Another week of traveling passed with just Devrim and Aurora. They had expected their companions to catch up with them, but it had yet to occur. The Empress and Emperor Consort took turns leaving marks on trees so that the soldiers would be able to find their path more easily. Overall, they were slow moving, and the Empress began to question her own ability as a leader.

Fortunately in this sparsely inhabited forest, game was plentiful. The Empress had stored a bow and quiver in the Guardian's cloak, and Nurlan had taught her the rudimentary skills of field dressing whatever they shot. She could cut away the meat and cook it. Aurora and Devrim lived mostly off of meat and a few known plants. They were careful not to consume anything that looked unfamiliar, and that list grew by the day. The further north they traveled, the more beautiful and strange the foliage and animals became.

"Do you think any of these things are edible?" Devrim whispered about the flowers as they were out hunting.

"Sh!" Aurora told him. "I have no idea, but I am not going to eat it to find out." They crept in silence through the brush until they heard something moving. Crouching low, they waited for the animal to come into view. Before them appeared a beautiful stag with antlers like a glorious crown on its head. 'A king of beasts,' Aurora thought. Devrim, whose turn it was to shoot, drew back the bow and lined up the arrow.

Aurora had a pang of guilt. "No!" She said, pushing the bow just as Devrim released. The shot went high, and the stag lifted its head to look at them. There was an intense anger in its human-like eyes. The pair were astonished to see the intelligence in its face. 'Uh oh. This is not good' Aurora thought. "Run!"

Aurora went right as Devrim went left. The stag, sensing the girl to be the weaker of the two, chased Aurora through the woods. It was fast and agile, easily gaining ground on Aurora as she ran. Just when the stag was about to gouge her, a hand reached down and scoped Aurora into a tree. "Climb up," the green-eyed girl told her. The Empress instinctively obeyed. Really, the instructions had been unnecessary.

The two girls made it high into the branches before stopping. Aurora looked wide-eyed at the other girl, who seemed relaxed at the top of the canopy with an angry animal below. The other girl was tall and lean, but was obviously muscular judging by how quickly she climbed. Her shoulder-length, red hair looked like fire and was tied half-up neatly on her oval head. She didn't seem to be more than a year older than the Empress, but looks could be deceiving.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"It is a good thing you did not actually shoot the nymph. Otherwise the whole clan might be after you," she said blandly. The red-haired girl pulled out an apple and began to munch casually.

"Nymph?!" Aurora asked in disbelief.

The other girl nodded. "They can turn into woodland creatures or trees and such, though why anyone would want to be a tree, I have no idea." She looked down at the Nymph. "Hey Woody! Why would you ever want to be a tree?"

The nymph heard her words and snarled something back at her. "Nymphs are too lazy to use human-speak. But it is probably for the best. What he said would make a lady's ears burn with embarrassment." The stag transformed into a long tall willowy stalk resembling a human. This was its natural form. Aurora's astonishment turned to fear; the nymph began to climb the tree.

The apple-eating girl rolled her eyes. "Ugh, hold this and close your eyes." She held out the apple to Aurora. When the Empress looked at her blankly, the green-eyed girl sighed. "I have got to use magic and humans —she is human, you idiot (this was to the nymph)— humans are not supposed to see us use magic." Aurora took the apple and closed her eyes. A mighty wind rushed around them, and the nymph let out a loud grunt. When she opened her eyes, the nymph lay sprawled on the ground and back in stag form.

The stag jumped to its feet and began to butt the tree with its horns. The beautiful antlers were actually razor sharp, and the combination of hitting and tearing was wearing away at the tree. "Well, that's not good… I am Brinn, by the way. What is your name?"

"Aurora," the Empress responded as the tree began to sway unsteadily.

"Ok, Aurora, I have got a plan!" Brinn held out her hand.

"Should I trust you?"

"You do not have much choice." Brinn became more forceful. "Can you jump?"

"Yes…" Aurora didn't like where this was going. She put the apple back in Brinn's hand. Brinn shrugged, stowed it in her bag, and took Aurora's hand.

"This tree is about to be knocked down. I do not want to find out what that nymph has in store for us, do you? On three, we will jump for that tree. Ready? One, two…"

The twang of an arrow rang through the air and lodged in the tree. The nymph stopped and turned toward the archer. Devrim stood confidently with another arrow nocked. "I did not have to miss. I will shoot you if you charge." The nymph seemed to understand, and his anger was finally quelled. He walked off through the wood with Devrim's arrow aimed at his heart.

"That is a good man you have there," Brinn said with a grin. She had released her grip on the Empress and was neatly finishing her delicious fruit.

Aurora looked down at the handsome young man and blushed. "Oh he's not mine. We…" she turned back and realized her companion had vanished. Only the whisper of the leaves in the next tree gave any clue to where the girl had gone.

"It is safe now," Devrim called up to the Empress. "Are you ok?"

"I am fine," Aurora answered as she descended from the tree.

"You know…I think that stag could understand me…" Devrim said hoping the Empress would not laugh at him.

"Oh he definitely understood you. He was a nymph. Apparently they do not like being shot at." Aurora prepared to jump from the lowest branch. Devrim reached up and lowered her into his embrace.

"A nymph?" Devrim was surprised. "How did you know that?"

"An elf told me," Aurora told him seriously.

"Tell me everything!" The pair walked off arm in arm talking excitedly, oblivious of how intimate it looked.

From a short way off, Brinn watched them with a bittersweet smile. The question Aurora had asked was still echoing in her head, 'Should I trust you?'

"No," Brinn answered. "After all, I am an elf…"