Arboria

by Anthony Stefano

  “What is it? It looks like a plant,” said Amy.

  “I am no plant, madam, I am an Elwing.”

  “An Elwing,” said Golmuth, “I thought they had all disappeared.”

  “What’s an Elwing?” asked Meredith.

  “It’s a creature that looks after plants and gardens, and nature in general. It’s a kind of gardener,” said the dwarf.

  “A gardener,” said Alexander. “So you work with people?”

  “Yes, I used to, when they were still interested in nature,” the creature said, examining its petals. It was a green colour and looked very much like a plant, but its hands and feet were made of petals. “These days they only care about their weapons and the Sorceress in black.”

  “You don’t like the Sorceress?”

  “Of course not, but I am sure you do. You are humans.”

  “We are not on the side of the Sorceress. My name is Alexander, this is Amy, Hope, Meredith and Golmuth.”

  The creature bowed. “I am called Dongo.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you. I’m sorry for...”

  “For urinating all over my feet,” said Dongo with annoyance.

  “Um, yes...”

  “Let us speak no more of it,” said the plant with a smile. “What are you doing in these parts?”

  “We’re heading to Rocaille.”

  “The road to Rocaille is a perilous one at the moment. The soldiers of the Sorceress are observing that place although I do not know why.”

  “We had better be careful, then.”

  “I am also going to somewhere near Rocaille to join a new Elwing community. May I go with you?”

  “Yes, of course,” said Alexander, happy that the little creature no longer held a grudge against him for the incident.

  “Come this way, I know of a path that will be faster and safe from danger.”

  The company followed Dongo across the fields and woods.

  “This country is truly magical,” said Alexander when a butterfly landed on his shoulder.

  “It was much more so before the Sorceress took power. We Elwings took care of the humans’ fields, we tended all sorts of flowers and trees. Everything was green, there were flowers and other fantastic plants all around. Unfortunately, with the war against the Sorceress – and with her victory – things have changed. Men are busy making weapons, they have cut down large parts of the forest to feed their forges and we Elwings have been forgotten.”

  Dongo placed a petal-shaped hand on a tree and continued his story.

  “Alright,” he said, “thank you very much.”

  “Who are you talking to?” asked Alexander.

  “To this tree. He’s telling me that he is hurt, he is losing sap.”

  “You can talk to trees?” said Amy with astonishment.

  “Yes, to trees, to plants, to everything in nature.”

  “Wow! That’s amazing. Sometimes I wonder what the willow tree in my garden is thinking about,” said Amy.

  Dongo leaned closer to the bark on the tree and whispered something in an unknown language. The sap stopped running down the trunk. He crouched down and touched the tree again.

  “You are welcome, friend.”

  “It’s magic,” said Hope ecstatically.

  “Are there any Elwing towns?” asked Amy.

  “Unfortunately no. A plant is a solitary creature. We are born of a seed and then we go about our business.”

  “What can the trees and plants tell you?” asked Meredith.

  “Sometimes they tell me they are thirsty, sometimes they complain that the ground is not bringing them enough food for them to grow. An old tree once told me that they used to move around like humans, that they walked across all of Arboria, that entire forests used to move. You could have fallen asleep in a luxurious forest and woken up the next day in the middle of a field with not a tree in sight. Unfortunately, humans discovered Arboria and started to multiply. There was a war, but the trees refused to fight. The leader of the trees decided to leave Arboria to the humans. They will walk again when the humans have learned to live in harmony with nature. Until that moment, they have promised only to grow and will not exchange a single word with any man.”

  “What a story!” said Alexander with wonder.

  Several hours later, they finally saw the great stone of Rocaille forming a kind of vault with the town resting on its back.

  “Now that’s high,” said Meredith.

  “It is one of the biggest stones in Arboria,” said Golmuth proudly.

  “It’s also the only town where nothing grows,” said Dongo.

  “Why?” asked Alexander.

  “Have you ever tried to grow a seed on a pebble?”

  “He’s not wrong,” said Hope.

  They saw a dwarf at the foot of the stone. He had ginger hair and was clad in leather armour.

  “Good day,” Golmuth said amiably.

  “Look at that, a wood dwarf! Good day, friend!”

  “We would like to get into the town on this elevator.” It was a hoist connected to a cage and sandbags.

  “Sorry, but that is not possible. Humans are not welcome at Rocaille.”

  “But they are children,” said Golmuth.

  “No matter.”

  “We’re looking for Silmaril, it’s extremely important,” said Alexander.

  “You know Silmaril?”

  “Of course we do, who do you take us for?” answered Golmuth.

  “Very well,” said the dwarf, “welcome to Rocaille. I will pull on the rope so you can get up to the entrance to the town. Hold on tight!”

  All of the companions climbed inside the wooden cage.

  “I might not have mentioned, but I have vertigo,” said Dongo.

  “Be brave like a rock dwarf, we fear nothing at all,” said the ginger dwarf.

  Dongo turned from a green colour to pale yellow. With a strong movement of his arms, the dwarf turned a crank handle and the cage started to rise.

  “It’s incredible,” said Hope, “it’s amazing to see it all from above, all that forest as far as the eye can see.”

  “Look Dongo,” said Amy, “from here that dwarf looks like a tiny earthworm.”

  “I would rather not open my eyes, thank you.”

  Suddenly, blackness swallowed the horizon and three shooting stars shot through the sky in a blue-coloured arc.

  “What’s that?” asked Alexander.

  “Those are the henchmen of the Sorceress,” said Dongo in a frightened voice.

  They had almost reached the top when the cage stopped moving. The three shooting stars disappeared and a bang resounded in the town on the rock above. Shouting and crying made themselves heard.

  “We will have to get on top of the cage and climb up the rest of the way on the rope. I’m afraid our friend the dwarf might have run for it.”

  “Not bad for a dwarf who fears nothing,” said Golmuth. “Climb up on my back and close your eyes.”

  “Not on your life, Golmuth!” Dongo replied. “No, no, no, and once more: no!”

  The cage started to swing dangerously from left to right.

  “We will fall if we stay here, the rope will snap. Quickly now, climb onto my back!”

  “Don’t look down!” said Amy as she scrambled onto her sister’s back.

  “I am going to die...” said Dongo.

  Alexander grabbed the rope at the top of the cage, when they started to move again with a sudden jolt. They arrived at the top and were greeted by a wicked voice.

  “What do we have here? A wood dwarf, an Elwing and some children. Which of you am I going to kill first?” said the creature holding the rope in its sharp claws.

  Their executioner had yellow-coloured skin and his hair was green and white. He had wings on his back but they looked more like those of a gargoyle than of an angel. Another individual resembling a gargoyle came to his side. This one had bluish skin and dark black hair. His eyes were white and he wore a brown-coloured cape that
was very much worse for wear.

  “Enough, Zago,” he said.

  “I was just starting to enjoy myself, Meyffrey.”

  “We have a mission to accomplish. She will not forgive us if we fail.”

  “We will meet again,” Zago said to the frightened group. His voice hissed like a snake. They both took off and flew in the direction of the town.

  “Who were those monsters?” asked Alexander.

  “You have just met the Queen’s henchmen,” said Golmuth. “That was Zago and Meyffrey. Their leader Zgard was missing, but he cannot be far judging by the screams we heard.”

  They hurried in the direction of the town where there was a tense calm. The dwarfs were gathered in the main square and seemed to be listening to another gargoyle with green skin and white hair. The children ducked down behind a low wall to observe the scene. Zago and Meyffrey were also in the centre of the square, keeping a close eye on the dwarfs. The green-skinned gargoyle began to speak.

  “Dwarfs, I have no desire to spill your blood. Bring me Silmaril and you shall be spared.”

  A shiver ran through the children. Arboria had seemed such a magical place and they were unprepared for this sombre confrontation.

  “Your word means nothing,” said a dwarf, “you are a monster.”

  Zgard’s eyes locked on the dwarf. He withdrew his sword and with the speed of lightning landed a solid blow in the poor dwarf’s chest and sent him crashing to the ground. Zgard approached the lifeless body and collected his blade.

  “Is anyone else willing to contest my authority?” he said to the crowd.

  Hope put her hand over Amy’s eyes.

  “Now, bring me Silmaril.”

  A ginger-haired dwarf approached Zgard and looked him in the eyes.

  “Here I am,” he said proudly.

  “It would be wise to come with us. Our Queen wishes to speak with you.”

  “Your Queen? You mean the Sorceress,” he said defiantly.

  Zgard gauged him with a look but said nothing. The atmosphere grew heavy and the tension was at breaking point. A battle was threatening to break out at any moment.

  “I think they’re going to fight,” said Meredith, but Zgard changed his mind and sheathed his sword.

  “The name you give her is of little importance. She is your Queen. You owe her obedience, otherwise, the race of rock dwarfs will be eradicated like rats.”

  “I know what you want, but I will never tell you where he is.”

  “Then the Queen will kill you, or perhaps you would prefer her to turn you into a tree? You would be the prisoner of your own roots for eternity, unable to speak or move.”

  “Never, I will never betray my friend.”

  More dwarfs came forwards and charged towards the gargoyles. The resistance was futile. A blast of air burst from Zgard’s hand and sent them reeling. Zgard grabbed Silmaril by his back and took flight as quick as lightning. Zago approached the crowd and scoffed at the dwarfs.

  “What that, are there no brave warriors willing to face me? They say you dwarfs are excellent fighters, but I see only cowards in this square.”

  Zago leapt and seized and dwarf and went to withdraw his sword, but another blade stopped him.

  “No more,” said Meyffrey, “you have had enough fun for one day. There is no need to kill this one.”

  “Your good heart will be your undoing, Meyffrey,” said Zago with his serpentine voice.

  He dropped the dwarf, took to the air and disappeared over the horizon. Meyffrey put his sword away and looked at the terrified dwarfs around him. There was a loud bang, and he disappeared into the night.

  The sun reappeared soon after and light flooded the town. The dwarfs dispersed and returned to their tasks as if nothing had happened.

  “We’re in the thick of it now,” said Meredith, coming out from behind the wall where the children had hidden.

  Alexander looked at the little square and the nearby houses. They were half-timbered constructions similar to those found in some traditional villages in Germany and France. Some of the fireplaces beneath the thatched roofs were emitting the pleasant odour of fresh bread.

  “Come, children,” said Golmuth.

  “How are we going to find Gravenstein without Silmaril’s help?” asked Hope.

  “Let us try to find out who this Silmaril was,” said Golmuth, “perhaps the other dwarfs will be able to help us.”

  They walked the cobbled streets in search of information. There were many houses that all looked very similar to one another. The dwarfs themselves seemed little inclined to divulge anything they knew, perhaps out of fear of the flying gargoyles.

  “Leave me alone, I didn’t know him,” said one.

  “No time,” said another, pushing his cart.

  “My, my, this town is full of sympathy,” said Dongo.

  “What are we going to do now?” asked Alexander.

  “No need to panic,” said Dongo, “if the dwarfs are determined to stay quiet, then perhaps the flowers might help. Good day to you, Mister Poppy,” he said with a bow. “I am looking for information concerning the dwarf that was just abducted. Did you know him?”

  “Do not touch me or you will make it rain.”

  “I had no intention of touching you. Did you know Silmaril?”

  “Not at all,” the poppy said, “but my friend the stinging nettle should be able to help you. She is by the well over there. She has always been well informed. Her kind reproduces so quickly that there are nettles all over the village. If anyone knows anything, it will be a nettle.”

  “Thank you,” said Dongo, bowing once more. “This way, children.”

  They followed Dongo to the well and found a little nettle bush sticking out from between the bricks. Dongo cleared his throat.

  “Good day, madam.”

  “Good day. Be careful, I sting.”

  “Yes, I know. I assure you I mean no harm. I am looking for information concerning Silmaril.”

  “Who are you? A spy? Be careful, I sting.”

  “No, no, we are his friends and we are trying to find out why he was abducted.”

  “Silmaril is a kind of hermit, it was a very rare occasion when he came to the well.”

  “What can you tell me about him?”

  “He was a famous traveller once, he explored a large part of Arboria. Be careful, I sting.”

  “Yes, madam nettle, I know you sting. Do you know where we can find his house?”

  “Take the first street on the left, then the first right and it will be the fourth house on the right from the statue of Theodoril.”

  “Thank you, madam,” said Dongo, “ouch!”

  “I told you I sting.”

  “Yes, thank you,” he said, rubbing the branch which served as his hand in the place where the nettle had stung him.

  “Well, what did she say?” asked Golmuth.

  “It’s this way, children.”

  They followed the path indicated by the nettle.

  “There is the statue,” said Dongo, “so one, two, three, four – there it is!”

  “Maybe we should wait for nightfall before we go in,” said Hope, “everyone will see us.”

  “She is right,” said Dongo, “we should wait.”

  “Who was Theodoril?” asked Alexander, examining the statue.

  “A powerful war chief of the rock dwarfs. He reigned over Rocaille for many years and he was quite the brawler. It was he who discovered the rock and founded the town here many years ago. He repelled the human armies which attacked. The town has never fallen into the hands of men. Seeing that the town was impenetrable, the humans eventually gave up. It is said that his tomb is somewhere here in the rock, but nobody has ever found it. Legend says that a small group of dwarfs burrowed a tunnel into the rock and built a crypt to put his coffin in before the body decomposed. Sadly, there was a collapse and they were all buried inside. Nobody knows if they managed to take the body down or if the collapse happened while they were st
ill digging. With time, the elders forgot where the tunnel came out and nobody knows what became of the body.”

  The hours passed by slowly, rain began to fall and a storm rumbled in the sky. The companions made their way into the house thanks to Dongo’s skilful hands: he slid one into the keyhole and formed it into the shape of a key that was a perfect fit.

  “There, nothing to it,” said Dongo. “Come now, get in quickly.”

  The house was arguably the shabbiest in town. It was an old building and the interior woodwork had been devoured by moths. It had three rooms on the ground floor and there were some furniture and an old dusty sofa, and a large fireplace in which embers still burned.

  “What are we looking for exactly?” asked Alexander.

  “Anything that might give us any information about Gravenstein,” answered Golmuth.

  “Let’s split up and search the house,” said Meredith.

  Hope and Amy searched the living room, Golmuth and Meredith went upstairs and Dongo looked in the cellar. Alexander inspected the study. The inside of the house was made entirely of wood, only the fireplace was made of stone. Everywhere were piles of curious objects that Silmaril must have collected on his various voyages.

  Golmuth lit a fire while the thunder roared outside. Dongo, his search in the cellar having produced nothing, categorically refused to help with this for fear of being set alight. None of the other rooms offered up any secrets or any information concerning Gravenstein.

  “I don’t get it,” said Alexander, “there must be something, some kind of clue. If he was such a famous traveller, then he must at least have kept a diary.”

  “Did you check his desk? Was there nothing in there?” asked Hope.

  Everyone sat down around the fire in the living room except Alexander, who paced back and forth in front of the large stone fireplace. Golmuth set about cooking the vegetables he had found in Silmaril’s pantry.

  “I hope he will not hold it against me,” he said, breathing in the pleasant odour wafting over from the fire.

  “Are you going to eat, Alexander?” asked Amy.

  “No, I’m not hungry.”

  “You don’t know what you’re missing,” said Meredith with her mouth full.

  “I found something!”

  Next to the fireplace was a bookshelf with several tomes.