwillingly been forced to live with her curse and over time grew to accept the fact that no one would have the ability to rescue her.
“Thou must leave while ye sky remains bright,” Elanya urged his departure.
“I understand.” He paused before turning to leave. “Thank you for all your kindness, it won’t be forgotten.” Kale waved as he stepped through the hole.
“Kale...” Judith spoke so softly Kale nearly missed it.
“Yes?”
“Take care of her. She behaves as though she is strong, but I can tell she’s really quite fragile—she needs you.”
Kale’s confusion by her statement was quickly resolved as he followed Judith’s gaze far below. Through the thicket of branches he could distinguish the figure of Neelan, who stood alone with her shoulder resting against the tree.
Kale smiled. “I will, Judith, you can count on it.” And with that, he left to join his friends.
“I must know if you are willing to take an extreme risk.” Thomas nervously spoke which in turn made the others uneasy as well.
“What exactly do you mean by
risk
?” Kale was certainly not about to agree to something when he was uninformed of the circumstances.
“You see,” Thomas said as he fingered at his beard as he often did while thinking, “teleporting us to the elven city, Tyrione, is the only way for us to save many weeks worth of traveling. Even by horseback, I would assume the journey to take a month at the least. I believe it is our only logical option to conserve time.”
“All right, now explain to us why it poses such a risk.”
“I have never actually attempted to teleport more than just myself. To be quite honest, I’m unsure if it will work properly or what the consequences may be. So again, I ask—are you willing to take the risk?”
“I’m always up for an adventure,” Illadar replied with his usual fearless attitude.
Neelan rolled her eyes. “I would hardly call allowing unknown magic to be cast upon oneself an
adventure
. The chance of being split into millions of particles isn’t my top choice.” She gave Kale a quick glance, “But I’ll do it. So count me in as well.”
“You know my answer is yes, so, let’s get going.” Kale replied.
“All right, first we must leave the enchanted ground as I cannot cast my magic here. We need to make way for the river we crossed yesterday. Take heed and move quietly; we do not need to attract the orc or his red beasts.”
Neelan sniffed the air. “I do not smell them nearby at the moment. However, he is correct. We must take caution not to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves. I have heard stories of the orc called Rees’lok. He is even shunned by his own tribe.”
“His own tribe?” Kale scratched his head.
“Yes, Rees’lok once lived among a tribe of orcs to the far south. As the story has it, he was more barbaric than all the others and longed for nothing more than to kill. One night he went into a mad frenzy and began slaughtering those who lived within his own tribe. He held no remorse, and even seemed to enjoy each deadly swing he took. By the next morning, he was gone. No one knew of his whereabouts, until about a decade ago when wondering travelers would accidentally venture into the Forest of Forgotten Whispers.”
“Wait a moment. If he was not born onto this land, isn’t he able to leave? Why does he remain here?” Kale couldn’t understand the reasoning behind it all. “I mean, if he is so hell-bent on destruction, you would think he’d desire to unleash his fury on the entire continent.”
“I do not know. Maybe he has chosen to stay by the side of his beasts. But that is only my assumption.” Neelan continued to look ahead as they walked.
They trekked through the forest, passing the thicket of vines which now conveniently slithered aside to allow them passage.
I wonder if they work as a barrier to keep out intruders,
Kale thought while continuing through the array of vibrant flowers.
Neelan took a quick whiff of air. “We are still safe from the beast, for now.”
“Neelan, I have a question for you.” Kale’s mind was drifting through a series of thoughts.
“Yes? What do you want?”
“How did you expect to smell the red beasts when I can neither see nor hear a threat nearby? They would be much too far to pick up their scent.”
“Have you forgotten I am an elf? I want to ensure they are not scouting the forest for prey nearby. Our senses are heightened from that of a human.” She crossed her arms, “It’s one of the only good things about our race.”
“My senses are more sensitive than humans as well.” Kale smiled proudly. “Though, not nearly as good as yours, in
this
body.”
Illadar coughed. “Hey, you two, there
are
normal humans here ya’ know. How about not rubbin’ in your extraordinary abilities while in the presence of us
common folk
.”
They all laughed as they continued on their path.
“So, are you and Malakhar the same race? I mean, you are both elves, right?” Kale wanted to know more about the man in black—and Neelan.
“I do hope you are making a joke. I cannot fathom anyone truly being so ignorant.” It was obvious Neelan was insulted. “He is a
dark
elf, the worst kind of filthy creatures, really. There is the exception of a few good ones, but most are horrid. Within Tyrione, the kingdom of high elves, there are a small group of
them
whom now reside with us. Most, however, are forbidden to enter our kingdom because of their use of the forbidden magic known as Drell.”
“Did you know Malakhar?” Kale continued to press the subject.
“No, I haven’t a clue who he is; but I’m certain the council will. We will need permission from them to visit Brig. Outsiders are not welcome to walk the streets within the kingdom unless granted approval. Tyrione remains locked away from the rest of the world—it’s truly a shame...” Her voice trailed.
“I am afraid this enlightening conversation about elves will have to halt for the moment.” Thomas motioned toward the river directly in front of where they stood.
Kale had been so engrossed speaking to Neelan he hadn’t noticed the sound of trickling water.
“We should use these stones to cross; it will keep our clothing dry.” Neelan led the way as she gracefully leapt from one stone to the next.
Thomas and Illadar followed, making their way across with ease. Kale was the last to cross as he cautiously stepped onto the first couple of stones. His feet wobbled and he struggled to keep balance.
Come on—you can do this. There is only a couple more to go
. Kale extended his arms out as he lifted his foot, moving toward the next stone.
“It’s amazing, Kale, I think an old man could have crossed faster than you.” Neelan’s laughter stopped short as she bit her tongue, glancing toward Thomas. “Oh, sorry—although, it does prove my point.”
“Ugh!” Kale lost his balance, causing his foot to slip into the cool water. “Neelan!” He growled, “Why did you have to distract me? Couldn’t you see that I was—”
“Hurry, kid!” Illadar extended his arm, pulling Kale to dry ground. Nearby, within the forest, they could hear the all-too-familiar sound of howling. “Those ruthless monsters have been waitin’ alongside the riverbed for us! They must’ve been campin’ in the place where we first entered the river downstream.” Illadar shot a glance toward Thomas. “We’ve gotta’ go!”
“All right, I do hope this works out.” Thomas extended his arms. “Everyone, please grab hold, and absolutely do not let go.”
“Hurry, Thomas—I smell something foul within the air,” Neelan quickly spoke.
They heard the sound of persistent battering upon the ground. Something was closing in on them, quickly.
“Tear them apart!” A deep booming voice yelled.
“Rees’Lok!” Neelan cried out. “He is coming, please get us out of here.” She tightened her grip on Thomas.
Within seconds, the large orc tore through the nearby brush, surrounded by oozing red beasts. His orange, fiery eyes burned with a savage desire to destroy them.
Thomas closed his eyes, parting his lips, “
Kalora Xenari
.”
Rees’Lok quickly closed the distance between them as he violently swung his morning star toward the four. The massive spikes swooshed forward with a thirst for their blood. The weapon closed in, mere inches from where they stood.
Kale swallowed hard.