Authors: Aya Knight
Neelan closed her eyes as she rose up upon the ball of her feet, giving in completely to the kiss.
“All right, all right, give it a rest you two.” Theresa placed her hands upon her wide hips.
Kale glanced around at the many familiar faces which surrounded them. Thomas and Illadar gave him a friendly wave while chuckling to themselves. Soon, the crowd enfolded Kale and the room suddenly felt incredibly small. Many praises and words of gratitude filled the open air.
“Excuse me,” a woman spoke.
Kale felt a gentle tug on the back of a new black tunic he wore.
“May I please have a word?” she questioned.
Kale turned to see a middle-aged woman in a long rose-colored dress standing before him. Her eyes were red and swollen which revealed a heavy sorrow. Kale nodded, allowing her to take him by the hand as they weaved through the crowd of individuals who continued to converse amongst themselves about the previous night events. As Kale passed, many of the townsfolk gave him a firm pat upon his back; most unaware of the injury that surged with pain. Kale was surprised to see no blood saturated his new tunic. The wound felt much better than before he collapsed, which made him wonder what had occurred since the battle.
As they left the inn, the woman led Kale toward the town square where he saw six, long, rectangular boxes, all aligned in a perfect row. The woman stopped walking and turned to face Kale. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she took Kale’s hand into hers, squeezing tightly.
“My husband, Forwin, will be laid to rest within the earth’s soil tonight.” Her voice shook as she spoke.
Kale’s heart sank as he realized the boxes were actually coffins which held the bodies of the townsmen who had fallen in the battle. Forwin died trying to protect the woman who stood before Kale–and to protect the town which was his home.
“It’s my fault.” Kale could not contain the truth that tore at his emotions. “The army came here because of me. Had I not come to live within Braxle, none of this would have happened. I tried to save everyone—I truly did.” He lifted the woman’s hand near his face. “I cannot change the past, but please accept my sincerest apologies. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
At that moment, Kale wanted, more than ever, to turn back time to when he was a dragon. Having his current knowledge, he gladly would have accepted Thomas’ plea for them to both escape to another continent. He would easily sacrifice the ability to remain on Ravondore in order to avoid all the terrible events which had happened because of his existence.
“I believe you misunderstood my intentions, young man.” The woman rubbed her index finger across her lower eyelid. “I wanted to thank you, for coming back to ensure our safety. Without your return, we all would surely be dead. The rumors of General Jedah’s army are not for the faint of heart. They show no mercy. You could have run and left our fate to their steel blades, but instead you placed your own life in danger for us. You are a noble and courageous man, Kale. I am certain that Forwin died proud to have fought by your side.” She glanced to the ground. “While I now ache in the pain of my sorrows, I know he would never regret his choice to join you—therefore, nor do I.”
Kale swallowed hard, touched by the woman’s kind words. “He was a brave man. I am the one who is honored to have known such a loyal and determined human—person. Even if our time together was short, I shall never forget him.” Kale struggled to look into her eyes, still filled with guilt. The anguish she felt, regardless of her attempts to remain strong, struck Kale’s heart with each glance of her tear-filled eyes.
“She’s right you know.” One of the surviving men sauntered toward them. He stared glumly down at the coffins. “Though, it’s painful to see our friends have moved on from this life, most of us support you and have nothing but respect for your decision to return. We don’t know, nor do we care to, the reason such an army seeks to kill you, but we feel you are truly a good person.”
“Indeed, you will always be welcome to return to Braxle, once your conflict with the general of Mirion has been resolved,” Lord Zalimond spoke as he approached Kale. “You shall have a home here, should you desire to return.” His lips curved upward into a smile from behind his bushy mustache.
“Thank you. The words you have shared with me today will remain in my heart. I am forever in debt to your people for what I have caused. Again, I am so very sorry.” Kale humbly bowed.
“It is time to go now.” Thomas approached Kale, placing a hand upon his shoulder. “We must return to the forest.”
Kale glanced over to see Illadar and Neelan standing by Thomas’ side.
“Arthur, one of the men who fought valiantly alongside of us, has provided three horses from his stable as a token of gratitude.” Thomas gestured toward the man standing off to the far side of the square. “I am far too fatigued to return us with magic. Even with the potion provided to me at the inn, I still have not fully recovered.” He rubbed the top of his right hand as he spoke.
“I would like to thank Arthur for his kindness, however, I would also like to say goodbye to Mortimer as well. I noticed he has once again provided clean clothing and my body has been bathed. Have you seen him?” Kale glanced around curiously.
“Morty is currently assisting the apothecary to aid the wounds of two men who were injured in battle. Although, I am certain he would enjoy seeing you awake and well, we must leave him to tend to such an important task.” Thomas nudged Kale’s back to urge him in the direction of Arthur. “Now, let us be on our way so the townsfolk can resume a normal life once again.
Kale approached Arthur and thanked him for the horses and his support in battle. As Kale watched Neelan pat the mane of the black horse, his mind began to dwell upon the previous nights events. “I just don’t understand.” Kale exhaled, rubbing his forehead which throbbed terribly. “Where did the bodies of the knights go?” He gritted his teeth, “And where is
his
body?”
“We moved ’em this mornin’ to the outside of town–Malakhar’s as well. I’m guessin’ they intend to burn the lot of ’em tonight.” Illadar read the expression upon Kale’s face. “Yes, kid, Malakhar is as dead as they come. You don’t have to worry about him anymore. I’ve gotta’ say though—you did one impressive job on him with that power of yours. Most of his head was charred beyond recognition.” He grinned, softly chuckling.
“What about Saldin? You killed him, right?” Kale questioned.
Illadar flashed a disheartened glance. “I’m afraid not, kid.”
“What?! Why not? What happened?” Kale spoke quickly; shocked by the news.
“Calm yourself, Kale. We have all been through a lot.” Thomas took hold of the conversation. “We tried to stop him, however, once he noticed his comrades were dwindling in number, he fled.”
“The cowardly cur ran away,” Illadar jumped in. “The remainin’ knights followed in retreat.”
Kale gripped his hair, yelling out in frustration.
“It will be all right.” Neelan placed a hand upon Kale’s back. “We have made great progress, and Malakhar is gone. I am sure Saldin will run back to Jedah. We’ll end up taking them both down at once. We must now return to the Forest of Forgotten Whispers. I am sure that Elanya,” she sighed, rolling her eyes, “and Judith, will be anxiously awaiting our arrival.” A playful smile crossed her face as she attempted to lighten the mood. “Now let’s get going already! All this time, I thought I’d fallen for a dragon—little did I know he was truly a slow turtle in disguise!” She laughed at her own childish joke as she leapt atop a stack of hay. Neelan then slid her foot through a stirrup before slinging her leg over the brown saddle.
“How are you able to move with such agility? I saw the blood coming from your side last night.” It was the first time Kale took notice of the new clothing she wore.
“You can thank Thomas.” She winked toward the old sorcerer. “Although he had exerted himself in battle, he never left our side. He used the last of his stamina to heal the worst of my wound and safely remove the embedded bolt tip. He healed your injuries too.”
Thomas’ face was overwhelmed with a cherry tint. “You should know I would never step aside while friends suffer. Besides,” he glanced toward Kale, “who would I have to amuse me with their human inadequacies?” He laughed, holding a hand up before Kale could speak. “Joking of course—well, somewhat anyway.” He smiled. “Which brings me to a more serious subject; you mustn’t over exert yourself. Your outer layers will still need time to heal. Mortimer has provided us with bandages and ointment to ease the pain.”
Kale smiled at the thought of how unconditionally caring Mortimer was. He was disappointed he would not be able to give thanks in person, but knew they must make haste toward the forest before twilight arrived.
Entering the forest at dusk would increase their chance of an attack by the red beasts and Rees’Lok. The group knew they would be at a severe disadvantage while recovering from their injuries. An encounter with the orc would surely bring death upon them.
Kale clumsily mounted the horse, seating himself in front of Neelan as he took the reins within his grasp. He continued to mimic every movement Illadar and Thomas made, kicking his heels into the horse’s side. The horse huffed and shuffled his feet as though he could sense Kale was not truly human.
“It’s all right, boy.” Neelan ran her fingers along the horse’s side as she soothed the creature.
“Farewell, once again, Braxle.” Thomas glanced over his shoulder. “May we return in the future under more joyous circumstances.”
They trotted through the exit as many of the townsfolk gathered to wave goodbye. Kale caught sight of Theresa blowing him a kiss which caused him to bashfully look away.
Neelan growled as she kicked into the horse, causing the steed to trot faster. “We’re off! Hold on tightly,” she called out as she wrapped her arms firmly around Kale’s body, pressing close to his warmth.
The four were relieved to see the enchanted stream which bordered the Forest of Forgotten Whispers. After a very weary-eyed horseback ride, they were ready to visit Judith, and then lay within the hanging hammocks for a needed rest. Now that they were familiar with their surroundings, the journey proved to be less time consuming. As they crossed the forest’s magical barrier, they were surprised to hear the sound of birds chirping within the gloomy trees.
“Things seem different this time. I hope the noise doesn’t attract the red beasts or Rees’lok to our location,” Kale spoke, rubbing his eyes as his horse slowly trotted behind Illadar’s.
“Yes...this is very odd indeed.” Thomas inspected their surroundings.
Darkness swarmed the forest, and after maintaining a steady pace they could see the massive tree trunk come into view. They were equally grateful at how swiftly they made it to the center of the Forest of Forgotten Whispers. On their previous journey to the tree, it had taken nearly an entire day of searching.
Golden specks drifted around, guiding their way with a lit path. As they approached the mass of vines, the plants squirmed and twisted, allowing them passage. They quickly dismounted and Kale gave a gentle pat on the horse’s crest.
The animal returned the affection by nudging his nose against Kale’s arm.
“It appears as though he has grown quite fond of you, Kale,” Thomas laughed.
“Kale!” Judith hurried toward them. Her golden hair appeared silk-like under the glow of the trees mysterious floating specs. “Look at me! Just look!” The expression upon her face revealed pure bliss. “I can walk the soil of the earth as myself once again! How can I ever thank you? Elanya confessed everything once she was certain the curse had been lifted.” Judith held her arms out as she spun her body gracefully on one foot. “It feels so good to be outside once again. Not upon a tree limb, but truly outside in the world—it is amazing!” Judith fell into Kale’s arms, staring up toward him. “Please, come back with me tomorrow. My father will insist on meeting you.” Their blue eyes met as she flashed a beautiful smile. A hopeful expression remained upon her face as she continued to gaze at Kale.
Kale could feel Neelan’s scornful eyes burning into the back of his skull with a jealous rage.
“We had no intentions of you returning alone, so of course we will come.” Kale lifted Judith to her feet and took a step closer toward Neelan.
“Shall we head inside?” Thomas could sense the usual tension rising when Neelan and Judith were near Kale.
“That is a fine idea,” Kale quickly replied as he led the way.
They were instantly greeted by an enthusiastic group of dryad women, each dressed in a flowing, white silk dress that trailed to the floor. Fruit had been set out on banquet-sized silver platters and colorful floral garland draped the room. Elanya soon entered in a pale blue gown which hung loosely off her shoulders. It shimmered in the candlelight with each stride she took. She was thrilled by their return and announced the night would be spent celebrating before sleep. They all began to enjoy the festive atmosphere, feasting and laughing together.
Eventually, as the candles dimmed, the celebration came to an end and one by one the dryad women left for their own trees. Judith also fell victim to the temptation of sleep after she once again thanked the four for their courageous victory.
“Dost thou have a plan for tomorrow? It shalt be a grand day of importance and thou must make haste to thy kingdom of Mirion.” Elanya tucked her long white hair behind a pointed ear.