Forest of Spirits

by S. J. Sanders

  Raskyuil frowned as he glanced over at her and back again to Silvas. “What if the lord or mistress of this territory approaches? We will be considered intruders.”

  “I intend to make my pass through their territory very obvious. If any dare to approach, they will have to contend with me upon my return. No doubt the spirit overseeing this part of the wood is already aware of our presence,” he concluded as he tilted his face to the sky, nostrils flaring as if scenting the air.

  “Very well,” the troll mumbled as he unstrapped his ax from the harness on his back. “I will stay on guard until you return and then we will… rest.” His lip curled on the last word, as if he were tasting something foul.

  Diana was certain that he blamed her for this new inconvenience. She didn’t particularly care at that moment since she was more interested in watching Silvas’s body darken and reform into that of an ivory griffin. The twin crests of plumage over his ears lifted before flattening once more. He flexed his massive wings twice before leaping into the air, his wings beating furiously as they took him up into the sky. Transfixed, she watched as the lucomo flew higher, shrinking off into the distance. When she finally dropped her gaze, she discovered that Raskyuil was still watching her sourly.

  Well, at least he wasn’t suggesting murdering her anymore as an answer to a potential obstacle. Diana drew a heavy green cloak around her body as she unstrapped her bow from her harness and leaned it against a tree alongside her quiver. The belt that sheathed her shortsword followed next, along with the knives that were strapped around her thighs.

  Once free of the weight from her weapons, Diana leaned against a large stone, half sitting on one sloped side, as she returned Raskyuil’s stare. She cleared her throat, but flinched as a tiny dragon-like creature with gossamer wings, no bigger than her palm, zipped by. She opened her mouth to give voice to her awe when she saw the troll still staring at her, possibly looking less impressed and even grumpier than before.

  “I appreciate you no longer suggesting my untimely demise,” she offered in an attempt to break the ice.

  “Are you mocking me?” he growled.

  “No. Just expressing my genuine appreciation over the matter. I would like to survive all of this and return home in one piece, thanks.”

  His brow lowered, but his expression shifted to one of speculation. “You do not intend to remain with the lucomo?”

  “Uh, I’m not sure where you got that idea. We’re temporary travel companions because fate has a fucked-up sense of humor. As far as I understand, as soon as he finishes with me, Silvas is returning me back to my home.”

  His lips quirked in an unpleasant smirk, his dark eyes hard as they narrowed on her. “You are either foolish for believing that, or quite conniving to make a convincing show of it. I can assure you that your presence in the Eternal Forest will be for considerably longer than you believe.”

  Diana stiffened at his condescending tone. “The lucomo gave me his word that he would escort me himself once he no longer had need of me.”

  “That is an open-ended contract if I ever heard one,” he said as he unfastened a canteen from his side and tipped back the contents. His thick neck worked as he swallowed. With a smack of his lips, he lowered the canteen and belched. “I wager that you will be remaining by the lucomo’s side.”

  She wrinkled her nose, ignoring the comment as she stared with interest at his canteen. “That’s not water in there, is it?”

  A grin split his face. “There is a necessary percentage of water that was required during fermentation.”

  “Beer?” she asked. It had been a long time since she enjoyed a good Bud.

  “Of course,” he returned. “I brew it myself.” He paused, no doubt seeing the longing that she felt twist through her. One thick, dark eyebrow rose. “I might be persuaded to share it with a fair bargain.”

  It could be hot and stale, and she would still drink it like it was ambrosia. She was so tired of water and the rare treat of fruit juice. Someone in town had started a cask of wine, but this crop of grain was considered too valuable to waste on brewing. Still, call her suspicious, it sounded a little too convenient.

  Diana’s eyes narrowed. “Like what?”

  “That you will leave when we return to the palace. I will find you an escort back to your world. I can’t guarantee where you will arrive, but at least you can find your way home.”

  Her brow fell. She should have known it would be something like that. “Fuck you. I gave my word to Silvas, and I will not go back on it.”

  She thought she saw something like grudging respect in his eyes, but Raskyuil shrugged and took another long swallow. “More for me,” he retorted as he wiped his mouth on the back of his wrist.

  “I hope you choke on it,” she mumbled as she turned away, focusing on the sky. Maybe she would get lucky and whatever creature inhabited this section of the forest would come out and clobber him for being such a dick.

  Probably the only circumstance she could think where she would actually be grateful to see another frightful spirit guardian. She might even have considered thanking it afterward.

  An aggrieved sigh cut through the air.

  “Take the beer,” Raskyuil grumbled.

  She glanced at him in surprise and licked her lips as she accepted the canteen that he thrust toward her. “I don’t suppose that it’s cold…”

  He snorted, but the corner of his mouth lifted in an expression that looked something like a half-smile, amusement glittering in his dark eyes. “Of course it’s cold. I’m no fool. Had this bespelled by a goblin witch to keep the contents always cooled. It was well worth the fee. It was only a minor inconvenience providing the head of her enemy in trade. Turned out to be a male from my gambling circle, but it is no great loss. The twerg was a cheating bastard, anyway.”

  “Twerg?” she asked as she took a huge swallow of cold, hoppy beer. She nearly purred in pleasure.

  He pinched his chin thoughtfully. “Ah, yes. I believe you humans call them dwarves now.”

  “You killed a dwarf?” she asked.

  She didn’t know why, but she had expected something a bit less… humanoid. Like an annoying animal or something. Though she supposed in context it made better sense. It still disturbed her. Was it that easy for beings who inhabited the forest to indiscriminately kill each other? If that were the case, she was definitely better off getting out of the Eternal Forest as soon as possible. Her world wasn’t a safe either, especially not if everything that Silvas said about creatures leaving the forest and other worlds to inhabit the human plane were true, but returning there seemed the smarter option.

  The troll shrugged as she handed him back the canteen. “From what I understand, he had it coming for some time.”

  The laws and reasoning of those of the Eternal Forest were going to take some getting used to.

  Chapter 13

  Silvas flew high above the forest, his wings pumping around him as he peered at the landscape rolling beneath him. The forest stretched off into the distance until the trees finally gave way to mountains that jutted up against the sky. The Hyperborean Mountains were the purest white. A human would probably look at it and think that they were looking at snow, but it was really due to the blinding color of the quartz deposits in the mountain. Aquilo, the lord of the north wind, had his palace somewhere along those slopes.

  Although he had passed by the outer limits of the impassable mountains once, he had never ventured upon the heights. He never had the desire. He hissed at the idea of having to breach unfamiliar terrain to hunt out Nocis. If possible, he would have left the sword in the company of the strix for all eternity. Unfortunately, it was that sort of thinking that had made his task now all the more difficult. Silvas couldn’t ignore the fact that his reluctance to chase after Nocis had unnaturally extended the life of the strix guardian.

  His stomach twisted with revulsion. The strix were long-lived, easily living a full century, but sustained by the sword, this strix, glut
ted on its power, would have lived eons. He couldn’t even imagine how terrible she would be, how corrupt and twisted with the dark magic of the sword clutched in her nest.

  Shaking his head with an irritated growl and a click of his beak, Silvas turned his attention back to the forest below. The trees were calm and undisturbed. He hadn’t expected anything different. Most fauns and silvani would have recognized his movement through their territories. It would stop them from spying on him out of curiosity, but they wouldn’t offer him or anyone in his company any harm. Once he entered the mountains, however, he would have to be on his guard. He was thankful that Raskyuil had insisted on accompanying them, even if the reason was misguided.

  Tilting his wings, he turned through the air until he circled around. As he reoriented to head back to camp, a shimmer among the trees caught his attention. He cocked his head, his binocular vision zeroing in on the disturbance, when there was a ripple as if something large was in the branches, forcing them to bow under the weight. He considered circling around again to investigate when the ripple sped forward at alarming rate—heading to where he had left Diana with Raskyuil.

  Thundering a cry in his wake, Silvas streaked through the air after whatever was plowing through the canopy below him. It was the only warning he would give. The deep, crashing sound of his battle scream was unlike the sharper, piercing shrieks of actual griffins. The pulsing energy within his voice never failed to alert those within the forest to his presence. Whatever it was, the creature moving through the trees was not reacting in the way it should. It did not slow or change direction in deference to his command for it to stay away. Nor did it behave in the normal ambling way of a wild animal within his forest. This was an intelligent creature, moving in a strike pattern from a distance now that he was separated from the female.

  It was intentionally moving in closer to her, preparing to attack.

  His temper, seldom roused, struck through him like a terrible viper. The faster he streaked through the sky, the greater his fury climbed as the brush below shook. Every shake of the tree limbs was followed by the darkening of the leaves, as if they’d been touched by something foul. Dropping down lower to the trees, Silvas drew back his head in disgust as a horrible smell battered his nose. The pungent scent of something rotting clung to area of the forest where the creature had passed. He wanted to gag at the putrid scent, but dropped lower into the trees.

  Whatever it was that made that smell, it was not natural. It did not belong in his forest!

  He searched for any sign of the guardian of this forest. There should have been some reaction. Something was not right. No silvanus would allow taint into his woods!

  Folding his wings, Silvas dropped into the trees.

  Chapter 14

  Diana stepped over a log, her nose wrinkling as she picked her way through the brush looking for firewood. Raskyuil was just a few feet away, hefting a large log onto his shoulder. Showoff. At this rate, he would be done with his part of their shared task before she started. Of course, she was the one who agreed to grab the smaller sticks. Who knew that they would take twice as long to find?

  Truthfully, it would be going much faster if she weren’t distracted by a nagging discomfort that began after Silvas left and a putrid smell that seemed to get thicker. What the hell was that, anyway? She couldn’t even put her finger on exactly what it was. It didn’t quite smell like something had died, but it had the overpoweringly sweet scent of rotting flowers and vegetation with a hint of something foreign that made her stomach turn.

  Gagging, she called over to Raskyuil. “Do you smell that?”

  The troll cocked his head in confusion. Dumping his burden near the space that they had cleared of brush and lined with stones to serve as a firepit, he frowned and headed toward her. Within a few feet of her, she knew it hit him from the way his nostrils flared.

  “By the gods, that is foul,” he grunted as he curled his lip in disgust.

  “What do you suppose it’s coming from?”

  “I don’t know. Whatever it is, from what I can tell it is coming from just north of us… and it’s getting stronger.” He tensed as he drew a large blade.

  That was not a good sign.

  Diana froze, clutching the firewood to her chest with one arm as she allowed her hand to drift down to the shortsword at her hip. Several trees in the near distance shook violently, some bending and snapping as they crashed to forest floor. Something approached at great speed. The dense foliage seemed to obscure whatever was traveling through the branches, but whatever it was… it was huge. With another large crack and an unearthly moan, everything went still.

  The absolute silence made Diana’s skin crawl. No bird calls, only the soft hum of a few insects.

  “Raskyuil?” she whispered.

  “Move away,” he hissed as he began to slowly back up. “It may just be a silvanus or faun toying with us, but we will not take any chances. Be prepared for anything.”

  Nodding, she dropped the firewood as she stumbled to the side. Pulling her sword free, she ducked down into the bushes, her attention trained on the trees ahead. Her breath came out in short pants as she watched and waited. From the corner of her eye, she could see the way that the troll seemed disturbed. His head whipped from side to side as he shifted.

  He didn’t even glance at her as he whispered, “Diana, get to Keena and head west to the southern foothills of the mountains. We will catch up and reroute. Go now.”

  Diana wanted to protest, but his tone brooked no argument and sent her spinning around. With a leap, she cleared a fallen tree and sprinted back to the clearing. Her arms pumping, she pushed her muscles to their full exertion. Behind her, she could hear Raskyuil roar. She turned her head only slightly, just in time to see the brush near her snap in her direction.

  Crying out in alarm, Diana flung herself to the side, barely dodging a long, thick whip of muddy-colored scales that would have slammed into her chest had it struck seconds earlier. In the distance, she heard Keena’s peculiar warbling call. The sound of brush breaking as the crocottas charged forward was loud, but not as loud as the unholy shriek behind her.

  Diana rolled over, her eyes widening in horror as a shadow loomed, dropping down through the canopy of the trees. What could only be described as a massive wingless dragon lowered its upper body as it descended to hang just above the ground. It had spines running down its body from the back of its head that seemed to terminate at some point before reaching the tip of its tail. Its fangs were nearly as tall as her as it opened its huge maw, saliva stretching between its jaws in a fashion that set it apart from reptiles as it loosed another horrifying shriek.

  Raskyuil raised his sword, turning toward her with bleak eyes as he shouted only one word.

  “Wyrm!”

  Rising to her feet, she stared as its red eyes focused on them. The color nearly matched the finned webbing between the first dozen spines and the fanned spikes at the sides of its head like enormous ears.

  “What the fuck is a wyrm?” she shouted back. Fear rose like an ugly specter in her mind as she took in its features. Its head bore no true resemblance to a natural serpent. It had the shape of some sort of dragon, though lacking refined beauty and possessing far more brutality. “Is it a kind of dragon?”

  “No,” he grunted as he dodged its massive head when it came crashing through the brush toward him. Diana’s breath lodged in her throat, happy to note that he managed to escape its attack unscathed. He brought his sword down, but its head snapped back up, taking chunks of the earth and greenery back into the air before they gradually dropped away.

  Withdrawing into the trees above, its eyes lit up with predatory hunger as it hung still in the canopy. Diana watched as Raskyuil slid further away in an obvious bid to draw its attention. He continued to speak, no doubt to keep the wyrm’s attention focused on him. It seemed to work, because its head turned, following his movement.

  “They only superficially appear similar to dragons,” he re
torted with what sounded like a hint of disdain. “They aren’t creatures of magic, nor are they noble and wise as most mature dragons tend to be. A wyrm is intelligent, but only enough that it makes them formidable and destructive predators. Be on your guard and watch for the moment.”

  She choked, shaking her head as she stared at the creature. She couldn’t leave him to face that thing alone now that she had seen it. In the blood red orbs of its eyes, there was no compassion or curiosity, only hunger—an insatiable need to destroy them.

  The muscles in its neck tightened as it drew its head back in preparation to attack. At the last moment, however, it jerked higher in the trees with an angry scream as Keena leaped from the brush. Keech was right on her heels with Dagani close behind, and together they lunged toward the massive serpent, vicious teeth snapping and tearing at the enormous scaled body. Though the wyrm had retreated too far for the crocotta to get ahold of it, three muzzles were soon bloodied from the bites they managed before the creature concealed its enormous bulk in the trees once more.

  Diana stepped to the side; her eyes fastened on the creature as she edged her way around. Her foot struck something, sending it tumbling to the side with a hollow clatter. Shooting a glance down, her throat tightened with a restrained scream as she saw the inhuman skull peering up at her from within the gap. It almost looked humanoid, except the bone structure was sharper and it still had a mouthful of sharp teeth. The bone looked almost crystalline. Even more telling was that there was no sign of rotting flesh like there should have been.