Journey to the Forest: Soulyte 1

by Eve Hathaway

  Chapter One

  Market

  CITY OF KINSWICK was bustling with far too many people than the small city could handle. The sun was high in the sky as Residents and visitors alike squeezed and slid against each other in the tight confines of the market in the town square. Despite the limited space, children weaved and wriggled their way through the mess of legs and limbs, nearly tripping up several angry shoppers. Women with arms laden with heavy baskets of produce yelled at each other across the way, negotiating their sales over the noisy din. The air smelled of sweat, meats, fish, bread, and spice.

  Panic and tension hummed throughout the crowd as people were stocking up on food in an absolute frenzy due to the impending famine. But for every purchase of the necessary staples, the good citizens of Kinswick bought charms and talismans as well.

  Good luck, protection, and prosperity charms were certainly in high demand. Every amulet and magical item was being snapped up as fast as these old wizards could make them.

  It would seem that the food shortage and scarcity of resources had put everyone on edge and made them superstitious.

  However there were still some who were less concerned with the gravity of events and instead more preoccupied with other interests.

  A young man scanned the various counters and displays of the market. He was a tall lad, barely out of his teens but had the body that told of long hours with an axe and woods. His face had that beguiling look associated with handsomeness and naivete. He clearly was from one of the back-end farm villages. He was dressed in a blue tunic and pants with a brown leather vest layered over it. A brown belt encircled his waist, keeping his sheathed sword fast to his side. Around his neck was a thin chain that led towards a pendant that lay hidden under the collar of his tunic.

  He reached up to comb his fingers through the unruly mop of black hair in a weak attempt to tame it into submission. He should have cut it shorter, but when he learned that he was going to come here, there was nothing else that occupied his mind but his mission.

  As he wandered down the path lined with stalls, he found himself gawking at a booth that held a bright display of faeries. Against the walls of the tent were shelves that carried jars upon jars of the glittering creatures. The boy took a quick look around and found the stall's shopkeeper busy with haggling with another customer. Encouraged by the lack of attention directed at him, along with his growing curiosity, the boy inched towards one of the shelves. Upon closer inspection, he found that each jar contained a quiet sprite sitting patiently at the bottom of their glass jar, their chins resting on the tops of the knees that they hugged closely to their chests. Their glittering, translucent wings were folded around them.

  The boy picked up one of the jars and examined it. The fairy inside straightened up and fluttered its wings. It put its hands on the glass to stare back at the boy.

  All the faeries looked similar; the boy wondered. All of them had the same glowing pearly skin that looked like it was lit from within. Their shimmering bodies seemed to be made of nothing but light shaped into some humanoid creature.

  They had no clothes, no hair, no defining features that helped one tell them apart-but all of them were undoubtedly beautiful. But their lights flickered dully inside the glass. Maybe it was because of their captivity? He suddenly felt pity for the poor fairies.

  "See anything you like, young master?"

  The boy jumped at the voice, nearly dropping the jar that he was inspecting. He scrambled to return to replace the jar and ended up shoving it roughly back with the other items with more force than he had intended, cringing at the thought of rattling the little fairy inside it more.

  Then he found himself looking up at a tall, bald man wearing sleeveless dust-colored tunic. The shopkeeper looked like he had seen his fair share of battles, judging from the pale scars that ran down the length of his muscled arms.

  The older man stood with his arms crossed, looking down at the awkward youngster with amusement.

  "You got a name, young man?" the shopkeeper asked, trying to put him at ease.

  "C-Cyrus," the boy stammered. Hadn't he told himself that to be a hero, he had to overcome this terrible shyness that had plaqued him his whole life? What would he do when he was faced with a woman next time? "I, um, was just looking at some of your m-merchandise," he said weakly. Cyrus swallowed but managed to croak out, "I am, um, a... a..."

  "Let me guess," the man chuckled, slapping a hand on Cyrus' shoulder, causing him to flinch. "You look like a Hero-in-training to me. And," The bald-headed merchant sized Cyrus up, "You look like you're on your first big journey of discovery." The shopkeeper made a sweeping gesture while he continued, "Brand-new, unused sword, no Soulyte match, that look of uncertainty in your eyes... I see kids like you every day."

  Cyrus ran a hand over the hilt of his sword. Was it so obvious that he had never used it?

  It had been a farewell present from his parents so he thought he'd save it for an absolute emergency. It was too precious to be scuffed in something meaningless.

  "So," the merchant continued, "I believe I may at be able to sell you something useful, Sir Hero." He grabbed a random jar from a nearby shelf and held it up. "I saw you looking at my fine collection of faeries earlier. Perhaps we can find you a Soulyte match."

  The young man's eyes lit up. "Yes! Let's do that!" Cyrus exclaimed as he took a chain from around his neck and pulled out a pendant from beneath his tunic. He then held the round amethyst crystal in his upturned palm. The gem glowed faintly with swirling colors of dark and light purple and light amethyst.

  The merchant set the jar back in its place and gestured towards the rest of the display.

  "Test them out, Sir Hero-to-be. My shop is at your disposal. Just think of the possibilities!"

  And with that, the shopkeeper turned to attend to another customer.

  With their mysterious powers, Faeries were one of the very few creatures that could act as a Soulyte match. Their most prominent ability, teleportation, has proven to be very useful to many a hero or hero-in-training in getting them out of unsavory situations, not to mention, getting around the vast land of Madala.

  Of course, there was a matter of actually finding them. Some people were either lucky enough to secure one on their own or to at least find a merchant skilled enough to have captured some and buy it off of them instead.

  Soulyte matches were loyal to their human masters, assisting with magic and acting as trusty travel companions. It was rather difficult to find a match however, as there were hundreds, even thousands, of Soulytes.

  Cyrus had already been to multiple markets throughout the land with no luck. He had never heard of a Hero without a Soulyte match, so he felt that it was his duty to keep searching until he found one.

  He held out his crystal close to a jar and the faerie inside it stood up and stared into the swirl of colors. Slowly, the faerie's constant white glow gradually turned to a vivid red. Cyrus shook his head and pulled his Soulyte away. Wrong color. Red signified that it was no match. he must find a fairy who could exude lavender to a dark violet hue.

  There were still a couple of shelves to try so he moved to the next one.

  The next faerie turned neon blue with fringes of green when presented with the crystal. After that, he encountered a golden one, then a sea-green one, and then a blood-red, and an orange one. But nit a hint of purple yet.

  Cyrus went through several more, making it halfway through the second to the last shelf before the merchant stopped him.

  "I might be able to direct you to another shop in the neighboring city," the man said gently. "I don't think I have any faeries of your color. The rest in this row are just blues and a silver."

  Cyrus groaned. "Are you sure?" he persisted.

  "Well, you're welcome to try. But that one doesn't even light," said the shopkeeper, pointing to the jar in Cyrus' hand.

  The young man peered into the glass only to find the faerie shooting him a nasty glare. He took himself bac
k. But he was already here, and it would be worth a try...

  He then held up his Soulyte closer to the jar but the faerie refused to cooperate, whipping its head away from the crystal's light.

  The merchant laughed. "That's a stubborn one alright," he said. "Haven't gotten it to light up for anyone yet. Most faeries I know can't control their Soulyte, but this one certainly tries."

  Cyrus refused to give up. He cajoled the little fairy like a child. "Come on, faerie. At least take a look at it," Cyrus urged. "It's beautiful." Hadn't he heard that fairies really like gems?

  The creature rebuffed all of his pleads and attempts, not even looking at the gem until its jar was set back down by a disappointed Cyrus.

  But as soon as it thought the coast was clear, the faerie turned its head and its eyes turned wide.

  It had seen the gem, and was immediately held captive by the Soulyte.

  Meanwhile, a dejected Cyrus was about to stuff the crystal back into his tunic when the merchant gripped his arm to stop him.

  The faerie, having been release from its enthralled state started to throw a fit, hitting the smooth walls of the jar with its tiny fists and letting out a strange yell that sounded like an angry chirp.

  "Hmm." the merchant murmured, raising a brow while he took in the faerie's reaction. "Take your Soulyte out again, young man," he instructed.

  Cyrus obeyed and held out the crystal.

  The faerie tried to escape the beam of the crystal but to no avail. The sprite then shuddered for a moment and then, it burst into a bright array of colors that perfectly matched those in the hero's crystal.

  Cyrus laughed-unable to hold back his absolute glee at the discovery. The merchant scratched his chin, his brows still lifted. He was deep in thought but a small smile was playing on the corners of his lips.

  "How much is it?" Cyrus asked eagerly as he dug out his leather purse from beneath the folds of his tunic.

  The merchant once again took a hold of his arm to stop him.

  "Hang on, Sir Hero," the shopkeeper said. "I don't know if you really want that one or not. It's rather... free spirited. Unpredictable. I can't guarantee a refund if it slips away on you-"

  "I'm not worried about that," Cyrus dismissed the merchant's concern. "Faeries are loyal, right?"

  He picked up the jar and spun around excitedly, causing the faerie to tumble and sway in its glass enclosure. He paused in his merriment to pay the merchant with a small handful of jewels. "Well, if you're sure," the merchant mumbled, pocketing the lad's payment. "But I would recommend not letting him out of that jar for at least half a fortnight. And when you do, keep a close eye on him so he doesn't fly off. Faeries can find food for themselves easily so you don't need to do anything except be a kind and good companion."

  "It's a boy?" Cyrus asked.

  The merchant shrugged. "Most that wander this way this time of the year usually are. The females remain in the east until mating season. But with the famine coming in from the Forest, who knows? As you can see, it's not exactly receptive to being examined."

  The young man nodded, still watching his faerie. The creature looked less than pleased, sulking at the bottom of the jar. Cyrus had to wonder what exactly triggered the faerie to light up at the sight of his Soulyte.

  And now that freedom from the glass jar was within reach, why wasn't it thrilled to say the least?

  But Cyrus didn't give much thought to his moody faerie. All that mattered now was that he had one and he was on his way!

  After all, it was time for an adventure!

  NIGHT FELL AS they traveled across a particularly empty stretch of land. Only a few trees dotted the landscape. Long grass swayed in the faint breeze.

  Cyrus veered off the path and into the grass, padding down the stalks to set down the pallet from his back. He placed his belt and sheath along with his sword beside it and the jar. His faerie had become restless, its wings fluttering constantly against the side of the glass.

  "I guess it wouldn't hurt to let you out," Cyrus muttered, sitting cross-legged on his pallet.

  He remembered the merchant's warning, but Faeries were supposed to be loyal.

  After being cooped up in a jar for a long time, who wouldn't want to get out?

  He began to twist the lid.

  The faerie flashed in excitement.

  "Okay faerie, just stretch out your legs and-"

  Hardly a moment after the lid had been loosened, the faerie burst out of the jar and shot like a shooting star past the horizon and disappearing in the sea of swaying grass.

  Cyrus couldn't believe it. It took him a while to get his gaping jaw working again.

  "Wait!" he shouted in the direction where the faerie had escaped to.

  He scrambled to his feet, heart thumping. It was just his luck to have lost it this early in his journey.

  Snatching up his sword, he struggled through the grass in the light's disappearing direction. The sharp-bladed grass cut his exposed hands as he ran clumsily. Small briars caught on his leggings and cotton tunic. The moon was covered by wisps of clouds, making it more and more difficult to see.

  Hours passed to no avail.

  Exhausted and covered in scratches, Cyrus found his way back to his pallet.