ELO

  The serpent challenged Uhu'rue to battle. The battle was long and fierce; it spanned centuries, and it never seemed to end. Then finally, the snake, with the help of witches, overtook Uhu'rue and killed him. Uhu'rue called out to the King as he lay dying in the coils of the serpent. He asked the King for one last favor to return him to his body to continue his fight with the serpent. The King seeing that Uhu'rue body was destroyed, saw to find a new vessel for the spirit of Uhu'rue. It was then that he saw a small boy child on the edge of Uhu'rue's territory. The child was fleeing, looking for the enchanted forest to hide from his tormentors. The king asked the boy if he would like to become the vessel for Uhu'rue’s spirit, and in return, the king would allow him and those like him to dwell in the forest.

  The boy agreed, and his body was given to the spirit of Uhu'rue. It was then with the child's goodness and the strength of Uhu'rue’s spirit that the evil one was driven away. From then on there throughout the eons that would come. The spirit of Uhu'rue was passed down to one child to another. Each vessel would take on the fight to keep the forest and all the gateways to the worlds safe from the wicked one." Joltrun smoked his pipe while he finished the story, everyone even the deer outside the cave had gathered to hear him. Bakura had arrived in the middle of the story and was settled in her deer form by the fire. The shadow of her great curving antlers filled the cave, and Bree was close enough to see all the carvings etched into them.

  Bree huddled with Cael in her furs. Her mind turned to Faelorn, and she worried about what he was doing in the forest. If he was safe or if he was fighting witches. Bree asked, "what about the witches? Why did they agree to serve the serpent? Or dark fae and ghouls?"

  Joltrun took a puff of his pipe, he said, "what about witches? Evil humans who think that the serpent will lend them his power. In return, they serve him, do his bidding no matter how evil and despicable. As for ghouls, they are the cruelest and most terrible of their breed. They spend the afterlife hunting humans, drinking their blood, killing infants, and attempting to breach the forest walls. It is the way of things until the king returns and destroys all of the darkness." Eli walked right up to Joltrun and asked with his large dark eyes, "Why doesn't the King come and kill all the bad guys now?" Joltrun entertained him. He said, "we all have been tainted by the darkness, every time we think terrible things, or do terrible things, we become like the serpent. The King has allowed us to live because he has given all the beings, humans and fae alike, an opportunity to learn to be kind and good. He wants to save as many human and fae souls from turning into bereaved and monsters. For that, we must live our lives, and the cycle repeats until all the fae and human's that every were will have been given a chance to choose. If we believe in the king of all that is good. If we love and care for one another, we will live past all this evil and darkness."

  Joltrun smoked, and Bree hugged herself. It all seemed bleak as if the maddening cycle would never end, and there would always be evil, an evil that stretched beyond her, beyond the universe.

  Joltrun let out a smoke ring. "Terrible things happen, and you can only do so much to stop them. Even when you are like Uhu'rue. You know what I say. At the end of the day, I say if you can crawl into a warm bed, have a smoke, or maybe a drink. Then it is all done and worth it. One day I will sail away, where all good men and fae go. I will find the king's city, and I will finally be home where my wife waits." Joltrun smoked, closing his eyes. "There are times when I dream of her, on the shore. She sits wearing her blue dress, she is waiting. One day I will go. When Faelorn is ready..."

  Bree noticed that Elo was staring into the fire. Her eyes were moist, and she needed to excuse herself.

  As Elo left, Bree got up and thanked Joltrun for his stories and caring for Cael. She followed Elo out of the cave. Elo sat among the grass and the fireflies. Her white coat shining in the moonlight. She was facing the forest. Bree sat beside her. She signed, "how are you?"

  Elo flicked her ears back. "I'm fine… I hate those stories." Bree asked signing, "Why?"

  Elo sighed, she said, "I don't know, I guess because I feel like something should be done. If the stories are real, then everything is terrible. It feels like evil always wins, no matter how good someone is."

  Bree listened, staring at the stars. Elo continued, "I just want life to be good for humans and elves. I just want to help the herd, all us souls that have been forgotten. I think the spirit of the King, I think he does not do enough for good. If he really is connected to the King, why isn't there more justice for folk like us? You see the spirit now and again coming for those in the herd that are ready to leave."

  Elo said agitated. "It doesn't seem fair, Faelorn is right to kill all that do evil. All those slavers, the way they hurt you, what they did to Faelorn's mother. Even wicked men like my father. Why should they get to live and souls like us, people they victimized. We die. Then we disappear into this forest, lost."

  Bree said nothing. She watched Elo and sat; the deer’s blue eyes were watering, tears sliding down the sides of her face. Bree patted Elo's head gently. Elo turned to Bree. "If only you knew how many of my friends I saw turn into bereaved. How many I saw leave to the king's kingdom to never be seen or heard from again..." Elo looked Bree in the eyes and said, "It's not fair..." Bree signed, "Elo, you can tell me anything, I've told you most things about me..."

  “My father killed me..." Elo said no more; it was as if she couldn't. Bree didn't ask why. "The sad thing is..." Elo said. "When I came here, I missed him. I hated him. I could never forgive him. For what he did to me. For what he did to her…" Bree wanted to ask who she was referring to, Elo shook her head. She sobbed, "I can't even say her name anymore...I can't stand it, Bree. I guess that's why I've been here longer than anybody except Bakura. All my friends leave; my family on my world are all probably dead by now. I'll never see my brothers and sisters again. I'll never meet my nieces and nephews. I'll never have anything." Bree snuggled Elo pulling her close.

  She didn't say anything. Elo shuddered and let Bree hold her for a long time. “Thank you, Bree, for being so nice..." Bree curled up next to Elo, watching the fireflies drift over the grass. She stared at the twinkling stars overhead. Eventually, she fell into a deep sleep. Nightmares came one after another. First, it was a repeat of her dream at Tharin's library. Then it was the second. Bree was covered in sweat. The forest was dark, and she wandered, hearing the giggles of witches on the breeze. They wore hooded cloaks and held candles. "Awaken, Awaken Awaken" They called for the darkness, for the serpent. They whispered on the wind, and Bree walked among them as they stood perfectly still around her. Bree skin rippled with goose pimples.

  The witches whispered her fears.

  “I was never good enough for my father."

  "Mother hated me."

  "My brothers and sister though I was a freak."

  "your fault, your fault, and your fault."

  “Whore, you wanted it.”

  “You deserved it," they accused, her fear rose as Bree desperately tried to escape. She fled them, but no matter how far she ran, endless witches holding candles stared at her. They said, "you deserved to lose your voice; you used it in all the wrong ways." Bree wiped tears from her eyes. She raced along the woods, shoving witches aside desperately. Screaming for help, Bree bleated like a terrified lamb. Before she knew it, she ran on all fours, her hands turned into hooves, her skin turning into a white pelt. She ran and ran, and the witches turned into wolves. Wolves that devoured everything. They ripped apart the trees, killed the peaceful fae, and chased her until exhausted, she crashed on her knees. A witch leaped at her with extended jaws and crushed her throat.

  Bree was covered in sweat when she awoke. She was furious at her dream; all she wanted was sleep. She took a deep breath calming her racing heart. At some point, Cael had joined them in the night. She watched the woodling's chest rise and fall. Bree lay back down and closed her eyes.

  This time she promised herself she would do what Tharin had sugge
sted. Bree fell into a deep sleep. She dreamt of the forest once more. Bree stood up, aware of her dream state. She found herself surrounded by the bodies of sleeping deer. Even Bakura was unconscious, Bree was confident that this was in a dream. Bakura rarely slept. The herd leader always remained vigilant, guarding her herd. Bree looked around; all seemed normal. She did not see her brothers upturned boat; she did not smell the fires of her village burning, nor did she see the deformed, bloated masked monster. Bree was ready; she steeled herself. All she had to do was believe and imagine it just as Tharin had told her. Bree pushed her fear aside. Elo got up from where she had been resting. The white doe walked past her and wandered towards the forest. Bree called to her, waving her hands, throwing pebbles anything to get her friend's attention. Bree touched her throat; in her dreams, she could usually speak. Uneasiness gripped her as she was forced to follow the white deer. Bree calmed herself, the fog of the forest was drifting in, and it was so thick that she could barely see Elo in front of her. She pressed on, determined to protect her friend.

  Eventually, as they traveled through the thick gray fog, Bree began to hear weeping. She reached for Elo trying to touch her white hide, but she wasn't there anymore. Instead, before her was an abandoned barn. The same barn that Faelorn and herself had found Elo in. Elo was a human now, but she wasn't in her fresh white dress. Instead, she wore a white frock that was terribly dirtied. She looked beaten, her eyes swollen, her lip cut and bleeding. Her hair and face were smeared with dirt. She lay, holding a lock of black hair in her fist. She was weeping uncontrollably. Bree looked around; the barn was lit by a flickering lamp. She could smell animal manure, hay, and sweat. A tall blond man stepped out the shadows. He wore a preacher's outfit.

  He screamed, “you sinner. You are an abomination. An abomination that has committed unforgivable sins. You are the work of the devil and have allowed the devil to tempt your flesh." Bree was shocked; the man did not seem to see her. Elo looked up through her swollen eyes.

  She plead, “father...I'll change. Father, don't do this."

  The man's face was hardened, his eyes a piercing cold blue. There was not an ember of compassion.

  He hissed, "It should be better for you if you were put to death, for I never raised a devil spawn. You sinner, burn in hell." Bree covered her mouth; she was terrified. She tried to clutch Elo's hand. The man opened the barn door, and Elo covered her mouth. Bree saw that before the barn door, just far enough for Elo to see, was a woman tied to a stake. The woman had thick black hair that went to her waist, her skin was dark. The woman's dress was torn, her face bleeding. She seemed to be barely conscious. Surrounding the woman was a village, donning black cloaks they held torches. One by one, the villagers dropped their stakes..." Bree looked away. Elo screamed. Bree could not bear it; she sat weeping by her friend. The men came for Elo. One by one, they held her down. They put a cloth over Elo's face and brought a large trough of water, built for many animals to drink out of. Elo's father opened his leather tome. He began reading from it. Bree watched in horror as they drowned her friend. She stared at the faces of the men; their eyes were hollow and empty. They already looked dead. She watched as the trough was drained slowly over Elo's face, and Elo's body thrashed as she fought her restraints. Bree couldn't stop crying, even when the men left. When she was alone she tried to hold Elo's hand, the lock of black hair was tightly woven around her friend's fingers.

  A pair of shadowy hands enveloped Bree, and a masked face giggled as he looked at her and whispered.

  "Bree, Bree, little Bree, can you handle the truth. Do you still love your friend now?"

  Bree got up sweating; she was surrounded by white bodies of sleeping deer. Elo was curled around her. Bree stared at Elo for a long time. She wondered if the dream was real. Elo's breathing was soft, and after a very long moment, Bree's body begged for relief. Bree got up and drank from the spring then left to relieve herself in the bushes away from camp. As she returned, she noticed Bakura was standing at attention. Bakura's eyes were watchful, and her head and ears were pricked, turning to the forest. She was staring into the woods, and Bree noticed a bright white light.

  As the light grew brighter and brighter, the other deer stirred and sleepily got up from their nighttime rest. Bree wandered back to Elo, signing, "what's happening?" Elo turned to her, whispering in her ear, "Faelorn has found a soul wandering the forest." Sure enough, in the light of the bright forest, Bree could make out Faelorn's silhouette against the trees. He was in his full beast form, shaped like a giant stag. As they neared, Bree got a better glance at the soul. Faelorn was carrying it in his mouth. Bree stared at Faelorn. He was concentrating, his beastly eyes glowing with light. He galloped so fast he threw mud with his hooves, and some of it hit Bree on the shoulder. The white deer scattered, and Faelorn slid until he was right in the spring. The white deer watched with curiosity as they gathered together. Bakura approached Faelorn. Faelorn's was breathing hard, he opened his mouth, and a white globe shuddered and floated out. Bree soon heard sobbing and crying, "it burns, it burns, please stop..." Bree inched over quietly until she was beside Bakura's flank. She peered around nervously. Faelorn did not look at her; he spoke to the soul in a voice that was not his own. He said, "drink, and you will be set free of the other world." The spirit wailed, ignoring Faelorn, he stood guard over the soul, whispering words of comfort. Bakura turned away and saw Bree's questioning face. Bree signed, "What's happening?" Bakura answered, her voice low. "Faelorn's found a spirit in the forest, right now he's trying to encourage it to drink from the spring water. If the soul sees the water and decides to drink, it will become one of us; if it doesn't, it will likely become bereaved, and he will have to kill it."

  Bree stared, shocked; Bakura said this gently, "All of the souls in the herd were given new bodies, ones made by the King. It ties them to this realm permanently until they choose to leave." Bakura shook her head. "The first 24 hours are the most important; after that, the likelihood of a soul becoming bereaved increases greatly."

  The other deer, having seen this countless times, wandered away. Bree watched Faelorn work well into the morning. All of his energy was spent talking to the phantom. The soul would not listen but curled up and continued to sob incoherently.

  Eventually, Bree retreated to the cave, she and Elo cooked a late breakfast, and Bree went back to sleep, praying that she would not dream ever again. Bree begged for sleep, but her body refused amid the wailing by the spring. Even Joltrun, who came from his cottage early in the morning, declined to teach under the springs conditions. Bree was miserable, and all of Faelorn's attention was on convincing the soul to drink the spring's water.

  It was noon when the magnificent phoenix flew overhead, and Bree ventured outside the safety of the cave she headed for her "lesson" with Tharin. She followed Feanu into the woods looking back at the Lord of the Forest. Faelorn's looked exhausted as he crouched by the soul, trying to coax it to drink. Bree was told not to get involved by Bakura, but seeing how tired Faelorn was, she wondered if there was somehow a way to help.

  Feanu flew overhead, and Bree followed the enormous red bird. Eventually, Feanu made a game of it, and Bree chased the bird, trying to touch the tip of her wings as the bird playfully dived over her head. Most of the fae were used to her presence, a few recognized her, and greeted her as she ran ahead. Bree waved at woodlings, fairy's and greeted a tiny gnome that popped out of his burrow to look at her. She picked and ate mushrooms as she wandered after Feanu, and by the time Bree arrived at the ruins, she had a full meal of fungi. She shivered through the barrier and was surprised by what lay on the other side. The snow was falling in Tharin's ruins. Her teeth chattered, she stomped through three feet of snow. Her feet were wet, and she was shaking by the time she was at the entrance. Tharin was at the door waiting, he wore a white robe, and he sipped tea in a thermos.

  He held out a very fluffy pink robe out for Bree. She was too cold to complain about the horrendous color. She wrapped herself in i
t as she stood in the hall, still shivering despite the warmth. The robe was clearly his, and it hung off her form like an oversized blanket. Yavi descended from the ceiling, climbing with her roots. Bree signed hello while she shook uncontrollably as her body tried to cope with the extreme cold. Tharin closed the door. He said, "Greetings, Bree, Yavi, please don't scale the wall upside down, you'll scare our guest. Thank you."