Chapters:

Short Stories- Part One

Echra and the Forest

 

"So, you live in the forest?"

Echra peeked over the edge of the hill at the cloaked and hooded figure sitting below. At the sound of his voice the small figure jumped up and dashed away into the woods. Echra thought for a moment about following, but his father’s warning kept him in place.

He walked back to the town, determined that next time he would talk to whoever it was. Everyone in town was busy with their own problems or caught up in their lives so much that he could scarcely make a friend.

At dinner that night he decided to ask his father again.

"I saw the cloaked person at the edge of the forest," he said. "They ran away when I tried to say hi."

A clink as his mother dropped her fork. She looked with concern at his father, who glared intently at Echra.

"I told you to never go near those who live in the forest." he said angrily. "It’s dangerous. You could be killed."

"That person didn’t seem like a dangerous sort. I watched him for a while, he seemed... lonely."

His father leaned forward with his hands folded in front of him. "You saw his face?" he asked. "You must never get close enough to see their faces. They know to stay away from the town, those people of the woods. Don’t encourage them by getting near to them." He leaned backwards. "Clearly you don’t have enough to do around here. If you can’t find a friend to play with, I’ll be doubling your work duties from now on."

Echra tried to protest, but his father cut him short. He ate the rest of his meal in silent contemplation. After he finished and cleaned up he headed back outside for a walk.

He passed a group of children playing and thought for a moment about asking to join them, but he just couldn’t make himself do it. They were a group he didn’t belong to. He felt like such an oddity every time he had tried, so he just kept to himself.

The path down to the forest looked inviting to him and for a moment he thought about going down again. With a look back at his house he paused before walking slowly down the path.

A whistle cut through the bustle of the town and he looked back- his father stood at the door of his house shaking his head. With a sigh, Echra turned back. As he did so he thought he glimpsed a brown cloak at the edge of the forest, but when he looked again it was gone. He trudged back to his house, hopped in bed, and went to sleep.

​He woke early, before dawn. This was the last time, he told himself, that he would go to the forest. Last time he had been brave enough to talk to one of the people who lived in the forest, this time maybe he’d get to hear something back from them. It couldn’t hurt to try, no matter what his father said.

The front door creaked loudly as he opened it, he paused for an anxious minute to see if it had alerted anyone. Satisfied that he would not be noticed, he tiptoed out. Then he was off and running down the path to the forest. He practically dove to lie at the top of the hill to peek down. Disappointment flooded him as he saw nothing but grass and brush below him. He sighed and waited. Before he knew it, he was nodding off.

A sharp knock on the head woke him up suddenly. He looked down at the bottom of the hill, then around beside him. Seeing nothing nearby he looked back down at the line of the trees. A light thump next to him gave him a start and he looked around again. Then he saw it, a person standing in a tree holding a handful of acorns.

With a grin he waved. "Hey!" he called out. "Do you live in the forest?"

The cloaked figure nodded.

"Want to come up on the hill with me?"

The cloaked figure shook its head.

Echra took a deep breath. "Ok!" he said "I’ll come down to you then!" and with that he slid down the hill.

A rock jutting out under a bit of grass caught him and before he knew it he was tumbling head over heels down the hill. He sat and held his head for a moment, blinking away a few tears. Then there was a thump next to him as the figure from the tree landed next to him. He looked up.

"Oh," he said. "You’re a girl!"

The girl turned her head to the side, holding her hands in front of her face. She nodded bashfully.

"Can... can you take the hood off so I can see you?"

The girl dashed backwards to hide behind a tree. She poked her head out with her hand on the top of her hood, as if unsure if she should reveal herself. Echra looked around, a bit nervous himself. He tried to stand up, but found out painfully that he had twisted his ankle. He collapsed on the ground with a whimper and more than a handful of tears coming to his eyes.

With a gasp the girl rushed forward. She reached for his leg and held his foot gingerly. "Are you ok?" she asked shakily.

Echra tried his best to stop the flow of tears. "I... It hurts," he whimpered. "I need to go home!"

The girl shook her head. "Don’t worry, I can help!" then to Echra’s amazement her hands started to glow. A soft, warm light that surrounded his injured ankle.

There was silence for a moment, broken only by Echra hiccuping as his tears dried up. They stared at each other, and Echra was stunned by the deep green in her eyes. Slowly he lifted his hand to pull back the hood of her cloak. She made a motion as if to stop him, then lowered her hands.

"Oh..." he said. "You have horns!"

She buried her face in her hands and turned away. Echra reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey," he said uncertainly. "What’s wrong? Your horns, um, they’re very... pretty."

She did not turn around. "Mariel." she said quietly. "My name is Mariel."

Echra was silent for a moment as he thought of what to say. "That’s a very pretty name, too." he said at last. "Why do you have horns? My father told me that people lived in the forest, he never said anything about stuff like that."

Mariel turned back to face him, although she kept her gaze on the ground. "We’re demi-elves." she said. She pulled her hair back to show her pointed ears. "Lots of people don’t like us because we’re not humans. They think we send wolves and bears to attack them."

After thinking for a moment Echra spoke up. "Do you?" he asked.

"No! of course not!"

"Well," said Echra as though stating the most obvious fact in the world. "Just tell people you don’t do it, then they can like you again."

"We do!" said Mariel. Her slender frame shook as she cried. "We do, but humans don’t listen!"

"I... I’m listening."

Mariel impulsively reached out and hugged him, then dashed back to behind a tree. "I’m sorry." she said. "I just wanted to make sure you were real."

Echra stood blinking for a long moment. Then he spoke up nervously. "Um... could I... make sure you’re real... too?"

After a moment of silence, Mariel held out her hand. Echra reached out and grabbed it, squeezing a bit. "Yeah," he said. "You feel real."

They both stood there for a moment in silence before they each started giggling. Echra took a step forward when a cry from the town rang up Echraaaaa! Mariel pulled back immediately and disappeared into the forest.

Echra stood facing the forest for what seemed like forever, his heart pounding in his chest. The sound of his father running up to the top of the hill snapped him out of his daze.

"Echra!" his father bellowed. "What are you doing?! Get back up here immediately!"

With a heavy sigh, Echra turned and headed up. He didn’t think about what he would tell his father.

​He thought about Mariel.

Escape from the Compound.

 

The light from the windows of the Compound illuminated the neatly trimmed grass in crisscross patterns. It was the night of the new moon, and the surrounding forest seemed to be pitch black in comparison.

Elduin grabbed his sister’s hand and ran. She was still too afraid to do anything on her own, so he led her. The raucous laughter from inside the Compound sent shivers down his spine, but he continued to run. He dove into the brush, pulling Elleria with him. Sharp branches scratched at him, but he was too full of adrenaline to notice.

His mind ran through scenarios as he sat there, barely daring to breathe out of fear that he would be found. Nobody had ever gotten this close to escaping the Compound before. And he knew what would happen to both of them if they were caught. He felt his heart break at those still in the stone walls of the abominable building, at the torment they would likely go through as a result of his escape. If he could, he would have taken all of them with him.

His mind was sharp for his age. He could reason things through at a level nobody would have expected, which is why he had been able to escape. Planning and preparation had been meticulous, and he had suffered greatly for this opportunity. The past few weeks he had taken to hiding in the building each night, for as long as he could. The punishment for this had been severe but it meant that now they would look for him inside for longer before they looked for him outside.

He led Elleria through the woods as soon as they were both able to continue walking. They had gotten out of the Compound, but there was still the outer wall to get past. They stayed as close to the road as they dared, the black of night hindering their movement while at the same time providing them with desperately needed cover.

A carriage containing several ’guests’ came through and they stopped until it passed. The horse let out a whinny as it trotted by and the swinging lantern at the front blinded their eyes. They took several minutes to recover themselves before continuing on.

The brush on the side of the road was very thick, and Elduin took a chance. After steadying himself for a few moments he grabbed Elleria and dashed to the other side of the road. The continued on for a while in silence. He tried to think about the upcoming gate and how to pass it, it was the only remaining unknown variable in their escape. One of the Keepers in the Compound had dropped a key months back, and he had held on to it for this moment.

At long last the wall loomed in front of him. The heavy gate stood imposing and seemingly impenetrable. But he knew Deegan was on the other side of it, waiting to take him and Elleria to freedom. The guardhouse was silent, a candle flickering in the window. He knew he would have only one chance at this.

The ’guests’ had already come in. The guard would have nothing to do. Elduin prayed that the guard would be too busy relaxing to notice. He stepped forward inch by inch towards the gate. He felt his heart pounding and he could scarcely make himself breathe as he took the key in his trembling fingers. It fit inside the lock with a small clink! and he stopped to stare at the guardhouse.

There was nothing. Then a sound from the guard, he nearly fell over in surprise- A loud snore. He urged himself to calm down, squeezing Ellerias hand to reassure himself as much as her. The key turned and with a loud click! the gate was unlocked. Then they were outside, running as fast as they could.

From behind them they heard the loud clanging of bells as an alarm went up from the Compound. Their absence was noticed. Elduin looked around frantically for Deegan as they ran down the road. Suddenly a hand clamped over his mouth and he screamed-

Shhh! Deegan urged them to be quiet. He picked them both up and led them to a horse in the woods. He assured them that the horse would take them to freedom but they must hold on as best as they could. He would delay the Keepers as long as he could. After that he would come and meet them where it was safe. He slapped the horse on the rear and it took off through the woods.

Elduin held on to the horse as tightly as he could. His sister held on to him, and he felt comforted by her warmth on his back. They rode at a brisk pace, not fast enough to fall off but not slow enough that they would be caught. Light glimmered through the trees as dawn approached.

Then they were out of the woods. A house was waiting in a field ahead of them and the sunlight dazzled their eyes. People were waiting there, Deegans friends who were there to take them to safety. The horse came to a stop and Elduin felt his sister shaking with tears as she hugged him. He looked around, wondering why the outside world was so distorted and blurry. Then he felt the tears streaming down his cheeks. He reached down at the hands reaching up for him, and he knew everything would be all right.

Child of the Forest

 

Jorndrin kicked a stone as he walked down the path. He hummed to himself, a lonely tune that made his downcast mood go lower by the minute.

He passed by a group of dryads talking amongst themselves. Once they caught site of him they lowered their voices until he passed. It didn’t matter, he was used to it.

The Father of the Forest had given him a job for the day, another task that only served to take up time. He was sick of it, he had no true place in the Forest and everyone knew it. The dryads wouldn’t even talk to him. The rest of the animals just treated him with either pity or scorn.

Jorndrin was a human living in the world of sprites and faeries. A young boy with no family or friends. Years ago his parents had left him here, he had been told it was to protect him... but he knew better. They just didn’t want him. Nobody wanted him.

At first it had been wonderful, being cared for by animals and forest spirits. The Father of the Forest had granted the gift of speech to most of the animals so they could take care of him. But as the days turned into months and years he began to sour to his situation.

He neared his next stop, the den of a mother fox and her pups. She was always kind to him at least. He poked his head down into the den.

"Hi," he said wearily. "I’m checking today to make sure you have everything you need."

"Thank you, dear boy." the mother fox replied. "I’m afraid I don’t need anything right now, but I’ll get word to you right away if I do. She nuzzled her sleeping pups." these little ones would be happy to play with you once they wake up. Why don’t you come back in a little while to chase them around?"

Jorndrin gave a forced smile and nodded. He left quickly and walked back down the path. He always felt like the other animals only played with him because they were told to. He sniffled as he tried to hold back some tears. Squirrels chased each other through the trees above his head, calling to each other, and that was just too much for him. He started crying, sitting at the side of a tree with his knees up and his arms around them. The branches of a nearby shrub extended towards him, patting him on the head. His tears dried up, leaving him sniffling to himself.

A small sound made him poke his head up, a raccoon was standing there looking at him. It reached out a paw sympathetically, but he turned away.

"The Father has called for you," the raccoon said gently.

"Don’t wanna." he sniffled.

"You can come by when you’re ready, he’ll be waiting. I do wish you comfort, if only I could help in some way..."

The raccoon stood there for a long moment, anxious to help but unsure of how. Jorndrin felt a mixture of anxiety and awkwardness as he waited for the other to leave. At last the raccoon went on its way, and he was alone again.

He sat for a while until the sad mood began to pass and he began to feel bored. Rubbing his face roughly he stood up, then began heading to the Father of the Forest.

He walked slow so it took him a few minutes to get there. The Father of the Forest loomed over the trees as he approached, a massive tree that dwarfed all the others nearby. It had a wise and benevolent spirit, and was always willing to talk to him.

He walked up to the tree and placed his hand on its rough bark. The spirit inside it stirred to life.

"My child," it said.

Jorndrin nodded, not much in the mood for talking.

"My child," it repeated. "you know that I can see all that happens in my Forest."

Jorndrin nodded again.

"I have seen something that brings a change for all of us. Your parents, who left you in my care years ago, have returned. They have entered the forest and are heading this way.

Jorndrin stood dumbfounded for a moment. "My... parents?" he said slowly. "My parents are... Here?"

He felt the affirmation in the tree in its voice.

"Your life in the woods has come to an end." it said.

After a few more moments of silence, Jorndrin spoke again.

"But... How will I live with people? I... I don’t belong with people!"

"You don’t belong in the forest." the tree said gently.

"I don’t belong anywhere!" Jorndrin cried, pushing away from the tree and running into the forest. He tripped and scraped his knee, but got right back up and running.

He ran as fast as he could without purpose, not knowing where he was running to. He cried little as he ran, feeling that he had no more tears left in himself to cry.

He then found out that he was wrong.

He knew the forest like the back of his hand and was able to avoid every tree, stump, and branch. But then he ran into something he didn’t expect. He looked up at what it was, and began to sob. The face of his father looked down at him.

"Jo... Jorndrin?"

Then he was crying harder than he knew he could. "I... I... I missed you!" he cried. "I missed you so much! I was so... I was so lonely!" he grabbed his father as tight as he could, determined to never let go. Then he felt his parents hold him too, and he knew they would never let go either.

The Father of the Forest watched from afar as the family of humans reunited. He guided them as best he could to the edge of the forest. And then, in his own way, he cried too.

Click Clack.

 

Click clack. Derdren walked down the street with his bony feet echoing loudly on the flagstone. His sword and armor clanked as he walked, his skeletal hands grasping a book in front of him. He passed the rest of his regiment scattered through the town, most of them standing still with vacant stares.

Lykia! He called out. He had no voice but the hollow rasp of all living skeletons, but he knew his friend would understand him anyway. She (he was pretty sure she was a she) was one of the few sentient soldiers.

Lykia! He called again. Ahead of him on of the skeletons snapped its head up, nearly dislodging it in the process. He held up the book for her to see as he clacked on over.

Look what I found! he said as he reached her. A book! And I can read it!

Lykia shook her head, trying her very best (without any result) to have an expression of exasperation. A book? she rasped at him. Derdren, we’re Undead soldiers. We don’t need books. You shouldn’t even have one, we were supposed to raze this town to the ground.

Derdren hopped up and down in excitement. This book is great! I found it as soon as I got in, I saved it from the others. Look, it even has pictures! He held open the book to a page featuring a drawing of a man in a meditative state.

With a rattling sigh, Lykia looked over the book. The bleak light coming from her empty eye sockets intensified for a few moments, then she turned back.

It said that sitting like that will help you focus your spiritual energy, she said. you don’t have any spiritual energy.

And that’s just what I need to change, Lykia! I don’t want to just stay as a skeletal soldier for the rest of my li- er, un-life.

Lykia shook her head again. This time it fell right off, and she fumbled around with it for a moment before setting it back on properly. Derdren, I’m sorry. You, me, the rest of this lot- we’re all just going to be like this until someone kills us. She patted him on the back. Don’t worry so much about things like that.

Derdren tried (and failed) to smile at her. This can help me answer some of the big questions- you know, who am I, where did I come from, what am I here for. Once I figure things like that out, I’ll be on my way out of this business. And you could come too!

You want to know? Lykia wagged her finger in front of him. Alright, here you go: You are an unholy abomination, a living skeleton. You came from the corpse of some poor soldier. And you’re here because some necromancers thought it would be fun to take over this land. Now if you’re done talking, I’ve got some bodies to dig up.

Lykia turned and went back to her work. Derdren stood there for a moment watching her, then turned and walked back down the street.

Click clack. He entered the ruins of a small house, finding a niche for himself to sit in. After trying for a few minutes to get himself into the meditative pose he saw in the book, he decided it would be easier to just pop his legs off and put them in the proper position.

He read through the book through the rest of the day, peering at it until it was too dark. The bleak light from his eyes didn’t give him quite enough to continue reading.

Focus my energies... he thought to himself. Feel my life flowing through me...

Tale of Delphese.

 

In days long past, the city of Delnast was the capital of the Hrogrin kingdom, and it was ruled by a horrific and despotic king. He waged war on the countries surrounding him, and delighted in capturing innocents from foreign nations for slaves, treating them cruelly and mercilessly.

                Delphese was a young woman from the ancient northern lands, a place with no king and no government, a farmer’s daughter whose beauty was a sight to behold. The mad king invaded the defenseless lands, taking many captives, eventually arriving at the farm where Delphese lived. He killed the farmer and most of his family, having captured enough slaves already, but stopped when he saw the face of Delphese. Although he was struck by her incredible beauty his cruelty was greater than his lust, and he took her to his castle where he imprisoned her in a tower at the north wall. It delighted him to show her the view out the window, her homelands barely visible in the morning sun.

                She wept every day she looked out, calling out to the passing birds in hopes that they would take her away, and her tears falling from the tower sparkled in the sun like jewels. The king would visit her every day to cruelly mock her with news of her homeland, sometimes bringing slaves up that she recognized, causing her to weep even more bitterly.

                After many years her beauty only increased, and the mad king grew more obsessed with her. One evening as she sat at the window he burst in, determined to make her his. She shrank away from him, backing against the last bit of freedom she had, the open window. As he lunged at her Delphese pushed back, but his strength instead caused her to fall out of the tower.

                As legend has it, the land itself saved her- the tears that had fallen over the years formed a pool, deep enough to save her from the fall, the ground keeping the precious water from seeping down. This pool is what is now known as Delphese’s Tears. When the king saw that Delphese was alive, he immediately ran to his horse, screaming for his army to follow. A few soldiers mounted with him and gave chase.

                The land favored her though, as she ran through a small wooded area massive thorns sprung up behind her, stopping the horses of the king and his men. A few of them set to run around the forest, but the king, maddened by the sight of her, leaped off his horse and led the rest of his men through the briars. They tried to cut down the plants as they went, but the springy thorns sent their swords back at them. These thorns are there today, known as Delphese’s Shield.

                Covered with cuts, the king and his men pursued young Delphese. She emerged from the forest just before the soldiers who had flanked the wood. As she looked for a place to hide, the land opened up before her, providing her with a small cave. As she hid the soldiers rode past, and she emerged to continue her journey north. This cave is what is now known as Delphese’s Darkness, and it is said that the silhouette of a young girl can be seen there at the right time of night.

                She was spotted by the mad king however, and he ran after her with his bloodied men. She came to a swift river, the last barrier to her homeland. Pausing at the riverbank she looked back at her pursuers and decided that death in the water was preferable to death at the hands of the mad king. As she stepped into the water, however, the land aided her once again- providing her with a ford and slowing down the speed of the river. She crossed safely, but when the soldiers and king attempted to follow the river roared to life, carrying them away. This ford is what is now known as Delphese’s Footsteps, and it is said that those with evil in their hearts cannot pass without the water rising against them.

                The king struggled madly through the water, and he and one of his men managed to make it through, though they were carried far downstream. It was nearing dawn when he found her sleeping next to a rock in a field, and in a rage he attacked her. She cried out in terror before he took her life, and her shout echoed through the field.

                Wolves howled in response, and as the legend goes a large pack of them arrived and tore the king to shreds – joined by crows, mice, and all manner of scavengers, they left nothing of him behind save his armor. The soldier that remained fled when he saw this, but the animals left as soon as the king was devoured.

Some farmers nearby came to see what the commotion was, and looked with sadness on the fallen girl. One of them held her up, and it seemed that as the light of the sun hit her face she smiled- finally having reached her home. The farmer lay her back down reverently and the ground opened up underneath her as a mound formed over her body. A young sapling that stood at hand grew up instantly becoming a massive tree, which is now known as Delphese’s Rest, and it is said that when viewed from afar, the leaves of this tree will take the shape of a beautiful woman’s face in the morning sun.