by Shelley Cass
The humid air clung to us and was hard to breathe as the gloomy trees grew closer together, even twisting so that their branches were strangling each other while sharp brambles stabbed and clawed at the base of every tree.
At one point a bird that sounded much too large squawked above with a harsh, curdling cry. The tree tops swayed and creaked as the strange bird shifted its weight in the distant boughs out of sight. A cascade of grey leaves rained down on us and they felt cold as they slithered over my arms and shoulders.
Vidar hesitated beside me with an expression of sufferance as the other Elves drew in sharp intakes of breath and the Nymphs hovered protectively near to them – each of them feeling something that my mortal, blanketed senses could not.
I watched Asha put her hand on Vidar’s cheek. “Come old friend,” she said, and he straightened his muscled shoulders and nodded, stepping forward.
“I must let my guard on my mind down so that I am drawn to anything that may have attracted Bard,” he told us.
“I will watch over you,” Asha promised.
“Everyone else should maintain as much control as they can,” Vidar instructed the other Elves, and the Nymphs as well. “Trust in the Three, for they can see through that which we cannot in this place.”
The only brightness in the dense murkiness was the colour of the Nymphs, though even they were not passing unscathed. It seemed that branches caught hold of the flying Nymphs and scratched at them with purpose. Roots that had been invisible upon first look, seemed to suddenly protrude to trip the rest of us up.
A nasty scratch on my forearm had begun to swell and throb and soon we were all covered in stinging scratches from the nettles of bushes.
As time passed we slowed intolerably to avoid treacherous roots and silently listened to the bodiless scuffling, creaking sounds and tormented yowls of hidden creatures.
Tears streamed down Vidar’s midnight cheeks as he allowed himself to feel and hear what we could not. We followed his steps as he listened for the magic that sought to drag him into its traps like an enchanting song and sometimes he would hiss and throw his hands up to his ears. It looked like the effort of lowering them to listen again was agonising.
Many times we heard the snuffling and heavy footsteps of something large stalking us and we cringed whenever we brushed against tree trunks that seemed too cool and too hard. As if they had feelings of their own, and felt hate for us who were not as warped as they were.
Finally Asha and Flash gave a warning cry that sent my pulse racing and made me look up.
Noal and I were on either side of Vidar, and only just had time to catch him as he sank to his knees. We staggered under his weight, and the Elves close to us quickly helped.
“Vidar!” Asha cried in anguish at her friend’s suffering.
For a few moments, he couldn’t appear to hear us as we called for him. But eventually, with an effort that seemed to go beyond the limits of normal strength, he pulled himself to focus, reviving enough to stare at us.
With a shuddering sigh, he made his shaking legs straighten again. “Whatever it is, it’s close,” he said in a thick voice, looking barely fit to stand. “Ahead.”
Something howled loudly from the direction he was pointing toward. A series of answering yammers echoed in response, sounding excited.
It made my stomach tighten in a ball of tension.
“If Bard is ahead, where you sense this power, then he hasn’t got long,” Kiana said grimly, drawing her sword. “That sounds like a victorious hunting pack.”
We followed the tottering Vidar for no more than a few yards before the treetops suddenly erupted with yammering cries. The cries were accompanied by sounds of heavy bodies leaping from bough to bough above us, along with excited chattering and growling shrieks that grew in pitch while we all ducked under further cascades of ashen, icy leaves.
As we got unbearably closer to the shouts, Vidar let out a moan, and nodded ahead.
“We need to fan out and move in a line,” I ordered. “Each Elf is to have his three Nymphs back with him, to keep him safe and focused. We will advance together, staying level. Remain hidden in the trees until we know what we’re up against. For now these things haven’t been interested in us, but that will likely change.”
We began sneaking forward in our line to the dark trunks of a row of trees that appeared to bar the way to a clearing.
“Steady,” I heard Kiana say soothingly to Vidar, who was shuddering with the effort of controlling himself.
As one, we all carefully peered around our trees, trying not to touch their sickly bark.
I heard Kiana draw in a hissing breath when she saw the source of alluring power in the clearing, while Noal stiffened beside me.
“A Dryad?” I whispered in wonder. It appeared as though it had once been as grand as the Willow.
“That Dryad had died before Darziates ever stood here,” Asha scowled. “I know not what possesses its essence and body now.” She was disgusted.
Its repulsive trunk was massive, grey and diseased looking. Yet its leaves were green, and moss and flowers wound their way along the repulsive grey bark. Other trees gave its snake-like roots a wide berth, but they still ringed in together tightly on the edges of the clearing.
There was both a repugnant and beauteous quality to the tree. It seemed symbolic of the clashing powers that had battled here and that still lingered, and my own mind was intrigued by the presence of the towering, majestic nightmare surrounded by the other evil trees. I could feel its allure. Its promise of wild power and unstoppable, unthinkable strength.
I tore my eyes from it when I heard Asha cry out in time for Vidar to move me strongly out of the way. It was very obvious that his sight was consumed entirely by the mighty tree.
“Wait!” Noal hissed uselessly, his hands not strong enough to pull Vidar back.
“Oh Gods,” I heard Kiana breathe in horror, and I whirled around to see what had shocked her.
First, I noticed the shrill increase in the excited shrieks above.
Then I noticed that all of the Elves had stepped out of hiding to stride obliviously into the dim clearing, gazing with blank faces at the once mighty Dryad. Their Nymphs whirred frantically around them, trying to bring them back into control of their own limbs and thoughts.
Next I noticed Bard. Even in the distance, I could see that he was beyond our own realm. He was sitting at the foot of the great tree with straight back and relaxed arms resting on crossed legs. And a strange bestial creature was sniffing at him, though he showed not a flicker of knowledge.
Lastly, I saw more creatures; their figures dropping from the trees like oversized raindrops. The Elves were being surrounded.
Chapter Twenty One
Dalin
More and more ape-like creatures appeared in swarms, climbing down the trees with iron grips.
Their feet resembled hands and, despite being the size of fully grown mortals, they gripped the tree trunks easily. Long tails twitched behind broad bodies that were covered with coarse blue fur, and they were gnashing protruding, wolf-like jaws.
But, oblivious to the creatures dropping from the trees like acrobats around them, the Elves remained sunken down in blank wonder while the Nymphs hissed and bared their own teeth in revulsion and challenge.
Kiana and Noal were by my side, with swords already drawn as we stepped together towards what was sure to be a fight for our lives. Ahead the beasts landed on all fours before straightening at the bases of their trees, quickly moving to surround the Elves and making primal sounds of hunger.
“Nymphs! Ignite your power!” I yelled.
At once, the dim light of the clearing was filled with blazing light as the Nymphs brought burning magic to their fists, ready to defend their Elves.
But while Kiana and Noal ran forward to join the Nymphs’ defence, I heard a sickening snap in the distance and whirled to face where Bard was still sitting.
The largest of all of the monkey-li
ke creatures had been sniffing the prone Elf, uncaring of its pack. But now, with a brutishly strong grip, the beast had decided to test its prey once and for all, and had snapped Bard’s wrist like a twig. It seemed pleased by the Elf’s lack of reaction, and screeched in delight before sinking its teeth into the Elf’s wrist, ready to feast.
I didn’t pause to think. I sprinted the distance to Bard’s side and swung my sword at the creature before it could tear too deeply into Bard’s flesh.
Having sensed my approach, the ape-like brute leapt out of the way with a furious shriek. Blood and skin clung to the fur around its chin and it pulled its blue lips back in a snarl as it straightened to its full height and punched its chest with a fist in challenge.
I tightened my grip on my sword before, with alarming speed, it launched itself from the ground to hurtle into me – wrapping me in a very human feeling strangle hold. I was dragged to the ground under double my weight, and with harsh chest fur pressing into my face.
I tried to roll beneath it, feeling tree roots digging into my back, but the brute was too heavy. It was only by wriggling savagely that I managed to draw my legs up between us, and with a great effort I straightened my legs, levering the beast far enough away that I could pull my free arm out to pound my fist into its ribs.
The warped ape howled and sprang back in immediate release, succeeding in propelling itself all the way to the base of a different tree, and it quickly pulled itself back up into the boughs, hissing as though winded. I pushed myself up and tried to gain better footing amongst the roots, drawing closer to Bard.
I glanced back to see Kiana and Noal defending Vidar, and found that the Nymphs were in an incredible rage.
Asha’s magic had just lifted a creature and thrown it in a ball of Nymph fire back into the trees. I saw Rebel ripping one animal’s head off with a few swift bites into its neck, and then with a wrench from his infantile arms. Most of the Nymphs were wrestling and shredding at their foes with both bloodied teeth and magic so that blue animals were being flung around like dolls. But still, more of the creatures leapt down from the trees to keep the group surrounded.
A sea of the creatures seemed to be above as the treetops rang with chittering voices, and they dropped down endlessly to step over the smouldering bodies of their kin. Flash got crash tackled down to the ground by a leaping blue figure as I watched, but in moments the thing was howling as a tiny fist burnt through its body to emerge at the other side of its back. Many of them skittered around in agitation as the Nymphs set them on fire, and even from where I stood I could smell burning hair and skin.
I ran as carefully as I could over the roots to Bard, who had leaves on his shoulders and legs, and dew wetting his white hair.
“Gods,” I grimaced, examining the mess of where the Elf’s wrist had been mauled.
The Elf’s blood was silver, and it glugged messily from around the broken bone to coat the rent open skin, so I quickly ripped the sleeve of my shirt to bind it. I cast around for a strong branch to support the Elf’s snapped bone, but before I’d found a splint I heard the dull thump of a creature landing behind me.
I raised my sword, letting the shirt sleeve flutter to the ground, and turned to find that the massive primate was back for another clash.
However before I could take a step forward, I felt a new pair of strong, hairy arms grab me round the chest and gasped as I was hoisted upward.
My legs dragged along bark and moss as I hurtled upward and the ground below got alarmingly further away.
The leader primate squealed and howled at my new captor, keeping pace while scaling a neighbouring tree across from my hurtling ascent. And I could see its beady eyes focused on me as it loped along.
At last I was pulled up onto a bough that was strong enough to hold both myself and my new captor, so I took the opportunity to drive an elbow back into its furry stomach. With a winded, keening grunt, the thing released its hold on me as I turned to drive at it with the length of my sword, and my blade managed to slice the creature’s blue chest.
It leapt away and caught itself instinctively in a nearby branch, where it swung and held on with its tail, hissing and baring greying, long fangs in a snarl while I wobbled for balance.
Eyeing me as I teetered, it quickly dove downwards to this time swing on the bough I stood on and, reaching up from below, its human-like hand clamped on my ankle to yank me backward.
“Woah!” I cried out in shock as the ground suddenly appeared to be above me. I hung upside down for only one dizzying moment, before I felt the creature swing me backward and then forward with a mighty screech, releasing me sickeningly so that I was soaring through the air towards the closest tree.
Yelling in horror, I felt my body jerk as one of my flailing wrists was snatched from the air.
The lead ape-like creature had me back in its grips – it had swung out on a vine to catch me, but it immediately tossed me again.
Then I was hurtling back the way I’d come, spinning dizzily through the air. And this time I crashed heavily against the trunk of the looming Dryad tree – skidding down like a sack of bones to smack into a lower branch.
My scrabbling fingers couldn’t get a grip, and I both dropped my sword and plummeted downward again.
My back impacted on the next two branches, which gave way and snapped under my weight, slowing my fall only slightly before the ground rushed to meet my body.
I had the appalling sensation that my nose had been forced to sink into my head as my face collided with the dirt and an explosion of budding red lights filled my vision. I pulled my head back up and immediately a burst of blood spurted from my nose while my addled mind made out the sounds of Kiana’s frenzied calls to me.
“I only broke my nose,” I called across to her thickly and incredulously.
As my sight cleared and thoughts squeezed their way in between the throbs in my skull, I laughed at the sight of my sword resting where it had landed, right within reach.
Staggering upright, I waved shakily to Kiana, but she only fought harder through the darting blue bodies between us.
Returning to my original task, I scooped up a couple of branches that had come down with me – perfect for splints. Spitting a globule of salty blood I limped back to Bard again, where he was still blissfully unaware of his situation.
I retrieved the fallen sleeve material and, ignoring the squelching of the Elf’s injury, bound the gaping flesh, then tore my other sleeve to bind a splint on either side of the Elf’s wrist.
“Bard!” I yelled in his face then, shaking his shoulders. “I could do with some help!”
Of course he still did not register my presence. He gazed passively somewhere behind me.
Glancing above I saw two fast, blue shapes making their way back down to find me. One was bounding down the trunk without fear of falling. The other was leaping and flipping from one bough to another.
“Please, Bard,” I shook him again more urgently.
Then I noticed a third creature, jabbering loudly and swinging across from the fight with the others. It had a burnt hole in its forearm, and half its tail was missing. It had clearly come to try its luck elsewhere and it dropped from the branches of its tree like a fur covered dancer, landing on all fours from an impossible height, and sniffing the air.
“Gods, what will wake you?” I cried to Bard, but was distracted when I heard a short, sharp cry of pain from Asha.
I couldn’t help but look to see that she had fallen beside Vidar, and a blue beast was about to bite into her throat.
But, with the sound of her fear, Vidar seemed to have broken back into wakefulness. He sensed the battle at last, and responded to his own danger and the threat to Asha.
With a savage roar, he burst into action, grabbed the large, lithe animal in front of him, and rent its shrieking body in two.
The other Elves began to wake at the sound of his voice, reviving with startled energy that would drive back their attackers for good.
&nb
sp; Nevertheless, Bard and I were still on our own. And Bard was now the most appealing Elf morsel in the area. Bigger than most Elves, and definitely not putting up a fight.
The lead ape swung out of the tree above us on a vine, arcing through the air to slam into me then, and we went flying together to land in a wrestling heap again.
Its fur was stifling as we tussled, and sharp canine-like fangs snapped inches from my face so that I had to use both hands on its head to keep those teeth from getting closer.
But I kicked myself free, untangling from its grasping limbs, and its hairy chest heaved as threatening sounds yammered from its mouth and we both struggled to our feet.
Saliva dribbled in strings from its distended maw, but I glanced back to see that the other two apes were approaching Bard.
The leader launched itself at me again, spinning in the air with twisting muscles in a show of flexibility no human could ever achieve, but I turned so that the creature slid past instead of into me.
The thing was quick, and somersaulted upon landing to bounce back up and grab at my waist. It spun us around, and as though I were a discus in a throwing competition, I was launched back across the clearing.
It ran along underneath me, and before I could land, it delivered a spinning kick into my middle. The creature was just so much faster than I.
With a groan I landed awkwardly, back amongst the roots of the Dryad tree, where my nose spurted hotly again.
Wiping the blood pouring over my mouth, I pulled myself up and ran for my sword, scooping it up.
Somehow, between wrestling and flying through the air, I’d formulated a plan. After Vidar had woken when Asha was threatened, I realised I had to hurt what Bard was listening to. So I began hacking at the grey trunk of the Dryad tree.
I drove my blade to gouge the trunk deeply, leaving rent open scratches and chunks of wood on the ground until, as I had hoped, I heard a new voice bellow in rage.
The surprised creatures that had been circling Bard leapt away from him to hang from the branches out of reach, but Bard didn’t seem to register his injury, or the creatures.