by Candy Crum
Arryn took a deep breath and gently pulled away, inspecting Corrine’s work. The wound was jagged, and there was a large scar, but it was healed. Arryn knew it would continue to heal and eventually disappear completely, even if she didn’t use magic on it. It would just take a couple days longer.
That was the power of being a druid—your injuries healed, even without being forced. It was the only reason she had survived Scarlett and Talia bleeding her out on the way to the Frozen North.
“I’m sorry,” Corrine said again. “I didn’t—”
Arryn reached out and pulled the girl into a hug, and kissed the top of her head. “You’re not going anywhere. You didn’t hurt me. I should have reacted sooner. I was… Well, to be honest, I was just very shocked.”
Pulling back, Arryn smoothed Corrine’s hair out of her face before shifting into a more comfortable position.
“I didn’t realize I was hurting him more than a normal hunter would. Not until you told me.” Corrine looked toward the ground, disappointment on her face.
“You did great calling him to you—that was perfect. Everything after that was wrong, but that’s okay. You didn’t hurt him permanently, and I soothed him. We’re going to teach you the right way. The thing is, we aren’t normal hunters. When we hunt, the animal never feels even the tiniest bit of pain.”
Corrine’s eyes widened as she turned back to Arryn. “You can do that?”
Arryn nodded. “And so can you.”
“How did you do that? You forced him to do what you wanted, but he didn’t seem to be in pain.”
“From what I know about dark druid magic, when they create a familiar or call an animal, they don’t do it like we do at all. We push our magic and create a bridge between us and the animal. We make it feel safe and ask it to come to us.”
The girl looked uncomfortable. “Then what do we do?”
“They use their power to overwhelm the animal. They push so much influence toward it that the magic literally beats it into submission. Their magic takes over its brain and its body, and it’s incredibly painful. It’s not much different from what a mystic can do to a human. A dark druid’s familiar isn’t loyal out of love like Snow, Dante, and I share. It’s loyal out of debilitating fear.”
Corrine’s eyes widened again, her lips parting slightly as the weight of her heritage settled on her.
“But you don’t have to worry about that, now do you? You’re not one of them, right?” Arryn asked.
Hope filled the girl’s face as she sat up straighter and shook her head. “No. I never have been.”
Arryn nodded. “Exactly. You learned their way because that’s what you saw—you didn’t have a choice. You didn’t choose the people you learned from. If you had been in the same situation here with us—which never would have happened—but if you lived in the trees here, you would have picked up how to properly call an animal and probably how to heal or grow food. So, don’t focus on you. This isn’t your fault, it’s theirs. They failed you. You didn’t fail. Understand?”
She nodded. “I understand.” There was a pause before she said, “Arryn, I want to learn to be like you. I want to use good magic. You’re so strong, and you took an antler to the belly for me. No one has ever cared so much about me. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it!”
Arryn smiled. “Good. I’m glad to hear it. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. First things first… We need to get some food to the warriors, or we’re both gonna be in trouble. I’m too weak to call anything else, and I’m betting you are, too. How about we let Snow take this one?”
Corrine smiled and nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. I’m kinda sleepy again.”
“That’ll happen. You have some strength in areas, but healing and growing take the most out of you. Tomorrow, we’ll start bright and early. It’ll have to be, because I have training at sunrise, so be ready,” Arryn said.
“I will. What are we gonna do?” Corrine asked as she climbed to her feet, extending her little hand to help Arryn up.
Arryn took it, but used her own strength to keep from pulling the girl over. “I’m going to teach you how to call animals and communicate with them. You have no idea just how useful it can be. I’m not a native here, as you can probably tell by my rounded ears, but I’m the best at talking to animals. In fact, do you wanna do something really funny with me? It’s my favorite thing in the world to do, and I haven’t done it in a super long time.”
Corrine seemed excited. “Yeah! What is it?”
Arryn gave a devious laugh. “Well, first we’ll send Snow out, then you and I are going to hunt down a squirrel and have him send Cathillian a message.”
5
The Chieftain settled into his favorite chair at the firepit with his dual mugs of wine. He took a sip of the sweeter one and set it down by his feet. People had begun to gather when Zobig laid down next to him.
“Good evening, Zo,” he said. “You gonna be nice tonight, or do you have plans to growl at the new baby?”
The bear grumbled before rubbing his head against the Chieftain’s leg.
Smiling, Alexander reached down and scratched through his thick fur. “Good boy.”
Arryn sat in her regular place, while Corrine once again picked the spot at his side.
“I hear you two had quite an adventure today,” he said.
“It was pretty terrible,” Corrine replied as she played with a small stick on the ground.
“It was a learning experience, dear,” the Chieftain said. “You have to start somewhere. Besides, it sounds to me like you will be getting special training from here on out from one of our best. With a teacher like Arryn, you can’t go wrong. She was a slow learner, so she understands better than most.”
“Hey!” Arryn said.
He laughed. “What? You really were, but we loved you all the same.”
“Yeah,” Cathillian said, sitting next to them. “Very slow. He’s being generous.”
Corrine laughed as Arryn shot him a look that would possibly have killed a lesser man.
“By the way,” Cathillian said, “I got your message. Funny.”
Arryn looked at Corrine and winked. “You’re welcome.”
“What’s this?” the Chieftain asked.
“Nothing,” Arryn told him with a big smile.
“Yeah, nothing—except my room was filled with acorns and nuts. I don’t mean there were a few. I mean there were three to four inches at least of nuts all over the floor, and my bed was full. They had to have been at it all day. I caught a damn squirrel in there stuffing them in my sheets and another one stuffing them in my pillow.”
Arryn laughed so hard that she actually tipped off the edge of the log she was sitting on and fell to the ground.
“Shit,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes as she tried to catch her breath. “They went above and beyond.”
“Yeah. The note left on top of the nuts piled on the bed was pretty precious, too,” he said, mock annoyance in his voice.
“Read it!” Arryn said, snorting before bursting into laughter again as she bounced and clapped her hands in exaggerated excitement like a child. “Please read it.”
The Chieftain nodded, and he laughed as well. “Yes, Grandson. Please do.”
“Gladly! You’ll see just how big an asshole she is.” Cathillian pulled a small piece of parchment from his pocket and unfolded it before exaggeratedly clearing his throat and straightening his posture. “Dearest Cathillian, Chippy the Chipmunk asked me to let you know his nuts are still bigger than yours. Signed, Nutty the Squirrel.”
Arryn screamed as she laughed, even slapping her knee. “Damn! That Chippy is a real—”
“Don’t say it,” Cathillian interrupted.
“Nutcracker,” Arryn croaked before exploding again, everyone else joining her.
“Mmhmm,” he groaned. “How inappropriate for you to teach the young and impressionable Corrine such vulgarity.”
Arryn looked at him incredulousl
y, a smile still on her face. “First of all, I wrote the note. Secondly, it was excellent practice. She and I spoke to several friendly neighborhood squirrels, so it was a lesson in how to communicate with animals. She also learned about having a great sense of humor. I think she’s taken to it.”
Cathillian threw his hands in the air. “Great! Then I’ll now get to enjoy the two of you teasing me with woodland creatures and notes.”
More people filled the area, Zoe and Elysia among them. “Good evening, Chieftain,” the mystic said with a smile.
She came over to stand next to him, preparing for the next part of his grand story. Only this time, she planned to do much more. The Chieftain had told her he would be recounting more details this time instead of hitting only the highlights of everything that had led them to retreat into the Forest as he had the night before.
The first time, Zoe had used a series of fast-moving images that had entertained, but didn’t have as much detail as she liked, because the story had been told quickly. She had assumed he wasn’t as good a storyteller as the mystics from the Temple, but she had realized he’d had to get through several years of backstory to reach to what he needed to say.
Tonight would be much different, and both she and the Chieftain were excited. The images would be much more complex and fluid as she connected to the memories. They would play out as if everyone were there.
“Good evening, Zoe,” the Chieftain said. “I’m glad you could join us. I think the show tonight will be even more fun for everyone.”
She smiled and nodded. “I think so, too. Shall we get started? Everyone is here.”
The Chieftain nodded before picking his sweet wine up and taking a long drink. “Thanks to everyone for coming! Tonight… we head into the Dark Forest.”
The western forest was brand new for many of Alexander’s tribe. Some of them had known only their very small community for most of their lives. Those who were old enough to have moved several times after having found safety for a time knew the peace that simply being in the forest could bring, let alone living in one.
It took several days to get to their destination. There were only a few horses for all of them, so everyone walked part of the time.
There weren’t many in their group at the beginning, but as they passed other small groups on the way to the Forest their numbers increased. Alexander was sure those numbers would grow even more as time went on and Adrien became more terrifying.
Upon first look, this forest was no different than any other. There were trees all around, some of them having suffered damage from lightning, wildlife, or insect populations. The vegetation was overgrown in many places, with thorns and other hazardous plants growing out of control.
When Alexander had been around plants before, he hadn’t known about them, but now he could sense things. He somehow knew how they grew and what they were capable of.
As they traveled, he did his best to point out what plants were okay to touch, and which were deadly or would make them sick. He made a mental note to destroy the harmful ones, so the forest would be less hazardous for the children as well as the animals that lived there.
They had walked for nearly half a day inside the Forest before they came across a patch of land that was more overgrown than the rest. The vegetation was the same dark green they had seen the whole way there, but he could feel something else. This land was different.
It felt like home.
"This is it, isn't it?" Audrey asked, a large smile on her face as she looked around.
He gazed at her face, lit by the sun shining through the trees and hitting her beautiful features, and he knew she felt the same thing he did.
Alexander nodded as he looked from her to the people behind them—his tribe. Some of them seemed to be just as taken with the area as he and his wife were. "I believe we’ve found our home," he told them.
"I've never seen anything like it," his best friend said.
Alexander nodded. "Alaric, my friend, with a little work I think this will be paradise. This could be the safe place we have all prayed about for our families."
Alaric shook his head, still looking around. "With a little work? This place is perfect just the way it is. It's beautiful!"
Alexander clapped a hand on his best friend’s shoulder, pointing at various things around them. "There are many poisonous plants that need to be removed, so it’ll be safe for the children. We’ll need to clear land to build homes, but we should find a way to do it without destroying the Forest. There’s no point in us moving here if we destroy what drew us to it in the first place."
"Alexander, you sound foolish. How can we build without cutting down trees? Is that even possible?" Alaric smiled and moved to the side, patting Alexander's shoulder in return. "But if you can figure it out, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to learn."
Audrey joined the two. "I think we both know he'll take that as a challenge."
"He always does," Alaric agreed.
Just then loud howls ripped through the area, bringing everyone to a dead silence. Everyone looked at one another with fear on their faces, unsure how to proceed.
"Were those wolves?" Audrey asked.
Alexander took a step forward, listening as another round of howls and growls echoed through the woods around them, and slowly shook his head. "No. Alaric, get the kids to safety."
"No. I can help you! Send her. It makes more sense." He narrowed his eyes at Alexander.
He wanted to have Alaric help him and send his wife with the children, but the truth was that his magic wasn't nearly as strong as Audrey’s. Something big was coming, and she could help him the most. Alaric was much better suited to keeping the children safe.
"I know you want to help, my friend, but helping the children is helping me. I can't fight while worrying if they're okay. Please watch the children and make sure nothing happens to them," Alexander pleaded.
Giving Alaric no opportunity to protest further, Alexander grabbed his wife's hand and ran toward the threatening sounds. As they approached, they heard footsteps heading directly toward them.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I sense life, but that’s as far as my knowledge goes. It doesn't feel like an animal or a human," he said, confusion obvious in his voice.
They stopped, and the footsteps closed in from all sides. The growls grew louder as the beasts approached. The first leapt over some tall brush, and their eyes widened in shock and terror as they realized what they faced.
The beast was tall, taller than Alexander. He had an elongated snout, and the face of a wolf. His shoulders and torso were those of a man, but broad with the musculature of an animal used to running through the woods. Its legs were thick, and an extra joint caused them to bend backward in the middle of what would be the shin on a human. The beast had massive claws on its humanoid hands and feet, but was covered in fur from head to toe.
Audrey took several deep breaths, fighting the urge to run. "What is that thing?"
"It's both man and beast, but neither," Alexander said quietly.
A roar sounded behind them, causing them to jump. Each turned their head enough to see three of the beasts leap out behind them while keeping an eye on the one ahead.
"Can we do this?"
Alexander nodded slowly, his hand reaching for Audrey’s. "We have no choice. If we can’t stop them, the others don't have enough magic to. The children will die."
His wife's eyes glowed as she stared at their enemy, and Alexander's turned bright fluorescent green as his magic responded. The first lycanthrope attacked and they both ran directly for it, each dropping to the ground and rolling in opposite directions just before the beast could grab them.
They rolled into a crouched position and thrust their arms out, one vine bursting from the ground in response to each and wrapping around the monster. Alexander swung his arm to the side, flinging the creature hard into a sturdy oak not far away. Its skull cracked against the thick trunk.
Alexander and Audre
y stood up then, running for the next one while making as much noise as possible and feinting toward the others.
A large black lycanthrope turned toward them, alerting the grey one just next to him, and they both charged at Alexander and his wife. They tried to do the same thing as before, each rolling in opposite directions, but it didn't work this time.
As Audrey dove to the right, the grey beast went after her, slashing downward with his clawed hand and opening deep gashes across her chest and stomach. She cried out as she dropped to the ground, but pulled a knife from her belt and slammed it into his stomach. As he howled in pain and doubled over, she pulled the blade free and thrust it underneath his chin into his brain.
As he fell to the ground, she pulled the blade free, and called just enough magic to heal the potentially deadly wounds. Within a few seconds, they weren’t completely gone, but they were no longer serious. She ran to help Alexander.
He dodged swipe after swipe from the massive claws, dropping to his knees and diving between the beast’s legs. He rolled to his feet, then turned and thrust his blade into its back. Audrey slashed its throat as it fell to the ground.
Alexander wondered why the other two beasts hadn't attacked, and when he turned toward them he quickly discovered the reason.
Alaric, eyes glowing green and hands extended in front of him, stared at the last two as they screamed and howled in pain. Alexander could see that fatigue was rapidly overtaking him. Whatever magic he was using was dark—it felt cold, like death itself. Certainly nothing Ezekiel had taught them.
Alexander realized he had no idea what that magic was.
Alaric stumbled, bringing Alexander back to the situation at hand, and he rushed forward, driving his dagger into the throat of one as Audrey took care of the other. Within seconds both monsters were on the ground, quickly followed by Alaric.
Alexander rushed to his side, placing one arm around him and the other under his neck for support. "What the hell was that? It didn't feel like any nature magic I've ever seen."
