by Candy Crum
Arryn shook her head as they continued to walk. "I didn't want anyone to know about it. I threatened to burn his balls off if he ever told anyone, and he promised he wouldn't. He also said he didn't know who he was more afraid of, me or Cathillian, so that was a good motivator for him. Shockingly enough, he was honest and never did say anything."
That brought another smile to Elysia's face. "I'd like to say I was surprised, but I'm not. Who was it? I have to know."
Arryn burst into a fit of laughter. "It was funny then, because he was kind of goofy. But he filled out quite a bit once he began warrior training, even if he did start late."
With a gasp and wide eyes, Elysia asked, "Really? Mason?"
Arryn nodded.
"Oh, my," Elysia said. "Don't tell my son—he'd break his neck. He’s always thought Mason had a thing for you, and he's always hated him."
With confusion on her face, Arryn asked, "Why would he have a problem with it? It's none of his business, just like all the royal druid groupies sliming their way around him weren't any of mine."
“Royal druid groupies?” Elysia snorted as she shook her head. "You may be grown now, and you may be capable of great things, but you still have a lot to learn. Apparently, you're just as blind in some areas as I've been."
Arryn opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when footsteps approached. They looked behind them to see Amelia approaching.
"I wanted to see them off," Amelia said, completely oblivious to the serious conversation that had just been taking place. "So, what now?"
With a sigh, Arryn shrugged. "This is the hard part. Personally, I feel like this is the calm before the storm. The dark druids have been quiet, and we have yet to hear anything from Arcadia. But like them, we're just sitting here doing nothing. The question is, who’s going to move first? Obviously, it needs to be us."
"We have scouts due back sometime today," Elysia said. "They should have news of the dark druids. Hopefully, soon. Once we know what they're up to, we can begin planning. As for Arcadia, we have no idea yet what they're capable of."
Amelia shook her head. "That's not entirely true. I know what they're capable of. I've seen what a strong mystic can do. Julianne, the Master of the mystics, infiltrated the Guard during the Battle for Arcadia. She spent weeks disguised as another person. Weeks forcing other people to see what she wanted them to see. All day. All night. Dozens of people—or more—at a time. They even sent her to the Frozen North with a group. I'm pretty sure Arryn could attest to how difficult it is to focus in that kind of weather."
"Fuck me," Arryn said. "I can't even imagine. It took me weeks to gain enough strength to get off that mountain. I was bled out before I was dumped there, but still! The ability it must've taken her to hold an illusion for that long… She must be very strong. But as Amelia was trying to say, that just goes to show how powerful she was. Imagine what a mystic in comfortable conditions could do."
"Not just her, either. By now, I'm sure she has friends there. Before everything started to get really bad, Julianne stopped to tell me there was a group of mystics called the ‘New Dawn’ that was in the area, and was very dangerous. I told her about our own little problem, and though she didn't know if Scarlett was part of New Dawn, she did realize the woman was quite a threat.
“Whether or not she's part of it, there are others like Scarlett out there. Mystics who left the temple early, or trained on their own. She's got to know Arryn's coming for her. There's no way in hell she's going to try to keep that city under control all by herself."
Silence filled the air for a few moments as the three women thought over their situation. Finally, Arryn said, "Do you think Julianne would help Arcadia again?"
Amelia's expression turned to sadness. "I have no doubt about that. Julianne would be by our sides in an instant if she could. But like I said, she's dealing with the New Dawn. She has problems of her own to solve. As far as I know, she's not in the Temple, but that doesn't mean someone else wouldn't be willing to help."
"Are you suggesting we go to the Temple of the Mystics?" Elysia asked.
Arryn's face lit up. "Why not? If Scarlett has friends, why shouldn't we make some, too? We need information on how to beat them. Who better to go to than the people of the Temple? The closest thing we have to a mystic is Amelia.”
She turned to the Chancellor. “No offense, but you're not that skilled. You can get into the minds of others, but that's it."
"I hate that I can't make these journeys with you," Elysia said, shaking her head. "If the threat of war with the dark druids weren’t pressing down on us, I would go with you in a heartbeat."
Arryn smiled. "Trust me, I know that. But this is something we’ll have to do if we're going to have a chance to beat her."
Amelia nodded. "I'll go tell the others. It's going to take all of us to make that trip, and we should go soon. Besides, it'll probably do Samuel some good to be back home in Craigston for a while."
Elysia followed, but kept a safe distance behind Arryn and Amelia. Though she had known the time for them to leave again was coming soon, she had hoped it would have been a while longer.
Alaric stepped outside the cave that sat at the southernmost edge of the Dark Forest. The sun shone from above, but it did nothing to brighten the gloom in the area. The trees had almost no foliage, and the leaves that still existed looked ashy or had turned brown, ready to fall at any moment.
Spring was in full bloom everywhere else in the Valley, but not here. The bark on the mighty oaks looked as though it had been burned, charred, or simply smoked slowly and steadily over time. Few were still alive, and the living ones only hung on by a thread.
There were no animals. Birds had stopped singing long ago, the deer had moved farther north, and all other wildlife had dispersed right along with them. With no grass, no berries—no vegetation at all aside from the rot the dark druids were able to conjure with their tainted magic—the rabbits, raccoons, birds, and even snakes had all fled. Each species had been aware that death would find them, either from starvation or the hands of the dark druids dwelling in those woods.
But it wouldn't be like this forever—not if Alaric had anything to say about it.
He stepped farther away from the mouth of the cave, reaching his long arms into the sky and leaning back in a deep stretch. His people loitered around the area, some of them prepping what few edibles they could grow while others sparred with one another.
Running his fingers through his long, dark hair, he sighed. Something had to be done. Too many of his people had been killed. Several had been lost when they had gone to retrieve Jenna, Amara, and Flynn, the family of his most trusted confidant, Aeris.
Far more than he would have wanted to sacrifice, but he knew if she was half as strong as her brother, she was a worthy cause.
And from what he had seen, she showed great promise.
The parents seemed to be rather docile, but he didn’t mind. That just meant they weren’t the rebellious type. They were there to be with their children, and that was all that mattered to him. It would keep them in line.
For the time being, Jenna spent all her time training their fighters and, most importantly, she stayed out of his way. Aeris was the only one he allowed to be around him for any length of time, and that was how he liked it. He kept the number of people he trusted low to avoid problems.
The dark chieftain looked like anyone else in his charge, but was so much different. The hair that hung in long, straight, thick strands most of the way down his back had once been black. Before he had left the northern tribes, the true druids of the Dark Forest, his hair had been blacker than the darkest night.
Now, it was the color of ash. There were silver streaks throughout, but almost all of it was the deep color of burnt charcoal. His irises were terrifying, the very outer edges rimmed in black while the centers varied between the same color as his hair and a very light green. They gave him a ghostly appearance, when paired with his dark-greyish skin.
> No one else in the tribe matched his appearance—he was an original, or so it seemed. He looked as if he had been born that way, but that hadn't been the case at all. He had been a beautiful baby with vibrant green eyes, medium-complected skin, and satiny black hair.
As he grew older, his looks only intensified. Once he began training under the Chieftain of the Dark Forest, his naturally green eyes intensified, his skin became even healthier, and his hair even more beautiful. He had been affected by the nature magic, just as the rest of them had been.
The women of the tribe wanted him, and many of the men in the tribe were jealous of him. He had stolen quite a few hearts, taking those women right out of the arms of other men. For Alaric, it had been quite easy.
But all that had changed when he had abandoned the Chieftain and their way of life and gone out on his own. Though his looks hadn’t withered like those of many others in his tribe had over the years, he had certainly become a different type of beautiful. Dark, alluring, and terrifying.
The dark chieftain caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to see Aeris making his way over. "Not this early," Alaric said. "That's worry I see on your face. You know I don't like to see that, especially this early in the morning."
Aeris had the good sense to stop and avert his eyes for a moment, collecting himself before turning his gaze back to the dark chieftain. "Forgive me. It's just… I've been thinking. We need men. Experienced men. We need help."
Alaric laughed. "You think I don't know this? We had small numbers to begin with. Unlike the druids of the Dark Forest, we aren't elitists—we accept outsiders. We could recruit, but it would take too long. We’ve lost far too many people already, and it was all in the name of testing things."
Once again, Aeris lowered his head, gently nodding in obvious submission. "I know—those were my fault. It's just, I wanted us to know what we would be up against before we launched an actual attack. Had we gone all-in, the outcome would've been no different. While we lost a lot of people in the process, at least now we know that we need even more than we had originally to win."
The dark chieftain sighed. "I contemplated gutting you myself, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. You’re the closest thing I have to a son."
Aeris' brows creased. "But, Chieftain, you have many sons."
The corner of the dark chieftain's mouth turned up. "Have you met them? They're idiots. All of them. My daughters, too. If I'm quite honest with myself, I don't know how they’ve survived this long. As I said, you’re the closest thing I have to a son."
Aeris smiled, his eyes lighting up with obvious pride. "That's an honor, sir. Thank you. I promise I won’t let you down again."
Giving a curt nod, Alaric said, "Good. See that you don't. While I hold more patience for you than for my biological children, I can't exactly tell you how far that goes. If we lose more men—by which I mean, if I lose any chance of gaining the Dark Forest—I can't guarantee your safety. Is that understood?"
Eyes widening, Aeris nodded quickly. "Yes, of course."
"So, what's all this you wanted to talk to me about? From the earlier inflection in your voice, I assume you have a solution in mind. Is that so?"
"I don't know. I may have. There are other tribes, aren't there? Didn't you once tell me that your brother has a tribe west of here? In the Terres Forest?"
There was a pause before the dark chieftain nodded. "I did. Are you suggesting what I think you are?"
Aeris hesitated before continuing. "I am. I don't know your situation, but considering I've not seen your brother in the decade I've known you and you’ve never gone to see him, I have no choice but to assume the two of you don't get along. That being said, I can’t imagine he would want his brother to get killed."
A dark smile spread across Alaric's face. "Jerick has always been… competitive. He was also a spoiled brat. However, despite our differences, I would have to agree. I certainly wouldn't want to see him dead. If he asked for my aid, I’d give it. I can’t speak for him, but I’d hope he’d feel same."
Aeris risked a smile. "Maybe we should give him a chance. We don't have the numbers to attack the Dark Forest again. We don't even have the numbers to send scouts. I came because I have reports their scouts are hiding in the trees just at the edge of their border, where the leaves will still hide them. Right now, the only thing stopping them from coming over is thinking we have the numbers to take them. If they get brave, they'll know within minutes that we don't. I think we should abandon our post here and head west. Come back with an army."
The dark chieftain looked around, watching his people move through their camp. They had no more than fifty—seventy-five at best. There was no way an army that small could defend against the druids of the Dark Forest. It would be a massacre.
After a few moments, the dark chieftain nodded. "Gather your things. Spread the word for everyone else to do the same. We leave for the Terres Forest tonight."
5
The sun had set on the Dark Forest, and training had been concluded for the evening. Everyone scattered to their dwellings to ready themselves for the evening festivities. Every night, after training was through, everyone gathered for wine and laughter.
The most responsible of them would only have a single cup, maybe two, but others enjoyed the wine a little too much.
But even amid the fun and relaxation, there were warriors placed all over, watching the borders and remaining on alert for any sign of magic or humans approaching.
Arryn sighed heavily, wiping sweat from her forehead with her arm as she threw the bow Elysia had crafted from a limb of the Heilig tree over her shoulder and walked back to her house.
Future plans had been weighing on her all that day, leaving her unsure of what would happen. She worried about the governor, and she even worried about his son Nathaniel—who apparently had a crush on her.
She smiled, shaking her head as she thought about how forward he had been. It wasn't the first time she had been flirted with, but it had certainly been one of the most entertaining times.
As Arryn walked onto the bare ground that was the foundation of many druid dwellings, she yawned and rubbed her sore arms.
Not only had she trained with Nika and Elysia, but she had also helped train Amelia, Celine, and Maddie. All three of them were quick learners and excellent students, but that hadn’t made today any less physically taxing.
Maddie enjoyed attending the Chieftain’s classes, though she mainly listened to him teach the children. She tried to help him keep them focused, which seemed to make her feel content and useful in the Forest.
Later in the day, when the more advanced classes began, she would come to the pit and watch Arryn and the others spar, joining in to learn some fighting techniques as well.
Amelia and Celine, however, had taken to physical training much like Arryn had when she first began. Celine’s motivations were purely based on her need to protect her family, while Amelia wanted to continue to hone her skills to always be prepared for the worst. She was in charge of an entire city after all, or at least, she would be again soon.
Just before she was about to walk into her house, she heard a very pathetic—but adorable—attempt at a loud growl. She looked up just in time to see Dante leap from the roof, and he quickly took her to the ground.
She landed hard, which hurt her aching muscles, but she quickly found herself laughing as the cub violently headbutted her and rubbed his cheeks against hers, loud purrs coming from deep in his little chest.
She heard louder purrs of contentment and looked over to see Snow stalking between her house and another one. The large tiger flopped down on the ground next to Arryn, laying her massive head on Arryn's stomach and throwing a giant paw over her excited cub to calm him.
Until that moment, lying in the dirt, smothered in the warmth of the two creatures most important to her in the world, Arryn hadn't realized just how tired she was.
Running the fingers of one hand along Sn
ow’s powerful jaw while the other hand stroked Dante's back, she found her eyes growing heavy. It didn't matter that she was lying on the ground; she had been in far worse places. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment before the call of a hawk echoed above.
Arryn gasped, jumping as her eyes snapped open. She realized that she had fallen asleep, even if it had only been for a few moments. She looked at the hawk staring down at her from the peak of her house.
"What is it, Shae?” Arryn asked, recognizing the familiar of one of the warriors who had been sent south on a scouting mission.
Arryn took a deep breath, summoning what little strength she had left. Her eyes flashed green as she magically reached out to the raptor. She was flooded with images of the dark druids making their way west. They had all their belongings on their backs, so it was obvious they weren’t headed to war.
But what were they doing?
She wondered if maybe they were headed toward a better patch of forest, one that had more vegetation that hadn't been turned to rot with their dark magic.
"Are they migrating? Or traveling?"
More images flashed, only this time it was of Shae's master, Killian, telling her what to do.
"Find Arryn or any of the Elders. Tell them the dark druids are heading toward the Terres Forest. They're traveling under the cover of darkness."
The Terres Forest.
That lay just to the west of the Dark Forest. What could possibly be there?
Arryn shuffled out from under her tigers and dusted herself off. "Get back to Killian, Shae. I'll tell the others. Thank you." Arryn was so tired that she actually saluted the hawk, placing her fist over her heart. She shook her head, realizing what she had done, though it wasn't as if it had been a terrible mistake.
Snow rubbed against Arryn and she looked over to see the tiger's crystalline blue eyes staring hard into hers. Without speaking, she knew Snow was offering to carry her anywhere she needed to go.
With a sigh of relief, Arryn nodded and climbed on her back, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around the big cat as they made their way toward the gathering.
