ELO

  He lectured, "Now, there are many theories as to who created the universe and how it works. I am not here to teach you about that. However, I am here to teach how bereaved are made and how that relates to destructive magic. Humans are unique. While they are not fae, it seems that even with their magic gone, and in the right environment. They are capable of transforming into bereaved. The process of transformation is purely magical and not biological. Meaning that it is not a natural process; it is one that is caused by unnatural forces. This transformation has happened even in worlds without magic. He stared at the worlds he drew on the chalkboard. He continued," No matter what world contains humans, it seems that they can turn into bereaved and wander this forest. Bereaved are the few creatures that can pass through any dimension. The transformation process is mostly instantaneous; for a select few, it takes much longer. No one is certain why human souls come to this forest. Something about the energy here, how the atoms are charged, it's not quite the same as anywhere else." Bree could only follow half of what the elf said. She didn't know what an atom was, but she tried her best.

  Tharin continued, "Bereaved are created from humans with unfinished business, humans that have a need that they couldn't fulfill. Some bereaved are created from humans who hunger for power. Your species emotions can shape this reality around them. I have coined this phrase Hagen's effect, named after a sage that turned into a bereaved. Some elves have speculated that your kind can even affect the season in this forest. When a human transforms into bereaved, they start seeking others to change as well."The elf sat back at his desk.“Now, we need to prevent you from turning. Which means you need to work on what troubled you the most while you were alive on your world."

  Bree shrugged the signed, "Honesty, I'm happy here. I don't like thinking much about my existence outside of this place." Tharin looked at her throat. Bree felt his eyes on her neck from across the room. He said, "I have been wondering since the last time you visited me. I noticed you curse had a pulse. When you told me what happened to you, I saw it move. It is almost as if your curse was alive."

  Bree shivered and touched her throat self-consciously.

  He continued, "I have a theory, what if this curse was made by someone who wanted to turn you into a bereaved?" Bree stared dumbfounded, the elf explained. "The bereaved are made of dark magic, so is your curse. Dark magic is rare and only relates to certain evil fae, witches, warlocks, and bereaved species. Since you have saint magic, then, in theory, dark magic shouldn't be able to live inside your body. Your curse is an anomaly. Your curse is clearly sheared into your flesh, and the flesh it touches is that of a bereaved. It seems that the magic in your blood prevented you from turning."

  Bree signed, "but why would my brother want to turn my grandmother into a bereaved? The tea was meant for her. He admitted that it was to stop her from filling my head with deviant ideas."

  The elf paced the room, "I find it strange that slavers raided your village not long after you had been given the tea. Perhaps your brother was manipulated by an outside source?" Bree's head swam. Was the attack on her village really connected to her curse? Bree asked, signing anxiously, "what would have been the point of turning someone into a bereaved?"

  Tharin's brow furrowed. "Someone must have known about the saint blood that ran in your grandmother's veins. When a Sage or Saint gets corrupted, they can be turned into something worst than a bereaved. Something unpredictable, something without a proper name. It's so rare, in fact, that it hasn't been documented properly. The closest thing I have to compare to is witches. Witches are human, but they deal with dark magic, and creatures of the dark realms corrupt them. If there are powerful witches, they turn into ghouls." Bree wrung her hands, remembering her nightmare. Tharin said, "It doesn't matter anymore. Clearly, whoever is behind this failed; the magic in your blood protected you. It unlikely they knew you where magical; it's rare that a saint would become bereaved."

  Bree signed, "then what do I do?" Tharin sighed and cracked his knuckles. "Well first, we will put you into a dream state, then you must face your fear, and defeat that fear with your mind. Then by practicing using your magic, the magic in your blood will increase and drive away from the curse. It not a physical infection but a mental and spiritual one. Once your magic is flowing in your system, it's only a matter of time before it overtakes the curse's dark energy." Bree was uncertain. Tharin produced a purple looking tonic from his desk. “All I need is for you to drink this, then lay on the couch. This will put you to sleep, then you will enter a dream state. I will monitor you and if the dream is too much. I will wake you with a snap of my fingers." Bree nervously laid on the purple couch. The elf offered her the tonic, and Bree took a sip. He sat back at his desk, pushing his glasses past the bridge of his nose, he started taking notes and documenting the time. Bree wondered if she had made a foolish mistake to trust Tharin. It's too late now, she told herself. Bree's eyes went heavy, her body relaxed, and she fell into a deep sleep instantly.

  The crunch of the leaves beneath her feet made her look down. The fog was thick surrounding her. Bree glanced around; she was barefoot in the woods. She was surprised that Tharin's tonic had actually worked. Bree decided to start walking, looking for any recognizable trees or markings. She wandered and wandered; it was chilly. The forest was strangely silent; no animals could be heard, nor could she hear the rustle of leaves. Bree walked, searching for a way out. The mist rolled in around her. She continued to wander. Finally, in the fog, she found a sailboat abandoned in the forest. Oddly enough, it was her brothers fishing boat. The vessel was overturned, it's broken oars were strewn about. Bree touched the ship gently. Before her brother had married, they used to go out together to the lake and set out fishing nets for the whole village. It was men's work, and Bree was not allowed to be in the boat. Her brother did not care. They were having fun, and she was someone to talk to while he did his work. Bree felt her eyes grow wet. She pushed aside her feelings. Now was not the time. Bree wandered past the wreckage and found herself shivering. The fog had gotten thicker and colder. There was the sound of metal scraping the forest floor.

  Bree whirred, turning to see her worst nightmare behind her. Angry red lights blared in her face, a spider-shaped head opened it's hungry mandibles. The machine whirred and walked hulking on eight legs. Steam spat from a spout on its head. Bree's heart was pounding.

  It was a slaver machine, like the ones that had torn her village apart. Gear's whirred, red eyes dimly shone, scanning the forest. Bree backed away slowly. The mechanical monster had yet to attack her. Breathing hard, she backed away, tripping, slamming into the ground with a hard thud. Her head was swimming, the forest was spinning. The machine roared and lunged; she rolled, avoiding being crushed beneath it's legs. Bree forced herself up and ran. The hiss of gears rotating, hot metal crashing against trees filled the forest. The machine screamed, and Bree could feel it's jaws just behind her torso.

  She sprinted up the hills through the trees. Barely ahead of the monster, Bree spotted a fallen tree hanging over an outcropping. She sprinted and leaped off a fallen tree. Hitting the ground hard, she scrambled to cram herself beneath the rotting log. The machine ran past her stupidly. Bree did not move until she heard the monster crashing distantly into the forest. Bree laid still; her breathing was hard. At least it was over, she thought. Long skinny shadowy fingers appeared over her log. Bree started shaking; she could feel the evil in the air. There was a perverted little chuckle. It was the wolf monster, its body had grown fat and bulbous. It leered at her as it slowly lowered its masked face into her view.

  He hissed,“hello, little rabbit."

  His icy inhuman eyes shone brightly in the mask. Bree panicked, her breath short; she was frozen. He grinned a horrible grin. His mouth opened, and a long tongue flopped out of his mouth. She screamed as he touched her face with it.

  Bree silent screamed and thrashed on the couch. Tharin was bowed over her concern marring his perfectly smooth elven face. He said,“Your
heart rate was one hundred and fifty beats per minute." Bree curled over sobbing. Tharin offered her tea, which she took with shaking fingers. She took a drink and immediately felt calmer; her muscles loosened. Tharin took more notes then turned and said. "The tea will soothe you; I expected a stress reaction. I didn't expect to be so severe. Now, tell me about your experience," Bree told him what she had seen while she sipped her tea. Tharin's face was shadowed with uncertainly. “I'll have to do some research on that creature. It parasitic in nature, It's appearance is demonic." Bree blinked, " how do you know what it looks like?" Tharin scribbled into a notebook, "The potion allowed me to see what you saw in the dream." He wrote more notes. " I wonder if it's connected to a sighting of a creature in the forest." Bree looked at him wide eyed. Tharin made a face. "There's no need to be scared. It might not be related at all. I'm not sure how a creature in a nightmare could exist in this forest. There were rumors in my university days that dreams were connected to magical realms. This forest is a prime example. The theory has yet to be solidly proven; we're done for now. Don't forget to study your sign language. If Joltrun asks, tell him you were taking a test today. Hand me your sign language book." Bree handed it over and watched as he shelved it, then pulled out another thicker book." This is advanced signing. You've been ready for a long time. Read that over the next few weeks. That way, Joltrun believes that we are studying."

  Bree ran her hand over the book's green cover, tracing the words. Books were beautiful to her; the pages were crisp, and the drawings where artisan crafted. She signed to Tharin, "What about the miasma, shouldn’t we work on that?" The elf lifted an eyebrow. He said, "Yes, I am working on that. Don't you think that you will be straining yourself if we attempt to use your powers?" Bree shook her head, signing, "I do want to help the forest."

  Tharin signed, "Here follow me" The elf walked up a few flights of stairs, and Bree struggled to keep up with his pace. He lead her to the glass garden. Yavi was bouncing up and down on their vines, waving at Bree with enthusiasm. Bree waved back, fascinated by how the nymph hovered and the green symbols floating by their head. The nymph was radiating glowing magic, and they were singing happily.

  All around Yavi, seeds in glass bubbles were floating. Tharin pulled one down and removed the contents from its container. He tossed the glass bulb back to Yavi, who caught it with one of their vine-like tentacles. "Rude..." they snorted as they placed the glass bulb back where it belonged. Tharin pushed the seedling into Bree's hand. He said, "this is a seed infected with the miasma, we have found that seedlings do not grow when the miasma infects them. When your out there, focus your energy on the seed. Think only good positive thoughts, happy memories, a smell you love. As you focus, push your energy into the seed. If anything happens, report it." Bree complained, signing, "Is that really it?"

  Tharin slid his glasses off his long pointy nose. "For now, it's safest to activate your magic slowly. No pressure. Next time we will practice just that."

  Bree annoyed, pocketed the seed in her pack and slipped her brand new book into her bag; she plucked it carefully. She signed to Tharin. "I want to do more than play with seeds." Tharin tut-tutted. " Bree, magic is not a child's toy. If your magic is permanent and not an anomaly caused by the forest, we will talk about teaching you. For now, I am studying the magic you imbued into Yavi." Bree looked at the nymph who was singing and busy mixing soil into glass containers.

  Tharin said, "I doubt a human peasant like you would know this. When you pour your magic into another being, they retain it. In Yavi's case, she lives off your magic; the safest way to understand your magic Bree is to study Yavi. Remember, it's possible that using your magic could turn you into a bereaved faster. Only practice mentally, do not force anything and don't speak of it until I have studied Yavi further. I'm sure you can manage that much." Bree nodded, sulking, wishing she could do more to stop the spreading rot she saw on the forest trees. Tharin led her down the staircase and to the door. Feanu flew from her perch and landed on to Bree's shoulder. Tharin called, turning away to leave, "Feanu will escort you… have a lovely day." Bree, annoyed, took a deep breath. Feanu was heavy, and Bree stained under the weight of the great red and orange phoenix. The phoenix took flight and relieved Bree, headed back up the hill and home. Bree wanted to go home and melt into a puddle of nerves. She hoped she would see Faelorn today.

  Hurrying back, she stepped through the chilly barrier; she was surprised that Faelorn was casually waiting for her. She ran up to him and put her arms around him. "Your safe." she mouthed, hanging off his neck. Faelorn embarrassed blushed, the vines on his neck coiling around her shoulders.

  He said, "Bree. It's good to see you." He lead her into the forest. They spent the afternoon together. Bree said nothing about the seed in her pocket nor what had happened at Tharin's library. He showed her more new and exciting fae. Fairies that had butterfly wings and tiny stick-like limbs. Frogs with strange flashy looking gills. Some creatures could speak the fae's universal language, and others could become invisible. Bree sat among the fae sketching furiously. They left as the dusk began to arrive. Bree found herself once again in Faelorn's arms, and they kissed before they had to hurry home.

  She watched Faelorn leave, watching him transform. She felt her brow furrowing in worry, and Bree tried not to wonder about the horrors he fought every night.

  Chapter 23

  Elo, Cael, Eli, and Joltrun sat roasting fish over the fire. The morning's bounty was generous—squash of every shape and size were halved and set aside to cook. Elo sprinkled the vegetables with sea salt and herbs, which Joltrun had brought from his own home. Bree stared in amazement at the variety of orange, green, yellow, and purple vegetables. The fish they had caught was the largest she had ever seen, and it roasted gently over the grill, crisscrossing and turning golden brown. The air was fragrant. Bree sampled a piece of fish licking her lips; it was crispy and delicious. Elo put raw, vibrant green vegetables over the coals to roast. Eli sniffed all the food, asking what human food tasted like. Elo tried to describe it, but the little fawn did not understand.

  “Why can't I eat it? Why do I only eat grass?" Elo blew on the roasted squash. "Because, my dear, you are now a deer; you're not human anymore."Eli glared at her, "why do you eat human food?" Elo patiently spoke, "I was a grown-up when I passed; you hardly had teeth. You are still considered a baby in this reality." Eli pouted, "I'm not a baby, I have teeth when I turn into a boy."

  Elo kindly patted his curly head. "You're still a fawn first, you just not mature enough. You might not be for a very long time. Remember, your not human anymore; you were human. Your new body can't handle anything other than milk and grass. Maybe in a few months darling."

  "Well, I don't remember what food in my home tasted like," Eli complained.

  Elo shooed him, "away from the fire, love, I need to put down more vegetables."

  Bree studied her new book, and Joltrun quizzed her on her signing and asked her about her dreams.

  Bree hadn't said a word about her and Tharin's agreement. Instead, she fingered the little seed in her pocket. Wondering if she could heal the infected seed.

  As everyone sat to eat, Joltrun noisily bit into his serving of fish and ate ravenously. Bree and Elo dug in as well, and Elo cringed as Joltrun picked a piece of roasted squash from his beard.

  She said, "Joltrun, why don't you tell us a story? I'm getting sick just watching you eat, old man."

  Annoyed, Joltrun burped loudly in her direction. Elo made a gagging sound then erupted in giggles. Cael did the same, and Bree suppressed a laugh as the woodling mimicked Joltrun, sticking his belly out and burping so loudly that Bree put her finger to his mouth and shhhhhed him. Cael snickered and returned to a sliver of fish that he ate without chewing.

  Joltrun picked his teeth with a fish bone.

  Bree finished and asked Joltrun. She signed,

  “Joltrun, why is there a lord of the forest? Has it always been this way.” Joltrun stirred the coals of the fir
e. He said, "There is and always will be a lord of the forest. They are there to protect the forest until the end of time. While the lord of the forest changes vessels, it always intends to preserve the forest's souls and keep this realm alive."

  Bree asked, "why does that need to happen?"

  Joltrun spoke "a long time ago, when the King sang his song, the universe became alive. Light and dark were born, the tree and the flowers sprouted, and first creatures swam in the sea, then crawled on the land. Soon there was the great world, then Man and Fae. The great Sages were descended from the first tribes to settle and shape the nation. Great cities rose and fell, all the while the evil one watched plotting to twist nature. It hated the king, the sages, and the creatures that walked the land. The king saw all of his creation and thought it was good. The evil one began to tempt man and elf until, eventually, they became twisted with sin. For the evil one's deeds, the king cursed him to become a slithering shadow and dwell in the earth's dark crevasse. The slithering snake thought to itself, how can I become the supreme ruler? How can I usurp the king? It began taking the life around it and transforming it, twisting them into monsters. Slowly he began to build an army until the perfect universe was rampant with sin and darkness, and the creations of good were soon transformed into instruments of evil. Many years passed, and there was no improvement; evil infected all life. Many many fell, and many stories were lost and crumbled into shadow. Then one day, the king seeing all that befell his creation, decided to shatter the realm into many, dividing the whole world into many different worlds. But there was one creature, Uhu'rue, the beast of creation that had been with the king since the beginning. Uhu'rue could not bear to see the worlds shattered. He was grieved to see the worlds fall to sin and the ways of the slithering shadow. Uhu'rue, having been a loyal servant of the king, was awarded one singular forest, but this forest was unique. The wood could connect to all the shattered realms and worlds. Uhu'rue lived in his forest, and soon it was populated by refugees who had fled their worlds and asked to stay in the woods under the protection of Uhu'rue. The shadow, now called the great serpent, descended onto all the worlds and cast them in shadow. As the snake began to rule over the worlds, his eyes turned to the last safe refuge in the home of Uhu'rue.