Elf Doubt

by Bryant Reil

  “Hey!” Aspen screeched. “Keep away from her!”

  Ori and Juak’s heads lolled toward Aspen, and Juak stumbled over. As he approached, Aspen caught the foul stench from his breath.

  “This one’s awake, Ori! She ain’t bad, either.”

  Ori snapped his teeth. “Better. Better. Get her out.”

  Aspen inched away form the door of the cage, though there was nowhere to go. Juak fumbled at the crude lock before smacking at it and cursing.

  “We need to break it open. Ceiba’s got the key.”

  “Break it? We’ll wake him.”

  “Nah. Nah. I done this a million times. Just-just get me something to pry it.”

  “Can you pick it?”

  “Nah. Nah. Just pry it. Get me that - uh, you got a sword, right?”

  Ori nodded and wandered off. Aspen squeezed against the back of the cage, trying to press her way between the bars, but her hips were too wide. Her heart pounded, and she curled onto the bottom of the cage with her arms protectively covering her face.

  “Get away from her!” Eunoe screamed. “Touch her and I’ll rip your eyes out and shove them so far up your chutes you can see what you had for dinner!”

  Ori laughed. “That one’s awake, she’s awake, no more pretending. Maybe we can take both of ‘em? One for food and one for fun.”

  “Yeah, we’ll take both.” Juak grabbed the sword and started prying at Aspen’s lock. “You go calm the other one down.”

  Ori walked back to Eunoe’s cage, but as he peered through the bars he froze. Aspen supposed he must have looked into her eyes, and she’d caught him in her entrancing gaze. Juak, busy with Aspen’s lock, didn’t notice as Eunoe’s hands slowly reached around Ori’s neck. Aspen had never seen her strangle anyone while putting them in a trance and thought it might snap him out of it. Before it became an issue, however, another bandit, a black feline sort, stepped from the darkness and slapped Ori across the head, which shook him from his trance. Eunoe’s hands withdrew into the cage.

  “What’re you doing?” the feline fellow spat. “Ceiba said don’t touch ‘em.”

  Ori shook himself. “She-she hypnotized me! Witch caught me in her gaze and was trying to strangle me.”

  Juak’s sword, which he was using to pry Aspen’s lock, slipped from his hand and sprang back so the hilt struck his face with a whap. He cursed and pressed his hand over his eye.

  The feline charged over. “You, too? Idiot. Not gonna be worth anything if you put your sticky drumsticks on her.”

  “She hit me in the eye! I was just…just looking.”

  “With a sword?”

  The two bickered on, but Aspen’s attention shifted as she saw a slight, barely visible shadow moving near Kyla’s cage. At first Aspen thought it might be another bandit, trying to steal Kyla away in the commotion, but she soon realized it was Kyla, who had wormed her way halfway through the bars. No one was looking her way now, but she’d be caught if either Juak or the feline bothered to turn their heads.

  Aspen had to buy her a chance to escape. She needed to touch ground, so stuck her feet through the bars of the cage and planted her heels into the soil. Roots grew from the soles of her feet, which always tickled, and dug into the ground. The soil here was shallow with dense clay underneath, so she couldn’t go deep, but it was enough. Her skin became rough and hard, and her bones straightened and popped as she grew. The cage around her snapped, and Juak and the feline stopped arguing and looked up as she towered above. Bark grew over her eyes so she could no longer see, but her root system could feel their vibrations. They were not moving, and silent, though their hearts beat faster.

  Though she could no longer see, she could still hear.

  “What kind of magic is this?” That sounded like Ori.

  Juak responded. “She’s a dryad, idiot.”

  “Then why’d Ceiba put her in a cage?”

  “I dunno. He doesn’t tell me everything.”

  “Well, now what? I can’t stop a tree from running away.”

  “Trees don’t run, idiot. If she turns back to flesh, stab her!”

  There was a vibration from Ceiba’s hut, followed by his loud and angry voice. “Where’s the elf?”

  There was a panic, and the feeling of guards running about the camp. The shouts and curses proved Kyla’s escape. To Aspen’s relief they sounded unsuccessful. After a few minutes, she heard Ceiba shout into the jungle.

  “I’m killing one of them at sunrise if you don’t come back!”

  He sounded angry, but Aspen could feel the slight tremors in his voice and the increase in his heartbeats which told her that, for whatever reason, he was afraid.

  ***

  Kyla didn’t know if it was luck, or if Aspen had seen her trying to escape and provided a distraction, but this was a perfect opportunity to run. She dove below Ceiba’s elevated hut and snatched her bag just as the bandit leader tromped from his bed. She dashed into the trees, moving as swiftly as she dared in the pitch black of the night jungle. Her experience with Erebus had given her some confidence in maneuvering in the dark.

  She could hear shouting and commotion from the camp, but they weren’t getting any closer, so she stooped low and sifted through the bag until she felt the smooth light orb that Aura had once given her. She wrapped it in her shirt over her stomach, so she could see forward without letting too much light out that would give away her position. She waited until she could no longer see the light of the bandits’ fire before tapping it on.

  The sudden light illuminated a snake wrapped around a tree branch in front of her. She swallowed a scream and moved beyond it. Odd-looking bugs decorated the ground and leaves, and she considered turning the light off as she had been more comfortable in the dark. But a threat from Ceiba convinced her to keep moving. He said he was going to kill someone at sunrise. She didn’t have much time.

  Scrambling through a wall of ferns, she came upon a narrow path that looked like it had been hacked clear of overgrowth. That was a good find. Perhaps a hunting trail. Ceiba did have a human in his band - perhaps this led to the human village. If she could find it, perhaps she could contact the Withers in Whitehall, and have them take a message to Denzig. The dragon would make short work of Ceiba.

  In case this didn’t go anywhere useful, what then? An air spirit? There wasn’t any wind below the jungle canopy. There must be nymphs, or satyrs, or some other sorts taking care of this jungle. Where might they be? Was that the ciguapas’ job? If Kyla could find them, she could put a quick end to this accursed assignment.

  She hadn’t eaten well, nor slept, and soon became fatigued from running and squatted on the path for a breather. She looked around, hoping for a light, a sound, anything that might lead her to help.

  She smelled a clue before she saw or heard anything. Smoke. Faint, and obscured by the dank jungle aroma of wet soil and decomposing foliage. She couldn’t tell the direction of the source but continued along the trail.

  It was not a human village she came to, but rather a hut carved into a tree. Smoke rose from a crooked chimney made from clay, and a small candle flickered in a window. This was not a familiar design for an elf home. Still, she was in a foreign land, and it wasn’t unreasonable that elves in the jungle might do things a bit differently.

  She crept to a window and peered inside. The candlelight was overpowered by her orb, which revealed an array of roots, herbs, bottles, and a mortar and pestle on a shelf under the window. In the center of the room was a table, and on the table a body. It was not an elf. It was a pale woman, with skin nearly white, and four arms. Was the woman asleep? No. Kyla’s light caught a crimson rivulet as it dripped from the table into a puddle on the floor.

  Kyla stepped back from the window. Had the woman been murdered? Was the killer still around? Perhaps it had been the bandits, and they had left her body. Should she go inside?

  Dread filled her, and she looked around, hoping no one was stalking her. She needed to go inside. If nothing else, t
here might be supplies or weapons she could use to free the others.

  A voice answered.

  “Hello!”

  Kyla checked the body on the table again to see if it had moved, but it had not.

  “Up here!”

  She looked up, but from this angle couldn’t see the ceiling, where the voice seemed to originate.

  “I’m up here. Could use a hand.”

  The voice sounded both angry and desperate. The killer? A trap? Kyla pulled a cooking knife from her bag. She slowly opened the door. She held her light aloft and looked up as she stepped inside. There, stuck to the ceiling, was a man with pale skin and four arms. He was fastened with webbing to the high ceiling.

  “Who are you?” she asked. “Did you kill this woman?”

  “I’m Handrin. The woman is my aunt. And no, I’m not the one who killed her.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Undine Love and Jungle Fever

  Can you hear me?

  Marik’s thought burst into Carmin’s head as her eyes were fixed on a pair of white and gold fish with pointed snouts. The reef teemed with color and movement, and the fish let her get close before darting away.

  The breathing mask was tight on her face and the air tasted stale as she inhaled, but other than that she was quite comfortable. The water was cool on her skin and so clear she could see straight to the ocean floor. She rolled onto her back, floated halfway to the surface, and watched the sun ripple through the waves as her hair drifted in the current.

  I said, can you hear me?

  Yes, she thought back. The telepathy potion hadn’t been as strong as she’d expected. She had to force her thoughts out for Marik to hear. Useful, in that no one could read another’s stray thoughts, but too much talking was going to give her a headache.

  Carmin looked downward at Hajar, who was watching something scuttle in the sand. Marik was still resentful she had come along. Why couldn’t he have a bit more patience? They had plenty of time to be alone later.

  Of course, maybe that’s what he had thought before she’d died on him, and he wanted to spend the time with her while he knew he had the chance. She had to remember that, while this world seemed new to her, she was not new to him. With most of her memories gone, she wasn’t the person he’d known before, and he needed time to get to know her again. Here, at least for a few minutes, they could satisfy both needs.

  Marik! Look! Carmin pointed to a manta ray swimming overhead. To the right a sea turtle glided over a tower of pink coral.

  His reply was not helpful. We need to hurry. Hajar, move it.

  Hajar swam just above the sea floor, looking at each seahorse and crab that happened by. It was slowing them terribly. Marik strode over to her in long, slow leaps.

  What are you looking at? he inquired. His tone was kinder. At least he was trying.

  She looked up and smiled. I don’t know! She looked back down at a group of yellow and blue sea anemones, drawing her fingers over them as close as she might without touching.

  Take a good look but don’t take too long! Marik urged with a pleasant lilt.

  Oh! Of course. I can look on the way back. Right behind you.

  Marik and Hajar swam ahead, weaving through the reef. Carmin went nearer the surface for a wider view. Even from here she couldn’t see a sign of the Undine, though Marik seemed to know where he was going. She wasn’t sure how, as he hadn’t mentioned being here before.

  Right at the shipwreck, he thought aloud.

  Ahead was a large metal vessel carpeted in algae. Three or four merfolk were swimming about it. At first she though they were scavengers, but as she swam closer she saw they were children playing. A shark swam past, frightening Carmin with its size and black eyes, but the children paid it little attention.

  Children, Carmin projected to Marik, though he must have seen them. We must be close.

  Yes. Just beyond the shelf.

  She didn’t know what he meant by ‘shelf’ until she neared the drop-off. The relatively shallow waters dropped into blackness, a frightening change from the teeming, colorful life of the reef. The dark expanse opened, wanting to swallow her in, and Carmin stopped swimming and pulled back. She could see what she assumed to be the Undine: a towering cone of coral cut and polished into a fine trellis. Blue and white lights floated inside. The top of the Undine was clearly visible, where the sun could still penetrate, but it disappeared in the depths, like a skeletal tongue sticking out of a great throat.

  I shall wait here. She was barely able to focus enough to get the thought out.

  Marik’s tone was impatient. Nonsense. You’ve come all this way. We’re nearly there.

  Oh, please do come! Hajar pleaded.

  Carmin sighed, which lost much of its effect through the mask. She would go to keep Hajar company. She swam downward to meet them as they crossed from the reef’s teeming waters over the steep drop of the lifeless shelf.

  Lifeless, that is, until the they swam through one of the many openings of the Undine’s outer shell.

  What began as a dark tunnel soon turned into a colorfully-lit commotion of activity, and Carmin immediately rejoiced that she had decided to come along. Blue bioluminescent jellyfish hovered throughout a market of merfolk, nereids, and other sea-creatures, casting a blue light that blended with the pink lights of glowing corals set at most of the merchant booths. Jewelry decorated most of the displays, and carved coral set with pearls were abundant. There was a din of bartering, and chatter, and mothers calling for lost children, though no mouths moved. All the communications were created by thought, so that to someone not under the influence of the potion, it would be a rather silent commotion.

  Come! See your fortune!

  A charming brown-haired mermaid waved at her from the narrow doorway of a tent of hanging seaweed. As she passed similar calls were made, offering various methods of divination to enlighten her on her future life and love. Fortune-telling seemed a thriving business here. She was curious but Marik dodged determinedly through the crowd, and it took all her focus not to lose him. He did, at least, turn back from time to time to make sure she was there.

  Lilan’s Cross. Marik pointed at a sign. That’s where we need to go.

  They were at the edge of the market now, and to Carmin’s dismay, this street went downward. The pretty jellyfish and coral lights of the market were replaced by plain yellow orbs that lit the road.

  Down, he continued, until we get to Starpoint Exit. The store is called ‘The Wishing Well’. Keep an eye open. Not the friendliest part of town.

  ***

  Kyla searched the room for anything soft and piled her findings next to the table.

  “If you don’t mind the question, was it giant spiders that did this?” she asked. “I saw an awful lot of huge bugs on the way over here. And, you know, I hate to bring this up right now, but I’m in a bit of a panic, because some bandits kidnapped my friends and I came for help, but they shouted out that they’ll kill one of them in the morning if I don’t go back. I could sure use some help.”

  “Ceiba’s men?” Handrin growled. “Got my own reason to take them down. I can help you, if you help me. For starters, help me down.”

  “Working on it.” Kyla grabbed the woman on the table by one of her right arms and pulled. “Heavier than she looks,” she grunted. She pulled with her weight and the body slid off the side of the table and landed on the pile of rags and towels and blankets with a sickening slump.

  “Do you have a ladder?” Kyla asked

  “No. Just pile some chairs.”

  There were three in the room. Kyla placed one in the center of the table, climbed up, and pulled up the other two.

  “You know Ceiba?” she wondered as she tried to balance the second chair on top of the first. “You aren’t a friend of his, are you?”

  “Not anymore. His fault my aunt was killed.”

  “Oh? She was murdered?”

  “Yes. By the ciguapa, actually, but Ceiba put them up to it. Th
ought I wouldn’t figure it out. Yes, that looks sturdy enough. Just put the knife in your mouth as you climb.”

  Kyla held the blade of her knife between her teeth as she scaled the tower of chairs.

  “See those beads of fluid on the web?” Handrin asked as she perched on the top of her stack and pulled the knife from her mouth. “Avoid them. That’s where it sticks.”

  Kyla nodded and found a dry section of web to begin cutting. “I’m sorry about your aunt. Why would he have her killed?”

  “She threatened him. Said he was killing the trees.”

  “Yeah. That’s what my friend Aspen said. She’s a dryad, so she’d know.”

  “You don’t have to stop cutting when you talk. Anyway, a group of Ceiba’s men captured and killed one of the ciguapa. Not an easy feat to catch one. Dropped the body just outside my aunt’s door. And you know the ciguapa. No investigation, no questions. They kicked in the front door and my aunt tossed me up here with this spell before they saw me. Too bad, because I could have protected her.”

  “You’re a warrior?”

  “More of a bureaucrat. Used to work for the government. But I’ve got my talents.”

  “You should be able to squeeze out now.” Kyla’s wrist was already sore from cutting the thick web. “Let me just climb down and get the table and chairs out of the way.”

  Climbing down proved more challenging than climbing up, so she tossed the knife to the floor and carefully lowered herself. At the bottom, she pushed the stack of chairs to the floor – away from Handrin’s aunt – and slid the table to the side of the room.

  “The fall might hurt a bit,” she warned. “I know a guy who can freeze time. Is your ability something like that?”

  “Oh? A rare gift. He worked for the government, too?”

  “Nah. He drives the coach from my house to Equinox.”

  Handrin laughed, though there wasn’t much amusement in it. “He told you he can freeze time? King Oberon’d snatch him up. He wouldn’t be driving a coach.”

  “He can! I saw him do it. He didn’t freeze me, you see. I guess he can pick who gets frozen and who doesn’t. We were attacked by bandits, and they were going to kill him, and then they all froze, and then he was going to kill them! But I stopped him.”