The Dark Forest

by Sarah Noffke

  Loud gasps echoed through the crowd. “Charmsgood!” “Dead?” “It can’t be!” came the whispers from the audience.

  “We found Charmsgood’s body,” Azure said, motioning to her friends. “And I found the Duke of Terran with a potion that only Charmsgood could have made.”

  “They didn’t want anyone to know,” “Traitors,” “How dare he!” The crowd murmured their complaints.

  “Yes, and it is with great sorrow that I tell you of the Potions Master’s death. He didn’t die by accident. He was attacked by a harpy, and as I speak, harpies are circling the skies outside our border, having been sent to hunt us by the humans of Terran. However, I’ve made a partnership with the Orcs, a natural enemy of the harpies, to protect our borders,” Azure said, her voice clear and loud.

  She felt her gran step up beside her and put a comforting hand on her back. “That’s my gal,” the queen mother said proudly.

  Azure worked to keep her face blank, not showing any pride. “The humans of Terran, and more specifically the Duke, must be punished.” Her father’s words about the humans not all being bad trailed through Azure’s head. What if he was correct? What if the people were just misinformed? She cleared her throat. “I don’t know if all humans in Terran are evil, but I know they need to be stopped. We must protect ourselves, and protect our world. Therefore, I’m going to travel into the mountains to locate the rogue dryads. I plan to take them to Terran and help them enter that land. Terrans must be shown that their actions have consequences, or they won’t stop overusing. And the Duke needs to know that if he sets traps for us, we will fight back. I’m going to take the measures needed for us not just to stay alive, but to defend ourselves against the Land of Terran.”

  Azure stopped—that was all she could say at this point. The crowd stared, blinking at her. She took a step back, not knowing what to do after her speech. A figure she recognized as Evandar Harlan, the headmaster of the school, parted the crowd and stepped forward. One of his eyes was permanently half-closed, supposedly from a potions experiment at the school that went wrong long ago. He held up his fist, his long blue robe falling back on his arm. The babbling crowd fell silent at once.

  “I assuredly do not speak for all in Virgo. I only presume to speak for myself,” he yelled, his single eye bright. “But that being said, there are few as sad as me that our queen has lost her magic. I now understand why she was pushing for Azure to take the crown so early.” Evander looked at the crowd. “Many of us, including myself, opposed the princess’ succeeding the queen due to her impure heritage.” Pointing his good eye at Azure on the stage, the old wizard’s mouth fell open, as if his thoughts hadn’t quite transferred themselves into words yet. After a moment he turned and addressed Azure. “After hearing what you’ve done and are willing to do for Virgo, I retract my earlier concern. Pure blood or not, I don’t know of a witch or wizard I’d rather have rule our land in your mother’s absence.”

  He turned back to the crowd. “Azure Vladar for Queen!”

  Azure’s mouth tightened to keep the emotion seeking to erupt inside.

  “Thank you, Evandar,” she said, her voice a hoarse whisper. “But I don’t think—”

  “Azure Vladar for Queen!” yelled a witch behind the headmaster.

  “Thank you,” Azure stammered, noticing that the people in the crowd had started to exchange looks with their neighbors, “but it wasn’t my intention—”

  “Azure for Queen! Azure for Queen! Azure for Queen!” the crowd shouted, first disjointedly and then in unison. They chanted for a long time as Azure stood facing her people, chin high and heart leaping with pride.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  “Man, you’re going to be a huge pain in the ass now,” Monet said, pulling his chin back and chugging his third glass of Dragon’s Hide whiskey. “If you ask me, it should be Azure for—” Pulling in a long breath, Monet blew a giant raspberry in her direction.

  “Jealously is by far one of the ugliest emotions,” Gillian remarked from the corner of the booth the four shared at the Ghoul’s Tavern. He, like the others, was clean and wearing fresh clothes.

  Azure had met them there after checking on her mother. She was relieved that the queen was sleeping peacefully. When she awoke, Azure would tell her what had happened with the kingdom of Virgo. Her mother would be relieved. That huge stress would be removed, so she could focus only on getting better. Maybe she’d make a full recovery and Azure would only serve as interim queen.

  “I just don’t get it. I tiptoed through the Dark Forest and risked all the lovely hairs on my head for the people of Virgo, and they’re not going to crown me as king. Pish, who needs these ingrates anyway.” Monet swayed from side to side, his empty tumbler still in his hand.

  “Well, you don’t have any royal blood. That might be one of the problems,” Ever said, taking a sip of his beer.

  “That’s true, but I have brains and charm, and the people of Virgo obviously want a leader who is less intimidating.” Holding up his glass, Monet waved it in the air, gaining attention of the owner of the pub. “Two more,” he called when the witch turned her silver eyes on him.

  “You’ve been cut off, Mr. Torrance,” Trixie Flourboy said from behind the bar. She was whispering with a few of the locals.

  Monet shook his head, the movement exaggerated. “They’re for the deputy queen, Trix. Which reminds me…” Leaning forward across the old oak table, he said, “Az, you’re covering the tab, right? I gave all my money to a charity that is saving a species of endangered three-eyed toads.”

  “There’s no such species,” Gillian declared, sitting higher.

  A long burp ripped from Monet’s mouth as he shook his head. “Not that you know of, dummy, because they’re endangered. Duh.”

  Trixie trotted over carrying a full tray of beverages. The witch was middle-aged, like Queen Emeri. Her long silver and gold polka-dot robes brushed the uneven floors of the pub as she moved through the space between the bar and their table. “I’ve told everyone in the tavern that if they approach your table, Princess Azure, I’ll melt their eyebrows off.” She set a large goblet holding a dark maroon liquid in front of Azure. “However, they’ve bought you several drinks, all things that are top-shelf and quite expensive. I have to do right by my patrons and deliver the drinks they wanted you to have.” Next to the glass of wine, Trixie set a steaming mug, a flute bubbling with white liquid, and a tumbler filled with a brown liquor whose legs reached halfway to the rim of the glass.

  “Those are all for me?” Azure asked, glancing at a row of patrons at the bar who all waved, since Trixie had her back turned to them. With a weak nod, Azure smiled at the jolly witches and wizards who held up their own glasses to salute her.

  “They are, and if you drink all that we might be burying you before the coronation,” Trixie told her, pointing a finger at the first glass. “We have thousand-year-old port, fairies’ golden nectar, moonflower champagne, and Light Elves’ cognac.” Her long pointy finger tapped the last glass as she smiled at Azure. Trixie wore her grape-purple amethyst as a single earring in her left earlobe.

  “I’ll take it slow,” Azure promised, raising the flute of champagne and mouthing “Thank you” to the witches and wizards at the bar.

  “Well, as soon as you clear those drinks, I’ll bring the next round.” Trixie gave her a devilish smile.

  “There’s more?” Azure nearly choked on the sip she’d taken, the bubbles buzzing in her throat.

  “Oh, yes. Everyone in the tavern has ordered you a drink. Queen Emeri never set foot in here, and you doing so speaks volumes. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always respected your mother as queen, but you might be the first approachable queen to rule Virgo in quite some time. Either that, or you just don’t know any better than to stay out of places that most royalty deem to be dirty,” Trixie said with a wink.

  “I don’t think this place is dirty—”

  Azure made to stand up, but a hand reached out and yanked h
er back into the booth. “Don’t worry, Princess. She’s not implying that you do,” Ever whispered in her ear. “You’ve got to learn to take compliments. In my mind, that one was of the highest you could get.”

  Pressing the glass to her mouth, Azure forced herself to drink to cover her embarrassment.

  “It’s true,” Gillian said, taking the tumbler of Light Elves’ cognac from the table. “A ruler has to be comfortable with her people to lead them. She needs to know what it’s like to be one of her citizens, or she won’t feel their problems. Know their struggles. A monarch removed from her community will choose the wrong solutions unless she understands what her people really want.”

  Monet picked up the mug of fairies’ golden nectar and held it under his nose, inhaling deeply. “Damn, Shorty. That’s the most I’ve ever heard you say at once.”

  The gnome’s face blossomed with red. He lifted the tumbler to his mouth to cover his expression.

  “I don’t think my mother ever had much of a chance to visit the artisan market or the pubs or anything like them. From my earliest memory, she’s been held up in the House of Enchanted. There are always citizens with complaints or requests, things to sign…” Azure trailed off, realizing that was going to be her role now. She’d come to terms with it before the first coronation, but at that point she hadn’t acquired a taste for adventure. Now, being cooped up in the ancient house would be against her nature. Much like her father, she wanted to explore Oriceran. She wanted to travel to new lands, bring back opportunities for her people. Could the queen of Virgo lead like that? She didn’t know, but she was going to have to figure it out.

  “Azure is having an ‘Oh fuck’ moment, everyone,” Monet said, draining his mug.

  “Probably a bit overdue,” Ever said, taking ownership of the glass of wine. “I propose a toast.” He held up the large goblet, waiting for the others to join him. He smiled. “To a queen who was born for the role, but also earned it by seeking to save her people.”

  “Cheers,” Gillian said, a bit louder than usual.

  “Cheers,” Azure said, in mostly a whisper.

  “Did anyone else just throw up in their mouth?” Monet asked as he attempted to keep his face serious.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  The sun hadn’t yet peeked through the curtains of Azure’s room when she awoke. Spending a night snuggled in her bed would normally have been welcome after sleeping in Terran and on the beach, but her thoughts regarding the upcoming coronation had prevented her from resting peacefully. After returning from the pub, she’d visited her mother and filled her in on all the details. Her coronation would be tonight. Queen Emeri didn’t want to put it off, afraid the people of Virgo might change their minds. They’d embraced Azure due to heightened emotions, but those could shift. And despite the upcoming coronation, there were many things that needed her attention.

  Pulling a piece of parchment from a stack on her desk, Azure scribbled a note. She kept it brief, telling Richard that she was safe, she’d be queen soon, and she’d send someone to him with provisions the next day. Azure didn’t like having to ask one of her citizens to endanger their own life to help her father, but wasn’t that a part of her power now? It didn’t feel natural. Maybe I wasn’t cut out to be queen, she thought as she folded the parchment in half and then crimped the corners. When the paper resembled a flying saucer, she enchanted it using her wand. Flying saucers were hardly ever used in Virgo, but the technology did exist and could be used for traveling great distances, like across oceans.

  The paper rose from her desk and scuttled back a few inches, then zoomed forward and flew out her open window in the direction of the ocean, where hopefully Richard was still alive.

  Azure pulled her gray hood over her head and ducked out of her room. Not once in her already long life had the witch worn gray. Like most in her clan she preferred color in her clothing, but she’d be spotted in her trademark baby-blue robes. And today of all days, Azure needed to blend in.

  None of the servants who were preparing—again—for the coronation took much notice of Azure as she passed down the great staircase and through the front door. She paused in the doorway, staring up at the second-floor landing. Ever and Gillian had both taken rooms in the House of Enchanted. It was the first time in the history of the ancient home that an elf or gnome had slept there overnight—usually representatives of those species came for a council meeting and left when it was over. However, these were her friends, and they deserved to stay in a place that offered great comfort after what they’d done to further Azure’s quest.

  Turning before she changed her mind, Azure hurried down the wraparound porch’s steps. Mist coiled over the rolling green hills, shrouding the cottages in the distance. Still, Azure knew what the fog hid, because this was her home. She knew Virgo like the back of her soul stone.

  Thankfully no one was out at this early hour, but that just meant that the witch she was about to wake would be quite angry with her. Azure swept past the various houses painted bright pinks, pale blues, or mossy greens. Not until she’d come to the house surrounded by statues of cats did she pause. The figures were in various stances: hissing, stretching, sleeping. The witches’ and wizards’ familiars didn’t just offer protection in physical form, but also when modeled in other media such as stone or clay.

  Azure hurried down the cobbled path and rapped on the old redwood door. Inside the cottage she heard a great rustle, followed by a good bit of cursing.

  “I know who it is. She thinks just because—” a voice growled from the other side of the door.

  A moment later the door peeled back, but only an inch. A witch’s eye stared at Azure. “I’d ask you what do you want, but I already know,” she rasped.

  “Well, can I come in then?” Azure asked, peering over her shoulder to look for neighbors who might be snooping.

  “Yes, if you answer this riddle,” Fay Anna Essence said, a laugh in her voice.

  “You knew I was coming to see you, and you know what I want. Don’t you know, since you can see the future, if I answer it right or wrong?”

  “That’s not how clairvoyance works, Princess Azure.”

  “Go on, then.” Azure was resigned.

  “Which creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?” the witch asked.

  Azure thought for a long moment. A distant memory of her gran humming as she worked crept into her head. She often spoke of the Sphinx’s riddle, a structure on Earth that had been built by witches and wizards when the gates had opened between the two planets long ago. The Great Pyramid was also a result of Oriceran trespassers. Gran used to say that people passed through their lives as one does through a day. Lately she’d been saying more and more that she was in the evening of her life, soon to pass into the night.

  “Man,” Azure finally sputtered, allowing the memory to fade. “Man crawls on all fours as a baby, as an adult he walks on two, and then he walks with a cane as an old man.

  Fay Anna pulled the door back, revealing her face, which was wearing an annoyed look. The witch’s dangling earrings were caught in her long obsidian hair. Her black eyes studied Azure as she opened the door. “Go on, Princess. Take a seat at the table.”

  A cat with long gray hair rammed its head softly into Azure’s shin and drew its body across her leg. She knelt and scratched the animal’s back before scurrying for the table, which was covered in silk tapestries.

  A low-hanging chandelier dripped with glass of various colors just above her head. Around the small space were cluttered shelves, holding crumpled boxes and lumpy sacks. A strange pair of eyes hid in the darkness of the shelves, appearing and disappearing between different rows of books.

  “Go on, take a seat. I’m overdue for a nap,” Fay Anna said, ushering Azure to a rickety chair that didn’t look like it could bear her weight.

  “Nap? It’s early morning,” Azure stated, sitting down but carefully placing most of her weight on her f
eet.

  “Exactly!” Fay Anna winked. Her face was young, but her eyes were old. She wore her violet soul stone in a cuff of silver and onyx around her forearm.

  “Oh, well, I won’t take up much of your time,” Azure reassured the fortuneteller.

  “No,” Fay Anna said, lifting her head and looking at the door as if she had heard a silent knock. “No you won’t, because Zar will be here in a bit. We’d better get to work.”

  From the buffet against the back wall, the witch lifted a tea tray and placed it before Azure. Steam rose from the tea as she poured it into the cup she set before Azure.

  “Now, blow on that and then take small sips until it’s almost gone. I daresay you only have another minute before you’re pulled away,” Fay Anna said, her black eyes on the door.

  “Me? Zar is coming to see me?” He managed the stables, and had been in charge of the horses for ages.

  “No, he’s coming to see me, but you’ll be led away,” Fay Anna said, leaning forward in her seat across from Azure to peer into her cup.

  The tea was hot, as if it had been brewed only moments ago. Hints of jasmine and chamomile lingered in Azure’s mouth when she set the nearly empty teacup back into the saucer.

  “Now swirl the leftover tea leaves in the cup,” Fay Anna said, her fingertips pressed to her temples.

  Azure did as she was told and handed the teacup to the older witch. No one in Virgo was superior to Fay Anna at the art of tasseography, or more simply put, reading tea leaves.

  The witch leaned forward, one dark eyebrow arched. She shook her head as if what she saw in the tea cup didn’t compute. Closing her eyes, she reached out and picked up the teacup, bringing it to her chin. When she opened her eyes she dropped the cup, letting it fall to the table where it smashed into several large bits.