Dark Wood: Legends of the Guardians

by Unknown

  “I’m fine. You’re just tired,” Aryaunna reassured, though carefully pulling away. “I’m returning with Reign to Dia so I can find Sita. I’ll return to the Hollow then.” Looking to Allos, she motioned towards Elizabeth and went to speak when Allos cut her off.

  “Sita has found her way.” With the nod of his head, he pointed behind Reign. Indeed, Sita was grazing in the field, seeming to ignore them all. Of course, the horse was more used to the Dragon than any of them.

  “Huh…” Aryaunna sounded with some surprise. “In that case, you can take her to see my sister home. She’s tired, there’s no need for her to walk the distance through the wood this late. Sita will see you both home to the Hollow,” the way she said it seemed so final that neither argued. Though perhaps they truly were just so worn that neither disagreed. It’s not like Aryaunna would be left alone. Nor did she seem tired at all even.

  Aryaunna called to the mare, who came, though as casually as she pleased. “If we take the horse, then you must take my cloak.” Despite some argument from Aryaunna, Elizabeth had pulled hers from her shoulders and held it out persistently with one hand. The other held out empty but expectantly. “Just shut up and give me yours. I’ll hang it by the hearth.”

  Once they’d traded, Elizabeth had the stiff frozen cloak from her sister folded as small as able. Allos held it in one hand, the other around Elizabeth as they rode for home at a steady walk.

  Mayla was the last to come speak to Aryaunna, Zane and Nadegia both waited for her near the wake of the forest. “You’re returning to the Hollow?”

  Aryaunna nodded. “Aye.”

  “The elders will meet not long after dawn. We believe it is best you join us…” her gaze traveled up to Reign, still bewildered but in a most humbled awe. “We ask, great Dragon, if you might join us as well?”

  Reign seemed to consider things silently. Though a very slight tug pulled at Aryaunna’s mouth. It was almost a smile. Almost. “I don’t suppose you intend to meet outside the arena then,” she stated in comment for Reign’s size. He’d not fit through a single doorway inside the Hollow in fact. Possibly the stables. If he crouched low, and was careful of his wings.

  “Of course not.” Mayla shook her head.

  “Does the temple of Galdeez still stand?” Reign asked. It was the first time he’d spoken since their arrival. Mayla’s eyes widened as she’d not truly been sure he could until now. Nor had she been prepared for the deep, rich baritone of his voice.

  “Indeed, it does.”

  The temple had been a sacred meeting place for all Faye kind. It had been a place of great celebration, and equal tragedy. As Faye kind frayed away, the holy place was abandoned.

  “As I recall, it is not very far from the Hollow. Shall we meet there?” Reign suggested.

  “It is a very fitting place, I agree. So it shall be. After full dawn then?” The three came to an agreement. Mayla returned to her kindred and continued home.

  “Shall we fly?” Reign waited to suggest until everyone had dispersed.

  “Aye, over the woodlands. I want my eyes on the trees this night.”

  Dead of winter, the trees were barren. Though much of the snow had thawed, the ground was still heavily speckled white from snow tuffs as they flew overhead. Wind pressed hard against her entire body. It was difficult to speak. To get his attention she pat the side of his neck repeatedly with her right hand. “Do you see that?” she called above the wind.

  From such a distance it looked like bright yellow stars lying on the earth. “Is that the pagans?” It didn’t seem like the right place. But she’d only ever been told where they were. Never had she been to see the pagans.

  “The pagans live on the other side of Brisheer hills. That’s the valley of Brimshire,” Reign corrected her. His body swooped gracefully in the direction of the lights. They had to stay high, near the clouds. Though it wouldn’t be likely anyone would be watching the sky, it was possible. Still, it was clear what they’d found.

  Campfires. Dozens dotted the land between twice as many tents. Two small torches stood side by side next to a large white tent. It was too dark to see the flag’s emblems or colors. That she could see them at all surprised her. Reign circled over twice before turning back for the wood.

  He landed on the hillside, where the pyres had burned down to nearly ash and bone. It was nearly dawn. Aryaunna slid down and walked to the peak of the hill. Staring in the direction of Kenan, she drug her hand down her face and rubbed her fingers against her chin. Reign had followed her wordlessly.

  “That was an army. Wasn’t it?” she asked doubtfully, looking up to him with a dull hope that he’d tell her it wasn’t.

  “Judging from the amount of men, tents, fires, and carriages, I’m afraid so.” A steaming sigh let out from his maw.

  Turning away from him she began to pace back and forth. After about two minutes of doing so she stopped and looked at him. “A single person could make that walk in a day if they were diligent, without a horse. How long would it take an army?”

  “Not much longer.”

  Moving toward him, she walked close to Reign’s side. Automatically he knelt down. Gingerly she climbed onto his back. “Get to the Hollow. There’s not enough time. Not enough time,” she said to herself again as he took to the sky.

  Dread made her muscles ache, never mind the cold of the wind. Mere minutes passed for how fast Reign pushed himself. The woods of this region were vast as that of a small ocean. Within the great woods there was only one place not overly thick with trees. The largest of which had been burned.

  Reign landed in the Hollow with no amount of finesse. Those who were not heavy sleepers were likely woken, as he’d taken out a small tree on his descent. Aryaunna stumbled off of him. All the time in the air, having been so cold had been hard on her body though she didn’t seem to notice it.

  “Wait here!” she called as she ran for Mayla’s. Bursting through the oaken door, her eyes swept the apothecary. It’d once been much fuller than this, but the sudden attack had taken no little amount of supplies to tend to the wounds of the injured.

  She’d half expected Mayla to be here, working. Truly the past two days had taken a painful toll on the Drow village. Opening the smaller door between a set of shelves, she took the stairs in leaps of three at a time. To keep from hitting the door, her boots skidded on the floor to a stop. Her first pounded on the wood.

  It only took a few seconds for Mayla to jerk the door open. Clearly the elder had been asleep. Her long white hair, so usually silken smooth was a halo of frizz. Eyes red rimmed and blood shot, she stared out into the dark, trying to see clearly who had woken her.

  “Aryaunna?” she seemed not just startled, but confused and worried as she clutched at her chest.

  “Get ready. We have not the time to wait for the sun.” It was too easy to forget that it was only Aryaunna now who didn’t need sleep.

  The thick cloud of dread in Mayla’s heart clutched at her, tiring her body ever more. “Wake the others,” she instructed with no energy as she turned back for her room to dress. Aryaunna did so, running harder than she’d ran in a long time between the dwellings. Kolin had lost his home to the flames so he’d been staying with Nadegia.

  Aryaunna seemed a little embarrassed to find them in bed together, and that they didn’t mind making that easy to see. They came to answer the door to Aryaunna’s pounding fist together naked.

  Running her hand back and forth over her forehead, she wiped her palm slowly down her face. She didn’t have time to deal with emotions like embarrassment. Or any emotions for that matter, she thought to herself. “Get dressed. We’re meeting now.”

  Nadegia looked startled while Kolin’s brow furrowed in concern. “What’s going on?”

  “We have a problem, and it must be addressed,” she said cold and frustrated as she turned away from the open door.

  “Aryaunna!” Nadegia snapped. She wasn’t used to elders being disregarded.

  She stoppe
d on a dime. Staring straight ahead for a beat, she slowly turned her chin to them. “We’re going to war. Now hurry.” She tried to keep herself distant from the emotions. The fear, worry, anticipation, but it seeped into her eyes.

  When she turned away, she heard Kolin ask Nadegia where his trousers were. Her gaze lift to the limbs, trying to forget that image as she sprinted briskly to find Zane. Zane was asleep in a rocking chair, made from limbs that had been bent and twisted into the body of the chair. His front door had been barely wedged shut, enough so one could look through a thin crack where the door was ajar.

  Unlike how she’d woken the others, she was silent here. Silent as the snow fall she eased the door open. Clutched in his hand was a slab of pale wood, on it was the sketched portrait of a woman. Aryaunna could see that much from the dull glow in the fireplace. A white shall was clutched in his other hand to his chest, rising and lowering with his steady deep breaths.

  Here more so than at Nadegia’s, she felt as if she were intruding. Her hand held to the back of her neck as she turned to face the door. “Zane,” she said his name softly, not wanting to be rude about waking him.

  A snort sounded as he started awake. “Huh?” he rumbled as he tried to come out of sleep. Another grunt and then he asked her name. When he realized he was awake, he jumped to his feet. Aryaunna turned slowly to look up to him. “Something’s happened,” he said more to himself as he shook the sleep off of him.

  Still wearing even his boots, all he had to do was grab his cloak. “Do you need a couple of minutes?”

  “No,” he croaked through a yawn as he pulled a thick old cloak on around his shoulders, crafted mostly of fur and leathers. “Ah, wait.” He grabbed another cloak, much like the one he was wearing but rather than the brindle mix of furs from different animals, these were all grey and black.

  Not giving her an inch of argument, he hooked it over her shoulders over the thinner fabric of her sister’s. “Now let’s go,” he instructed, waiving a hand at the door. As they passed through the door, he reached his hand out and snatched the large staff that sat propped by the door.

  Zane lived in a very small hut just outside of the main path. It wasn’t far from where Reign remained waiting. He’d been watching Aryaunna run from place to place by the light of the moon. Mayla stood waiting next to Reign. Surprisingly she seemed much more alert than Aryaunna expected her to be.

  Zane took notice and seemed relieved as he moved to stand next to Mayla. “Did you happen to bring enough to share?” he asked looking awfully hopeful.

  “Of course.” In her hand beneath her cloak she held a pale green glass bottle. Lifting her arm out, she handed him the bottle. Inside, thick blue liquid sloshed as he took the flask, mumbling his gratitude.

  Aryaunna ignored them, passing up a drink offered to her as she watched for Nadegia. At one point she heard Mayla ask Zane what was going on, but she ignored them when he redirected the question to Aryaunna. “What’s taking them so long?” She’d begun to pace, rather than sit idle.

  It wasn’t long before Nadegia and Kolin approached. True to Nadegia’s behavior she was well dressed, her hair swept back beautifully in an eloquent knot. Kolin was dressed as he was at the pyres, looking only a bit more disheveled.

  “Are we going to the temple?” Mayla asked hesitantly, looking to Aryaunna.

  “No time.” Lacing her finger behind her back, Aryaunna turned to address them all, as they’d gathered into a close circle. “Reign and I were flying over the wood, watching the Hollow for any trouble. In the valley of Brimshire we saw fires. A few dozen or so. Taking a closer look, we discovered an army.”

  Wordlessly they stared at her, eyes wide, mouths agape. Nadegia reached out and took Kolin’s hand tightly. Zane and Kolin looked away from Aryaunna to each other. Zane’s mouth pressed into a fine line. “There’s not a thousand people in this village all together. Over a dozen are too young to hold a blade, maybe a dozen children of age who could defend themselves.” Everyone else ranged through the years of adulthood. They were not all warriors, but they could hold their own.

  The Drow were natural fighters, survivors.

  “How many people?” Mayla asked in a whisper, almost afraid to voice it.

  “A few dozen campfires, usually four tents to a camp… That’s sixteen men to a camp,” Kolin supplied. Waiting a beat, he thought to himself. “Maybe six-to –seven-hundred men. We’ll equal them in numbers if everyone fights, but we need people to get the younglings out.”

  “They need to move now. The more time we have to get them out, get them some place safe, the better.” Aryaunna’s arms folded in front of her. “We need to get everyone armed. And we should move to the hills. Meet them before they can get to the village. What good is it if we survive but destroy what home you have left?” Aryaunna explained, though she wasn’t asked.

  “Do your people have the weapons?” Reign spoke for the first time. Though he kept his voice soft, it seemed to startle Nadegia.

  “The armory is stocked… We can make do.” Zane supplied. A worried brow pinched together on his forehead, mouth still draw into a hard line. “Do we have any idea what army this is?”

  “Is it possible the army is on the way to Kenan, not from it?” Nadegia questioned with false hope.

  Though the Drow would fight, they were not warriors by trade. Practiced soldiers, even half in numbers, may as well have been a legion of foes.

  Mayla shook her head. “No, I’m certain they’re coming here. It’s been seen. We just never imagined it would be so soon.”

  Aryaunna’s eyes caught Mayla’s. “Seen,” she repeated without question. Mayla stared back for a long moment before casting her gaze down low. “Elizabeth,” she breathed out, turning her back to them.

  Before she could get one step, a large clawed hand braced her shoulder. “We need to go to Dia. They need weapons.” Gravity seemed to pull her a sluggish step forward, despite his grasp. “More importantly, we need a plan of action.” He wasn’t chastising her, just trying to help guide her.

  His fingers squeezed lightly onto her arm. His closeness, his strength, grounded her back to the reality of the moment. She was the Emissary, and her priority was these people. Taking the last private moment to herself for what would likely be a very long time, Aryaunna took in a deep breath and clinched her eyes shut tightly. Their time was up. They had to act now.

  As she exhaled, her eyes opened. As she turned back to face them all she seemed calmer, steadier on her feet. “Zane and Kolin are to go to the armory, prepare what arms we have here. Nadegia, you must ring the bells, call our people together in the main hall. We must have people to lead the younglings and injured to safety. They must walk to Dia. The great valley will give them shelter.”

  With a heavy sigh she turned to Mayla. “That elixir, it’s Vitality?” Aryaunna motioned to the bottle that Kolin was holding as she addressed Mayla. The elder woman nodded, without much response. Perhaps she seemed a little ashamed to need it. Aryaunna had certainly been through much more but didn’t seem at all physically tired. Oh to be young, Mayla thought longingly. “You have more?”

  “Yes,” she started, preparing to explain when Aryaunna cut her off.

  “We need every drop. Have someone help you bring it to the hall. Save every drop for those who will fight.” Her eyes cast to Nadegia, demanding her attention. Nadegia stared wide eyed. “Tell everyone who intends to fight to bring a flask with their supplies. We need every advantage we can get, and our people are not well rested.”

  She stood silent for a beat, waiting for them to do something. Reign dropped his shoulder down, expecting her to be ready. “No. I’ll take Sita. I need to get my gear. Get back to Dia, start bringing the trunks out. Leave them at the base of the mountain. If I can load up when I get there, we can be back in half a day’s time.”

  The sun was just starting to show through the trees. The fog of dusk before dawn was thinning gradually as golden rays began to filter through the grey sky.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Mayla’s breath fogged the air as she turned away without a word. One by one they dispersed.

  Reign and Aryaunna were left alone in the middle of the Hollow. A charred and wounded little village. Aryaunna stared out, looking lost to another world as if she were not seeing. That wasn’t true though. She was seeing everything, all too clearly. She’d not stopped to look at the burnt stone, the mud of ashen water and blood, the remnants of burnt dwellings, the black fractured trunk of their once great tree surrounded by fallen limbs and tinder.

  “Go, Reign. I’ll be right behind you.” Looking to one another, they stood still.

  “Ride hard, and stay safe, my friend.” Saying no more, his wings began to spread as he jumped from the earth. He lifted with such incredible ease it was to watch a butterfly take flight from a delicate flower. Yet he was no butterfly.

  It wasn’t until he’d taken to the sky that she looked away, and started down to the stables. She wasn’t surprised to see the little mound, bound in blankets, on top a fresh mound of hay. “Veyn, don’t you ever go home?”

  Though he’d been asleep, he woke easily when she spoke his name. A soft ‘hmmm?’ sounded from the mound of blankets. He didn’t seem eager to move. “Sita needed her feet checked. You’ve been riding her hard. She needed tending,” he explained. Indeed, the horse stood asleep right above the boy. A turned down lamp rest against the wall next to a bucket of tack.

  “Do you know how to harness a horse to a cart?” she asked louder this time as she put all her effort into pulling a very old cart out from the lean-to shelter. Veyn sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes with his fists. Hay stuck out of his hair in tufts. It was barely past first light, so the stables were fairly dark. “Veyn,” she prompted urgently.