by Sarah Noffke
“Thank you, Gillian. I appreciate you sharing that,” she said, ignoring her best friend.
Sure enough, a clearing came into view shortly. A lawn of mowed grass met their feet, a strange contrast to the overgrown forest they’d been hiking through. The sunlight was invited into this space, which wasn’t covered in tall trees with thick branches. The only thing in the grassy yard were stone statues, maybe a few thousand of them. They were spread out in all directions, and each one was of a person. A man. A woman. An elf. A troll. There were creatures of all types in stone form.
“Where are we?” Azure asked, taken aback by the beauty of the statue garden and also put slightly on edge by the sheer number of stone figures spread out around the space.
Gillian remained silent, his hands behind his back and his lips buzzing slightly from a gentle hum.
“Well, the garden gnome obviously knows, but he’s not going to be helpful. Maybe if I turn him to stone as well?” Monet reached for his wand.
“No, you don’t.” Azure shook her head at him. “You know it’s not in a gnome’s nature to be helpful. He’s only along to gather information. We should just forget he’s here altogether.”
Azure strolled forward, her cape catching slightly on the statues as she crossed the lawn. She barely caught the look that flashed across Gillian’s face—disappointment. That’s right, no creature was an island. She knew that, and her gran had told her there were things stronger than magic, like emotional persuasion. The emotions were a beast that could never be cut off and could always be leveraged.
“What an odd place,” Monet remarked, high-fiving a statue of a man who had his hand held up. The statue wore a look of horror on his face. Now that Azure studied them, they all looked as though they’d seen something incredibly scary. Who had carved these frightened figures, and why?
Monet plopped down on a patch of ground that wasn’t littered with statues of pixies or Kilomeas and patted the grass. “Azure my love, won’t you please take a seat next to me?”
She spun to face him and noted the devilish grin. “I do believe your stomach is making you grossly polite.”
“It’s true. Can I bum a sandwich off you? I’ll pay you back tenfold,” he asked.
“In our next life, right?” she replied, untying her cape and folding it up. She set her bag down on the ground and settled next to it.
“What did Granny make for us?” Monet leaned over her shoulder, vibrating with impatience.
“In just a moment I’ll let you know what my gran made for me to eat,” she told him.
“Oh, come on. You know that loony woman would have guessed I’d be accompanying you on this trek,” he said.
“How did you know that Gran had packed my bag, anyway?” She handed him something wrapped in parchment and tied with a brown string that felt like a sandwich. There did seem to be extra sandwiches. Actually, there were quite a few extra. She took one for herself, laying it in her lap, and kept digging. The next parcel she pulled out had something written on the parchment. It read:
“For any little creatures who decide to tag along.”
“Well, now, that’s just creepy,” Monet said, having read the words over Azure’s shoulder. He took a large bite of his sandwich and then looked at Gillian, who was several yards away inspecting a statue.
“I packed some extra sandwiches for you, little bit,” Monet said through a mouthful of bread and roast beef. He wiped the side of his mouth with a delighted smile. “Mmm…horseradish. That’s my favorite. Glad I thought to add it to the sandwiches.”
Azure smiled at Monet, strangely glad he was there. No, he hadn’t been especially helpful yet, but he was and always had been great for her morale. There was something about the white-haired guy with the pale green eyes that kept her smiling—probably his rude behavior, which made her look like a saint in comparison.
“Gillian, you do have to eat. Please join us,” Azure said, holding up the sandwich.
“Even if he’s as unhelpful as a three-day old splinter,” Monet whispered over his shoulder to Azure.
She took three bites of her sandwich before chewing, not realizing until that moment how hungry she’d been.
“It is true that I am hungry. I do appreciate the offer,” He withdrew a flask from his pocket and offered it to Azure. “A contribution to the meal,” Gillian said, his chin down, and a bit of blush on his freckled face.
“Thank you.” She took the flask and paused before putting it to her lips. The container was small, and she feared she’d down all its contents with one sip. However, when the warm buttery liquid met her lips she yanked the flask away. It was strong, like honeysuckle mead. Azure knew that only a drop would be enough; more was a potential hazard. “You drink this stuff?” she asked the gnome, handing the flask to Monet, who was eying it hungrily.
“We do. It doesn’t take much to get us going, and therefore it’s a smart investment,” the gnome said before his face went slack.
Monet shook the empty bottle in front of Azure’s face a moment later. “That was delightful,” he mumbled, his words already slurring.
“Damn it, Monet, you finished it!” she asked, turning to her friend.
“Finished it? I took a single swallow!” He hiccupped.
“Don’t worry, Princess Azure.” Gillian pulled another flask from his pocket. “I always travel with two, and your friend will be fine. I dare say he’ll be happier than two nightingales on the evening of the full moons.” The gnome unscrewed the lid from the flask and took a long sip. A smile, albeit a small one, appeared on his mouth when he finished drinking. He handed it to Azure, who took it, smelling the thick, sweet liquid inside the container as she did.
Monet slid down to lie on his back at her side. He was wiggling with drunken excitement, which for some reason made her happy in that moment. She tossed back her head and took an actual drink of the liquor, enjoying the way it coated her tongue and made her insides warm. When she handed the flask back to Gillian, she realized that the gnome had been watching her.
“What?” she asked, wiping the sides of her mouth.
“The Virgoans are a strong breed of witches and wizards,” he said.
“We like to think we are the strongest,” she said.
“Why would their soon-to-be queen, someone in one of the most prestigious roles on Oriceran, venture into the Land of Terran, a place that isn’t at all safe for her?” he asked.
She knew it. Curiosity was eating him up.
“Do you know how give-and-take works, dear Gillian?” she asked him, conscious that Monet was snoring on her other side.
“Yes, it is detailed in many books,” the gnome said.
“How about I give you part of the reason I’m venturing to the Land of Terran and you tell me what this statue place is all about?”
“The Dryads’ Garden,” he corrected.
“See, we’re already making progress,” she replied with a wink. Just then, Azure caught a flash of clothing on the far side of the garden—something green and blue. It was gone as soon as she saw it, but her curious focus had caught Gillian’s attention. She shook her head, the liquor making it feel heavy.
“This is more of a prison than a garden,” Gillian said, earning Azure’s full attention. “There are many who look after the Dark Forest. Each has their own rules. Some are fair. Some offer those who violate the forest a chance at redemption. However, there’s a group of rogue dryads who aren’t as forgiving.”
“So these dryads, they protect the forest?”
“That’s correct, Princess. And their job is to ensure that no one harms it, since they live in the trees. So now the question is, what do they do to those who go too far? What do they do to those who take and take and must be punished?”
At once a morbid realization beset Azure. “Oh! Wow! These statues! These are offenders, aren’t they?” She stared at the faces of the statues, now understanding why they all looked horrified. “These rogue dryads… They turn people or creatures into statues and
put them here if they are caught committing a crime against the forest, is that right?”
“You are correct, Princess,” Gillian agreed. “If one of the Dryads catches someone hurting the forest, they ask no questions. They are immediately sentenced and turned into a statue. It usually isn’t a terribly long sentence, though, and it does seek to rehabilitate the wrong-doer, because being a statue isn’t considered pleasant.”
Azure glanced at one of the nearest statues. It was a human woman whose stone hair hung on her shoulders. Her hand was frozen over her head, as if she had been trying to shield herself from an attack. The look on her face was the perfect embodiment of fear. To live as a statue for any length of time would be about like being a ghost, stuck in between.
“Can they hear us?” she asked Gillian.
“I’m afraid they can hear us, experience the elements, and feel great suffering in that stone state,” the gnome answered. His bulbous nose wrinkled a bit in pity. “I hope you realize now why you must be extra-careful journeying through the forest. These dryads cannot be reasoned with. If they catch you doing anything they deem wrong, you’re automatically sentenced.”
She tossed a look at Monet, who had turned over on his side and curled up. “I guess I should think about leaving my partner in crime behind then. He’s obviously going to get me in trouble,” she said with a laugh.
“I saw the amount of mud on your boots. You have committed no crimes. Please, now tell me why you travel to the Land of Terran.”
Azure swallowed. What did it matter if this gnome knew part of the reason? Many more would know who she was soon. It would travel past the borders of Virgo, and all would find out her mother’s secret. She might as well use the information as currency now. “I’m half human, and my father lives in the Land of Terran.”
Gillian stared straight ahead for a long moment, then nodded. “Yes, it makes sense now. And your crown?”
“It may not be mine. That is yet to be determined, but there are other things I must resolve first,” she said.
Gillian pushed up into a standing position. “One of them being why someone is following us,” he said, looking straight at the tree line, where a pair of eyes could be seen hovering in the canopy.
“I was hoping I wasn’t going crazy and that someone else saw the peeper too,” Azure said, rising to stand.
“I’ve been watching the eyes for quite some time now, but whoever they belong to is too nimble for us to catch. Therefore, I warn you to be on guard as we continue on your journey.”
Azure studied the face of the gnome for a moment. Gillian didn’t seem to have changed now that he knew she was half human. If anything, he strangely seemed more committed to their mission…but that had to be her imagination. Gnomes showed little loyalty, and yet she spied something in his eyes that told her he saw her differently than other gnomes would.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
A loud roar captured Azure’s attention. She whipped her head in its direction, which was on the other side of the statue garden. Monet bolted upright, looking bewildered, as a deep and guttural scream ripped through the air.
“Someone is in trouble,” Azure said, grabbing her bag and fastening it to her back. She turned in the direction from which the scream was still sounding, her wand at the ready. “Come on, we’ve got to go!”
“Toward the screaming creature?” Monet asked, pushing up to a standing position and still looking drunk. “No, dear Azure, you’re supposed to run away when you hear blood curdling screams. That’s the right protocol.”
“Monet, someone needs our help, so stop being a coward,” she demanded, waving him forward as she took a few cautious steps.
“I’m going to actually agree with the deranged wizard here,” Gillian said.
“I knew there was something I liked about you,” Monet told him, tilting his head to look down at the gnome.
“Well, you two can stay here, but if I start screaming I expect back-up.” She took off in a jog, the screams getting louder as she approached the tree line.
Whoever needed help was inside a dense section of the forest. Azure slowed to a trot as she neared a veil of thorns hanging from the trees overhead. She waved her wand and the curtain of sharp and possibly poisonous thorns rose into the air to allow her to enter. Azure pulled her hood over her head as she ducked into the trees. It had instantly become darker, and her eyes hadn’t adjusted yet to the shadows.
She waved her wand at her boots, muttering an incantation that made her feet more agile so that she could avoid obstacles as she approached them. It was like having sensors on her boots that knew when an upcoming collision was about to happen and helped her to navigate easily over or around them. The witch moved effortlessly through the forest, her feet working on their own. She finally slowed when the screams vibrated in her head. They were coming from the ground just a few yards away.
Metal bars covered a pit in the ground. Metal? Why would there be metal in the forest? That seemed out of place when there was only dirt and wood and stone here. Azure halted at the pit and stared down to find the source of the screams. The Kilomea inside had gone momentarily silent, his bright green eyes staring up at Azure. The beast had two large bottom teeth that projected over his top lip.
“You’re okay,” Azure assured him, sidestepping around the pit to try to figure out how the metal bars were attached to the ground. Ropes were tied to either side of them, which gave her the clue she was looking for. She swiveled her head up to see branches bent overhead. The bars had been suspended from above. But by whom? Who would want to catch a Kilomea?
“Have you been in there long?” she asked, but the Kilomea simply stared at her, dumbfounded. At least the beast wasn’t yelling anymore.
The pit was deep enough that the Kilomea, who had to be over seven feet tall, couldn’t reach the bars. Azure directed her wand at the bars and muttered a series of words, but they didn’t budge.
“What the hell?” she said.
“That’s not hell. That’s a pit with a Kilomea,” Monet said behind her, partially breathless.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him. Her eyes were still on the pit, wand clenched in her fingers.
“I’m here to ensure you don’t free a Kilomea from a barred pit, so please stop,” he requested, stepping in front of her as she muttered a new spell.
“Move, Monet. He’s in trouble,” she said, angling around him. Nothing she’d tried yet had worked.
“No, he’s a Kilomea who is imprisoned, as they all should be. Leave him,” Monet said.
At this the Kilomea let out another loud scream, making the metal above his cage rattle.
“My friend didn’t mean that,” Azure said over Monet’s shoulder. She then leaned in and whispered close to his ear. “Look, I can’t leave him here, and I feel like I need to release him anyway. Wouldn’t you want someone to do the same if you were trapped?”
“Well, yeah, but I’m a civilized wizard, not a tattoo-sporting monster who snaps the heads off innocent pixies,” Monet replied, although he stepped aside with his hands up like he was surrendering to Azure’s logic.
“The question is, who trapped him?” Gillian mused from a safe distance.
Azure halted and turned her head over her shoulder to regard the gnome. She knew she’d be glad she’d allowed him to come, even if he thought it was for his own purposes. “And are they still around,” she said, the idea just occurring to her.
This just meant that she had to free the Kilomea faster, but how could she when none of her spells released the bars? She’d tried to lift, break, and make them disappear using magic. None of those spells had worked. She was concocting a new spell when Monet turned, a disgusted look on his face.
“Fucking great! The bars have been enchanted not to respond to magic. Well, we’ve tried, now let’s go back to getting drunk,” he said, walking past Azure. Then he snapped at Gillian. “Give me that other flask. I’m thirsty.”
“You tried to remove the b
ars?” Azure asked, shocked.
“Yeah, I tried, thinking it would move this whole thing along, but they’ve been enchanted, like I said. So we move on.”
“How do you know that?” she asked.
He pointed his wand at the bars. A ball of fire appeared at the end of his wand and flew to the bars before ricocheting. “See, they have protection on them.” Again Monet snapped at Gillian to hand him the flask.
“How did you know that, though?”
“I just get an instinct about these things. I’m more than a pretty face, Azure. Gosh,” he said with a deep sigh. Then he resumed grumbling at Gillian, who had mastered the act of ignoring Monet. That was impressive.
“Who would set a trap for a Kilomea and then bewitch the bars so they couldn’t get out?” Azure turned, musing on the trap. The Kilomea was looking more than impatient, but he remained quiet, which was good.
“Kilomeas wouldn’t have the magic to remove the bars,” Gillian offered.
Azure spun to face the gnome, who turned his face to the side and pressed his lips together.
“What do you mean by that?” she asked.
“Nothing. That didn’t come out of my mouth.” Gillian seemed to be punishing himself internally for his admission.
“Although I know you’re trying to not be helpful, you’re failing. Are you saying that someone meant to trap something besides a Kilomea?” she asked.
Gillian turned his attention to the forest floor, as if the leaves were suddenly of great interest.
“Maybe someone was trying to catch a witch or an elf or something,” Monet offered.
“Yeah, something.” Azure muttered, hearing the heavy breathing of the Kilomea. He was growing restless, and she didn’t blame him. “So we can’t magically move the bars. Maybe we can…”
Azure knelt, loosening the soil around the bar, which was resting on the ground.
“Az, what are you thinking?” Monet asked, his tone overflowing with caution.
“I’m thinking that these bars can’t be moved with magic, so we have to rely on our physical strength. Come on, Monet, grab the other side of the bars.”
