ELO

  The faces called, "why did you fail us, Bree? Why didn't you bring honor to us?"

  Bree was sweating with fear, and the witch giggled, pulling her ankle.

  Bree lost her grip and slipped. She was smashed into a lower branch above the witch. Winded, gasping for breath, she managed to straddle the thick tree branch. She wanted to save Faelorn. The witch clawed her legs, Bree hung on to dear life. She got back up, desperate to climb away. The witch leaped onto Bree's branch. Bree had nowhere to go but up. The witch scrambled to catch her crawling on elongated limbs. Bree clambered high into the top branches of the ancient tree. Whispering prayers, she stood atop the hundred-foot tree. The witch was only a few feet below. The witch finally cornered her, smiling. The sorceress showed her fangs and a forked tongue. Her face changed, becoming horrible and stretched. It whispered Bree's secrets and fears. Bree slashed at the witches' face attempting to keep her away. Laughing, the witch spitefully kicked the branch that Bree hung on. The branch snapped, and Bree silently howled as she plummeted a hundred feet to the ground.

  As she fell, the tree caught her on the way down. Bree held on to the branch, reeling the wind knocked out of her. Pressed against the tree, Bree felt it's magic on her fingertips. The tree was alive; Bree stared and looked at her hands. The tree was glowing from where her hand had touched it. The miasma was fading from the branches. Her other hand still held her shimmering dagger. Bree was dumbfounded; she could feel the tree thanking her. The witch infuriated, screamed and leaped onto Bree.

  Bree caught her this time and plunged the elfin dagger into the witches' exposed chest. The witch crumpled onto Bree, her momentum and weight sent them both plummeting to the ground. Bree landed on the witches' body with a thud. The witch was dead, her body turning into ashes. Bree pulled the dagger shaking. She looked for Faelorn desperately; the sun was beginning to shine through the trees. Faelorn howled viciously in the distance. Bree stumbled through the trees tracking the bloody gashes in the ground.

  She found the bodies of dead witches everywhere—they were shattered against the trees. Blood decorated the trail, and even the occasional limb could be seen lying on the path. Bree sobbed, horrified. This was her fault; she should have never set foot into the forest. She found him, smeared in blood, surrounded by dead witches. He was breathing heavily, his face a skull. Faelorn's eyes were empty sockets, full of orange fire. His mossy fur was torn and bloodied. It looked like it had been blackened with rot and mold. Bree cried, spotting Cael in the trees. He was bloodied but unharmed, the woodling was clearly shaken. He called down to Faelorn. Faelorn did not notice either of them. He was grunting and groaning; his voice was unnaturally deep. He opened his mouth, and to Bree’s horror he began to tear into a dead witch's body. Bree approached Faelorn, who growled at her. She wanted to scream, "stop, stop, this isn't you." Bree threw herself between the corpse of the witch and Faelorn. She pulled the witches' arm from his mouth. Faelorn screamed in her face; he wasn't Faelorn but a twisted creature. Bree, sobbed silently tears running down her face.

  Faelorn tossed his horned head and knocked her aside. With a pained shudder, he screamed, his fur blackened and smelled of rot. Bree didn't care if he killed her. How could something like this have happened to him? She cried, looking up him, the witches' body began turning to ashes. Tears in her eyes, she stood back up and signed. "Faelorn. Why? Why are you this way? What did they do to you?" The creature did not seem to understand her. She signed at him, "Faelorn, ever since I came here. I have been happy. You make me happy. Riding on your back, listening to you speak, you are my friend."

  She threw herself at him desperate. She held the skulls nuzzle, sobbing. Faelorn pulled back, and his jaws crushed her shoulder. A scream ripped though her body. The cry was just as painful as Faelorn's bite. Cael was horrified; he shrieked at Faelorn. The woodling hopped up and down and finally on to Faelorn's shoulder. Bree held him, her blood running into his mouth. She coughed blood, signing through her pain. "Faelorn, don't leave me."

  Faelorn shuddered; he looked down at her, and for a moment, there was a reflection of recognition. He let go of her. Bree cried, holding his skull of a face. Seeing him tormented, transformed into a living horror. She couldn't bear it. It was wrong. She held him resigned to die. He had saved her all those nights ago. She was in debt, and this was her fault.

  She expected him to kill her.

  Instead, the creature opened its mouth, and she heard him say weakly.

  "Bree..."

  Bree whispered into his ear, her voice barely audible, "Faelorn."

  Arms sprouted from the creature's mossy mass. They held her tight—vines wrapped around her bleeding body. With a groan of pain, he carried her walking through the trees. He was a twisted monster, stumbling into the forest. Bree was lightheaded, blood gushed from her neck and shoulders. She was limp and tired, shocked, and losing blood quickly. Faelorn groaned in pain, carrying her into the forest. All around her, Bree saw the faces of the fae. They talked in encouragements, some quaked in fear. Fairy's, gnomes, wolves, and other stranger creatures watched as the lord of the forest limped into the fairy grove. He shuddered, holding Bree tightly. Faelorn dove into the queen's pool, plunging Bree and himself into the murky waters.

  Chapter 16

  Elo awoke, the sun was bright in her face. She stretched her body, she yawned glancing at the other members of her herd. Craning her neck, she turned to wake Bree. Bree wasn't there, and initially, she assumed that she had gone to relieve herself. Staying calm, she looked to Bakura, who she found was also missing. This concerned her greatly. If Bakura was gone, then that meant that Elo was in charge. Elo took a deep breath, swallowing her panic. Instead, she thought out what might have happened, reasoning as logically as possible. The rest of the herd was rousing, and as usual, the other deer where settling next to the spring, drinking water, or staring their morning graze. A few chatted together, but as usual, there was a calm silence among the herd. The herd would start moving into the field over the next few hours. Elo took a deep breath. Bakura was likely with Tharin; not only were they close friends, but Bakura would consult the elf regularly. Usually, Tharin came to the herd. The exception was on rare mornings, Bakura would leave to visit with the elf. With the miasma in the forest, Elo felt it was safe to assume that Bakura was likely with Tharin or even visiting Joltrun's cabin. Bree hadn't shown herself. Elo pushing her nervous tension down, trotted around the herd. Taking account of everyone, Eli, in his fawn form, ran on slender legs up to Elo. He chirped, "I saw Bree go to the forest." He danced around her, Elo's stomach dropped. She asked, "What, are you sure?" Eli romped, chasing his shadow. His mother looked up, scolding her son."Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Eli stopped stumbling over his long legs. "I don't know. I thought she was allowed to." Elo and Moira looked at each other, Elo shook her head. She said, "Don't trouble yourself, Moira. He's too little to have known better. Will you keep the herd by the spring today until I get back?" Moira nodded, "Yes, be safe, Elo." Elo nuzzled her herd sister. "Everything will be okay, just keep everyone away from the woods today." Elo trotted towards the forest, ignoring the ever sinking feeling in her gut. She left her family to search for Bree in the woods.

  *

  Elo searched for hours, then finally gathered the courage to look into Cael's family bramble tree. When she pushed her way into the nest, irate woodlings hissed at her. Elo angrily barked at them. She exclaimed in the fae language, "I can't find Bree or Cael." A woodling yanked on her ears, Elo infuriated shouted. "Why don't you buggers ever listen!" She butted her head against the woodling and sent him flying. "Listen to me, the lot of you. Bakura is gone, Bree is missing. That puts me in charge of the herd, Bakura is second in our forest hierarchy. That means you need to listen to me. We need to find Cael, Faelorn, and Bree. She's in danger, I haven't found her. I need you to listen and to help." The leader of the woodlings leapt onto her face, looking her in the eye, he grinned impishly speaking in the fae's language. "Why should we listen
to you, deer woman?"

  Elo indignant yelled back in fae. "You all owe Faelorn your lives personally; that's why! He or Bree could be hurt. What about poor Cael? what if your son is hurt!" Elo saw that the leader seemed unconvinced. Furious, she shouted, " If you don't. I-I-I WILL GO TO THE KING HIMSELF AND MAKE YOU MOVE OUT OF THE FOREST!" Elo shook with fury at the disrespectful woodlings. The leader sat on a tree branch, thinking hard. All the bush fell silent, Elo could hear the whispers of the fae. "Can she do that?" A woodling leaped up and down, angrily jumping, " No, no, the deer woman too stupid!" another growled at Elo "stupid, can't tell us what to do." Another nervously shouted, " Faelorn is a friend. Cael in trouble?" One woodling had a tantrum, throwing himself on the ground."She lies, she lies, she lies!" Elo looked daggers at the woodlings, she hissed, "I'm not lying, you savages." She glared at the old leader who was hunched, overthinking with all of his little brain. The woodlings began to get restless, and the bramble tree shook with tension. The leader shouted, chattering in his language at his family. He said, "silence, we will get on the deer woman's back. We will ask the trees, the fairy's, and the gnomes to aid the deer woman. We will make sure Cael, our son, and Faelorn, our friend, are safe."

  Elo was surprised her tactics worked. The woodlings leaped on to her back. She steadied herself under the weight of so many faes, "alright, let's start looking; most of you can fly, right? When I leave this bush, I want some of you to go east and others to go west. A group can stay with me, ride on my back, and ask all the other friendly fae were either Bree or Faelorn is. If you can get the bloody trees to talk, then do it. I'm heading back towards the spring. I'm going to do a giant circle in one hour. I will be back here, and then we will regroup. If any of you find their location come find me on the trail. That is where I will be. It's Bakura's trail, the one she patrols during the day.

  With that, the woodlings split into three groups. The elder woodling rode on Elo's head, and his children sat on her shoulders. Whenever their little group spotted a fae, a woodling would hop off and ask them Elo's questions. After about an hour, Elo felt that she was back to where she had started. She was about to circle back when Moira appeared up the trail. She was huffing and puffing with exertion. She said, strained, "Bakura came back..." Elo followed her sister through the forest. Halfway home, Bakura burst through the trees, her golden hide shimmering in the light. She said, "Elo, did you find them?" Bakura's stepped back in amazement. Elo had a small group of curious fae following her. Woodlings rode on her back, a little potato headed gnome followed behind, and a mixed group of fairy's were hovering over her or clinging to her legs. Elo looked unperturbed, surrounded by all of the faes. She said, "Bakura, I sent two groups of woodling to search on the other sides of the forest. No one has seen them." Bakura looked very worried. She frowned, asking, "how did you lose the girl?"

  Elo looked shamefaced, lowering her head. She said, "I was asleep, it was early in the morning. Bree has never left unexpectedly; I always wake with her beside me. Eli told me he saw her walk into the forest." Bakura took a deep breath calming herself. She said, "then we should-" She was cut off by a flock of woodling and fairy's that crashed through the woods, landing on Elo's back. "We found them in the fairy grove!", shouted a woodling. Elo almost cried in relief, pushing her feelings aside. She and Bakura looked at each other, then wordless they sprang into action galloping through the woods. Leaving Moira and some of the faes behind. Moira, nervous about being alone in the forest, dashed back home towards the spring.

  *

  Bree opened her eyes in the darkness of the still pound. She had been submerged for what felt like an eternity. She floated in the healing waters of the queen's pond, fazing in and out of consciousness. All the while, she had been in Faelorn's arms. It had been surreal, merfae swam around them, singing in a strange tongue. Bree briefly thought she saw the queen among them, whispering to Bree and Faelorn. When she awoke, she shook Faelorn startling him awake. He swam back to the surface. They both gasped for breath, splashing desperately. Faelorn carried her back to shore. His face was human, broken black antlers graced his head. His torso and arms were human-shaped, but he still had four hoofed legs. The rest of him was a rotten mess of vines and mossy fur, and wilting flowers. He held her above the water. Turning her head to the side, Bree threw up thick viscous liquid. She was alive; by some miracle, she had not drowned. Bree wiped her mouth, gasping for air. She leaned against his chest, recovering from the shock of waking underwater. She looked up at him. He stood half submerged in the water, he stared at her. His eyes were green and clear. He was breathing hard, and Bree could feel each breath against her chest. Bree was happy that he was alive, grateful that he hadn't turned into a bereaved. Bree had never felt the way she did when she looked at Faelorn. Her heart raced excitedly, and Bree longed for him. She pulled his face down and kissed him on the mouth. It was a clumsy wet kiss. Faelorn at first leaned in, holding her tighter, kissing her back just as awkwardly and inexperienced. He transformed back into a man, his eyes closed.

  When he opened his eyes, he realized what was happening. He stiffened his body, shaking anxiously. He looked horrified. Faelorn stared, paralyzing fear spreading; his eyes wild, his nostrils flaring. Bree was shamefaced. What was she doing? She pulled away. Faelorn wasn't even human anymore. She had never kissed anyone, she was mortified that she had initiated it. He carried her to the edge of the water. He almost dropped her as his body shifted into a man, leaving only a pair of small redwood antlers. He gently placed her on the shore, taking a moment to gaze at her. Bree shook; she looked up at him. His red dreadlocks obscured his face. She covered her own face, overwhelmed and embarrassed. Faelorn turned, transforming into a centaur and he galloped away, leaving her alone by the spring of the queen fairy. Bree sat down, curled up, and began bawling. She wasn't even sure why she was crying; it's not like she blamed him. Bree wasn't womanly despite her age. She was damaged goods; who would want her? She sulked, wiping her eyes, and standing. Her bloodied dagger was still in its sheath. All of her arrows were missing, and her bowstring had snapped when she had fallen from the tree. Cael hopped out of the willow where he was hiding. He clamored on to her, and Bree held him like a small child. A voice spoke to her from above. It said, "Your safe; your friends are coming for you." Bree startled, looking up, it was the queen. The great fairy was hovering above by the trees. They looked different now—their pink flower petals were molted with gray, as was their face. Bree stared then signed. "Are you sick?"

  The fairy queen to Bree surprised signed back, "Yes, just as the forest has become infected, I to have the miasma." Bree covered her mouth in horror, the queen came close. "There is no need to fear, all things get sick, some heal, and some pass away. It is the way of existence in these realms." The queen hovered closer. They were away from their mass of lotus petals. It was odd to see them flying on large wings moving so fast they were impossible to see. Fairy's hovered around them, anxiously grooming and tending to their needs. Bree touched the fairy queen's hand. The queen said, "You are learning much about the fae and the forest people." Bree nodded, then asked in sign. "Why is this happening? Why is the forest sick?" The queen perched beside her, their face thoughtful. The sunlit the plants beautifully, and the breeze was pleasant. Bree watched the flowers sway, and insects buzzed heavily in the air. "In all my years as queen. In all of my cycles before this cycle. Evil remains the most constant next to the king of all the realms. I have seen evil since it's inception when it flew the heavens when it slithered the forest among the first humans and split the realms into many shattered pieces. I have seen evil kill and rape. Life finds a way to overcome it, and always good will grow even in the darkest of times. Even if that good takes many centuries to. This forest-like many realms is not free of evil.

  Before the miasma came into the forest. There where goblins, trolls, and wicked elves—creatures of the darkness that have dwelt here for many centuries. The miasma will come to pass; the forest in its cycles will go on until t
ime ends." Bree took a deep breath, relieved; the queen's words gave her comfort. The great fairy turned to her and said, "your friends have arrived. You should leave with them, but please come to visit me when the time is right..." Bree wiped her eyes and, like a child, gave the queen a hug. The queen laughed, and Bree let them go. The queen touched Bree's chest. "Do visit Bree at least one more time. You are important to the destiny of this forest." Galloping hooves could be heard in the distance. Bree saw both Bakura and Elo enter the fairy realm. Bree looked at both of them sheepishly.

  Bakura asked, "Bree, why did you leave the spring?" Bree bit her lip nervously and then signed to Bakura."I was looking for wild game. I didn't go into the forest right away. There was a rabbit right at the edge, I thought I could catch it. When I went into the forest, a witch immediately appeared and attacked me." Elo was fuming mad, hissing and stamping, "Bree, you know better!" Bakura interrupted, "how did you escape? Did she hurt you?" Bree burst into tears; she couldn't sign; she was so upset. She spelled out the word in sign language. "F-A-E-L-O-R-N..."