by Jamie Davis
“Manners and rules, got it. It still would have been nice to have a bath, too.”
“Oh, my goodness, Hal, stop complaining. You were extended hospitality, even if you were confined to this cottage. Be gracious Bronwyn took us in when Ragnar sent us here. She could have refused. We would have been captured by the Emperor’s mage hunters for sure. Remember that.”
“I’ll be good. I’m just saying it would be nice to know what was going on for a change.”
“That’s a luxury we don’t often get in life. Come on. Bronwyn is waiting.”
Hal followed Kay from his forest cottage prison. The guards waited for them and formed up in front and behind them and led them down the path into the forest. Hal resisted the urge to make a snarky comment. He’d promised Kay he’d be good.
Once again, the path they traveled wound and twisted through the trees until Hal was thoroughly lost. He thought maybe they’d take him back to the original clearing. Instead, they ended up walking up to a tall, thin spire, rising above the surrounding trees. The guards led them up to the base of the spire where an iron-bound double door offered the only entry he could see.
The guards took positions beside the door and Kay reached up and pushed it open.
“We are going upstairs to Bronwyn’s private rooms. Remember to let me do most of the talking. I think I can convince her to take you on as a student but first, we need her to fix whatever you did to break your magic.”
Hal pretended to zip his mouth shut and throw away the key. Kay rolled her eyes and led him inside. One of the guards reached around and pulled the door closed once the two of them entered the base of the spire.
A spiral staircase led upward from the entry room. There was also a single wooden bench along the wall with pegs mounted above it with a few cloaks hanging on it.
Kay sat down and pulled off her boots.
“Take off your boots. It’s rude to wear shoes indoors here.”
“Ah, Japanese rules, then.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing,” Hal replied as he pulled off his boots. “Lead on. Let’s get this over with.”
Kay started up the spiral stairs and Hal followed.
They passed through several rooms on their way up the inside of the spire. One of them looked like alchemy or potion lab, complete with liquid of different colors bubbling within glass beakers and tubes on the tables around the room. Hal, intrigued by the setup, wanted to inspect the room some more but Kay shot him a glance when he started to say something to the two silent elven attendants working in the lab.
They finally reached the audience chamber where Bronwyn sat on a silver throne, set with a green, cushioned backrest and seat. The elf princess wore a similar white robe to what she’d worn the day before when Hal arrived. The delicate silver tiara encircled her brow.
Kay led him across the room to stand a few feet from the raised throne. Hal followed Kay’s lead and when she offered a deep curtsy to their hostess. Hal tried to deliver a formal bow, bending at the waist and sweeping a hand in a broad arc to the floor.
He wasn’t sure if he pulled it off successfully or not. Bronwyn’s expression did not change when she addressed him.
“I did not agree with Tildi’s decision to bring you here the first time, Hal Dix. She bullied us into assisting her with her plan, something she often tries to do.”
“If it’s any comfort to you, the first time I came, I didn’t give permission to be sent here, either.”
“Indeed. Yet here you are on what, your third trip to Fantasma? Why did your return twice more to a place where you did not want to be?”
Judging from Kay’s expression, he was treading on thin ice here. Hal decided to be concise and honest in his response to the question.
“The first time I returned to your world, I came because of a friend. Kay needed rescue.”
“And the reason for this journey?” Bronwyn’s face remained impassive and unreadable as she asked the question.
“The Emperor sent his minions to my home and took my family.”
Silence.
Hal watched the elf’s eyes for some sign of a response. It was as if a master sculptor carved her face from unyielding ivory.
He opened his mouth to explain more but stopped himself. This was a test to see if he would volunteer information she could use against him in some way. He wasn’t sure why she wanted to trip him up, but he was sure his assessment was correct.
Hal closed his mouth and adopted an impassive glare of his own, remaining silent. He was unsure how long he and Kay stood facing Bronwyn without speaking. After what seemed like interminable minutes passed, it was the elf princess who spoke first.
“The message from Tildi did not relay this information about your family. She only said you had returned and I would be required to teach you the ways of earth magic. Tildi is — well that old woman can be — shall we say, caustic?”
“That is a good way to put it,” Hal agreed.
“You realize your family is likely already sold into slavery. That is the way Kang handles the families of his adversaries.”
“It is my hope to use a scrying stone given to me by Tildi to see my family and verify they are well. I am unable to cast that particular spell with my current abilities.”
“You are unable to cast any spells at all after your foolish actions in the Northland. Princess Kareena informed me about what you did. I must admit it was an admirable effort to save the escaping tribe from the threat.”
“I couldn’t stand by and do nothing.”
“No, I do not suppose you could.”
Bronwyn slid forward on her throne; her back held ramrod straight as she moved. Pushing her sleeves up her arms to expose the alabaster skin underneath only a shade darker than her pure white garments.”
“Approach so I may delve you and determine what you have done to yourself.”
Hal shuffled forward, uncertain if he should kneel or wait for her to stand. When Bronwyn didn’t rise, Hal went down to one knee and leaned towards the elven princess. She placed her delicate fingertips on either side of his head. The power of her grip on his head surprised him.
He heard her breathing become deeper and more even and he sensed a tickle in the back of his mind. It was something he couldn’t touch but it was there just out of reach inside his brain.
The tickle became a vibration, increasing in intensity over time until he could no longer remain silent. Letting out a gasp, Hal tried to pull away, but Bronwyn pressed inward, increasing the pressure of her grip on his head. She let out a gasp of her own when he tried to move and hissed at Hal.
“Hold still. I’m almost finished. If you break the connection now, it will destroy your mind.”
The vibration inside his head had reached the point it was rattling his teeth. A low, guttural groan rose up from his chest.
Health damage: Health -12
“Stop it, Bronwyn,” Kay shouted. “You’re hurting him.”
“Almost there.”
“Ahhhhhhrrrggg.” Hal couldn’t respond in coherent words anymore no matter how he tried.
Health damage: Health -16
“Almost there.”
“Bronwyn, there’s blood coming from his ears.” Kay’s voice sounded distant to Hal, echoing as if at the end of a tunnel.
“Almost th— Yes!” Bronwyn released Hal’s head and he collapsed to the floor, his breathing coming in heaving gasps.
“It is done, though I’m not sure how you managed to damage yourself in that way.”
Hal rolled over and stared at the ceiling of the audience chamber. He was drained. He’d never run a marathon, but he imagined this would be how one felt at the end.
“Wh-what did you do?” Hal croaked through a parched throat.
“There is a place inside each of us that allows a connection to the power coursing through the whole universe. Some are more attuned to it than others and those may become a mage in one of the elemental schools acc
ording to their talents. Your magical center is more…open, I would say the best word is. It seems able to allow more flow from the power centers of Fantasma than would ordinarily be allowed. Somehow you forced one of the channels, the one for ice magic, open to an extent I’ve never seen before.”
“I needed more power and I pulled at a flow I could sense inside me to do what needed to be done.”
“That makes some sense, then. It acted like a drain in the bottom of a tub and siphoned all your magical reserves away when you did that. In time, you might have refilled on your own, but it would have drained away in all likelihood before you could use it.”
“Were you able to fix what was broken? I must train. I need to save my family.”
“I have repaired the broken portal inside you. You seem to have broadened the size of the reservoir for magic within you to a size I’ve never seen before. With time, your reserves will return and may become even larger than before.”
“When will I be able to train and learn again?”
The pleasant laugh cascading from Bronwyn’s smiling face surprised Hal.
“Be patient. I fear you will not be ready for anything resembling training in magic for several days now. We will revisit your request at the end of the week once you’ve regained some strength and healed what was broken.”
“But…”
“Hal, Bronwyn is right. We’ve done enough for today. She is tired from her exertion on your behalf. Let’s give her some peace to rest.”
For the first time, Hal noticed the tightness around the elf’s eyes and what looked like crow’s feet on the ageless face. She was leaned to the side in her seat, supporting her body with one elbow on the padded arm of the silver throne.
“My pardon, milady. I did not see what should have been clear to me.” Hal bowed again as he had when he arrived. “We shall take our leave and look forward to our next meeting.”
“Thank you, Hal Dix. I believe we both will need time to recover. Farewell.”
Hal tried to spin in place after his bow to execute a graceful exit. He stumbled and caught himself on Kay’s shoulder. He realized how unsteady he was after Bronwyn’s healing treatment. His companion reached out to steady him and together they walked back to the spiral stairs to return to the ground floor.
A new determination filled him. He’d wait, but he wouldn’t be patient. Too much hinged on getting his abilities back.
12
Even with his impatience, the next four days passed by in a rush for Hal. No longer under house arrest, he found exploring the elven city deep inside the High Forest fascinating. Though most of the elves he encountered were aloof and deigned not to talk with him, they would answer direct questions if he needed to find his way back to his apartment or was seeking someplace to get food.
On the fourth day, as he wandered through the trails that made up the city’s thoroughfares, Hal found his way back to the great tree at the city’s center. This was where he and Kay first arrived.
The clearing consisted of a huge central tree, dozens of feet across at the base situated in a broad grassy clearing. Thirteen other trees surrounded the central trunk, spaced at even intervals around the clearing’s edges.
Upon discovering the location, Hal slowed and drank in the aura of the peaceful forest glade. He felt a reverence for the place he hadn’t appreciated when he was here the last time. Taking a step forward, he moved onto the grass inside the ring of trees. A chime sounded, and it took a moment to realize it was a game notification in his head. Hal pulled up the source of the sound.
Do you accept the quest to help the great tree bud and flower?
Hal stopped. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Was this a trick? Bronwyn might be furious with him if he broke something on the great tree. It was apparent this was a holy place to the elves.
The golden letters of the menu hovered in his field of view while he considered the offered quest.
It was only a flower. What could it hurt?
“Yes, I accept the quest.”
The chime sounded again followed by the quest notification.
Hal wondered what he was supposed to do now that he’d accepted the quest. Moving forward until he stood next to the central tree, Hal looked up. The first branches started high above, around twenty feet up. He wasn’t going to climb up there anytime soon.
Unsure what to do next, Hal circled the base of the huge trunk, his right hand outstretched, his fingertips brushing against the smooth white bark of the tree. Now and then a spark of static electricity stung his fingers. He didn’t pull away, though, instead seeking out the next spark as he strolled around the tree.
A pattern emerged on his third circuit around the trunk. At the four cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west, the tree sparked against his touch. Realizing he could predict the next spark, Hal continued for a fourth circuit around the tree, this time ready for the tiny electrical jolt to signal him again.
At the next tiny zap to his fingertips, Hal stopped and examined the tree at that location. At first, he didn’t see anything. Leaning forward, Hal ran the fingers of both hands over the smooth surface that resembled white birch bark from back home, though it didn’t peel from the trunk as birch bark did.
Hal stopped running his hands over the trunk when he discovered a small raised area under the surface. It signaled something different from the otherwise smooth, rounded surface of the tree.
This time, instead of a static spark, Hal felt the tingle of a continuous charge flowing into his palm pressed against the bump on the tree’s surface. Not sure what else he was supposed to do, he closed his eyes and tried to visualize the flow from the tree into his palm.
Hal found himself inside a darkened place, blackness all around him except for a pinprick of light directly ahead. As he noticed it, the light drew him closer, growing brighter the closer he got.
The light’s source was a small wooden pod the size of a golf ball. It was egg-shaped with smooth ridges of raised wood grain across the surface. Hal couldn’t resist the urge to reach out and touch the glowing pod.
Do you wish to share life force with a seed of the Tree of Life?
Hal shrugged. It seemed like the right thing to do.
“I will.”
A tiny jab against his index finger made him draw back his hand. A single drop of bright red blood rested on the surface of the pod. Hal stuck his finger in his mouth by reflex and watched as the droplet of blood absorbed into the wood.
The glow flared white, brighter than the light of the sun and Hal shielded his eyes from the glare. When the light faded away, Hal was once again in the forest glade standing before the great tree. Everything was as it was before.
Well, not everything.
A flower bud, the size of his fist, now grew out from the side of the tree where the bump under the bark had been moments before. Chills ran down Hal’s spine as the bud opened and a flower emerged, individual petals of yellow, purple, and blue unfolding in front of him.
It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life. He felt something on his cheeks and raised his hands up to his face to find tears. It was a strange reaction but in some way, it was totally perfect for the moment.
Quest completed — help the great tree bud and flower.
2,500 experience awarded.
Level Up!
Earth magic elemental school unlocked.
“Hal Dix, what have you done?”
Hal turned to see Bronwyn and a squad of guards standing behind him.
“I touched the tree and it grew this flower.”
He knew the answer was simplistic, but he was still overcome by the emotion of the connection to the tree and the new life the magic sprouted because of him.
“That tree has not flowered in a thousand years. What did you do? Tell me. Now!”
“Bronwyn, I did not mean to do anything wrong. I came here as I wandered the city this morning and walked around the tree. When I touched it, it sort of
talked to me and asked me to share life force with it. I didn’t know what that meant until now.”
The guard captain started forward to seize Hal, but Bronwyn raised a hand, forestalling his advance.
“How did you do this? You did not possess any earth magic abilities when I delved you, yet I sense in you a new awareness blossoming even as the flower of the Forest’s Heart grows behind you.”
“What is the Forest’s Heart?”
“Every one of the great elven forests began when a seed from this tree was carried to a new grove and planted at its center. There hasn’t been a new seed produced in a thousand years. You arrive in our midst and after only a few days cause the tree to produce something no living person has seen.”
“So, it’s a good thing?”
Relief flooded over Hal. He’d thought he’d screwed up somehow.
“It is a very good thing indeed, Hal Dix. You have been given a great gift and handed an even greater responsibility. Turn and accept your destiny.”
Bronwyn pointed behind him. Hal turned and saw the small wooden pod of his vision revealed at the center of the flower, now in full bloom.
Reaching out with one hand, Hal touched the pod with his fingertips. It surprised him when it fell from the flower at his touch. He snatched it from the air before it fell to the ground. Its strange internal warmth flowed into him through his hand until it reached his core.
Spell learned — plant growth.
Quest accepted — plant the seed of the great tree.
Hal glanced back over his shoulder at the elf princess.
“I think I’m supposed to plant this somewhere.”
“You are. That is your quest and responsibility now that the tree has chosen you to be the bearer of its seed.”
“Great, lead me to the garden or wherever you plant baby trees and I’ll dig a hole for it.”
“That is not my task, Hal Dix. It falls to you to journey to the Fallen Forest to the east and plant the seed there. Once you accomplish the task, the forest will be cleansed, and our people may return to it after many years in exile.”