And as she did, she knew with certainty this was no dream.
“I know you’re there.”
She spoke to the trees, looking past a clump of pines rising from a gentle slope. Shadows swirled around the pines that the sun piercing the overhead canopy couldn’t penetrate. Eris shivered.
“Who are you?”
The voice sounded small and frail. In her mind, Eris had an image of a tiny woman wearing a shawl covered with dried needles, greying hair falling around her shoulders.
“I am the Keeper of the Svanth Forest.”
Eris used the formal title as she knew it. Likely there had once been more to the title, but that wasn’t something she could pull from the trees and Terran didn’t know it.
Thinking of him made her heart flutter.
What must he be thinking? Did he even know what happened? If it was still night, he might not know anything yet. Only when she failed to go to the garden would he wonder.
“A keeper. There are no more keepers of the trees. Only those of the flowers remain, and they have scattered.”
“You are this place’s keeper.”
Now that the woman was near, she recognized the connection, and it was strong. The trees pulled around her, shielding her, but nothing like what the svanth trees would do for Eris.
The woman laughed lightly. “You mistake me, girl. I am nothing but an old woman.”
Eris frowned. Could she be mistaken?
She let herself delve into the roots of the forest. The barrier kept her near the surface, as if the deeper and more ancient roots of this place were forbidden to her, but she could trail along the shallow roots, winding along the grasses and scrub trees, letting herself reach toward the woman.
Power echoed back to her when she reached the woman.
“You hide behind the pines, but you are a keeper.”
Eris waited, wondering if the woman would step forward or not. This was her forest. Were she to want to, she could banish Eris with a request of the trees. Or a command, had she power over them.
Slowly, the branches twisted, relaxing away from the woman. Sunlight streamed down, glowing gently in a circle around her. Eris’s breath caught.
Dark hair, not grey, hung down along her shoulders and back. Deep brown eyes stared at her. Skin peeking from the ends of a simple grey dress nearly glowed as it caught the flickering sunlight. There seemed something familiar about her.
The woman took a step forward, almost gliding across the forest floor, as if the fallen leaves carried her, sliding her toward Eris. The trees twisted back away when she passed. A rustling around them caused Eris to look.
All around, the trees moved, writhing and shifting as they hemmed them in. Eris stood, unmoving, afraid to move.
She would go nowhere until the trees released her.
“Who are you to recognize a keeper in my forest?” The woman stopped just out of arm’s reach and looked up at Eris, eyes and face hard. This was not the gentle compassion she saw from Lira or the elderly wisdom she recognized from the keeper in her visions in the Svanth. This was a hardened woman, almost angry.
“I told you. I am the keeper of the Svanth Forest.”
“Bah! The Svanth has no keeper. None will bond there—none can bond there. There hasn’t been a keeper in the Svanth for hundreds of years.”
Hundreds? Eris hadn’t known how long. “How do you know this?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed as she frowned at Eris. “If you are truly its keeper, how is it you don’t?”
The woman turned her back to her and started away. She flicked a hand, and the trees began moving again, sliding in between her and the woman, separating them.
“You will leave now.”
The woman kept walking.
“Wait!” Eris yelled after her, afraid to let her get too far away. If she left, Eris might lose the opportunity to learn from a keeper of trees—a keeper like her, rather than like Lira.
The woman hesitated but did not turn back toward her. “You have some skill, girl. You would not have noticed me coming if you did not. Perhaps you could learn to be a keeper of flowers. It’s easier to master. The flowers don’t argue back. But a keeper of trees? And of the Svanth?” She shook her head. “None can master that forest. Not any longer.”
The woman started away, and the trees thickened between them. Eris knew that if the woman got too far from her, she would lose her chance to learn. More than anything, Eris needed to learn how to do what this keeper did. How to convince the trees to listen when she commanded. If Eris could manage that, she might be able to help her mother. She might be able to slow the magi.
But what could she say that would get the woman to return? How could she prove she really was the keeper of the Svanth? What secret did she know that could convince her?
And if she couldn’t convince her, would Eris ever find another keeper of trees? Would she be doomed to learn everything on her own, isolated and alone?
The keeper had nearly faded into the foliage when Eris realized the answer. “The teary star!” she yelled.
The forest seemed to hold its breath. The wind paused, and the rustling of leaves fell silent. The thick barrier of trees between her and the woman thinned to little more than a line. The woman stood on the other side, now turned toward her, looking in and past the thick trunks, waiting on Eris.
“I bonded a teary star. That is my flower.”
The woman seemed to frown. Eris sensed it through the connection she still held beneath her. “A teary star is a flower, and a shade flower at that. As I said, you may have some talent with flowers, but trees are a different matter.”
The woman turned, and the trees began separating them again. Amazing how they moved. Or did she move?
“It’s a flower, but the vine wraps around the svanth trees, supporting them as they grow. Without the vine, the trees fail. With it, they both thrive.” This was the earliest lesson the trees had taught her.
The woman paused again. This time, the trees slid completely away, showing Eris the woman again.
“A vine?” She asked it thoughtfully, a finger coming to her lips. “Could it be we’ve missed the secret all these years?” She looked over at Eris, her face softening. “Can you prove this?”
Eris blinked. Other than taking the woman to the Svanth Forest, how would she prove the teary star vine supported the svanth trees? Would the woman have vines available for her to work with? Sapling svanth trees? Even within her forest, she hadn’t attempted growing the trees, choosing instead to focus on what she could do, attempting to help the trees grow stronger. Even that she hadn’t fully committed to. Most of her effort had gone into learning about the forest.
But if she didn’t convince this keeper, Eris would be sent away.
“I can,” she said with more confidence than she felt.
The woman nodded and motioned for Eris to follow, disappearing into the forest.
Chapter 43
The forest opened up in front of her. The pine trees grew taller, needles thickening as boughs bent toward the ground, sweeping away as the keeper strode through. Eris struggled to keep up. With each step, vines and exposed roots grabbed at her feet, threatening to trip her and send her sprawling to the ground. She wondered if this was how Jasi felt making her way through the Svanth.
“Who are you?” Eris asked as she finally reached the woman.
She glanced over, seeming to notice how Eris struggled, and slowed her pace slightly. Only enough that Eris didn’t have to gasp for breath as she hurried along.
“As you said, I am the keeper of this forest.”
That much was obvious from the way the forest moved around her, in some ways more alive than the Svanth. None of her trees would bend before her, practically kneeling as she passed. None of her trees would sidle between a perceived threat, creating a wall.
Or would they? If she understood more of what it meant to be keeper, could she do as this woman did? Would her trees respond to her commands as th
ese seemed to?
“Where are we?”
The woman frowned. “How is it you don’t know? Did you not travel here yourself?”
Eris didn’t know what had happened. First she’d been attacked by Ferisa and then experienced her strange visions. How had she come to this place? The air was so different than that of Eliara. Cooler and more damp. What strange power brought her here?
“I don’t know what happened,” she admitted.
The woman grunted. “Honest. Good.”
They continued through the forest, Eris racing to keep up. The woman was not any taller than her, but each step seemed to be double what Eris could take. No different than when Eris moved through the Svanth; she seemed to move more quickly beneath the forest, but also had moved easily along the plains leading back to Eliara.
Less light leaked through the treetops as they went, nearing the heart of the forest. The air was stiller here and heavy with a familiar earthen odor she recognized from the Svanth. Here, it mixed with the cloying scent of pine, filling her nostrils.
And then a clearing opened before them.
Eris blinked, uncertain at first what she saw.
A small hut grew from the forest floor. Each corner was made from the trunk of a different species of tree; one of pine, one of elm, one of birch, and one—she thought—a young svanth tree. Branches mingled together to form the roof of the hut and hung down, creating the walls. A grey wolf sat on its haunches outside, watching with gleaming yellow eyes.
Eris hesitated at the edge of the clearing, unable to take her eyes off the wolf. It watched her with a deep intelligence, something resembling a smile coming to its lips.
“Well, come on then, if you must. Don’t stand over there,” the woman said.
Eris looked over to the woman. She stopped in front of the wolf and patted its head, whispering softly. Its ears perked as she spoke, but it didn’t take its eyes off Eris. Then the wolf loped off, disappearing into the trees.
She shivered, thinking about the intelligence behind its eyes. The wolf obviously obeyed this woman, trained as well as any hound of her father’s. What would have happened had she wandered deeper into the forest? Would the wolf have come after her if she’d managed to avoid whatever traps the trees had for her? With the barrier in place, keeping her from delving too deeply into this forest, she might never have known before it was too late.
The woman disappeared into the hut. Eris looked into the forest. She had the sense that the wolf sat at the edge of the clearing, watching her. She shivered again and followed the woman inside.
The interior of the hut was nothing like she would have expected. Walls were mostly smooth, as if the trees deformed for their keeper. The space seemed larger on the inside than it should. A doorway on the far wall separated another section of the hut. A short table, seemingly grown from a scrub tree blossoming, held a steaming pot and cups atop it. Stools made of carved wood rested around it. At the far end of the room was a wide hearth, a crackling fire providing warmth.
Eris frowned at the fire until she realized that it must only seem like a fire burned in the hearth. From her experience in the Svanth, the trees would not allow flames. She had other ways of keeping warm, and when they had failed, she’d huddled with Terran, sharing each other’s warmth.
The woman tapped one of the stools and sat. She nodded for Eris to follow. As she did, she poured a cup of steaming tea. “Drink now, questions next.”
She sat. The stool cupped her comfortably—far more comfortably that she’d expect for a wooden stool. Eris took the mug in her hands and inhaled. The tea smelled of pine and lilac and another odor she didn’t recognize. She took a slow sip.
Warmth washed through her, easing away the tension knotting her shoulders since first arriving in the forest. Really, the tension she’d been feeling since returning to Eliara. With the tea, she remembered who she was—not just a keeper, but the Keeper of the Svanth Forest. She might be inexperienced, but it didn’t change who she was. She sighed and took another drink.
The woman sat across from her, studying her. She nodded. “So you are a keeper, then.”
Eris took another drink. The tea tasted familiar to her, as if she’d had it before. “I told you that already.”
“You also claimed to bond to the Svanth. As I’ve told you, none have done so for hundreds of years.”
The warmth continued to wash through her, and she shrugged. “And you are the keeper of…”
The woman shook her head. “My questions first.”
Eris shrugged again.
As she did, she realized something was wrong. She felt…relaxed…too at peace for what was happening around her. Saffra attacked the borders of her homeland, her mother lay dying, and her sister had stabbed her. She shouldn’t be able to relax.
She looked down into the mug and blinked, trying to understand what she felt. Was this woman—this keeper—poisoning her in some way? Was that why she felt such relaxation?
“What is this?” Eris set the mug down on the table. Her mind remained clear.
Not drugged then.
The woman sniffed. “So many questions. Did I not say I would go first?”
Eris nodded. The relaxation effect already began to fade, and she looked at the mug, wishing she could take it and enjoy the effects again. But if there was anything to the tea that drugged her, she didn’t want to be at risk, especially so far from her garden.
“Can you at least tell me your name?” Eris said, sighing deeply.
The woman considered Eris for a long moment. “For now, you can call me Imryll. Now. It is my turn for questions. You asked where you are but not where you’re from. You mentioned the Svanth, which leads me to believe you are from Errasn.” She watched Eris until she nodded. “You come dressed…strangely.”
Eris glanced at her slip. Blood stains covered her stomach. The ripped fabric exposed her skin. “I was in my room when this happened.”
Imryll frowned. “Tell me.”
“I was stabbed. I thought I died.” The visions—so real—had left her thinking the Sacred Mother called her to her. With what had happened, Eris had only one question: why? Why had Ferisa done this to her?
“You know who stabbed you.”
Eris nodded.
Imryll sniffed again. “Of course you do, dressed as you are. Probably some lover, with your looks.”
Eris blinked as the words set in. She looked at Imryll, with her hair almost the same color as Eris’s and eyes that were only a shade or two lighter. And then she laughed. “My looks?”
Imryll pursed her lips. “Dressed as you are and looking as you do?”
Eris laughed softly. Her looks didn’t appeal to any lover. Even Terran wanted only to serve as her gardener. “It was my sister.”
Imryll frowned. “What kind of sister bloodies another?”
“Apparently she’s not who I thought she was.” Eris looked around the hut, trying to come up with some answer to how she’d ended up here. “How did I not die?”
Imryll grunted and stood and walked to the fire. Eris was surprised when she pulled another pot from the fire. It actually burned. How did it not damage the trees? How did the trees allow Imryll to have fire?
Imryll returned and tipped the pot toward her mug, filling it with steaming tea. The aroma smelled less of pine with a hint of sweetness, like that of honey or a sappy syrup. She nodded toward Eris’s mug before filling it.
Setting the pot back onto the scrub tree table, Imryll settled herself onto her stool and fixed Eris with a cloudy expression. “You should have died. That you didn’t should have told me you are more than a keeper of flowers. I didn’t see this,” she said, waving at Eris’s bloody slip, “until you arrived. Too concerned about the trees.” She shook her head. “Always too concerned.”
“How did I get here, then?”
Imryll frowned. “The Guardian. He should know better than to interfere.”
Eris had the impression she should understand w
hat the woman meant. “What guardian?”
She tilted her head. “You said you were a keeper of trees.”
Eris nodded.
Imryll studied her a moment. “You do not know yet, do you?”
Eris let out a frustrated sigh. “Know what?”
“How did you learn you were a keeper?”
Eris took a deep breath, pushing back the frustration rising within her. If she couldn’t learn what she needed about being a keeper, her mother would suffer. All of Errasn would suffer. If this woman would teach, Eris might be able to learn enough to save her mother.
She took the mug of tea and sipped. Relaxation washed over her again like a gentle rain. “I had a dream while resting at the heart of the Svanth. After that, I was able to delve the forest.”
Imryll nodded. “Only the forest?”
Eris shook her head. “The Verilain Plains. And another garden as well.” She thought about how she had commanded the plains and how the flowers of Lira’s garden responded to her. So different than the way the trees responded. “How did you know?”
Imryll smiled, the first time she’d done so. Her eyes seemed lighter, lines fading away, making her appear younger as she did. “Trees are hardest. They must choose to let you in. The others are not so permanent. Grasses can run deep, but not so deep as the trees. And flowers? Bah, flowers are shallow. They will let anyone reach through them.”
Anyone? Was that how Jasi and Desia managed to learn the message in the flowers, or did she mean anyone could learn to be a keeper like Lira? “I didn’t know.”
Imryll sniffed. “But you know of keepers. How is that?”
“A keeper recognized my ability,” she began.
Imryll frowned. “A keeper of flowers would not recognize a keeper of trees.”
Eris shrugged. Lira made it clear she recognized her ability. That was the reason she’d come to Eliara. “I don’t know about that.”
“How did she identify you?”
The Lost Garden: The Complete Series Page 35