by Alan Tucker
Sara towered over Jenni’s five foot one frame by nearly another foot. She had a dancer’s grace and a body builder’s power. Her coppery skin glinted in the sunlight. She was still Sara on the inside, but Jenni was still startled by her friend’s appearance. Everyone had changed so much over the last couple of weeks it was astonishing.
Except her. She remained plain old Jenni.
It bothered and upset her. What’s wrong with me? Why hadn’t she changed too? She had always wanted to be special, unique. Sometimes she found it funny that here, she had become special simply by remaining the same while everyone around her changed. Laughing kept her from crying.
They crested a small hill and the endless forest stretched before them. The trees most closely resembled oaks, with broad, green leaves and solid trunks. They grew smaller near the edge, perhaps twenty to thirty feet in height. Deeper in the forest, they were massive. A variety of birds flew among and over them, creating a cacophony of noise.
They stopped at the base of the first few trees and Jenni lowered Crank to the ground. He had warned them not to step into Lodir’naie uninvited. Most took their packs off or sat down to rest while Crank surveyed the scene.
They waited quietly for nearly an hour before three birds approached and landed in the lowest branches of the closest tree. Each bore a small rider, and each rider carried a tiny spear and miniature bow and arrows. They did not appear hostile, but looked ready to defend themselves despite their small stature.
Crank bowed before them and said, “Guardians of the Lodir’naie, we seek passage through the great forest on our way to Seren’naie.”
The rider in the middle addressed him. “Greetings, Builder.” Jenni was surprised his voice carried well enough for them to hear over the birds and sounds of the river. “Lodir’naie hears and acknowledges your request, however, we cannot allow your party passage.”
Crank blinked in surprise. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Why can’t we pass?”
“There are festri’i present. We cannot allow them into Lodir’naie.”
Crank’s eyes widened. “Festri’i. Fire spirits?”
The rider nodded.
“But that’s not possible. These beings are all flesh and blood,” Crank said, indicating Jenni and the class.
“They are unusual to be sure; nevertheless, they are with you.”
Crank appeared at a loss. He turned, bowing to the riders again, and said, “Please allow us time to discuss the matter amongst ourselves.”
“Of course. We will wait here.”
Crank walked back and everyone gathered around. “I don’t understand this. Festri’i and their kind are beings of the elements, they don’t have any physical form except through the element they control.”
Ms. Pap sat next to Crank. “So they claim some of these fire spirits are among us and they won’t allow us inside? What would happen if we ignored them and went in without permission?”
Crank shook his head. “Lodir’naie can defend itself with the Faerstrastenai,” he said, gesturing at the birds and riders, “among other things. We will have many days of travel through the forest. I wouldn’t want to fight the entire way.”
“Can we go around?” Ms. Pap asked.
“Yes, but it would add many days to our journey. We’d also have to backtrack several days to find a suitable place to cross the river so we could continue south.”
Jenni looked at the river. It was about fifty yards wide and ran fast and high with snow melt from the mountains. It certainly didn’t look crossable.
“So,” Ms. Pap continued, “we either figure out who or what these fire spirits are and leave them here while the rest of us keep going, or we add possibly weeks to our trip.”
Crank nodded again, his features downcast.
Merlin landed in the tree next to the Faerstrastenai riders and screeched a warning.
Drumbeats thudded behind them.
Heads snapped around to the sound that had caused nightmares for many since they’d first heard it.
A large band of Gobinstratstorai crested the last hill of the grasslands about a hundred yards away. They raised their spears and hollered battle cries along with the pounding of drums. The birds in the forest fell silent.
“Well,” Sara said, drawing her tree branch, “this doesn’t look good.”
“Crank,” Jenni asked quickly, “will the forest help us?”
He eyed the horde in the distance. “Not unless the Gobinstratstorai enter the forest. And if we went in without permission, we’d be fighting both.”
“What are we going to do?”
“The best we can,” Ms. Pap answered.
Mr. Kain pointed to the river. “Everyone get closer to the water and the trees. We need to make as small a front as possible.” They all grabbed their things and moved. “Sara, Kim, Todd, and Will up front with me. Denny, get your last two bombs.”
They all got into position and waited. The Gobinstratstorai were still at the top of the rise, working themselves into a frenzy. Jenni recognized the commander from the band that had attacked them before.
He had found some friends along the way.
They numbered fifty or sixty and had added several large cousins that looked like Kim, only bigger. They wielded clubs the size of tree trunks. One swung his so wildly he hit one of his smaller companions and sent him flying twenty feet through the air. He landed heavily and remained motionless in the grass. It only served to feed the frenzy.
Jenni’s heart clenched in fear.
The late afternoon sun blazed full in her face. The Gobinstratstorai shouted and raved for several minutes while Jenni and the others waited helplessly. Then the mob’s long shadows advanced down the hill. Sara shifted her weight on the balls of her feet and held her branch in front of her with both hands. The others readied their weapons.
Another, much larger, shadow passed over the field in front of them.
Jenni first thought it was an airplane. Then she heard a deafening roar which quieted the Gobinstratstorai, and stopped them in their tracks.
A big black shape landed, with a dull thump that shook the ground, in between the class and their attackers. It might have been a single engine airplane, but its wings moved, and its landing gear were talons that dug deep furrows in the grass covered soil.
It faced the Gobinstratstorai and roared again. This time, a thick, dark liquid erupted from its mouth in a great cone spray.
The front wave of attackers went down, screaming in pain. Fifteen or twenty fell, writhing and smoking in the prairie grass.
The rest of the Gobinstratstorai beat a hasty retreat up the hill, keeping a watchful eye on the beast that had intervened in their sport.
At the top of the slope, the mob gathered around their leader and waited to see what would happen next.
Those caught in the spray of the animal’s attack soon stilled and were quiet.
Silence reigned and Jenni’s ears pulsed in time with her heartbeat.
Jet black spines twisted and scales rippled as muscles underneath moved the beast around to face Jenni and the others. Its wings furled, and a head the size of a refrigerator regarded them. It had spiny ruffles on either cheek and intelligent, orange eyes with vertical slits for pupils.
Its mouth split open in what might have been a smile, showing rows of shiny white, flesh-rending teeth, six inches or more in length. Jenni cringed in fright at the dragon in front of them.
A deep rumble issued from the creature’s throat that sounded like laughter and it said, “Hey, everybody. Did you miss me?”
15
Jenni held her breath in surprise.
Ms. Pap recovered enough to speak. “Brandon?”
“The one and only,” the beast replied. He shuffled from side to side and unfurled his wings to display them. “What do you think? Pretty cool, huh?”
“Amazing,” Ms. Pap said. “Are you okay?”
“Okay?” Brandon chuckled. “Okay? I’m flippin’ fantastic!”<
br />
“We’re glad to hear that,” Ms. Pap replied cautiously. “Thank you for your help.”
Brandon eyed her for a second and folded his wings again. “Yeah, about that,” he said. “See, here’s the deal. I’ve found someone who can help me. Really help me — learn about myself I mean. I just came back to see if anyone wanted to go meet him with me.”
“I see,” Ms. Pap said. “Who is helping you?”
“Someone who actually knows what’s going on in this place. He calls himself Mogritas.”
The Faerstrastenai behind them in the tree hissed. Crank inhaled sharply.
“So, anyway,” Brandon continued, “anybody who’s tired of following the runt to some mystical fairy town can come with me and get some real answers to what’s going on around here.”
After a breathless moment, Alisha stepped forward and walked to Brandon’s side. She was quickly followed by Maggie, Lori and Zoe. Todd and Will joined them, along with Vic, and lastly, Kim sighed and moved to him.
“Okay,” Brandon gloated. “Anyone else?”
“Mr. Kain,” Alisha said to everyone’s surprise, “you should really come with us.”
Jenni almost laughed at the absurdity. Brandon huffed and glared at Alisha, which she ignored, her attention focused on Mr. Kain.
Then, to the shock of all of them except Alisha, Mr. Kain shuffled toward her.
“Roger?” Ms. Pap asked, dumbfounded.
“I’m sorry, Judy,” Mr. Kain said woodenly. Alisha smiled.
“All right then,” Brandon interjected, “if that’s everyone, we need to get going. Climb on and grab hold.”
Jenni shook herself. This can’t be happening! “So, you’re just leaving us here? That’s it?”
Brandon looked at her and smiled as Kim, Alisha, and the others crawled onto his back and seated themselves. “Yep,” he said, “that’s pretty much it. I’m just not interested in trudging along, following the advice of a dwarf whose people didn’t even want him in the first place. Good luck finding your fairyville.”
Brandon stretched his wings. With a heavy grunt, he leapt into the air, furiously flapping to gain altitude with the added weight. He circled twice, then headed off across the forest to the east with a roar.
Jenni couldn’t believe it.
The setting sun cast an orange glow on the grass in front of them. Crank managed to bring himself to his senses and turned to the bird riders, still watching from the tree. “I ask again, may we pass through Lodir’naie?”
The middle rider seemed saddened, but still shook his head. “You still travel with a festri’i.”
Sara sighed in exasperation. “What can we do? Pretty soon those guys,” she said, pointing at the Gobinstratstorai, who still stood on the hill, “are going to figure out that our protection is gone and come after us again.” As she said it, the drums began to beat.
Sara took up a defensive stance in front of them and Denny picked up his two remaining bombs.
They watched in fear and the fading light as the Gobinstratstorai worked themselves up for a second charge. It didn’t take them long, their confidence boosted by the departure of the dragon.
“Get behind me!” Sara shouted, and they did their best to wedge themselves between the forest and the river.
Denny pulled out his lighter and took a practice swing with one of the bombs. He was less than half his former height and the bomb bounced on the ground his first swing. He wasn’t tall enough anymore to use the full length of string.
Mrs. Osorio reached out to him. “Let me,” she said.
Denny sighed and gave her the lighter and the bombs. She moved just behind and to the right of Sara and took a couple of swings to gauge the weight of the bomb.
“Wait about ten seconds to throw after you light it,” Denny instructed.
Mrs. Osorio nodded and sparked the lighter to life.
The Gobinstratstorai charged down the hillside, yelling and waving their weapons. A line of spearmen stopped about thirty yards away and hurled a volley of small, lethal shafts.
Sara was a blur of motion, dancing with her tree branch from side to side, parrying the spears away. One landed near Jenni. She picked it up and held it in front of her.
“It’s me,” Mrs. Osorio said, staring into the flame of the lighter.
A second wave of spears hurtled toward them. Sara flashed her branch faster than Jenni’s eyes could follow, deflecting the spears away from her friends.
One slipped past her to Jenni’s left, and struck Charles square in the chest.
He yelled and tumbled backward into the river before Jenni could grab him. The raging waters washed him out of sight.
“It’s me!” Mrs. Osorio said again. “I’m the fire spirit. Get back, I know what to do!”
Marco’s mother lit both of the bombs and strode forward, twirling them, one in each hand.
“Mom, no!” Marco shouted.
“Stay back, Marco,” she yelled over her shoulder. “All of you, get out of here!”
Sara took a couple of steps with her and knocked aside two more spears. The Gobinstratstorai had stopped their charge to throw their weapons. Now they watched uncertain, as the two balls were fully ablaze and spinning furiously.
Mrs. Osorio flung the bombs high in the air. The Gobinstratstorai watched the two fireballs arc toward them and backed up to let them fall in front of their line.
Jenni saw Marco’s mother reach out with her arms and draw lines of fire to herself through the air, screaming in rage.
The bombs exploded at the feet of the horde and Marco’s mother burst into flame.
She motioned with both arms and fire swept out in sheets away from her, catching the prairie grass as it went.
Jenni lost sight of Mrs. Osorio in the flames while the grass fires attempted to encircle the Gobinstratstorai.
Someone grabbed her arm. She turned and saw Sara pulling her toward the trees.
“C’mon, Jenni!” Sara shouted at her.
Jenni ran.
Carrie and Matt were on either side of Ms. Pap, helping her move faster. Sara let go of Jenni and caught hold of Marco, dragging him back with the group.
He yelled and fought Sara, but she was stronger and pulled him along.
They passed unmolested under the tree which held the three bird riders, then farther into the forest along the river. Behind her, Jenni could hear the screams and shouts of their unlucky attackers, who had the tables turned on them once again.
Sara nearly carried Marco, lost in his grief.
They kept running.
Some time later, someone in the front of the group stumbled and fell in the dim light, and they stopped to check their surroundings.
The canopy of leaves and branches above them almost entirely blocked the sky. Only over the river to their right, could they see stars.
“We should be safe here,” Crank stated, winded from their flight. “The Gobinstratstorai won’t be able to pursue us into Lodir’naie. If any are left from Mrs. Osorio’s attack.”
Marco fell to the ground and sobbed. Rachael and Carrie went to try to comfort him.
“All right, let’s try to get some rest,” Ms. Pap said, sorrow evident in her voice.
Everyone dropped their belongings and sank to the ground.
Jenni noticed she still held the small spear in her hand. She stabbed it into the ground, fell upon her bag, and cried.
16
Lodir’naie in the daylight was a sight to behold.
Every shade of green imaginable competed for dominance in the landscape. Rays of sunlight speared through the natural ceiling of branches and leaves. Trees towered above them, many reaching a hundred feet or more into the sky. Next to them the river continued on its southeasterly journey, running fast and muddy.
The place teemed with life. Birds of every sort chattered and sang to each other from different levels in the trees. Insects buzzed and chirped. Frogs croaked along the river bank. Rabbits, squirrels and other small creatures
ran from tree to tree, and signs of bigger game were evident as well. Occasionally, Jenni saw Faerstrastenai wardens flying through the forest on their bird mounts.
The life the forest exuded was a sharp contrast to the emptiness of their hearts.
They had seen no signs of pursuit, or Mrs. Osorio, so they spent the next day resting, and tried to pick up the pieces.
The group was down to fourteen, including Crank.
Over half their original party from the field trip had been left behind, lost, or had gone off on their own.
Marco stared into the distance and was unresponsive for the most part. Carrie stayed with him, offering what comfort she could.
Jenni and Sara scouted around in the morning and resupplied the group with Tolenton’naie and some tasty nuts that Crank pointed out.
The three of them sat down midday for a snack at the base of a modest-sized oak tree, facing the river.
Jenni didn’t have much of an appetite, but knew she needed to keep up her strength. “Crank, I still can’t understand what happened yesterday.”
“What do you mean, Jenni?”
“Well, first, what happened to Mrs. Osorio?”
Crank paused. “The possibility hadn’t occurred to me, but it seems some of your friends are becoming elemental spirits. Fire spirits are called festri’i and it’s these spirits that the guardians of the forest won’t allow within. Water, earth and air have spirits as well.”
“So Mrs. Osorio turned into one of these fire spirits?” Jenni hesitated. “Did she die then?”
“I don’t know. It is possible her essence survived as the spirit, but elemental spirits don’t have physical bodies. They can … manifest using the element they control, but I don’t know how intelligent they are, or if they have a soul.” Crank sighed. “It’s my hope we can find answers in Seren’naie to all these questions.”
“So, maybe some of us that you haven’t been able to guess at, like Bonnie and Matt, are turning into other spirits?”
Crank nodded. “That appears likely.”
