by M. L. Forman
They moved along the trail more slowly now, staying close to the mountain and avoiding the edge. To keep from losing one of their friends over the edge, Alex and Sindar were forced to move them one at a time. This was tiring and time-consuming because Alex and Sindar had to climb each section of the path twice and descend it three times to move the company forward at all.
After ten days of moving forward only a few hundred yards at a time, they finally reached the spot where they had camped their first night on the mountain. The wind blew constantly, and the sun hardly ever came out from behind the gray clouds that filled the sky.
“We’re almost down,” said Sindar. “Perhaps another two or three days and we’ll finally be off the mountain.”
“And then what?” Alex asked softly.
“Whalen said we might find help in the enchanted woods. At least we will find shelter there from the coming snows.”
“I’m sorry,” said Alex, looking at Sindar. “I’ve been letting myself think only dark thoughts of failure. I’m feeling sorry for myself, I guess.”
“Sorry for yourself or for your friends?” Sindar questioned.
“A little of both I suppose.”
“Then stop one and do what you can to help the other.”
Alex knew there was no reason to be depressed. They would make it off the mountains and to the enchanted woods before it started to snow. He had the Horn of Moran in his bag, but still, he couldn’t find any joy inside himself. Worry filled his mind, and not just about his friends. Alusia needed the Horn of Moran in order to know who the true king was. But even more important than that, the Horn would unite the people of Alusia and stop the different kingdoms from drifting apart and falling into an unending series of wars.
It took the company three more days to reach the first gate, and it was already dark when they got there. The sphinx watched them silently as they approached and passed through the gate.
Alex wanted to move on at once, but Sindar insisted they rest before starting for the woods. Alex reluctantly agreed. He had only slept for a few hours each day and had hardly eaten since leaving the Tower of the Moon. All he could think about was helping his friends by getting to the enchanted woods before the snow started to fall.
“All right,” Alex said. “We will rest. But only for an hour or two. The snow will be falling soon, and I can rest once we get to the woods.”
Alex conjured a fire to keep the company warm, and then helped Sindar wrap their companions in blankets. Sindar quickly cooked a meal for the two of them and made Alex eat a second helping. When he was finished eating, Alex lay down and almost instantly fell asleep. His dreams, however, were dark and troubled, and not at all restful. It wasn’t long before Alex woke, and when he did, he found snowflakes falling on his face.
“We must hurry,” said Alex, jumping to his feet. “If the snow gets too heavy, we won’t be able to find the woods at all.”
“I will lead,” said Sindar, attaching the guide rope to his belt. “I can see better in the darkness, and it would be deadly to get lost now.”
Sindar set a quick pace, and Alex had trouble keeping up. He felt tired and week, and with each step, his feet felt heavier. The cold wind numbed his senses. At times it seemed that Sindar was pulling the entire company forward like a great sleigh horse in the snow. The ground was already white, and the air was so full of snowflakes that it was hard to see anything. They had walked for a long time when Sindar suddenly stopped.
“The snow is too thick,” Sindar yelled over the howling wind. “I can’t see where we are going.”
“We can’t stop here,” Alex yelled back.
“We can’t go on without some kind of guide. We could wander for days in this storm and never find the woods.”
“I have an idea,” said Alex, forcing his nearly frozen brain to work.
Holding his hands close together, Alex conjured up a large, bright blue weir light. Concentrating on where he wanted to go, he focused on the light that hovered in front of him and simply said, “Lead me.”
The light hovered for a moment and then moved slowly forward and to Alex’s left. Alex and Sindar quickly changed places in the marching order, retying the rope that held the company together. The weir light seemed to wait for Alex to follow and never moved too far ahead of him. It always seemed to move in a straight line, though it was hard to be sure in the blowing snow.
The snow was soon ankle-deep, but the weir light continued to guide them. Alex desperately hoped that his magic was working, because if it wasn’t, they might be traveling in circles. After walking for what seemed like hours, Alex finally saw the dark shapes of trees ahead of him, and he let out a sigh of relief. As they continued to move forward, the snow grew lighter, and in a few minutes they were inside the enchanted woods.
“A useful bit of magic,” said Sindar. “A pity that Halfdan didn’t see it, he would have enjoyed that very much.”
“Perhaps another time,” said Alex, conjuring several additional weir lights to guide them into the dark woods.
“It is warmer here. The air is much warmer, in fact.”
Alex had noticed it as well. The change in temperature would normally have troubled him, but all he wanted now was to find a place to sleep.
After moving into the woods a short distance, they came upon a small meadow. Alex stopped the company and untied the rope from his belt. He was so tired that he could barely help Sindar with the others. He lit a fire and let the weir lights fade.
“I need to sleep,” said Alex, dropping onto his blanket. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so tired.”
“Rest, my friend,” said Sindar. “I will watch and keep the fire burning. You have done a great thing, and have earned a rest.”
“We have done a great thing,” Alex corrected as he closed his eyes.
* * *
When Alex woke up, the sky was much lighter, and he thought he heard Sindar talking to someone. Alex hoped that his friends had recovered, but when he sat up, he saw Sindar sitting alone by the fire. The fire was larger than it had been, and Alex wondered why Sindar had built it up so much.
“Who are you talking to?” Alex asked.
“The brownies, of course,” Sindar answered.
“Brownies?”
Sindar grinned and pointed to a large brown stump a short distance from the fire. Alex didn’t remember the stump being there, and he felt a little confused. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he suddenly realized that the stump was actually a small, brown-skinned creature that looked more like a miniature dwarf than anything else Alex could think of.
“Welcome, master wizard,” said the creature, removing its pointy hat and bowing to Alex. “We hoped that you would be returning to our woods.”
Alex blinked several times to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. The brownie giggled, and Alex recognized the sound as the laughter he’d heard when they had passed through the enchanted woods before. The brownie took a few steps closer, then bowed once more.
“I am Tip, at your service,” said the brownie.
“Thank you,” Alex managed to reply.
“I was just discussing our friends with Tip,” said Sindar. “It seems that he and his people might be able to help them.”
“If you can, we would be very much in your debt,” said Alex as he studied the brownie in front of him.
“Oh yes, I’m sure we can help, but there are a few difficulties involved,” Tip answered.
“Difficulties? What difficulties?”
“Well, as I was telling your friend Sindar, we don’t like to show ourselves to humans or dwarfs,” said Tip, turning slightly red in embarrassment.
“But I’m a human.”
“You’re a wizard,” said Tip. “And that makes a difference.”
“So, you can help them, but you don’t want them to see you,” said Alex, slightly puzzled.
“Not exactly,” said Tip. “We can help them, but we don’t want them to know we helped them, or even that
we were here.”
“And that is the difficulty,” said Sindar, looking at Alex.
“I see,” said Alex, trying to think of a way around this difficulty.
“I do have a solution,” Tip said.
“And what is that?” Alex asked with interest.
“We could put your friends in an enchanted sleep,” said Tip. “They could sleep all winter, and when spring comes, they will wake up and be themselves again.”
“And this is your solution?”
“In part,” Tip answered. “You see, the enchanted sleep will help them heal faster, and they wouldn’t know we helped them. Unless, of course, you tell them.”
“I see,” said Alex with a soft laugh. “So Sindar and I need to promise not to tell them about you.”
“Exactly,” said Sindar.
“And you would be willing to take our word?” Alex asked Tip.
“Of course,” Tip answered in a surprised tone. “Elves we trust very much, and wizards we know do not lie. At least good wizards don’t, and we know you are a good wizard, so that’s that.”
“Well then, Sindar, what do you say?” Alex questioned.
“I have already given my word to tell no human or dwarf about what happens here,” said Sindar. “Of course, wizards are another story, so I’m sure you could tell Whalen.”
“Oh, yes, we know Whalen Vankin and we trust him very much,” said Tip, his head bobbing up and down rapidly. “But you must promise not to tell your friends what happened to them here. Neither them, nor any other human or dwarf.”
“I promise not to tell any human or dwarf what happens here, or about your people who live here in the enchanted woods,” said Alex.
“Very good,” said Tip, beaming at Alex. “Now, we will take you and Sindar to a much nicer place where you can spend the winter as our guests.”
“And our friends?” Alex questioned, not wanting to leave Bregnest, Andy, and Halfdan lying in the meadow.
“We will take them to another place, near the southern edge of the woods,” Tip answered. “When spring is near, we will lead you and Sindar to them, and then you can wake them up.”
“Very well,” said Alex. “We accept your kind offer.”
Tip seemed thrilled. He gave a short, loud whistle, and the meadow suddenly came alive with brownies. Alex and Sindar both laughed as what appeared to be hundreds of brownies bowed and introduced themselves. After a moment, Tip clapped his hands three times and the brownies became almost instantly quiet. Tip gave instructions for a group of brownies to move Bregnest, Andy, and Halfdan, and then asked Alex and Sindar to follow him.
Alex was still tired, but he got up and followed Tip into the trees, still surrounded by the rest of the brownies. After a short hike through the woods, they arrived at the strangest-looking village Alex had ever seen. The brownies’ houses were all between six and eight feet high and painted in every color imaginable. Some of the houses were all one color, but most were a mixture of colors and patterns. Alex particularly liked one large house that was painted with red and white strips like a giant peppermint.
“Welcome to our village,” said Tip when they reached the town square. “We have a small house prepared for you, though it is not as grand as we might hope. I thought you might want to rest a bit and take a bath before this evening’s feast.”
“You are most kind,” said Sindar. “I am sure that my friend and I will be comfortable.”
“Indeed, your kindness overwhelms us,” Alex replied.
Alex and Sindar both bowed to Tip, which seemed to please him and make him laugh at the same time. Tip then led them to a small cottage just outside the brownie village. It was actually a very nice cottage, with one large room that had a table, a sink, and two beds in it, and a smaller room with a large bathtub in it.
“I’ll leave you until the feast,” said Tip. “If you need anything at all, just ask.”
“Thank you very much,” Alex and Sindar said at the same time.
Tip closed the door behind him, and Alex looked at Sindar in amazement. He had never considered the possibility that brownies lived in the enchanted woods, though now he understood what Whalen had said about finding help here.
“Did you know they were here?” Alex asked as he tested one of the beds.
“No, but I could feel their goodness when we passed though the woods before. Though at the time, I didn’t know where that goodness came from.”
“I suppose we’re lucky they decided to help us,” Alex commented, feeling sleepy once again.
“I think we can thank your weir lights for that,” said Sindar, testing the other bed.
“Why is that?”
“Because they saw the lights and decided to investigate them. Tip told me before you woke up. They were impressed by the lights; I’ll be surprised if they don’t ask you to conjure them up again.”
“That wouldn’t be a problem,” said Alex as he yawned.
“Perhaps you should finish your night’s sleep,” said Sindar. “I’m going to take a bath.”
“Wake me when you’re done,” said Alex, before rolling over and going back to sleep.
When Sindar woke Alex, it was several hours later. Alex felt refreshed and hungry, now that he knew they were all safe. He rolled slowly off his bed and began taking off his boots.
“I thought you might have needed sleep more than a bath,” said Sindar with a smile. “And now you’ll have to wait for a bit, as our hosts are bringing our midday meal.”
“Excellent. I feel like I haven’t eaten in days.”
There was a knock on the door, and a dozen brownies poured into the room before he or Sindar could even say, “Who’s there?” The brownies all carried trays of food which seemed far too large for them, but they managed somehow. The table was soon filled, and Alex and Sindar both thanked their hosts, which made the brownies burst into a fit of giggles. As quickly as they appeared, the brownies vanished, leaving Alex and Sindar to their meal.
“Why do they laugh so much when we thank them?” Alex questioned as he started filling a plate with food.
“It’s their way,” Sindar said. “They prefer their help and service to remain anonymous. So when we notice them doing things for us and thank them, they think it’s very funny.”
“As long as they’re happy.”
“They’re always happy. And it appears that they are good cooks as well.”
As they ate their meal, Alex told Sindar what had happened in the Tower of the Moon. Sindar turned pale when Alex told him about the shadow, and about having met it once before in Vargland, but Alex didn’t ask Sindar if he knew what it was.
“So you turned the stone into a breeze?” Sindar asked, making sure he had heard correctly.
“I did,” said Alex. “I remembered the riddle the sphinx had asked, and it suddenly hit me that a breeze could never be turned back into a stone, or a magic bag.”
“And the shadow had already left when you did that?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it won’t be happy if it ever returns.”
“I hope it never returns. But if it does, it will go crazy trying to figure out where the stone has gone.”
“No less than it deserves,” Sindar observed. “I do feel sorry for Val though.”
“So do I. I think he was once a good and honorable man.”
“But he listened to the shadow,” said Sindar. “He made his own choice, and it was a poor one.”
“There is something else I wanted to talk to you about,” Alex said, and then paused to consider his words. “The pendant you wear—the one you so desperately wanted just after the attack.”
“Ah, yes. I have worn that for many years,” said Sindar. “It is an ancient talisman. There is some magic in it, as I’m sure you noticed.”
“Yes, I did, but that’s not what I want to ask. You see . . . Well, it might be best to show you.”
Alex reached for his magic bag and called out the pendant his father had left for him
. Holding it up so Sindar could see it, he noticed a strange look on his friend’s face, a look that vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
“My father hid this in his own magic bag,” Alex explained. “He left a note with it, telling me that I could freely trust anyone who wore this symbol.”
“Your father,” Sindar repeated slowly. “Yes, I should have guessed, but . . .”
“But?” Alex prodded.
“It is difficult to keep track sometimes,” Sindar answered. “I should have given things more thought when we first met. Your father—his first name was Joshua?”