“We are honored by what you and your dragon have done for us,” Sedel shouted.

A chorus of shouts and cheers came as Kaen watched those at the table clap and whistle.

“Please! Feast upon what the land has given us!”

Kaen couldn’t believe how much food was there. All sorts of berries, fruits, nuts, and more, as well as a cooked deer, awaited him and the others.

After scarfing down more food than he realized was possible, Kaen sat back and looked at Sedel.

She smiled and nodded, knowing he had questions.

“This is wonderful,” Ava said. “These are totally different than the day we arrived. Tell me how you did this.”

Shrugging, Kaen just smiled. “I wish I knew… the forest was dying, its power or life or whatever was weak. Those fires…”

Kaen sat back and cocked his head.

“You ok?”

“How do I suddenly know the fires did so much damage to the forest and its life force? We didn’t talk about that, did we?”

Ava shook her head slowly from side to side. “Not while I was around.”

It’s the forest. I know the answer as you do.

Kaen sat up and closed his eyes. Activating his lifestone, he saw the power of the forest and all the life in everyone around him.

Pammon was off to the side, near one of the tables, and Kaen looked at his friend.

It’s inside you… the power in you is different than before. I mean…

Kaen glanced at himself, looking at his body and then at the wood elves around him.

The color, the lights, the way it moves… we are like them somehow.

A thrum came from Pammon, and Kaen turned to see his friend looking at him.

Ask the forest what you did. I can hear it trying to talk through you.

Kaen calmed himself, taking breaths and letting the sounds of those near him fade away.

Quietly, a tiny thread of something touched him. Through his feet, the connection to the ground, he felt the power of the forest there.

Words didn’t come like he had expected but just knowledge. A feeling.

The land was cleansed from the death that had tried to consume it. He realized now why Queleth had died so suddenly. He had given his life force to save the forest. It had been too much for one elf to heal, and it would be too much for one man to mend.

Kaen could sense that, but he also knew the forest had required Pammon. Together, they had done what was needed.

Then, a thread of something entered his mind.

Struggling to understand it, Kaen finally realized what it was. He had been cleansed.

Changing his vision, Kaen looked like a fool at the table as he undid the laces on his shirt and yanked it off, startling those around him as he stared at his chest, touching it.

“Kaen… your skin…” Ava’s voice broke as she saw what he was looking at. She stood up, reaching out with a trembling hand and touching his skin as he smiled, nodded, and laughed. Both of them began to cry as they hugged each other.

After a moment, they turned and saw everyone trying not to stare politely but wondering what had just transpired before their eyes.

Coughing, Kaen quickly put his shirt back on and wiped his face.

“The forest cleansed me from an injury I could not find healing for.”

Sedel nodded. “I had heard you were cleansed. I was not certain about what, but now we all know.” She motioned to the elves, who were smiling and nodding as they watched him. “Again, I say it is good you have a wife because some might be willing to share if you desired another.”

Ava’s face turned red, and Kaen shook his head, rolling his eyes as Sedel laughed, content with her actions.

“Feast, eat, and relax. Later, we need to talk.”

The celebration continued for some time, and Kaen was grateful when it was time for Sedel, Ava, and him to be alone. Pammon was sleeping soundly on the forest floor, having partaken more animals than he usually would, somehow knowing he said the forest did not mind.

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“So tell me… why did you come?”

Sedel's question seemed obvious, but Kaen hadn’t been expecting it.

“I need a bow. I lost mine in a fight with Stioks. There are no better archers or bow makers than the wood elves.”

Sedel snorted but nodded in agreement. “That is true. What kind of bow do you need?”

“I would prefer one similar to the one you used. It was larger than mine and had more power. Its quality was exceptional. I also have two runes if you can use them in the bow's crafting.”

Leaning forward, Sedel’s eyes sparkled at Kaen’s words.

“Runes? For a bow? This must be some exceptional work you are hoping for. I guess the next question would be when do you need it by?”

“You already know that answer.”

She nodded and shrugged. “Yet when you tell me now, it makes me feel better when I say no.”

Ava laughed, poking Kaen as she leaned against him, enjoying his arm around her. “I told you she would say something like that.”

“You were right… but the truth is I need something better than my regular bow now. Even its slight magical power cannot allow me to use all of my strength. I have broken a few bows trying to see how far I could push my power through them, and what I now know is the bow has to use my blood.”

Leaning back in her seat, Sedel quietly clapped her hands together before rubbing them a few times. “You seem well informed in things most humans shouldn’t know, but I guess none of this should surprise me. I’ll ask one last question and then give you an answer. How much are you willing to pay for such a weapon?”

“I’ll assume gold doesn't matter.”

Sedel shook her head.

Kaen scratched his chin as he thought and knew precisely what she would need.

“I can’t promise I can do what I did the other day, but I will give all I can.”

“Then we shall make for you the finest bow you have ever held,” Sedel answered, leaning forward, wearing a smile that stretched to both sides of her face.

Kaen waited and watched as Sedel took the two runes he had gotten from the packs on Pammon’s back.

Remind me again how I committed to sharing my power again…

Kaen chuckled, knowing Pammon was not upset or bothered.

Unless you want me to get into a sword fight again, I need a bow that doesn’t shatter when I infuse my power into the arrows… so tell me what you want to do…

We can do a portion of what we did last time. I’m still not completely recovered.

She understands. Now, what I really want to see is how she does this.

Sedel was carving out a section in the village's main tree. Once she felt the space was deep enough, she placed one of the runes in it. Measuring with her hands, she repeated the process lower in the tree but in the same line.

“Kaen, come here and cut yourself like you did last time. Place your hand above the top rune. When you are done, I will take care of the next part.”

Moving to the spot where Sedel waited, Kaen cut his hand again, amazed at how fast it had healed and that there was no scar. Placing it where the hole with the first rune was, Kaen closed his eyes, concentrating as before.

This time, there was no wall to break. The forest gladly accepted him, welcoming Pammon and him back as if they had lived here their whole life.

Kaen could feel its desire as they poured their power into the tree. He could sense where it was sending the energy he gave further out into the areas that still needed help to recover and grow.

Then he felt himself drawn to the tree. Glancing down, he followed a single root that ran straight down. Deep within the soil was a basin, like an underground water area. Instead, it was slowly filling up with the power he and Pammon gave.

Kaen could hear the forest asking for as much as they would spare, knowing that this well needed to be full.

I can… still give…

Pammon was straining just as hard as he was, yet Kaen felt amazing. The amount of energy and life flowing from Pammon was like a tidal wave channeled through his hand.

It flowed down into the place below, and when he struggled to stay standing, the forest thanked him, cutting their flow.

Stumbling a few steps, Kaen took a few deep breaths and glanced over at Pammon. He could see that his energy had drained drastically. He was no longer the immense light that he had so often been.

You know this isn’t the last time we will do that, don’t you?

Kaen nodded as his lifestone went cold and his vision returned.

“When do you leave?” Sedel asked her tone back to the one she had the day they competed in shooting arrows.

“Maybe tomorrow,” Kaen replied, knowing they needed to sleep tonight at least.

“Good. When you return, it will be ready.”

Kaen glanced at the tree where his hand had been and saw that it had sealed itself up.

“You're not going to let me watch, are you?”

She smirked and shook her head. “There are some things that may one day be revealed to you, but the forest must say that is allowed… I think it has set a price, and you know how much that will cost.”

Grunting, Kaen nodded and looked at Ava, who was waiting a few steps away.

“I don’t suppose you have a room we could use that isn’t at the top of the trees?”

Laughing, Sedel needed a moment before she could respond. Her complexion had turned red from laughing so hard and long. “I do. Are you ready to turn in?”

“More than ready,” he replied, motioning to Pammon, who was already gently snoring.

“Then come, allow me to escort you both personally.”

“What was it like?” Ava asked as they lay there, Kaen fighting off the sleep he desperately desired.

“How does one describe seeing the forest through its roots and every tiny aspect of it? The leaves shine and shimmer like all the stars at night. Insects have their own light, and underneath us is a maze of roots that seem to run forever in every direction.”

Ava reran her hand over the spot that was no longer diseased. “And it was able to do this? How powerful or what is… I don’t even know how to ask about it.”

Kaen nodded and leaned over, kissing her on the head.

“I wish I could answer those questions as I have them as well. I may never know, but what I do know is this. The forest is fighting in its own way, and it has cleaned me of something I wasn’t sure even Amaranth or your father could heal. I feel amazing. Even though I am worn out and tired, I am at peace.”

Ava ran her fingers through his beard and then gently tugged on it, pulling his lips closer to hers. “Then go to sleep, and perhaps you can show me how amazing you feel in the morning.”

Kaen smiled and laid his head back, making a mental note to block his presence from Pammon in the morning.