by Simon Archer
I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and narrowed my vision in on the animals. I noticed that they, like Bernsten and my other companions, were carrying swords and other weapons, though they were rougher around the edges than the kingdom elves’. I heard a roar off to my side and saw Nadeine rush out of the other tent, new sword in hand, screaming and launching herself at the animals scratching at the tent. Marinka followed hesitantly, holding her own sword up in front of her face in an awkward position.
I shifted my gaze back to Bernsten and realized he was over-matched. I stumbled forward, turned around to create a makeshift mage’s circle in the dirt, and ran through all of the offensive combat spells I knew in my head.
I selected a spell that would create a giant toppling mace and reached out my arms. Before I even started humming this time, my new cello appeared in my grasp, and I found myself in a seated position. I put the bow to the string and began to play the appropriate diatonic scale. Quicker than I was expecting but still not as fast as I wanted it, the golden particles of light appeared, illuminating the still rather dark forest around me, and coming together to form a large mace covered in spikes of varying lengths.
The mace leaned backward and then toppled forwards, falling on the animals that were clustered around Bernsten. They let out a chorus of shrieks and clambered off before the mace could come down on them again, running in Nadeine and Marinka’s direction. I stopped playing, causing the mace to dissolve before it lurched backward again and fell on my friend. Bernsten, who had been obscured under the animals and thus safe from the mace’s blow, crawled back to a standing position. His face was covered in scratch marks, and blood was dripping down his pale skin, but nonetheless, he raised his sword and followed after our adversaries.
I looked over at my other companions. Nadeine, though an accomplished swordsman, was not faring well against the animals. They were going after her and Marinka aggressively, a strange blur of pink skin and fur of varying colors. They alternated between attacking with their weapons and with their own clawed hands, and while Nadeine was faring better than Bernsten had, she was struggling to stay upright. Marinka was sulking behind her, striking at the animals when one crossed her path. She got one or two good blows in but was clearly overmatched.
I selected another spell and started playing the appropriate tune, a single variation on a harmonic scale. The golden particles reappeared and assembled themselves to form a wide, asymmetrical blade, kind of like a machete. It swished back and forth quickly in the air and descended upon the mob of animals attacking my friends. Some of the animals fell to the ground, shrieking as they went. The rest dispersed with haste back into the forest, leaving my team alone once again in the clearing aside from the bodies of the animals that had been killed.
Bernsten, who had not quite made it to the other tent to assist Nadeine and Marinka and had stayed back at the appearance of my spell, was panting heavily. Marinka let her sword fall to the ground out of her shaking hands. Nadeine fell to the ground herself, her knees giving out. The sounds of all of our ragged breath echoed throughout the clearing.
“What were those things?” I finally asked, breaking the silence.
“I told you,” Nadeine said, staring off in the direction that the animals had dispersed into the trees. “They are a rabid, uncivilized people.” I gaped at her.
“Those were the forest elves?” I asked sharply, incredulous. Bernsten nodded, wiping some of the beads of blood off his face, smearing his hand with streaks of red.
“Indeed, Leo Hayden,” he said, still short of breath. “Though I have never seen them before, they certainly are far worse than I could have even imagined.”
“I… I mean,” I stammered, trying to find the words. “They don’t look like you.”
“I should think not,” Nadeine snapped, indignant.
“I mean...” I said quickly. “I just mean they don’t look anything like elves. I mean… they look like animals.”
“They are animals,” Nadeine spat out, pressing her hands into the dirt and rising slowly, leaning against a nearby tree trunk.
“I just… how?” I asked, staring blankly out into the forest. None of this made any sense to me.
“The forest elves are shapeshifters, Leo,” Marinka said even more softly than usual, her voice shaking. “They assume the bipedal form of many of the forest’s animals. They are elves, but they are also animals. By the time they have completed adolescence, any given forest elf will have settled on one particular form and assume it for the rest of their lives.” I continued to gape at this news.
“Horrible, nasty creatures,” Nadeine snarled, hitting the tree trunk in frustration. “I should have expected as much.”
“But Sister,” Bernsten said carefully. “We were taught that the forest elves were non-confrontational. That they would leave us be so long as we did not disturb them.”
“Clearly that is incorrect,” Nadeine snapped, turning on Bernsten.
“The historical records cannot all be incorrect, my friend,” Marinka said gently, reaching out to touch Nadeine’s forearm in an attempt to calm her. Nadeine closed her eyes tightly and breathed in deep.
“Then something has changed,” she said with an exaggerated exhale.
“Viktor?” I asked, stepping forward out of my makeshift mage’s circle for the first time since the forest elves’ attack.
“I am afraid that must be the answer,” Nadeine said, clenching and unclenching her fists.
“The forest elves would never engage in battle willingly before,” Marinka explained, turning to me. “They stayed out of the fray as much as possible even during the war between our people and the mountain elves, which was fought here in their forest.”
“They certainly seemed to know how to fight to me,” I said, looking over at one of the fallen forest elves, sprawled out on the ground and still clinging to a rough, long dagger.
“Indeed, this is true, Leo,” Marinka said. “But the forest elves have always been accomplished fighters. They have never had access to magic, or to the advanced technology of the mountain elves. Melee battle is all they know, and they are excellent at it. But according to our historical records, they always acted defensively, not offensively. They were never known to strike unprovoked as they did tonight.”
“Then Viktor must have gotten to them,” Bernsten said, his voice firm and his face turning stoic as it had when I had fought him at the training grounds. “And our path forward through the forest will be a difficult one by consequence.”
“I mean, we got rid of them pretty quickly,” I said, looking around us into the trees as if I expected another legion of forest elves to come screeching out and attack us again.
“This is true,” Nadeine said, nodding at me. “Though the forest elves are accomplished fighters, your magic made quick work of them, Leo. We are fortunate to have you by our sides.” Marinka and Bernsten both nodded in agreement.
“So,” I said. “I don’t see why we have to change anything. We’ll keep traveling towards the center, and we’ll take out anyone who attacks us.”
“Had you woken up even a moment later, my friend, I may not have escaped in quite so good of shape,” Bernsten said, and he looked nervous.
“The forest elves were frightened at the sight of Leo’s magic, Bernsten,” Marinka said, walking forward and taking his arm now. “Word will spread through the forest. They will be more hesitant to attack us next time.”
“I hope you are right,” Bernsten said, but he didn’t look very confident.
“Leo is right. We have no choice,” Nadeine said, setting her jaw with a newfound resolve. “We must press forward. Leo will overcome our opponents. Clearly, though I take great pride in our kingdom’s military, it has not done well enough in preparing us for our foes.”
“The forest elves have had thousands of years to hone their melee skills, Nadeine,” Marinka said, turning back to her. “We have only had a few short centuries. It makes sense that they would prove the
mselves to be our superiors in battle.” Nadeine nodded solemnly. “Especially when they had the advantage of numbers on their side.”
“All the more reason for us to regain our magic,” she said. “And thus, for us to press on with our journey.” We all nodded in agreement and came together around the firepit to eat our breakfast. There was no question of attempting to go back to sleep.
15
Viktor
“How fared the assault on the kingdom elves?” I snapped at my servant before he even made it all the way through the door.
“I… I’m afraid it was unsuccessful, Sir,” the wiry forest elf muttered, bracing for the coming blow. Sure enough, rage bubbled up inside of me, and I picked up my chair and hurled it at him, crying out in frustration.
“What?” I hollered, watching as the young man clambered out of the way and rubbed his hands together, pulling his own fingers at the socket in a fit of anxiety.
“The mage, Sir,” he muttered, his voice characteristically soft and stilted. “His abilities were beyond what we anticipated. He was able to stave off our attack.” I cried out in frustration again, but then stretched my neck every which way, opened and closed my mouth, and composed myself.
“It is no matter,” I said, beginning to pace around the room, and I waved off the servant who sighed in audible relief. “He will not progress much further. He is new to his craft and unseasoned. And the kingdom elves have never truly recovered from when I took their precious magic. The forest is long and large and full of beings who are loyal to me. They are weeks from reaching the edge and this fortress. They will never survive even to reach the center.” I turned and eyed my servant in anticipation of his reaction.
“Yes, yes,” he murmured, rubbing his hands together. “Of course, Sir. You are right, as always. They will not progress much further.”
“Well,” I said, looking at him pointedly.
“Yes, sir?” he asked, hesitant.
“What are you going to do about it?” I snarled.
“Yes, Sir,” he stammered. “Of course, Sir. I will send word to order another attack. But...” His voice trailed off, and his eyes darted around the room as if looking for someone to help him. But there was no one else there.
“Yes?” I asked, my voice trending upwards with a false sense of politeness.
“But, Sir…” he continued. “I… it is just that… well…” He seemed to make a decision. “It took days for word of this attack’s failure to reach us. By the time we order another one, the kingdom elves and their new mage may be approaching the center.”
“Then make sure that our people are waiting there for them,” I snarled, reaching for the chair again and getting ready to hurl it at my incompetent servant.
“Yes, Sir. Yes, Sir,” the servant stammered, jumping out of the way and reaching for the door. “I will do as you wish, Sir. The kingdom elves will not make it to the center. I will see to it, Sir.”
“Good,” I snarled, calling after him as he left. The door shut behind him, creaking on its hinges, and I turned back to the thin window overlooking the forest from my wooden fortress on the outermost edge of the forest. In the distance, I could see through the last trees in the forest, all the way to the giant gray mountains looming behind the fortress, obscuring the sky.
This mage would not overcome my power. I had worked too long and too hard to allow that to happen.
I set my chair back up in front of my small table and began to eat again, as I had been before my insufferable servant had disturbed me. I ate with my fingers, picking up long, bloody strips of rabbit meat and swallowing them whole. Though this defeat angered me, I was unconcerned. My plan was rock solid, and my reach extended far wider than the kingdom elves could ever have anticipated. My servant was correct.
They would never reach the center.
16
Over the next several days of our travels, the forest elves left us alone. We figured it must be because my magic scared them off. Bernsten, in particular, was relieved. The forest elves had really spooked him.
We had traveled largely unobstructed since the attack, successfully foraging for food and water, and setting up sturdy shelters in the evenings. I had even been learning some advanced combat spells, though I had yet to practice them since we’d been so busy and worn out from our journey.
Even though our quest was tiring, it was also kind of fun. The forest was, as I had noticed previously, teeming with life. Though the forest elves had been alarming, the rest of the region’s inhabitants had proven rather cute and friendly. We came across a lot of rabbits, which were a good source of food, as well as plenty of chipmunks, squirrels, and deer, not to mention the forest’s extensive bird population.
Having grown up in New York City, this was all pretty new to me. I’d never been camping or been in the Boy Scouts or anything, and the closest I’d ever really been to nature was Central Park. I’d found that I quite liked the outdoors, probably because all the hard parts of camping were taken care of by my magic, which continued to provide us with shelter, and I also used it to assist in hunting and cooking our food.
One night, about halfway through our journey to the center of the forest, we came across a deer that had fallen into one of the forest elves’ traps and died but had yet to be collected. We took it for ourselves and set up camp nearby.
After setting up the campsite, I settled myself back in the circle I had drawn in the dirt beneath my feet, and my cello reappeared. I sat down and began to play the E minor scale variation for setting a fire. Golden light appeared in the firepit around the coals Bernsten had placed there, and soon the golden light was encompassed by bright red flames. I finished the scale with a flourish of my bow, and the magical light fell away, leaving behind it the light from the flames.
I switched to an A-minor scale variation, and the deer Nadeine and Bernsten had set by the firepit rose up into the air, encompassed by golden light, and began to rotate on a spit made of the same magical light. I rotated through the scale several times as the deer cooked, delicious smells wafting throughout the clearing around us. Bernsten rubbed his hands together and exaggeratedly licked his chops in anticipation.
The deer was cooked relatively quickly, the pace of its cooking sped up by my magic. I played another spell, based on an A major scale this time, and the golden spit transformed into a set of cooking knives that chopped the meat into fine steaks and settled them on a plate over the firepit. I stood as my cello disappeared into the distance and walked over to sit around the fire with my companions to eat. Bernsten reached for the meat as soon as he sat down.
“Argh,” he cried out, raising his freshly burnt fingers to his mouth and sucking on them.
“Well done, Brother,” Nadeine said dryly, rolling her eyes.
“You’d think you would’ve figured out not to do that by now, Buddy,” I said, patting my friend on the back and chuckling.
“Indeed, Leo Hayden,” Bernsten said, continuing to suck on his fingers, which were blistering. “You are correct. I must learn. But I am certain I will not.” He winked at me and reached for the meat again, this time with a pair of tongs from his pack.
“Of course you will not,” Nadeine said, grinning at him. “Why would you do such a sensible thing?”
“Ah, life is best lived on the edge, so they say, dear Sister,” Bernsten said, taking a large bite out of his steak.
“Who says this, exactly?” Nadeine asked, reaching for her own slice of meat.
“The people who enjoy life, of course,” Bernsten cried, his voice booming through the clearing. “Is this not true, Leo Hayden, my friend?”
“I’ve always heard that, actually,” I said, smiling.
“You subscribe to this philosophy as well, Leo?” Nadeine asked, shooting me a skeptical look.
“Not exactly,” I said, meeting her gaze. “But the people I know who do tend to have a lot more fun than me, so why not start?”
“That is the correct attitude, my friend,” Ber
nsten said, slapping me between the shoulder blades in his characteristic gesture of friendship and familiarity.
We enjoyed our dinner, continuing to joke around and poke fun at one another until it was time for bed. I had the last watch that night, so I was looking forward to a full night of straight sleep.
I fell asleep quickly, my belly bursting full of food as if I was still dining at the royal castle, and had dreams full of magic and swords and elves and princesses. Before I knew it, though, Nadeine was shaking me awake and passing off the pocket watch and sending me outside to stand guard over our campsite. Though I was sleepy, I was also well-rested, and I leaned back on my arms to enjoy the sunrise and the sounds of the birds waking and beginning their songs.
Though we couldn’t see the sky through the thick branches of the forest’s many trees, some sunlight still crept in during the day, affording our surroundings with a muted reddish hue of light that somehow made the nature around us even more beautiful.
About halfway through my watch, I heard a rustling sound emanating from the trees beside me. I didn’t think much of it since so many animals made such noises in the forest, though it was louder, and the animal seemed larger than the ones I usually heard. The sound continued over the next several minutes, and I began to pay better attention to it. After one particularly loud noise, I rose and moved to cross the clearing over to the source of the noise.
Before I had the time to react, a blur of auburn fur rushed past me and made a beeline for the deer meat hanging in a pack on a branch over the firepit. The animal slashed its claws at the pack, and the rope broke, releasing the pack and its contents into the animal’s arms. It moved to scurry back into the forest, but I lunged in front of it. Unfortunately, the animal anticipated my attack and jumped nimbly out of the way, scurrying off into the forest.