Chapter 20
Song
Echo gaped in shock. Before her stood a real-life woodland fae! She was beautiful--even more beautiful than Alena. She gawked at the fairy for a long time, causing the creature to giggle. “I did not mean to send your voice away, Echo. Please, come with me. I will take you to a safe place where you and Shimmer can rest; there I can explain things to you further.”
Song extended a hand, gesturing for them to follow. Echo consulted Shimmer’s subconscious mind. Should we trust her? How does she know my name? Does everyone know my name?
Shimmer relayed her feelings--she felt no immediate threat. She flashed images of Song speaking to the trees. Shimmer believed that was how she knew their names. Echo slowly put her daggers away and followed Song. The fae’s smooth and graceful movements made it seem as if she floated rather than walked. Echo marveled as she watched the tiny veins sparkle on Song’s flexing wings. She felt rude, but she couldn’t quit staring. When Song turned and looked at her, Echo quickly lowered her gaze. Song giggled again. “You think I am the first woodland fae you have seen?” she asked.
Echo had seen pixies all her life, but not fairies. She finally found her voice. “I think you’re the first fairy of any kind that I’ve ever seen. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. You just surprised me. How did you appear so quickly?”
“I came through the trees, of course,” Song replied. Echo knew woodland fae could meld with the trees. Had Song implied that she’d transported herself through them? She didn’t have time to put her question to her host. They arrived at a stone gate that, had Song not been leading her straight to it, Echo would never have noticed it. It blended with the rock as if it were just another part of the mountain.
The companions walked under the arch of stone and into what could’ve been a different world. In fact, Echo wondered if the gate had transported them to a different realm. Trees of every sort stood amidst a modest, but colorful garden. The sun highlighted bright colors painted on the petals of every flower imaginable--roses, daisies, blue bells, sunflowers, sweet peas, and so many that Echo couldn’t even name. Butterflies and bumblebee birds fluttered everywhere, and lilting turtledove song added to the serenity of the garden. A trickling stream carried itself cheerfully through the scene.
Echo breathed deeply and closed her eyes. She allowed the warmth of the sun to soak into her face as peace enveloped her. She was afraid if she stayed here too long, she might never leave.
Upon hearing Song’s soft voice, Echo opened her eyes. The fae motioned for Echo to sit at a stone table, the top of which was so polished it threatened to blind her for the glare of the sun reflecting off of its surface. The table was piled with food; fruits and vegetables were perfectly balanced by arrangement of size, shape and color. Echo’s stomach growled rudely. She felt her cheeks redden as Song laughed. “I knew you would be hungry. Please, eat until you are satisfied,” Song said. Turning to Shimmer she added, “Please, graze freely. Only, don’t eat my roses. They are a special variety and can cause irrational behavior.”
Shimmer bowed her head slightly to their host and then cropped sweet grass with her teeth. Echo tried to eat slowly as she listened to birdsong and Shimmer’s crunching. Her monster stomach was soon tamed and she felt content.
Song leaned over the table as she poured Echo some water from a hollowed out gourd. As her body brushed past her, Echo caught a strong scent of pine and gasped. After thanking Song for the water, she asked, “Do all woodland fae smell like pine trees?”
Song sat at the opposite end of the stone table. Her posture was perfect--straight-backed without seeming rigid. She folded her dainty hands in her lap and studied Echo with twinkling eyes. “I am not certain. I did not realize I smelled like pine. It does make sense, though, does it not? We are in the trees most of the time. The scent probably becomes a part of who we are.”
Echo leaned forward eagerly, ready to ask more questions. But Song spoke again before she could. “I am sorry to cut this conversation short. Our timing is important. You must learn why you are here and what it is I require of you.” Song tilted her head, suddenly distracted from speaking to Echo. She seemed to be listening to something. Echo noticed the pine tree closest to them rustling, though she could feel no breeze. Fascinating! Song was listening to the tree!
When the tree became still, Song smiled brightly. “Ah, my friend arrives. Please, do not be alarmed when she appears. You may have heard of eloki?”
Echo shook her head slowly, confused. Song explained. “Eloki are tiny dragons. I am fortunate enough to have befriended one in my youth. She has been with me most of my life. Her name is Jia.”
Echo’s stomach tickled with excitement, and Shimmer raised her head and whistled a greeting as a form flew into the garden. Echo stood and watched a dragon the size of a small dog move through the air as smoothly and gracefully as an eel through water. Its tiny scales gleamed shades of red and blue, and its wings were ornately colored with spots of bright yellow.
Jia flew playfully over Shimmer’s head and the horse half-reared. Echo was surprised to feel Shimmer’s glee at seeing the creature. It was almost as if they were long-lost friends.
Song stood and held her hand in the air with her palm cupped upward. She held a bunch of grasshoppers. Echo saw one move, but none of them attempted to leap from Song’s hand as Jia hovered above her and proceeded to lick the treat from her master’s hand. The dragon then landed atop a rounded boulder and groomed herself like a cat. Song stood patiently, waiting for her friend to finish. Echo didn’t mind waiting, either. She watched the creature, amazed and honored to see something so beautiful.
When Jia finished, she sat frozen on the stone, her tiny but sharp talons scraping against the rock. She became so still, Echo would’ve mistaken her for a statue had she not seen Jia moving seconds before. The dragon gazed steadily into Song’s eyes for several minutes, then suddenly curled up on the stone and went to sleep.
Song turned to Echo. “We have had some fortune. Jia has found something for which we have been searching for many years. Your timing is perfect. However, you and Shimmer must rest before we continue. We will begin in the morning.”
Although Echo was wildly curious about what Song was talking about, she allowed their host to lead her and Shimmer to a soft cushion of leaves and heather. The companions lowered themselves to the natural bed and, as usual, leaned against each other to rest. Inside the protected garden, Echo slept well for the first time in days.
When Song finally summoned them the next morning, Echo felt much better, amazed at what a little sleep could do.
Song spoke as she removed her silky robe, revealing leather traveling attire, “I will remove this as it will encumber my movements. We will be taking a bit of a climb over many stones.” Echo watched as Song folded her robe in several precise movements until it was a small, perfect square. A pang of homesickness hit as Song’s precision reminded Echo of her mother.
Song placed the robe against a tree trunk. Echo gasped as the trunk rippled like water and then swallowed the robe. “There,” Song said. “Now it will remain safe.”
Echo asked a myriad of questions as they followed Song and Jia out of the garden. Jia was perched atop Song’s left shoulder, which was shielded from the dragon’s razor sharp talons by a thick patch of leather. The rest of Song’s attire was also leather, but softer and sleeker. Streaks of darker brown were infused into the material, giving the clothing the appearance of tree bark. Echo also noticed that Song wore a belt upon which hung two strange, rectangle shaped weapons--one on each of her hips.
“So, can woodland fae travel through the trees? I mean, not between them, but actually through them?” Echo asked.
Song looked at her curiously. “You do not know?”
Echo shook her head.
“Well, yes. That is our quickest form of transportation. Centuries ago, our ancestors formed a bond wit
h the trees. They asked permission to use the trees to communicate and to travel great distances in a short time. In return, our ancestors vowed to care for the trees and guard them against those who would destroy them.”
“That’s amazing!” Echo said, feeling like an excited little girl on a holiday. “How do you care for the trees?”
As they walked, Song described the many methods her race used to care for the trees, from their root systems to removing harmful bacteria from their trunks. She even gave a demonstration. They found an old tree which had a yellow spot on one side of its trunk. The spot began just below the branches and reached toward the roots, threatening the life of the tree. Echo watched as Song whispered to the tree and then moved her hand over the trunk. An orange glow appeared underneath Song’s hands as they slowly moved the over the bark. Echo wondered what kind of magic the fairy was using. Small wisps of smoke rose from where Song worked and the yellow turned to black.
It’s fire! Echo realized. The tree shivered as its bark singed. Song worked until the entire spot was burned away. She then took a pouch from her belt and opened it, revealing a clear salve which she rubbed over the burned area.
Finally, she touched the undamaged part of the trunk and spoke strange, soft words and then turned toward Echo and Shimmer. “There, she will be better now. I caught the evil before it reached her core or her roots.”
“That was incredible,” Echo said breathlessly.
Song giggled. “Not so incredible to me. It is just what we do. If we did not care for the trees this way, sooner or later a large fire would erupt and consumed the trees in attempt to rid the forest of disease; but that fire would consume all the trees, affected and unaffected alike. This way, we can save the forest from such a terrible fate.”
Echo wanted to continue learning everything she could about the woodland fae. But conversation slowed as the terrain became steeper with large, jagged boulders along the forest floor. Echo had to concentrate to keep from tripping or stubbing her toes.
Song leapt easily and daintily from one stone to another, fluttering her wings to keep herself moving fluidly. Jia took to the air, hovering over them all and watching their progress with beady black eyes. Shimmer snorted in frustration; the climb was most difficult for her.
They stopped briefly for food and rest, and then continued their tedious climb. Although Echo thought she was in shape, the exertion was beginning to make her leg muscles burn. She didn’t want to complain in front of Song, though, so she gritted her teeth and kept moving.
Echo almost cried with joy when Song stopped again. “We will rest again before we reach our destination. There are things I must tell you now, to prepare--” Song stopped abruptly as a flock of swallows suddenly burst out of the trees and into the air. Their warning cries echoed through the forest.
Echo and Song drew their weapons. Song’s weapons opened like fans; instead of paper, sharpened blades gleamed in the sun. Jia slithered through the air, winding her way between trees until she was no longer visible. Shimmer tuned her senses and together, she and Echo scanned the area for danger.
Song whispered, “We are too close to our goal. There are those who wish to stop us. Ready yourselves, for if there are too many for Jia to stop, we will have to fight.”
Echo’s nerves jolted when a sharp cry, like that of a large eagle, cut through the trees. Shouts and the sound of axes against bark sliced the air. Song remained steady, her face smooth and grave, but a single tear rolled down one cheek as more sounds of splintering bark reached them.
Jia shot through the trees toward them, screeching like an eagle. “They were too many for her. Prepare yourselves!” Song shouted. Echo held her daggers firm, but their tips vibrated, giving sign to her fear. Shimmer stood next to her with tensed muscles, ready to attack whatever came through the trees.
A rancid smell reached the companions before they saw their adversaries. Ten creatures, their bodies in the form of hairy, mutant potatoes, charged toward them. Sulkas! Echo had learned about the foul beings in her lessons. They were warriors who fought for whoever they believed had the greatest power, leeching off that ruler for riches and glory. Currently, they worked for Degus. They weren’t very bright, but they were strong fighters.
Echo, Song, and Shimmer stood firm as their attackers came closer. The sulkas held axes with jagged blades above their heads. Song stood as still as a statue, her eyes flaming at the rushing creatures. Shimmer snorted and pawed at the stony earth, sending intimidating sparks into the air. Echo wanted to turn and run.
The first sulka reached Song. The fae moved her arms and body as gracefully as the wind through the branches of a tree. The sulka swung its axe, but Song caught its weapon with hers, slicing clean through the handle and sending the head spinning through the air; it imbedded itself into another sulka, killing it instantly.
Echo wished she could continue to watch Song fight, but she had her own worries. The remaining sulkas rushed at them. Echo’s training, instincts, and adrenaline kicked in. As Shimmer reared and sliced at a sulka with her sharp hooves, Echo engaged another, spinning her weapons so quickly their blades could barely be seen. The sulkas were stronger than they appeared, and the force of their weapons against Echo’s sent powerful jolts through her arms. To her own surprise, she quickly disarmed one sulka, then spun around to fight another. She started to feel more confident as she worked her way past two more of the foul creatures.
Then, a sulka attacked her from behind. It leapt onto her back, grasping her neck with wiry arms and surprisingly strong hands. Its foul smell made Echo’s eyes water. She gasped for air as the creature squeezed against her throat.
Suddenly, the sulka let go. Echo sucked in a deep breath and turned to see Shimmer biting into the back of Echo’s attacker. The horse flung the sulka against a tree with such force its head split open and it fell dead at the tree’s roots. A milky liquid oozed from its fatal wound.
Echo thanked Shimmer with a fleeting thought as she sliced through two sulka at once. Her blades were stained with their milky blood. She was horrified at her violence, but continued to fight. Her guilt was soon thwarted, however, when a sulka sliced Shimmer’s side with its axe. Echo and Shimmer screamed together as they felt the pain. That pain turned to rage inside of her and she attacked the sulka without mercy. Within a second, the creature lay in pieces on the forest floor.
The battle didn’t last long after that. Two sulka fled to the trees before they could be killed. “Cowards!” Song spat, then composed herself and cleaned, folded, and returned her weapons to her belt.
Echo stood staring at the mutilated sulka that littered the ground. She felt sick at the sight of the carnage, but even sicker at knowing she had helped them die. Guilt overwhelmed her, especially at thinking of how her rage had taken over and helped her kill without reservation.
Song’s soft hand touched Echo’s shoulder. “Do not be ashamed, friend. You did what was necessary. If there would have been a way to stop them without killing them, I would have done so. Battles are never lovely, but they are sometimes necessary.”
Echo didn’t respond. She didn’t feel any comfort from Song’s words.
“Come, let us leave this place. The forest will tend to the bodies,” Song said softly. She turned and walked away. Echo walked behind her, her mind numb. Shimmer nuzzled her, lending comforting thoughts and emotions. She also gave Echo a feeling of strength and pride, something that Shimmer possessed naturally. Echo’s emotions calmed at her horse’s touch. She’d never feel good about killing the sulka, but she had proven that she could fight if need be.
After Echo rubbed curatree sap on Shimmer’s wound, they walked for fifteen minutes before Song stopped. “Now, put thoughts of our battle aside. I have much to tell you before we reach our destination. We are approaching the entrance to a hidden cavern. The cavern holds something very precious that we must release. I need your help with d
issolving the spell that blocks the cavern door.”
Echo wanted to laugh. “What can I do to help break a spell? I have no magical abilities.”
Song smiled, her dark eyes gazing intently into Echo’s. “We will see. I cannot do it alone. I have trained for this day my entire life, Echo. I knew that it would come and that I would find the one who could help me. Many have passed through the forest, but none with energy like yours. I knew you were the one I’d been waiting for as soon as I saw you. Especially when Jia found the cavern at the same moment I found you. With all of our energies combined, we will succeed.”
“What energy do I have?” Echo asked softly. Cage’s words about her energy flashed in her head. It seemed that everyone knew things about her that she didn’t know.
“I cannot tell, exactly. But you and Shimmer are powerful. An ancient energy flows through you.”
Echo shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry. I just don’t understand. I’m human. Humans don’t have magical energy.”
Song studied her as Jia landed lightly on her shoulder. The dragon curled its tail around Songs arm for balance. “I do not have all the answers today. But if I am not mistaken, you will feel the power you possess when we open the cavern door. Perhaps things will become clearer then.”
Doubting Song’s words, Echo followed her through a maze of trees. The ground was less cluttered here, and they were soon on a smoother path. Within minutes, they came toward a clearing. Song slowed and turned toward Echo. She placed a finger to her lips as signal to proceed quietly. They stopped inside the edge of the trees and surveyed the open area.
At the opposite end of the clearing, a sharp, white cliff jutted toward the sky. Vines of ivy crept up the stone, giving it a veined look. At the base of the cliff, the ivy outlined a space distinctly shaped like a giant, arched doorway. Echo gasped and grasped Shimmer’s mane tightly. Guarding the sides of the door and pacing back and forth in front of it were four creatures as big as ponies. The silver hair on their dog-like bodies bristled along their spines; gray, bat-like wings, the membranes stretched like thin tarp between skeletal structures, sprouted from between the creatures’ shoulder blades. Small, black pupils were set in intense eyes that flashed bright yellow as they bared stained teeth and lowered their heads, facing the direction where Echo and company were hiding.
Echo stared at the creatures, not believing what she was seeing. Her skin prickled. The creatures were only familiar to her through legend, but she couldn’t deny that they were wolfix!