Eternal Forest [Episode 4]
The 5th Compass | Book Two [2,960 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.
The rest of the day went as well as could be expected where Stephan we concerned. After missing his first class because of his injuries, he arrived late to his second and Professor Grimsbane was not pleased. She ordered him to report to Tieg, the groundskeeper.
As Woodvale Academy had no physical buildings to speak of in this new location hidden among the caves and mountains, Tieg took on the responsibility for everyone’s safety. His duties were to patrol the area at all times and to use students he handpicks or those who are sent to him as punishment. According to Woodvale, understanding the dangers that are out in the world just waiting for the opportunity to bring harm upon the Academy is a great way to get the students to take their lessons more seriously.
Stephan was never sent to Tieg before and groaned when he was given the punishment. Being sent to Tieg meant he could not stop by Woodvale’s office like he had planned, to apologize for taking so long in his answer and tell him he would help in any way he could.
The conversation he had earlier in the day weighed heavily on his mind. Professor Engle was an intelligent man, and Stephan never knew him to speak as cryptically as he did at the infirmary. Why did he want Stephan to help Woodvale so adamantly? And even more important, why did he act like he didn’t know that Woodvale would ask for his help in the first place?
As Professor Grimsbane prattled on about avoiding detection from those who were not members of Woodvale Academy and therefore wouldn’t understand them or be kind to them, he busied himself trying to think of a way to get the answers he sought.
Perhaps Woodvale would tell him? He seemed open to questions the night before when Stephan was too afraid to ask any. But now it was all too strange, and rather than play guessing games he wanted the truth. This meant he needed to skip his next class.
Skipping class was not something he ever did as he never had a reason not to go to class like the others who did it all the time. He knew it was because he had no friends to skip class with, but it never bothered him. He knew his presence at Woodvale Academy would be a difficult one. This meant he would have to apply himself more than all the rest who earned their spot.
It all paid off, as he knew if he had not excelled so much in all of his courses he would not have caught the attention of Woodvale.
A bell rang out in the distance signaling the end of this class, leaving just a few minutes to get to the next one.
The Academy, even though it had no real buildings to hold their classes in, did not keep it from being a rather large school. Nearly one thousand students attend Woodvale, with over two dozen professors. Each of them teaches a different course that pertains primarily to magic, how to use it, and most importantly, how to hide it.
Stephan knew no one would notice him if he slipped away in the middle of everyone heading to their next class. But to be on the safe side he pretended he forgot something back at his room, making a big show, throwing his hands up in frustration as he stomped back in that direction.
He casually looked over his shoulder to make sure no one followed him as he hurried back towards their makeshift dormitory. Instead of going through the cave's opening to where the beds are, he made a right turn. This route would take him much longer to reach Woodvale, meaning more chances another student or a professor could detect him, but it was a risk he had to take.
A few paces from the location of the student beds was a dense group of bushes Tieg was using to grow some fruits and vegetables for the students. Stephan pulled a bunch of grapes off the vine to munch on as he missed breakfast earlier. As he made his way, at a quickened pace, towards Woodvale’s office, he popped grapes into his mouth, spitting the seeds in his other hand. He didn’t want to leave a trail even Tieg and his hound might detect and investigate.
He knew this was about the time Woodvale liked to walk among the different classes just to observe. This meant Stephan would have to wait for an unknown amount of time for him to return to his office.
Woodvale Academy did not have any structural buildings to speak of, with most of its classes taking place out of doors. But Woodvale insisted on having a space that could not easily be penetrated through a secret tunnel. He and Tieg worked tirelessly to construct a small fort-like structure that had four walls. It was made mostly out of tree bark meticulously rolled out flat and roped tightly together. Its roof was large tree branches that let in natural sunlight during the day and blocked out the moonlight at night, requiring the use of candles and lanterns, which Woodvale kept everywhere.
One such lantern dangled from the entrance of his office. This was the only way anyone would see it who knew where to look. Otherwise, the bark that made up the walls and the branches for the roof hid his office really well amongst the tall trees and brush that surrounded it.
From a safe distance Stephan could see Tieg walking past Woodvale’s office towards him, his hound right by his side. In a panic he dropped the seeds from his hand along with the bunch of grapes he had not eaten yet and forced his way through the bushes growing out from the mountainside. This proved difficult to manage without making any sound Tieg might hear but once he could feel the side of the mountain with his body, he lowered himself as best he could, his face pressed up against it. Stephan could feel sweat beads forming and the burn of streaks from the mountainside when he slid down to bended knees.
He heard footsteps and held his breath. Tieg was just on the other side of the bushes where he hid. Stephan closed his eyes to better hear what was happening around him. The dirt on the ground scraped slightly, and Stephan suspected that Tieg was in a crouched position, inspecting the seeds and grapes he dropped. He pressed his head against the mountainside and let out his breath. He knew they caught him for sure.
“Tieg, confound it. There you are. Woodvale has been going mad looking for you everywhere. Do you have the wild boar ready for tonight?”
Tieg ignored the question hurled at him from one of the Guardian Professors who approached from behind.
“Just look at this mess. These young’uns have no respect for what I am trying to do here. The thieves.”
“Did you not hear me? Woodvale requires an update. I suggest you go find him immediately. Last I left him, he was sitting in with Professor Brack’s class.”
Tieg clicked his teeth in disgust at being ordered about by a professor. He was used to it from Woodvale but hated to be at the receiving end from professors, even if they were Elders.
There are only a handful of Guardian Professors left as not everyone can excel to their skill of magic. The few that remain usually will teach those recommended to them by professors as being the best in their class and therefore require one-on-one teachings. It has been a long time since this has happened, therefore, many of the Guardian Professors were consulted but only on an advisory capacity, assisting Woodvale with surveillance that requires frequenting the nearby villages. It is rare to see Guardian Professors walking about, but as they scheduled the bonfire for tomorrow, it was not unusual.
Stephan waited longer before he felt it was safe to emerge from his hiding place. He wiped at his face but it just made the dirt on his face more pronounced and let it be as he sprinted towards Woodvale’s office. After confirmation from the Guardian that Woodvale was at Professor Brack’s class, he knew slipping inside would be fine.
Once through the door with it safely closed behind him he heaved a sigh of relief though he knew it would be short lived. Woodvale was sitting in on Professor Brack’s class, undoubtedly looking for Stephan who was skipping his class to speak with him. They appeared to be at cross paths, but Stephan knew he could not risk going to class late. Instead, he reasoned staying in Woodvale’s office till he returned to it and explaining he fell ill in the morning, which is why he missed that class. It was an excuse he figured many students had used before but hoped with his newfound relationship with Woodvale, he would get away with it.
He had only ever been in Woodvale’s office twice before and both occasions were not nearly long enough to get a good look around at everything.
His first visit was when his uncle brought both he and his sister there to meet Woodvale. Stephan knew at the time his acceptance into the Academy was looking very slim. After all, he had never shown any sign of being gifted. He did not have very high hopes of getting in even though he greatly admired Woodvale so much more than his own father. Stephan understood why he saw precious little of his father, but it did not mean he had to like it. In fact, he hated it. Living under the thumb of his sister was embarrassing.
While his father was away, Stephan felt he should have been made the man of the house, especially as he was the oldest, though not by much. His father felt differently. He knew his son was not up for the responsibility and always saw a sense of duty and honor in his daughter’s eyes. When their father left, he did so with explicit instructions; Stephan was to always obey his sister. He honored his father’s wishes but resented every single day he was gone.
On that first occasion he found himself in the room of a man he had heard many stories about when he was younger, frequenting bars because he knew his sister would disapprove, he was struck silent. The drunken men who came stumbling from these taverns would tell him stories, rumors mostly, of the exploits of Woodvale. Sitting in his office all he could do was stare at him, barely catching any of the conversation that transpired between his uncle and the man he wished were his father.
The second time he found himself in Woodvale’s office was the day after he began his schooling at the Academy. Immediately, Stephan became the target of everyone who was bigger and stronger than he was. They heard someone who did not belong there was being admitted, and they wasted no time pouncing. Of course, at the time, many of the professors were just as angry as the students, though they did not express their anger in the same way. Instead, they blamed all the fighting and outbursts on Stephan, and he was promptly sent to Woodvale’s office.
Unfortunately, this did not go quite as Stephan has planned. Woodvale was absent that day, and he was reprimanded instead by one of the Guardian Professors. Stephan remembered very little of the reprimand as he was so disappointed that Woodvale was not there he hardly listened.
Now he had an opportunity to really take this all in. He would finally get to sit down, man-to-man, with Woodvale who wanted his help above anyone else’s. But first, he would look around.
Woodvale’s office is very sparse. He has a few talismans and knives hanging all along the walls. Normally, shiny objects like those would interest an impressionable boy like Stephan, but a breeze came through the room, ruffling some papers on a table at the other end of the room. Stephan headed straight for them, reasoning with himself that he could inspect the knives on the wall afterwards. Or perhaps he could get Woodvale to tell him about them?
This table was not there on the two previous times he had been in this hut that was Woodvale’s office. Stephan remembered very clearly what was there instead was a much smaller table, shorter and with fewer things on it. This table was larger, taller, and had an intricately woven cloth draped over it that touched the floor it was so large. Room for more things on it and it looked like Woodvale needed the space as it was covered with papers and books.
Stephan walked around it and found a stool where he imagined Woodvale must sit pouring over the many papers. He dared to sit on the stool and look through them hoping to find some secrets or the reason why Woodvale needed his help. Part of him knew he would not find any such documents, but he looked closely all the same.
The top paper was a map of the mountain Woodvale Academy was currently located. It was complete with markings to denote all the cave entrances as well as the locations of the villages both on the Malithorn and Ebonthorn side.
There were also red Xs in various places that Stephan could not understand what they meant. He began to look under the map for perhaps another paper that might explain their meaning when he heard voices just outside the walls of the office.
Stephan quickly pulled up the cloth and crawled under the table. In a crouched position he remained balanced on his feet and pointed towards the door in case he had to make a run for it quickly. As the voices got closer, he realized it was Woodvale, and he immediately felt silly for hiding. Was it not Woodvale he was waiting to see in the first place?
He grabbed the cloth to lift it up and emerge before Woodvale even entered but stopped when he heard someone else’s voice with him. It belonged to a woman that Stephan did not recognize.
“Is everything ready, then?” the mysterious voice asked Woodvale.
“I spoke with Tieg. He assures me this is the largest wild boar he has ever captured. It is sure to keep the parents distracted long enough for you to do your part.”
Together, Woodvale and the woman with him walked up to the table where Stephan was still maintaining his balance under it. He heard the sound of papers on the table being moved about.
“Here is what I need you to see to. These are the only areas for a safe exit from the mountain. Do you think you can handle it?”
“Have you ever known me to fail before, Vale?”
Stephan had heard no one call him that before. Perhaps this woman was a close friend? Although, why had he never heard her voice before now? Stephan wanted to catch a glimpse of her but could not be sure just how close to the table they were and if they could notice the slightest movement from where they stood.
“Excellent. Now, go. I still have my part to see to; otherwise all you accomplish tomorrow will be wasted. The Academy is counting on you. I am counting on you.”
There was a silence that followed and lasted for several seconds where Stephan could not hear a sound. Had they left quietly? It was not possible. Then, a spider fell from the underside of the table, hanging by its web right in front of Stephan’s face. Stunned by its appearance he fell backwards on his behind but the sounds of Woodvale, and whoever was with him, leaving, masked the sound he made.
“What are you doing here?” Stephan asked, crawling out from under the table.
The lone spider cut the web it dangled from and crawled out from under the table. It kept going till it crawled out the front door that was then opened by Aranaeia, standing on the other side. Only this time she was alone. She quickly entered and closed the door behind her.
“I could ask you the same thing. Should you not be in class now?” Aranaeia folded her arms, waiting for his reply.
“I am here under the request of Woodvale. I came to give him my answer.” Stephan had nothing to hide, and he wasn’t sworn to secrecy by Woodvale not to speak of their conversation. Besides, for once he wanted to show his biggest enemy that he was important and to the creator of Woodvale Academy.
“Woodvale asked you to come to his office when he’s not here and hide till he arrives?” Stephan knew it! She had been following him, but why?
“I am not lying. He spoke to me yesterday. Took me to a place where he likes to be alone further up the mountain.” Aranaeia remained with her arms folded. His story was getting more and more unbelievable. “He…he asked for my help, too. That’s why I am here. To tell him that I would help him.”
She sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. “Why would Woodvale need help from an ungifted? How could you possibly help him?”
Stephan had no clue, but he could not tell her that or she might tell on him. “He needs me to help him save the Academy from attack,” he blurted out. From the shocked look on her face, he knew he had her attention. She believed him.