The erfin’s spirits were uplifted as he strolled onward, listening to the ‘bzzz - blop, bzzz - blop’ of the bubble creatures as they harvested the insects around him. He watched as one of the creatures whirred up to a beetle and sucked at it with its ciliated mouth. Suddenly, the bubble creature exploded in a burst of spontaneous fire and iridescent sparks. Mirrortac was startled. ‘What had the beetle done?’ he questioned himself. A moment before the explosion, he had noticed a spark flare up from the tail of the beetle but could not imagine how a mere spark would create such a result. In the melee, all the bubble creatures fled up higher among the trees and now floated somewhere above. There were more explosions followed by mirth-filled grunts and chattering. He looked up and spied the fleeting forms of large winged creatures as they scurried across an exposed bough and into the cover of the foliage. The forest fell into silence once more and the strange bubble creatures descended to continue feeding upon the swarm of insects that were annoying the erfin again. Darkness melted back into the green around him, swallowing all into the night. The rain had stopped but the stench of moist earth and decaying vegetation was overwhelming.
Mirrortac was weary from the long day of walking and bashing and hacking through the thick undergrowth. He found a tree with a hollow space at its base and decided to sleep there for the night. The tree was different to most of the other trees in this part of the forest, possessing a soft stringy cream coloured bark that felt comfortable to lay against. Sleep came swiftly, pulling the erfin into a deep slumber filled with disturbing dreams of wolves, dark tunnels and swirling, gushing streams alive with lorcs. He sucked and gasped for air and his chest felt tensed, stabbed by sharp cold pain. The sensation was so real; it felt as though he was actually choking.
The erfin’s eyes flashed open and he gasped for air. With growing alarm he realised that something had really happened to him - he could not see, nor move nor cry out; the soft thread of the tree had grown over him in his sleep and he was trapped. He thought of the words used to tame the leeches but his mouth was gagged tight by the tree’s bark and he was unable to utter a sound. He felt the fabric of the tree reaching through his fur and attempting to digest him alive. The tree suddenly shuddered and the muffled thud of an axe could be heard being flung against the trunk. The tight thread of bark binding him loosened with each strike of the axe and the familiar grunts of the winged creatures could be heard nearby. As his hand was freed, Mirrortac tore at the bark and heard again an excited chorus of grunts as his rescuers snatched their first close glimpse of an erfin. He disentangled the bark from his body and stepped out to greet whatever intelligent creatures had freed him.
Standing before him were three tall beings, easily one and a half erfin-lengths high with faces like those of gibbons. They were each cloaked in large leathery wings of mottled green and one of them was holding a double-bladed axe made of stone that had been chiseled and honed to a fine sharp edge. The beings scrutinised him with as much surprise and suspicion as he did they, muttering to each other in grunts and gnashing motions of their teeth. Then one of them addressed him. He could not understand the strange sounds it made.
‘I do nought understand your words,’ he shrugged. ‘ My name be Mirrortac; I come from Eol beyond the mountain. I am grateful that you rescued me.’
There were more grunts and the beings exchanged perplexed grimaces. Then one stepped toward him and grabbed him with its bat-like fingers, tugging at his arm and motioning for him to follow. Mirrortac followed them into the forest a short distance before each of the beings began to climb the trunk of one of the giant trees.
Mirrortac hesitated as he looked up into the heights of the trunk and foliage above. ‘Up there?’ he said, pointing up into the branches.
The beings nodded and urged him to climb with them. Climbing trees was not an erfin-preferred activity but he knew the process for the times when an escape from a predator necessitated it. He clung to the trunk of the tree and pulled himself upwards, gingerly clawing his way behind the bat-beings who managed the climb as a matter of course. They scrabbled past vines and branches, higher and higher until they had reached a bough where the three beings now stood, waiting for the erfin. When he crawled onto the bough, one of the beings took wing, gliding across the dizzying space until it alighted on a neighbouring tree and awaited the others. Mirrortac glanced at them then stared at the yawning empty space above the cross matting of foliage and branches below. He gestured to them, anxious and alarmed.
‘I cannot do this!’ he shouted. ‘Look!’ he indicated his furry arms. ‘No wings!’ he waved his arms and wobbled precariously.
The two on the bough looked at him and grunted with an expression of plain annoyance then one of them came to him and clasped its arms around him as it spread out its leathery wings and leapt out into space. Mirrortac visibly paled as the air rushed up around him and he found himself dangling over the great space. He clung onto the being tightly, daring not to let go as they glided into the emptiness between the trees. When he opened his eyes again, they had landed upon the neighbouring tree bough but the beings were already preparing to take-off again, violating the space that was the realm of birds and flying insects. As they thrust out into the air again, Mirrortac felt the uncommon sensation of floating in the silence between the trees. Leaves brushed past them at awkward angles and at times, he was confused as to what was up and what was down.
After a series of many such flights from tree to tree, They arrived at the top of a truncated tree where there were erected many bowers of thatched leaf and wood and other materials of the forest. Here more beings were gathered, some engaged in activities that seemed to amuse them as their grunts and chattering were accompanied with expressions of joy and pleasure. Mirrortac was taken to one of the bowers, which he entered. Inside, the roof of the bower was finely woven with a mixture of leaves and the bark of trees. The walls were composed of a smooth but flexible animal skin of a strong consistency. A framework of timber, carved in intricate designs in the likeness of these beings and of creatures of the forest, supported the bower. Wooden shelves supported carved wooden bowls and mugs. One part of the bower was partitioned off with a vine curtain and Mirrortac guessed that the area beyond it was for sleeping and added privacy. One of the beings with him indicated to him to be seated on a mat that lay on the floor. Reaching up to an urn on one of the shelves it poured a pale coloured liquid from the urn into a mug and gave the mug to Mirrortac. The erfin lifted the mug to his lips and tasted the liquid. It was refreshing and sweet and its flavour was of something brewed.
The being then left him and rejoined the others outside the bower. Mirrortac could hear their chattering and grunts and as he studied their expressions through the doorway, he knew that he was the subject of their discussion. They grunted at each other with irritation, glancing back at him occasionally with expressions that said: ‘What shall we do with this creature?’ Taking regular sips of the tasty liquid, he began to feel very safe with the strange beings, savouring the gentle flavour of the drink that rolled down his throat in a soothing stream much like honey.
The stress of the morning and his unaccustomed journey through the treetops were soon forgotten as the drink lulled and strengthened him.
At long last, the discussion between the beings drew to a resolution and one of them entered the bower and poured him a fresh mug of the liquid. The being then motioned for him to join them outside where many of the beings had gathered for some ritual. Mirrortac sat down in the spot indicated and waited, his eyes scanning the bowers for the appearance of some leader or priest. After a short time, one of the bat people entered a bower and emerged holding a closely woven cage filled with a noisy swarm of insects. Another of the beings emerged from out of another bower, armed with a bow and a snakeskin quiver in which were several arrows. The being with the cage glided over to a tree some erfin-lengths from them and attached the cage securely with twine to one of the branches. The armed being took up position near the centr
e of the tree platform and withdrew an arrow. A live fire beetle was applied to the head of the arrow, tied to the point with a thin length of tree bark. The being nocked the arrow to the bow and drew back on it, casting its eye along the shaft as it measured the trajectory.
Mirrortac could not understand the purpose of this ritual but respected the right of these creatures to practise it. There was a low murmur of chatter and teeth gnashing amongst the assemblage and the light of expectancy shone bright in the black beads of their eyes. The day wore on and the light of the forest grew dim. In the depths of the foliage, the sound of insects grew, and with it came the distant ‘bzzz - blop’ of the strange bubble-like creatures. A cloud of insects swirled up from out of the foliage, attracted by the humming of the ones inside the cage. Following close behind were the amiable little predators, chomping and hopping through the air until they too had reached the area around the cage. The crowd of beings grew excited and the one with the bow prepared to shoot. Mirrortac watched with curiosity.
The being drew out the bow to its fullest extent and looked along the shaft once more then in a silent spring of movement, released the arrow, flinging it into straight and swift flight. The missile sliced out in an arc towards the bubble creatures and one of the creatures hopped clear as the arrow narrowly missed hitting it. The arrow fell harmlessly out of sight into the twigs and foliage below. Another arrow was nocked and carefully lined up before being shot into the cluster of insects and bubble creatures. In a spontaneous flash of light and sound and iridescent sparks, one of the creatures exploded. The crowd burst into a joyful chorus of grunts and flapping of wings. Mirrortac scratched his head more than a little bemused.
As the ritual continued, every time that one of the creatures exploded, there was a chorus of delighted grunts from the crowd. Many of the beings tried their skills with the bow and arrow, competing for the most number of hits and explosions. Mirrortac was more than perplexed. He had never known any ritual that involved such a light-hearted competition. The competition continued until dark by which time the erfin had drunk many mugs-full of the brewed liquid and was feeling quite euphoric himself. One of the beings offered him the quiver and the bow and the erfin accepted the challenge. He took the equipment and confidently took his place at the centre of the platform. The bow felt light in his hands although its string did not give as easily as the bat people had made it appear. The buzzing bubble creatures had been reduced and had also become quite wary of the arrows.
Mirrortac affixed an arrow to the bow and drew it back, positioning it with his eyes as he had seen the others do. ‘What a trifling task,’ he thought, pulling the bow string taut. He released the arrow and was disappointed to see it spiral out wildly in the air, coming to rest upon the roof of one of the bowers. He was sure the grunts he just heard were very like chuckles and he was not about to be outdone. He took another arrow and loaded it, taking extra care as he placed it against the bow and aimed it. He fired the arrow and watched it fly erratically through the air, falling far short of the targeted bubble creature. Not to be disgraced, he prepared yet another arrow but one of the beings stepped forward and stayed his hand. It repositioned his arrow further up the bow, and the erfin’s eyes followed closely what the being was doing. Mirrortac drew back on the bow and let go. The arrow flew straight and true, whisking under one of the bubble creatures which decided to chase the arrow, exploding when it closed in on the beetle.
The crowd grunted in excitement and glee, applauding the erfin’s effort. Mirrortac surrendered the bow and quiver, pleased with the accomplishment of this weird ritual. Night had fallen over the forest and he was shown into a bower and beyond the partition where a bed of soft leaves had been prepared for him.
Mirrortac lay awake for some time, pondering over the events of the last days and the customs of these strange people who had taken him in as their own. ‘I must learn their words,’ he muttered to himself, but he sighed as he contemplated the imitation of their alien grunts and gnashing sounds. He admired their skill with wood and the structure of their bowers. The builder in him was intrigued with their carvings, which he hoped he could master for himself and bring this skill back to his people.
The gentle rustle of the rain as it fell upon the forest canopy and tumbled over the leafy roof of the bower made him feel secure and cosy in the dry bower and he soon drifted into a restful sleep.
When he awoke in the morning, a bowl filled with various fruits of the forest had been prepared and placed alongside his bed. He ate his fill but hungered after meat, there being only a few unappetising hulks of the bubble creatures that had been exploded the previous night. There was renewed activity outside as yet another round of strange rituals was prepared. Mirrortac emerged from the bower to investigate and saw the crowd watching one of the beings swinging back and forth on a long length of vine that was hanging from a branch of one of the higher trees. With each swing of the vine, the being urged it into greater momentum, forcing it to swing into a higher arc with each sweep. The heads of the crowd swayed back and forth with the movement of the vine and the being on the end of it, bewildering the erfin further as he wondered what would be the culmination of this ritual. The vine creaked as it rubbed up against the bough that supported it but there was no tree to hinder its smooth passage. The arc grew as the being urged himself and the vine to greater heights until it had almost completed a full circle, hanging upside-down as it reached the zenith of the arc. Finally, in one last effort, the circle was completed and for a moment, the being hung suspended at the apex of sky and the tree-tops before swinging down the other side, cheered on by an incredible hubbub of grunts and flapping of wings. Mirrortac smiled with realisation, concluding to himself that this had been no ordinary ritual, its purpose being an achievement of some task that was an end in itself.
There was a child-like joy on the faces of these people and a light shone out of their beady eyes as they jumped and flapped and grunted with obvious delight. Even the silent giants of the rainforest, the trees, seemed to cast their branches up high in silent celebration. Another of these people, a chubby being, approached the swing platform and unbound the vine, shortening it before grasping hold of it and starting the swinging motion again. The grey sky rumbled a little then went silent. The tippling of raindrops splashed the leaves of the forest around him and Mirrortac withdrew to the cover of the bower as he continued to watch the ritual from the doorway. The beings ignored the rain, allowing the water to roll off them as though they were made of wax.
Mirrortac blinked as he strained to see the being on the vine through the heavy rain. The arc of its movement rose higher with each swing but the grunts of the crowd was lost in the roar of the falling rain. Then, as though given a signal, a thousand invisible frogs put voice to the rhythm of the rain, croaking together in their own celebration. ‘Gorrop - reep, Gorrop - reep,’ they called, and the rain answered them with its own din, falling down in a curtain of water that streamed off the roof of the bower, obscuring the forest world. Mirrortac could only make out a smudge of dark shapes fluttering beyond, and somewhere in the green, a shadow that rose up in an increasing arc only to disappear again into the dark wash of green and grey.
The air suddenly tore open with a blinding flash of lightning, which zigzagged across the sky and struck a tree nearby in a tremendous crashing, smashing explosion. The bower tree shook from end to end and Mirrortac glared out across the platform expecting to see half the tree missing, but all he could see was a tiny shadow appearing up on its arc in the grey light between the trees. He heard the grunts rise up when the being completed the circle and swung down to come to rest at last on the swinging platform. The rain poured all the more and the event was abandoned, all the beings dispersing and retiring to their respective bowers to wait out the rage of the storm above.
Another flash of lightning arrowed down into the trees some distance away and the whole of the forest shuddered. Mirrortac heard the sharp crack of timber splitting then a whoosh
as a large branch fell in among the foliage. The tops of the trees swayed to the force of the wind, gusts bursting through the cover of canopy and sweeping across the platform of the bower tree. He withdrew and curled up on a mat inside the bower as rainwater crept in across the floor, soaking up the woven bark and timber supports. The rain continued falling for some time, emptying what seemed to be an entire lake of water over the forest. Mirrortac moaned to himself, yearning for the comfort of the sun and the feel of its warm golden light on his fur. After a time, the rain steadied down to a moderate pour and the croaking of the frogs rose up to a crescendo before halting as abruptly as it had begun. A heavy unease weighed upon the stillness outside and Mirrortac felt his fur prickling. Even the bat beings were restless and silent within their bowers, peeking out of doorways with concerned and anxious eyes. As he listened Mirrortac picked up a disturbing new sound that permeated through the patter of the rain; a rattling that echoed somewhere above. The expressions on the faces in the doorways paled with alarm. The rattling grew louder. Twigs and branches snapped and cracked out of sight beyond the foliage of the surrounding trees. The fur on Mirrortac’s neck was bristling. He sat trembling, watching through the doorway at the fear in the faces of the bat-beings.
There was more snapping and cracking of branches. The tree creaked and the log sections below the erfin moved as a large weight shifted onto the platform. Mirrortac froze to the spot, unable to contemplate the size of what was out there. There was a loud and deafening roar, the noise of timber smashing as a bower collapsed. A chill gripped the erfin. He tensed and his heart thudded hard within his chest. His breath came out in sharp pants and his blood raced. The chilling howls of dying bat-beings erupted out of a bower beyond the wall and the tree shook with their struggles.
Regaining his senses, he leapt to his feet and withdrew his sword. He watched the opening of the bower for a few moments, taking quick breaths. The howls died away and the weight of the monster shifted. He forced himself to move nearer the opening, intent on identifying the foe at sight. The sound of crashing bowers and cracking timber resumed as the monster moved from bower to bower, devouring all in its passage. Another bower collapsed, and sucking in a deep breath, he stole a look outside.
The Wizard's Sword (Nine Worlds of Mirrortac Book 1) Page 6
