Greetings, and Happy Halloween!\u00a0 In Tellest tradition, I’m showing the darker sides of this literary universe today with a new short story.\u00a0 I hope you enjoy it!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Forest of Silence<\/strong><\/p>\n A Tale by Michael DeAngelo<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A skyward glance showed nothing but the boughs of trees, the light long gone from the place.\u00a0 Had he doubled back, perhaps he could have withdrawn from the place before sunset.\u00a0 But he knew that he would never be permitted to leave\u2014not while others braved the same dangers he did.<\/p>\n Instead, Rusen brought his gaze down, spotting other members of the procession.\u00a0 The line was disorganized, but they all moved forward with one common goal: finding their elusive prey.<\/p>\n Besides the quiet crackle of the torches, there were no sounds in the forest.\u00a0 Rusen looked about in the darkness, as though just that act could help him pinpoint some distant noise.\u00a0 But there was nothing, it seemed.\u00a0 There were no chittering rodents, no birds singing charming melodies\u2014the place was as quiet as death.<\/p>\n That thought wrenched him back to reality.\u00a0 He followed the line of villagers ahead of him with his eyes, bouncing from one to the other, until he landed on the man who led the excursion into the frightening woods.\u00a0 Erdath Pendleton walked on as though he knew every step of the way.\u00a0 He navigated gnarled roots, fallen branches and jagged rocks with ease, and all without the efforts of a nearby torch\u2014instead leaning on an old walking stick when necessary.\u00a0 And despite all those challenges, his long robes, draped over with accentuating sashes of red and black, seemed untouched by the hazards around them.\u00a0 The fabric remained pristine, while the rest of the villagers were marred by dirt and sweat and grime.<\/p>\n Rusen wiped his brow then, his movements through the forest and the heat of the torch leaving a layer of perspiration there.\u00a0 He breathed out a quiet sigh, hopeful that the hunting party would abandon their inane quest and they could all return home to Mossley.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a spectacular village by any means, especially among all the well-known magics of the country of Ganore, but it was an enchanting enough thought that he overlooked one of the other townsfolk stopping just a dozen yards in front of him.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I see her,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Though his words were spoken as a loud whisper, in the silence of the place it might as well have been a shout.\u00a0 All eyes fell upon that man, and Rusen watched as one of their closer neighbors hurried to his side.\u00a0 He sent a scowl his way and raised a crooked finger to his lips.<\/p>\n The man who dared to speak\u2014a tanner named Jackdale who Rusen knew\u2014rolled his eyes and snorted at the other fellow\u2019s attempt to chastise him.\u00a0 He lifted his free hand and pointed into the distance.\u00a0 Rusen, close at hand by then, peered through the dense trees and did see an isolated flicker of light in the darkness, but shook his head, as though he already knew somehow that it wasn\u2019t what they were looking for.<\/p>\n None of the other villagers saw that confident dismissal of Jackdale\u2019s claim.\u00a0 In fact, it seemed that throughout the journey, none truly paid Rusen any heed.\u00a0 He scoffed then, considering that perhaps he could<\/em> simply return to Mossley without anyone being any wiser for it.<\/p>\n He turned to see the villagers continue their search through the forest, but Erdath quickly arrived amongst them.\u00a0 Without saying a word, he pointed in the same direction that Jackdale had, and no one thought to question his judgment.<\/p>\n The villagers clustered together then, moving through the forest a bit more quickly.\u00a0 But any light that Jackdale had seen was lost among the trees.<\/p>\n It soon became clear that Erdath had his sights set somewhere else instead.\u00a0 As the group crept over the thick underbrush, a swath of light could be seen just beyond the trees.\u00a0 Before anyone realized it, their pace steadied, and they made their way to the faraway clearing.<\/p>\n A collective sigh of relief erupted there as the villagers left the dark and dreary forest behind them.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can speak now,\u201d the villager who chided Jackdale said once they put some space between them and the trees.<\/p>\n \u201cRelax Valerio,\u201d another member of the party tried to mediate.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve been searching for hours.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t as though Jack scared her off or anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not what I\u2019m worried about,\u201d Valerio said then.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve heard the rumors about this place, haven\u2019t you, Artor?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe rumors?\u201d Artor wondered.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean the legends?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat legends?\u201d the last member of their group, a skittish fellow named Sol, pressed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean you don\u2019t know?\u201d Artor asked.\u00a0 \u201cThey say this place is cursed, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCursed?\u201d Sol gasped.\u00a0 \u201cThen what are we doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n While the rest of the villagers teased the man and spoke a bit more about the supposed curse, Rusen looked about at the clearing.\u00a0 It was nearly a chain wide, but only about a dozen yards deep.\u00a0 Rusen, whose father was a carpenter, shook his head when he thought about how useless the clearing would be as a small parcel of land.\u00a0 He shrugged then, however.\u00a0 It served well as a respite from the dark and dreary forest.<\/p>\n A cluster of rocks sat in the center of the clearing, and Rusen could not resist their allure. \u00a0As Artor continued speaking of the haunted woods, the youngest of them rested his torch within a small pile of stones away from the grass.\u00a0 He then sat upon the tallest of the rocks there and stretched his weary limbs.\u00a0 After a moment, he swung his pack around, and reached inside to take out a chunk of bread he had stowed for the journey.<\/p>\n \u201cWhenever someone goes into these woods, they never come out,\u201d Artor went on.\u00a0 \u201cOr at least, that\u2019s what happens when you go in alone.\u00a0 So, you have to make sure you always stick by us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut that\u2019s not the important part,\u201d Valerio added.\u00a0 \u201cThey don\u2019t call this place the Forest of Silence for nothing, you know.\u00a0 They say that if anyone dares to speak under the boughs of these trees, you\u2019re already marked for death.\u201d<\/p>\n Jackdale waved that teasing remark away, but Sol couldn\u2019t help but look about, unable to shield his anxiety.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just lucky that Mister Pendleton spotted the clearing when he did,\u201d Artor teased then.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t feel like darkness pulling in closer and closer, like an unwanted shroud?\u201d<\/p>\n While the others teased or diffused the tension, Rusen tore into a piece of his meal, happy for the respite.\u00a0 The others, all older by ten years or more, didn\u2019t seem to pay him any heed.<\/p>\n When Rusen heard mumbling behind him, he realized that he wasn\u2019t the only member of the hunting party under less scrutiny. \u00a0He spun about, watching as Erdath looked about at the environment, navigating it with as much ease as the rest of the forest.\u00a0 It almost looked as though the man had been there before, Rusen thought, and he looked on with curiosity as the wise older villager studied the ground and continued his odd muttering.<\/p>\n Erdath walked about in a small circle, turning to face the rest of the villagers.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t until then that he realized that he was being watched.\u00a0 One of his thick, dark eyebrows raised as he wore intrigue on his face.\u00a0 He held his fingers together as though he were ready to snap them at any moment, but instead he pointed to the young man before him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re Rusen, correct?\u00a0 Marisa\u2019s son?\u201d<\/p>\n Rusen returned the same look at Erdath, then.\u00a0 Everyone knew him as his father\u2019s son, as his mother had passed away years before.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m Marisa and Jacob\u2019s son, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew your mother long ago,\u201d Erdath said.\u00a0 \u201cWe both lived in Mossley since we were children.\u00a0 I was saddened to hear of her passing.\u201d\u00a0 After a moment of quiet reflection, he waved the lad on.\u00a0 \u201cCome here, young man.\u00a0 While the rest of them bicker and gossip, perhaps the two of us can make sense of the things we can see in this clearing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Rusen asked.<\/p>\n Erdath snickered and grabbed the lad on the shoulder, steering him away from the rock formation at the center of the clearing.\u00a0 Rusen couldn\u2019t deny that, though Erdath was older\u2014perhaps nearing his sixties\u2014his grip was strong still.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that there are some clues here that might tell us how close we are to reaching our quarry.\u201d\u00a0 He lifted his hand and gestured at the ground not so far away. \u00a0A hollowed-out log seemed to point toward the forest, but the villager soon realized that the leader of the excursion had spotted something closer.\u00a0 A circle of small pink mushrooms grew out from the short grass just before them.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know what that is, boy?\u201d Erdath asked.<\/p>\n Rusen looked at him as though it was a trick question.\u00a0 \u201cAre they\u2026poisonous?\u201d he returned.<\/p>\n Erdath snickered.\u00a0 \u201cThat may be\u2014and we won\u2019t be testing the notion in any case\u2014but this is a fairy ring.\u00a0 It\u2019s also known as a witch\u2019s ring.\u201d<\/p>\n At once, Rusen\u2019s face contorted to one of intrigue and worry.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI believe so,\u201d Erdath confirmed.\u00a0 \u201cI think that we\u2019re close to reaching the witch that defiled the town cemetery.\u201d<\/p>\n He spoke in a commanding, powerful voice, and it didn\u2019t take long for he and Rusen to hear the rest of their group cease their own storytelling.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you find something?\u201d Valerio asked.<\/p>\n When Rusen waved the rest of the hunting party onward, they all arrived and crowded around the ring of mushrooms.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a witch\u2019s ring,\u201d Rusen explained.\u00a0 \u201cErdath was just saying that she might use this to travel through the forest faster than we can.\u00a0 There might be other rings like this that can transport her quicker than we could blink.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re outmatched here, lads,\u201d Sol said then.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re out of our fields here and getting farther from home with every step.\u00a0 We should turn around.\u201d<\/p>\n Jackdale sent a scowl his way.\u00a0 \u201cIf we tuck tail and run, this witch is going to know that nothing is off limits.\u00a0 We\u2019re all here for the same reason: she desecrated our loved ones.\u00a0 Are you really going to let her get away with digging up the bones of our dead?\u201d<\/p>\n Sol squared his jaw.\u00a0 \u201cI never even knew my grandfather.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy father said Mother was already gone from this world,\u201d Rusen mused.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019d moved on to Golernus, where her spirit waits for us.\u00a0 But her body in the cemetery?\u00a0 Those were just bones.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, they\u2019re so much more than that,\u201d Erdath said.\u00a0 As the rest of the hunting party looked to him, he met their gazes with a fierce and confident one of his own.\u00a0 \u201cIn the wrong hands, the remains of the dead can be a powerful reagent for dark magic.\u00a0 If this witch did loot the dead of Mossley, it was for more nefarious means than we could know.\u00a0 If we return to our homes without her head, I fear she\u2019ll come after the dead next.\u201d<\/p>\n Valerio stood erect and slammed the butt of his spear into the ground.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s get after her then.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n <\/p>\n An old branch crunched beneath her foot, and she stopped in her tracks, holding out her hands as though she could stop time itself and reverse it.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t hear the snap of the old, dead wood\u2014she didn\u2019t hear anything\u2014but she knew that her pursuers would have, if they were close.<\/p>\n Annabelle looked to her feet, studying the ground nearby her.\u00a0 Though Autumn was moving into the countryside, the trees of the forest never lost their luster.\u00a0 Their leaves never fell, leaving the canopy lush and full, thick enough to block out the sun.\u00a0 She had always found it peculiar, for even when snow covered the grasslands and fields near the town of Mossley, the forest always seemed to be protected from the elements, as though a protective shroud hung over it.<\/p>\n That deep in the forest then, however, Annabelle felt anything but protected.<\/p>\n She closed her eyes, recalling the odd circumstances that drove her that deep into the eerie woods.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was a brisk morning, and Annabelle rolled her shoulder forward to gather up a hold of the burlap sack dangling across her back.\u00a0 Though it wasn\u2019t an easy burden, she wore a smile\u2014one that grew wider as she neared Mossley and detected the sweet and savory aroma that wafted out from Elagander\u2019s shop.<\/p>\n With a bit more perkiness in her pace, she hurried along, walking on the dirt path that led into town.<\/p>\n Annabelle never spent more time than she needed to in Mossley, and she always arrived early in the morning.\u00a0 That day, she was roused from her sleep later than she anticipated\u2014but with cold days on the horizon, she couldn\u2019t afford to miss an opportunity to collect provisions.\u00a0 She was reminded of why she kept to herself in a cabin not so far away.\u00a0 Some of the town\u2019s womenfolk (along with their children), who were prepared to do some bartering of their own, were up and about at that early hour as well.\u00a0 Whenever their gazes landed on her, they grabbed up their families and quickly went on their way, avoiding eye contact with the stranger as though she had some sort of disease.<\/p>\n She couldn\u2019t hear their hurtful words, but she felt their sting all the same.<\/p>\n She bowed her head then and continued forth until she could scurry into the baker\u2019s home.\u00a0 A set of dangling bells announced her arrival, but she was still caught off guard when she saw Elagander turn from his woodstove without any delay.\u00a0 She snorted then, and looked over her shoulder, spotting the man\u2019s makeshift alarm.<\/p>\n He had explained it all to her before, as difficult as that had been, but she had certainly forgotten by then.<\/p>\n How was she to remember something she would never experience?<\/p>\n She locked her jaw and turned around, shaking her head in mock disapproval.\u00a0 Elagander couldn\u2019t keep himself from smiling at her false display of anger.\u00a0 Still, he knew that there was some true discomfort there.\u00a0 He had an advantage over her in that regard.<\/p>\n Annabelle wasted little time trying to converse with the baker.\u00a0 Instead, she swung the burlap sack over her shoulder and gently placed it on the ground.\u00a0 She spread it open then as well, displaying its contents.<\/p>\n Elagander returned an eager nod.\u00a0 He waited until she was looking at him again and flashed all his fingers at her twice.\u00a0 \u201cTwenty?\u201d he asked aloud.<\/p>\n She raised five more fingers at him and reached into the sack with her other hand.\u00a0 While he nodded his approval at the quantity, she tossed one of the small red items to him.<\/p>\n After a brief juggle, he steadied it in his hands, and expressed his satisfaction.\u00a0 The apples looked to be in good shape too.\u00a0 He studied the one he held for a moment before biting into it.\u00a0 A moment later he closed his eyes, savoring the fruit and leaning back against his counter.\u00a0 He let out a little hum, and then rubbed his stomach when he realized that sound of gratification would be lost on his visitor.<\/p>\n She was smiling when he opened his eyes once more.<\/p>\n Elagander nodded again, knowing the cadence of their exchange well by then.\u00a0 He raised a finger and turned about, retreating behind his display.\u00a0 \u201cYou always find the best of these, Anna,\u201d he said, though he knew the words were wasted on her.\u00a0 Somehow it still made him feel better to say it.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve got a good eye for these things, and you always manage to bring them to me at just the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n While the baker worked on his task, Annabelle brought her stock toward him, leaving the sack closer to his display.\u00a0 With their bartering nearing its end, she breathed in deep, almost appearing to mimic Elagander\u2019s enjoyment of the apple.<\/p>\n She didn\u2019t keep her eyes closed as long as he had, but when she opened them, he already had her payment prepared on the top of his display.\u00a0 A mixed set of grains were stacked and tied together, a few onions, a handful of carrots and mishmash of potatoes were there\u2014all foods that would keep longer than the apples she picked.<\/p>\n Elagander bent low though and returned with one more item in hand.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t help but laugh when he saw Annabelle\u2019s wide and excited eyes as he added one last piece to the payment.\u00a0 He placed the fresh pie onto the display and turned again to her, placing one hand against his chest, and extending one out to her.\u00a0 \u201cAre we okay?\u00a0 Is this good?\u201d<\/p>\n Annabelle nodded with extra enthusiasm.<\/p>\n That was all Elagander needed to see.\u00a0 He fetched another sack, not unlike the one she brought the apples in, and began filling it with the goods they had agreed on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She took more care to carry the new food, careful to balance the pie in the sack.\u00a0 Annabelle had considered just eating the pastry then and there but thought better of acting out.\u00a0 Elagander probably wouldn\u2019t have cared, but it wasn\u2019t proper, she knew.\u00a0 Though the people of Mossley thought of her as wild, she didn\u2019t need to give them any more reasons to validate those concerns.<\/p>\n Annabelle thought to be on her way and turned to head back down the dirt road she had taken into town, but she caught a sense of something then.<\/p>\n She looked back, toward the village center, where a small well had been fashioned, and saw a man standing beside it.\u00a0 There was something unsettling about his look, she thought.\u00a0 While everyone else hurried here and there, finishing their tasks, he remained in place near the well, simply staring in her direction as though he had all the time in the world.<\/p>\n Others wore their sweat on their brow or had smudges of dirt or stains on their skin or clothes, but he looked perfectly kept, as though he needed not to bother with the toils of common folk.\u00a0 His wavy hair and finely trimmed mustache and goatee were set in place, and his robes fell just above the ground, showing off a fancy pair of cloth shoes.<\/p>\n Even from afar, he seemed to notice her study of him.\u00a0 Annabelle knew that he returned the same review of her.\u00a0 But when he raised an eyebrow, she couldn\u2019t help but feel a chill race up her spine.<\/p>\n She locked her jaw then, and resumed her trek, back to her home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Annabelle lifted a section of dirt from the corner of the cottage.\u00a0 Burlap was fashioned to the underside, and small slats of wood were fashioned into the inside to keep it from descending too far.\u00a0 More fabric lined the inside of the store as well and kept the produce cleaner than they would have been out in the elements.<\/p>\n There wasn\u2019t a good deal of food there, she knew.\u00a0 But if she could ration it properly, Annabelle was sure that she could make it through even a poor winter.<\/p>\n She took care then to remove the vegetables and grains that Elagander had traded to her from the sack, and one by one she set them in place in her store.\u00a0 She kept the pie out, however, knowing it wouldn\u2019t keep.\u00a0 Truthfully, even if it had that capability, she still would have found some other excuse to make in order to eat it at her earliest convenience.\u00a0 As she set the layer of dirt back on top of her food stores, Annabelle guessed at what sort of pie Elagander had baked for her.\u00a0 Would it have been a sweet filling with berries?\u00a0 Or something tart like apple or rhubarb.\u00a0 Pumpkins were also ripe and ready for picking that late in the season, and she thought that perhaps he might have used one of those as filling instead.<\/p>\n Before she could savor even the first bite, a light filled her old cottage, and she spun about to look at the door.\u00a0 Two men\u2014both unfamiliar to her, but she assumed they were villagers from Mossley\u2014stomped toward her, and before she could even throw her hands up in confusion, they wrapped their arms under her shoulders, and pulled her from her home.<\/p>\n Annabelle cried out then.\u00a0 She had never heard her own scream, and didn\u2019t know how strange it sounded.\u00a0 But as she was dragged out into the light of mid-afternoon, concerned faces looked at one another.\u00a0 Four more men were outside her home, but the young woman only focused on one: the man with the fine hair and manicured mustache who wore the fancy robes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is that noise she\u2019s making?\u201d Sol, the furthest from the cottage, asked uneasily.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never heard her speak before,\u201d Valerio replied.\u00a0 The village guard was one of the men who grasped Annabelle, and he was the more forceful of the two by far.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe she\u2019s trying to cast a spell,\u201d Jackdale, on her other side, speculated.<\/p>\n While Erdath looked on with a hard, cold gaze, the final two men of the troupe glanced at each other in horror.\u00a0 Rusen and Artor knew well that the woman was surprised by their sudden appearance, and that her uneven screams were ones of distress and not any planful reactions.\u00a0 There was no magic there\u2014if she was even capable of it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat now?\u201d Rusen asked.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s ask her where she\u2019s keeping the bones,\u201d Valerio growled.\u00a0 He pulled her away from even Jackdale then, wrenching her further from the house.\u00a0 He tossed her down to the ground beside an old two-rail fence that had fallen into disrepair.\u00a0 Her back thumped against an upright post, and she cried out again\u2014that time in pain and not in fear.<\/p>\n \u201cShe doesn\u2019t speak,\u201d Artor said.\u00a0 He realized that his reply came with its own level of distress, and he stood taller as though to combat that display of concern.\u00a0 \u201cShe never speaks.\u201d<\/p>\n Jackdale remained where he stood when the woman was tugged from his hands.\u00a0 \u201cWhen we were in there, she was hovering over by the far corner of the house.\u00a0 Maybe she has some kind of secret alcove or something in there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think she has the\u2026the remains in there?\u201d Sol wondered.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rest of you stay outside,\u201d Erdath finally said.\u00a0 \u201cSee to it that she doesn\u2019t catch you off your guard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll due respect Erdath,\u201d Valerio said, \u201cbut it might not be the best idea for you to go in there alone.\u00a0 She may have traps in place.\u00a0 If she truly is leaning on dark magic, there\u2019s no reason to think that she wouldn\u2019t have used some of it to protect what she doesn\u2019t want to be found.<\/p>\n Erdath sighed and continued into the cottage.\u00a0 \u201cVery well then.\u00a0 But let us be quick about it.\u00a0 You are the best-equipped person to deal with her should she wrench free.\u201d<\/p>\n When the two men passed into the building, Jackdale drew closer to Annabelle.\u00a0 She huddled on the ground, like a submitting animal, only making eye contact with her captors when necessary.\u00a0 In the meantime, the other three subconsciously withdrew, wary of her alleged powers, and perhaps ashamed of their roles in subduing her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou really think she\u2019s capable of this?\u201d Rusen asked aloud then.\u00a0 Sol and Artor looked to the ground, contemplating their answers.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s just a girl\u2014younger than me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps she is young,\u201d Artor considered.\u00a0 \u201cOr perhaps she\u2019s older than any of us, and her magic has made her appear youthful.\u201d<\/p>\n Sol rubbed his shoulder, his eyebrows dropping into a fretful visage.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re always making up stories, Artor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat I am.\u00a0 But what\u2019s to say this one doesn\u2019t have some semblance of truth to it, eh?\u00a0 What else could she want with the bones of our dead?\u201d<\/p>\n Jackdale, still watching over her, let out an audible grumble. \u00a0When the other trio looked to him, he had his arms folded over his chest.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe she was planning on making a stew out of our ancestors.\u201d<\/p>\n Rusen looked away, just the thought of that setting his stomach wobbling.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be damned,\u201d the group heard Valerio speak from inside the cottage.<\/p>\n Jackdale turned about and stared at Annabelle\u2019s home.\u00a0 \u201cEverything alright in there?\u201d\u00a0 For a while, it remained silent there, and the four men kept their eyes locked to the building.\u00a0 The bottom layers of the cottage were comprised of stone, with sturdy logs lying atop them.\u00a0 Everything was carefully fashioned together, but that odd amalgamation left the onlookers feeling as though strange powers were at work.\u00a0 The building itself seemed almost alive\u2014two pieces of a whole, lashed together by dark magic, perhaps.\u00a0 \u201cValerio\u2026Erdath?\u201d Jackdale pressed again.<\/p>\n \u201cWe found something,\u201d Valerio announced from within.<\/p>\n Jackdale didn\u2019t realize it, but he hadn\u2019t looked at Annabelle in some time.\u00a0 After every concerning report from inside the building, he stepped closer and closer toward it\u2014and farther still from the alleged criminal.<\/p>\n That fact wasn\u2019t lost to Annabelle.\u00a0 Slowly, quietly, she climbed from her knees, setting her feet beneath her.\u00a0 When the trio of other men weren\u2019t looking, she pushed off the ground, and sprang into a sprint without delay.<\/p>\n Jackdale and Rusen both noticed her at once.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t quiet in her attempt to escape, but what she lacked in stealth she more than made up for in speed.\u00a0 Whether it was that unsuspected burst of motion or just an inability to properly set his feet beneath him, the tanner lost his balance and tumbled to the dirt, growling at his misfortune as went.<\/p>\n Rusen made no such missteps.\u00a0 He hurried after her, determined to see her stopped.\u00a0 A trial would have exonerated her if she was found to be innocent, surely.\u00a0 But her fleeing?\u00a0 It was certain that she was guilty.<\/p>\n Still, he shook his head.\u00a0 Even if she had torn the ground asunder in the cemetery and taken bones from the graves, she lived a reclusive life.\u00a0 Perhaps that strange way of living left her not knowing what was right from wrong.\u00a0 And her inability to properly communicate left her at odds with the townsfolk of Mossley.\u00a0 They would see her oddities as a means to convict her, without pause.<\/p>\n For Annabelle, perhaps there was no such thing as a fair trial.<\/p>\n He grumbled, knowing that he could save such thoughts for when she was in their reach once more.\u00a0 Far ahead, the great forest stretched wide.\u00a0 Mossley was closer to a lake in the region, but Rusen was able to see the woods from his home.\u00a0 He only realized then that he had never been so close to it.\u00a0 He remembered warnings from his mother before her passing, that he was never to go into the woods.\u00a0 Those warnings grew more and more dire as she grew sick, until he recalled those words more than any others that she had spoken to him.\u00a0 Yet there he was, chasing the girl headlong into them.<\/p>\n Annabelle pushed on without hesitation.\u00a0 Deep, sharp breaths pushed through her lips, the girl unable to hear her desperate rush toward salvation.\u00a0 She knew the area as well, leaping over debris and rocks in the field, and adjusting her momentum as needed to avoid any obstacles in the terrain.\u00a0 Before long, she had put some distance between her and Rusen, and she never looked over her shoulder once before she plunged into the shadows of the forest.<\/p>\n Rusen slowed before he arrived at the edge of the forest.\u00a0 Almost at once, he was taken by the sight of the darkness therein.\u00a0 Annabelle was gone from his sight immediately, and he struggled to catch his breath.<\/p>\n He looked over his shoulder, trying to see how close the other villagers were to him.\u00a0 They would be no use to him, it seemed.\u00a0 The lot of them were still beside her cottage tending to Jackdale or inquiring of Erdath and Valerio.<\/p>\n Rusen squared his jaw, knowing better than to venture into the forest alone.\u00a0 He turned about again and stared into the darkness.<\/p>\n Far within the reach of the woods, Annabelle looked back out.\u00a0 She watched with some relief as Rusen turned and walked away, back toward the others who had come to pull her from her home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Annabelle breathed an uneasy sigh as she pulled herself away from her thoughts and back to the present.\u00a0 Had that been the end of it\u2014had the villagers of Mossley given up on their pursuit\u2014perhaps she could have returned to her home.\u00a0 But led by the man in the robes, when the other five men approached the woods, she knew that her time there had passed.\u00a0 Perhaps she could make a life for herself on the other side of the forest.<\/p>\n She only knew that with Winter on its way, surviving without her provisions would be difficult indeed.<\/p>\n First, she needed to reach the other side.\u00a0 If the villagers still pursued her, there was a chance she would never leave the forest.<\/p>\n She looked over her shoulder, verifying that no one else was in the vicinity.\u00a0 While she had only let her thoughts slip to the past for a few moments, it could have been enough to give an advantage to those who hunted her.<\/p>\n Annabelle gazed into the farthest reaches of the forest, looking for some distant torchlight or a stray lantern.\u00a0 Only the minutest traces of daylight managed to pierce through the canopy above, though her eyes had adjusted as best they could.\u00a0 Still, she didn\u2019t see anything behind her.\u00a0 Perhaps, she thought, the villagers had thought better of tracking her.<\/p>\n Blowing out a shallow sigh, she spun about, looking at the ground once more.\u00a0 Annabelle carefully chose her route, avoiding the roughest terrain as she went.\u00a0 When she was sure that she was on solid, flat ground once more, she lifted her eyes, and focused on the unfamiliar forest ahead of her.<\/p>\n Far ahead, then, a glimmer of light caught her attention.\u00a0 Though she momentarily hesitated, thinking that perhaps she had traveled in a circle back toward the hunting party, she realized that the light was farther above the ground than a torch or lantern could be.<\/p>\n Annabelle narrowed her eyes, unable to abate her curiosity.\u00a0 Slowly, stealthily, she began her own pursuit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The men from Mossley traveled two by two then, huddled close together with fewer lit torches.\u00a0 On Erdath\u2019s suggestion, they kept the others doused, knowing that the farther they delved into the forest, the more difficult it would be to find their way back.\u00a0 They might have needed their torches, he insisted.<\/p>\n Still, even in that softer light, Artor could see the feelings that weighed on his young companion.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat has you so bothered, lad?\u201d he asked, tapping the man with the back of his hand.<\/p>\n Rusen realized that it wasn\u2019t the first time the scribe tried to get his attention.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d<\/p>\n Artor let a weary smile cross his face.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what I wanted to know.\u00a0 You seem torn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs it that obvious?\u201d Rusen asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re young.\u00a0 You haven\u2019t learned how not to wear your feelings on your face.\u201d<\/p>\n Rusen shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know how much I believe in any of this.\u00a0 Annabelle was always strange, but I never felt frightened by her.\u00a0 Do you really think she could be a witch?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure, lad,\u201d Artor returned.\u00a0 \u201cI know that I never felt threatened by her.\u00a0 Once I even passed her on the road east of town.\u00a0 She smiled at me while I sat in the carriage taking us to Jebrel.\u00a0 I thought then that she was just misunderstood.\u00a0 Maybe I was just bewitched by her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you two on about?\u201d they both heard then.\u00a0 Though he attempted a whisper, Rusen and Artor winced to hear it.\u00a0 He was unable to quiet himself much, it seemed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, go on then,\u201d he said as he drew close, his torch in hand.<\/p>\n Artor silently shushed him, lifting his hands before gently sweeping them down.\u00a0 Between the two groups, he saw the darkened silhouette of the man who was meant to travel with him carefully move through the shadows.\u00a0 Sol hesitated every few moments, looking over his shoulder, his eyes catching a glimmer of light from the torches.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just debating whether or not Annabelle could have really done it\u2014dug through the graves and torn up the old bones,\u201d Rusen said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know what Valerio said,\u201d Jackdale replied.\u00a0 That time his whispers were a little more appropriate.\u00a0 \u201cHe claims he saw the bones, same as Erdath.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe never had a chance to see them for ourselves though, you know,\u201d Artor mentioned.\u00a0 \u201cAs soon as we heard the claim, the girl bolted for the woods.\u201d\u00a0 Jackdale narrowed his eyes as he looked upon his fellow villager with dismay.\u00a0 \u201cI meant no offense by that,\u201d Artor continued.\u00a0 \u201cNone of us expected Annabelle to go running off like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Clenching his teeth, Jackdale shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cTruth be told, I don\u2019t know what I believe myself.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never seen someone so scared as when Valerio threw her to the ground.\u00a0 If she was a witch, couldn\u2019t she have just turned us all into pigs or something?\u201d<\/p>\n Far ahead, the most distant torch swung about in a wide arc, as though Valerio meant to whip it through the trees like a blade.\u00a0 He and Erdath stopped progressing farther into the forest though, and before long it became apparent why.\u00a0 The oldest among them, the well-dressed Erdath, looked on at the trio, his bushy eyebrows falling, leaving him looking quite disturbed.<\/p>\n Artor nodded and placed a hand on Jackdale\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cThat may well be his last warning for us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know what he would say,\u201d Rusen whispered in return.\u00a0 \u201cIt isn\u2019t him we have to worry about.\u00a0 It\u2019s the witch.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr worse,\u201d Artor added.\u00a0 He looked at the other fellow with the torch, and gave him a nod, sending him back toward his hunting partner.<\/p>\n Jackdale began his slow return, only letting go of some of his anxiety when Erdath and Valerio spun back around.\u00a0 A dozen feet ahead, Sol also made his way forward once again.\u00a0 Away from the torchlight, he should have been careful with his footfalls.\u00a0 Away from the torchlight, there was no telling where obstacles might have been.<\/p>\n Sol\u2019s foot hooked along something as he went, an old gnarled root, perhaps.\u00a0 As he stumbled forward, he couldn\u2019t catch his balance.\u00a0 When he stomped his foot down, it landed in an uneven patch of grass and it rolled sideways with a sickening crack.<\/p>\n Despite what would surely have angered Erdath, the poor man let out a harrowing cry as he fell to the ground.<\/p>\n Without pause, Valerio spun about, that time passing the torch to his companion.\u00a0 Erdath remained there, far from the injured man.\u00a0 He even seemed to drift further from the commotion, his torchlight diminishing as the others converged on Sol, who writhed in pain on the ground.<\/p>\n Valerio approached with a low growl leaving his lips, but by the time he arrived there, the other three surrounded Sol, and they wore haunted expressions.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take long for the village guard to understand why, either.\u00a0 In the light offered up by the torches, the hunting party from Mossley could see the mix of crimson and white that displayed just how untimely the man\u2019s accident was.<\/p>\n His companions\u2019 silence finally reaching him as he struggled against his anguish, he too looked at his injury.\u00a0 Somehow seeing it only made his pain more tangible.\u00a0 He screeched like a banshee and attempted to reach out to his battered leg, but even that subtle movement sent the muscles and tendons in his limb against missing and torn bone, escalating the agony further.<\/p>\n Valerio looked at his fellow hunters, his eyes gone wide in fright.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to leave, now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut Sol,\u201d Jackdale returned in a harsh whisper.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019ll kill us all,\u201d the guard said.<\/p>\n Artor shut his eyes, but that only served to pound Sol\u2019s scream into his mind louder.\u00a0 He shook his head and immediately nodded, heading away from the shouting fellow.\u00a0 Rusen was close behind him, suddenly very aware of the superstitions that surrounded the forest.<\/p>\n Though Valerio moved on as though his commands were heeded, Jackdale remained behind, his mouth contorted into a crooked frown.\u00a0 He reached out to his injured friend, but couldn\u2019t bring himself to touch him, as though Sol bore some terrible disease that would spread by contact.<\/p>\n A moment later, Jackdale moved on as well.\u00a0 All alone, Sol tried to put to words some semblance of a plea for aid, but it only served to break his crying into awkward, ineligible syllables.<\/p>\n Together, the other five villagers ran through the forest, beyond careful of watching their steps.\u00a0 Sol\u2019s crying became distant, and they finally stopped to catch their breath.<\/p>\n Perhaps nothing was as frightening, then, as when the poor fellow\u2019s crying abruptly stopped.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Against all odds, the light seemed to flutter in the air, weaving between trees like a large firefly.\u00a0 Though her life had been upended less than a day earlier, there was something about the unnatural luminescence that seemed to lift Annabelle\u2019s spirits.<\/p>\n Despite the distance between her and the unknown glow, the rest of the forest seemed brighter then as well.\u00a0 Drawing her forward, the airborne spark drifted deeper into the woods, but not quick enough to dismay her.\u00a0 Rather, it seemed to slow, allowing her better and better looks at it.<\/p>\n It was not long before she saw the strange light with more clarity.\u00a0 It held the tincture of a flame, a bright yellow or vibrant orange, but it did not flicker forth like a crackling fire.\u00a0 Instead, the light trailed behind every shift and pitch, like a phantom shroud that echoed movement rather than sound.<\/p>\n As Annabelle drew closer, she realized that the light was higher up than she had first anticipated.\u00a0 The terrain descended somewhat, but whatever glowed in the air there was higher up than she could reach by far.<\/p>\n That skyward gaze made one more thing clear: it was not the only light.\u00a0 Half a dozen or more shifted and danced in the air, looking as though stars had come to life in the forest.<\/p>\n While the one she trailed remained far away, another was much closer.\u00a0 And unlike the first, whose light shimmered like a lit torch, the one above and to her side glowed with an otherworldly cerulean.\u00a0 It was as though it were perpetually trapped in a summer storm, a bolt of lightning setting a flash in place above a still lake.<\/p>\n Unlike the one which steadily lead her deeper into the forest, the one closest to her seemed to flutter overhead, drifting this way and that, leaving traces of its cyan glow behind it wherever it went.<\/p>\n As Annabelle drew to a halt though, it began to descend upon her.\u00a0 Together, the two became more aware of one another, and the strange being lowered until it was nearly close enough to touch.<\/p>\n In that proximity, Annabelle could see the peculiarities of the other creature.\u00a0 Its wings kept it aloft like a hummingbird\u2019s, rapidly beating with movements that were so quick they could hardly be detected.\u00a0 The wings weren\u2019t feathered, instead membranous, like a butterfly\u2019s wings.\u00a0 But it was no insect that floated before her.\u00a0 She had features not unlike her own: fair skin (though it was awash in the cerulean light her wings produced), long blond hair that was pulled into braids that hung over her shoulders, and a curious, interested gaze that grew as she drew closer.<\/p>\n The sprite braved the unfamiliar sight of the human, drawing close enough to illuminate the woman\u2019s face with the magical glow of her wings.<\/p>\n Annabelle couldn\u2019t hide her own intrigue, or her smile.\u00a0 She lifted her finger then, wondering if the diminutive being would dare to land on her finger.<\/p>\n Though her movement was subtle, it urged the sprite to put some distance between them.\u00a0 Still, it didn\u2019t flee entirely, and even descended closer toward the ground.<\/p>\n Once more, Annabelle found herself following after the strange lights of the forest, all the fear of her pursuers gone from her mind.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The three men sat there, unmoving, covered in the filth of the forest and doing nothing to alleviate their discomfort.\u00a0 For once, Jackdale fell silent, haunted by the screams of his friend, which echoed in his mind.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should just leave, eh?\u201d Artor whispered then.\u00a0 As he spoke, he drew closer to the ground, as though the volume of his statement held less weight there.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re so deep in the forest that I don\u2019t even know how to leave,\u201d Rusen replied.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I\u2019m not seeing any regret or remorse from Erdath.\u00a0 He seems more incensed than ever to track the witch down.\u00a0 Do you think he\u2019d simply let us go?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what right does he have to make us stay?\u00a0 He holds no power over us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that?\u201d Jackdale suddenly interrupted.\u00a0 All eyes turned to him, but he didn\u2019t make eye contact with anyone.\u00a0 \u201cThat wasn\u2019t a witch or some foul magic or anything of the sort.\u00a0 One moment Sol was there with us, screaming his lungs out, and the next\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know what it was that silenced him, Jack,\u201d Artor replied.\u00a0 \u201cCould have been the witch, could have been whatever curse is said to run rampant in these woods.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll he did was make one wrong step,\u201d Rusen considered.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should leave,\u201d Artor insisted.\u00a0 \u201cWe should leave and make sure that we never come back to this foul place.\u201d<\/p>\n Jackdale still would not dare to look at either of his companions, but he nodded, ready to be far from the forest.<\/p>\n Before they could gather up to tell Erdath of their decision, they could hear the crunch of sticks and twigs near them.\u00a0 Rusen reached for his hip, and the hammer that he kept there, but he soon realized he wouldn\u2019t need it.\u00a0 Valerio approached then, no torch in hand, and as quiet as his heavy armor would allow him.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see her,\u201d he whispered then.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Artor wondered.<\/p>\n \u201cThe witch.\u00a0 She\u2019s in the woods just ahead.\u00a0 Now\u2019s our chance to get vengeance for our ancestors\u2014and for Sol.\u201d<\/p>\n Rusen and Artor exchanged glances, as though they were considering abandoning the task altogether, even with the woman found.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s meet back up with Erdath, and together we\u2019ll go after her,\u201d Valerio ordered.<\/p>\n Despite their better judgement, Valerio\u2019s commanding presence had the men following in his footsteps. Before long, they arrived in an even darker part of the forest, barely able to see their companions.\u00a0 Erdath\u2019s eyes almost seemed to glow in the shadows, though, and when he turned about to see the rest of the hunting party, he almost seemed eager for their arrival.<\/p>\n \u201cLook there,\u201d he whispered, as quiet as they had ever heard.<\/p>\n Though they couldn\u2019t see where he pointed, they knew what he indicated.\u00a0 There, some fifty feet in front of them, a flicker of blue light caught their attention.\u00a0 Still too far to see just what it was, the villagers huddled low and remained as silent as they could.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll surround her from all sides,\u201d Erdath instructed.\u00a0 \u201cYou three circle around that way.\u00a0 Jackdale, you and I will head off toward there.\u00a0 When Valerio and the others spook her toward us, we\u2019ll be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n If Jackdale even heard the plan, he didn\u2019t acknowledge it.\u00a0 Still, as the other three carried out the plan, Jackdale remained behind with Erdath, who began leading him away from their place in the forest.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Valerio\u2019s pace was sluggish.\u00a0 He worked hard to stifle the sound of his armor, leading Artor and Rusen around in a wide arc.\u00a0 None of them said a word to one another, only following the guard and awaiting further instructions from him.<\/p>\n The two reticent villagers positioned themselves furthest from the strange beacon in the woods, worried about what other foul tricks might have been in store for them if the witch caught them\u2014if Annabelle even was what Erdath suggested of her.\u00a0 Valerio drew his sword though, eager to put a stop to the woman who desecrated their dead.<\/p>\n Artor followed suit, if for nothing else to be prepared if they were attacked.\u00a0 He plucked a small dagger from his belt, prompting Rusen to shake his head.\u00a0 If they were attacked, he doubted the witch would be held off by that paltry weapon.\u00a0 He shrugged a moment later, realizing that all he had was his carpentry hammer.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on,\u201d Valerio whispered once they arrived at the point that he was comfortable with.\u00a0 He waved them on, and together, the three of them crept through the woods, remaining low to the ground and readying themselves for the fight of their lives.<\/p>\n As they drew closer, they saw the odd sight of the beacon for what it was.\u00a0 A torch was thrust into the ground, its flames burning blue rather than orange.<\/p>\n Rusen and Artor exchanged wary glances, certain by then that foul magic was afoot.\u00a0 If Annabelle knew they were close by, they hesitated to think of what dangers they would face.<\/p>\n They only hoped that Erdath and Jackdale were ready to flank her on the other side.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Erdath walked about with confidence and poise, as though there were no fear within him at all.\u00a0 He made no attempts to shroud himself from sight, moving toward a point in the woods that he designated for himself and his companion.<\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t you afraid she\u2019ll see us?\u201d Jackdale whispered then.\u00a0 His question came without disdain, as though he were already committed to being discovered by the witch.<\/p>\n Rolling his eyes, Erdath spun about, meeting eyes with the tanner.\u00a0 \u201cYou talk too much,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a liability to us, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n Jackdale squared his jaw then.\u00a0 \u201cFine.\u00a0 Then I\u2019ll be on my way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, no,\u201d Erdath swore.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll do nothing of the sort.\u00a0 You can still be of use to me.\u00a0 Just not in your current form.\u201d<\/p>\n Folding his arms over his chest, Jackdale arched an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cAnd what is that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/p>\n The typically dour Erdath let a devious smile curl his lips upward.\u00a0 He stared at Jackdale like that for a moment before he turned and butted his head against a tree.\u00a0 Erdath winced and breathed in through gnashed teeth, already feeling the sting of the air against his bloodied wound.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d Jackdale asked, hopping back at that frightening sight.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t found what I\u2019m looking for yet,\u201d Erdath grumbled.\u00a0 His voice sounded lower, more sinister than before.\u00a0 \u201cBut you\u2019ll help me find what I seek.\u201d\u00a0 As he spoke, he reached into the folds of his robe, retrieving one of the acquired bones that he and Valerio found at Annabelle\u2019s cabin.\u00a0 He held it out before him, almost like a wizard would hold a wand.<\/p>\n Jackdale held up his hands, desperation on his face as he realized Erdath was not what he thought he was.<\/p>\n A blue mist seemed to surround the outstretched bone\u2014the same color as the flame that danced further in the woods.<\/p>\n Before he could protest or plead for mercy, the bone darted forward like an arrow, piercing through the man\u2019s throat and tearing through the other side.\u00a0 Erdath listened intently as he heard the missile crunch through a tree further ahead.<\/p>\n Clutching his wound in futility, Jackdale felt the blood rushing past his throat.\u00a0 He gurgled when he tried to scream, and before he knew it, he had fallen upon his knees.<\/p>\n \u201cYou talked far too much for my liking.\u201d\u00a0 Erdath\u2019s smile grew more sinister then, and he placed his hand on the man\u2019s head.\u00a0 A pulse of energy seemed to pass between them both then, and in that next moment, Jackdale collapsed to the ground, lifeless.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As the trio neared the torch, they let out a collective gasp.\u00a0 All at once, the flame extinguished, leaving the way dark before them.\u00a0 They drew to an immediate stop, throwing up their hands as though they were ready for the horrid witch to rend the flesh from their bones.<\/p>\n When nothing further came of the strange light or its sudden extinguishment, the three looked at each other in confusion.<\/p>\n They were not left to question the odd circumstance for long, for a pained cry resounded in front of them before abruptly ceasing.\u00a0 Too afraid to venture any further, they soon discovered the cause of the yelp regardless.\u00a0 Erdath stumbled into the area, holding his forehead.\u00a0 He collapsed to his knees, and faltered to the side, only catching himself on an outstretched hand.<\/p>\n Valerio was quick to reach his side, and that near to him, he noticed the tremendous amount of blood on the man\u2019s face.\u00a0 He swept Erdath\u2019s hand away and saw the injury to his brow.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n It took some time for Erdath to meet his companion\u2019s gaze.\u00a0 When he did, his focus seemed empty\u2014distant.\u00a0 \u201cIt was\u2026it was her,\u201d he claimed.\u00a0 \u201cShe was upon us in an instant.\u00a0 My head felt like it was cracked open, and by the time I could see straight once more\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cErdath,\u201d Artor whispered when he drew near, \u201cwhere is Jackdale?\u201d<\/p>\n The injured fellow stared at the other villagers for a moment longer before he turned about to look deeper into the forest.<\/p>\n In the poor light, it was difficult to see anything clearly.\u00a0 As the quartet crept closer to where Erdath indicated, however, the grisly sight became apparent.<\/p>\n Jackdale lay there on his back, his throat torn open.\u00a0 He looked up at the forest canopy with lifeless eyes, his time on Tellest ended.<\/p>\n \u201cThat bitch,\u201d Valerio snarled.\u00a0 \u201cEnough.\u00a0 We\u2019re not leaving without her head.\u00a0 We owe it to Sol and Jackdale now.\u00a0 While she still stands, all of Mossley is in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlease, Valerio,\u201d Artor whispered.\u00a0 \u201cYou cannot mean to stay here.\u00a0 We\u2019re already\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The guard from the village was hearing none of it.\u00a0 He began off, in the direction he believed the witch headed.<\/p>\n Erdath, on the ground still, grunted as he attempted to stand.\u00a0 \u201cAs much as I hate to admit it, he\u2019s right.\u00a0 If we leave her alive in these woods, she\u2019ll come back to the village, stronger than ever.\u00a0 And I\u2026I don\u2019t want you two to leave.\u00a0 I was a fool to separate us before\u2014staying together might be the only thing keeping us alive.\u201d<\/p>\n Rusen cast a wary glance toward Artor then, but they both gave a nod, and helped to stabilize the wounded fellow.<\/p>\n Together then, they followed the village guard, leaving another of their dead behind.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The mud beneath her feet seemed to pull at her shoe, and she stumbled forward more than once to catch her balance.\u00a0 Her hands were filthy with the muck of the mire, and more than one streak of it was on her cheeks from when she wiped away her perspiration there.<\/p>\n Every few moments, the fairy who led her forward spun about, watching her struggling to make her way through the murkier portion of the forest.\u00a0 Annabelle\u2019s breaths were deep and ragged then, every attempt to gain some momentum sapped away by the harsh terrain.<\/p>\n Finally, the fairy drew close, hovering just within reach, and at eye level.\u00a0 The woman could see her small guide\u2019s irritated expression.\u00a0 There was something else there, Annabelle realized as well.\u00a0 Was it worry, perhaps?<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 While she stood there, trying to infer what the fairy\u2019s concerns were, Annabelle\u2019s breathing softened, and she took solace in the brief respite from her exhausting march forward.<\/p>\n The fairy whipped back around, drawing closer to the ground then.\u00a0 It seemed to mark a better path for Annabelle, across clumps of grass that seemed drier and firmer than the muck she trudged through.<\/p>\n As the fairy made that slow course across the area, Annabelle spotted a peculiar glimmer near to the creature\u2019s waist.\u00a0 She narrowed her eyes, squinting to understand what it was.\u00a0 There, hanging from a cloth sash strapped around the fairy\u2019s waist, was a needle that was smaller than a blade of grass. \u00a0The woman smiled, considering how similar it was to the way a human would carry a sword.<\/p>\n She also noticed a loop of thread hooked to its opposite hip\u2014an odd sight considering its wings.\u00a0 What would it need rope for if it could fly?<\/p>\n Annabelle shook her head, happy for the reprieve as she climbed onto the bank of the murky creek.\u00a0 As she continued, she realized that she and the blue fairy were not alone.\u00a0 Once again, the forest was speckled with lights.\u00a0 Though the canopy grew thicker there than anywhere else, she felt somehow safer beneath the shimmer of all the other fairies.<\/p>\n As her guide led her on, she began to detect a strange aroma in the forest.\u00a0 An almost sickly-sweet smell, she wondered what it was.\u00a0 The area was filled with strange phenomena, like the leaves that never seemed to wither.\u00a0 She pondered what other strange magics the fairies had instilled upon those trees.<\/p>\n As she passed beyond the forest mire, more light became apparent in the distance.\u00a0 She noticed, then, that the trees were farther and fewer between, but they grew tall and wide, their branches covering everything above.\u00a0 It was like a clearing within the darkness, with soft moss growing along the forest floor.<\/p>\n On the horizon, a beacon of many colors stood sentinel in the Forest of Silence.<\/p>\n The blue fairy spun about, looking at Annabelle\u2019s enthralled gaze.\u00a0 Even the fairy let a smile crease her lips then, and she waved her strange guest onward.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Far behind the floating lights of the forest, four men huddled low to the ground, their bodies covered with mud and foliage.\u00a0 Valerio, his once shining armor layered in dirt and leaves, held up his fist, halting the others who followed him.<\/p>\n The other three crept behind him, only coming to a stop when they neared the guard.\u00a0 He made eye contact with each of them, one by one, and brought their attention to some distant point in the forest.\u00a0 Once Artor, Rusen and Erdath followed his gaze to that position in the forest, they spotted what he did.<\/p>\n A blue light hovered in the forest, slowly moving this way and that, until it drew close to another figure.\u00a0 As the glow illuminated her features, they knew that it was Annabelle.<\/p>\n Erdath nodded with enthusiasm.\u00a0 There was the vindication that the woman was a witch.\u00a0 She congregated with magical beings of the forest.<\/p>\n Together, he and Valerio resumed their trek forward.<\/p>\n Behind them, Artor and Rusen kept their eyes on the distant woman.\u00a0 Though it was difficult to see in the darkened forest, they watched as she held her arms, nervously proceeding through the quiet woods as if it were for the first time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It did not take long for Annabelle to realize that the beacon in the forest was a massive tree, standing sentinel among all the other fauna and wildlife that surrounded it.\u00a0 The lights were produced by hundred\u2014perhaps thousands\u2014of other fairies, and rings of bioluminescent mushrooms dotted the landscape.\u00a0 Even more of the fungus speckled the outer trunk of the tree, rising far higher than she expected.<\/p>\n As Annabelle drew further into the home of the fairies, the small fae creatures took note of her.\u00a0 Swarms of them began descending on her, but the blue fairy before her danced about in the air, communicating in her own way.\u00a0 The other fairies gave them a wide berth then, and Annabelle felt as though she had fallen under the protection of her guide.<\/p>\n For the blue fairy, the travel seemed effortless, but the long approach toward the tree took a long while for the human.\u00a0 As she neared it, the strange smell became almost too much to bear.\u00a0 She kept her eyes trained toward the elevated lights in the boughs of the scattered trees, and she realized that the fairies congregated there among strange objects fastened against the trunks of the trees or the thickest branches.<\/p>\n She froze in her tracks when she realized what they were.\u00a0 Bodies\u2014human bodies\u2014were fixed to the trees, slowly left to rot.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t lifeless husks though, she realized, for other creatures of the forest seemed to use what remained as best they could.\u00a0 Strange bugs and birds that made no sound fluttered about, only illuminated by the light of fairy wings.\u00a0 They used the bodies as perches or as shelter from any rain that dripped down from the distant canopy.<\/p>\n Everything in Annabelle told her to run, but as she spun on her heel, the blue fairy was there.\u00a0 She fluttered at the woman\u2019s eye level, sending her a pleading gaze and raising her hands to placate her.\u00a0 The fairy opened her mouth and pointed to it before shaking her head and throwing her arms out wide.<\/p>\n Silence, Annabelle realized.\u00a0 That was what the fairy wanted.\u00a0 As her guide pointed toward the unfortunate victims in the trees, Annabelle realized that they weren\u2019t killed out of malice or anger or some other nefarious reason.\u00a0 There was something else there, beyond her understanding.<\/p>\n Somehow, the emotional reaction from the fairy left the woman feeling safe once more.\u00a0 She offered up a solemn nod and allowed the fairy to loop around her and lead on once more.<\/p>\n After walking for what felt like forever, Annabelle finally arrived near the base of the massive tree.\u00a0 Though she could see how tall it was from afar, its humongous trunk reaching up toward what seemed like the verdant heavens, she was surprised by its breadth.\u00a0 At first thinking it would have only been as wide as her cottage, Annabelle soon changed her opinion, believing it to be able to have surrounded the entirety of Mossley.<\/p>\n No, not surrounded, she soon realized, but encompassed.\u00a0 At least at its base, an opening left the tremendous sentinel hollow.<\/p>\n Together, Annabelle and her fairy companion proceeded onward, straight toward the opening.\u00a0 As they traveled forth, she was stricken by the sight of other fairies.\u00a0 They walked along the forest floor, their wings gone dim and tucked beneath their shoulders, transparent enough that they couldn\u2019t be seen except by the most scrutinous gazes.<\/p>\n But as the human visitor drew near, they unfurled their wings, summoning new light there.\u00a0 They took to the air, and flew into the tree hollow in droves, illuminating the inside, and creating a visible path for the woman and her sapphire-tinted guide.<\/p>\n Though the wooden lip at the top of the hollow was still a dozen feet above her head, Annabelle lowered her head as she passed into the tree hollow.\u00a0 Once inside, she saw where the fairies congregated.\u00a0 They fluttered and hovered about the inner walls of the tree, revealing an ancient mural drawn with a beautiful reflective material.\u00a0 Against their multicolored glow, the mural came to life, depicting the forest in a stark new beauty.<\/p>\n But it was not all beauty, Annabelle soon realized, and it was not all that they were trying to point out to her.\u00a0 In the center of the tree, among all the other designs and depictions, was a central part of their history.\u00a0 An illustration of a giant winged creature, highlighted in the strange substance that glowed within the tree, rested at the top of the mural, looking sinister and fearsome.\u00a0 Lines were drawn from the monster\u2019s mouth though, giving the image more presence.\u00a0 As the fairies shifted this way and that, those lines almost seemed to dance.<\/p>\n While Annabelle looked at the mural, she considered that perhaps it had frightened them with its terrifying screech\u2014something she couldn\u2019t have begun to understand.\u00a0 But then she looked at the fairies that congregated there, reverent to their past and the lore that was instilled there. \u00a0None of the fairies parted their lips to speak as the humans of Mossley did.\u00a0 They communicated with one another the same way her mother did with her: a glance this way or that; a smile; a gesture of their hands.<\/p>\n The fairies lived in a world as devoid of sound as she did.<\/p>\n Catching her attention once more, the blue fairy guided her along the mural.\u00a0 It depicted the fairies educating the other fauna of the forest, putting their fingers up to their lips to protect birds and tree-dwelling rodents.<\/p>\n The quiet was what kept them alive.<\/p>\n As Annabelle continued her turn about that hollow, she was brought to face another odd image which the fairy hovered in front of.\u00a0 A strange collection of shapes looked like nothing to her at first, until she realized she was considering it through the wrong lens.\u00a0 When she considered how the fairies saw the forest, it became apparent.\u00a0 It was a map, as seen from the air above the forest.<\/p>\n The blue fairy grasped the wall of the tree hollow where the map was, and pointed toward the far side of the forest, where she could find safety from the legendary monster.<\/p>\n She noticed, too, that another large clearing existed in the woods, large enough to keep several towns, and a castle as well.\u00a0 But as she stared at that area, the fairy drew close to her and shook her head, waving her hands to steer her away from there.\u00a0 Annabelle couldn\u2019t wrench her attention away entirely though, and she noticed the cluster of color at the center of the huge clearing.<\/p>\n All at once then, the fairies withdrew from the tree, their urgency apparent.\u00a0 Annabelle turned and fled from the hollow as well, but a veil of light stood before her as the fairies gathered together.<\/p>\n Finally, they rose higher into the air, and she saw something far ahead.\u00a0 Together, the band of fairies approached the strange light\u2014not unlike the color of the blue fairy\u2019s glowing wings.\u00a0 Unlike her wings though, the light looked somehow faded, a duskier color.<\/p>\n The blue fairy remained there beside Annabelle while she watched the fairies investigate. \u00a0She thought she detected the flickering of a flame, and she stood on the tips of her toes to get a better look.<\/p>\n As fixed as she was on the distant oddity, she never saw the man sneaking up behind her.<\/p>\n Valerio sprang from his spot in the darkness, tackling Annabelle to the ground.\u00a0 Though she was caught off her guard, she struggled against his firm grasp, pushing him away from her as best she could.\u00a0 He wrapped his hand around her throat then, ready to squeeze the life from her.<\/p>\n Gasping for air, Annabelle reached for his face, and raked her fingers across there, leaving deep scratches in his skin.\u00a0 He growled and pressed harder on her, locking her into place on the ground.<\/p>\n The angry noise that left his lips was deafening in the silent, hallowed place.\u00a0 While many of the fairies still moved forth to investigate the strange signal at the entrance of their grove\u2014an odd blue flame, it seemed\u2014some of them stopped and spun about.<\/p>\n As Annabelle\u2019s vision started to go dark, she watched as littles flashes of light circled above her.<\/p>\n Valerio was determined to squeeze the life out of the witch, so blind to what had really transpired in the forest.<\/p>\n The fairies cared not for his lack of hindsight.\u00a0 One by one they dove toward him, bringing their needle-swords to bear.\u00a0 When the first of those tiny blades pierced his skin, he felt as though he was being stung by wasps.\u00a0 He attempted to swat them aside, hitting more than one and watching them sail across the area.\u00a0 But there were too many, he soon realized, and they were more determined to stop him than he was to stop Annabelle.<\/p>\n One brave little fairy dropped to the ground beside him and leaped into the air once more, driving her needle into his neck.\u00a0 The shock of that sudden pain had him jolting upright and pawing at his newest injury.<\/p>\n All at once, as she breathed burning, lifegiving air back into her lungs, Annabelle\u2019s vision returned to her.\u00a0 With a desperate push, she threw Valerio off-balance, and wriggled free from him, scrambling to safety.<\/p>\n He couldn\u2019t focus on her though.\u00a0 As he rose to his feet, plucking the needle from his throat, Valerio realized that a score of fairies had focused on him.\u00a0 They soared in at him, their tiny blades leading the charge.\u00a0 He cried out as if preparing for battle, but he was overwhelmed in moments, the needles carving through his flesh.\u00a0 He collapsed to the ground, writhing against the pain of the dozens of new wounds.<\/p>\n The fairies were there with him in an instant, bringing their needles to bear once more.\u00a0 That time though, the needles were strung with silken thread.\u00a0 Working in tandem, the fairies quickly pierced the skin around the village guard\u2019s lips.\u00a0 Before he could understand what was happening, the fairies had sewn his mouth shut.<\/p>\n While the horrific act unfolded behind her, Annabelle shuffled from the ongoing battle.\u00a0 Her fairy companion, the blue-winged beauty she had met earlier, danced around in front of her, frantically attempting to gain her attention.\u00a0 Annabelle nodded, acknowledging the minute guide.<\/p>\n At once, they moved from there, the fairy leading her far from the tree and from the light.\u00a0 Though Annabelle couldn\u2019t hear a thing, the fairy could, and she spun about more than once, urging the woman on.<\/p>\n Annabelle couldn\u2019t help but glance over her shoulder then.\u00a0 Even in the darkness, she could see the other two villagers who pursued her.<\/p>\n With her gaze averted, the woman wasn\u2019t prepared for the sudden shift in the terrain.\u00a0 Annabelle lost her footing then, and tumbled head over heels, landing back in the dirt a moment later.<\/p>\n As Rusen and Artor reached her, the blue fairy spun about frantically, trying to drive the other humans off.\u00a0 Rusen held up his hand though, to placate the agitated sprite.\u00a0 He and Artor reached down and helped Annabelle to her feet.<\/p>\n Their sympathetic gazes were not lost to her, or to her guide.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got to get out of here,\u201d Artor whispered.<\/p>\n Though she couldn\u2019t have noticed how loud he talked, Annabelle still knew he spoke.\u00a0 She stepped forward, lifting a finger to her lips.<\/p>\n Rusen nodded, already realizing the effect that noise had on the fairies of the forest.<\/p>\n While the three of them tried to converse as best they could without words\u2014and in the darkness of the place\u2014the blue fairy circled around them, trying to better gain their attention.<\/p>\n Annabelle shifted her focus there, offering a weary smile to her little guide.\u00a0 The fairy waved them on, and the woman chose not to hesitate.\u00a0 Without delay, she sped after the flying fairy.<\/p>\n Artor and Rusen exchanged glances, and simply shrugged before giving chase.<\/p>\n They were unable to venture far, however, before a wall of blue flame burst to life before them, separating them from the thicker gatherings of trees beyond the fairy grove.\u00a0 Though the barrier was fierce and tall, they noticed that it didn\u2019t give off any notable heat, instead seeming to give off an icy aura that left that area feeling frigid indeed.<\/p>\n Artor grumbled and spun about, spotting the final member of their group.\u00a0 Erdath Pendleton was faintly illuminated by the cyan flames that danced to life behind his targets.\u00a0 Though he still stood far enough away for many of his features to remain hidden by the shadows, Artor, Rusen and Annabelle could see his mischievous smile.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd where do you think you\u2019re going?\u201d he asked, his voice sounding like a low rumble.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t have you returning to Mossley to tell them what we\u2019ve found here\u2014of what you\u2019ve found out about me.\u201d<\/p>\n Rusen saw him reach into the folds of his robe, then, and more of that faint blue magic seemed to come alive around his hand like living mist.\u00a0 As soon as the item was in his hand, the villagers could see that it was same color as Erdath\u2019s teeth: the bones that he and Valerio allegedly discovered in Annabelle\u2019s cottage.\u00a0 Rusen\u2019s eyes went wide, and he looked to Artor, who answered his glanced with a nod.<\/p>\n By the time Rusen looked back to Erdath, the mist encompassed the bone completely.\u00a0 Even with it disguised behind the haze though, the young man spotted it as it launched from Erdath\u2019s hand.\u00a0 Rusen gave Artor a fierce push and hopped back the next second.\u00a0 The bone missile soared past them, disappearing beyond the cold flames.<\/p>\n Artor grabbed Rusen and Annabelle then, steering them away from Erdath and past the wall of fire.<\/p>\n It mattered not.\u00a0 The flames moved with them, slithering along the ground as though they burst from the back of a gigantic snake.<\/p>\n Erdath\u2019s deep laughter resonated from the darkness, and they turned once more to face him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt may be better for you to simply submit to death.\u00a0 Futile hope is a terrible thing to cling to.\u201d\u00a0 As he spoke, another blue flame burst to life at the top of his walking stick.<\/p>\n Rusen squared his jaw, remembering the appearance of the strange torch in the forest just before they lost Jackdale.<\/p>\n As Erdath lowered his staff, the flame that danced atop it seemed to point out at the other three humans. \u00a0With a low rumble, a pillar of fire burst out from the head of the staff.<\/p>\n As the cold rush of the blue flame came toward them, the villagers thought to risk jumping through the barrier behind them.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t necessary, though.\u00a0 Their small companion, lost in the sea of otherworldly blue magic, charged through the darkness, her wings alight once more as she reached Erdath.\u00a0 The fair stabbed out with her needle, piercing the hand that wrapped around the staff.<\/p>\n The flame sputtered out as the walking stick fell away from him, and the villagers and Annabelle were spared for the moment.\u00a0 They were not left to breathe easy though, forced to watch as the blue fairy continued her assault against the menacing human.<\/p>\n Again, and again, Erdath tried to swat at her or grab her, and she was always just out of reach.\u00a0 Every time he missed his opportunity, she soared back in, slashing or stabbing him with her needle.<\/p>\n Having had enough, Erdath roared, opening his hand and summoning forth another wave of mist, just as the fairy dove toward him.\u00a0 Lost in the fog, the sprite couldn\u2019t see as he drove his other hand forth, reaching into the unknown.<\/p>\n When his hand was visible once more, Annabelle gasped.\u00a0 He held the fairy in his hand, and she struggled to wriggle free.\u00a0 She managed to wrestle an arm and her needle free and stabbed the soft spot between his finger and his thumb.<\/p>\n Erdath grimaced but pressed through the pain.\u00a0 He gnashed his teeth together and squeezed his fingers together as hard as he could.\u00a0 The fairy let fly a tiny cry\u2014one not heard in the forest in some time\u2014as the life was pressed from her body.\u00a0 When he was done, Erdath tossed her motionless body to the side.<\/p>\n Annabelle stepped forward, reaching out for the fairy, but Rusen grabbed hold of her, and pulled her back.\u00a0 Together, they watched as the blue light faded from the fairy\u2019s wings, leaving her in darkness.<\/p>\n \u201cEnough,\u201d came Erdath\u2019s cruel voice.\u00a0 He reached down, plucking his staff off the ground, and prepared once more to put an end to the residents of Mossley and their new companion.<\/p>\n Even he could not have expected the sudden luminosity that surrounded him. \u00a0Hundreds of fairies lent their light to the forest then, looking down at the evil man who had just murdered one of his kin.\u00a0 Faced with the magical aura, Erdath\u2019s sinister smile faded somewhat.\u00a0 The villagers could also see the depths of his magic begin to erode.\u00a0 Erdath was older than he seemed, but his dark magic seemed to sustain him.<\/p>\n The fairies cared not for his magic, darting toward him en masse, ready to make him pay for his murderous ways.<\/p>\n Rusen reached for his hammer, ready to join the fray, but Artor held him back.\u00a0 He would never be able to reach the necromancer, for the fairies enveloped him almost completely.<\/p>\n A fierce roar rang out then, and a cerulean burst of magic erupted from Erdath\u2019s body.\u00a0 All at once, the fairies were flung this way and that, and the man was free of their cruel stings.\u00a0 But as the flame atop his staff weakly crackled, the other three humans could see all that he endured.\u00a0 Dozens of stab and slash wounds speckled his face, and he looked significantly weaker, and older than he had just moments before.\u00a0 He leaned heavily on his staff, his weariness apparent even in the darkness.<\/p>\n It was Annabelle who realized just how dark it had become.\u00a0 She looked over her shoulder then, noticing that his wall of blue flame had smoldered into crackling blue embers.\u00a0 At once, she tugged on the tunics of the two men who had turned their backs on Erdath and pulled them along.<\/p>\n At first, Annabelle proceeded along in the direction that the blue fairy had been leading them.\u00a0 She recalled what she had seen in the hollow of the tree and knew that the other end of the forest was far to the northeast.\u00a0 But as she ran forth, she knew that they would never be able to outpace Erdath.\u00a0 The necromancer would find some way to catch them.<\/p>\n Instead, she changed direction then, heading east along the tree line.\u00a0 It did not take long for her and the villagers to spot a new distant light.\u00a0 As they raced along, they realized that it was not some magical flame or a pair of illuminated fairy wings, but moonlight cast down into an open area.<\/p>\n They charged into it, and once they reached the clearing, they looked skyward.\u00a0 A bright, full moon shone that night, and the trio realized that they could see far into the distance.\u00a0 As far as they could see, the clearing was free of trees, only grass and stray flowers speckling the ground.\u00a0 In the center of the clearing though, a jagged rock face sat as well, as tall as a castle, and wider still.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we out?\u201d Rusen asked.\u00a0 \u201cHave we left the forest behind us?\u201d<\/p>\n Annabelle, running beside him, hit him with the back of her hand.\u00a0 Once she had his attention, she covered her mouth, indicating that he should remain silent.<\/p>\n Even if they did, it seemed not all the people of Mossley intended to.<\/p>\n Like a crack of thunder, Erdath\u2019s voice boomed across the clearing.\u00a0 \u201cThere is nowhere you can go where I will not find you!\u201d<\/p>\n The other trio of humans stopped, and turned about, looking at the necromancer as he stomped forward.\u00a0 Behind him, the forest loomed in its darkness, but they could see the lights therein.\u00a0 The fairies didn\u2019t dare to venture from their sanctuary, and Annabelle once more remembered her time in the hollow of the giant tree.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people began to notice the desecrated graves, I thought that was it for me and my time in Mossley,\u201d Erdath went on.\u00a0 \u201cHow could anyone understand my hunger for the power over life and death?\u00a0 But when I saw that fool of a woman in the town, I knew that anything I said would be trusted over whatever she pled and promised.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was easy enough to trick everyone into believing she worshipped the darkness.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t even defend herself if she knew what was happening.\u00a0 But when she slipped right from your fingers, that offered up a new opportunity.\u00a0 With a dangerous witch rushing into the forest, it gave us cause to search the forest.\u00a0 We\u2019d all heard the rumors of untold magic within.\u00a0 If I could get my hands on it, I\u2019d be able to bend the river of life to my whim!\u201d<\/p>\n As he spoke, darkness seemed to encroach further around them, and Annabelle slowly crept behind Rusen, daring to look up into the sky.<\/p>\n \u201cNow I know where the fairies live, and I can use their magic to enhance my own.\u201d\u00a0 Erdath scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t even really need to stop you here.\u00a0 Before long, I will have the power to wipe the village out in one fell swoop.\u201d<\/p>\n Annabelle tugged Artor and Rusen to the ground then, as the shadows looming overhead became darker and clearer.<\/p>\n Erdath\u2019s eyes grew wide as he realized why the false witch acted so strangely.<\/p>\n The creature that the fairies foretold of in legend\u2014a giant, ferocious bat, descended from the sky then.\u00a0 It opened its mouth and let fly a terrifying screech, ending with a strange series of clicks and chitters.<\/p>\n The necromancer reached out with his staff, summoning the blue flame upon it once more.\u00a0 He cried out as the bat came barreling in, but even he knew it was too late.<\/p>\n As Rusen, Artor and Annabelle ventured a glance toward their foe, the bat filled their vision.\u00a0 With one bite, the monster had Erdath in its grasp.\u00a0 The bat took to the air once more, leaving only the dark wizard\u2019s staff behind.<\/p>\n The rest of the humans, once feeling brave enough, sat up then, watching as the monster of the silent forest circled the clearing.\u00a0 As big as a dragon, the bat seemed to block out the moonlight at some points.\u00a0 It was clear, then, why the forest had become so quiet over the years.<\/p>\n Rusen slowly brought his gaze to Annabelle, who already held a finger to her lips once more.\u00a0 He mirrored her gesture and nodded for good measure.<\/p>\n She pointed back to the forest then, knowing that if they remained silent, just as the fairies and the other denizens of the forest, they would live to see another day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Greetings, and Happy Halloween!\u00a0 In Tellest tradition, I’m showing the darker sides of this literary universe today with a new short story.\u00a0 I hope you enjoy it! The Forest of Silence A Tale by Michael DeAngelo A skyward glance showed nothing but the boughs of trees, the light long gone from the place.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[349,145,146],"tags":[1491,1990,656,512,149,1989],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Featured-Forest-of-Silence.png","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1UVey-5oM","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20756"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20756"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20770,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20756\/revisions\/20770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}