by Sarah Noffke
“These dryads, they protect the forest?”
“That’s correct, Princess. Their job is to ensure that no one harms it, since they live in the trees. Now the question is, what do they do to those who go too far? What do they do to those who take and take and must be punished?”
A morbid realization beset Azure. “Oh! Wow! These statues! These are offenders, aren’t they?” She stared at the faces of the statues, understanding why they all looked horrified. “These rogue dryads… They turn people or creatures into statues and put them here if they are caught committing a crime against the forest, is that right?”
“You are correct, Princess,” Gillian said. “If one of the Dryads catches someone hurting the forest, they ask no questions. They are immediately sentenced and turned into a statue. It usually isn’t a terribly long sentence, though. It’s more to rehabilitate the wrong-doer.”
Azure glanced at one of the nearest statues. It was a human woman whose stone hair hung on her shoulders. Her hand was frozen over her head, as if she had been trying to shield herself from an attack. The look on her face was the perfect embodiment of fear. To live as a statue for any length of time would be about like being a ghost, stuck in between.
“Can they hear us?” she asked Gillian.
“I’m afraid they can hear us, experience the elements, and feel great suffering in that stone state,” the Gnome answered. His bulbous nose wrinkled a bit. “I hope you realize now why you must be extra-careful journeying through the forest. These dryads cannot be reasoned with. If they catch you doing anything they deem wrong, you’re automatically sentenced.”
She tossed a look at Monet, who was turned over on his side and curled up. “I guess I should think about leaving my partner in crime behind then. He’s obviously going to get me in trouble,” she said with a laugh.
“I saw the amount of mud on your boots. You have committed no crimes. Please, now tell me why you travel to the Land of Terran.”
Azure swallowed. What did it matter if this Gnome knew part of the reason? Many more would know who she was soon. It would travel past the borders of Virgo, and all would find out her mother’s secret. She might as well use the information as currency now. “I’m half human, and my father lives in the Land of Terran.”
Gillian stared straight ahead for a long moment. “Yes, it makes sense now. And your crown?”
“It may not be mine. That is yet to be determined, but there are other things I must resolve first,” she said.
Gillian pushed up into a standing position. “One of them being why someone is following us,” he said, looking straight at the tree line. A pair of eyes could be seen hovering in the canopy.
“I was hoping I wasn’t going crazy and that someone else saw the peeper too,” Azure said, standing up.
“I’ve been watching the eyes for quite some time now. Whoever they belong to is too nimble for us to catch. Therefore, I warn you to be on guard as we continue on your journey.”
Azure studied the face of the Gnome for a moment. Gillian didn’t seem to have changed his opinion now that he knew she was half human. If anything, he strangely seemed more committed to their mission. But that has to be my imagination. That could be very good news. Gnomes are very loyal once they commit to something.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
A loud roar captured Azure’s attention. She whipped her head in its direction, on the other side of the statue garden. Monet bolted upright looking bewildered, as a deep and guttural scream ripped through the air.
“Someone is in trouble,” Azure said, grabbing her bag and fastening it to her back. She turned in the direction of the scream that was still sounding, her wand at the ready. “Come on, we’ve got to go!”
“Toward the screaming creature?” Monet asked, pushing up to a standing position and still looking drunk. “No, dear Azure, you’re supposed to run away when you hear blood curdling screams. That’s the right protocol.”
“Monet, someone needs our help, so stop being a coward,” she demanded, waving him forward as she took a few cautious steps.
“I’m going to actually agree with the deranged wizard here,” Gillian said.
“I knew there was something I liked about you,” Monet told him, tilting his head to look down at the Gnome.
“Well, you two can stay here, but if I start screaming I expect back-up.” She took off in a jog, the screams getting louder as she approached the tree line.
Whoever needed help was inside a dense section of the forest. Azure slowed to a trot as she neared a veil of thorns hanging from the trees overhead. She waved her wand and the curtain of sharp and poisonous thorns rose into the air to allow her to enter. Azure pulled her hood over her head as she ducked into the trees. It instantly became darker.
She waved her wand at her boots, muttering an incantation that made her feet more agile so that she could avoid obstacles as she approached them. It gave her sensors on her boots that knew when an upcoming collision was about to happen and helped her to navigate easily over or around them. Azure moved effortlessly through the forest, her feet working on their own. She finally slowed when the screams vibrated in her head. They were coming from the ground just a few yards away.
Metal bars covered a pit in the ground. Metal? Why would there be metal in the forest? That seemed out of place when there was only dirt and wood and stone here. Azure halted at the pit and stared down to find the source of the screams. The Orc inside went momentarily silent, staring up at Azure.
“You’re okay,” Azure assured him, sidestepping around the pit to try to figure out how the metal bars were attached to the ground. Ropes were tied to either side of them, giving her a clue. She looked up to see branches bent overhead. The bars were suspended from above. “Who would want to trap an Orc?”
“Have you been in there long?” she asked, but the Orc simply stared at her. At least he’s not yelling anymore.
The pit was deep enough that the Orc, who was over seven feet tall, couldn’t reach the bars. Azure directed her wand at the bars and muttered a series of words, but they didn’t budge.
“What the hell?” she said.
“That’s not hell. That’s a pit with an Orc,” Monet said behind her, partially breathless.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him. Her eyes were still on the pit, wand clenched in her fingers.
“I’m here to ensure you don’t free an angry Orc from a barred pit, so please stop,” he requested, stepping in front of her as she muttered a new spell.
“Move, Monet. He’s in trouble,” she said, angling around him. Nothing she tried worked.
“No, he’s an Orc who is imprisoned, as they all should be. Leave him,” Monet said.
The Orc let out another loud scream, making the metal above his cage rattle.
“My friend didn’t mean that,” Azure said. She leaned in and whispered close to his ear. “Look, I can’t leave him here, and I feel like I need to release him anyway. Wouldn’t you want someone to do the same if you were trapped?”
“Well, yeah, but I’m a civilized wizard, not a tattoo-sporting giant who could snap the heads off a Pixie,” Monet replied, although he stepped aside with his hands up, surrendering to Azure’s logic.
“The question is, who trapped him?” Gillian mused from a safe distance.
Azure halted and turned to look at the Gnome. She knew she’d be glad she’d allowed him to come, even if he thought it was for his own purposes. “And are they still around?” she said.
This just meant that she had to free the Orc faster, but how could she when none of her spells released the bars? She tried to lift, break, and make them disappear using magic. None of those spells worked. She was concocting a new spell when Monet turned, a disgusted look on his face.
“Fucking great! The bars have been enchanted not to respond to magic. Well, we’ve tried, now let’s go back to why we’re even out here,” he said, walking past Azure.
“You tried to remove the bars?” Azure asked
, shocked.
“Yeah, I tried, thinking it would move this whole thing along, but they’ve been enchanted, like I said. So, we move on.”
“How do you know that?” she asked.
He pointed his wand at the bars. A ball of fire appeared at the end of his wand and flew to the bars before ricocheting. “See, they have protection on them.”
“How did you know that, though?”
“I just get an instinct about these things. I’m more than a pretty face, Azure. Damn,” he said with a deep sigh. He resumed grumbling at Gillian, who had mastered the act of ignoring Monet. That was impressive.
“Who would set a trap for an Orc and then bewitch the bars so they couldn’t get out?” asked Azure. The Orc was looking more than impatient, but he remained quiet.
“Orcs wouldn’t have the magic to remove the bars,” Gillian offered.
Azure spun to face the Gnome, who turned his face to the side and pressed his lips together.
“What do you mean by that?” she asked.
“We never repeat anything.”
“Okay, I’ll ask another way. Are you saying someone meant to trap something besides an Orc?” she asked.
Gillian turned his attention to the forest floor, as if the leaves were suddenly of great interest.
“Maybe someone was trying to catch a Witch or a Wood Elf or something,” Monet offered.
“Yeah, something,” Azure muttered, hearing the heavy breathing of the Orc. He was growing restless, and she didn’t blame him. “We can’t magically move the bars. Maybe we can…”
Azure knelt, loosening the soil around the bar that was resting on the ground.
“Az, what are you thinking?” Monet asked cautiously.
“I’m thinking that these bars can’t be moved with magic, so we have to rely on our physical strength. Come on, Monet, grab the other side of the bars.”
“They’ve got to weigh a ton,” he complained.
“Well, then I suggest that you put your back into it or enchant yourself with a strength spell. On the count of three, lift with your knees,” she ordered, securing her hands around the bars and readying herself to rise to a standing position.
“You realize that if we do remove these bars then we’ve freed an Orc, who by the way, looks to be kind of on the hungry side,” Monet told her, but he knelt and gripped the bars despite his words.
“They don’t eat witches or wizards. Come on, they may be large but they’re not dangerous. Not since the treaty. He’ll starve if we leave him in this pit.” She looked into the pit. The Orc was growing more curious by the moment. His large bald head was tilted to the side, and he was watching her with renewed interest.
“Don’t you fucking eat me if I get you out of this pit!” yelled Monet.
The Orc roared, beating his tattooed fists on his bare chest.
“I don’t think that was a real agreement,” Monet said from his hunched position.
“On the count of three, Monet.” She took a breath. “One. Two. Three.”
Grunts spilled from their lips as they hauled the metal bars up a few inches and sidestepped in unison in careful paces to the right. Azure’s breaths were labored and she thought her arms would be pulled off from the weight, but still she held tight to the bars and kept moving. She nearly dropped her end, and she scraped her fingers across the ground.
“Let it fall,” Monet yelled, taxed.
Azure removed her fingers from the metal, her back giving her trouble as she tried to stand.
The Orc was already digging steps into the side of the pit, making a staircase to get out of the hole. They’d cleared the bars enough for the Orc to squeeze out of the cage, but only barely. The creature’s shoulders were three times the width of most wizards’ and arms as thick as trees.
The Orc kept kicking at the pit wall, grunting with every movement.
“The walls of the pit are mostly stone,” Gillian said, ambling up to the group and peering into the hole.
“That’s why he still can’t get out of there,” Azure said. The pit was too deep for him to clamber out. Someone had thought of everything.
“Damn it, I have to do everything myself,” Monet grumbled, and waved his wand at the Orc. The gray-skinned beast rose into the air, resisting the levitation spell for a moment. He froze as he was lifted out of the hole and was placed a safe distance away.
“Monet!” Azure exclaimed. “You are more than a pretty face. I didn’t know you could do that. Thank you!” She clapped, running to the Orc a few feet away.
“I have a heart, but you have no brain. I put him over there for a fucking reason, Azure,” he snapped, reaching for her.
She swirled her cape out of his reach and pushed down her hood as she looked at the Orc.
“Are you good?” she asked.
The Orc came closer to get a better look. He blinked at her and tilted his head. “Good. Are you good?” the Orc asked.
She laughed nervously. “I’m Azure, actually,” she said, extending a hand to the Orc.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Monet pressed his hand to his forehead in horror. “She’s princess lunch time.”
“Princess Azure,” Gillian corrected. “She’s the Princess of the Virgoans.”
Azure allowed her hand to hang in the air. Slowly the Orc raised his hand and tugged her fingers—a bit hard, but not enough to pull her to the ground.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Drago,” the Orc said.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Drago.”
“She’s a fucking fruitcake.” Monet shook his head.
“She’s something else,” Gillian agreed, his voice sounding strange.
“Thank you.” Drago moved his giant hand to a rope belt on his waist, and removed a large knife made from a tooth. He handed it to Azure. “This is yours now. Payment,” he said.
“Oh, that’s not necess—”
“Take it, I insist,” Drago said, bowing slightly.
“Thank you.” Azure held open her hands for the knife. She examined the designs on the bone handle and lifted her eyes to the Orc. “Be careful where you walk going forward, Drago. Help is hard to find in the Dark Forest.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“I really hope we don’t come up on a caged dragon next,” Monet said, rolling his wand in his fingers.
“Did the Orc eat you?” Azure demanded, spinning around as she headed back to the Dryads’ Garden.
“Not yet, but he could be waiting to ambush us,” Monet said, pointing to the forest at Azure’s back.
“Oh, you’re impossible,” she snapped, turning back and stopping short. She covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes widening.
“What is it?” Gillian asked, hurrying to catch up with her. He was worried by her sudden stiffness.
“No!” Monet said, arriving at Azure’s shoulder.
She turned her head away, trying to swallow. “Who would do this?”
Monet backed up a few steps, drawing Azure away with him as he did. “Now we know what happened to Charmsgood.” His voice was scratchy as if he was trying to suppress something.
In a patch of bushes and thorns, a blue robed figured lay on his back, his face sunken and his eyes open, staring at the sky. Azure wouldn’t have even recognized him, but the amethyst ring on his hand gave him away. She’d know that ring anywhere. All her life she was fascinated by it as she watched Charmsgood pinch ingredients into cauldrons and stir, his eyes twinkling with excitement.
“He’s dead,” she muttered.
“For a while,” Monet said. He recovered slightly and wrapped her in his arms, pressing her into him tightly. Virgo had relied on the Potions Master for centuries. He wasn’t someone who could be easily replaced. And to Monet, he meant more. Charmsgood was going to ensure Monet had a special future. For years the Potions Master had been hinting at passing his knowledge to Monet, but now that would never happen.
“He was attacked by a harpy,” Gillian said
, a handkerchief covering his mouth.
“I don’t even want to know how you figured that out without closely studying the body.” Monet pulled away from Azure, even though he was still vibrating with shock.
“The scratch marks,” she declared. Revulsion took over and short-circuited her thoughts.
“The question is, who gave the wizard to the harpy?” a voice asked behind them.
The three spun around, each striking a defensive stance. An Elf stood on a low boulder. His spiky black hair stood on end and his hands hung by his side. His blue eyes were calm and there was no menace in his stance. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a buttoned-up green shirt.
“You’re a Light Elf dressed like a human, aren’t you?” Azure demanded, stepping forward.
He hopped off the boulder and bowed slightly, a series of sparks trailing him as he moved. “I’m Ever of the Light Elves, at your service,” he said, winking.
“You’re the one who’s been following us,” Gillian accused, scanning the canopy overhead.
“Guilty as charged,” Ever confirmed, watching the Gnome.
“Are you the reason we haven’t encountered more dangers?” Gillian asked.
“Are you accusing me of taking out creatures that would have preyed on you?” Ever asked, smiling agreeably.
“I think I am,” Gillian said. The Gnome puffed his chest out, protecting them.
“Well, they were in my way too. I couldn’t have successfully spied on you if I hadn’t taken care of those creatures,” Ever said with a laugh.
“Why were you spying on us?” Azure asked, chin held high and wand even higher.
“For the same reason a Gnome has decided to accompany a ragtag crew on a death mission. It’s freaking fascinating to watch this all unfold. This is history in the making,” Ever said.
“This isn’t a death mission!” Azure protested.
“Well, no, not anymore, because I’m here,” Ever declared, putting his hands on his hips proudly. He was tall and lean, with wide shoulders. “I’ll ensure that you get into the Land of Terran safely, since you’ve passed all the tests.”