The Blade Heir (Book 1) (21 page)

"You were stammering when she touched your arm," Siegfried laughed.

"Well, what about your obstinance? That's very obvious to me!"

"Whatever are you talking about?"

"Your stubbornness over Lumiath's words concerning Father and D'arya. You've said nothing about it since we left Sylvania," Lucius said. Siegfried stopped walking and faced him. Lucius hated to bring this up now, but he could not resist.

"That has nothing to do with the subject at hand."

"I don't want to discuss my supposed feelings for Naomi with you, but I do want to know why you don't believe Lumiath."

"Father is a worshipper of D'arya, and I refuse to believe anything different!" Siegfried yelled. "I care not if a rebellious seer thinks otherwise."

"If he is so rebellious, why did Father send us to him?" Lucius asked, lowering his brow. "Why did he risk his reputation with the Cyngorell by suggesting Lumiath was the seer in Zebulun's prophecy?"

Siegfried inhaled and slowly released his breath. He averted his eyes and gazed at the tree branches overhead for a moment. Lucius fought the impulse to speak, knowing his brother needed time to reflect on the matter, but the awkward silence was excruciating.

"I do not know why Father sent us to Lumiath," Siegfried finally replied. "I can only surmise that the meeting was for your benefit—to know your responsibility as the
Ellyllei
and learn more about Yéwa. Father has been very deliberate in fostering a desire in you to seek the God of men, but that does not mean he has abandoned the worship of D'arya or aligns himself with a heretic."

"But Siegfried—"

"No, Lucius," Siegfried interjected, lifting a palm up at him. "I do not want to talk about this any further. We need to keep moving."

Lucius sagged his shoulders and nodded reluctantly. Siegfried turned around and walked through the thicket and underbrush surrounding the area. Lucius followed resignedly, wondering if his brother would ever agree with him. He believed Lumiath spoke the truth about Helmer's beliefs. Perhaps the only way Siegfried would also believe was if their father acknowledged the seer's revelation. But what if Helmer denied Lumiath's words? Could Siegfried be right and Lumiath be wrong?

Lucius shook his head—he trusted Lumiath and his father trusted the seer too.
My Father is not a heretic; he just knows the truth every elf denies. D'arya is not a god.
But Lucius still didn't understand Yesu's needless death, which kept him from fully trusting Yéwa.

The bright sun peeking through the treetops above moved steadily downward as the late afternoon waned and their trek through the Burning Woods carried on into twilight. Lucius grew bored of seeing the same kinds of trees, fallen leaves, and bushes along their march to the northland. His patience also teetered on edge in the deafening silence of the woods. Crunching leaves underfoot or swaying branches in the breeze were the only sounds heard among the stillness around them. Siegfried had not spoken since their argument, and Lucius wasn't about to open his mouth anytime soon. He rejoiced inwardly when they came upon a new sight in a small clearing, a solitary boulder next to a decaying log. Large white mushrooms adorned the log, and Lucius wondered if they were edible. Hours had passed since their last meal at the cottage, and his stomach growled at the thought of the mushroom pastries Peniel prepared for them back in Evingrad.

"Can we stop for a moment? I'm famished and those mushrooms look delicious," Lucius said, kneeling next to the log.

"You will be disappointed then to know they are Death Caps and quite poisonous," Siegfried said.

Lucius curled his lips and backed away from the log. "What else is there to eat?"

Siegfried smiled and placed his pack on the ground beside the boulder. He opened the pack and pulled out two raw salmon fillets wrapped in paper.

 "If you can start a fire, we can try the salmon Violet caught in the Dulan River. I'm sure it will taste better than a Death Cap," Siegfried said.

"I'll gather some wood," Lucius said. He darted around the clearing collecting twigs and fallen branches. Siegfried arranged some rocks in a circle on the ground to prepare for the campfire. In mere minutes, they both enjoyed the warmth of a roaring fire and the smell of salmon grilling on a wrought iron pan. Lucius cleared the log beside the boulder of all the Dead Caps and dragged it by the fire to sit on. Siegfried sat on the ground cross-legged staring vapidly into the flames. Lucius desired to break the silence between them, but no words came. He caught a glimpse of the darkening clouds moving quickly through the reddish sky and wondered how far they were from Jun-Jun Pass.

"We will not escape the woods before nightfall," Siegfried said, still looking into the dancing firelight.

"But we must," Lucius said, feeling his heart beat faster. "Who knows what evils lie in this woodland, brother. You know the tales of the abominable faeries here."

"I know more than tales, Lucius." Siegfried looked into his eyes and Lucius saw weariness he had never seen before. "We cannot leave this place before I make amends for my crime."

"Crime? What crime?" Lucius asked incredulously.

Siegfried sighed. "When I was but twenty years of age, I came to the Burning Woods with a friend—someone I would now consider a rival. His name was Abelard, eldest son of the Windsong family. We traveled to the woods in search of large game to hunt, like griffins or forest trolls. Being foolish young elves, we wandered into the Burning Woods under the cover of darkness and encountered a band of faeries. The faeries did not see us at first, and Abelard dared me to shoot one from the air with an arrow. At first, I was reluctant, since I knew nothing about faerie folk and did not wish to inflict harm on what I perceived as intelligent beings, but Abelard convinced me they were devilish creatures with inferior minds. He goaded me until my temper flared and I let an arrow loose."

Siegfried shifted his eyes towards the fire once more and his shoulders drooped.

"The arrow found its mark, and one of the faeries fell to the ground. Tinny shrieks erupted among the other faeries, and I distinctly heard them cry, 'our king! Our King Blik has fallen.' From behind our hiding spot in the bushes, I saw the tiny king pinned to the ground by the arrow. The bright light of his body slowly faded until darkness surrounded him. Abelard laughed at the scene while immediate remorse consumed me. The faeries found us and chased us out of the forest. I have not forgotten their vengeful cries nor the sheer horror on King Blik's face as he died in the grass. I killed their king."

"But as you said, Siegfried, you were young and foolish," Lucius said, attempting to console him. "This happened over sixty years ago; surely the faeries will not remember this crime?"

"You are wrong, brother. They do remember, and they know I have come. Faeries hold deep grudges against those who have wronged them, and they have every right to do so in this case."

Lucius swallowed hard and ran a hand through his hair. "How can you be certain they know you are here or that you were the elf who killed Blik?"

Siegfried smiled briefly, an expression that caused Lucius' nape to prickle uncomfortably.

"Why do you think the forest is so quiet, Lucius?" Siegfried asked. "They're watching our every move and keeping the other creatures at bay. When the night comes, they will come for me."

"Then we must get out of here, Siegfried. I will not allow you to be taken by some meddlesome faeries."

"No, Lucius. I am prepared to die to pay for my crime. Please do not interfere with the judgment to come. You must go on to the Grey Swamps alone and find the mithras then meet up with the others."

"This is madness. I am not leaving you here—"

"The fish is cooked," Siegfried said abruptly.

"What?"

"Let us eat now and we will speak of this later," Siegfried said, extending the frying pan with the sizzling salmon to Lucius.

Lucius squinted his eyes and snatched the fish from the pan. "You are impossible."

They both ate in silence while the sky above the clearing slowly grew darker. Lucius occasionally scanned the perimeter of the clearing, searching for any lights or signs of faeries moving in the forest. When Siegfried finished eating, he played a melancholy tune on his telyn and watched the wood burning in the fire. Lucius could not sit idly while his brother resigned himself to whatever punishment might come from the faeries. He stood up and gathered more wood for the fire, including the dead log he'd been sitting on. The gloomy notes of the telyn continued as he strapped on his quiver and grabbed his bow. Lucius stood with his back to the boulder in the clearing and held the bow next to his hip with an arrow nocked. He watched the woods around him, preparing for any attack from faeries or other creatures.

A full moon shone in the night sky above the clearing, providing ample light in the darkness. Siegfried stopped playing his telyn and tried to convince Lucius to leave for the Grey Swamps. He refused, remaining fixed to his post beside the boulder. With a heavy sigh, Siegfried laid down on the grass and closed his eyes. The fire slowly burned until it became a smoldering heap of ash. Lucius leaned his back against the boulder and relaxed his grip on the bow. His arms and legs felt numb from holding the same position for so long, but he remained planted to his spot, focusing on the trees around the clearing. For hours he saw only the branches swaying softly and their subtle shadows on the tree trunks. No lights or sounds from the fabled faeries. In the stillness and darkness, his eyes grew weary and his posture slacked. Several times he jerked himself awake after dosing off for a few seconds. Eventually, his head drooped to his chest and he let sleep overtake him.

SEVENTEEN

Siegfried's Trial

Lucius woke with a start and gripped his bow tight. Darkness surrounded him in the clearing; the moonlight became obscured by clouds. He wasn't certain how long he had slept, but his neck and back felt stiff from leaning against the boulder. A few quick stretches helped the stiffness in his muscles and reduced his drowsiness, but he wondered how much longer he could stay awake and alert. He immediately remembered the
bywydur
. The vial was likely in Siegfried's pack. He walked towards the smoldering campfire to retrieve it and gasped. Siegfried was gone. Lucius quickly turned in every direction, searching for any sign of his brother in the clearing and nearby woods. Nothing in sight except the swaying tree branches. His heart pounded incessantly as questions flooded his mind.

Where is he? Did the faeries capture him? Is he still alive?

Lucius stood motionless, unable to decide on a course of action. He didn't know where to look for Siegfried, trees stretched for miles all around—his brother could be anywhere. Lucius dropped his bow and grabbed Siegfried's abandoned pack on the ground. Inside the pack, he found the vial of
bywydur
and quickly removed the stopper to add a drop of the elixir in his canteen. He placed the vial back in the pack and grabbed one of the extra jerkins Siegfried had purchased in Sylvania. Lucius tore off strips of the jerkin and wrapped them around a thick piece of wood nearby. After strapping on his sword and lighting the torch with the remaining embers of the campfire, Lucius searched the clearing for any visible tracks. His tracking skills were quite modest in comparison to Siegfried's. Frustration easily mounted when he couldn't find any noticeable imprints in the grass near Siegfried's resting spot. He nearly quit looking until he noticed a faint sparkle on the ground next to the boulder. With the torch held low, Lucius discovered a thin layer of glittery powder sprinkled all around the grass below the boulder. Faerie dust. The sparkling dust formed a trail that led from the boulder into the forest. Lucius held the torch low enough to illuminate the faerie trail, following it into the Burning Woods.

He walked in the forest for over a mile along the erratic path the faeries created. As he traversed the woods,  several faerie dust trails converged onto the main path. The more he walked, the more he saw converging trails. Lucius was convinced the trails all connected onto a central route used by the faeries to travel in the forest. He swallowed hard and continued onward, hoping the main path would lead him straight to Siegfried and the faeries' dwelling. The mysterious magic used by the faeries to keep the forest quiet was no longer in effect. Lucius heard hooting owls, chirping crickets, and an unknown creature bellowing softly in the distance. He instinctively clutched the hilt of his sword whenever something rustled in the underbrush, but he ignored the sounds and kept moving.

When he crossed over a fallen tree along the path, he caught a spectacular sight. Thousands of multicolored specks shone brightly in the darkness a few yards ahead of him. He slowed his pace and unsheathed his sword. The torchlight would likely reveal his position to the faeries, but they probably already knew he was coming and he didn't care to hide. The brilliant glow of the faeries intensified as he drew closer. They all seemed to be gathered in a large clearing where they huddled around a large mass, but their intense light obscured the object. Several of the tiny beings flitted around rapidly like hummingbirds as he approached the clearing with his torch and sword held high. When he entered the clearing, the faeries flew around him quickly like a cloud of gnats. Lucius swung his sword and torch at them, but did not land any hits on the faeries. They giggled at his failed attempts and eventually withdrew to perch on the trees encircling the clearing. Lucius scowled at the flying devils, whose glowing bodies illuminated the faerie dust covering every inch of their woodland home.

"Lucius!" Siegfried called out from his left.

Lucius quickly turned and saw his brother standing beside a cluster of tall mushrooms—presumably, the large mass the faeries gathered around earlier. A faerie sat atop the tallest mushroom on what looked to be a wooden throne. A handful of faeries hovered near the mushrooms and next to Siegfried, who stood on a tree stump with his hands tied. He clenched his jaw and glowered when Lucius approached.