Eternal Forest [Episode 13]
The 5th Compass | Book Two [2,069 words]
The Eternal Forest is the second book in The 5th Compass series. Daxton and his best friend, Barton, are looking for the other compasses while fending off an immortal foe. Nelle takes Adelaide under her wing, to help her develop her untapped power. Meanwhile, the most hated pirate in all of Stonehaven must decide whether to stand and fight or flee from the Paragon. This book delves into the life of the Paragon and the many lives it touches and destroys.
Crossing into the Eternal Forest was simple. Many have managed to do it without losing their life, thinking themselves brave for getting just inches within. Stephan was one of those. Once he was just inside its perimeter, he found he was impressed with himself for his accomplishment and smiled.
Twiggins, on the other hand, knew better than to tempt fate. Upon reaching the entrance he patted his horse on the rump, signaling it to run along. He would not be taking his best friend into the Eternal Forest, just in case something should go wrong. Instead, Twiggins would brave this journey alone and promised to meet his horse again very soon.
Once inside the Eternal Forest, Twiggins, became cautious, looking about frantically. His movements were so erratic, Stephan found himself getting nervous as well.
“I wish you would stop. We are here now, and nothing has happened yet,” Stephan said.
Twiggins scoffed at him. “Foolish boy. This forest ‘as never been kind to my people. There is a reason we are so few, and this is it.” He made a wide sweeping motion at their surroundings.
“What happened?”
As they continued to walk deeper into the forest, Twiggins began to recount for him the history sprauns have with the forest.
“As it is plain to see, I am small. True, I can fly, and I am fast, but what lives in here is large and faster. Long ago, long before I or my parents were born, there was a storm.”
“The Flood?” Stephan interrupted.
“Who is telling the story, me or you?”
Stephan remained quiet and let Twiggins continue. For the likes of you and your kind it was a flood, but from where sprauns lived back then, it was a storm, the likes of which no one had ever seen.”
He stopped, the sound of a branch drawing his attention to their right side, but he could see nothing and continued.
“As you may have learned from Professor Engle, it was this storm that was believed to be the cause of the sickness that plagued so many of your kind. A sickness so terrible there was no cure.” Stephan nodded, not wishing to interrupt him. “No one bothered to ask if anyone else was living here when all those who were sick were sent here.” Stephan inhaled in shock at what he was hearing. “That sickness nearly killed every last spraun.”
“The Eternal Forest was your home?”
“We knew it as Malcana Wood. We lived up there.” Twiggins pointed up towards the treetops. “Living in dense trees is what protects us from land animals and hides us from flying creatures, too. For a long time, sprauns lived at peace in the Malcana Wood, until your sick was sent here.”
Stephan did not know what to say. He found it hard to believe this decision was done intentionally, but he had no proof otherwise.
The two of them walked on in silence for a while. Neither knowing how to break the awkwardness that had fallen between them. Twiggins knew he was the cause of it, as Amos had told him time and time again would happen. He could almost hear his teacher, Amos, speaking to him now, cautioning him not to wear his anger and resentment for something that happened so long ago. Stephan was not responsible for actions of the past, nor should be blamed.
“I am sorry, Stephan. You were not the cause of this.”
“I know. I just wish there was a way to undo what happened. Stop the flood from coming. Then—”
“Wait.” Twiggins flew into the air and hovered beside Stephan. He leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Something is over there.”
With his chin he pointed in a direction that was hidden behind several bushes. Stephan stood on tip-toe but could see nothing. “Go see what it is.”
“This is your mission,” Twiggins said, returning to the ground. “You go.”
“Why don’t we both go, then?”
Twiggins accepted this compromise, though he still let Stephan lead the way. They reached the tall bushes and peaked through them at what looked like a faun grazing by a small stream. From their vantage point it seemed harmless; hardly worth getting so worked up about.
The sound of a twig breaking under someone’s foot got the attention of the faun who looked up, but it was too late. A creature unlike anything Twiggins or Stephan had ever seen moved from one side of the stream to the other with such speed and precision they hardly were able to see what it was between the two of them.
At one end of the stream it grabbed the faun around its neck and dragged it to the other side, vanishing. The faun did not have a chance to defend itself or cry out in pain. Whatever passed through killed it instantly.
“What am I doing here with you?” Twiggins asked, taking a dry gulp, his voice shaking slightly. “I did not ask for this. To be eaten by some…some…thing out there.”
Twiggins prepared to take flight and leave Stephan behind, but saw the look of true fear in his eyes and could not bear to leave the ground just yet. He shuffled his feet as sprauns are apt to do when they are unsure of the right decision to make.
Stephan could see Twiggins was fighting the urge to leave. “It’s alright if you go. I am sure Professor Engle won’t think less of you.”
“Your professor might not, but my friend Amos would. I will stay to the death.” Both realized the magnitude of his words and gulped simultaneously at the thought. The longer they stayed there, the greater the odds they would not make it out alive. “Let us make haste. It is dark enough in here and the sun has not yet set. When it does, we will not have the guidance of the moonlight to show us the way out.”
“Easy for you to say, you can fly. What will I do if we are captured?”
“How much do you weigh?” Twiggins paced around Stephan and looked him up and down. He then walked up to him and pinched his thigh causing him to yelp.
“What did you do that for?”
“If we can find some berries, I might be able to take you with me. If danger comes, that is.”
Twiggins continued to walk, this time looking up at the trees surrounding them for berries.
“Do you mean up there?” Stephan pointed upwards and Twiggins nodded. He had no luck seeing clear to the top of the trees where the branches were to detect berries. Instead, he started to look towards the ground as it was easier for him to see. “What are you doing?” Stephan grew frustrated at being ignored.
“Did you not hear me? Help me look for berries. Specifically, red ones. The blue will give me the strength I need as well, but not long enough to get us both out of here to safety. Once, I was able to push over an entire tree with one hand after just eating four red berries.”
“I don’t believe you, besides…” Stephan’s voice trailed off, and he looked back suddenly into the darkness that surrounded them.
“What is it?”
“Do you feel that? Like we are being watched.”
Something fell at Stephan’s feet with a thud. It was so small he had to bend down to pick it up. Twiggins appeared at his side and took it from his hand.
“Amazing, a red berry.” He looked upwards at the branches overhead. Before he could say another word, several more fell to the surrounding ground. Twiggins quickly gathered them all up, giddy with joy at how many he had.
He raised his hand to gobble them up, but Stephan grabbed his arm and stopped him. “Wait. Don’t you think it’s strange you happen to be looking for red berries and they just fall from the sky?”
“No. Berries often fall from trees. You worry too much. Besides, if something up there dropped them down to us, that means they are friendly and want to help.”
“Or they are poison and they are trying to kill us.”
Twiggins realized Stephan could be right and slowly dropped the berries to the ground.
“Well then, my good man. Shall we continue on our journey,” Twiggins shouted at the top of his lungs. “Follow my lead,” he whispered to Stephan who looked on, puzzled. “I am sure we will find better berries further inland.”
They both continued walking towards their destination, looking to the sky for the source of what had dropped berries at their feet, but could barely make out shadows in the densely collected branches and leaves. It was hopeless. Twiggins shrugged and gave up looking. Stephan tapped him on the shoulder and flapped his hands by his sides to signal for Twiggins to take flight for a better look, but he vehemently shook his head. He would not risk going up there in search of what might be following them.
They walked on in silence. Stephan trying to hear even the slightest sound that was not made by their surroundings and Twiggins enjoying not being asked to risk his life any longer.
Stephan broke the silence to ask, “Do you think we should keep going this way? We will be showing whoever is following us what we are up to. And the further in we go the harder it will be for us to escape, quickly.”
Twiggins turned back to argue his point but found himself frozen in fear. Behind Stephan stood a creature unlike anything Twiggins had ever seen. At least eight feet tall, blue-gray skin that made it look like it was a statue if it had remained still, but it blinked, and its eyes turned from a bright yellow to a blood red, then back again. In one hand it held a spear that was of similar height, with long human fingers wrapped around it tightly.
“What is it?” Stephan asked, noticing the fear in his companion’s eyes right away. He looked back hesitantly and upon noticing the spear first he jumped back and crouched down to hide behind Twiggins, but at barely three feet tall there was very little that could easily hide behind him. “Should we run?”
“No. I have never met a knonn before but I know of them. Their speed is unmatched by any human or beast.”
“Then we remain here till it moves on or decides to eat us?” Again, Twiggins shrugged his shoulders. He was unaccustomed to answering so many questions he had no clear answers to. The creature took a step forward, and they matched it, moving backwards. It crouched low.
When at eye level with Stephan, it spoke. “Why are you here?”
They were both shocked by many things at the moment, but at the top of their list was the fact that it could speak. This made Stephan see it differently and suddenly noticed just how human-like it was in its facial features, hands and feet. He noticed it had a piece of animal skin cut perfectly to cover its chest and wrapped around its waist. He realized it must be a female. But the skin and those eyes still frightened him.
She bore her teeth at him with fangs as long as his fingers. “Do you not understand me? Why are you here?”
“We—we mean you no harm,” Stephan stammered, moving from behind Twiggins and returning to a standing position. “My friend and I just need to do one small thing and leave. We promise not to disturb you.”
The creature eyed Stephan curiously. Her face relaxed and her eyes which were red before returned to its normal yellow. “Who sent you?” she asked him.
Stephan wasn’t sure if he should answer and looked to Twiggins even though he expected to see a shoulder shrug. Instead, he received an adamant head shake. Twiggins did not think it was such a good idea to answer.
“Woodvale sent me.”
The creature’s eyes grew wide, and this time turned green. She stood tall and started to make a howling sound, her head tilted back to let it travel as far as it could throughout the forest. When she was done, she looked back at Stephan and said, “We’ve been expecting you.”