Of the Woods

by J A S Bennet

  The room was still dark and she didn’t move when he sat down on the bed beside her. He reached out and brushed the hair from her eyes. She barely moved.

  She heard him come in but didn’t want to let him know she was awake. There was too much on her mind to talk about right now. She didn’t feel like trying to talk. So she pretended to be asleep.

  He left the tray on the side of the bed that he had occupied the night before and went to check the bathroom for signs that she had been up. A towel had been moved so he felt better leaving her alone. At least she had been up and about at some point. He gazed at her sleeping form and turned to leave, feeling bereft. He didn’t want to abandon her but he felt helpless to fix this.

  The door clicked closed and then the tears fell onto her pillow. She could feel him wanting to help her. And a small part of her wanted to crawl up in his arms and weep, but that wasn’t going to happen. They needed to end this. She would cause him and anyone who cared about him pain if he stayed with her. Bonding … she remembered parts of what he said and that was a no go! The entire idea of bonding with anyone was not appealing to her. So even the affair she had fantasized about was now off the table. She could be nothing more than a disaster to him.

  24

  New Skills

  Jenny dove into the pool with no fear. Training was quickly becoming her favorite part of the day. She’d come a long way since her first days in the guard house. Now, she looked forward to it like little else. The feel of the water, like silk on her skin and wind through her hair, made her feel at home. It would be so easy for her to draft an entire children’s book while she swam if it was possible. It would be a dark draft today, though.

  The destruction of the forest weighed heavily on her heart and mind. Some of the things they’d seen would haunt her for quite some time. The worst of which was the pain she saw and felt through Sheridan when they came upon the fawn. What a horrendous sight to see, and to feel. She was sure it was even more traumatic for Sheridan, having met and healed the creature before.

  Jenny performed a perfect flip turn and headed back to the side of the pool where she started. Her thoughts were stuck on how hurt Sheridan was and continued to be. The sadness was like wearing a weighted vest while running laps or something. At times, it felt like it would take her breath away, and if that was just the feeling she was getting through her weird connection with Sheridan, she hated to imagine what it felt like for her.

  When her hand touched the wall, she heard something outside of the water that piqued her interest. Breaching the surface, she identified the sound as applause. Brecon stood there whooping and carrying on, reaching out his hand to help her out of the water, but she didn’t want to get out after only one lap. She settled for hanging both arms on the edge of the pool.

  “Do you even realize what you just did?” His eyes were wide and she began to feel like she’d done something wrong.

  “One warmup lap? Was I not supposed to?”

  “No, no. Warming up is important, but most people take a breath or a dozen each lap while they do it. Then again, most laps take longer than twenty seconds.”

  Thinking back, Jenny knew he was right. She could not remember taking a single breath since she dove in and she felt fast. She didn’t notice these things because her mind was elsewhere.

  “And here you are, not even gulping in air or acting winded at all.” His head tilted to the side. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m just feeling some sadness from the state of things outside. It sucks I can’t help Sheridan. Do you think there is anything I could do?”

  Brecon squatted down as much as he could to get near her. A brief thought crossed her mind about the fact Brecon’s shorts were now at her eye level, but it didn’t make her smirk or anything. The sadness was too heavy, taking up too much real estate in her mind.

  “Actually, I was going to ask if you were up for something potentially dangerous. Since you mentioned wanting to help, maybe you could help us with the water sprite situation?”

  “What’s the water sprite situation? And how can I help?”

  He sighed. “Two have died and the rest are very sick. There is usually a day or two after a big storm when they are inactive to let the water settle, but this is something else. Something is wrong.”

  The heaviness in Jenny’s heart didn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. “That’s awful.”

  “Yeah, but we think you are uniquely qualified to get in there and figure out what’s going on.” He looked away and stood up. His intentional lack of eye contact made Jenny realize he was holding back.

  “How so?” Jenny pulled herself out of the pool and attempted to get in his line of sight. “What unique qualities do you think I have?”

  “Zool … and zoopa,” he mumbled and Jenny wasn’t sure what he was saying, nor why he was afraid to say it clearly.

  “Come again?”

  “Okay, look. I know it sounds ridiculous, but we believe you will have the ability to speak to the sprites in their language and/or have the ability to speak telepathically with them, as with all other water creatures.”

  She blinked at him. Twice. And a third time, just to ensure he wasn’t kidding around. “Say what?”

  “It’s called zoolingualism and zoopathy. Those were the abilities Shawn’s brother had when he was still here.” Brecon handed her a towel, still not making eye contact.

  “That sounds incredible. I’d love it if that were true. So what is it you’re afraid to say?” Silence hung in the air. Jenny was ready to help and didn’t understand his hesitancy. If he didn’t spill it soon, she was tempted to snap him with her towel.

  “It’s just that, um, there is a chance that,” Brecon paused to take a deep breath before continuing, “whatever is killing them could affect you, too. This is very dangerous, and the other guardians didn’t want to risk it.”

  “I appreciate the concern.” She did, honestly, but nothing would change her mind. If there was a way she could help, she was going to do it. “Let’s go.”

  The walk through the woods in her swimsuit, wrapped in a towel, was quick. She busied her mind, to keep from thinking of what could happen to her, by naming books on her to-be-read list. It was a long list. Of course, some of the books she had put in the fantasy pile were slowly drifting toward non-fiction, the more she learned about this castle.

  Breaking into the clearing where the water sprites were playing fetch with them a few weeks ago, Jenny rushed to the water’s edge. It was higher than it had been because of the storm.

  There would be no shamrock feeding or rock tossing this time. Kicking off her shoes, she dipped a toe in the water. It didn’t feel like the water in the pool, or in her bathtub, or the water of the ocean. It felt oily. “There’s something wrong with this water.”

  Rushing forward, she was in up to her knees before Brecon responded. Reaching his hands out, he tried to stop her. “What are you doing? If there is something wrong with it, you should get out.”

  “I have to tell them.” She dove in, intent on her cause. Immediately her ears filled with water, somehow amplifying the sounds of moaning, and then she heard it.

  “Help us.” It was a high-pitched whining sound, but unmistakable. Just then, her vision filled with the wide eyes of the baby hummingbird-sized, fairy-like being in front of her. Instead of wings, it had fins flapping weakly.

  Jenny opened her mouth, expecting water to rush in, but there was some kind of mystical barrier making it so she could speak. “I’m Jenny. This water is somehow poisoned. Can you move to a new water source?”

  The sprite’s head tilted to the side, trying to understand how this human could speak to her. Then she nodded slowly. “Where can we go?”

  “There’s a stream not too far from here.”

  “Bridget is too sick, I will stay with her. But can you show the others the way.” The girl looked stoic and sure of her decision, but Jenny couldn’t let it go down like that. She wanted to save them all.


  “Nobody can stay here, they will die in this water. We all have to go now. Can I carry Bridget to the stream? Please.” Jenny was willing to beg. There were lives on the line.

  “That might work.” The sprite looked hopeful.

  Jenny was expecting another small child-like sprite, but Bridget was nearly the size of pre-schooler. She turned her back so Bridget could ride piggyback style. There was no other way she could carry her out of this pond and keep her balance.

  As soon as her head breached the surface, she saw the stricken look on Brecon’s face. Then the sigh of relief took over just as Tadhg and several other guardians arrived in the clearing. He called out to them, “It’s all right, she came up.”

  One of the guardians continued to sprint until he was by her side, offering to take Bridget from her. Tadhg had never looked so concerned before. “We need to get them to the stream as quickly as possible. Guardians are faster on land than you. Please let me take her.”

  The other guardians stood, looking in awe at the ill sprites rising slowly out of the water, flapping their iridescent fins like wings. A couple were barely able to stay above the water. They looked defeated and unsure of their ability to survive.

  Jenny gave them hope. “My friends can carry you quickly to the stream. Let them help you.”

  As soon as she finished speaking, she started coughing. Things started to spin and black holes twirled in her vision. And then the dark spots expanded until there was nothing.

  Ava deposited her computer in her room and decided to deal with the caretaker later. She could still feel the weight of the invisible force on her shoulders, the one that felt like she was worthless, hopeless, empty. She knew that Sheridan was the one feeling these things, but she didn’t have time to figure out her own feelings, let alone someone else’s. She decided to do the only thing she knew how to do, and she knew exactly what she needed. Walking over to her window, she found the extra latch and pushed down. She watched as the balcony and stairs appeared, then lifted her leg to step out. Taking a minute to look around in the daylight, she wished she could feel the breeze, but was grateful she didn’t have to feel the sprinkling that had just begun.

  It felt rather silly, but she ran all the way down the steps, trying to beat the glow of the lights that seemed to have a mind of their own. As soon as she approached the dark, it would light up. Magic seemed to be a clever thing. Putting her hand on the door, she twisted the knob and her private dojo lit up immediately. It was a bit smaller than the guard house training room, but that was fine for her purposes.

  Deciding to do a little stretching first, she lifted her leg up on the bar in front of the huge mirror and leaned over to loosen up her tight muscles. When she bent all the way over with her head down, she heard a noise coming from the other door. A knock rapped on it as if a happy dog were beating its tail repeatedly.

  Placing her leg back down on the floor, she walked over to where the doorknob was and turned it. A face she wasn’t ready to see was looking right at her. There was no one here but the two of them, and he was still standing in the connecting walkway from the guard house, just outside her door. Ava was still feeling the anxiety from earlier and she shuffled her feet like a nervous goat. “What are you doing here? This is supposed to be my private place to train.” She wasn’t feeling like she could be civil with Cian at all. Too much going on in her head.

  “I have come to train ye. My specialty is weapons. It’s what I’m good at.” He gave her a smile that infuriated her. It felt condescending.

  “I don’t need your help, I’d rather figure this out on my own. Besides, I just came in here to work out a few tight muscles.” She then realized he was still standing in the doorway. She went to tell him about how he needed to get his ass in the room instead of creeping in the doorway until she remembered what the note told her—no one could come in unless she invited them, like some straight up vampire shit.

  He knew the moment she figured out why he just stood there. The smile formed on her lips and she crossed her arms in front of her. It was adorable how defiant she was, but he was just as determined as she was. His job meant he had to be there, to make sure she was trained as best as she could. She needed to be ready for her job of service to the castle and its people.

  “Why are you standing out there, Cian? Is there a problem?” The smile she gave him got even wider while she watched him fidget at the door.

  “You know why I’m standing out here, Ava. You have to invite me in.” Cian started to grind his teeth, like he could chew nails. He hated having to ask her for anything.

  “Give me one reason why I should let you in this room of sacredness and I will consider your request and get back with you.” Ava looked at her fingernails and rubbed them on her shirt as she looked up at him.

  Cian took a deep breath. “I will give you two reasons. First and foremost, it is my job to teach you. I was put here to ensure you have all the knowledge you need to defeat the enemies of this castle. These are wars you have not studied, Aoife, these are magical beings who can only be defeated by the weapons on these walls. Without the proper training, you three will lose this castle and the lives of all who dwell here.” Ava stopped in her tracks and the look of smugness dropped from her face as she took in all he was saying. “Secondly, you have to learn about each of these weapons so you can use them properly. The ones on the far wall work best while battling with sea creatures and will most likely need to be used by Jenny. You are to divvy these weapons out; if you don’t listen and learn then you will not only kill all of us, but the three of you will perish as well.”

  Cian had never seen Ava so speechless. For once, he had full confidence that she was listening to what he had to say and would make the right choice.

  “You are aware that I can just Google this shit? Snap pics of these weapons and learn all I need to know, right? I’m not an idiot here, asshole. Besides, how do I know that you even know how to fight? So far, all I see you do is stand on the sidelines and watch the rest of us.” Her arms went back to being crossed as she waited for a response.

  “Oh, I can fight, princess. Have no doubts about that. Maybe you are too scared to let me in your dojo because you know I’m better than you?” Snark for snark seemed to be the only way they communicated.

  “I know you are aware of my super magical ass-kicking abilities. From what I hear, you’re the one who patches up the poor victims of my greatness who aren’t hurt bad enough to need the healer. It’s okay though, your secret is safe with me. I would be scared of me too if I was you. You just need to accept my badassness as fact.” Cian was completely quiet while she finished her ridiculous, childish rant.

  After a few minutes of silence, during which she just stood there staring at him and nodding, Cian controlled his knee-jerk reaction to take her over his knee and spank her. Something he would truly enjoy doing if he could reach her. Heat flared in his eyes as the thought of doing just that took control of his brain. “Perhaps you should let me in and we shall see who would win?”

  Ava saw the look in his eyes and had no clue as to what made him switch this conversation up to a whole new level.

  She could feel his gaze roam over her body like a lover’s touch. “Not, in, um...” She couldn’t keep her mind from processing the hot look in his eyes, nor her libido from wanting to respond in kind. It would get heated real fast if she let him in here right now. “I’m not going to invite you in just yet. You have to spar with me in the guard house first.” She was pleased with herself for being able to keep her thoughts together long enough to come up with that.

  Cian had only one word in answer, “Deal.” The grin on his face made her shuffle her feet and press her legs together to relieve some of the pressure building between them. Cian stepped aside to let her exit the dojo as they headed to the guard house. He grabbed knives and daggers off the hallway walls and placed them in the belt around his waist.

  Entering the guard house from the back door, which she had never s
een used before, they immediately veered toward the empty mat that seemed to always be vacant. She stretched out a few muscles for the sparring that was about to begin. Everyone else in the center was doing their own thing and didn’t really notice the two had walked in at all.

  Ava turned to Cian, put her open hands up next to her face, and said, “Let’s play.”

  Cian lunged at her, but pulled back to throw her off. She knew what he was doing, she had used that move many times. Ava waited for the attack that he would eventually have to initiate. Standing still and trying to determine when and where the game would begin, Ava made the mistake of looking at his hands. Knowing that she couldn’t wait to get the sparring started so he would be forced to touch her made her concentration falter. Cian saw the hitch in her attention and made his move.

  With a lunge at her left side, he took her arm and twisted it behind her back. The look of surprise on Ava’s face was perfection to him. He had moved in a way she hadn’t seen coming. Cian was positioned behind her so she couldn’t knee him where she wished to. Instead, she lifted up her foot and crashed her heel down on his boot as hard as she could. Cian never made a sound, just slightly bent over at the waist. The reaction made him loosen his grip and she swung her arm out and broke his hold. As she spun around she gave Cian a swift and stinging swat on the ass, and giggled at his reaction.

  They returned to their original fighting stances to regroup. Before she could catch her breath, he made another lunge at her. Ava went to extend her leg out so she could knock him off balance, but Cian zigged when she zagged and she missed him completely. Cian returned her swat with one of his own as she came around to stand in her defensive position. His giggle infuriated her. They were back to circling.