ELO

by E. A. Cross

  “Elo," she signed, "Elo, look at me." Elo turned, and a groan left her body. The black slime had encapsulated her friend. Bree began to focus, calling to the magic she felt in her blood.

  This time she couldn't take hours; this time, just like with the seedlings, she had to try to push the miasma away from Elo. Tharin appeared behind her. He was silver robed and distinctly older. "Bree, don't your too unstable…." Bree closed her eyes, ignoring him. She thought of her friend's sweet voice, the nights they had stayed up giggling over stories. Bree felt the familiar green light of her magic on her fingertips. The grass beneath her feet grew, and the trees leaned into her, losing their rot. Bree ran to the bereaved just as Faelorn lunged to stop her, and she embraced Elo.

  She was enveloped in black rot. Bree held her breath, pushing farther inside. Faelorn screamed, he desperately tried to pull her out, but as his hand brushed the back of her coat, she disappeared. Bree felt the green light of her magic protect her. The black slime pressed against the barrier that she had created. Follow your instinct Yavi had told her in all those days of practice. She heard the nymph say, “before you learn to cast spells, you must first discover wild magic. Your magic is formed by the power of your spirit and will shape the way you think. It will carve it's path based on how you develop." Bree wanted to heal Elo; she longed to cure the forest. She followed her animal instinct, and nothing more, Bree opened her eyes. She muttered, "Follow my instinct."

  When she had first accessed her magic hours earlier, the signing had activated the magic. Bree signed the world for Heal, Friend, and spelled Elo's name. Nothing happened; the words vanished and sparked. Instead, she felt compelled to touch the forehead of the deer.

  "Follow your instinct, Bree," whispered a male voice. "You can heal, with the power of belief the strength inside your spirit, never underestimate your mind's power." Where the voice came from, Bree did not question. She focused and closed her eyes. She was in the barn with Elo. Her friend was weeping a river of black slime. Her eyes were closed tightly. Bree stared the barn was rotting, Elo was surrounded. Bree did not let herself get overwhelmed. She sat beside Elo, then she heard it.

  Witches whispered, "You're a failure, your nothing Elo. You will die die die…."

  Elo sobbed as if tormented by the voices. She opened her mouth and vomited black goo—the witches' voices where full of hate and cruelty. Bree heard the voices of Elo's family. Her father's voice was a sneer, "Your a traitor to your sex and to your future husband, child."

  Bree remembered the vision she had had nights ago. Elo and her death in the barn. "It must be part of my magic..." Bree thought. She tried to shake Elo awake. Bree shook her harder; Elo refused to open her eyes. She moaned, “No...No ...No"

  Bree, frustrated summoned her wild magic and signed, “Elo, WAKE UP," Elo's eyes snapped open. The magic symbols spoke in elfish loud and clear. Bree was shaking; her fingertips glowed with green light. The light danced on her hands; it felt like a spider web, light, and airy. Magic forced Elo's eyes to stay open. Bree could see that Elo's beautiful blue eyes were infected with orange. Bree thought, it just like Faelorn when he was turned, I must have reversed him from becoming bereaved. Bree signed, her voice in words the leaped from her fingertips.

  She said, "Elo, I'm here, it's Bree." Elo was confused, she cried. "Bree...Bree. I remember getting taken in the forest, Bree, where am I?" Elo looked at around, realizing she was surrounded by a web of black slime. "What is this? why am I here?" Bree answered, signing to Elo, "We have to get it out of you. It's in your body. It's just like the miasma in the forest. Your like the seedlings from earlier." Elo panicked, "I'm infected…" Bree signed her voice ringing with the flying green letters.

  She said, signing, "Yes. Your becoming bereaved, my magic tells me that the miasma is like bereavement. It feels the same to me. Elo, I need you to let go. Let go of the horror inside you. Let go of what your village did to you." Elo looked at Bree, and she started crying black tears. She cried, "how do you know what they did to me?" Bree was gentle; she touched Elo's slime covered hand. "I dreamed about it. It's my magical gift. I saw what your village did to your friend. They murdered you and her." There was laughter from the black web around them.

  "Oh, Elo..." said the darkness. " Don't believe Bree's lies. She says she's your friend, but will she really accept you?" Elo cried, looking away, "You can't know the truth, Bree. Just go, leave me; this was bound to happen. I was bound to end up like this. I'm just nothing. A waste, a traitor." Bree felt her determination surge; she grabbed Elo's face. Elo wouldn't meet her eyes, already the orange-colored infection was spreading further. Bree signed, "I know that you loved her. I know that they killed her."

  Elo looked away. She whispered, "You can't know my shame...” Bree, frustrated, forced Elo to face her. She pulled her face up so that she was forced to meet Bree's eyes. She signed quickly, "You were in love with a woman. The way men love women. The way I love Faelorn." Elo sobbed, "I'm an abomination, and I'm alone."

  The black rot threatened to swallow Elo; it moved upward, crawling up Elo exposed flesh.

  Bree attempted to pull the corruption from Elo. "You're not alone; you have me; you have the herd. Elo, you will love again." Elo cried, the rot spreading up her face. The rotten black shadow spoke, rising from miasma in the corner of the barn. It formed a hideous face as it hissed. "She's gone. Her soul, she went to the King's land, and you stayed here. Your lover forgot about you. Elo, you'll never love again. She abandoned you; you'll be alone forever," Elo sobbed, hearing the creature's lies.

  The rot crept up Elo's neck. Bree was desperate, and she followed her instincts, calling on her strength within. Bree felt her power surge. She was angry, her power on her fingertips burning away the darkness: her wild magic forcing the barn to sprout grass and flowers.

  Bree yelled, “Your father was the abomination—a murderer. You didn't do anything to deserve what happened to you. The King wouldn't have invited you to join his herd if you were some monster; the herd wouldn't love and accept you if you were an abomination. Bakura wouldn't leave the herd in your care if she didn't accept and trust you. The villagers, they're already dead. I saw their true forms. In the dream, they looked worse than the bereaved."

  Elo looked doubtful, the black rot was pushed down her neck again. She said,“ Bree, I don't know. No one knows the truth, what will they think ?" Bree shook Elo, wild magic pouring from her fingertips. Her magic was threatening to push apart the barn doors to make the empty darkness full of plants and trees. Bree could feel the forest was inside her alive.

  She signed, the elvish letters danced around her. They spoke for her. She said, "What others think isn't important. As for the herd, they all have been through bad and terrible things. They can't judge you. It's not their place. The King judges the herd, he obviously thinks you've done good, he let you take care of me. I might be bereaved if you hadn't been there on the first day." Bree had tears running down her face. She said," you were there. You fed me and made me clothes. You spent the first few nights with me, even though I wasn't kind to you..." Bree wiped her eyes. She held Elo's face looking her in the eyes. She held on, refusing to let go as the rot creeped upward. She said, “I love you, Elo, you're my best friend. Don't let evil tell you what you are. You're not bereaved. I love you."

  She bent down and kissed her friend on the lips. The flowers bloomed, and the dark waned. Elo was free of the web as it fell from her. She held Bree clinging to her as a terrible scream echoed.

  The darkness took form, a wretched skeletal creature emerged from the black webbing.

  It screamed, "You belong to me. You belong to the witches… you belong to the darkness."

  Elo yelled, "No, I don't! You belong to the darkness." With a swift kick, she shattered the creature, and the world started breaking into two. The darkness screamed in a horrible voice, a wind blew from nothingness. Bree held Elo's hand, leading her out the barn door, there was an explosion of light.

  Bree and El
o pulled through the cocoon of dark slime. Bree emerged breathing for the first time in what felt like an eternity. The black slime dissipated, turning to ashes. Bree was holding Elo, Elo was holding her. Bree opened her eyes she looked around. Joltrun, Tharin, Bakura all where staring horrified, mouth agape. Faelorn cried out. “Bree, Elo…." He ran to them; he picked both of them up. He sobbed.

  “I thought I lost you. Bree, I saw how the bereaved swallowed you, both of you. I didn't want to kill you. I couldn't. It was tormenting…."

  All three looked at each other. Elo hugged Faelorn.

  She said, "I missed you, you sod." Bree let them hug, then Elo hugged Bree. Bree gave Elo a peck on the cheek. They looked at each other and cried, letting go as Elo ran to hug Bakura for all she was worth. Bree looked at Faelorn, Faelorn looked down at her. He looked both afraid and amazed.

  She leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth; she didn't care if anyone else saw. Faelorn held her and said, "Don't ever disappear again." Bree looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and signed, "I promise."

  Chapter 27

  In the next few days, the miasma continued to consume the forest. Joltrun reported more and more animals and fae with the infection. Many faes had fled to the forest's far corners, the last bastion of safe spaces against the rot: bereaved and various monsters were spotted commonly haunting the woods. Unfortunately, Faelorn, Bree, and Elo were all struck with exhaustion and were forced to rest. Faelorn paced the cave as a beast uneasily. Joltrun scolded, "Your injured from all of the fighting. You need another day of rest." Faelorn tossed his beastly head; he was a hodgepodge of animals. He looked like a bear, a wolf, and a stag all in one. He growled "The forest is calling me father."

  Bree sat miserably with Elo. She felt the forest distress, but she was too exhausted to even sit up. Elo and Cael kept urging her to eat. She could hardly keep her eyes open, and she slept uneasily listening to the growls of Faelorn outside of the cave entrance. It was on the third day that Joltrun, Bakura, and Tharin began to formulate a plan. All three elders were sitting at the fire; each had a blanket on their shoulders. The herd was crowded around the spring, and morale among the herd was bleak. The waterfall trickled as it always had, but the cave's calming air and the fire's bright light did not cut away the building tension.

  The youth sat away from the campfire listening intently, exchanging glances nervously. Cael nested in Faelorn's hair, peeking out to watch the talk. Bree snuggled close to Faelorn, resting her head on his shoulder. Faelorn held her all morning, but eventually, Joltrun called to him. They spoke in hushed tones, then Faelorn transformed into a centaur with deadly blackthorns on the vines that hung around his neck.

  Bree ran to him. She knew he was going to leave. She signed, "Faelorn, it's dangerous to go alone. Let me go with you. I can heal your wounds." Faelorn looked into the forest grimly. She said, "Bree, I have to leave. There are fae refugees, I need to guide them to the safe zones. I love you. I promise I'll be safe. Rest, If you want to help, listen to Joltrun, and do as he asks. I have my duties." He turned to her and kissed her forehead. "You have yours, Bree. The forest needs you too. If you love me, then wait for me." He turned away, heading for the cave exit, tears in his eyes. Elo ran to him, she hugged him. "Be safe, Faelorn." Faelorn held her for a moment, then he wordlessly let her go. He galloped out the cave.

  Elo returned to nervously sewing, Bree lay down beside her friend, then she cried quietly turned away towards the cave wall. Elo sat, her back touching Bree as she worked quietly. Elo's hands trembled as she sewed. Bree feared for Faelorn's life; the forest's evil presence could be felt from the cave. Bakura sat by the fire grimly. It reflected in her warm brown eyes; she smoked from Joltrun's pipe, passing it to Tharin. “I will have to move the herd, the spring is the last safe place, but soon the field will start showing signs of miasma."

  Tharin shook his head. "There's no escaping the miasma, not unless you take the herd into another world. This is their realm; they are at the mercies of things worst than witches if they leave."

  Bakura looked at the grim elf, " I cannot risk any of them becoming infected; Bree can't heal them all; she can hardly stand after healing Elo. With that creature on the loose, we have no choice but to pick a world and flee. Perhaps the world of the elves?" Tharin looked doubtful. He stared into the fire. Joltrun growled." We must restore the queen before it's too late. The fairies have refused to leave despite Faelorn and I begging them to. If we heal the queen, her powers can help restore the forest quicker. She is the heart of the forest, after all." Tharin ran his fingers through his hair.

  "Even if Bree heals the queen. We'd have to get to her first. Feanu has already circled the entire forest; the fairy grove is surrounded by miasma. It has been cut off from the rest of the realm. Not to mention, Yavi has been watching the world map. They say witches and bereaved have appeared from every realm. Even as we speak, the creatures of the dark are waiting to kill anything the enters the forest." Joltrun grunted, smoking from his pipe. He said, "Faelorn fights a path for us already. If he cannot convince the fairies to leave one last time, he will take the queen by force. I am having difficulty planning how to get Bree safely into the queen's territory. We need her to heal the queen. Once she is healed, we will use the fairies to locate Faelorn's brother. With the queen's added power, we will have enough strength and numbers to protect the other fae. We can find the source of his power. Then Faelorn and I can make a calculated attack." Joltrun puffed his pipe miserably, "Bakura, I can only think that we will need your powers to help escort Bree safely into the queen's territory." Bakura took a deep breath; she looked stressed. She said, "What of the herd? I've had to leave them unguarded this year more than in an entire millennium. They will be more vulnerable than ever." Joltrun handed Bakura his pipe. He said softly, "Elo stays, she watches the herd. Keeps them guarded inside the cave. The spring will provide and keep them safe. Perhaps Tharin could enchant some form of protection over the cave." Tharin rubbed his ears nervously. "Even If I were to enchant the cave. Are we sure that the spring isn't corruptible?" Bree tapped the cave wall. The elders turned to her. She signed, "We have a right to decide; you need our cooperation to cleanse the forest."

  Elo bit her thread, finishing her embroidery. She said, "Bree has a point. What if we fail? What if the queen is already corrupted. Maybe we should just leave, go to Tharin's Castle." Tharin shook his head.

  He said, "Absolutely not. The realm that I've created is attached to this one. If this realms goes Im not sure what will happen to mine. Look at Yavi. She was in hibernation, but it was only just past winter that she started getting the rot from the miasma. Even so, nymphs can spontaneously heal sometimes. I wasn't sure if Bree had really caused her to be cleansed at the time. Anyway, the miasma will follow us, and let say I take all of you and the herd to another realm. Your realm will still be infected, and that will open the gateway for the miasma to jump to other worlds. Worlds that could be filled with innocents." Bakura's face fell; she clutched her staff, her fist clenched with apprehensiveness. Joltrun voice was grim. He looked at everyone in the room.

  He said, “this is war, I say we fight the darkness directly. After we move the queen and her fairy's, we meet back and prepare for battle." Tharin snapped, "It seems we're out of options. I like to propose my idea." He looked at Bree. "That is if Bree is willing to participate."

  Bree chewed her lip, waiting for Tharin to go on.

  He said, "I know a safer and quicker way to get Bree to the queen. My last working machine. If she rides in it. It can bulldoze its way through the trees. If I pilot it, I can use magic to shoot away oncoming attackers." Bree paled at the thought of stepping inside a slaver machine. Elo held her hand. "Faelorn will be there to protect you." Bree nodded then meeting Tharin's silver gaze, she signed

  “I will do whatever it takes to save the queen, but I have one concern." She looked at everyone. "Aren't any of you worried about the piece of Anon's soul that's in my throat?"

  J
oltrun, Bakura, and Tharin looked at each other. Bakura looked at Bree and said. "It's a risk that we have to take. Your magic is quarantining it. Other than the nightmares, has it affected you in any other way?" Bree shook her head; she signed, "I just...I just don't feel comfortable knowing that something related to the bereaved is inside me." Tharin gave her a reassuring look. His voice was gentle he said, "Bree, your power keeps the darkness at bay. You will be safe."

  Bree shook her head, "I don't feel like I'm safe to be around. What if he's watching you through me."

  Tharin shook his head, "We have to try, Bree. We're out of time. We have to fight with what we have; there is no other option. Even if we where at my lab, and I performed surgery to attempt to extract the curse. It could kill you, and then we will lose the ability to heal the forest." Elo asked, "What about the King? Could we contact him somehow?"

  Bakura shook her head. "All things work together for the greater good, Bree. The King is guiding me through this hard time. We must trust that the King's spirit is watching over us as we speak. I must do my job as he has asked me to. This realm is Faelorn's and my responsibility."