Chapter 6 - Crossing the Downs

The Greenwall was not, in fact, a wall. It was actually the point at which the forest ended. The giant trees of the Greenwall hedged in the forest, separating it from the and the low, gently rolling green grass hills of The Downs. However, while lacking actual walls, the Greenwall had been tended and shaped by the elves over countless generations to be a nigh on impenetrable defensive stronghold. The trees that made up the Greenwall were carefully chosen, only the largest and strongest trees were allowed to remain and given space to grow out wide, as well as tall. This meant that by the time Eliza and Mara approached the edge of the forest, the Greenwall had grown so expansive that an invading army would have been forced to bunch up into single file lines to attempt to pass through. High up in the treetops the elves had cultivated wide branches of the trees into a complex system of walkways, suspension bridges, checkpoints, and outposts. From above, invaders would look like a line of ants, easily picked off.

The Wardens patrolled the Greenwall day and night, ever vigilant for threats to their forest. Units of twelve would rotate along the wall from outpost to outpost and two teams of three would always be out patrolling the unit’s assigned segments. It was one of these patrols that spotted Mara and Eliza as they approached, finally leaving the dangers of the Wyld behind them.

“Ho there travellers, state your business and come no further,” came the call from somewhere far up in the tall trees in front of Eliza. She could not see the person who was talking, they were shrouded by green leaves.

“First Ranger Mara, and guest. We’re headed to Kholm to see the dwarves. I’m to escort her by orders of the King.” Eliza heard what she thought were more voices, whispering or talking back and forth with each other, seemingly deciding the correct course of action. “Look, who’s the officer in charge at this checkpoint?” Mara finally called up to them, clearly tired of waiting for the Wardens to make up their own minds.

“Sergeant Ginger Longleaf sir,” the first voice barked out in drilled precision.

“Good. Go fetch me Sergeant Ginger and toss us down a lead. We’ve been riding all morning on little sleep and I wish to hear what news the Wardens have of recent events.” There was a flurry of activity up in the leafy canopy and soon a long rope tied to a sturdy looking bit of wood was tossed down. Eliza hopped off Poro’s back and unhooked her backpack from the saddle. “Just slip your foot in there and hold on tight, the Wardens will lift you up to the ramparts and then toss the rope back down for me.” Mara then gave the rope three quick yanks before stepping back. “And fetch me a short bow and a quiver from the outpost armory as well!” She called up after the girl.

Eliza did as she was told and was soon slowly being hoisted skyward, the rope gently swaying in the mid morning breeze. If Eliza hadn’t been fearless this particular morning, the swing of the rope nearly 30 feet in the air might have unnerved her. When she arrived at the top, an armored elf reached out and pulled Eliza onto the solid wooden floor of the rampart. Once she was safely on solid footing, the elf tossed the board back over the side and Eliza noticed another armored elf standing a few feet from the edge unreeling a large spool of rope making sure the line didn’t fall too quickly or rise to slowly.

Once both Eliza and Mara were among the treetops of the Greenwall and short introductions were made, the two remaining Wardens escorted the pair a short ways down the ramparts to a small wooden alcove built against one of the imposing tree trunks. The Warden who had called down to them was named Mint and his partner was named Cornflower. Their third companion, Elm, had been sent to fetch Sergeant Ginger from the outpost further down the Greenwall. Mint and Mara made polite small talk while Cornflower set the kettle on a small clay stove to warm them all up while they waited for the Sergeant.

It was a little bit of a wait but eventually Elm and the Sergeant appeared. “Elm, Mint, Cornflower, continue your patrols, I’ll speak with the First Ranger,” the Sergeant said, taking a cup of tea from Mint and walking across the room to face Mara. She was taller than the other Wardens, much closer in height with Mara than her fellow soldiers. She was older than Mara and looked every bit the same stern warrior as the Ranger. Ginger removed her gilded helmet and set it on her lap as she took a seat. Bright red hair spilled down past her shoulders, now free from the constraint of her helm. She smiled at Eliza as she took a sip of tea, “Who’s your friend Mara? What did you do to get demoted to first nanny? I’m guessing whatever it was has something to do with why your arm is in a sling?”

“Eliza is the King’s envoy, Ginger,” Mara said flatly, not reacting to the Sergeant’s obvious teasing. As First Ranger, Mara outranked the sergeant considerably and yet the two of them talked more like siblings than soldiers. “Have you had any runners from the capitol lately?”

“No,” Ginger said, clearly pleased with this little game. She raised an eyebrow at Mara. “Should we have? Perhaps they could explain why you emerged on the far side of the Wylds instead of heading down the King’s Road. The two of you are welcome to stay at the outpost with my squad until the runners arrive. I’ll have Sap take a look at your shoulder and make sure nothing is broken.”

“Yes, I’m afraid we are in a bit of a hurry. Eliza MUST be in Kholm in two days time.”

The Warden gave the Ranger a shrewd look but decided not to press the issue. “Well, I’m sure you know your business best. There is a large trade ship that docked at Kholm yesterday. I wouldn’t be so bold as to pry, but I’ll assume your business is on a tight deadline. We’ll enjoy our tea and let Poro rest, then I’ll send you two on your way.” Her smile returned to her face. “Eliza, did you know Mara and I went to school together?”

Eliza, who had kept quiet for her part, looked up from her tea curiously. “No, I didn’t know Mara went to school.”

Ginger nearly snorted she laughed so hard. Whatever tension had been building in the room was immediately snapped and everyone seemed to relax. “Oh goodness!” The Sergeant wiped tears from her eyes. “She may seem dull at times but I can assure you she graduated from the Academy same as me. Albeit, a few years afterwards. Even though she was several years my junior, she excelled at it. But when the time came for us to request our assignments, I decided to do my part to protect the realm in the Wardens, and Mara decided she’d rather help squirrels find acorns.”

Mara laughed at her old friend. “Right, and who is the youngest leader of their order?”

“Lord Vakt,” Ginger said, a grin cut across her lips that seemed fit for a fox.

“Eliza, give me your slingshot. I’m going to put one of the blixt nuts right between Sergeant Longleaf’s eyes...”

The two elf women and one human girl talked for another hour before exiting the wooden guardpost well rested. As they said their thank yous and their goodbyes, Mint came running up with a small bundle. “I brought the bow and quiver you requested, First Ranger,” he said, holding out the objects for Mara. She looked down at the bundle and then at the sling across her chest.

“Um, take the bow from the young Warden, Eliza. They are for you, after all. I’ll make you a trained archer before the dwarves know what to do with you.”

“Thank you, Sir Mint,” Eliza said, trying to mimic the elve’s salute. They laughed at her effort but all returned the gesture.

“Come along then, Lady Eliza,” Mara teased, “Poro will have been fed and rested and ready to move on by now. Thank you again, Ginger, for your help in this, er, matter.”

The older woman laughed and shot the ranger a wink. “Don’t worry Mara, I know what this must mean for you. We’ll do what we can on our end to buy you some time. My men are loyal to me, but I won’t let them do anything to bring dishonor to the order either.”

“Of course,” Mara answered, swinging a foot into the stirrup of the makeshift elevator along the battlement. With a nod, she kicked off the side and soon disappeared over the edge. Sergeant Ginger walked over to stand beside Eliza who was watching Mara descend to the forest floor.

“Watch after our First Ranger, Eliza. She and the Prince, well, there’s history there.”

“What do you mean?” Eliza asked.

“Let’s just say, I’m not sure who will rescue who when they meet.”

By the time Eliza was safely back down on the ground, Mara had Poro packed and ready to go. “Toss up your bag but hold on to the bow. I want you to get used to wearing that quiver.” Mara quickly strapped down the Eliza’s canvas backpack before showing her the proper way to strap the small bow’s quiver to her waist. Unlike the Wardens’ giant bows, whose quivers ran down the lengths of their backs, the short bow’s quiver was roughly three feet long. They used the short bows for mobility and speed, when the giant bows would be to cumbersome to carry into the woods. The Wardens mostly used them when foraging for food.

Eliza rode atop Poro with the small quiver resting against the small of her back. She had to be sure to sit up straight or the small arrows would go tipping out of the quiver. She held the shortbow in her hand and would occasionally give the bowstring a good pull to test the strength of her arms. With some effort, she could draw the bow back fully, though she was beginning to think she liked her slingshot much better.

The pair were out of the forest relatively quickly once they had set out from the Wardens’ post. A single rider and mount did not have much difficulty traversing the Greenwall, though Eliza sensed several pairs of eyes were watching them from hidden spaces. She decided that if the elves did not want you to enter through the Greenwall, you wouldn’t get very far. Leaving the trees behind them, Eliza, Mara, and Poro were now making their way across low, gentle rolling hills covered in long blades of grass that waved back and forth on the wind. Out of the shelter of the forest there seemed to be a constant breeze that blew in waves. It would be little more than a whisper, then slowly build force until the wind would very nearly blow Eliza’s hat off, then die off again, quick as it came. The wind and grass and hills made Eliza feel as if they were really walking across a great green sea that gently rolled downward towards the deeps. Far off in the distance, Eliza could just make out the towering grey peaks that clawed out into the sky like shards of broken glass.

Eliza wanted to speak with Mara about what Ginger said about the Prince, but never felt the time was quite right. Instead, Mara spent most of that afternoon’s journey teaching Eliza on the proper use of a shortbow and explaining the various exercise stances they would practice in the evenings and again in the mornings, to strengthen her arms and chest. Becoming a warrior like Mara began to sound an awful lot like school to Eliza...

As the sun began to sink behind distant mountains, Mara unsaddled Poro and removed his saddlebags, letting the reindeer graze happily by himself. The light faded fast as they set up camp and by the time Mara had dug a shallow pit for the cooking fire, the sky was illuminated with starlight. While Mara cooked their supper, Eliza lay on her back and studied the night sky. It was curious to her. Though the view out on the Downs was much better than her view at the lighthouse, she could not recognize any of the constellations.

“What do you look for, human child?” came a voice in the night, cold and wispy like the wind. Eliza bolted upright, frightened by the stranger.

“Mara, what was-”

“I heard it,” the ranger said, no fear in her voice. She had not moved away from the camping fire, but she had grabbed her bow and notched an arrow. “Back, fae! I may not be able to kill you, but the iron tip of my arrow will surely leave a mark.”

“Peace, Lady Mara, First Ranger of the Sylva. We’re up to no mischief. We merely heard there was a strange creature in your midst and wished to pay our respects,” the voice said. “Hello there, child. It’s been quite some time since one of your kind visited our domain.” From just outside the light of the fire, a tall black figure appeared. The fae was as tall as Mara but seemed to be covered in tall grass and other small plants. Its eyes glowed with a dim yellow light. The fae frightened Eliza, but she tried her best not to show it. She looked around but saw only the one figure standing, just out of the light of the fire.

“H-hello fae,” the girl said, trying to steady her voice. “Is there just the one of you?”

“Please, I am the Ghillie, but we are the fae. They are my people, and I, the Ghillie speak for us all. Though we are few these days. Might we share your fire for the night?”

Eliza looked over at Mara, but the elf woman only shrugged. She no longer seemed threatened by the stranger’s presence. “Please, join us.”

The Ghillie shuffled forward, drawing closer to the fire, but still remaining in shadow. Eliza was able to see the fae better now. The Ghillie wasn’t just covered in grass, the Ghillie seemed to be MADE of grass. “Hello there, child,” the fae repeated, settling down onto the soft grass, “it’s been quite some time since one of your kind visited our domain.”

“I didn’t mean to Mr. Ghillie, I just, sort of, wound up here.”

“Few do. The way along the ley-lines is not clear and hard to follow. Your heart must have sought out the doorway to our realm.” As the Ghillie spoke, firebugs drifted across the hill and came to rest in the fae’s grass, further illuminating the Ghillie’s face. “That’s how you arrived here, through the ley-lines.”

Eliza picked at the grass around her knees as she spoke with the fae. “Ley-lines?”

“The, ah, how to put it? The leys are the, building blocks of our world, and all worlds for that matter. It’s an untouchable, unknowable force that is separate and yet a part of us all.” From where she sat cooking Mara hrmpf-ed. The Ghillie ignored the elf’s interruption and continued. “By looking at the lines that connect someone’s ley, you can see what might lie in wait for them further down the road. There are larger ley-lines in the world as well. Those connect all realms to each other, like a spider’s web. It was walking down one of those greater ley-lines that brought you to us. We have seen your ley-lines, human child. We see great danger in them, but also great triumph. And for you, First Ranger-”

“Right, that’s enough of that, Fae!” Mara said annoyed. She walked over and handed Eliza a plate of warm meat and mixed greens, all seasoned to perfection of course. “Stop filling the girl’s head with your talk of ley-lines and other worlds. We’re on a very serious mission and I don’t want her distracted by your talk of fortunes.”

“As you wish, Lady Mara,” the Ghillie said, bowing low and appearing to scoot back away from the fire. “But at least let us offer these gifts. My people support this realm and as a show of goodwill we offer you both our aid, in what small capacity we have left to us.” A long arm extended into the fire’s light. It didn’t look human, Eliza thought, more like a loose clump of turf that somehow grew, rather than extended. The Ghillie set something down beside the fire and the fae’s arm shrank back away from the flames like a wilting vine. Where its hand had been sat a gold ring set with a black pearl.

“For you, Lady Mara. A ring to dispel any magic. If you truly seek after Ulda and her seior, this ring will keep its wearer safe. The Prince has...”

“What has she done with the Prince?!” Mara looked at the Ghillie, her eyes filled with more passion than the small flames they reflected.

“Our information is not recent, but, last my kind saw of your prince he was under the sorceress’s charms.”

The firelight seemed to dwindle as the Ghillie spoke. Mara’s shoulders sank and she turned her face away from them. “Then it is true. It’s as we feared after all...” the warrior set her dinner down on the grass, nearly untouched, and walked out into the night in the direction Poro had wandered. Eliza moved to go after her but the Ghillie spoke first.

“Wait, human child. Let Lady Mara go, she’ll return when she’s ready. We’re afraid our news was not a kindness to her, even if she knew the truth long before we told her.”

Eliza looked back towards the Ghillie. “What do you mean? We’re on our way to speak with the Queen and save the Prince right?”

“The Queen of Giants is a sorceress, yes. But seior is not some sort of controlling magic. Its power comes from the heart and from willpower.”

“So the Prince wants to stay with the giants?” Eliza asked, unsure of herself.

“Yes, or he does not wish to come home. Either way, it is not the Queen keeping him at the mountain.” The Ghillie shifted once more, this time appearing to stand up. “Our time is short and we have other appointments to meet this night. But before we go Lady Eliza,” the Ghillie extended his hands and a warm breeze began to blow. To Eliza it smelt of cut grass, the sweet-sour smell of old leaves, and fresh rain on exposed dirt. A bright red leaf danced on the breeze and floated towards her. It spun around and around in the air above her head before gently coming to rest on her lap. “A gift from my people to you. Keep it with you, it will protect you when it is time to. Goodbye, human child. It was nice to see your kind again in these lands.” And with that, Eliza was left alone to sit beside the fire and think.