Earth Magic

by Kenneth Price

  "Are they going to just stand there?" grunted Pallas.

  Colin slid off his horse. "Maybe they want to see what will happen. Maybe they think that monsters and demons will jump out and drag us away."

  Rodan looked over his shoulder but said nothing, yet his eyes suggested that was exactly what they were doing.

  "This is a strange place," Aidan announced. Born and raised in a forest, the Elf stared into the trees, even his dark green eyes could not pierce this darkness. "I have never seen a mist like this, or a forest so dark."

  Colin nodded his head in silent agreement.

  Rodan gave a short laugh. "What have I been telling you? This is not a place for the living. Nevertheless, the Abu Ishaq is still waiting for us to return. We have no choice. We go on."

  And Leina is in there. "Yes," agreed Elwin. "We go on."

  Aidan shifted from one foot to the other. "I am thinking that we should wait until sun warms the day. Maybe the fog will lift. Don't you agree?" Even he knew that would not happen, this fog never lifted. It was why this palace was called the Woods of the Mist.

  Elwin hesitated only a moment before he slung his pack over his shoulder.

  From across the plains Khalu laughed "Goodbye," he called loud enough so they could hear him across the field.

  Elwin turned and shouted back, "You have not seen the last of me!" He sounded braver than he felt. Taking a deep breath, he turned back and stepped into the trees. The thick mist engulfed him from the knees down. When he did not feel the fog tearing at his feet, as he half expected it would, he let out his breath with a loud sigh.

  Pallas was close on Elwin's heels. Arriving quickly at his friend’s side, Pallas rested a hand on Elwin's shoulder. Giving Elwin a reassuring wink, he said, "It will be a grand adventure." The redheaded youth's smile was broad, and even in the gloom, his teeth shone brightly.

  "How can you be so bloody cheerful!"

  "You worry too much," Pallas replied. "It is only mist. What can mist do? And it is nothing like Reidh, is it? You can't have an adventure in a place like Reidh."

  Elwin shook his head. "You never change."

  Pallas laughed. "Why would I do a foolish thing like that? One needs not mess with perfection.”

  The last to enter the shadowy woods was Rodan. The lord cast a look over his shoulder. He seemed like a man who had to choose which way he was going to die. With shoulders tense and his eyes straight forward, he made up his mind, and so he stepped forward, determined to face his end with dignity.

  "I think we should head for the mountain," suggested Kayno. "It is the easiest way to keep in one direction. But of course, the decision must be yours, Elwin."

  "Why me?" Elwin muttered.

  "You are the prince here, and some day you will be a king. It is time you start acting the part."

  "I won't be your king."

  "What does that mean?" asked Kayno defensively.

  "Nothing." Elwin turned to Aidan. "You lead the way. With your wood lore, you will be the best at keeping us from getting lost or falling off a cliff. With this mist-like fog I can’t even see my own feet." And you have that feather, also. It seems to help you find paths that should not be there.

  The approaching sunny day soon became lost within the trees. A dark twilight settled over the woods. The deeper they went, the thicker the fog grew and the stranger it became. Rising from the forest floor, the fog-like mist formed into what looked like ghostly figures. Drifting upon an unfelt breeze, the ghostly images silently passed between the trees until they vanished into the gloom.

  "Ghosts," breathed Colin. "This place is haunted!"

  "I have seen fog act like that on the sea," said Pallas. "It is only the dark that makes it look like ghosts."

  "It doesn't look normal to me," commented Kayno in support of Collin. “And ghosts seem as likely as anything I can come up with.”

  "It is only fog," stated Elwin, but he was trying to convince himself as much as the others.

  "I still agree with Colin," said Kayno repeating himself. "This place is haunted. It is a place fit only for the dead."

  "They are the ghosts of the dead and they serve the Keepers," added Rodan. "It is said that these are the ghosts of the Aleach ancestors who have been called to aid the Keepers. It is their duty to watch and keep all others from bothering the Guardians of Light. The holy ones do not wish us to be here in their woods."

  "Who are 'keepers'?" asked Aidan.

  Rodan shook his head. "Just pray you don't find out."

  Pallas pulled out a lamp from his pack and changed the subject. "You were right, Rodan, we will need a lamp even during the day. It is a good thing that you thought of it."

  With the aid of Pallas' lamplight, Aidan picked up the pace and they quickly moved deeper into the woods.

  "Do you think these woods are actually haunted?" whispered Aidan, as he slowly led the way.

  Pallas shrugged, walking just behind him. "I can see why the Aleach think so. But I do not believe in ghosts." A foggy phantom passed close by and with a shiver Pallas stepped closer to Aidan. "At least I don't think I do."

  Appointing themselves as sentries, Kayno and Colin marched at the rear. With intense caution the two large men looked from side to side, keeping their hands on their weapons. Though none said it, they were all wondering if swords would be much good against ghosts, and they were all hoping they would never find out.

  Around midday or what they thought was midday, it was hard to tell in the shadowy gloom of the forest, Aidan, leading the way deeper into the hunted forest, came to a quick stop.

  "What is it?" asked Kayno, sounding concerned.

  Aidan raised a hand. "Shhh."

  Gracefully and almost silently, Kayno drew his sword and held it at the ready. Collin followed suit.

  Holding their breaths, everyone stood still. At last, Aidan shook his head. "Sorry. It was nothing. I just thought I heard something. It's these woods. They are getting to me. Other than the trees, there is nothing alive here."

  Aidan was right. The woods did seem to be without life. The eerie silence was never broken, not by the song of a bird, nor the scampering of a squirrel, nor could they find the smallest sign that any other creature lived here. Reluctantly Aidan started off once again.

  As night approached, the gloomy twilight faded away into the blackest night imaginable. After the star filled nights on the High Plains, the haunted forest seemed to close in upon them, silently watching them. Even Aidan, a Woodland Elf, felt strangely uncomfortable in this unnatural forest of silent trees. Only with the aid of a small fire were they able to keep the blackness of the night at bay, but silence always remained.

  Not yet ready to sleep, the party huddled around the small crackling fire.

  "We are being watched," Aidan suddenly announced in a whisper.

  Colin and Kayno leaped to their feet, weapons drawn, nervously searching the shadows of the forest. Even Pallas' wry smile was gone.

  "Where?" asked Kayno.

  "Everywhere," Aidan responded with a node of his head. "They are all around us."

  “What are?” asked Elwin never doting for second Aidan could be wrong.

  Aidan shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know, but there is a lot of . . . whatever they are.”

  Then in the darkness something moved among the trees. A branch snapped. Elwin found himself on his feet, holding his sword before him. Every eye tried to pierce the foggy ghost filled night, but they could see nothing but shadows, fog, and twisted trees.

  Only Rodan had not moved. He sat very still seated, staring into the dancing flames.

  "They have come," he whispered to himself. The Keepers have come.” Another branch. Who or whatever was out there was coming closer.

  Reflected in the firelight, a pair of yellow eyes peered between two trees. Then another and another. All to soon dozens of shining eyes stared out of the darkness.

  "What are they?" whispered Colin.

  "Keepers," Rodan whispered on
ce more. "They have come for us!" There was a fear in his voice that Elwin had never heard before. Aidan slid an arrow into his bow. "What are they waiting for?"

  "Gather up!" Kayno told everyone. "We need to cover our backs. And keep close to the fire."

  "Should I shoot one?" asked Aidan. "Maybe it will scare the others off."

  "Or make them angry," Kayno answered. "I think you should wait."

  Time seemed to stop. Then after what seemed like an eternity, the keepers started to move. Circling the fire, they began a rhythmical snapping noise that sounded like a thousand grasshoppers. Yet they moved no closer. Keeping back away from the firelight, hidden within the shadows of the night, they began a dance, soon a humming music joined in with the snapping sound. Not once did they come close enough to the fire light to be clearly seen, only their glowing eyes reflected as they circled around the group fearfully huddled around their fire. Then suddenly, the fire sparked and started to die.

  "In the name of the Three Gods!" exclaimed Pallas.

  "The fire!" shouted Elwin. "They're using some kind of magic to put out the fire!" Yet Elwin had not sensed to use of Earth magic.

  Quickly, Aidan threw more logs onto the fire and began to sing to the fire. The song he sang was in the Elvin dialect. Elwin immediately felt the gentle nudging of the Earth Song in his head letting him know Aidan was calling on his Elvin lore of Earth Magic. The fire flickered, then the logs caught. The flames slowly grew stronger.

  The humming from the woods grew louder. The fire flickered, but Aidan kept singing.

  Elwin felt Aidan feeding the fire with Earth Magic. The soft melody of the power flowed out of Aidan. Earth Magic! Not caring what he was doing, Elwin reached out towards the magic. His fear of the magic had been replaced by a fear of what was in the woods. Hoping he could somehow help Aidan, he tried to grasp the power, but it slipped through his fingers like water.

  Whatever Aidan was doing, it seemed to be interfering with the keeper's magic. It has to be magic the Keepers are using, but I can't hear it like I can with Aidan's magic. Thought Elwin, as he watched the glowing eyes that danced just out of the fire light. Instinctively, he knew that these creatures were using some kind of magic to put out their fire and Aidan was fighting them with his Erath Magic lore. Elwin strained to see, but whatever was out there never came closer.

  "They won't come near the fire," observed Kayno.

  "But what do we do when we run out of wood?" asked Colin. "We can't get more with those creatures out there." No one had an answer.

  Moments passed that felt like hours. Waiting for their supply of wood to run out they watched and waited. Yet long before their firewood was used up, and without warning, the snapping and humming stopped. One by one the keepers’ yellow eyes faded back into the trees and back into the night, and the silence returned.

  "They're leaving," breathed Elwin. “They’re giving up.”

  Aidan stopped singing. "We'd better gather some more wood in case they come back."

  Elwin stared down at Aidan. “You used Earth Magic! It was not very strong, but I heard it.”

  "Would you rather I let the fire go out!” Aidan snapped defensively.

  “I didn’t mean it that way,” Elwin offered. “Thank you. You saved our lives.”

  Aidan nodded sullenly.

  Do you think they will be back?” asked Pallas still starring into the darkness.

  "No, I don't believe that they will be back," Aidan went on, "but it won't hurt to be ready." Aidan looked at Elwin. "What are you staring at?"

  Elwin turned away and started looking for more firewood.

  The next day the tired group rose as soon as the darkness was replaced by the misty gloom. After eating a cold breakfast with little conversation, they moved on ever deeper in the woods and into the mist. Throughout the day, the company remained quiet. The Keepers, if that's what they were, had put everyone into a nervous and silent watchfulness, each set of eyes looking, searching for the yellow eyes of the Keepers to return. All the while, the strange misty fog swirled about them, ever forming into ghostly images. As the day dragged on, an uneasy mood had settled over the small party. As night approached, they made camp and made sure they had a large stockpile of firewood. As everyone feared, the Keepers returned. But this time, the Keepers did not try to put out the fire. Instead they just sat there. For nearly three hours, the Keeper’s yellow yes watched them from the shadows of the night. Then once again they vanished, slipping back into the night.

  In the morning, as he did every morning, Aidan climb a tree to get his bearings on the mountain before heading out once more. Three more days, Aidan led the party on towards Thunder Mountain, and each night the eyes reappeared.

  On the fifth night Elwin asked, "How are our supplies doing?"

  Frowning, Aidan threw another log onto the fire. "Not good. We have enough to last another three days . . . four at the most. We had to leave the Aleach camp in a hurry and there was little time to find more supplies." Aidan hesitated, then added. "And I would never have guessed that I could not find anything to eat in a woods. But everything that grows here is inedible or poisonous."

  Rodan laughed. It was the first sound that he had made in days. "What do the dead need of food? The Keepers come every night, and the ghosts haunt our days. They play with us, and they will come again, and again. We should not be here. We will be punished for violating this place." For a long moment, everyone was silent. The strain was getting to them all, but it seemed worse for Rodan. With each passing day, Rodan drew further into himself. He was part Aleach, and the stories he was raised on were haunting him. In Aleach terms, they were committing a sacrilege by being here, and Rodan feared he was committing a deadly sin. It was growing harder for anyone to disagree with him.

  "At least they haven't shown up tonight," noted Elwin. "Maybe we have lost them."

  Pallas' face brightened. "I think we need a song. Aidan?"

  Aidan consented with a nod of his head. "But I'd better keep it low. We don’t need to draw more attention to us." He pulled a long wooden flute from his pack. The flute was made of a piece of single piece of wood that Aidan had brought along and had carved while crossing the Grasslands. In moments, the forest around them echoed with the soft sound of an elvish melody. Even Rodan's mood seemed to improve. Startled, Elwin looked up. Within Aidan's song was another song. It was faint but Elwin recognized it. Deep within Aidan's music was the song of Earth Magic.

  He is unaware of what he is doing, Elwin was startled to realize. Aidan could not hear the song as Elwin did. Faynn said that the Elves were closer to Earth Magic than other races. It is a part of them. How can one be blamed for something that is born in them? Feeling confused, Elwin stood up and walked a short distance away. He wanted to be as far from the music as he could get without leaving the ring of firelight. Leaning against a tree, he stared back at the others. They were smiling and laughing. Pallas started to sing. Elwin knew that it was more than just the song that was making them feel better. It was the Earth Magic. Elwin wanted to tell Aidan to stop. But then I would have to tell them why. And it does seem to be helping them. Elwin shook his head. Earth Magic doing good? It makes no sense. All magic is wrong! Caught up in his own thoughts, Elwin did not see the figure moving among the trees. Cloaked in the darkness of the Karr al-Isma, the figure drew closer, until it was right behind Elwin.

  "Prince Elwin?" came a whisper from the darkness.

  Elwin turned with a start. He leaped to his feet and started desperately trying to pull his sword free of its scabbard. The only thing Elwin accomplished was catching his foot on a root of a tree and falling to the ground.

  Aidan stopped playing. Coming to his feet, Kayno drew his sword and rushed forward.

  Colin was right on his heels.

  "Who... who's there?" stammered Elwin, lying flat on his back staring into the darkness. Out of that same darkness, a man clothed in a dazzling white robe, stepped into the firelight. His face was barely visible bene
ath his hood, but at least he did not have yellow eyes. Raising an open hand towards Kayno and his sword, he smiled, "I come in peace. You may put that away. Only the dark need to fear the light."

  Kayno stopped but he did not put his sword away.

  "I said put it away," the voice was gentle yet commanding.

  As if he was helpless to disobey, Kayno slipped the sword back into his sheath.

  "That is better." Turning from Kayno, the man in white faced Elwin and smiled. His robe was so bright that it contrasted against the grim background of the woods. In fact, it was so bright that it almost appeared to be glowing. Bowing low to Elwin, he said in his quiet voice, "Lord Elwin ap Gruffydd, High Prince of Kambrya, I am Arran, a Guardian of Light, and I am a defender of truth. I have been sent by the High Counsel to welcome the next High King to our home. I have come to lead you from the dark into the light. We of the Heart are your servants." A stunned silence echoed through the party. Kayno frowned and Rodan' eyes grew wide.

  "High King?" Pallas murmured softly.

  After a brief moment, Elwin snapped, "I have come for my sister! Not to become your bloody High King!"

  No one breathed.

  "Please!" pleaded Lord Rodan. "Do not speak to a Guardian of Light with such disrespect. He has spared our lives."

  "They took my sister!" Elwin gave Rodan a hard look. "I'll talk to him anyway bloody way I please!"

  "We did not take the sister of the High Prince. We saved the princess from a place that she did not want to be," corrected Arran, nodding his head toward Elwin. "Would you have wished us to leave her and let her be forced to wed your cousin?"

  Turning hard eyes upon the Guardian, Elwin said in anger, "You took her for your own reasons! I see that now. You have imprisoned Leina to draw me here. You want to make me something that I do not wish to be. I will not be your High King!"

  "Princess Leina is not a prisoner. She may come or go as she so likes. And one cannot be made into something they are not already." Arran's voice had a soft musical ring to it. The voice was soothing and called out to be trusted, but Elwin refused to give in to it. So appealing was Arran's voice that Elwin wondered if there was not some type of power in his voice, but he detected no hint of Earth Magic.