Fayeth realized she hadn’t lain in the same bed as anyone for decades, even though she could recall a couple of elves who’d pursued her romantically. While she had no interest in love, she would have preferred to have either of those elves in her bed over the succubus who reeked of sulfur.
“Now you’ve met Leyla, human, so what you think?” Furore asked and exposed her fangs in a grin. “Isn’t her body magnificent? A muscular work of art? She doesn’t smell anywhere near as stale as you, Fayeth. She smells of innocence. Bit weird for a soldier, but I don’t judge anyone. Not too harshly.”
“Innocence?” Fayeth asked. “Is she…?”
“Mhm, it’s possible.” Furore nodded and moved closer until her grin was almost in Fayeth’s face. “Either that, or she’s been bathing in holy water, regularly. Who knows what sick and twisted customs the Algorians have invented?”
Fayeth turned away from the succubus’ grin and pulled the covers up to her chin. “I don’t think anything of Leyla. She’s nothing, another human. If I have to kill her, I will. I’ll stop their caravan from going east, but it doesn’t have to result in more needless deaths. They can return whence they came.”
“You sure you don’t have a single opinion about her? Not one? Not a teeny, tiny opinion about her figure?” Furore placed a hand on her shoulder. “I saw you checking her out. She did too. You must have done it for a reason? I can tell there’s promise of more trapped in the air. You smell excited.”
“I do not!” Fayeth shoved Furore’s hand off. “I’d never love a human. Ever. You could’ve spent decades getting to know me, picking a suitable partner, and as soon as it became clear they were human, I would have rejected them. You didn’t bother doing that though. You picked someone who’s not even half my age. A girl. I’ll die before I love again, and even then, I’ll outlive Leyla by hundreds of years. You’re ridiculous.”
Silence ruled Fayeth’s bedroom, no response came, so she thought the succubus had left.
She would never love again. She knew it as truth, yet it did not bring her regret. Serenity could be found in a life without romance. The friends she’d opened her heart to had gone on ahead into the afterlife. Too often she felt like the responsibility of their deaths rested at her feet. Syvis might still have a living father if it weren’t for her choices.
“I could sweeten our arrangement,” Furore said. “Remember though, if you don’t fulfill your part, I won’t exclude your daughter from my schemes. You don’t have to spend the rest of your life alone. I might know how to lengthen a human’s lifespan, or you could shorten your own.”
Fayeth had a duty to protect her daughter, regardless of the cost, and she would. Her fears concerning Syvis had never involved the enslavement of her own heart, but she supposed it was worthless if she didn’t use it, so what difference did it make?
Swallowed
Two days passed in extreme boredom. The procession marched on and on and only stopped when night fell. Some of the soldiers grumbled about how Herielas should get out of his carriage and walk with the rest of them, if he thought they could keep up the current pace until they reached Xenthien. Leyla was starting to agree.
Nathaniel controlled the dissatisfied soldiers in his ranks as well as possible, yet Leyla couldn’t resist wondering if they would all make it. They hadn’t lost anyone, but a couple seemed ready to get up and leave if the conditions worsened.
Herielas rarely showed himself outside of his carriage. The diplomat preferred to keep his own company, few appreciated that in someone they were expected to protect with their lives.
Leyla didn’t like the diplomat’s reclusive nature herself, but she didn’t need to like it. She only needed to remember how this journey was the last journey she would have to make in service of the king of Algora.
If she focused on her goal, on freedom, she could endure whatever the forest may throw at her. She would survive. Even if the woods consumed everyone else, she would march on until she arrived at her destination.
Nothing terrible had occurred yet, which made the rumours about the Freow Woods sound exaggerated, but Leyla couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a question of time. She’d had a couple of strange encounters herself, and others whispered about seeing shadows moving past the tree line whenever they made camp.
Someone, or something, watched them as they passed under darkening canopies. The sun became more elusive the farther they got.
“Halt!” Nathaniel shouted from atop his white stallion and raised his hand.
The soldiers obeyed, but it took a moment for Herielas’ carriage to roll to a standstill. The driver hadn’t been paying as close attention to the horses as he ought to have.
“You two, with me.” Nathaniel pointed at a couple of the soldiers in front of the carriage, then he rode ahead of the procession to investigate whatever he’d detected. The two soldiers followed.
Leyla remained standing behind the carriage, as uncertain as everyone else. The straight road looked clear. She didn’t see any changes in their environment. Although, admittedly, the trees started to blend together after a while until it became difficult to tell if they were getting anywhere at all or always marching the same stretch of road.
“Ambush!” Nathaniel shouted, forced his horse to turn back, and galloped towards the carriage.
Thick roots shot out from both sides of the road, formed a wall, and cut the captain off from the rest of them.
A clanging echoed throughout the procession as every soldier drew their swords at once. Leyla gripped hers with both hands. If the trees had turned against them, they were outnumbered. Could she even hurt a tree if it attacked? What was she supposed to aim at? Her master hadn’t taught her how to fight anything else than humans.
“On the right!”
Everyone turned. Leyla thought she caught movement past the tree trunks, but she wouldn’t swear on it. It might have been a branch or a bush disturbed by the wind. She mumbled a silent prayer. She did not wish to die.
Arrows emerged from somewhere on the left side of the road and rained down in their midst with thunks. Several soldiers turned around again, disorganized without their captain, yet none were struck by the projectiles as far as she could see.
An arrow whisked past her ear. If it had been aimed a little to the right, she would have taken it in the eye.
An old soldier screamed as the road crumbled under his feet, the earth swallowed him whole. The sight stunned those around him. They didn’t know how to react. They didn’t even seem able to accept it as reality, despite how there was a hole where the man had stood a second ago.
“We shouldn’t never have gone into these cursed woods,” the woman next to her said.
“Not that we had a choice.” Leyla had volunteered, but she doubted anyone had been excited for this journey. Their king had known that he may never meet any of them again when he sent them away.
The ground trembled. Vibrations moved through Leyla’s boots, and the Freow Woods swallowed her too.
Subterranean
Leyla slid deeper underground at a dangerous speed, and regretted how she hadn’t thought of another plan to escape Algora. She’d never accounted for how she might get trapped inside the Freow Woods’ soil.
Her helmet dislodged on a root, nearly broke her neck as it came off, and then she landed with a splash in cold water and feared she would sink to the bottom and drown. Thankfully, her armour did not drag her with it because it did not sink.
She wiped the mud on her face off and looked around as soon as she could see. The underground cavern she’d fallen into struck her as very serene compared to the battle above. Bright luminescent mushrooms grew on the walls, and added a unique green light to everything, while roots dangled from the ceiling. Strings of purple danced in a corner of the cavern before surging into a staff.
It took Leyla a second to register that a familiar elven woman held the staff while chanting and staring up. She’d not believed in magic, not really, but she didn’
t know what else could explain the display in front of her. She did remember the timeless elf. However, they’d met in a dream. She shouldn’t exist in reality.
“You,” Leyla said and reached for her sword, but it was not at her side or in the water. She’d lost the weapon.
The elf faced Leyla when she heard her, and her expression changed from concentration to irritation and distaste. Their immediate reactions to each other seemed similar to the dream, except they both wore clothes now. The elf wore an emerald dress, with a low neckline, which trailed in the water as she approached.
“Leyla,” she said and pointed the gnarled tip of the staff at her. “You like to strike deals with spirits? You think Furore is a joke?”
“What are you talking about?” Leyla searched the water for her sword, but she could not find it. “How do you know my name? Who is Furore?”
The elf lowered her staff. “You don’t know Furore?”
“I’ve no idea who they are.” Leyla sighed. “A friend of yours? And while we’re in a talkative mood, what are you doing to my fellow soldiers?”
“Spirits aren’t friends. They’ve bound us together. You can’t leave.” The elf stepped closer and offered Leyla a hand. “All soldiers live. I’m Fayeth va Sharel.”
Leyla hoped Fayeth told the truth about the others. She took her hand, struggled to her feet in her armour, and breathed out in relief when she didn’t knock either of them over.
“Fayeth’s a graceful name. Are you a queen? A noble?”
Fayeth frowned, her shoulders sagged. “Not these days. Long ago, in a war. My people chose me to lead them near our end. Thought I could… save them.”
“What happened to the man?” Leyla decided to change the subject since it seemed to sadden Fayeth. “The soldier the earth swallowed before me?”
“Sleeping.” Fayeth pointed at the wall to their right. The old soldier sat with his back against a cluster of luminescent mushroom. “Leave him.”
“What do you plan to do with me?”
“Nothing. I…” Fayeth trailed off, stared at Leyla. The hint of a smile played across the corners of her mouth. “While we’re forced together, I’ll give you a chance. For my daughter. Let’s waste time.”
Fayeth grabbed Leyla by the arm and dragged her along toward a tunnel. She did not enjoy being told what to do by someone without rank, but she was unarmed. Even if she’d had a weapon, she doubted it would have worked against magic.
Leyla ended up following her captor like an obedient pup. She only wished for freedom, yet it seemed like it would linger out of reach. She didn’t have an interest in Fayeth’s daughter, and did not need another despot to control her every whim and action.
Still, she supposed the queen intrigued her.
Higher
Fayeth pondered how to explain to her village why she returned with a prisoner, while Leyla trudged behind with loud, clunky steps. The girl traversed the narrow tunnel with difficulty. Fayeth chose to ignore the problem until she heard nearby critters fleeing from the noise, evacuating their homes.
“Could you stay quiet?”
Leyla squinted, knocked her knee into the side of a stalagmite, and almost bumped into Fayeth.
“Someone nearby?” The girl instinctively reached for the weapon she’d lost. “It’s not a bear, is it?”
“You can see?” Fayeth put her hand in front of Leyla’s nose. “You’re not blind in darkness?”
“I see fine,” the girl said, yet leaned forward to investigate Fayeth’s hand, and inhaled sharply when her nose bumped into her thumb. “Sorry.”
“Truly, you’re a hawk.” Fayeth smiled. “Come, I’ll show you light.”
She walked a few steps farther and tried to recall where they’d left the obelisks. She’d seen no reason to use them when she’d traversed the tunnels by herself, but Syvis’ father, Pharom, had had poor eyesight for an elf. He hadn’t struggled as much as Leyla, but he’d not seen every outcropping, stalagmite, and corner as well as Fayeth either.
In a hole covered in webs, she found what she searched for. A small obelisk carved out of black stone. Fayeth touched its top, and sparks burst out to float midair. Leyla hadn’t moved. She’d bent over to fiddle with her boots, but when Fayeth summoned more and more sparks, she raised her gaze.
“You’re a star-covered goddess,” Leyla said.
Fayeth studied the girl, with amused incredulity, and leaned on her staff. If a true goddess had heard what she’d said, they might have struck Leyla dead for blasphemy.
“What?” Leyla pulled her boots off her feet. “The bears won’t hear me coming.”
“No bears in the tunnels. Plenty of spiders. Huge spiders everywhere, I’m afraid.”
“Don’t be.” Leyla extended a sympathetic smile. “I’m not afraid. Get us out of here, and I’ll stop the spiders from getting near you.”
“That’s not…”
Fayeth tried to think of a clever response, but nothing came. Leyla looked at her like a warrior might look at the innocent and defenseless. The silly girl seriously thought an elf was afraid of spiders, and she proceeded to promise to protect Fayeth from that fear.
She spun around, huffed, and gestured for Leyla to keep up or get left behind. She wasn’t interested in showing a human every secret of the Freow Woods. The obelisks would have to suffice. Humans should stay in their countries where they belonged, not wander around.
Fayeth tapped every obelisk she found along their route. Before long, she noticed how Leyla did the same.
Once or twice, when the girl wasn’t paying attention to her, Fayeth watched sparks erupt out of the obelisks and float around Leyla. She didn’t look like a goddess, but maybe Leyla resembled someone else a little, especially when she smiled to herself like she did. Good thing Fayeth didn’t believe in rebirth.
Truth
Leyla tired of toying with Fayeth’s splendid obelisks. The tunnels were aggravating to move through clad in armour, and her feet grew cold without protection. If it hadn’t been for the elf’s company, she would have begged to be returned to the road.
They turned another corner, light came into view. Fayeth kept walking without a care, but a mysterious stench gave Leyla pause. The elf had sharper senses, knew the area, so she probably didn’t have to worry about what awaited them though.
Leyla almost walked into Fayeth when she stopped right outside the cave. The stench of the forest mixed with Fayeth’s scent, this close, and she couldn’t tell if she liked either. At least she recognized the smell of sweat. The forest’s air might be toxic to breathe.
“If you wish, we split here, you find your way home,” Fayeth said. “If you go too far east, I’ll help you back on track. If you get lost, you’re lost.”
Xenthien laid to the east. Leyla had no intention of retracing her steps and going home. She was about to voice her disagreement, but then she got a good look at their surroundings.
Wherever they were didn’t remind her of the Freow Woods she’d gotten used to over the last days. Huge trees still loomed above like indifferent giants, but at their bases grew iris mushrooms as tall as houses. She wondered if the elves lived in them, but no, they couldn’t possibly. The stalks of the mushrooms were too thin for someone of Fayeth’s size to live in.
Subtle movement on top of a hill caught her eye. A dozen grey, furry felines rested around boulders, but only one or two of them took any interest in her. She’d never seen animals so at ease. The felines didn’t perceive them as noteworthy, despite how they intruded on their territory.
“What will you do?” Fayeth stepped into the shallow water which covered the ground everywhere, except for the hill.
Leyla hesitated and pointed when she saw an animal stir under the water, by one of the shorter mushrooms. Fayeth only glanced in that direction before shrugging.
“I…” Leyla said. “I need to go east.”
It wasn’t up for discussion. She’d prefer death over life in Algora, now that she’d come this far.
“Alone?” Fayeth frowned.
“Yes.” Leyla nodded and placed her hand where her sword should have been. “It’s important to me.”
“You can’t go east. The dead demands you return whence you came.” Fayeth gripped her staff, moved her lips as if preparing another chant, and stepped backward. “Not my choice. Humans are unwelcome here after everything you’ve done.”
“I know others passed through the forest before me. Merchants and diplomats. So why are you stopping me, specifically, from reaching Xenthien? You’ve got no…” She trailed off. She didn’t wish to upset the elf if they could come to an understanding. Some opinions were best left unspoken.
“Too few of us to stop everyone,” Fayeth said. “We don’t detect all travelers. Large caravans like yours, no problem. Smaller groups slip through our gaps. It’s given humans the wrong idea.”
“I’m sorry if you don’t like it. You don’t have to help me. Just leave me alone, give me a chance to slip through those gaps. Look the other direction.”
Fayeth scowled and pointed the gnarled tip of her staff at Leyla’s head. “You’re disrespectful. When the dead asks, I obey. You will never get through my country alive, human.”
“I…” Leyla threw her arms up in defeat, sighed, and an unwelcome melancholia came over her. “I guess you’ll have to kill me then. I can’t return home. My family plans to enslave me by marrying me to highest bidder. The only reason they let me become a soldier died last year. My grandfather, he…”
No. She did not have to tell Fayeth more than she had. She’d said enough. If the elf planned to kill her, she may as well do it. This was a very nice spot for a grave.
Fayeth dug her fingers into the length of her staff until her knuckles whitened. It would be quicker to get it over with, both of them knew it.
Or the elf could walk away and leave her. Leyla would either make it through the woods, or end up lost and forgotten. She doubted she could find the road again, and it was difficult to tell in which direction east lay when the canopies of the trees blotted out the sky.
Queen of Peace Page 2
