Eternal Forest: Savage Rising (17 page)

             
“Do I even want to know how you knew about that escape route?” Viyana asked after spitting out a mouthful of water.

             
“Probably not,” Zehlyr answered.

             
“Heeska,” Azalea called out. Frantically she searched the lake for him. Even on their perilous ride through the caverns, her mind had only been on one thing. As soon as she could see her balisekt friend, she quickly swam over to him. He turned to her. “That balisekt in charge, he said something about me, didn’t he?” she demanded.

             
Heeska looked nervous, and it was getting the attention of the others. Everyone waded over towards him as he stared awkwardly into Azalea’s eyes. She put a hand on his arm.

             
“Please,” she begged. “I need to know.”

             
Heeska sighed. “All he said was…it’s her. We found her.”

Chapter 17

“The power I wield is not my own, for my life is no longer my own. I am Her tool, an extension of Her will. I am powerful for She is powerful, and in my sacrifice, my destiny is bound to Her divine purpose.”

The Acolyte Oath

              Ever since she’d witnessed the balisekt army’s descent upon the city of Stonemouth, Azalea had been haunted by the suspicion they were somehow there for her. It had been three years since she’d woken up in the Savage Lands north of Meadowgold, and she still had no memory of her life before the Phenomenon. Still, she knew her circumstances were tied to the balisekts that had performed the ritual.

Life in the Wilds since their escape had been relatively quiet. Heeska taught both her and Zehlyr how to survive in the uncivilized forest. He taught them how to hunt, how to forage. He taught them how to protect themselves from predators. Each sunrise they had the privilege to see, they owed to him.

Of course, their survival had also been due to Azalea’s rather peculiar powers. Food was never in short supply, for she could turn one berry into a berry bush, or a single apple into a bountiful tree, or a barren valley into a magical grove.

Before the attack, the dwarves feast had been such a joyous ordeal. Though they had been terrified of rejoining any civilized society, she liked helping others. She enjoyed using her power for the benefit of strangers. She was excited to be the guest of honor at their grand celebration. It was a welcome change from living in caves and eating off rocks.

Her heart sank like a stone once she saw the balisekt army descending upon the festivities. Only one thought had plagued her mind as the army and their fire-monster laid siege on the helpless dwarves: could they be here for her? Was she the reason such a terrible fate had befallen this peaceful tribe? Now that her darkest fears were revealed true, it consumed her with grief. As everyone sat on the shore of the small pond, letting the heat of the sun dry them off, she sat by herself against a nearby tree, and sobbed.

“Azalea?” Zehlyr called out softly as he approached her. He knelt beside her on the ground and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright?”

“It’s all because of me!” she screamed. “The dwarves are suffering and dying because the balisekts are trying to find
me
!”

“No,” Zehlyr replied, trying to calm her as best he could. “It isn’t your fault. You can’t blame yourself.”

“But, it’s true!” she yelled again. Her breaths were heavy and her hands were trembling. “I just wanted to use my power to help others. I never asked for them, but I could at least use them for a noble purpose. Now there’s so much suffering and death, all because of me.”

Zehlyr considered his words carefully. There was truth in Azalea’s woes, but it wasn’t the whole story; it couldn’t be. “Yes, the balisekts were looking for you, but that doesn’t mean they sent the whole army to Stonemouth just for that.”

“Still a damn fool,” Cherin said coldly. His older brother was standing at the edge of the pond, crumpling his shirt in his hands to wring out the water. He gripped the shirt by the edge and snapped it outward, sending a spray of water droplets out to sparkle in the sunlight. “Of course they’re here for her.”

“Can you not be a complete goblin-brain for just a few moments?” Zehlyr snapped.

“Face it. Whatever those balisekts did to her, it gave her power and they want it back.”

“I hate to agree with him, but it does make the most logical sense,” Viyana added. The Lady of Meadowgold was sitting alone at the water’s edge. With her good hand she continued holding pressure against the arrow wound in her shoulder. “Just like your balisekt—I mean, Heeska—said, they made a long journey with a large army just to reach Stonemouth. If it wasn’t for you specifically, it was indeed for the bounty brought about by your power.”

Zehlyr opened his mouth, but Azalea placed her hand around his wrist and shook her head. “They’re right,” she said. Her tears had subsided a bit, but she was still greatly distressed. “They gave this power to me for a reason. I don’t know what for, but it must have been for something terrible if they would go to these kinds of lengths.”

“So, what do we do now?” Viyana asked.
 

“You’re not going anywhere with that injury,” Cherin said.

“Let me help,” Azalea said while getting back to her feet. She made her way over to Viyana at the edge of the water and knelt beside her. Her hands reached out and gently wrapped around the wound in Viyana’s shoulder. Azalea bowed her head and took a deep breath.

“What are you doing?” Viyana asked with a raised eyebrow. She hadn’t been able to properly
dress the wound yet, and she wasn’t keen to the idea of Azalea placing her hands on her.

“Just wait,” Azalea requested calmly. From under her palms, a soft, white light began to emit. It reflected down upon Viyana’s shoulder, making her skin seem to glow like a full moon. As the light faded, Azalea lifted her hands away. Viyana’s wound was gone.

Springing to her feet, Viyana stretched out her arm. “Incredible!” she cried out in astonishment. She hadn’t seen such a miracle performed since Azalea healed Heeska’s wounds in Meadowgold.

“My power works on more than just growing things,” Azalea said with a warm smile.

Seemingly happy with the results, Viyana turned towards her healer with a warm smile. “I owe you an apology,” she said with great humility. “I can only hope you’ll forgive me for the hardships I’ve caused you.”

With a big smile and a small nod, Azalea accepted the apology.

“I’m glad we’re all friends now, but that still doesn’t give us a plan,” Cherin said. “We’re on the southern slope now, so we’re closer to Stonemouth. If the balisekts found you on the top of a mountain, they’re sure to look in a valley with a water source.”

“As much as it leaves a bad taste in my mouth to say it, Cherin’s right,” Zehlyr admitted. “We need to get as far away from here as possible.”

“I agree,” Viyana said. “Everyone get ready. I think if we head northeast we can—”

“No,” Azalea said softly but sternly.

“What is it?” Zehlyr asked.

Azalea turned around, letting her green, sparkling eyes fall upon Zehlyr’s puzzled expression. “I’m not leaving.”

“Not leaving?” Cherin questioned with a smug inflection in his voice. “Why in Lady’s name not?”

“I don’t think that’s wise,” Heeska assured. “Killika
will
send more troops after you. They could be on their way here as we speak.”

“Killika is sending troops after me because he knows what happened to me,” she responded. “He has the answers I’m looking for.”

“Well, the only way to find those answers is to be captured,” Heeska reminded her. “You may learn something, but at the expense of becoming his slave or worse.”

“Heeska’s right,” Zehlyr added. “I know how badly you want answers, but there has to be another way.”

“What other way?” Azalea questioned. She was getting exasperated. “We’ve been trying to find another way for three years.”

Zehlyr was silent. She had him there.

Azalea sighed and looked off to the north. She knew her friends were only looking out for her well-being, just as she knew how drastic and foolish her decision sounded. “I…I can’t stand being a mystery anymore. I don’t even feel real most of the time. It may be drastic, but there’s no other possible way.”

“Azalea,” Heeska said. “I understand your frustration, but I—”

“No, you don’t,” she retorted coldly. “None of you do. You all have a history, a sense of where you came from. You even have family.” She stole a quick glance at Cherin and Zehlyr standing near each other. “Even if you don’t like them.”

Heeska started to say something in response, but a strange sound caused his head to snap around suddenly. A rustling in the shrubbery to the south stole everyone’s attention. Weapons were drawn; Zehlyr inched slowly in the direction of the sound while stringing an arrow into his bow.

“More balisekts?” Viyana asked softly with her sword held tightly in her hands.

“I’m not sure how much more of this I can take,” Cherin said. With his complete lack of combat skills, he didn’t know how many more times he could cheat death.

Zehlyr’s bow creaked and groaned from the tension as he stepped lightly towards the source of the sound. Azalea stood with Viyana near the shore with a small dagger in her hand. There were no more sounds coming from the forest, so this wasn’t another large faction of soldiers. What could be sneaking around like this?

“Come out,” Zehlyr demanded. “Show yourself.”

“Please, don’t hurt us,” a voice said from the bushes. Zehlyr stepped back as Sunrise and Firefly emerged with their hands held over their heads.

“Who are you?” Zehlyr demanded. He didn’t let up on the bow at all, keeping the arrow tip trained on the elf’s chest.

“Please,” Sunrise said calmly. “We mean you no harm. I am Sunrise, and this young faerie with me is Firefly.”

“We are acolytes from the Temple of Tranquility,” Firefly exclaimed. The young faerie glanced over to Heeska who was standing at the water’s edge. “A balisekt!” she shouted in alarm.

“He won’t hurt you,” Azalea reassured.

“I’d be more worried about the human with the bow if I were you,” Heeska said. “He doesn’t look too trusting right now.”

“You said you’re from Tranquility?” Viyana questioned. “You mean the place where the Great Blight ended?”

“Yes,” Sunrise said with a nod.

“I’ve heard that the Temple of Tranquility is massive,” Viyana said.

“Indeed it is,” Sunrise answered. “An enormous structure built atop stone bridges stretching over the water.” He was relieved someone in this group was meeting him with questions instead of outright hostility. He and Firefly had been hiding in the Wilds all night. Finding this small pond had allowed them a chance to find water and rest, but it didn’t offer safety. It had been a long, sleepless night for both of them, and these humans were the first non-threatening group they’d stumbled across. Even though they were obviously far from trusting, they at least seemed more interested in self-preservation than outright violence. 

Firefly fluttered towards the shore where the others stood together. “The Grand Seryan herself sent us here to seek the Sorceress of the Wilds the dwarves had spoken of,” she said. She didn’t see any need to mention that only Sunrise had actually been sent, and she was simply tagging along

“You’re
really
popular,” Cherin said as he glanced over at Azalea.

Zehlyr groaned and glared at his brother. “You idiot!” he shouted.

“Lady be blessed for putting you in our path?” Firefly said. She fluttered over to Azalea and hovered in front of her sparkling, green eyes.

“My name is Azalea,” she said grudgingly.

“It is an honor to meet you,” Firefly said, bowing her head respectfully. “There has been a great deal of talk about you in the Temple.”

As Zehlyr finally loosened the tension on his bow, Sunrise made his way from the shadows to the edge of the water. “Are the stories true?” he asked. “Do you have the power to make things grow at your will?”

This line of questioning made Azalea feel uneasy. She didn’t know these two and, though they weren’t balisekts, she wasn’t sure if she could trust them. “Yes, I suppose,” she answered.

“May we see it?” Firefly asked with wide eyes and a voice full of excitement. “I’d love to see your magic in action.”

“This is not a stage show!” Zehlyr insisted. “She is not here to entertain you.”

Firefly raised her hands beside her face and lowered her head humbly. “Apologies, I meant no disrespect.”

“We’ve just heard so many amazing stories from the dwarves,” Sunrise added. “There are acolytes and even seryans at the Temple from each tribe in the Lands of Order. Our priests from Stonemouth told us of the Sorceress of the Wilds who tends to an enchanted Grove, producing copious amounts of food, even in this drought.”

“It’s not as if I know
how
I can do it,” Azalea said. She was truly becoming tired of all this. “I don’t know how I gained these powers, but the balisekts do.”

“I don’t understand,” Sunrise said.

“The balisekts performed a strange ritual in the Savage Lands north of Meadowgold three years ago,” Viyana exclaimed. “We don’t know what they did, but Azalea was somehow involved. Their ritual infused her with these strange powers.”

“The balisekts did this?” Firefly asked.

Azalea nodded as she looked away. “And now they’re killing innocent dwarves just to get me back.”

“Then it’s a blessing from the Lady that we’ve found you,” Sunrise said. These new insights made the situation direr. Until now, his only hypothesis for the balisekt invasion was that they intended to take the food for themselves. Not only did they know about the Sorceress, they seemed to have had a hand in creating her, and now they had come to take her back. This was no longer a journey of discovery; it was a rescue mission.

“Yes, you found her,” Zehlyr snapped. “But, what do
you
want with her?” He couldn’t help but be protective of Azalea. Could no one else see how much this was hurting her?