by Candy Crum
Arryn had been teaching the students how to grow potted plants, something they were still working on.
Just as she had predicted, the Boulevard students were having an easier time learning the skills than the physical magic students.
One student had even gotten so frustrated that he accidentally set his flowers on fire. That had made the entire classroom laugh, even Arryn.
She decided to give them a little bit of a break today. She wanted to work on healing. It was harder to do, but she hoped it would reignite their interest in nature magic to learn something that valuable.
As everyone sat down, Arryn looked around the room and studied them for a moment. Something seemed very different. The entire class seemed distracted, worried, upset about something. "Good morning, class. I’d ask how everyone’s doing, but it looks like you’re all in a pissy mood."
One of the girls from the center of the class, Megan, raised her hand. "Did you not hear about what happened to Joel's dad?"
Arryn's forehead wrinkled as she looked around for Joel, but came up empty. She hadn't heard any news, good or bad. She shook her head. "No. What happened? Is that why he's not here?"
Megan nodded. "There was a remnant attack. Another one, this one farther south. Joel's dad was down there with a group of loggers, and the remnant killed everyone."
That certainly wasn't a good way to start the day.
Arryn felt terrible for Joel. He was one of the newest students—from the Boulevard, of course. He worked hard in class, and Arryn could see just how dedicated he was to learning any form of magic. He was particularly proud to be learning nature magic.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Arryn momentarily looked down at her desk before standing to address the class. "Joel’s a great guy. I know what it's like to lose a parent, especially to violence. We should do something nice for him before he comes back."
A young man named Mark who sat to the right of the class spoke. "What exactly do you expect us to do for him? He just lost his father. Nothing’s gonna make that better. Everyone’s scared shitless the remnant’s gonna come this way. What happens if they attack our city?"
"I don't think she meant doing something nice for him would fix his problems, Mark," Megan interjected. "She just meant it would be thoughtful. I think we're all sensitive to this and worried the remnant might come this way."
Arryn was about to speak when she felt a familiar tingle in her mind, reminding her of the day she’d met Amelia. She’d felt something that day—a buzzing feeling in her head—and Amelia had told her she’d felt the effects of the Chancellor looking into her thoughts. It was a mystical magic ability.
But that wasn’t the problem.
Arryn had felt it again the day she met Talia, just before Amelia had pulled her out of class to hunt down Doyle. Once she’d returned to teaching after her week of being in a magically induced, coma-like sleep, that feeling had crept over her multiple times.
Amelia? Arryn thought, hoping that it was the Chancellor checking on her.
There was no answer.
The initial tingle went away, but she could still feel a light buzz in the back of her mind. It was very strange; something she couldn't quite describe.
Arryn shook her head, clearing her thoughts and bringing herself back to the conversation. "So, how far south are we talking?" Arryn asked. "If you mean farther than the last remnant attack, then I’d say we’ll be fine."
It was Megan who spoke again. "It was, but it was also farther into the valley. It was the house farthest south before getting close to the mountain just north of Craigston. I don't know why they'd stop at the patch of forest, why they wouldn't climb up to Craigston. From what I hear, they can take anything they want."
"Yeah! I heard they’re almost fifteen feet tall, built like bears, and just as strong, and they have magic. With that kind of combination… If they come here, we’re screwed." That came from Jack, another student to the left side of the classroom.
Though Arryn had never seen the remnant herself, she knew about them from the Chieftain. She'd also heard Samuel’s story, and she trusted both of those men, especially since both their descriptions matched the other.
"First of all, that's not right," Arryn corrected, standing and walking around the front of her desk. Suddenly, she felt like an Elder instead of a peer. "Second, why do you think we’d be screwed if they came to Arcadia?"
Jack snorted. "You're joking, right? Our military sucks. The Guard was a bunch of corrupt assholes before, but they were strong. We had over a thousand, but they were either killed or they left the city when they realized their shit wouldn't fly anymore. Now, to sum it up, we have hundreds of barely trained recruits who have no magic to back up what little martial skill they have."
She hadn't realized just how far off schedule the city was. With all the progress, it had seemed everything was on track. She'd been there for a few weeks, but she'd been so lost in the Academy and training with Cathillian that she hadn't even thought to check into the military aspect. She’d just assumed all of that was under control.
Clearly, the city was badly in need of help. Amelia could only do so much alone.
"Okay," Arryn began. "There's not much that I can do about the military, though I can talk to Amelia about it—"
"Yeah, do that," Mark said. "You’re a druid. Aren’t you guys supposed to be badasses or something? How do you guys train?"
Arryn thought back to her training session that very morning and smiled. "I trained with the druids for years, but I didn't start actual warrior training until recently when I decided to come back to Arcadia. The druids train all their people how to fight, not some, not just a select few. Everyone. Though, if someone decides to be a warrior, the training becomes much harder. Painful, really.”
"Well, if the remnant are as awful as they say, we're gonna need a bunch of badasses, not toddlers in armor," Mark retorted.
"Yeah, I think the druids have it right. Everyone should know how to defend themselves. None of us knew anything until the worst happened with the Battle for Arcadia, and we barely made it out. If the remnant come, we're fucked, plain and simple. There's no way we can defend ourselves against them," Megan stated.
"Okay, I'm gonna put your minds at ease. You’re right to fear the remnant, but your facts are wrong. The remnant aren’t fifteen feet tall. They aren’t built like bears. They sure as hell don't know magic. Their ancestors were regular, human men and women before the Age of Madness, so they’re built like men and women, and are extremely strong. And I'm not going to lie to you, they do eat humans. They'll kill and eat anything."
"I'm not sure that makes me feel any better," Megan replied, a disgusted look on her face.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that’s just as piss-your-pants scary," Mark agreed.
They were right. She realized she’d have been scared, too, if someone had told her what she’d just related to them when she was already worried about being attacked.
"I'll talk to Amelia. Like you, I believe everyone in the city should know how to defend themselves. Given that she was one of the people who helped train combatants for the revolution, I think she’ll agree, so don’t worry. Amelia seems smart when it comes to this stuff. She understands. You're right to prepare, but don't allow yourself to be sick over it. I'll take care of this."
"What about training with you?" Jack asked.
Arryn smiled. She couldn't deny that she really enjoyed the feeling of being respected, even if she was the same age or even younger than some of them. "If Amelia’s good with it, I’d love to, even if I can only do it in private and not at the Academy.”
Arryn made her way back around her desk to sit once again. “Let's get on with the day. How about I teach you a little about healing today? I had planned to anyway, but now I think it's the perfect topic."
She grew excited as everyone in the class perked up, happy to be taught something new and beneficial. She’d told them the truth, except for one thing.
S
he was just as worried as they were that the remnant might come their direction, though she couldn’t deny that it would be exciting to test out her new training.
As she pondered her worries, the buzzing in her mind faded completely. If it wasn’t Amelia, who was it? Arryn knew she needed to talk to Amelia, and soon.
CHAPTER FOUR
Elysia led a small group of warriors toward the border. She'd kept them busy maintaining the barrier ever since the first warning they'd received from the traitor, Aeris.
Aeris, with the help of his sister, Jenna, had come into the Dark Forest and left a warning—some dark arrows. While it didn’t seem like much, the Elders knew that it was symbolic of war.
Jenna had allowed her brother in through the barrier before leaving the Forest herself to join them.
It was important for the warriors to continue ensuring no more breaches were made, but she didn't like forcing them to do it alone.
She and the Chieftain had decided to take turns, swapping out patrol leadership to keep everyone in good spirits and to make sure if anything did happen, one of them was there to see it firsthand.
So far, nothing had been found inside the barrier since the initial dark arrows, though they assumed that would change soon enough. They knew what the message had meant.
They would receive more than that initial visit, and the threats would get progressively worse until an official war was declared.
The Chieftain had decided to allow Jenna and Aeris' parents, Flynn and Amara, to stay as a bargaining chip. The couple hadn’t wanted to leave the tribe, but what they’d done had made them worthy to be called traitors.
Unlike their treacherous children, their only crime--thus far--had been allowing the love they held for their offspring to cloud their better judgment.
They’d kept Aeris’ presence—as well as their daughter Jenna’s visits with him—hidden. They worried their son would be hurt or killed for his crimes, but it had gotten worse when Jenna had left to join him.
Now, Flynn and Amara were prisoners inside their own home, unable to be trusted, but having had committed a crime large enough to be banished.
Still, Elysia and the Chieftain knew Jenna and Aeris would be more likely to remain cautious out of worry for their parents. They would be less likely to declare an all-out war if their parents were still in “enemy” hands.
As they patrolled the southern border, Elysia's gut began to roil. Her connection with nature told her something had, in fact, breached the wall, so she held her hand up, signaling for everyone to stop their horses behind her.
Everyone halted and waited as she listened to the area around them. Off to the west, toward the Kalt River, in the direction they were traveling, she could hear the sound of small footsteps.
Her eyes turned darker green as she closed them, focusing on the plants and animals around her. Though her connection to the birds and other animals couldn’t be as strong as the one she shared with Chaos, as powerful as she was, she could still coax them to allow her to see or, in this case, sense what they did.
Soon, she opened her eyes, looking back to her men and women. "Move slowly. Something’s inside the Dark Forest, but it isn't human."
Elysia used their bond to silently urge Chaos to pace forward, and he obliged, every step surprisingly light for a horse as large as he was.
As they got closer, Elysia could hear the faint sounds of growls and whines. Wolves. Chaos stopped and knelt, telling Elysia that he wanted her to get off.
She climbed down and waited for him to alert her, knowing his senses were even better than hers. Chaos suddenly ran forward at full speed, leaving Elysia behind. Through their connection, she could see him approaching several wolves.
They were disheveled, their fur matted and filthy. Their eyes were clouded over, and they looked sickly, their teeth longer and sharper than those of a normal wolf. These weren't just any wolves.
They were familiars.
Dark familiars. Elysia imagined Jenna had used her pure nature magic to open the border, something dark druids were unable to do—even Aeris after having been gone for so long—and allowed the wolves, the companions to their dark masters, to come through.
It was nothing shy of treason.
Elysia turned to her warriors. "Jenna has opened the wall, and the dark druids have sent in their companions. Chaos has gone after them. Let's move!" she ordered.
Faylinn, one of the other warriors, rode forward and reached down to pull Elysia onto his horse before heading in the direction Chaos had run. Within moments, they were upon the enemy wolves.
Elysia watched as Chaos bucked, kicking at the pack with his large hooves. There were seven in total, and Chaos was about to be overrun, though he was causing a lot of damage on his own.
They growled and snapped at his legs, leaving deep gashes from their elongated teeth. Their saliva was full of bacteria and would no doubt cause great illness to anyone they bit into if it wasn’t quickly healed—including Chaos.
Elysia jumped from the back of Faylinn’s horse and ran forward. One of the wolves broke free of Chaos and charged at her, but she pulled her bow from her shoulder, nocked an arrow, and took the shot in one fluid movement.
The arrow flew straight through the wolf’s open mouth and pierced the back of its throat and head as it jumped at her, ready to bite into her neck.
It fell to the ground and Elysia stepped over it, moving onto the next. She shot another one through the side of the head as it dove for Chaos. The other warriors were now running past her to fight them.
Elysia heard a growl to her right just before she saw the wolf in her peripheral vision. An eighth familiar had been hidden off to the side and had now jumped out of the thick brush, diving straight for her.
Without even breaking her stride, Elysia lifted her right hand, causing thick vines to burst from the ground and wrap around its neck. She swiped her hand downward, the vines slamming him to the earth before she closed her fist.
They snapped his neck as they tightened.
"Behind you, Chaos," Elysia warned. Her voice wasn’t loud, but he was able to hear her through the bond.
A wolf bit at his hind leg, but because of her warning, he was able to kick it in the face, sending it flying back into the barrier surrounding the forest.
Elysia pulled a knife from her belt and charged toward a wolf that was heading for one of her warriors. She jumped on its back, wrapping her arm tight around its throat and pulling its head back so it couldn't snap at her as she rolled it to the ground. Wrapping her legs around it to pin it down, she sliced its throat before throwing it off her.
Faylinn reached a hand down to help her stand. As she rose, she saw one of her fellow druids taking down the final wolf with his sword.
They stood there and took a few moments to collect themselves. The death of any animal was not something to take lightly, especially when a druid had to be the one to do it.
But this… This was something else entirely.
They’d sacrificed their own familiars. Not in a great battle where lives were at stake, but as an experiment. It made Elysia sick and also saddened for the lives lost there today.
But there was nothing she could do. As dark familiars, they would never listen to her.
"What should we do, Elysia?" Arabella, a high-ranking warrior, asked.
Elysia paused, looking from the bodies to the barrier. "They sacrificed their own familiars to test our strength and vigilance. They wanted to know if we were patrolling, and they wanted to see how effective we would be. I’m betting if we opened the barrier, they’d be standing right on the other side."
"How could they do that? How could they sacrifice their own companions?" Arabella exclaimed.
Elysia had no answer. All she could do was shake her head, thinking of what it would be like to coldly sacrifice Chaos just to test the enemy. She felt like throwing up, but she couldn’t allow her emotions to take hold. This wasn’t over yet.
"I don't kno
w how they did it, but it doesn't matter now. We can send their fallen companions back to them. Follow my lead," she ordered. "We're gonna give them a message of our own."
Elysia turned and faced the barrier, lifting her hands as she did so. Her eyes turned dark green as she focused on the thorny vines intertwined in the barrier, which began to pop as they broke away.
Soon, several were hanging free in the air. With graceful, fluid movements of her hands, she brought the thorn-covered vines down to wrap around a few of the wolves. Then, with a thrust of her hand as if she were throwing something, the vines whipped across the wall, launching the dark familiars back to the other side.
She heard voices shouting as the men and women on the other side were pelted with the bodies of their dead companions. As Elysia had ordered, her warriors did the same, throwing the rest of the wolves over the wall and back to the ones who had sent them to their deaths.
It hurt her heart and her gentle nature to do so, but she couldn’t open the barrier as she was certain they expected her to do.
"Elysia!" a dark voice shouted. It was loud, brutally angry, and filled with hate.
Elysia knew that voice.
"Aeris! So lovely to hear your traitorous voice again!" Elysia called.
"You will pay for this!" he cried.
A dark smile spread across Elysia's beautiful face, making her look terrifying even to her fellow warriors. She was a good woman, but when anyone threatened her tribe, she became fearsome.
"Oh, but Aeris! It was you who sent them to their deaths. Go home, boy. Know that their blood is on your hands, and anyone you send through this barrier will meet the same fate!"
Elysia turned and walked toward Chaos as he knelt for her to climb on. She laid her hands against his neck, paying special attention to him right then as she allowed her magic to flow through him to heal whatever damage the wolves had done. The rest of the warriors followed suit, mounting their own horses.
When Aeris didn't reply and she felt the retreat of the dark energy, she sent one of the soldiers back to summon the next watch. It was decided. When she returned, she planned to double the number of warriors patrolling and spread them out to monitor larger areas.