by Joe Naff
“You can’t die!” Zehlyr continued. “Come on, wake up! Please, wake up!” Tears came to his face as he pulled her close to him. The other soldiers looked on somberly as he wept over her lifeless body. He lifted his head and ran his finger through her blackened, soot-filled hair. “You can’t leave me like this,” he said softly through his tears. “Not like this.”
He leaned down, planting a soft kiss upon her bloodied lips. Feeling no warmth returned to him, he buried his head in her neck and sobbed. As he cried, Azalea’s eyelids began to flutter slightly. A gasp was heard from the soldiers in the water as her green eyes slowly began to glow once again. She let out a tiny cough, causing Zehlyr raise his head and gasp.
“A…Azalea?” he said with a weak voice.
“Look…at that,” she said weakly but with a smile. “You saved me again.”
Zehlyr cried out for joy as he pulled her in close. Cheers and shouts filled Tranquility as they embraced each other. The Lady’s blessings were truly upon them. Killika was dead, his army was destroyed, and Tranquility was saved. Zehlyr looked deep into Azalea’s glowing eyes. He felt great joy, but also heartache. She was alive, but he knew they would still have to say goodbye.
Chapter 32
“How do we go on after losing such a friend and leader as Shimmer? Her love was as great as the Lady’s. Her courage could rival that of an entire army. There is not a soul here today, nor will there ever be, that doesn’t owe every breath they take to her.”
Grand Seryan Moonflower: eulogy given at Shimmer’s funeral.
It took days to make the trek from Tranquility all the way back to Meadowgold. With each territory they passed through, they were met with cheers, songs, and thanks. Each stop found them plenty of food, warm beds, and more peace than they had felt in days. Though it was an easy journey, Azalea and Zehlyr spent it in quiet agony. Each step they took northward was another step towards their inevitable parting.
The fires north of Tranquility died out slowly, leaving behind a ruined forest, blackened and burned beyond recognition. However, even in such a destructive aftermath, there was hope. The Lady’s forest would revive, just as it always did with time and care. Time healed all and life moved on, but until Azalea was reunited with her section of the forest, it would remain barren.
They arrived back in Meadowgold in the evening. It filled Viyana’s heart with joy to see her village still standing. She’d witnessed the sacking of two cities and the siege of Tranquility. Having her people alive and her territory unharmed was the greatest blessing of all. Her people cheered and shouted for joy as she led her fellow weary travelers out of the trees and into the open, rolling hills of the human territory.
It was a triumphant return for others as well. Three years after being chased out as traitors; Zehlyr, Azalea, and Heeska reentered the city as heroes. Smiles and cheers were a welcome change from angry shouts and brandished weapons. Hand in hand, Zehlyr and Azalea took their final walk together through the streets of Meadowgold and into the Savage Lands to the north. Their journey through the trees didn’t last long, for soon they opened up again to the Viyanian Settlement.
The settlement was as Viyana had left it days ago. Rows of homes stood unfinished along a dusty road. Tools lay abandoned on the ground. She sighed. She could still remember finding Cherin lying alone in the road, covered in dust and dying of hunger. In her mind she said a prayer, asking the Lady to watch over his spirit, wherever he was.
Off to the north, dry rows of tilled earth lined all the way to the trees, marking all that remained of their failed farm. She looked up. Even with the storm days ago, no rain had fallen upon this land. It truly was cursed, but it would be no longer. Life would return here, but only after one last goodbye.
Zehlyr stepped from the tree line into the unnatural clearing, but Azalea did not. Feeling her hand slip from his, he turned to face her. Her chest heaved with heavy breaths as tears formed behind her eyes. Her bark-covered hand trembled, still reaching out from the point where it had let go of his hand. “What is it?” he asked.
“This is it,” she said. “Only one more step and the transformation will begin.” Eyes overflowing, her tears raced one another down her face. “This is where we have to say goodbye.”
Zehlyr sniffed hard as he nodded. Tears were filling his eyes as well. He’d known for days now that there was no avoiding this, and for days, he’d tried to prepare his soul to deal with the coming loss. He thought he could be strong, but no one could be strong enough for this. “I understand,” he said.
“Take care, Azalea,” Heeska said as he wrapped his scaly arms around her. His long chin rested on her head as he closed his eyes. “Thank you for your kindness.”
“We never would have survived without you,” she said in return.
“Azalea,” Viyana said. She put her hands on the dryad’s shoulders, gripping them lovingly. “Meadowgold and the rest of the forest are in your debt. We will never forget you, and our tribe will watch over your forest for all the days to come.”
“You are all welcome,” Azalea replied as she laughed through her tears. “I am glad we are able to part as friends.”
“Strong friends,” Viyana replied. She leaned in and gave her a strong hug. “Lady be with you.”
“And with you,” Azalea replied. She wished she could say goodbye to Sunrise and Firefly, but neither had made the trip back from Tranquility with them. With the threat of detainment, Firefly had escaped into the Wilds. Sunrise ran off after her without a word to anyone. No one knew where he went, but the Grand Seryan found his acolyte robes floating on the shore just before sunset. Wherever they were, she hoped they were well and safe.
Viyana stepped aside as Zehlyr stepped forward. His lips were quivering and his cheeks were wet, but he stood tall and sure before her. “Are you ready?” he asked.
“I…I’m scared,” she admitted, her voice high and raspy. “I don’t know if I can take that step.”
“Don’t worry,” Zehlyr said as he slipped his hand into his. “We’ll take it together.” He squeezed her hand tight as he took his place beside her.
“I love you,” she said through her tears.
“And I love you,” he replied. Together, Azalea and Zehlyr took a deep breath, and stepped off onto the barren ground. Side by side, they walked for several steps. Zehlyr’s eyes looked over to his beloved, opening wide in awe. His feet stopped moving and his hand slipped away, letting Azalea continue on alone. The sight took his breath away.
As Azalea marched on, her body began to radiate a beautiful, emerald light. The patches of bark on her skin spread out, covering her entire body from head to toe. Small branches full of leaves and flowers sprang from her shoulders and back as her hair became a beautiful cascade of bright, pink flowers. In a few moments, all signs of her human form vanished, revealing the form of a dryad not seen since the Great Blight.
She was the most beautiful creature Zehlyr had ever seen.
Azalea stopped and looked down at her body. She gasped as her wide, green eyes admired the miraculous transformation. She was herself again. With a smile on her face, she turned again to Zehlyr who walked slowly towards her. “So, now you see the real me,” she said.
“I always saw the real you,” Zehlyr replied. “This is just a shell. The Azalea I’ve always loved never left.”
“And she never will,” Azalea replied. “Thank you for saving me.”
Zehlyr laughed a bit. “I didn’t save you, remember? I tripped over you.”
“No,” Azalea insisted. Her leafy hands reached up to the sides of his head as she locked eyes with him one last time. “You saved me.” They came together in a passionate embrace. It was to be the last kiss they would ever share, and they wanted to remember every last detail of it. They held to one another, too afraid to let go. Their tear-soaked cheeks pressed against one another. Finally, yet reluctantly, their lips parted and Zehlyr stepped away.
He walked backwards a few steps, worried what he might do
should he remain in arms reach. He loved her, and he always would, but she was of another world, and he couldn’t keep her to himself any longer.
As her beloved walked away, Azalea slowly lifted her arms up towards the clear, blue sky. The ground beneath their feet rumbled and shook like an earthquake. The dry ground split all around them in a thousand fractures, and from each one, a mighty tree sprang to life. The trees grew rapidly, towering over their heads in a matter of moments. The half-finished structures of the Viyanian Settlement were shattered to bits as the trees grew around them, snapping and popping loudly as they were reduced to splinters. High above, branches filled with lush, green leaves blocked the sun as shrubs and flowers carpeted the forest floor. In a breathtaking instant, the cursed forest was restored to its former glory.
At the center of it all, Azalea began to change yet again. From her tree-like body, tiny branches full of beautiful azalea blossoms began to spring forth. The branches grew rapidly, dividing in all directions and consuming her body. Zehlyr’s eyes went wide as he began racing back through the forest towards her. At every step, trees sprang from the ground and bushes grew in an instant, all blocking his path to her.
As the branches overtook her, Azalea reached out towards her beloved. Her body became lost in the sea of flowers until only her face and arms remained. Zehlyr ducked beneath a low branch and leapt over an exposed root, finally coming within reach of his beloved dryad, but it was too late. Her arms disappeared into the flowers as the branches overtook her face. Her glowing, green eyes were the last part of her he saw before they, too were taken where he would never see them again.
Zehlyr dropped to his knees. With Azalea gone, his eyes beheld a very familiar sight. The azalea bush before him was exactly as he remembered it from that fateful day many years ago, but that wasn’t all he recognized. There was also a familiar fear of the unknown, of what the future would bring.
His hands hit his knees as his eyes shut tightly. She was gone, out of his reach forever. He didn’t know how he would ever cope. Even with the humans of Meadowgold standing together off in the distance, he felt like the only person in the forest for a thousand miles. Then, he felt a phantom touch on his shoulder, and he knew that he wasn’t alone.
~~THE END/~~
Thank you for reading Eternal Forest: Savage Rising. We hope you enjoyed the story and would appreciate if you’d rate and review it. Ratings on sites like goodreads.com and amazon.com help other readers discover new works.
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Other works by Joe Naff
SHYRA: THE STONE OF TIME
SHYRA: THE SIN OF THE PHOENIX
SHYRA: THE ARMY OF ANGELS
ETERNAL FOREST
THE GOSPEL OF THE FONT
About the author
If Joe were to be described in one word, it would be…well…weird. Joe’s an outspoken and easily excitable person with a big heart and the attention span of a squirrel let loose in a rave. Joe is far from what anyone would consider normal, but that’s what makes his work so unique and fun. His works mostly involve fantasy, occasionally slipping into other genres, but one thing always remains solid in everything he does: strong and independent women. As a die-hard feminist, Joe enjoys creating female protagonists that can be positive role models for young girls. As an active supporter of LGBT rights, he incorporates gay and lesbian struggles into his story lines while also playing with traditional gender roles. If you’re looking for a young, strong prince that saves the damsel in distress, you’ve come to the wrong place. However, if you’d like to see a damsel that can rescue herself (and maybe even the prince, too), then Joe’s books are definitely for you.
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