I shuddered at the thought, trying to push it out of my mind. I had to believe he was on my side, that he wasn’t the monster everyone thought he was. But it didn’t seem to matter how many times I repeated it to myself, I couldn’t quite shake the feeling he may have a different agenda.
“It’s got to be here somewhere.” He flattened out the bushes with his stick as he looked for the entrance, as if it would be easier to see without the smaller vegetation.
“Do you think she used a spell to hide the door?”
“It's possible. If that’s the case, she probably knows we're here.” He stood straight and looked around the area as if he was about to call out to her. “Isn't this your area of expertise? Aren’t healers supposed to have a way with magic?”
I did have magical abilities, but my parents had worked hard to ensure I never used them. Just one more example of how I wasn’t properly trained to do something. Magic wasn’t the kind of thing you messed around with if you didn’t know what you were doing. Gavin’s accident had shown me that.
“If only we’d brought Astor.”
“I’m not so sure about that kid.”
“What do you mean?” An uncomfortable prickle slid down my back at his hesitation.
“He’s too reckless for my liking and has a ways to mature yet, that's all. His intentions are good.” He rubbed the back of his neck, tempering his statement.
I didn’t reply.
He wasn't wrong, but it wasn’t his place to speak that way about Astor. What was his fascination with maturity anyway?
We kept looking, though it was increasingly clear we had no idea where the witch was.
I walked to the river’s edge, remembering a fairy tale my father told me about an elderly witch who lived along the water.
She often sank boats passing by and claimed the occupants as her slaves. The water was calm and peaceful. A slight breeze washed over me, and the smell of fresh water prickled my nostrils.
I closed my eyes as childhood memories came flooding back. The water fights we’d have after a long day's work in the fields.
Denny always finding a way to dunk each one of us at least once.
I held back the tears at the thought of him. I’d never see his loving face again, or get irritated when he poked fun at me.
He’d never dunk anyone again.
“Aria.”
I looked back to where I’d last seen Beru standing before I’d gone down to the water, but he wasn’t there, so I headed back toward where we’d entered the woods. I still couldn’t see him anywhere.
“Beru!” I shouted as I jogged through the trees, fearful something had happened to him.
With my next step, I was flying. A net closed around me and I was launched into the air. Even as I began to process what was happening, the net reached the apogee and began to fall.
I shrieked as I braced for impact with the ground, wiggling and pulling on the thick rope for any give. As the ground rapidly approached, I gave up and closed my eyes, waiting for my life to be over. But the impact didn’t come.
I opened my eyes in darkness, startled when I realized I was underground. I wobbled, slowly toppling over to land on the rich-smelling dirt. For a few moments I just lay there while my racing heartbeat slowed. Once it returned to a more normal rhythm and I could think again, I sat up. As I looked around, my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, but there was nothing.
“Hello?” I winced at the tremble I heard in my voice.
Silence.
“Is anyone there?”
A faint noise came from off in the distance, but I couldn’t make it out. I focused on the location the sound seemed to originate from and a moment later, a flicker of movement rewarded me. As I watched, one of the shadows detached from the wall.
“I can see somebody.” I tried to move, still trapped in the thick net.
The shadow drifted closer, and the ominous sound of chains scraping along the ground got louder. My heart raced. I wasn’t able to fight, enmeshed in rope as I was. I tugged on the netting again, worried about what kind of creature was about to attack me.
“I'm not here to hurt you,” I offered, my voice high, cracking on the last word as I frantically worked at the netting.
The shadow loomed nearer, the sound of its chains scraping louder on the Lynian floor.
My fingers suddenly found a hole in the net, and I pulled, releasing the top. Once the space was large enough, I jumped out and backed away until I hit the wall.
“Show yourself!” I pulled the knife out of my belt, feeling stupid I hadn’t remembered it sooner. I could have been free earlier.
The noise stopped.
My heart pounded in my ears as I waited. “I'm not going to hurt you. Are you alone?”
I waited for a response. When it still didn’t speak, I stepped forward. The shadow didn't move. I took a few more steps toward it. This time, it backed away.
“It's okay, you can show yourself. I won’t hurt you.”
I reached out my hand. Perhaps it wasn’t the brightest move, but I needed to gain its trust.
The shadow came forward, the rattle of chains the only thing giving away its position. “Follow me.” It sounded like a young male based on the childlike voice.
“Can you tell me your name?”
The chains moved away again. I had a split second to decide. Should I follow, or try to climb out of this hole?
“Aria.” Beru's voice carried through the hole and I’d never been so happy to hear him.
“Down here!”
“Stay where you are. I'll find a way down.”
I looked back to where I’d last seen the shadow. The sound of his chains had gone silent. I held in my frustration as I waited for Beru to make his way to me. I'd be safer with him by my side.
“Hurry,” I wasn’t enjoying remaining still in the darkness when I couldn’t see my surroundings.
“I'm going as fast as I can. It’s pitch-dark.”
I tried to get a visual on him, but small branches and debris fell to the ground around me. Then a glimmer of light to my left caught my attention. That had been the same direction the shadow had run off in.
“Keep coming, hurry!” It took all my strength to stay put when every bit of me wanted to run after the shadow boy.
It wasn't long before Beru made his way into the hole, jumping to the ground beside me. Instead of the graceful landing I expected, he toppled over.
“Ow!” Through the shadows, I could see he was hunched over, his hands wrapped around his ankle. “I can't stand.”
“Lucky thing, falling into a cave with a healer.” Although it wasn’t funny, I couldn’t help making a weak joke to try to ease the tension.
I felt my way over and knelt beside him, placing my hands on his ankle. I closed my eyes, feeling his familiar energy as I felt the bones and muscles of the joint. Swollen, heat, but the bones were intact. Just a sprain. As I channeled my magic into repairing the damage, I tried not to enjoy his natural scent. A combination of trees and musk, fresh water and earth.
“It's working.” He relaxed and leaned back, placing his hands on the ground to steady himself.
I kept my hands on his ankle as I worked, taking his pain away simultaneously. I felt connected to him in a way I couldn't explain, something which hadn’t happened during a healing before. I pulled my hands away, embarrassed at my unexpected reaction and hoping he hadn’t noticed.
Through the shadows, I watched him stand up. I wondered if he’d felt the connection, then told myself I was being foolish.
“There was someone here, a boy. I didn't see him very well, but he’s shackled. I could hear chains when he moved.”
“Could you make out where he went?”
“Yes, I was just about to follow when you called. It's this way.” I grabbed for his hand in the dark, leading him into the tunnel. My hand tingled, but I ignored the sensation as we went deeper into the tunnel, following the faint light I’d noticed earlier.
He followed unquestioningly, his hand in mine.
As we approached the light source, our surroundings came into focus. The walls, ground, and ceiling were all green like grass, but different.
I reached out to touch the blades of grass, and they stuck to my hand. When I pulled away, my hand was covered by tiny scratches on my fingers where the grass had made contact. Careful not to touch it again, I moved cautiously.
The overgrown grass was difficult to move through. Other strange sights became visible as the light intensified. Small bugs in iridescent shades buzzed in the air, ignoring our presence as they flitted around, landing on strange, vibrantly colored flowers before taking off again.
“Anything in your healer book about this?”
“No. This is all new to me. Have you ever seen such animals like that one?”
I pointed toward a large yellow creature with four horns on its head. It rolled over on its back in a little pool of water and bleated adorably. It reminded me of the sheep on our farm, if someone had made them shorter, fatter, and dipped them in daffodils.
“Nothing like this. Let's keep going.”
As we walked along, a slight movement in the lush vegetation caught my eye. When I turned, I saw a person walking along a rough path and I reached for Beru, pointing my chin toward the figure. “Look, over there.”
His eyes sharpened on the shape of an elderly woman and we approached her cautiously.
The woman paused, but kept her back to us. Unkempt white hair hid her face from view so that at first, she seemed to be talking to herself. “I’m checking my nets to see if I’ve caught anything for supper. Are you hungry, too?”
I looked around, answering after a pause when I decided she was waiting for us to answer. “I am looking for a boy who came this way.”
“Are you sure about what you saw?”
She turned around, displaying pale, blotchy skin as if she hadn’t seen the sun for centuries, and a large, pointed chin to match her pointed ears. Her face was a map of wrinkles, but the eyes sparkled with curiosity, ageless and full of life in the otherwise wizened face. It was difficult to tell how old she was, but I knew elves could live many centuries. Maybe she would know something.
Wait, what had she asked me?
“Well, no. It was very dark,” I admitted, confused. Maybe I hadn’t seen the boy.
Something about the way she was watching me made me wonder if I was in a dream. After all, the plants and animals were unlike any I’d ever seen in my waking hours, and this elderly elf woman was the strangest I’d ever seen.
“What is it you seek?” Her eyes burned into me, searching, testing.
“You're the one we’ve come to find. The old witch.” Beru seemed unaffected by whatever was making me feel muddled.
“I'm unaccustomed to company, but it’s nice to have someone to chat with from time to time. Maybe a nice cup of tea.” Her voice became thoughtful, and she waved her walking stick in the air. A door appeared in a large tree beside her and she smiled sweetly. “Follow me. My home is this way.”
He bowed slightly, showing no hesitation as he followed, but I lagged behind.
Something about the entire situation was bothering me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what. Was it her oddness? I was sure I’d seen the boy, but doubted my certainty.
Once inside the tree, the door closed behind me at another absent wave of her stick. She continued down a narrow hallway with a ceiling only high enough for her to stand easily, which meant I had to duck my head to avoid hitting it, and Beru had to stoop several inches.
We followed her farther inside, into a small, circular room which was pleasantly decorated with cozy chairs and cushions, complete with knitted blankets and stacks of books along the walls. But as with the hall, everything was perfectly sized for her, which was to say a little too small for an average adult human to be comfortable.
“My apologies, I'm afraid everything in my home has been made perfectly for myself and no one else. I do like it that way.” She shrugged, taking in Beru’s awkwardly bent form.
“It’s fine. It’s your home, so it makes sense it fits you best.”
I bit back a smile at his politeness as the witch waved her hand in the air. I blinked as a pot with three cups appeared on the small table in the center of the room.
“May I offer you a drink? It’s fish blood, my favorite for an afternoon snack.”
“I'm good.” I waved her offer of a drink away, gingerly moving to a nearby chair and sitting down carefully. It was barely large enough for my backside and I could only hope it would hold my weight.
“I'll have a glass.”
I watched him with surprise as she poured him a glass and slid it across the table, watching him gleefully as he drank the fish blood like it was a glass of water.
“You surprise me. So, it is true, you have escaped the great prison.” She poured another glass, eyes sparkling as she waited for him to drink it.
He placed it beside him, nodding calmly. “Yes. Now we've come to ask for your help.”
“What is it I can do? And why should I help you?” She looked disgruntled when he didn’t drink the second cup, but looked up to focus on his face when he replied.
“We need to know about the Light Woman.”
“Oh, my! There’s a name I have not heard in many, many years. And one I can’t say I missed hearing.”
I narrowed my eyes at her unexpected reply. Wasn’t she supposed to be the one who knew where to find her?
“We need to know where she is. I was told you know the answer.” His body had tensed, and I noticed his hand was hovering near his sword, though not yet touching it.
“The Light Woman was a High Elf in her time, always thinking she was better than others.” She stood, taking the cups and pot off the table, and stalked over to the kitchen in a huff.
I could hear her muttering unintelligibly the entire time, and once she returned it was to cross her arms and glare down at him.
“I wish you luck finding her, but I'm afraid you're far too late. She’s been dead for over a century.” Just as quickly as she’d become insulted, she now began to cackle as if she’d said something hilarious, slapping her knee as tears sprang to her eyes.
I shared a confused look with Beru. Was she lying to us? What had we gotten ourselves into? First, I’d been trapped in a net and thought I’d seen a strange boy in chains.
When we finally found the witch, she’d offered us disgusting refreshments, and was completely unused to conversation with anyone, as if she’d been a hermit for centuries.
I just needed out. “Well, thank you so much for your time, and your kind refreshments. We’ll just be going if you can show us the way?”
Her lips pressed into a thin white line. She crossed her arms, all traces of laughter vanishing. “Well, if you’re going to be like that. I was thinking you could stay with me.”
I stood quickly, almost losing my balance when I yanked myself out of the tight seat, and bowed as low as I could. “I am so sorry, but we need to leave. We are on an important quest. Please accept our apologies.”
She marched over to the hall, waving her stick again. The crack of the door opening let a faint light into the room “Fine then. But once you exit, you cannot return. The door will be invisible to you unless I wish it to be seen. I’m not so sure I like you.” She wrinkled her nose, glaring at me.
I swallowed hard.
She was just odd enough she may decide to trap me again, and I didn’t want that. Rummaging through my pockets, my hand closed on a small quartz stone I’d found on the ground which I’d thought pretty at the time. Now I hoped it would tempt the strange and likely dangerous woman.
“Please, accept this parting gift. Perhaps it will be of value to you. I would be more than happy to visit again, once my task is accomplished. If ever you are in want of an afternoon tea with my company, of course.”
The tense lines on her face smoothed out and she hummed with excitement, the wa
y a child might on receiving a gift. She darted over, picking the rock out of my palm before dashing over to a corner to look at it under the dim golden lamp light.
“Ooooh, pretty!” she sang, dancing around as she looked at it. When she stopped, her face was again the sharp-eyed face of eccentricity, all traces of anger removed by the small gift.
I exhaled with relief. Something in my gut had been warning me the entire time. Whether the boy in chains had been a figment of my imagination or her prisoner, I was certain we were narrowly escaping an indefinite visit with the witch of the woods.
Chapter 8
I’d never been happier to see trees as when we exited the strange home of the even stranger witch Beru had taken me to see. As we walked back to meet the others, I couldn’t help stealing glances at him when he wasn’t looking.
He seemed unbothered by what we’d been through, his face the same blank, hard-to-read canvas. I knew he’d been through far worse in the prison, so it was possible his lack of reaction had more to do with his past than with not being worried, but it led me back into the same loop of uncertainty.
Could I trust him? Had saving him been a good idea? I was running through my now-familiar concerns when he broke the silence.
“We need to go to Bruhier.”
“What?” For a moment, I was stunned.
He’d stopped in the middle of the forest path and looked at me as if I should already understand what he meant.
When I continued to stare at him blankly, he rolled his eyes.
“Bruhier is where the High Elves live. If the Light Woman is dead like the witch says, the likeliest place to find someone who knew of her is in Bruhier. Perhaps she passed the key down to a descendant.”
What he said made sense, but the logistics were daunting. Bruhier was a continent composed of massively tall islands with plateaus where the elves lived, hidden by low-lying clouds.
“How will we get there? We would have to get above the veil, and I don’t know anyone who’s ever been there. Don’t they have giants?” I knew I sounded scared when my voice cracked, but I didn’t mind him hearing the fear this time.
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