by M. L. Brooks
He stopped a few feet in front of her.
“I’m alive, I’m ok,” he said, quieter this time.
Adair jumped in and hugged him. She laid her head against his chest, hearing his heartbeat in the stillness of the forest. His skin was clammy and he smelled faintly like fresh tree bark. He wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace, his muscular arms holding her.
“I can’t handle losing any more friends,” she whispered.
“You don’t have to. Listen. I’ve died before. There’s more in this world than what you see in front of you. I’m not afraid to die. I’ll come back,” said Alfein.
“That was all an illusion but what if it isn’t you who dies? What if it’s Emin or Rose or me? What if I don’t even succeed?” asked Adair.
“Emin and Rose were right. You’re unsure of yourself. If you wanted this, truly wanted it, then nothing else would matter. What’s holding you back?” asked Alfein.
Adair pulled away and took a few steps back. Everyone kept questioning her motives, kept telling her that she needed to commit herself to a path. She needed to accept the consequences of what she had done and what she wanted to do. He was right that something was holding her back, but she did not know what.
“I’m scared, I guess,” she said softly, tilting her head down.
“You’re getting stronger every day. You don’t have to be afraid,” said Alfein, trying to reassure her.
Looking around them, Adair saw mushrooms sprouting out of the ground and more of the green lights circling at the edges of the grove. Alfein didn’t seem to notice them at all. It reminded her of the void forest where she had been advised against pursuing revenge by the World Tree.
“How did you end up at the World Tree?” asked Adair.
“That’s complicated,” he said, scrunching up his face.
“Just tell me!” pressed Adair.
“Ok. You know what? I will! There are worlds that are a lot like this one except each one is slightly different. We call them planes. I know of at least eight running parallel to this one but my assumption is that there are many more. I’m from another one of these planes. In my world, I was the prince of the Forest Fae. I don’t know what caused it, but the planes started melting together. We called it The Bleeding. Rifts started tearing open and eventually our world fused with the next. It was violent and startling and had devastating ripple effects. I used the void chamber to run and hide in the domain of the World Tree. I don’t know what became of my people, but my plane is gone, and yours will fuse eventually too,” explained Alfein. Relief swept over him as he shared everything with Adair.
“Who knows about this?” asked Adair.
She looked at everything around her, scared that it could be gone in an instant.
“Most of the immortal races know that it’s happening. None of us know how to stop it. Rose knows about it too. In fact, she probably knows more than I do,” said Alfein.
“Then we need to confront her,” said Adair.
“No. You’re missing the point. She wants to let you in. She wants you to be stronger than the ties that are holding you to this world. That’s why she’s being so hard on you. If you can’t even find the resolve to beat one man, then you’re never going to be the hero she needs to fight alongside her,” Alfein said, shaking his head at her.
“I want to be that hero Alfein. Thank you,” said Adair.
“I think we should head back,” she said while looking at her surroundings and trying to figure out which way to go.
“Oh yeah, the others are probably wondering where we are,” agreed Alfein.
Adair started walking down the hill. The sun was high in the sky as the afternoon settled in. All of the trees looked the same, and she couldn’t even find the path she had broken into the leaves and twigs and dirt on the ground. Even the sound of the trickling stream was gone.
“Do you have any idea where we are?” she asked Alfein.
He looked around for a minute and then shook his head.
“I was just trying to hunt you down. If it weren’t for the wisps I probably wouldn’t even have found you,” admitted Alfein.
“If we just head down the hill then eventually we’ll clear the woods and can head back around to Rose’s house,” said Adair.
“Yeah, but we don’t want to get too close to Bosh Ragan or we risk ruining your plans,” reasoned Alfein.
“Then I don’t know what to do,” said Adair as she kept walking.
Alfein jumped off the ground toward Adair. He wrapped his arms underneath hers and lifted her up. She struggled at first and then realized what he was going to do and decided to let him. He ascended up until he was just past the tree tops.
He stopped in the air and spun them around slowly, surveying what he could of the landscape. To the west, he saw the Spiral Lakes and swamps, to the southeast he saw Bosh Ragan, and to the east they could see more mountains and forest. He knew that Rose’s mansion had to be somewhere in that area.
His wings flittered vigorously behind him as he flew along the treetops with Adair in his arms. They were moving much faster than if they were walking since they could avoid trees and uneven terrain. Adair was enjoying the freedom of flying in the sky.
She stretched her arms out to the side and imagined she was the one flying on her own, like a bird or a dragon. She felt the gust of the wind blowing her honey blonde hair around behind her. She was seeing the world from a different angle than she ever had before. Flying made her feel confident and as if she had the freedom to do anything even when she was back on the ground.
By air it didn’t take them long to reach Rose’s mansion. Alfein set her down carefully on the tile square in the garden. Adair took a few steps, the weighted feeling of walking returning to her legs. She turned back to Alfein and thanked him again.
Heading inside, Emin was making dinner and Rose was nowhere to be seen. Adair set about performing her usual chores. Dusting, cleaning, and straightening up the house. She had been keeping the manor in good condition and she was done in short time. When she finished, she went back to the kitchen to help Emin cook.
He looked up at her when she walked into the kitchen. He thought about saying something about their earlier conversation but he decided against it. She had returned, seemed to be better, and that was good enough for him. He nodded to her and she nodded back. Against her past judgments, Adair had come to accept him as a friend.
The two had found a certain rhythm together in the kitchen. When Emin came spinning over with a pot of boiling stew she knew just when to duck under him. When she almost fell over and dropped the tray of biscuits she was carrying, he was right there to catch it.
That night around the dinner table, they went over new plan ideas for how to efficiently kill Ivor. Everyone had a variety of potential plots except for Adair who quietly listened to them. She had already made up her mind on what her plan would be. Rose discussed their arrangements for repeating Emin’s spell the next day so that they could rehearse their new plan again.
After planning, everyone went to their rooms to rest. Adair laid down in bed and waited patiently for several hours until she thought everyone would be sleeping. She packed up her sword and put on a dark cloak. In the still of the night, she headed down to Bosh Ragan on her own.
CHAPTER 19
Padding around the forest to the side of Bosh Ragan, Adair found a segment of the city wall that was between two of the watch towers. It was very dark and if her eyes had not had the time to adjust, seeing anything would have been difficult. Her plan was to use her sword to cut out a hole in the wall to sneak through and assassinate Ivor on her own.
As she made her way down the hill toward the palisade walls surrounding Bosh Ragan, she saw two figures dressed in dark clothing who were setting up some sort of tubes with a wick. They carefully lit the tubes and then quickly ran up the hillside. About 8 seconds later, a huge explosion went off and the entire watch tower tipped over, breaking off the wall around it
. The structure of the wall itself held up against the explosion. Guards ran toward the tower, trying to figure out what happened.
Seizing the opportunity in the commotion, Adair quickly sliced through the wall and pushed out a hole just wider than her body. She slipped through the wall and replaced the wood chunk that she had cut out. People were running about, trying to see what had caused the explosion.
Adair kept to herself and headed toward the resort to find Ivor. She entered the resort through the back, the same way she had practiced. Another explosion went off, this time inside of the resort. She ran out toward the bar where people were evacuating from the flames. The wooden structure of the building was burning rapidly. Adair looked around, trying to find Ivor.
From upstairs, he came running down with a group of mercenaries with him. Adair jumped in front of them and drew her sword. It shimmered against the light of the fire as she swung her blade free from its case.
“Stop right there! Who hired you to kill my friends?” asked Adair.
“You two, kill her. I’m getting out of here,” ordered Ivor.
The mercenaries drew their swords and lunged at Adair. Ivor took off around them and made his way toward the exit. As he got to the doorway, a large masked woman dressed in black jumped in and shoulder-checked him to the ground. From underneath her cloak, she pulled a head and threw it onto the ground beside Ivor.
Ivor looked at the head and then screamed.
“My brother! What have you done!” he shouted as he picked himself up off the ground.
Adair cut the swords of the mercenaries clean apart as they were distracted by the decapitated head.
“Now’s where you run,” said Adair to the guards.
The mercenaries looked at each other and dropped the hilts of their swords. They bolted for the back way out, avoiding the woman in black. Ivor drew his sword, shaking with it in his hands. He backed up toward the stairs, trying to decide whether he wanted to fight or run.
“I warned your men about what would happen if they retaliated against me,” said the woman as she slid off black garb concealing her face. It was Petra!
“Who are you?” asked Ivor.
“My name is Petra, you ignorant fool. You tried to have my friends and I killed. Now I’m going to burn this whole city to the ground, but first you’re going to tell me who hired you to murder Prince Abel,” ordered Petra.
“I’m not telling you sh---” he began but before he could finish his sentence, Petra had struck him across the face with one of her batons. With the other she struck his hand. Adair watched as Ivor’s hand distorted against the pressure of the baton. His bones cracked, and he dropped the sword from his hand.
“Tell me!” screamed Petra.
“It was the little prince. He wanted his brother dead so he paid me to do it. Nathaniel was in on the whole thing,” rambled Ivor, looking at Petra with terror in his eyes.
She struck him in the head again, this time with her full strength. His skull shattered and his body slumped against the stairway. Smoke and fire continued to fill up the room. Adair was shocked at how easily Petra had slain him.
“Let’s get out of here,” said Petra.
Adair and Petra went around toward the back exit when they saw Dahlia rush into the side room. The fire continued to spread, devouring the room behind them. Dahlia emerged from her dressing room with a bag bursting with treasure and clothes. The three women left at the same time.
When the three of them were safely outside, Dahlia turned to Petra and said, “I saw what you did in there. Ivor was a rat bastard and got what was coming to him.”
“I know. I suggest you get out of here though, I was serious about burning down this city,” replied Petra.
“Please don’t leave me here,” begged Dahlia.
“Listen, you can come back with me,” said Adair, touching Dahlia’s bare shoulder.
Dahlia’s expression went blank for a moment as she looked at Adair. It was as if she had forgotten everything they were just talking about. She looked down at Adair’s hand and moved away from her touch. Petra grabbed Adair and pulled her into a big hug. Adair hugged Petra back, taking in the scent of her sweat, smoke, and essential oils.
“I’m glad you’re ok Adair. They killed Raz, Shea, and the Prince, and I thought you were dead too. I managed to flee back to my city. We couldn’t move an army against Bosh Ragan without Guardia noticing, so I came back with a hand selected force. After this I’m heading to Guardia, as I’m guessing you will be too. I’ll find you on the road,” said Petra, and then she took off around the corner.
Adair took Dahlia’s arm and the two ran back toward the opening Adair had cut into the city wall. Buildings all around were on fire, and guards ran around trying to evacuate people. Dahlia and Adair reached the wall, but there were mercenaries standing in front of it, checking out the hole she had carved. Adair put her finger to her lips, signaling to Dahlia to remain quiet.
Keeping to the shadows, Adair slinked up behind the mercenaries. She stabbed one directly in the back and then threw his body down between her and the other two. They shouted obscenities as they drew their blades and attacked Adair. Practicing the postures Rose had taught her, she easily outmaneuvered them. They were angry and sloppy in their attacks, their movements giving away their next attack. Like a needle into a pin cushion, she pierced her blade into the next mercenary. She was about to strike down the last one when an arrow hit him in the neck. He grabbed at the wound, dropping his sword, as blood spurted from his neck. He screamed a gurgled cry and then fell to the ground.
From above another figure in black headed across rooftops toward the far watch tower. Whomever it was, he picked off the mercenaries one by one with his bow as he went. Adair pushed the wooden circle back out of the wall and crawled through. Dahlia followed behind her.
The two made their way back up the hill under the cover of the night. The screams of the city became quieter as they got further away. Petra had lived up to her promise against the Sword Theater those months ago. It was morning time when Dahlia and Adair arrived back at Rose’s manor.
Rose sat out front on the porch, wearing little more than a dressing gown. Alfein paced anxiously in front of the porch, and Emin sat on the steps near Rose. When Alfein saw Adair arrive back at the manor, he practically skipped to her. He grabbed her by the shoulders.
“Where have you been?” he asked.
“I think we know where she was,” said Rose, looking away disinterestedly.
“Petra was there. She’s razing the city. Ivor is dead,” said Adair, not quite able to form full sentences.
“Petra. We had removed her as a variable in our trial runs. She’s alive then?” asked Emin.
“Yes. I guess she managed to escape when Ivor attacked us. But I found out that he was hired by Prince Flavian and Nathaniel,” said Adair.
“Who did you bring up here?” asked Rose.
“My name is Dahlia. I’m a dancer from the city that your friends destroyed. Don’t worry, I’m not angry. I’m just hoping someone can help me get back on my feet,” said Dahlia, clutching her treasures.
“You look like you have plenty to help you get back on your feet. Maybe it would be best if you were on your way,” said Rose.
“Well I’ll be heading to Guardia soon if you wanted to go back West,” offered Adair.
“What do you mean? You killed Ivor. You got your revenge,” said Alfein.
“No. I didn’t. I’m going to get Nathaniel to confess to what he did and I’m going to see to it that the prince is punished. The deaths of my friends and the testimonies of Petra and Nathaniel should be enough,” said Adair.
“It won’t be. You remember how the prince reacted when you told him Ivor was corrupt? It didn’t matter what the evidence was. Quit being so naïve. You haven’t learned a thing. Everyone knows there is corruption in the world, Adair. You keep making these people into big bad villains when they’re just dealing with the system they’re in. You acco
mplished what I trained you to accomplish, now you owe me,” scolded Rose.
“I’m going to Guardia, it’s the only way I can finish my quest,” replied Adair.
“Listen, let’s just have breakfast and talk it out,” said Emin, trying to defuse the situation.
“I’m asking you sincerely, please don’t go back to Guardia,” asked Rose.
“What do you know that I don’t?” asked Adair.
“You don’t know who I am, or what I’ve been through to get to this point, and I don’t owe you any explanations. I’m trying to help you right now. If you go to Guardia, you will die,” shot Rose.
“I’m not going to die. My family is actually pretty respected in the city. I promise this will work out and when it’s done, I’ll come back,” reasoned Adair.
“Do what you must, I won’t be there to help you,” said Rose as she got up off the front porch sofa and walked inside.
The rest of the group went inside after Rose, who had taken off upstairs. Adair started to follow after Rose, not wanting to leave things on a bad note. Alfein grabbed her by the arm and reminded her that they were not supposed to go up there. Adair decided to honor that, since she was going against Rose’s advice.
Emin made them breakfast, and they all sat around the big dining room table to discuss their travel plans. They ate bacon and eggs over slices of bread that Emin had baked. It was a simple meal, but it was as good as Emin’s usual cooking. Dahlia sat down next to Alfein at the table. Alfein shoveled the food into his mouth, using the bread as a utensil.
“Somebody’s hungry,” said Dahlia.
“Yeah, well I love breakfast,” said Alfein.
“We should finish eating and then pack up to head out. If we leave before noon we should be able to cover a lot of ground before nightfall,” said Adair.
“Rose is the boss and if you’re going against what she told you, then I’m not going to stand by you either. You’ll be going to Guardia without me,” said Emin.
“I went to Bosh Ragan on my own. I don’t need any of you for this,” replied Adair.