Everflame: The Complete Series

by Dylan Lee Peters

  Callderwallder looked up at his sister, and then back down at the man of metal in the canvas bag.

  “My sister, do you believe it was truly the Holy who you met?” He was trying to pry her mind away from the insignificance of the child’s insult and back to more important matters.

  “Who else could it have been?” asked Faedra.

  The crippled man knew the Queen’s devout belief in the Holy would prevent her from seeing this matter with clarity. I’ll have to meet with this person myself, thought Callderwallder, in order to ascertain their true identity.

  “How many of these metal men does the Holy require, sister?”

  “As many as possible.”

  “I will need help,” said Callderwallder, his eyes growing wide with intrigue.

  “You shall have it.”

  “All right,” agreed Callderwallder. “I shall tell you when I am ready to begin. We will make many of these men, and when the Holy returns… you will bring him to me.”

  Chapter 23: Dendrata

  “We’ve been walking in this forest for at least a week,” complained Riverpaw. “I think it’s time the two of you enter the village of Elderton and try to glean some sort of information.”

  “Elderton was burned, Riverpaw,” responded Ben with a twinge of frustration. “We’ve been over this.”

  “Well, how are we supposed to find this feather? The only thing keeping us going is easy game and plenty of blackberry bushes.”

  The forest south of the burned village of Elderton had proven to be an enigma for the three travelers. No clues had been revealed to help them find an eagle feather that would lead to one of the daughters, but when they consulted the map, it was clear that this forest was the correct location.

  Elderton Forest proved to be a pleasant enough place, despite the travelers’ lack of success. The weather had been quite fair ever since their arrival. Sunlit days, with plenty of shade provided by the forest canopy, and the nights were warm and dry. The forest was mossy and provided them with soft places to sleep, so they woke every morning feeling refreshed and ready for another day. By all accounts, the forest was a wonderful place to be, even food and water proved to be in surplus. Tiny rivulets of crystal-clear water traced through the forest, providing the travelers with the ability to quench their thirst whenever necessary. Blackberry bushes were also prevalent throughout the forest, and every night, a fire was made to roast deer meat that had been successfully hunted without difficulty. Riverpaw, Ben and Tomas had want for nothing in Elderton Forest, nothing with the exception of finding the eagle feather that would lead them to one of the daughters.

  “Which daughter should we be looking for?” asked Tomas.

  “Does it matter?” asked Riverpaw.

  “It might.”

  “I assume we look for Dendrata,” said Ben. “Obviously, we are in a forest. Strongback’s journal listed her as daughter of the river and trees.”

  Ben plucked a plump blackberry from a bush and tossed it into his mouth.

  “We’re doing something wrong,” said Tomas.

  “Obviously,” said Riverpaw.

  Ben tossed a blackberry to his brother. “Here, brain food.”

  “I think I’ll pass,” said Tomas, looking oddly at the berry in his hand.

  “I’ve never seen you say no to food, Tomas. Are you feeling all right?”

  “Yes, it’s just… Why do you think there are so many berries in this forest?”

  “I assume because of the streams,” said Ben. “Pleasant weather, plenty of sun, ample water. It’s the perfect environment.”

  “Makes sense,” said Tomas tentatively and placed the berry into his mouth. “I suppose.”

  •••

  Another two days passed in the luscious green and tan of Elderton Forest, and still the travelers found no clue to aide in their quest. Even in the virtual paradise that was the forest, tension and frustration were mounting.

  “Maybe we should move on to the next location,” suggested Tomas. “Maybe the next feather will be easier to find.”

  “That would be an incredible waste of time,” said Ben.

  “This is an incredible waste of time,” said Riverpaw. “Let’s hunt. I’m hungry.”

  “You’re not hungry, you’re bored,” observed Ben.

  “Well, if I don’t do something, I’m going to go mad,” warned Riverpaw.

  “All right, let’s hunt.”

  “I’m not going to hunt with you,” decided Tomas. “I’m not very hungry anyway.”

  Ben and Riverpaw accepted Tomas’ decision without argument and walked into a denser area of the forest to begin their hunt. Tomas sat down upon a large, mossy rock and let his mind wander.

  What are you trying to tell us, Dendrata? What are you looking for?

  Tomas thought back upon his experience in the Valley of Morsus. It had been a test, the valley; a test that asked for courage in the face of great fear. The valley had pushed them in terrible ways, but Elderton Forest was different. This was no ordeal to be survived. In fact, Tomas imagined that Elderton Forest was one of the most pleasant places he had ever been. There was plenty of warmth and peace, and plenty of food and water available. More than anyone needed, really.

  Where is the test, Dendrata? What are you looking for in us? Tomas thought about Ben and Riverpaw and laughed to himself. It’s usually me who eats more than I need, he thought. Epiphany flashed in Tomas’ mind and he bolted upright from his seat upon the mossy, green rock.

  “That’s it!” he shouted to no one.

  Tomas turned and ran into the dense forest, shouting for Ben and Riverpaw as he quickly followed their path.

  •••

  Riverpaw and Ben hid silently in a thicket of tall, oak trees as a large buck walked slowly toward the rope snare they had camouflaged upon the forest floor.

  “Ben!!” came a bellow from a short distance away. “Riverpaw!!”

  Suddenly, Tomas burst forth from a group of blackberry bushes, spooking the buck and running directly toward the leaf-covered snare.

  “Idiot,” whispered Ben, just as the snare caught Tomas around the ankle, flinging him into the air and hanging him upside down from a large tree branch. “I can’t believe you, Tomas,” frowned Ben as he walked out of hiding. “That buck was walking directly into our trap. It was as if it wanted to be caught, and then, you come bumbling after us and ruin the whole thing.”

  “I know,” said Tomas with excitement, his hair hanging straight toward the ground. “It did want to be caught.”

  Ben and Riverpaw looked at each other, silently wondering if Tomas had finally decided to eat the strange, blue mushrooms he had found earlier, growing on a patch of moss.

  “Are you feeling all right?” Riverpaw asked Tomas.

  “Yes,” said Tomas emphatically. “Why do people keep asking me that?”

  “Well, explain why you just ruined our hunt and got yourself snared,” demanded Ben.

  “Cut me down and I’ll tell you.”

  So, Ben drew one of his blades and sawed through the rope, sending Tomas crashing to the ground just feet below. He stood up, dusted himself off and proceeded to spin in a small circle, stomping his feet in some sort of manic dance. He finally stopped, facing Ben and Riverpaw, and clapped his hands together loudly.

  “I’ve figured it out!”

  “Figured what out?” asked Ben.

  “We can’t eat the deer,” said Tomas brightly.

  “We can’t?” asked Riverpaw.

  “We shouldn’t eat the deer.”

  “Why?” asked Ben, beginning to get impatient.

  “We have the berries to eat,” answered Tomas. “We don’t need the deer.”

  Tomas looked at his companions as if he had just unraveled the mysteries of the universe before them. Ben and Riverpaw gave each other concerned looks again.

  “I’m sorry, Tomas, we’re not following.”

  “It’s the test,” said Tomas. “Look around you. This
place is nearly perfect. We haven’t had need of anything while we’ve been here. In fact, we’ve been taking far more than we need. Harena laid the Valley of Morsus before us to test our courage. I think Dendrata has created this forest in order to test our… our…”

  “Restraint,” said Ben, providing the word his brother struggled to find.

  “YES!” said Tomas.

  “The deer have been exceptionally easy game,” said Riverpaw. “The easiest hunting I’ve ever had, by far.”

  “Maybe you are on to something, Tomas,” said Ben, scratching his chin. “We’ll leave the deer alone and see what happens.”

  Tomas clapped his hands together again and smiled so wide he looked like a mad man.

  “Did you eat the mushrooms, Tomas?” asked Ben.

  “Yes… Why do you ask?”

  •••

  The wind blew cold as the travelers built their fire for the night. It was the first time since entering Elderton Forest that they had experienced any weather that was unpleasant. Tomas was confident that the chilling wind was a sign that he had correctly indentified Dendrata’s test.

  “She’s pushing us,” he said. “She’s making the test harder. Chilling our bones so we want the warm meat even more.”

  “Well, it’s working,” grumbled Riverpaw.

  The three travelers huddled close to the fire as the night turned black, and for the first time, they heard the noises of prowling animals around them.

  “I suppose that’s part of the test as well?” asked Ben.

  “Has to be,” answered Tomas. “It wasn’t until we stopped hunting deer that these things began happening. Where were these noises before now?” Tomas stood up from his seat and faced the black woods. “We’re on to you, Dendrata,” he called out. “We won’t take what we don’t need, no matter how you choose to make us long for it.”

  Popping sounds and tiny flashes of light came from the fire, and the flames leapt into the air and turned a vibrant green. The wind died and Riverpaw and the brothers felt their skin tingle with an invisible energy as all their hair and fur began to stand on end. As if from the depths of a dream, the image of a young woman floated above the unnatural flames of the fire. The only evidence they could see to suggest the woman was not human were the thin sparkling wings at her back that moved so quickly, they almost seemed transparent. The woman brought her hands to her mouth and giggled at Tomas, her short, brown hair bouncing as she shook with merriment. She waved at the travelers playfully, and as her arm moved out of the firelight, it glowed with an incandescent, pink light. She blew Tomas a kiss, and then disappeared, without a trace. The fire was now gone, and three dumbstruck faces were left to stare at each other in the moonlight.

  “What was that?” asked Tomas.

  “I think she was taunting you,” said Riverpaw.

  “Taunting!” exclaimed Tomas incredulously.

  “Well, we know one thing,” said Ben as he tossed a stick he had been fiddling with into the ash where their fire had been. “We’re on the right track.”

  •••

  Morning came and the glow of the previous night’s encounter had worn off, leaving doubt in its place.

  “We don’t even know that was her,” said Riverpaw.

  “But we did something to make that happen,” argued Ben. “It wasn’t coincidence. That was the first night in Elderton Forest that we did not hunt deer, and it was the first sort of spiritual interaction that we’ve experienced. Maybe one night isn’t enough. I think we should just continue with our current plan.”

  “But Tomas told her we had figured it out,” protested Riverpaw. “What would be the point of continuing this charade?”

  “Maybe there are other things we’re using that we don’t need,” said Tomas, looking around like he had lost something, his eyes finally stopping on Riverpaw. “Clothes,” said Tomas. “We don’t need clothes. Riverpaw doesn’t wear clothes.”

  “He has fur,” explained Ben.

  “No, seriously,” said Tomas. “This could be the key.” Tomas began to pull his shirt over his head. “Come on, Ben. Take off your clothes.”

  “I’m not taking my clothes off, Tomas.”

  “Ben, do you want to find Dendrata or not?”

  “Not without my clothes on. Now stop acting like a fool. An ancient spirit of the forest isn’t going to reveal herself to us because we take our clothes off.”

  “Fine,” conceded Tomas, returning his shirt to its proper place. “But we don’t need clothes.”

  •••

  Three more days passed in Elderton Forest and Riverpaw and the brothers Floyd were no closer to finding Dendrata. They had continued to refrain from hunting and eating deer, but the blackberries were no longer enough for Riverpaw and his morale was reaching a new low.

  “We’re going to spend the rest of our lives eating berries in this forest, aren’t we?”

  “We can’t give up,” said Tomas.

  “We need to do something,” said Riverpaw. “Maybe it’s time to move to the next feather on the map.”

  “No,” protested Tomas. “We’re close, I can feel it.”

  “Come off it, Tomas. You can’t feel anything,” barked Ben. “There is nothing in this forest. It’s just… here.”

  “Can we at least leave this forest for a little while, so that I can find something to eat other than blackberries?” moaned Riverpaw. “I can’t do it anymore. The things don’t even have any flavor anymore. I might as well be chewing my own hair. I need to get away from here.”

  “That’s it!! Hahaha!!” Tomas jumped and danced around his companions. “I told you I was close,” he pointed his finger in Ben’s face, “but you didn’t believe me. Not so smart now, are you?”

  “Are you finished, Tomas?” asked Ben, as far from amused as one person could possibly be.

  “No, I’m not. I’ve just begun. Don’t you see? We can leave!” Tomas swung his arms into the air, spinning around wildly like some sort of jester.

  “He’s gone this time,” said Riverpaw to Ben. “It’s too many of those damn berries. Say goodbye to your brother.”

  “Exactly,” said Tomas. “Say goodbye. We’ve already passed the test. We’ve learned what we needed to learn. Now we can leave the forest. We don’t need the forest to find Dendrata. Don’t you see? She wasn’t taunting me. She was waving goodbye. She blew me a kiss. She was telling us to leave the forest! Let’s go!” And with that, Tomas took off running for the edge of Elderton Forest.

  “Should we follow him?” asked Ben

  “Are you joking?” asked Riverpaw. “If he wants to leave this forest, I’m right behind him.”

  Ben rolled his eyes and shrugged, and then, he and Riverpaw ran in pursuit of the madman of Ephanlarea.

  The sun began to set as Riverpaw, Ben and Tomas made their way to the edge of Elderton Forest. A hill rose sharply, just before the tree line, and the travelers circled around it to find a sharp descent on the other side. A small cliff face made the hill look as though a giant had scooped half of it away with a monumental spoon, and at the foot of the cliff face, a crystal stream softly gurgled in the evening light. At the bank of the stream, was the most beautiful white doe the travelers had ever seen. The doe’s back was dappled with tan, and it took no notice as it dipped its pink nose to the stream.

  “Have you ever seen such a creature?” asked Riverpaw.

  “Never,” breathed Ben.

  “That is no mere creature,” said Tomas. “Follow me.”

  Tomas led the others across the stream, many feet away from where the doe was quenching its thirst, and walked past the tree line, exiting the forest. Upon the ground, as if it had been waiting there forever, laid the delicate feather of an eagle. Tomas plucked it off of the ground and turned to find the doe had transformed.

  It was Dendrata, and she was no longer just an apparition. She strode forward with the elegance of the white doe she had been disguised as, her paper-thin wings fluttering, intermittently be
hind her, as she walked. She wrinkled her small, pink and freckled nose and she laughed, waving at the travelers in greeting. Leaves, vines and moss clung to her pink-white skin, as if she wore a textured dress. Her eyes conveyed her happiness as they twinkled like the afternoon sun through the forest canopy. Light-brown hair swept across her forehead and bobbed at her ear like branches in the wind.

  She nodded at Tomas. “The smart one,” she said, her words trilled with laughter.

  Tomas’ face drained of color, only to be replaced quickly with a flush of red. “I’ve never been the smart one before.”

  Dendrata rose into the air and swept her arms, as if they were the brushes of an artist who deigned to paint into creation the pink and mellow sky. She was the call young men hear as they rush from their homes, seeking adventure. She was the green heart and arms that nurtures the nature inside. She was playful and dangerous; she was childlike, yet ancient. She was Dendrata, daughter of the Earth and Sun, spirit of the river and trees.

  Dendrata floated back down to the travelers and smiled at them, in the waning light of day. “You would do well to remember what you have learned here,” she said.

  “We will,” said the travelers.

  “Why have you hunted me?” asked Dendrata.

  “We seek knowledge,” said Tomas. “We quest to find the gifts of the Skyfather.” Dendrata’s eyes grew wide and sparkled with mysterious light. “We were told of the gifts by your sister, Harena.”

  “You have also been to Morsus,” said Dendrata with growing curiosity. “I am impressed.” The travelers nodded their thanks. “So, Sister told you of the Wind, the gifts and the prophecy, did she? You must have been very brave, very brave indeed.”

  “What prophecy?” asked Ben. “She told us of no prophecy.”

  “Very like Harena to leave out details. Always in a rush, always… rushing.” Dendrata sat down upon the plush grass and motioned for the travelers to follow suit. When they had all sat down, she continued to speak. “After Father gave his four gifts to the Wind, he left them also with a prophecy:

  “In the world’s most desperate hour of need,

  Earthly elements shall be set free,