by Quil Carter
“I mean,” Teal continued, “who’s to know what he saw inside of my mind? What if Erick knows Ben’s here?”
Malagant, who was polishing his seeve arrows, glanced at Teal. “Nyte is trapped in his realm for now, and once he’s free we’ll have a copy of the Anean Prophecies and we’ll be better prepared for whatever Erick flings at us. It’s hard for Kessiiks to pull off these abductions.”
“Why?” Ben asked.
“Every elf or demi-elf has a magic store inside of them called maegic,” Malagant explained, “and it takes a while to regenerate; Nyte’s going to be weak for quite a while I think. And at least he doesn’t know where we are physically and we’re many leagues from where Tseer found us if he told Erick where we were.”
Teal nodded, holding a leatherskin of stone peach silverwine.
The silverwine was doing its job, but Ben wished for stronger. His mind was swimming with so many different thoughts it was hard to decide which one to focus on first. He was relieved to be back in Alcove, and back in reality but he couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that Nyte’s realm had left him with. Not only did the event in itself rattle him, but it opened Ben’s mind up to an entirely new enemy to worry about, one that could attack them mentally not physically.
And there was something extremely unsettling about that.
“My father is a seer,” Malagant said when Ben had voiced his unease over their new threat. “He knows how to protect one’s mind from kessiik’s, or as best as you can anyway. If we’re heading north towards Garas through the Lazarius Plains we can stop at Birch, where they live, and see if he can teach us some things.”
Ben nodded, though he had a feeling that Nyte would be running free around Alcove by then, Lazarius sounded really far away.
“How long until then you think?” Ben asked.
“Months,” Malagant replied, and at this Ben sighed.
“But you’ll be happy to hear we’ll be getting horses in Alé,” Malagant said, and when Ben and Teal both groaned with relief he continued. “The weather here turns on a dime this time of year, doesn’t it, Teal?”
Teal nodded. “Especially during late fall and early winter – it can be sunny in the afternoon to the point where you need to take off your cloak, then by evening you’ll see a snowstorm. And more annoying, the snow will stay for a day and then you’ll get a week of rain washing it away. We don’t get as much snow here this far south and inland, but we’ll get a few bad snowstorms in between the rain.”
“We’ll just try and get to Lelan as soon as possible so we can look at that book,” Malagant said. “We might not know what the shek we’re doing but we know where we’re walking at least.”
Ben nodded, the unease sitting in his stomach like a growing boulder. There were a lot of things that he had seen in Nyte’s realm that he wished he could forget, from Tav’s touch to the strange demenos protecting Teal. It was taxing on a mind used to doing drugs and passing the day in the living room.
And Ben knew that this was only the beginning.
“Finally!” Ben cheered when he saw the walls of Alé start to form in between the twisted trees of the Forest of Jare. It was five days since their encounter with Nyte and after a strenuous pace their respite was near. “Warm beds! A roof over my head! No more insects flying in my shekin’ mouth in the middle of the night!”
Teal and Malagant both laughed, the joy over finally seeing some life in this seemingly never-ending forest was painted on their faces. And it wasn’t just civilization, through what Ben was sure was a painstaking and labour-intensive process, Alé was planted in the middle of another oasis, one that welcomed the sun with open arms. The area had been completely cleared of the black, twisted forest and in place of the towering trees, rough brush, and moss were fields of gold that held horse stables, lumber mills, and small structures. Though like when Ben and Teal had entered the Forest of Jare, the dark woods stood tall and looming at the edge of the field, the cookie-cutter field ending so abruptly it seemed as if an invisible forcefield was all that was preventing the forest from taking back its stolen land.
And with this world full of magic – perhaps that’s exactly what it was.
If Ben’s feet weren’t aching with pain he would’ve ran ahead into the clearing and it was indeed tempting. Whoever decided to make a town in the middle of this shadow-encompassed forest should’ve had their name in the stars, and perhaps the relief that Ben felt, after so long inside the muggy and sometimes claustrophobic Forest of Jare, was the reason Alé’s founder had made the town. No doubt any traveller would be relieved to spend a few nights in this haven, and spend more than a few covi on food, lodgings, and fresh supply as well.
And horses. It was obvious from the stables that surrounded the town that this was a perfect place to buy a mount. The thought of not having to walk was such a pleasurable one Ben let out a loud groan of relief when he pointed to a large black horse that an elf was riding near the wall.
“Don’t get too excited, Ben,” Teal laughed. “This is just a break in the forest. Although the trees get thinner and less gnarled, and there isn’t such a thick canopy, technically we won’t be out of the forest until after we leave Lelan.”
Ben looked behind him, the dirt road winding to the left before disappearing behind a thick maple tree. The road had been getting wider all day until it could fit two wagons side by side, and they had been passing smaller roads as well. Teal had said they led to elves’ cabins and even a small smithy owned by an Evercovian blacksmith. They truly were in civilization, Ben could hardly believe it.
“If we have to go through this forest again, I’d prefer if we just made the trek around it,” Ben said with a shake of his head. “One time is good enough for me.” Then he took a deep breath of the muggy, stale air, his lungs anticipating breathing in something that didn’t feel like it had been recycled hundreds of times.
“That would mean we’d have to go through the mountains, or else hike about three hundred miles northeast,” Teal explained.
“I can do mountains.” Ben shrugged, but to his dismay both Malagant and Teal chuckled at this.
“No, not the Azoris Mountains,” Teal said, and his smirk turned into a grimace. “Cannibal elves live there. We wouldn’t survive; they know the mountains by heart and would make a fine meal out of us.”
Ben blinked at Teal. “You have cannibals here? Wonderful.” He rolled his eyes at his friend’s continued laughter and picked up his pace, the trees starting to thin around him and the air he was inhaling finally holding hints of crisp cold.
Alé was beautiful from a distance. Its wall was made out of dark grey brick that looked to have been mined out of the forest itself. It was held secure with white mortar that had faded to a lighter grey, and was adorned with green and blue banners with an emblem of a jare cat’s head, which Ben’s recall told him was Alcove’s flag.
The closer they got to the town the more Ben could see that it was rather run-down. There were patches of a lighter shade of brick and mortar, that suggested that the wall had been repaired, and the left guard tower, which stood over a wooden gate reinforced with iron, was missing its pointed roof; a roof of thatch lay strewn to shelter those guarding it, and on top of it, a lonely flag stood. The towers all looked empty.
No, that was false – Ben looked closer and saw in the black opening of the towers, in between the square brick, were the stern faces of the watchtower guards, watching them approach from their high stations, the guards were probably already alerted to the three’s arrival.
“We’re going to use different names,” Malagant explained. “I was stationed here but I’d still rather avoid being noticed. All they really care about is that we’re not going to steal their horses and that we have coin. Times are hard here and the Serpents are just making it harder on them, the walls are covered with sentries and guards for a reason. Ben–” Malagant glanced over at Ben. “Don’t talk and try to walk like Teal.”
Ben looked over at Teal. His
friend walked gracefully on light feet, with movements that seemed born for stealth. Even though Ben was a hibrid he still walked like a human, but he was getting better; he no longer knocked the rocks around on the dirt road when they walked and his feet didn’t seem to automatically attract every dry stick and shrub.
“State your business,” a male voice called from the top of the watchtower. Ben looked up and saw that the elf was dressed in a black tunic with something embroidered in silver, however what it was was broken up by the links of his silver mail shirt.
“We’re here to buy horses and supplies,” Malagant called up to him. “We’ve been walking through the Forest of Jare since the Yellow Field and we need to rest ourselves and restock.”
As Malagant talked the guards on top of the wall started appearing, all of them dressed in the same black tunic and silver mail. Most of them with swords sheathed in scabbards both on their backs and sides, and several with longbows. They all seemed casual as they watched the interaction which Ben was relieved about.
The elf nodded and disappeared from the window in the watchtower, and a moment later there was a creak of tight rope and rusty hinges as the left portion of the reinforced door started to open, enough for the watchtower elf to slip through.
He was firm of face, with a thick brown beard and crinkly hair that looked like it had seen the inside of a helmet more than the sunlight. He looked at the three of them up and down before taking a step towards them. Ben was confused when the guard looked closely into Malagant’s eyes, then Teal’s, then his, until he realized the guard was making sure he could see his reflection.
“If it’s not too much trouble, I’ll ask to see your coin,” the guard said. “We’ve had trouble with horse thieves and beggars and we have enough trouble with our own thieves and beggars.”
“Not a problem at all,” Malagant said. He stepped behind Teal and opened up Teal’s canvas bag. He pulled out both Teal’s leather purse and his own and handed both of them to the guard.
The watchtower guard pulled the string and looked inside.
“That will do,” he said with a firm nod. “If you’re here for our mounts you came to the right town, but you probably know that. Lodgings and drink will be found at the inn, the Black Willow.” Then he inclined his head and stepped back to let the three of them through the gate. “Follow our law and don’t make any trouble and you’re welcome to stay.”
Malagant and Teal inclined their heads and Ben did too, doing his best to remember all the common courtesies of Alcove. He had spent so long in the forest with just Teal and Malagant he really hadn’t seen much of the rest of the world. He was looking forward to it in a way, but a part of him liked being in a lonely forest with only his friends, it was safer that way and it was also less elves to notice that he was a bit – odd.
Ben looked around the town as he walked through the wooden gate. The buildings were made out of dark wood, obviously harvested from the forest itself, and most were single-storey homes with roofs of wooden shingles and small curtain-covered windows. The chimneys were grey brick and most, if not all, had smoke billowing out, giving the town the smell of wood smoke and farm animals, which was a better smell than Malla’s rotting garbage and animal shek.
All of the buildings were really close together as well, making narrow alleyways that held refuse being feasted on by all types of farm animals, from tied-up goats, to chickens, to pigs held in by wooden fences. There were no yards either, just trails that took you off of the road to the stairs that led to the door, or, in some of the larger homes, porches. Ben even saw a little elfling girl playing with a doll and a wooden horse. That made him smile, he had never seen a little elf, they were quite adorable with their tiny pointed ears.
“This place seems so sleepy and safe,” Ben commented, still trying to take in the town, there was a lot to see. “I’d love to live in a place like this after this is over,” Ben said that more for Teal’s sake, and, sure enough, he saw Teal’s face brighten.
“I stayed here previously as I said, when the town had a gruleon problem,” Malagant said, their conversation paused as they walked past a group of ladyelves chatting happily with each other on the side of the road, two of them with small babes on their hips. When they were out of hearing range he continued. “It might seem quaint during the day but just wait until nighttime.” Malagant chuckled and looked at the darkening sky. “There isn’t that much to do after the animals have been taken care of and the work is done, so everyone just gets drunk. I’ve never drank more on duty than when I was in Alé. Hell, it was named Ale for the longest time apparently until some councilelf’s wife made them change the pronunciation because she wanted to try to improve its image. Who can blame an elf though? After spending weeks in that stifling, life-choking forest an elf deserves to get drunk off his ass for surviving it, especially if you’re an Alcovian Knight who also has to carry supplies and banners.” Then he shot Teal a look. “We don’t all have magical backpacks.”
“Are you trying to tell us something, Malagant?” Teal said in a teasing voice. “Do you want to get drunk tonight? We’ll take care of you if you do.”
Malagant laughed and shook his head. “It is tempting but I’d rather not. Alé might seem calm and quiet but I still don’t want to let my guard down. I’m a hilarious drunk apparently but if something happens and I need my wits I’ll be useless. Doesn’t mean we won’t be re-filling our wine supply. I suppose you’ll be getting more silverwine? You weird hibrids and your silverwine.”
Teal nodded, then they followed Malagant into the middle of what looked like the town’s square which was buzzing with elves.
Ben looked down as his boot stepped onto a different surface and realized he had stepped onto brick. The square was covered in red ashlar-style brick, each one fitting perfectly into the next to make a smooth, flawless surface. The deep red complimented the dark wood of the shops that surrounded it, and the statue standing tall in the middle of the square only added to the small town’s beautiful architecture.
“This place is amazing,” Ben said, his breath catching in his throat. The rest of the town may just be close together houses and dirt road but the square was something to gawk at. He almost wanted to lean down and touch the red stone, and would have if he knew Malagant and Teal wouldn’t kill him for acting so weird in public.
“This is nothing, just wait until you see Little Lelan and the Lelan castle,” Malagant said as he walked ahead. Ben glanced up and saw that he was heading towards one of the only three-storey buildings in the town; this one had its roof shingles painted red to match the ashlar brick. It must’ve been the Black Willow.
“I can’t wait,” Ben said honestly, glancing around the square to read the signs hanging down from rusty chains. He could see textile shops, apothecary shops, and in the distance, far away from any of the other buildings, there was white smoke coming from a large fire pit made out of grey brick, all of this underneath an overhang that was attached to a modest brick house. The town’s blacksmith Ben assumed.
As soon as they entered the Black Willow the sounds of elves drinking and having a good time filled their ears, but wasn’t the noise that Ben was paying attention to; the inn was filled with the wonderful aroma of baking bread and roasting chickens, so potent Ben’s mouth flooded with the anticipation of what it would all taste like.
The inn looked similar to the one that Ben had been in in Malla, but it was bigger and in better condition. It was lit with oil lamps attached to the brick walls and also candles, and to the left where the dining hall of the inn was, it had a fireplace in a stone hearth that flooded the dark hall with its light.
Ben left it to Malagant and Teal to talk to the ladyelf who was sitting by a potbelly stove and glanced into the dining hall. There were rows of wooden tables with benches on either side, many of them filled with elves drinking with friends and several with loners looking deeply into their tankards. On the walls surrounding these elves were banners, not only Alcove’s banners
but ones that looked to belong to Houses. The only House banner Ben knew was Teal’s which he had said was a two-headed eagle on a backdrop of grey and blue, but of course there wasn’t one that looked like that; Ben did see a falcon-looking bird but with an orange and black background.
A young male elf with a stained apron started walking towards Ben, and when Ben stepped back to let him by he decided to take advantage of having someone who worked in the kitchens near.
When the young elf made eye contact with him, Ben inclined his head. “Can we get some food brought to us? A pitcher of beer as well.”
The elf nodded; he was holding two empty tankards that still had foam around the edges. “Right away, sir.” And he walked off.
Ben couldn’t help but smile to himself, feeling a rush of self-confidence even if all he’d done was request food. The achievement however wasn’t lost on Teal, who gave him a smile of approval when they turned from the ladyelf.
“We have ourselves a room for the evening,” Malagant said. They all walked into the dining hall and found an empty table near a red and green banner with an alligator on the front. They sat at the end of it, away from the ears of the other patrons and settled in. The atmosphere was busy with all the talking but there was still an air of cozy comfort, everyone, albeit drunk, seemed relaxed. Even with a false king sitting on the throne of Alcove it seemed at least that the elves of Alé were safe, but as Ben thought this he realized that it was only because they were in a small town that was far away from the politics of Alcove. Malla was in a sad state, the scars of the previous war obvious on the small village. Elves seemed to be just scraping by and when they did get ahead, the Serpents came and took whatever extra they had.
Alé was tucked into the Forest of Jare and Ben assumed that this meant they rarely saw Serpents or anyone who was under Erick’s power.