by Sarah Noffke
“Did you finish?” Ever asked.
“Hey, tequila! Looks like you found a way to kill a couple hours. Did you tell the bartender how to do his job or offer unsolicited advice to unsuspecting strangers?” Seraphina teased.
“I was able to keep to myself, mostly. You would have been real proud,” Ever said, his eyes resting on the table where a blanket covered something. He hoped it was the staff.
“’Here’s what I’d do’ are famous words that Ever loves to use when he’s had too much to drink,” Seraphina informed Azure, her eyes on the Light Elf. “Then he follows up that statement with his strategies for living the best life or running a better business.”
“Haw-haw. How’s the staff? Is it done?” Ever snapped his fingers at the witch.
“Hey now, I cleared my afternoon for you. The least you can do is show a bit of respect,” Seraphina said.
“It’s not about respect. It’s about saving the Dark Forest and those on Oriceran. You know I appreciate what you’ve done,” Ever said, his tone growing softer.
Seraphina regarded him for a long moment and then pulled her long blonde hair up and twisted it into a bun at the back of her head, in no hurry to show them the staff.
“I’m really grateful for your help. You must have incredible skills to be able to forge a staff,” Azure told her, trying to curtail the tension growing in the room.
Seraphina drew in a long breath. “You’re making it extremely difficult to not like you, Queen Azure. Are you always so nice?”
“Always,” Ever stated, answering the question for her. “It’s kind of gross.”
“I’m not always nice,” Azure argued.
“You have a pet unicorn, and a standing alliance with Orcs,” Ever spat back.
“That doesn’t make me nice,” she retorted.
“So you do have a unicorn. Well, damn. I daresay the kingdom of Virgo is in good hands,” Seraphina stated.
“Your sources told you about Blisters?” Azure asked.
“Yes. They like to keep an eye on things on Oriceran and have a way of doing that, from time to time.” Seraphina pinched the white fabric that covered the table and lifted it.
An invisible hook sank into Azure’s chest and tugged her forward. She reached for the staff, her hands operating on their own. The space around her grayed; all she could see was the amethyst crystal ball neatly perched on the top of the carved Howling Willow branch. A clawed hand held the ball in place on the top of the staff. In Azure’s hand, the staff warmed. The crystal ball glowed brightly, making the overhead lights spark and then burn out.
Ever and Seraphina covered their heads from the sparks raining down, but Azure didn’t notice. Instead she stared in awe at the orb which swirled with a grayish smoke, the light casting a purple glow on her face. She loosened and flexed her fingers around the staff, feeling as though it had always been hers. It didn’t fit her like her wand, but in some ways it felt more comfortable. In other ways it seemed like they needed to learn each other—Azure the staff, the staff her.
A clicking sound by the door stole Azure’s attention. She spun around, the staff in her hands casting light on Ever and Seraphina.
“Well, now I’ll have to explain why the lights in here have all burnt out,” Seraphina said.
“Oh, can’t you tell them that a witch queen from another planet was testing a staff filled with enough magic to heal or burn down a forest?” Ever teased.
“Unfortunately only fantasy writers and crazies can get away with spouting such things. Pilates instructors have to lie and say it was a bad breaker.” Seraphina tapped the switch again, to no effect.
Seraphina’s eyes squinted when Azure lit her wand and handed it to Ever to hold. The look on her face stated that she wasn’t okay with the casual manner between the two. Usually a witch only trusted her wand to a few to hold.
“The staff is incredible. It’s amazing that you were able to forge it in such a short period of time,” Azure stated, admiring it.
“Well, I must admit that it reminded me how much I miss my own witchcraft, but I really have no purpose for it here and can’t risk using it often,” Seraphina stated, still watching Azure.
“That makes sense,” she said, twirling the staff to one side and then the other, examining how it moved in her hands.
“I will admit that working with Howling Willow made it easier, although this wasn’t a freshly harvested piece,” Seraphina said.
“No, I found it on the ground under the tree. But it will work still, right?” Ever asked.
“Yes, it will be fine, and I don’t think that Mage Lenore would have allowed such a large piece to be harvested anyway,” Seraphina said.
“Don’t legitimize his thieving,” Azure said, her eyes on the staff. It was still glowing brightly.
“You met Mage Lenore?” Seraphina asked Ever.
“Yes, if you can believe it,” he replied.
“I’m not sure I can believe half of what I’ve learned. You’ve met the oldest witch in existence, and are intergalactically globetrotting with the queen of an ancient kingdom. I thought you just liked sleeping in the woods and selling broken devices on the Dark Market,” Seraphina said.
“Yes, who would have thought it would turn out to be anything?” Ever laughed, the tequila starting to wear off.
“Actually, has this spy service who has been dispersing rumors about me said anything about the virus plaguing Virgo?” Azure asked.
The light expression on Seraphina’s face dropped. “I have heard of it. And I’m sorry. The Silver Griffins want to help, but I don’t think it’s something within their power or jurisdiction.”
“Do you know of a solution?” Azure asked, hope in her voice.
Seraphina pulled in a long breath. “There’s a chance that the power in the staff could heal your people…”
“But?” Azure asked, sensing that the word was coming.
“But I don’t think that the staff has the capacity to heal both the Dark Forest and a kingdom of people without going through a fortnight of recharging in between,” Seraphina said.
“I don’t have that kind of time. My people need a cure now,” Azure declared.
“I realize that. It’s an option, and could work. However, if the staff isn’t equipped with enough power to heal Virgo, then you’ll have to find another solution. One that is unique to humans, since that was where the virus originated,” Seraphina said.
Everyone kept saying that it had something to do with the humans, but Azure still didn’t know what that meant. “Thank you. Your help will always be remembered and appreciated,” Azure stated, holding the staff up in a show of pride.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The hell Frederick was living in was unlike anything he’d ever known or could have imagined. Had it been several days, or a week since he’d awoken in the dark prison? He couldn’t remember. His head ached where Uncle Phillip had struck him with the golf club. When he’d awoken it had been bandaged, but it had bled through the gauze. Should I be grateful that the Duke thought to bandage my head after knocking me out? He also slid food through a slit at the bottom of the locked door once a day. Uncle Phillip was trying to keep him alive, but why?
Frederick didn’t recognize the dark brick room where he was being kept, or the sounds that found their way into the space. Machinery could be heard outside his prison wall, and men shouting. At night he swore he heard the whooshing of wind followed by screams and screeching he associated with harpies, but that would have meant he was outside the Land of Terran.
The door that was always locked clinked. Light slid around the edges, slipping into the dark prison. Frederick started to a standing position, realizing he was covered in dirt and filth. The smell he’d been holding his nose against came from him. He reached for the door, fumbling many times. Just standing was taxing, due to his low reserves. Frederick’s shaking hands finally found the handle of the door. He pulled it back several inches, inviting more sunlight and fresh air
into the room, and his eyes burned from the sudden brightness. He shielded his face from the sun, which now felt like it was on fire in comparison to the cold darkness he’d known for the last few days.
Frederick wasn’t sure what he had been expecting to see when his vision got used to the sunlight, but what he saw wasn’t it. It hardly registered in his brain. A burnt and broken forest was before him. His heart dropped as he stared at the ashy trees, devoid of leaves. Stretching for what seemed like a mile was bare black dirt, its vegetation gone. Harvested. Stolen.
Taking a step forward, Frederick studied the prison behind him. It wasn’t at all what he had expected. It was only a brick room built into the side of the wall that bordered the Land of Terran. However, Frederick wasn’t on the inside of the wall, where he had been all his life. He was outside the borders, and here was something else he hadn’t expected—this wall was new. New brick. Fresh mortar. Not aged by time and the sun.
Stumbling away from the wall, Frederick tripped on something under his feet. At first he thought he’d stumbled on a loose bit of ground or a broken tree root, but lying at his feet was a rolled piece of parchment. He reached down, his hands shaking, and retrieved the scroll, which was sealed with the Emperor of Terran’s official seal. The one he’d associated with his father all his life. He broke the seal to find his uncle’s handwriting scratched across the page.
Dear Frederick,
If you’re reading this, the golf course is complete. It was difficult to keep the rogue dryads guarding the forest from attacking, but the harpies were our saving grace. And now we’ve harvested enough of the forest to keep our greenhouses stocked for all time. We should have no reason to leave our borders, especially now that we have a golf course, something the people of Terran will be grateful for in time.
However, the rogue dryads won’t be content with what we’ve done. They’ll look for someone to punish. They won’t stop until someone pays the price for what happened to the Dark Forest, and who better to make the sacrifice than the emperor of Terran? I’ve given you a great honor. You wanted to serve your people, and now you’ll serve them by ensuring our way of life goes on. I’m glad you made this choice. It was a wise one. Please don’t worry, I’ll keep Terran safe as emperor.
Cordially,
Emperor Phillip
Frederick crumpled up the letter just as rattling echoed from the far side of the barren forest. He wasn’t alone.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Azure stepped through the portal and immediately turned back to Ever, confused by where they’d landed. He’d intended to travel to the section of the forest on the other side of the lake from the Land of Terran—the same area where she’d left Gillian and Monet the first time she’d set off alone to trespass into Terran. However, that area of the forest didn’t look like this.
“Are we in the right place?” Azure asked as Ever closed the portal. His eyes narrowed as he studied the seemingly burnt forest around them.
“This is the right location. I’m sure of it.” Ever sank down, bending his knees as he scooped dirt into his hand.
“What happened here?” Azure asked.
“I’ll give you one hint,” Monet said from behind them.
Ever rose and the pair swiveled to find Monet and Gillian a few yards away. “Monet,” Azure said, relief in her voice.
“Yes, the one and only. And the race of culprits who did this damage rhymes with lumen and lives behind giant walls,” Monet said.
“The humans of Terran did this?” Azure asked, her voice hushed.
“Oh good, she caught my hint. I was worried the airhead would need it spelled out.” Monet pretended to elbow Gillian in the side, but up high.
“This is a new low, even for the humans of Terran,” Azure said, turning to Ever to gauge his reaction.
“I agree. This is more than they’ve done in the past, and faster. However, they weren’t ruled by Phillip before.” Ever still held a handful of dirt.
“But Frederick is supposed to be Emperor,” Azure said, her chest burning with anger and worry.
“That may be so, but Payne Springs said he was being offered as a sacrifice,” Ever retorted.
Azure gulped and nodded. “This forest has been clear-cut, but how?”
“I’m guessing the ugly bird-women had something to do with it. We swung by Virgo on our way here to drop off that dumb unicorn, as well as my own horse,” Monet said, releasing a laugh. “The Orcs said they hadn’t defended against any harpy attacks since we left. I told them that it sounded like they should take the afternoon off and bathe, to which they gave me confused expressions. My first act when this mess is over is to start an Orc education program. I’m such a philanthropist.”
“Yeah, it’s fucking inspiring,” Azure said, her tone dull.
“What is the Duke after?” Ever asked, doing a three-sixty.
“We sent Manx to see what he could find by flying over the Land of Terran,” Gillian stated. Just then the raven form of Manx dived and landed on the ground in front of Azure.
“There are wards on the Land that prevent me from flying over it,” Manx said.
“The same ones that block the rogue dryads from entering,” Azure guessed.
“Correct, and healing the forest just got exponentially more difficult. That’s why we didn’t use the magic to take down the wards, and also because we thought we should wait until the rogue dryads were here,” Gillian said, his tone tenser than ever before.
“We will definitely run low on magic, based on what we now have to do. However, I think the staff could have pulled off the job…maybe.” Azure removed the staff from her bag—it had been awkwardly hanging out halfway—and held it out for the others to see. “There’s more magic in this than in anything I’ve ever held.
Gillian’s mouth fell open.
“Badass,” Monet caroled, reaching forward and plucking the staff from Azure’s grasp. He tossed it lightly into the air, catching it in both palms.
“Do you really think it can heal the forest?” Gillian asked, his eyes still on the staff.
“I had my doubts before, given the extensive destruction of the forest, and now I’m completely uncertain. The Dark Forest is huge, and healing every section of it would have been difficult before. But now…” Azure’s voice trailed off as her eyes roamed over the area around them, which was devoid of songbirds or green foliage.
“You don’t have to do it alone,” Ever stated, taking a step in her direction.
“I should say not. I have planned from the beginning to assist,” Gillian said, also stepping forward.
“Cool. If Shorty and Pointy-Ears help you, then you’ll probably, most likely, kind of get the job done,” Monet said, with a wink.
“Monet Bailey Torrance…” Azure said, a warning in her voice.
He snapped his fingers, and the Cheetos she’d bought for him on Earth disappeared from her backpack and reappeared in his hand. He eyed them with interest. “Flamin’ Hot Cheetos,” he read from the front of the bag, and opened them. Popping one into his mouth, he happily chewed. “Man, Earthlings may not know how to spell, but thankfully they know how to craft tasty snacks.”
“Monet,” Azure scolded again.
“Okay, fine. Of course I’ll help, but I’m not holding the gnome’s hand.” Monet stuck his orange tongue out at Gillian, Cheeto dust clinging to the side of his mouth.
Screaming stole everyone’s attention. Manx launched straight into the air, flapping overhead. Azure spun, putting her back to the group and scanning the forest.
“It’s coming from the direction of Terran,” Gillian stated, throwing his wide chin toward the wall.
“The flower on your hat,” Monet said, his eyes intently pinned on the red flower.
“What of it?” Gillian asked.
“It’s not growling or baring its teeth,” Monet observed.
“Which means we’re not in danger, but that doesn’t mean that the person who is screaming in the distance isn�
�t.” Gillian hunched low, as if trying to see through the burnt forest.
“Well, it sounds like they need our help.” Azure set off at a sprint, the staff in her hands.
“Of course she’s fucking running toward danger.” Monet threw his hands in the air, annoyed. “Dear Azure, didn’t you hear him? We’re not in danger.”
“Come on, coward,” Azure yelled over her shoulder.
“Why did you have to bring her back in full spirits? Couldn’t you have done something to scare this tenacity out of her, like push her in front one of those things on wheels?” Monet asked Ever as they trotted after her.
“I don’t think weakening her spirit is realistic,” Ever stated, slightly breathless.
“True. I’ve been trying for almost a hundred years,” Monet said, slowing as they approached Azure, who had halted, her back stiff.
“You have to let him go,” Azure stated, her voice an urgent whisper.
The clatter of leaves filled the air, and then a strange wind swept through the forest. Ever, Monet, and Gillian arrived at Azure’s side to find what she was gaping at. A rogue dryad, as beautiful and mysterious as any in Scenic, stood over Frederick. The young emperor lay on the ground, propped up on his elbows, his eyes wide with fear. “I found him outside the borders of the Land of Terran,” the rogue dryad said.
“We made a deal with Payne Springs. No one gets turned into a statue except Phillip, unless they ignore the warning,” Azure said.
“That deal is dependent on you healing the forest and taking down the wards on Terran, and so far that hasn’t happened,” the rogue dryad said, her branch-like hair swaying in the wind.
“That’s what I’m trying to do, but there’s much forest to repair. It could take a while,” Azure said, her tone frantic.
“Yes, you see what they’ve done to the forest. Someone should pay. My sisters will be appeased if someone pays,” the rogue dryad said, pointing down at Frederick. He flicked his nervous eyes to Azure, seeming to beg with that one look.
