by Quil Carter
For a brief moment Ben closed his eyes, feeling his mouth water with anticipation of an actual meal and a fire tonight. This was his third day in the Forest of Jare and he so badly needed something besides a cold hammock to sleep in. “I’m a world class fisherman. Erick and I were in a foster family that loved taking trips to the rivers in the mountains of Colorado. I could probably show you a thing or two.”
Teal smirked and shook his head. “Ben, my friend, I don’t have a fishing rod in this backpack.”
Ben narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like where this is heading.”
“Well, we have claws don’t we? And fast reflexes? We just wade in and grab one,” he said. He took his backpack off and reached in. He pulled out their bag of candied dried fruit and handed the bag to Ben.
Ben took a bite out of a dried peach. The thought of actually catching a fish was intriguing yet intimidating. “I suppose I could try…”
“Well, you’ll have a chance to try soon. We’ll be at the shack a few hours before night falls. Enough time to hopefully catch some fish,” Teal said as he chewed on a dried pear half.
“This is the most excited I’ve been since I caught my very first squirrel,” Ben said with a full mouth. “I can soak my feet in that solution again, that will make me walk faster anyway.”
Teal was silent as they continued walking through the dense forest.
“Do you – want to stay there for a few days?” Teal asked, glancing behind his shoulder.
He was asking me this? Ben couldn’t nod faster. “Are you kidding? Walking all day has been killing my feet. I’d stay there all winter if you asked me.” He looked around the forest. “The malkah scared the shit out of me but… it’s quiet in here. I know our mission is probably urgent and everything but it just doesn’t seem so in here. It’s like we’ve entered a different world, a different realm.”
Teal looked around too. “It always had the same effect on me. I’d spend a year in this forest and I’d be shocked when the days grew shorter and colder. It seems to do that to elves.” Then he sighed. “I know we need to get to Lelan and get a copy of the prophecies as quickly as we can, and I was hoping to get to Lazarius before the winter really got bad but… you’ve just gotten here, you deserve a few days to get the bottoms of your feet hard. You’re still adjusting, and most likely the Serpent knight that Wellen mentioned won’t know the place exists so on the off-chance he’s trailing us – we’ll lose him.” Teal was preaching to the choir but Ben knew the only person he was trying to convince was himself. And sure enough, Teal nodded. “Yes, we will… we’re going to spend a couple days there. Candy some salmon for the road and get you off of your feet.”
A groan of relief sounded from Ben’s lips, making Teal laugh; they carried on towards where Teal knew the small cabin was.
Eventually they both started descending down a small ravine that was completely covered in little crimson flowers. As they made their way back up Ben was tempted to grab a couple, just because the beautiful red was a contrast to the dark, twisted forest around him, but he didn’t trust anything in this forest not to kill him. They were stunning though, the first sign of actual beauty Ben had seen in this forest.
When he got to the top of the ravine, he glanced around for Teal but he wasn’t there. Ben walked to the edge and looked down to see his friend gathering as many flowers as he could pick into his bent arm.
Of course, Ben thought. Alchemy stuff.
“What will they do? Kill a Serpent knight, I hope,” Ben called down to him. He made himself comfortable on a low hanging tree branch and watched his friend.
“Baselius; beautiful isn’t it?” Teal said, admiring the blossom. “Boiled with wolfswood, add sugar, hawk’s blood, and alder bark, and you’ll have Faro’s Fire. A powerful paralysing paste. It’s perfect for arrows. We could even poison our swords if we needed to.”
Ben liked the sound of that. “Want help? I’ll help you pick the whole bloody ravine if you want.”
Teal chuckled but shook his head, looking like a little bride with the bouquet of red flowers he was now holding in his hands. He pulled out a cloth bag from his pack and started stuffing the red flowers into it, before putting them back into his knapsack.
“This will be enough for a few jars,” Teal said, not holding back the excitement in his voice. Ben extended a hand and helped him up the last steps of the ravine, where the ground was looser. After that they carried on their path, Teal, the entire time, looking in every direction; always on the lookout for more apothecary ingredients.
Not long after, unable to contain his excitement apparently, Teal started climbing up every root or rotted tree stump he could find to get a better view of the landscape. Ben was just as excited but walking through the forest was more difficult than the twisted dirt road they had been walking on. He had to concentrate on every step, there were rocks that were completely concealed in dark green moss, and the tree roots of the smaller trees and bushes seemed to have been created to trip elves not paying attention.
“If you see anything odd, you know… alchemy-looking plants or mushrooms, tell me. The book I showed you was specifically written for the Forest of Jare. Amazing Alchemy: Forest of Jare. It was written by House Tonnis’s alchemist, Faylen Azur. I just bought it before the demigod found me, there are a few things I would love to make while we’re here!”
It was cute to see Teal so excited about his potion plants. With their small break his friend would no doubt be making some serums and powders out of his newly found ingredients.
“If I see any plant that looks like it’ll either poison me, prick me or eat me, I’ll let you know.”
After another two hours of walking through the woods Ben started to hear the sound of a rushing river, and before he knew it he could see the expanse of water through the trees.
It wasn’t a large river, probably about twenty-five paces across, and it seemed calm enough to wade in. However, in the middle, Ben could see the water twisting around and rippling which suggested a stronger current the further out you got. There was also a small beach on both sides made out of smooth grey pebbles and the shining sun above them shone on it, unbroken by the canopy.
This interested Ben. As they walked onto the beach Ben looked around and was fascinated to see that the river seemed to cut through the Forest of Jare like a scar.
It was almost unsettling in a way. Ben had spent the last several days walking through the towering forest with the dense, twisted canopy above him that blocked out the sun and fresh air. Here the trees seemed to grow away from the river, exposing the small patch of land to the sky and air with little blocking Ben’s view of the sky. This place was a veritable oasis in this black forest. Even the sun was shining with such an intensity it was like it knew the forest was forbidden to touch it here.
Ben took in a deep breath, feeling his lungs fill with relief as he took in the fresh air. He let out a deliberately loud sigh as he exhaled before looking around the oasis.
Even new plants grew here. Ben leaned down and picked a small yellow flower, seeing dozens of them growing near the edge of the beach. There were bluebells as well and white bells, daffodils, and many other flowers that Ben didn’t recognize. It was so beautiful and peaceful Ben felt the urge to start manipulating his friend into staying even longer – the entire winter would be preferable.
“Beautiful little oasis isn’t it?” Teal said behind him. Ben turned and saw Teal with a bright look on his face; he looked relaxed. Teal, even when he seemed okay, always had a look of neurotic worry on his face. Ben knew most of the time his new friend was only putting on a show of being calm and together. When Teal didn’t know that Ben was looking he would give into his neurotic resting face and would sometimes even claw his arms from stress.
Ben walked over to him and handed him the yellow flower. “I would’ve never thought something like this existed in this dark and demented forest.”
Teal gently took the flower and made it spin around with the
tips of his thumb and index finger before tucking it into the pocket he had inside of his tunic. “I never did either the first time I saw it – at that time I was afraid of the forest too.” Teal started walking towards the edge of the river and Ben followed. His friend then walked along the shore, looking intently into the shallows, the river water so clear it looked like a sheet of waving glass rested on top rather than water.
“They are there!” Teal said excited. He pointed to the river and once Ben focused his eyes he could indeed see what Teal was talking about. There were flashes of silver underneath the clear water and dark grey outlines.
“Let’s get everything settled in the cabin and we can come back and catch some dinner,” Teal said, his voice bursting with excitement. “I’m going to eat an entire salmon myself, I swear. I miss fresh fish. I spent months in your world with your horrible smelly market fish. I miss it dearly.”
“And I miss pizza,” Ben sighed. Teal laughed at that and started leading Ben back into the woods.
“So you’re sure the Serpent knight or anyone won’t find us here, right?” Ben asked along the way. He wasn’t sure how many cabins like this existed in the Forest of Jare, this place was such a paradise he was afraid of it attracting elves and even bigger animals looking for fresh water. Rivers attracted life, that was just how nature worked.
“I’m sure he was long gone before we ever arrived in Malla,” Teal said.
“And the Jewel of Elron killed the malkah too, right?” Ben said just to be sure. He had heard the scream that the malkah had made after he’d managed to turn off the cneen, but it wasn’t like they had checked.
“I’m sure of it,” Teal responded. “Occasionally when I’ve been looking for the apothecary ingredients I’ve been jogging back just to keep an eye on the road behind us. I’ve seen no signs of other elves following our trail. I really think we’re okay and once we get to Alé we can purchase some horses and make even better time.”
Ben’s mouth pursed to the side. “Okay… I trust you.”
Teal laughed dryly. “I’ve been running from murderers since I was a boy, Ben. I’ve had lots of elves after me just from being a bandit in these woods – I’ve handled myself before, I can handle us now,” Teal said.
“Wait… you’ve been running from murderers since you were a boy?” Ben said surprised. This was new information; did it have to do with what happened to his family?
Teal nodded but before Ben could find out if he was going to elaborate, the thick forest once again started to show a clearing through its dense trees, and further on, a structure.
As the two of them walked into the modest clearing Ben could see the small cabin that would be their home for the next several days. It was old and worn down, with wood that had long since gone grey with age, and a shingled roof that held green moss and vines that snaked down the walls. It had two windows in the front and a window on the second-storey loft, all of them intact but in the process of being taken over by the vines.
There was also a porch to the side that the excess of the roof’s overhang covered, and it was almost completely full of firewood. Past that, Ben could see a second structure that was a shed, also full to the brim with the thick bark wood of the forest, and chopped up branches of some of the thicker bushes Ben had seen.
Ben walked towards the cabin with Teal and passed a fire pit. It was well-used and surrounded by flat stones that were smooth on the surface from so many elves sitting on them. There was even a casted metal grate and what looked like an old rotisserie spit but it had fallen down and was laying in two beside the cold fire pit.
“Oh, my cauldron is still here. Good,” Teal said. They hopped onto the porch, the door inside could be seen, partially hidden by a stack of dry wood. “I bought this in Malla a few years ago but it’s too big for my backpack, so I had to downgrade to a smaller one. This will be good for soup and boiling water.”
“Were you here recently?” Ben asked, stepping back as Teal tried to pull open the door. He ended up having to put his weight on it to wedge it open; the sound of rusted hinges scraping together filling both of their eardrums.
“No, I haven’t been here in about a year,” Teal said and he walked inside. Ben followed but as he looked around his eyes widened and his heart skipped.
“This place looks like it’s been lived in more recently than that,” Ben said cautiously.
Teal gave him a weird look.
“I don’t have a deed to this, Ben,” Teal said amused. “Anyone can stay here. Some elves find it by accident, others have been staying here when they’re in the area since before I was born.”
“But… they could come here now. Isn’t it close to winter?” Ben said alarmed, little pinpricks of fear started jabbing his body. The fears he previously had came rushing to the surface. If a lot of elves knew where this cabin was…
Ben looked behind him towards the dark trees that looked like a natural wall from how they abruptly started again only fifty feet from where the cabin was.
“I’ve been coming here for years, I’ve never seen another soul this deep into the woods,” Teal said after reading Ben’s look of doubt.
“But… I mean…” Ben stammered. He wiped his hands down his face. “If the knight asked the right person in Wellen’s Inn they could tell him about this place. And isn’t the malkah magic?”
“The malkah is dead,” Teal said flatly.
“You don’t know that…”
“The demigod wouldn’t let him follow us.”
“But your gods and the demigod would put passages in an ancient book and let their loyal worshippers run around like insects to entertain themselves?” Ben challenged. “So why would he kill them?” Ben found himself starting to get upset, his voice was starting to rise. “Maybe this is fun for him… to have the malkah here to continue the gods’ games, or the Serpent knight. Wouldn’t that be fun for your fucking crazy–”
“Ben!” Teal said sharply. Ben bit his lower lip, his eyes still fixed out of the cabin door, staring at the woods.
“I don’t have answers for you,” Teal said, though to Ben’s dread he also saw a flicker of apprehension in his eye. “I don’t know what the hell is going on either, I just know what Kelakheva told me to do and I’m doing the best I can, okay?” Teal’s own voice started to rise but it was from his own anxiety. “Can we just settle in? Stop – stop asking me these questions, I don’t know, okay? I just know it’s going to rain soon and I thought this would be a good place for us to rest.”
The stressed and anxious look on Teal’s face gave Ben pause. He often forgot that before coming to his world Teal had been an orphan recluse living in the woods without a single friend. Teal didn’t know what was going on either, it was just that he had been putting on a mask of confidence so often Ben had forgotten.
Teal didn’t know why the gods did what they did, and he didn’t know what Kelakheva would or wouldn’t do. He was just doing what he thought was right…
…and I was being an asshole about it.
“Sorry, Tee,” Ben said, “I just – you know.”
Teal let out a breath and nodded. “I know. I – I’m kinda…” He pulled up the sleeves of his grey wool shirt. Ben cringed when he saw thin red lines from his neurotic clawing.
Ben let out a sympathetic breath and traced his fingers along them. “You do a great job of reassuring me just by being so put together and strong about this,” he said. “I would’ve lost my head long ago without you being such a rock.”
Teal shifted around uncomfortably, his left shoulder raised in a half-hearted shrug. “I’m not the right elf for this prophecy, Ben. I told Kelakheva that constantly. The only thing that has been keeping me together is knowing I have to be strong for my new human. It’s kinda helped me not be so much of a coward – I’m enjoying you thinking I’m not a complete and utter neurotic, paranoid mess.”
“Oh, I figured that out about you days ago.” Ben smiled. He got a push on the arm for that and the two turne
d around and took in the small cabin around them.
The inside of the shack was simple enough. It was unkempt and it did show its age, but it was entirely liveable. There was a small woodstove in the far right corner and a few old chairs surrounding it. To Ben’s left lay a cluttered table and more firewood stacked against the walls. Above them there was a loft and the window Ben had seen from the outside, and a narrow ladder leading up to it.
“Look, someone left cards.” Teal held up a tattered deck of playing cards. A puff of dust flew into the air as he blew on their surface. “And some dice too,” he said through a cough.
Ben tested his foot on the ladder and pulled himself onto the first wooden rung. He climbed up and looked around the second level. He could see the remnants of a thick blanket but it had been chewed on and ripped apart. The reason could be seen in the form of a nest that had been made beside a wooden side table, though the critter that had occupied it seemed long gone.
“I see an oil lamp, looks like it has some oil in it too,” Ben called down to Teal. “Want me to grab it?”
“No,” Teal said from the woodstove, Ben heard it open and the sound of Teal gathering sticks. “There is one down here too and I have a luma lamp in my bag. I’ll quickly start the fire and we can try and get some fishing in before dark.”
Ben jumped down off of the ladder and landed on the ground with a puff of dust rising underneath his boots. Teal had a little wooden box in his hand that looked like it held matchsticks.
He strolled over and picked one up and examined it.
“It’s customary to replace the firewood you used for the next elf,” Teal said as he took the matchstick from Ben and struck it against the stove. A flare of blue flame erupted from the white tip all the matchsticks seemed to have, then it quickly turned orange. Teal lit the fire and put his hands in front of the flames. “The next elf might be staying the winter here.”