Varg turned back and smiled at Milea. “It worked!”
Milea did not smile. “That should make things much easier from here on out.”
Milea then finished tying off the binding on her injured hand as she stepped through the barrier as casually as she'd step into a tavern with Varg. The memory pained him, so he pushed it aside and walked forward with Milea right behind him.
They walked in silence down the tunnel, and as a light came closer, Varg could see that the tunnel was made of the same thick kind of brush as the barrier. The light grew brighter until they emerged from the tunnel to see something that only one human had ever witnessed.
The inside of the Crystal Wood was the most brilliant green forest anyone could ever imagine. The trees were almost as tall as the sky and at their feet rested crystals that could easily reach Varg's chest. The crystals emitted a gentle green glow, given the whole forest a mystical air.
Varg dared to venture close to one of the crystals that lay next to the path and placed his hand on it. It was soothingly warm to the touch, but not warm enough to make him uncomfortable. He turned to Milea, who was patiently waiting for him, and began to walk alongside her again.
Milea must have seen Varg's awe, for she then said, “What did you think 'Crystal' Wood meant?”
Varg smiled at he, almost forgetting the last several days, but when he saw the straight look on her face, the memories all came flooding back. Milea marched forward without another word, and Varg once again followed.
As they walked, Varg surveyed his surroundings and was careful not to lose sight of Milea. With their silver trunks that Varg couldn't even cover half of with his arm span, the trees of the Crystal Wood were every bit as majestic and beautiful as Milea had described them. He could see bright green and silver birds on the branches above and listened to their melodies as they tended to their young and hunted for food. One flew just a few feet above him and he could tell that its wingspan was wider than he was tall. Several beetles larger than his head crawled up the trunks to get a better view of the intruders, only to deem them as unimportant and carry on with their business. Other creatures, large and small, gaze at them with such curiosity that Varg began to wonder if they ever saw anyone walking in their forest, human or elf.
The path, to where Varg assumed led to the city of elves, stretched far on and twisted and curved up ahead, so he had to be sure not to lose sight of it. A slight breeze whistled through the wood, and Varg could swear that it almost emitted a sort of music when he heard it. Despite the wind, the air was warm and pleasant, even with the cool weather that was approaching outside of the forest. Varg assumed that the warm light from the crystals was the culprit, and he wondered if the entire region was kept warm when winter raged outside.
After they walked for about an hour, Varg was about to ask her more about the forest when the sound of crunching dirt nearby caught his attention.
“Did you hear that?” Varg said.
“Hear what?”
“I could have sworn I heard something just now.”
He looked around and didn't see anything at first, so brushed it off as paranoia from his new surroundings. They walked a bit further, and this time, Varg knew he heard something that sounded like a twig snapping. He drew Frost Fang and prompted Milea to follow up with her bow.
“What's going on?” She asked.
“We aren't alone,” Varg said.
Just then, several creatures stepped out of the darkness with their weapons drawn. They resembled half a man and had the bottom of a horse. Most of their bodies were covered in short, fine fur, mostly brown, and they had black hair that grew from their heads down their backs. Their eyes were milky green and their faces were nearly flat. They were certainly an oddity, and Varg began to worry more when Milea said, “Laelith's mercy, they don't usually come out this close to the path.”
“What are these things?” Varg asked.
After a moment of silence, Milea ruefully responded, “They're centaurs.”
Varg froze solid, for he had unfortunately read plenty of stories about centaurs. “You mean the creatures who are half man, half horse and who kill intruders, get drunk, kidnap women, and-”
“The very same, I'm afraid,” Milea interrupted.
One of the centaurs stepped forward, leering, and said something Varg didn't understand.
Varg leaned his head closer to Milea and asked, “What did he say?”
Milea sighed, shook her head, and said, “He says he likes it when pretty elf women wander away from the city.”
Varg responded by immediately stepping in front of Milea to protect her, but all it did was earn a laugh from the centaurs.
“Varg, I don't know if we can fight them off,” Milea said.
“Maybe not, but I won't let them take you without a fight,” Varg said.
The centaurs closed in, and Varg said, “And I plan to take them down with me.”
The centaurs closed in and after a single arrow shot past Varg's head, the battle began. Milea immediately hopped into the trees and began shooting her arrows from the air. Varg stayed on the ground and lured the charging centaurs into range while Milea got off a few hits. Varg then noticed the two centaurs who were archers and kept trying to shoot Milea down, but the half elf was far too agile for them.
Varg shot ice attacks at the archers in an effort to slow them down while he dodged attacks from the men with axes and clubs. The archers slipped on the ice, which Varg hoped would buy time as their large forms tried desperately to regain their footing. Varg made it just in time into cover behind a tree trunk as a centaur's axe collided with the silver wood, then Varg rounded the trunk and saw his opening. He lunged forward and plunged Frost Fang's tip right into the hip of his attacker.
The centaur fell to the ground and Varg had enough time before the others arrived to aid him to land another hit to the fallen centaur's chest. It died on the ground and Varg focused his attention to the other three heading his way.
The ground trembled furiously under the weight of the centaurs' hooves, and Varg was determined to use their large stature against them. He jumped onto the back of one of the centaurs and landed a hit on the other while atop the first ones back. The creature bucked to try and throw Varg off but to no avail. Varg swung with one arm while holding onto the mane with a firm grip and managed to hit the other centaur a second time. He dodged an attack from the third one, which hit the centaur he was riding by accident. Then Varg stabbed the centaur in the back of the head and jumped off. He bounded into the air and dodged another attack from the third and before long, he landed another hit with his sword straight through the third centaur's face.
When he turned back to Milea to aid her, he saw that she'd just killed one of the archers. To his shock, the second was aiming straight for her head and he could tell Milea couldn't react in time. He lunged forward and jumped in front of Milea just as the arrow reach him. The arrow hit, but only grazed his side and missed Milea entirely.
Varg looked down at his wound to see barely a scratch. “Is that all you've got? I've had worse encounters with-”
Varg turned back to the centaur and noticed that he was grinning. A second later, Varg's vision blurred and his heart began to race. He could no longer hold his footing and Milea screamed something in Elvish and loosed an arrow into the centaur's neck.
Milea bent down to check Varg and said, “Varg don't move, you've been poisoned!”
The centaur's poison took immediate, agonizing effect on Varg's body. A cold sweat crept down his neck. He'd been close to death before, but this time if felt as though death himself was waiting for Varg's spirit to leave his body.
He heard faint footsteps, then heard Milea say, “Hold still, I need to look at the wound.”
Varg's vision became more focused as Milea opened his vest and positioned him to where she had a better look. Varg dared to look down and saw the skin turning purple and in some spots green. The burning continued and looking at the wound pr
obably made it worse, so he stopped and closed his eyes.
“I won't lie Varg, this is bad,” she said. “I don't know if I can do anything.”
“Milea,” Varg said, “I need to ask you something.”
“Later,” she said. “You need to focus on healing right now.”
“No, this needs to be said now, before it's too late,” Varg gasped.
“What is it?”
Varg gulped. “Can you forgive me for what I did at the inn?”
Milea sighed and shook her head. “Varg, I'm not worried about that right now...you're hurt and you could die if I don't act quickly."
“That's why I need you to know how sorry I am, and I need your forgiveness should the worst happen,” Varg whispered.
Milea thought for a moment, she hesitated, then said, “All right, I forgive you.”
“Thank you,” Varg whispered.
Milea then said, “I may know something that can help, but I just hope I can find it in time. Will you be all right until I return?”
Varg nodded, so Milea lay him in a more comfortable position and darted off into the forest. He tried not to think of how long she was gone. Surely she wouldn't leave him there even after what he'd done? No, she would never do that, he thought. The longer he debated with himself, the darker his vision became, so he closed his eyes.
Within a minute, he started to wonder if he was already dead. That's what I deserve, he thought, a painful death and being abandoned by the woman I betrayed...
Varg opened his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief when he heard Milea's footprints coming closer. He worried for a moment that it was someone else, but relaxed when he heard her say, “Thank Laelith, I found one. How are you holding up, Varg?”
He didn't think he could speak, so he nodded again. He could barely see, but he saw that Milea held a strange plant with shimmering, silver petals. She ripped it to shreds and rolled it together in her palms. She then pulled a mortar and pestle from her satchel and put the plant bits into the bowl part. She worked quickly to mash the plant, and all the while she kept peeking at Varg to see how he was. It gave him comfort that she still cared enough to worry for his safety, but he couldn't help but feel he didn't deserve such kindness.
When Milea had produced a thick salve, she spread it over a nearby leaf that was about the same length as her hand. She then turned it face down, hovered over Varg, and said, “I won't lie to you, Varg. I've only read about this plant and its medicinal properties. It should work, but it won't be pleasant. Do you trust me with your life?”
Varg met her gaze and tried to speak again. This time, he found the strength to utter, “Yes.”
With that, Milea pressed the sap side of the leaf against Varg's wound. This time, he was positive that he let out a scream. The sap entered his bloodstream and felt like white hot embers spreading through his body. After what felt like hours, the pain subsided.
Milea waited another minute until Varg was calm, then she removed a bandage from her satchel and wrapped it around his torso with the leaf still on Varg's wound. After she'd tied it off, she then said, “I'm so sorry, Varg, but it's the only way to stop the poison from spreading.”
She then helped him to his feet, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and said, “That poison should slow down now that I've treated it, but unfortunately it's only temporary. I'll need to keep applying it since we'll be walking, but we have to get you to the city if we have any hope of healing you permanently.”
“What do you mean?” Varg mumbled.
“The priestesses of the Crystal Wood are by far the best healers in the world, Varg. If they can't cure you, no one can,” Milea assured.
Milea walked forward and made sure to help Varg keep his balance as he tried to walk too. Every single movement made the burning start again, but he tried to push through it and focus on the road ahead. The cold sweat continued down his back, but his face felt flushed. He was almost certain he had a fever, especially when he started to get the chills. It was fortunate that Milea kept a slow pace, for Varg wasn't sure how much longer he could hold himself up.
Zita stood where Varg and Milea had previously stood as she watched them enter the Crystal Wood. She kicked herself for being unable to end Varg's life before they made it, but she at least took solace in the fact that she caused tension between him and his lover.
Ever since the incident that occurred that night in the inn, Zita had followed them, waiting for another opportunity to strike. She figured she would have to wait until they fell asleep for Zita to make her move, but Varg barely slept in the three days that she followed on Nyx. When he did sleep, it was so lightly that every move she made seemed to stir him, so she chose instead to take her rests near them, but out of sight should they wake before her. She wasn't worried about them leaving before she woke, since she was a very light sleeper.
Zita stood before the entrance, staring into the abyss. She'd already made the attempt at entering despite knowing she had no elf blood, and was met with a nasty shock from the barrier. She wondered, then, how Varg was able to enter, for based on what she knew about him, he had no elf blood either. She had only just gone over the hill when they were walking into the tunnel, so she had no idea how in the world they managed to get inside.
A popping sound followed by a cloud of smoke to her right told her that an ally was about to appear before her. Seconds later she realized that it was no mere ally, but the man she swore fealty and loyalty to who appeared.
Lord Jin walked from the smoke as it vanished with a smile upon his face. Zita immediately dropped to one knee and bowed her head before her master.
“Lord Jin, you honor me with your presence,” Zita said as she faced the dirt.
“Zita,” she heard him say as he edged towards her, “rise.”
Zita obeyed, but still hung her head in shame. “My Lord...I was unsuccessful in my attempt on the White Wolf's life.”
Jin didn't speak for a moment, and she feared that she had disappointed him so.
But then, he surprised her. “My dear, do not fret. I knew that this was no easy task and I would have considered you a master of your craft had you succeeded the first time. It would be unfair of me to punish you for failing at the same task as I had.”
Zita finally raised her head and met his glance. “I thank you for your mercy, My Lord.”
“Now then,” Jin said, “I suspect that the reason you are here is because Varg and Milea have indeed entered the Crystal Wood as I presumed they would?”
“Yes, they only just entered about an hour ago,” Zita informed him. “I am regretfully unable to enter myself.”
Jin frowned. “But how did Varg enter? Only one with elf blood may enter the barrier, and one look at that big oaf can tell anyone that he hasn't a shred of elf blood in him.”
“I do not know, Lord Jin,” Zita said. “I only just arrived as they entered.”
Jin thought for a moment, then something on the ground caught his eye. He raised his eyebrow, then laughed. Zita followed his gaze and saw a rock that had blood drops on it.
Fresh blood.
“Milea, you are one clever, clever girl,” Jin said as he carefully picked up the rock and left the blood undisturbed.
“What do you mean, My Lord?” Zita inquired.
“It seems that Varg was able to enter because he did indeed have elf blood. Milea's blood to be exact. It must have been enough to fool the barrier,” Jin said.
He handed Zita the rock, which she accepted in her palm, careful not to touch the blood.
“There, now try to enter,” Jin said.
Zita faced the barrier again and walked forward, bracing herself for the shock she experienced before. She was pleasantly surprised, however, to find no such thing had happened. She walked right through the barrier untouched, and turned back to face Jin with a grin on her face.
“I can follow Varg now and make sure I kill him in your name, Lord Jin,” Zita announced.
Jin nodded. “Killing Varg
is your top priority, but I have another mission for you now as well.”
Zita stepped back out of the barrier, then said, “Yes, Lord Jin? What is it you ask of me?”
“I need you to find out where to find the key to the Crystal Wood. With this key, I can not only enter the Crystal Wood myself, but I can also use the key to harness the power hidden there. The elves thought they were clever enough to keep it hidden from the rest of the world, but they were powerless to stop the information from leaking out. Now go, Zita. Go and make me proud,” Jin said.
Zita stood, at which point Jin planted a kiss on her waiting lips. With quivering fingers she traced the muscles in his arm and pressed her body against his. He removed himself from her before he forgot the mission and approached the area where he first appeared. As he tossed another crystal on the ground and created a portal, Zita remembered what she wanted to tell him and said, “Lord Jin, I have something else you may want to know.”
Jin stopped as he stepped through the portal and said, “What is it?”
“It's about Varg and the half-elf. She caught Varg and me...in a rather delicate situation. That's why I was unsuccessful.”
“Is that your attempt to make me jealous?” Jin asked.
Zita smiled. “Actually, she didn't take too kindly to our situation. I thought you might be interested to know that she and the White Wolf are lovers.”
Jin offered her a twisted smile. “I am very, very interested in that. Thank you Zita, you've been most informative.” With that, the Serpent stepped through the portal and disappeared altogether.
After about an hour of walking down the forest trail, Milea set Varg down and checked his bandages, then confirmed that she would have to reapply the salve. After several painstaking minutes of feeling the salve enter his blood again, Varg was able to catch his breath.
The Crystal Wood (Half-Breed Book 2) Page 13
