The Dark Forest

by Sarah Noffke

He must have read the confusion on her face because he came up to her, nodding. “You’d think I would have, right? But I spent my youth learning how to be emperor. I was never allowed to travel, except to the main lands. However, all my life, there was never anything I wanted more than to explore Oriceran.”

  Richard stared at the waves, a dreamy quality in his eyes. She bet he’d worn that expression a lot as a boy, before adulthood had stripped away his opportunities.

  “Well, you’ll have a lot of time to explore now, seeing as how you’re an outcast from Terran.”

  He flicked his gaze to meet hers, a smile springing to his lips. “I hadn’t thought of it that way. But I also want to help you.”

  “I’m not sure how you can.” Azure headed for the lifeguard station down the beach. It was painted light blue, and the numbers one, two and six were painted across its side in yellow. A black-haired Light Elf was waving from its deck with a relieved smile on his face. Monet didn’t look as happy that Azure had in fact not died, or at least she hadn’t yet. The wizard marched down the wooden ramp, then pivoted and marched back up. His eyes were focused on something clasped around his wrist.

  “You made it!” Ever called when they were closer.

  “We didn’t get eaten by Hydra the nine-headed dragon,” Azure said. Richard had the knife—she’d undone the expando charm that had made it a sword—sheathed at his waist.

  Monet’s head popped up, excitement in his eyes. “Nine-headed dragon? Are you certain? Maybe you accidentally licked a psychedelic toad instead. That happens to me all the time when I think I’ve had a gnarly adventure.”

  “I don’t partake of psychedelic toads like you do, so I’m sure what we experienced was real,” Azure said.

  “And the two of you defeated it? That’s pretty impressive,” Ever said.

  “Well, we made it retreat, anyway,” Richard chimed in.

  “I wonder why you two were successful, when before we split up that dragon was going to kill all of us?” Monet resumed his march.

  Azure had wondered the same thing. It must have had something to do with the mermaid, Tabby. Maybe they wouldn’t have met her if they’d all stayed together. “Well, it’s possible that we haven’t yet met the real danger. It could still be out there, waiting to take us all out,” she said, staring at Monet, who was counting. “What in the hell are you doing?”

  He halted, and a grimace came over his face. “I’m playing with the lame gift Ever bought me,” Monet said and then twisted his head to look at Ever. “Gold. Next time I want gold, gems or money.”

  Ever shrugged, not looking at all put off by Monet’s ungrateful attitude.

  “He bought me a Fitbit, which he hyped as cool,” the wizard told them, jumping up and down on his toes as he eyed a bracelet on his wrist.

  Reading Azure and Richard’s confusion, Ever said, “It’s a fitness device. It measures sleep, heart rate, activity, and also has a handy dandy GPS.”

  “GPS?” Azure questioned.

  “Oh, right. It’s a global positioning system. Think big map. But it only works on Earth,” Ever explained.

  “That sounds extremely helpful.” Azure turned and extended a hand toward Monet. “Give it over if you don’t want it.”

  He pulled his hand back to his side, ceasing to bounce. “I didn’t say I didn’t want it. Just, knowing that my heartrate is one-twenty isn’t really that interesting.”

  “Actually, I’m fascinated to learn you have a heart,” Azure told him, noticing that Richard had entered the lifeguard station and was exploring it. It had windows on all sides that were currently boarded up.

  “Don’t worry, Princess, I’ve got you covered. I bought you a gift as well,” Ever said, pulling something from his pocket and tossing it to her. She caught it in mid-air and brought it to her chest.

  “What is this?” she asked, eyeing the strange device. It had three lobes with a circle connecting them in the middle.

  “It’s a fidget. You put it on your finger and it spins,” Ever said proudly.

  “What is it for?” she asked, doing what he said and watching it rotate.

  “Absolutely nothing. It’s completely useless,” Ever said.

  “Wow, thanks,” Azure said with zero enthusiasm.

  “My intentions were good. Fidgets are used on Earth to help with focus and stress relief. I can’t think of anyone who could benefit more from those two things, so there you go,” he said.

  “Seriously, Monet, I’ll pay you for the Fitzit,” Azure said, holding the spinner in her hand.

  “Fitbit,” Ever corrected. “And I think you both could benefit by sharing your toys.”

  “You’re trying to encourage sharing? Have you met my oaf of a friend, Monet?” Azure was incredulous.

  “Yes, and I daresay that was his last trip to Earth. He made quite the scene,” Ever said, crossing his arms on his chest and shaking his head at the wizard.

  Monet pulled his arm to his side. “Oh, come on. She had green hair!” Then he turned to Azure. “There was a lady at Wal-whatever who had bright green hair like your mother’s. Anyway, I ran up to her and threw my arms around her, I was so happy to see a witch on Earth.”

  For dramatic effect, Azure slowly brought her chin down and looked at Ever. “Let me guess, she had dyed it that color.”

  “Bingo!” Ever winked.

  “How was I supposed to know? Why would someone do that? In Virgo, it is considered highly offensive to change the color of your hair. The shade of our hair is of great importance,” Monet complained.

  “Anyway, Christmas morning is over. No more presents. Azure, why don’t you come with me to gather firewood? We got some food, but we need to start a fire before it’s too dark,” Ever said, trotting down the ramp and pausing at her side.

  “What’s Christmas?” Azure felt like she didn’t understand half of what Ever said.

  “Just come on,” he said and then called over his shoulder. “Keep an eye on him, Richard. Gillian will be pissed if he breaks any laws.”

  “What does Gillian care?” Azure asked as they walked off. “He abandoned us, remember?”

  “I did too, if you recall.”

  “Yes, and I’m still pissed. If I had died, you would have been upset for at least half an hour.”

  “Maybe a full hour.” Ever laughed. “And if I’m being honest, I knew you’d be fine.”

  Azure made her way to the base of a sand dune where driftwood had gathered. It wouldn’t burn for long, but it was a fuel source nonetheless. “Oh, really? How’d you know that?”

  “My people have many prophecies. They are often contradictory, as was the case when the banshee who foretold our deaths. But we’re all very much still alive—there are multiple futures, and they shift depending on the present.”

  “Am I in one of these prophecies?”

  “Hard to say. They can be analyzed many different ways, but yes, I think one refers to you.”

  “What does it say?” Azure asked, her curiosity instantly piqued.

  “That’s not really important, but I figured that if we changed the group dynamic you’d survive. And I thought it would be good for you and Richard to spend some time together.”

  Azure gathered some wood in her arms and stood tall again. “Yeah, I guess it had its benefits. He proved he’s not a complete coward.”

  “To us who are from the planet of Oriceran, humans can seem a little boring. I mean, they don’t have pointy ears or brightly colored hair, and their magic disappears on Earth. However, connecting to your humanity could help you to uncover that which is unique to humans,” Ever told her, filling his own arms with wood.

  “I’m guessing you’re not going to spill any secrets now in order to save me time in this voyage of self-discovery?”

  “You know, if I’m ever on a game show, I want you on my team. You’re incredibly intuitive.”

  “What’s a game show?” Azure asked.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  By the time th
e sun had set over the horizon, they had a nice fire burning in a sandpit. Richard had been the one to create the fire from the driftwood. Azure had suspected that he wanted to contribute, being the odd man out. Magic came to the others so easily, and she reminded herself that humans needed a source. Richard must have pulled from the ocean for magic. Thinking about it, half of her was human like him, so she could do the same if necessary. Ever had hinted that there was something powerful about human magic. Gran had also alluded to that before Azure set off on this journey.

  “Well, I’m stuffed,” Monet said, sticking one of the fingers covered in orange dust into his mouth and sucking on it.

  “Wish I could say the same,” Azure said, tossing the half-eaten granola bar to the sand. “I thought you were going to bring back food? Like real food.”

  “Told you she wasn’t going to like it,” Monet said to Ever. The wizard was lying back, resting his head on a log he’d found while they were gone.

  “I agree that it’s not a sizzling steak dripping with garlic butter, but I thought it would be easy to carry and keep well,” Ever said, tearing off another piece of beef jerky.

  “Yes, a pot of braised tri-tip with root vegetables would be hard to carry,” Azure agreed.

  “Or a roasted chicken sandwich with dill pickle and coleslaw on the side,” Monet said, licking his lips and looking dreamily at the stars in the Oriceran sky.

  “Or ice cream, maybe a hot fudge sundae with whipped cream,” Richard chimed in, who was sitting with his legs crossed in front of him.

  All three of them turned to him, but Azure and Monet had looks of confusion. “Ice cream?” she asked. “Is that like the frozen yogurt I had in Terran?”

  He nodded. “It’s better with hot fudge, though.”

  “What is the humans of Terran’s deal with sugar?” Ever asked.

  “It was a part of the food pyramid my father’s administration mandated that the people follow. At the top are meats, in the middle, larger section are grains, and the largest space at the bottom is for sugar-based foods,” Richard explained.

  “I don’t really need to tell you how backward that is, do I?” Ever arched a thick black eyebrow.

  “I don’t know. How are we supposed to know what we don’t know? In Terran, we’ve been cut off from much of what has happened on Oriceran. That was a part of our history at first—preservation of our culture as the outsiders on this planet. Now I’m starting to think it’s become our biggest shortcoming.”

  “And hopefully you now see why the humans of Terran, especially Phillip, need to be punished,” Azure said.

  “I’m starting to understand that a little thoughtful intervention wouldn’t hurt. And I don’t disagree about my brother. He’s been misguided for a long time.” Richard gathered a handful of sand in his palm and let it run through his fingers.

  From out of nowhere, a figure appeared. Fire danced in Gillian’s green eyes as he stood beside Azure, his hands proudly grasping the lapels of his suit jacket.

  Monet jumped, pressing his hands to his chest. Then he sucked in a breath before glancing at his Fitbit. “For fuck’s sake, Gillian, you made my heart rate spike.”

  “What are you doing here?” Azure asked, not nearly as flustered as her friend.

  “I’ve returned,” Gillian merely said.

  “Because the danger is gone, or because you’re checking to ensure we’re following the rules?” Azure asked.

  “I think, Princess Azure, it is unwise for you to consider that the danger has passed. And from what I can tell, all of you are in need of a reminder of the rules,” he said, eyeing the various food packages strewn on the sand around the fire. “You’ve been to Earth again.”

  Gillian bent to the ground, which was a short trip for him. He plucked up the spinner that Azure had abandoned and held it in the air. “What is this?”

  She reached over and yanked it from his hand. “Oh look, something you don’t know. I think I’ll be like you and withhold information.” Azure realized she wasn’t being quite fair. Gillian had withheld information, but he’d also been helpful. She was just angry with him for abandoning her. However, he’d never sworn himself to this journey. It had only been her in the beginning, but she was grateful he had joined, as well as the others.

  “Well, maybe you won’t be so cross with me when I tell you where I’ve been,” the gnome said.

  “Maybe.” She rested her arms on her knees.

  “I went to the Light Elf Library and did some checking on how to find the dryads,” Gillian said.

  “That sounds incredibly helpful. Are you feeling okay?” Azure said, lifting her hand and reaching toward the gnome’s forehead as if to check his temperature.

  He twitched back, shaking his head at her. “I assure you that I am fine. And although I remain neutral in all of this, I figured I could at least look into some of it for you.”

  “So, wittle guy, did one of your wittle books tell us how to find the dryads?” Monet asked.

  Gillian didn’t grace the wizard with a look; he kept his eyes on Azure. “I learned that there is a book that tells you how to find the rogue dryads.”

  “Can I check it out from the Light Elf Library? Or maybe Ever can?” she asked.

  “We don’t presently have it in our collection, although I’d love to be the one who added it,” Gillian said, rocking from his toes to his heels and back again.

  “Oh, so I guess that means you’ll help us find it because it will assist your cause,” Azure said, smirking at the gnome. Actually it made her happy that something she was intent on doing might benefit one of her friends.

  “I know where to look, and you might possibly hold the key to finding it,” Gillian said.

  “I do believe that’s how partnerships are created,” Ever said, lying back and sharing the log with Monet.

  “Fine, let’s set out to find it after I return my mother’s soul stone to her,” Azure said, watching as Richard picked up her knife and ran his finger over the blade. He’d spent part of the evening sharpening the Orc’s knife.

  “That would be acceptable, since we need to look in the mountains on the other side of Virgo,” Gillian said.

  “Great. And Richard, we’ll be leaving you here—I hope you realize why. I don’t think that under the current circumstances it would be a good idea to bring you any closer to Virgo,” Azure told her father.

  “I agree,” he said, holding the blade up so it caught the firelight.

  “You can keep it,” she offered. “I daresay you might need a way to protect yourself out here.”

  “Actually, since I’m not the one journeying into the Dark Forest, I want you to take it back,” he said, pushing into a standing position. “However, I’d like the opportunity to teach you how to use it. Since you’re setting out at first light tomorrow morning, I was hoping you’d allow me to give you a lesson right now.”

  Azure stare at the man before her, who was strangely sincere with his easy smile and kind eyes. Finally she nodded. “Yeah, okay. Fine.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “Now, no staying up late. I want you in bed every night by ten o’clock, you got it, young man?” Monet ordered Richard.

  Azure shook her head, rolling her eyes. “Do you have everything you need?” she asked the man she hardly knew but resembled.

  “I’ll be fine,” Richard stated, a forced smile on his face. To be left to fend for oneself on the edge of the ocean after living within the borders of Terran all of one’s life must be strange.

  “One of us will be back to check on you in a day or so,” Azure said, threading her arms through her pack’s straps. The Orc’s knife was now strapped to her waist; after a few hours of practicing with Richard, she thought she could actually use it effectively if necessary. She patted her wand, which was wedged in her hair. That was the weapon she preferred to rely on.

  “Okay,” Richard said, his eyes sentimental as she backed up. The rest of the group had already set off down the beach.
“Be careful, Azure. And send your mother… Please tell her I wish her well.”

  She nodded, unsure what to say next, so she simply turned and trudged away.

  The four of them hiked in silence for a whole minute before Monet opened his fat mouth. “Two-hundred and two. Two-hundred and three. Two-hundred and—”

  “What are you doing?” Azure asked, noticing that he was reading the Fitbit, which was on the opposite wrist from the band that held his soul stone.

  “I’m counting my steps. Well, actually the Fitbit does that for me, so I’m just announcing it for your enjoyment. I plan to keep you abreast of my heart rate, steps, temperature, and physical activity level as well, and later, my sleep duration.”

  “Permission to kill the wizard?” Gillian requested from the front of the group.

  “Granted,” Azure answered at once.

  A gasp left Monet’s mouth. “I’m trying to be my best self and all of you are ridiculing me. I’m offended.”

  “We better veer back to the Dark Forest now,” Ever said, having stopped and scanned the area as if he could see a map in his head.

  Azure had actually enjoyed the respite the beach had offered. She knew she was deluding herself if she thought that it was safe on the shores of the ocean, but it felt safer when hazards weren’t hidden behind trees. The darkness of the forest filled her with constant foreboding. However, the fastest way to Virgo was through the Dark Forest, so she hitched her pack up and followed the Light Elf.

  As soon as Azure’s boot passed the Dark Forest’s tree line, she felt its chill wrap around her. Her eyes took a long minute to adjust to the blackness of the woods. It felt like it had been much longer than a night since she’d been in the Dark Forest, probably because this section was thicker than where they’d been yesterday. Large moss-covered trees obscured the path with their veils of thorns. Azure had expected that a simple spell would clear the obstacles, but after watching Monet try and fail, she concluded this vegetation was resistant to their magic.

  A spider web caught Azure in the mouth unexpectedly, and she backed up several feet, waving her hands in front of her to clear the invisible threads. This was one of the disadvantages of having Gillian take the lead: he was too short to take the cobwebs down for her. Ever and Monet both passed her, looks of pity on their faces.