by Shelley Cass
Though I was aware of the strange room I was in, and remembered snatches of miraculous magical beings who had nursed me, my attention focused on Dalin, who I had always been aware of. How he had cared for me with every particle of his soul – holding strong the fragile thread of my own life. And I stirred as I noticed the shape of a bulky bandage through the pants material over his thigh.
“It’s alright,” he told me softly, sleepily – as he must have woken to croon to me when I’d moved so many times before. “Still here,” he said.
“I know,” I tested the wisps of voice that remained to me. “You were there every time,” I attested. “You were the greatest comfort, and I know all you’ve done for me.”
Slowly he blinked his green eyes and sat forward, more alert now. “You’re really awake this time,” he whispered as if he hardly dared to believe it, and his eyes searched my face in wonder.
“Kiana?” I heard Noal’s tentative voice, and I smiled as I saw him climbing the stairs into the strange room. Shock and joy covered his face as he quickly crossed to sit with me on the bed.
“Gods, it’s good to see you alive,” Noal breathed, and touched my free hand as if it were made of delicate porcelain. “There’s so much to tell you. We’ve been so worried,” he went on earnestly.
“I shall be fine,” I reassured him, already feeling tired again. “When one has had magical beings at their bedside – and has a guardian such as Dalin, there can’t be too much to fear.”
“You remember the Elves and Nymphs,” Dalin affirmed with relief.
“Is there more to remember?” I asked.
“We’ll tell you everything,” Dalin promised. “But not just yet. It’s not urgent.”
I should have pushed the matter with dogged conviction, but I was beginning to feel weighted down with weariness.
“Yes, the most important thing is food,” Noal reflected while I blinked heavy eyelids. “You’ve turned to skin and bone.”
“You’re right,” I nodded drowsily, conscious that my great loss of weight and strength would take time to regain. “I’ll need to get my strength back soon so we can move off again.”
“Move off?” Noal asked.
I frowned. “To resume the Quest.”
“We want you to recover,” Dalin said carefully. “No need to rush.”
“It wouldn’t be today,” I acknowledged, sinking further into the pillows.
“You look in need of rest again,” Dalin patted my hand, green eyes crinkled with concern. I also noticed that Noal seemed less upbeat than before.
“I could still best you in a contest,” I answered, but my eyes had closed before he could reply.
Chapter Three
Noal
“I’m out,” Dalin grimaced, watching as Kiana listlessly took another one of his coins over a game of runes.
We sprawled with her where she was propped up in bed, and though she’d had a few days of rest since waking, her vigour had not returned.
“Evening, my dashing males,” Asha zipped playfully up through the opening in the floor where the stairs began. “And my dear One.”
The little Nymph whizzed across to me and planted her rosebud lips on my cheek. Then she soared over to stand on Vidar’s head as he climbed his way into the room.
Kiana sat up with a little more energy as the insatiable vitality of Asha, combined with the electrical power that surrounded Vidar, seeped into the chamber.
Vidar patiently took hold of Asha’s tiny ankle and let her slide her way down his arm. Then she bounced joyously to the floor and walked, for once, to the bed again. She was tiny at ground level, and when she raised her arms I picked her up to sit her amongst our lost coins and rune pieces on the cover.
“How do you fare today, One?” Vidar asked Kiana as Asha climbed instead into my lap, her gleaming red eyes on the gold that littered the white sheets.
“I am quite improved,” Kiana told the massive Elf, even though the only thing that had improved was that she was awake and eating. “I’m sure Chloris and Frey will ease their frequent examinations of me sometime soon.”
“We did ask the Lady if we could get you out of here for a short spell,” Asha informed Kiana while stretching lethargically against my chest. “But she decreed that you needed more strength first.”
Red Nymph hair tickled my nostrils, but when I tried to wave it aside, it drifted back up into my face.
“However, we would like to invite the Raiden and Noal out to see the City tomorrow,” Vidar said diplomatically. “And to give them their own tree tower of honour.”
“After all, the City is abuzz with desperation to see these two mortals, but all Noal and the Raiden do is rot in here,” Asha added.
“I see,” Kiana nodded, but I detected nothing good in her expression.
“Agrudek was fun to play with at the start, but really, we haven’t been waiting for generations just to see him.”
“Generations?” Kiana asked.
“Do we get any say in this at all?” Dalin enquired, changing the topic. “It sounds like you’re asking Kiana’s permission to take us out.”
“You get no say.” Asha floated out of the chair she’d made of me and pinched Dalin’s cheeks. “See you on the morn!”
She somersaulted her way to the window, waving with little fingers before spiralling out into the night.
“Be well,” Vidar added, following Asha’s lead in bidding us goodnight as Kiana glared at us darkly.
“What’s the matter?” Dalin asked her as she shot us dagger-sharp looks.
“What’s the matter?” she repeated very quietly. “You get to explore an enchanted City. A City not seen by any mortal for centuries. While I can’t rise from bed without collapsing.”
Her voice was deceptively civil, but her eyes held some of their old power.
“Ah, self pity,” Dalin shook his head with mock disappointment.
One of her eyebrows shot up in a dangerous arc, and in a flash she had reached out and shoved Dalin off the bed with a single heave.
“OOF.” He landed with a surprised laugh and thump on the floor.
“And you,” she said threateningly to me as she held her bad shoulder, “are lucky you’re out of reach.”
“Amazingly lucky,” I agreed, feeling a fluttering of hope as she seemed restored somewhat to the Kiana I was used to.
“You know we will gladly stay locked up in here with you, if you wish it,” Dalin told her, gazing up genuinely from his position on the floor.
“I do not wish it. Off with the both of you,” she said with a flutter of her hand as Dalin deigned to pick himself up. “But perhaps after your adventurous day you can return to me, and then we can get back to thinking about the Quest.”
“Perhaps,” Dalin yawned luxuriously.
“See you soon.” I skirted around the bed in case she should make an attempt on my life, which made her smile a little.
“G’night,” she said dryly, beginning to count her winnings as we left.
Chapter Four
Dalin
“Wakey, wakey …” a high voice purred beside my ear, and I felt little fingers peeling one of my eyelids up. “Arise, Sir Raiden …”
I groaned as I blearily took in Asha’s face, just inches from mine, and I swatted lazily at the annoying Nymph. Her flaming hair tickled my skin before she soared in circles across Kiana’s sitting room to where Noal was flopped across a couch.
“What’satime?” Noal moaned as she stood on his chest.
“It is morning time, and moving time, a glorious time at that!” she declared, while Vidar came into view, having waited back more respectfully.
“Good morning friends. Today you shall see some of the wonders of our vast Forest City!” he told us warmly.
“So get up, get up, get up, get up!” Asha sang, again taking flight and doing a loop the loop around the room.
“Gods,” I grumbled, pulling on my shirt and belting on my sword.
“You
can leave the shirt if you want,” Asha stopped to consider thoughtfully. “It’s warm out.”
“I’m all set,” I told her sardonically. “With a shirt on.”
“You’re all set?” Asha asked, not resuming her usually endless movements. “You’re not going to neaten up?”
I rolled my eyes and crossed to a dish of water by the window to splash my face and scrub roughly at my hair, finally shaking the drops off while Noal did the same.
“Better?”
Asha observed us critically, floating upside down to scrutinize our scrubbed faces.
“I could do your hair for you,” she suggested at last. “You’d look dashing with Nymph hair.”
“How do you get your hair like that?” Noal asked, interested.
“Ohh, with all of our momentum, our hair simply can’t stay flat,” she explained as she squinted at us, walking upside down a few paces in the air.
“I don’t think I’d have the energy to sustain it,” Noal reflected.
Then Asha clicked her tongue and snapped her fingers, flipping the right way up.
“New clothes! More Elfling ones will do!” she sing-songed, flitting out the window with empty hands one moment, and then zipping up through the stairway hole with garments in her hands the next.
“What’s wrong with these?” Noal asked, pulling at the plain garments he was wearing.
“These are more refined for a grand introduction, my silly dear,” she told him, tossing the silky materials in his face before dumping mine over my head. “The Forest dwellers will want you to live up to their dreams.” She watched us expectantly.
“We’ll wait outside,” Vidar told us pointedly, and he led Asha out by her dangling ankle as she pouted and tugged at a tuft of his white hair.
“Spoil sport,” her sulky little voice rose as they descended the steps.
“These remind me of home,” Noal remarked, examining the simple, yet splendid garments Asha had brought.
I stepped into the trousers, and pulled my arms into the long sleeved, shirt-like vest, marvelling at the silky cloth as I laced the front. The material was smooth and cool to touch, and was light blue in colour, but it shimmered silver like water as it was moved in the light.
When I turned to Noal, I was startled by sudden memories of our old life.
“I forgot you could look so Princely.”
“Why, thank you,” he answered dryly, following me down the winding stairs to the foot of the tree. “It has been a while since you looked anywhere near that yourself.”
We found Vidar and the impatient Asha waiting in the bottommost room, and Asha let out a trilling whistle of appreciation while Vidar herded us through the mighty tree’s doorway.
Yet our light-heartedness was subdued as we ventured further outside, and I was almost struck dumb as we followed Vidar, finding ourselves surrounded by the sensation of a dense, almost crackling atmosphere.
“Gods,” Noal breathed next to me, as if he was tasting a wine better than life itself.
Our eyes were wide as we at last had time to properly try to take in tree towers, vine bridges, the monstrous waterfall in the distance, rock pools, and veils of leaves and flowers – all drizzling like curtains along the cliff walls that protected the City.
And beyond that, our heads turned every which way as all about us magical beings roamed and flitted, the whole place echoing with voices and activity.
To our side there was a particularly raucous burst of laughter as a multi-coloured swarm of Nymphs blurred past.
“You know,” I mentioned to Noal uneasily. “I’m not sure if I can handle a whole group of Ashas all at once.”
Vidar laughed and nearly knocked me over with a friendly pat on my shoulder. “You get used to it.”
Asha smiled a wide smile and I noticed her little pearls of teeth were sharply pointed. “Don’t worry my love,” she purred. “We’re all quite nice when you get to know us.”
Then she gestured to the hordes of magical beings in the area, who had until then been hanging back to watch us curiously.
Instantaneously, we were swamped by crowds of Nymphs who chattered and hovered and hung us off like rainbow ornaments, and I couldn’t help but share in their good cheer.
“Do you have a wench promised to you?” a violet haired little Nymph asked in a baby voice, floating next to Noal and stroking his cheek.
Asha shot the Nymph a withering look and said: “not that one.”
As if Noal was Asha’s property, the violet haired Nymph scowled and fell back, and all of the other hungry looking lady Nymphs who had been eyeing Noal off stopped their flirtatious cooing begrudgingly, while the male Nymphs appeared decidedly relieved.
“Do you have a girl?” asked a bold, blue haired Nymph beside me, and as I gaped at her I noticed that each of the Nymphs had the same coloured eyes as their hair.
“That is the Raiden you are talking to,” Vidar chuckled.
“Perhaps I’m attracted to titles,” the Nymph stated, pressing fluttering lips to my cheek so that I felt as though I’d been kissed by a levitating infant.
We nodded to politely smiling Elves and ploughed through the admiration of each Nymph group that hailed us in greeting, and eventually the little creatures settled into more playful behaviour – shouting to draw our attention to different things and competing to make us laugh.
And when the sun was setting and the floating globes of light all over the City began to glow, Noal and I could not believe how quickly and gaily the day had passed.
We were shown to our own tree tower to share, and we wished Asha and Vidar a good night, reassuring the Elves and Nymphs who were still hanging about that we wouldn’t forget to call at all of their dwellings.
Then we at last explored our very own tower and tiredly found our own beds.
Chapter Five
Dalin
When I woke I dressed in the same outfit as the day before and ventured up to Noal’s room to find him sprawled out on his bed in an immovable condition.
“We said we would visit Kiana,” I told him. “Time to wake up.”
“You go,” he grunted sleepily before rolling over. “I’ll catch up.”
“You’ll be able to find your way to Kiana’s tower in this state?” I asked doubtfully.
“Mph,” he grunted, and waved his arm to shoo me away.
In contrast I felt increasingly invigorated as I stepped out into the early morning. The Forest City smelled fresh and glistened with dew as I guessed my way back to Kiana’s tree, nodding at the pleasant Elves and mischievous Nymphs already out and about.
I found that her door opened as I touched it, allowing me straight in, and I headed for the stairway.
“Kiana!” I called as I wound my way upward, but received no reply. “It’s Dalin!”
I finally poked my head up through the floor of the topmost room, frowning at the lack of response, but found that the room was empty.
“Kiana?” I asked uncertainly.
“There’s no need to warn me of your presence,” her voice carried from the outside balcony of tree foliage and intricately shaped, live branches. “Apparently the doors of these towers only open for the actual dweller, or when the dweller would approve of someone coming in.”
I started moving again from where I had paused. “Oh. Well, why not? If a Willow can talk, why not have a giant tree house decide whether or not a person should be welcome or not?”
Excitement had flooded me as I’d realised she was out of bed, and I crossed to find her leaning out on the branch wrought rails of the balcony, her back to me as she gazed out over the City below.
She was in a fresh, plain white shirt and loose trousers and her long hair was pinned back up against her head so that only wisps played about her neck and ears.
“I’m so glad to see you up,” I said enthusiastically when she seemed unwilling to talk anymore.
But the rush of relief began to fade when she still remained silent.
“Kiana, what’s wrong?” I asked.
She sighed finally, and as if she felt incredibly fragile, she began to slowly turn to face me.
She tightly clasped the branch rail as she moved, and I was painfully aware of how thin her frame had become and how drawn her face was.
I took an alarmed step toward her and then stopped when she looked away from me dejectedly.
“What happened?” I asked as my heart sank.
Hey gaze still wouldn’t meet mine. “I grew tired of being an invalid and decided to at least search my tower, if I couldn’t see the City.” She spoke bitterly to the floor. “I made it down into three rooms before I was depleted of all energy.” Then her eyes angrily flashed up to my face. “I lost consciousness trying to climb back up the steps and Frey and Chloris found me. They had to bring me back up to bed. I couldn’t do it for myself.”
At once fearful memories of the Lady’s warnings that Kiana may never regain her strength raced through my mind, but I pushed them aside.
I saw the hopelessness on Kiana’s face, mingling with hot, angry tears that burned in her eyes and I instinctively moved forward again, reaching to her with my arms outstretched.
She stiffened as though she would draw away, becoming her fierce and independent self again. But then the harsh tension in her face broke and the hot tears escaped to run down her cheeks, and it was Kiana who closed the small distance between us. She buried her face against me and my arms enfolded her.
“I don’t know what is wrong with me,” she whispered against my chest. “I can’t control this and it terrifies me.”
“Just let it all out,” I said softly, holding her shaking frame as the moments passed. “It’s alright.”
Finally her body grew still and her breathing became regular, and I heard her muffled voice from against my chest.
“Most people say ‘don’t cry’,” Kiana sighed. “And for some reason that’s not very comforting.”