by Ryo Mizuno
“Books from the Academy?” Slayn moved closer, opening a cupboard that turned out to be full of glass vials and scrolls tightly wrapped in oiled paper. Slayn’s hopes turned into disappointment. “No…”
It was frustrating, but not unexpected. If he’d been in Wagnard’s place, he would’ve had the stolen magical objects brought to him at once.
“Ooh, a treasure chest!” Woodchuck exclaimed, springing over to the wooden box by the desk. “I was looking for this!”
Slayn began carefully opening the desk’s drawers. In one, he found a beautifully adorned dagger and a letter. He unfolded it to see only a few short sentences.
Everything is going smoothly here. How is it on your end? Keep in touch via the usual method.
—Karla
“Not much to go on,” Slayn mumbled to himself, then tucked the letter away. He glanced up to notice Ghim looking toward him—not at him, but above his head. He followed the dwarf’s gaze to the back wall.
There hung a large portrait of a beautiful woman. She wore a low-cut purple dress and a circlet on her forehead. She was seated before bright red curtains, and a window showed a detailed scene outside.
The woman’s skin was as pale as Deedlit’s, but her hair was the color of midnight. She seemed to look right at Slayn.
Is that Karla…? he wondered. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place it.
He looked back at Ghim, who was still staring at the portrait, totally rapt.
“It…it looks like her.”
7
Three days later, they made it back to the Crystal Forest. The plans they’d found were handed over to the castle guards, and they were awarded a thousand gold coins for their efforts.
Parn was in high spirits—not because of the money, but because he’d been acknowledged for what he’d done. The bribed guard was put on trial, the plot to assassinate the King was foiled, and Parn had even been praised by Duke Persia, the Prime Minister. He took another swig of ale and moved on to the next off-key verse of the song he’d been singing.
“Hey, could I come with you guys?” Woodchuck asked Parn. “You saw how useful I was, and I think we get along. My life’ll be a whole lot more interesting if I stick with you.”
“I don’t see why not,” Parn answered simply. The thief had been a big part of their success, and he’d already shown how his skills could be valuable on their journey. “Just don’t break any laws.”
The party continued on into the night, with everyone but Deedlit and Slayn drinking quite a bit of ale.
“Six hundred coins for the jewels still seems awfully low,” Woodchuck groused yet again.
“Nah, that’s market value,” Ghim cut in. Woodchuck had wanted to barter, but Ghim had quickly settled the deal, and the thief hadn’t wanted to argue gem prices with a dwarf. Anyway, the books and scrolls had brought an unexpectedly high price from a wizard the others knew, so Woodchuck couldn’t be in too bad a mood.
Truth be told, the only one of their party who wasn’t cheerful was Ghim. He sat slightly apart from the rest, sipping his wine thoughtfully.
Just when their celebration party was at its merriest, a man burst through the front door. Everyone turned to look at him as he took a few gasping breaths and staggered into the room.
“B-big trouble…” the man choked out. “Kanon has fallen. It was Beld—Emperor Beld of Marmo.”
“What?!” Parn’s cheerful mood crashed hard into despair. He sprang up from his chair.
“So, it’s begun,” Slayn muttered solemnly. “This will mean war throughout the island.”
A cold shiver ran through the entire group, and they sobered immediately.
The news reached Kadomos VII at Stone Web, and the King immediately summoned his nobles to an emergency meeting. Kanon and Alania had been allies since Kanon’s founding 250 years previous, and marriages between their royal families were common—the most recent being King Kadomos VII’s mother, who had come from the Kanon royal family.
That made Marmo’s invasion a grave insult to the Alanian royal family, and several senior vassals took the hard line that they should declare war on Marmo immediately. There were also treaties to consider—King Fahn of Valis had led a Kingdom’s Conference where they pledged to rise up and fight together in the case of any invasion.
But Kadomos VII sent no troops to Kanon. He decided to blockade the southern roads, prepare for an invasion, and wait and see. He ordered the army not to recruit mercenaries or muster the militia so as not to provoke Beld. His inaction basically acknowledged Beld as the new ruler of Kanon.
The next day, reading the official proclamation, Parn gnashed his teeth in fury. “Why?!” he bellowed, forgetting he was in public.
Slayn gently put a hand on Parn’s shoulder, hoping to comfort him. “What should we do now?”
“They’re all cowards,” Parn choked out, and Slayn could actually see tears in his eyes. He rubbed at them with one hand, and when he looked back up his eyes blazed with determination. “Let’s go to Valis,” he said.
“But the roads are closed, and there’s still a sandstorm in the western desert. There’s no way through to Valis right now.”
“We’ll get there somehow. Even if we have to go through the Forest of No Return,” he said, glowering fiercely.
“Are you serious?” Etoh objected. “Parn, you know how dangerous that place is. They call it that because nobody returns!”
“Then I’ll be the first!” Parn shouted.
“They say there’s an ancient Elvish curse there,” Ghim added with a glance at Deedlit.
“Parn…” Slayn began, hoping to offer some calming words.
“Actually, I think it’s a good idea,” said Deedlit, who’d been silently watching Parn for a while. “Let’s go through the forest. That way’s the quickest, after all.”
“You can get us through?”
“Of course,” Deedlit stated proudly with a glance at Ghim. “I’m an elf. Ancient or modern, we’re all still of a kind.”
8
They left Allan three days after the news of Kanon’s downfall.
Following Deedlit’s plan, they set out on a route that would take them through the Forest of No Return. Other than Parn, none of them were happy with the plan—the sinister name was no mere legend, and no one who entered had returned in the past several hundred years. Many brave heroes took up the forest’s challenge, but their fate was always the same. The Dark Forest remained unchanged as it destroyed every life that entered it.
No one knew exactly what dangers the Dark Forest held—whether it was an Elvish curse or just some deadly flora or fauna. Nobody knew—except perhaps the victims.
By the third day, they could see the forest in the distance. But rather than entering as soon as they reached it, Deedlit kept them on the road, the forest to their right.
Two days further down the road, Deedlit stopped them with a cheerful shout.
“Here!” she proclaimed.
The others turned to her with skeptical, exhausted faces. Deedlit sighed, and wordlessly pointed toward the forest.
There, barely visible, was a narrow path, overgrown from disuse. Slayn couldn’t believe that this was a road that people actually used.
“The path I was talking about starts here. But no matter what happens, promise me: you must not rest in the forest. And try not to act too surprised—strong emotions have a bad effect on the trees.”
“That’s all we have to do?” Parn asked, unable to hide his unease.
“Yeah. Just follow me, and we’ll make it to Valis,” Deedlit said, looking straight into Parn’s eyes. “Let’s hurry.”
Despite the elf’s confidence, the rest of the team’s anxiety grew the more the forest loomed about them. They walked the path for an hour before they finally made it to an opening.
From close up, the forest looked normal—though there was an increasing tension and vague sense of evil all around them.
At the end of the path were two identical pine t
rees. Their height, thickness, and even the forks of their branches were exactly the same. The space between them looked almost like a gate.
“This is it. This is where we go through.” Deedlit could barely contain the joy in her voice. “Remember—keep your promises. Don’t leave my side, or the ‘Elvish curse’ will get you.”
“Fom alanis katoru!” she shouted in Elvish. The view between the trees shimmered and faded, and a golden glow took its place.
“Follow me, before the gate closes.” Deedlit said and jumped into the light. Parn steeled himself and did the same, followed by Etoh, Ghim, and Woodchuck. Slayn went last. He resigned himself to his fate, closed his eyes, and ran into the glow.
“Whoa!” He bumped into something and almost dropped his staff. His eyes snapped open to stare right into Woodchuck’s back.
“Don’t scare me like that. I almost had a heart attack,” Woodchuck complained.
“Where are we…?” Slayn asked, too fascinated to notice what his companions were saying.
It was a golden, shining forest, with low evergreens dotted throughout. The thorny shrubs and fern thickets they’d seen earlier were gone, and the ground had a layer of fallen leaves that cushioned their feet.
“This is the Forest of No Return?” Parn gulped. “It’s like a different world.”
A different world…! Slayn mused, then cried out, “This is a different world! Am I right, Deedlit?” He poked the ground with his staff and looked up at the sky. The sun wasn’t visible, but the entire firmament seemed to glow.
“What does that mean?” Parn looked back at Slayn.
The wizard glanced at Deedlit and chose his words carefully. “Not many people know this, but the world is made up of three domains. One is where we humans live. Wizards call it the material world. The second is where the spirits live—it is divided into sections, but the collective term is the spirit world. And then there is a middle world that connects the physical with the spirit world. That’s the world of fairies. That’s where we’re standing.”
“If I’d known you were familiar with the concept, I would’ve explained it to you. I just wasn’t sure if humans would understand,” Deedlit said guiltily. “But yes—like you said, this is the fairy world.”
“But Deedlit, didn’t the elves lose their home? I thought they were bound to the physical world and couldn’t return to the fairy world. How are you here?”
Before responding, Deedlit jumped up—so high that the others could barely believe it—and landed gently on the ground. “We’d better get going,” she said, and motioned for them to follow. She glided through the forest, floating on air. It was then that she answered Slayn’s question. “We never lost our home,” she said. “The fairy world is where I really live.”
“I see…” he replied, his brain feeling like it had broken down. “You’re a high elf. I had no idea—I thought they were gone.”
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. High elves were legends. Just as the people of the ancient kingdoms supposedly had a highly advanced culture, elves had their own superior ancient race. But to meet one, face to face…
“We’ll die out eventually,” Deedlit said. “But that’s in the future, when the souls of the gods die out and the dragons decay into the earth.”
Parn frowned, confused. He didn’t fully understand what was being said, but it seemed that Deedlit was special, even for an elf.
“We dwarves also used to live in the fairy world, or so they say,” Ghim said. “But we left long ago, because we discovered the gifts of the land. Not fool’s gold, but real gold.” He raised his battle axe—but the blade was missing. “Fairies don’t like iron,” he grumbled. “It doesn’t exist here.”
Hearing that, Parn checked himself over—but found his armor gone. Only his padded under-armor remained.
“But I can feel its weight,” he protested. He hadn’t even noticed its absence.
“It’s fine,” Deedlit reassured him. “Iron can’t exist here, but all that really means is that, if you did bring some in, you simply can’t see it—just like how you can’t see most of the spirits in the physical world.” Deedlit nodded ahead. “But we’d better hurry. I told you—we can’t rest here.” With that, the elf rushed onward.
Parn picked up speed to keep pace with her. “Why’s she in such a hurry?” Parn asked Slayn beside him.
“Simple,” the wizard said. “Time passes more slowly here than in our world. If we lose our way, hundreds of years could pass back home.”
“That’s awful!” Parn cried, the color draining from his face. “Deedlit, get us out of here!”
“Huh? I don’t want to get even older!” Woodchuck shouted, clearly misunderstanding what Slayn had said.
“I told you to hurry,” Deedlit replied. This whole situation was annoying, but she couldn’t help but laugh at Parn’s desperate expression.
Deedlit led them through the forest at a jog for a while longer, then stopped and chanted some words. The same identical trees appeared, and they passed through them to exit the fairy world.
It was night outside. “But it was midday when we left…” Parn said, his voice full of surprise and wonder. He gripped at his chestplate to make sure it had come back, and relief swept through him.
He sank to the ground breathing heavily, their run catching up to him. There was a sudden flash beside him, and a pallid magic light illuminated Slayn’s blue robe.
“How many days has it been?” Slayn took off his hood and looked around. In the faint light, he could see that they were surrounded by hills, the Forest of No Return rearing behind them. In the darkness, it seemed even more threatening and enchanted, as if it could reach out and snag them in its tentacles.
“At that distance, probably three days. We could’ve gotten out sooner if you hadn’t taken so long.”
“I’m just glad I got a chance to see it—frightening and strange though it was,” Slayn said. “Many humans may have entered the fairy realm, but few have managed to safely return.” He stood and brushed the dirt off his robe.
“Where are we?” Etoh asked anxiously, looking back at the forest.
“About three days east of Valis,” Deedlit said. “We can cross the southwest hills to reach the northern road between Kanon and Valis—but it’d be better to travel through the western mountains. We’re less likely to get caught up in the war with Marmo that way.” She looked up at the stars to orient herself properly.
“Let’s get going,” Woodchuck said with a nervous glance back at the forest.
“Yeah,” Parn agreed. “It’s night, but I’m not sleepy.” He shouldered his pack. “We should keep on until we’re tired. Hope you’re all ready for a mountain hike!”
No one objected, so they quickly gathered their things and started off along the gently sloping road.
“Skipping all that time will be tough on us,” Etoh said, looking reproachfully at the night sky, wondering how many morning and evening prayers he’d missed.
“Definitely,” the thief said with a chuckle. “The moon is so high, but I’m not tired at all. I am hungry, though.”
“I feel like I haven’t eaten in three days,” Ghim said, and everyone finally laughed.
Chapter III:
Rescue
1
It was noon of the third day when they reached the road connecting Kanon to Valis. Though it was a major thoroughfare, the mountainous land it cut through meant steep hills and a rough, uneven surface. The summer sun beat down on them mercilessly, and the loud buzz of cicadas could be heard in the distance as they made their way down another ragged
slope.
Slayn was nearing his breaking point in the heat and was dizzy with fatigue. “It’s just going to get hotter,” he said, sighing deeply from under his hood. Just thinking about walking all day was getting depressing.
“Well, it is summer,” Woodchuck smirked with a sidelong glance at Slayn.
“Thank you for that. I didn’t realize,” Slayn said sar
castically.
“What’s this?” Deedlit stopped suddenly. “They look like hoofprints. Unless this is just a very bumpy road…” She knelt and ran her fingers along the ground. “They’re definitely hoofprints—a huge number of horses passed through here. They were coming from Valis.”
“So Valis has risen…” A smile broke on Etoh’s face. “Marmo’s dark army goes against everything Pharis stands for. I knew they’d fight back!”
“Of course!” Parn cried triumphantly. “King Fahn and his invincible Holy Knights would never let Beld’s actions stand! It’s only a matter of time before he falls!”
I hope you’re right, Slayn thought. He wasn’t convinced that things would be resolved so easily—Valis’s knights were formidable, but Marmo’s army was full of monsters who could use the powers of darkness. Their recent run-in with dark elves made it clear how deadly they could be—Slayn knew that without help from Deedlit and Woodchuck, he never would have survived.
A chill ran down his back, making him sweat uncomfortably in the summer heat.
This war will drag on for a long time, he thought, though he didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to ruin Parn’s good mood.
They made it out of the mountains the following day. The terrain flattened out, which made walking much easier, though the sunny, cloudless weather continued to torment them. As always, Parn and Deedlit led the way, followed by Ghim, then Woodchuck and Etoh, and Slayn bringing up the rear. Slayn struggled along as fast as he could, huffing and puffing and leaning hard on his staff.
A quaint pastoral landscape stretched out from the road in all directions. They had already passed the border into Valis, and long stretches of farmland were dotted with peasant houses and the occasional landowner’s mansion. No matter how far they walked, however, there were no people to be seen. The residents were either hiding indoors in anticipation of impending battle or had already evacuated.
“Valis must already be at war with Marmo,” Etoh said to Woodchuck. “They must be east of here, since we haven’t seen any soldiers yet.”