Chapter Sixteen

They came in the night, and they were many. That was the only explanation for the disturbing lack of bodies. Of course, there were still a few mangled corpses spread throughout the silent village, their bodies torn apart and consumed. Although he had made certain this part of the forest was safe, he hadn’t culled everything that had teeth and claws and hungered for flesh. But they were only scavengers, feeding on what was left of the already slain elves.

Mister Greeny pushed through an open door. It hung limply on a single hinge, the splinters from the damaged frame scattered about the floor. Something had forced its way inside. Simple chairs lay overturned in the main room as if they were thrown about in a brawl , and the heavy table was pushed over to the far wall, with long furrows gouged in the floorboards marking its path.

The larder had been raided; what little food was left after the long winter was stolen. Nothing was left behind. The same was true for the rest of the house ; anything of value was gone, and even their rough-spun clothes and simple wooden carvings used for decoration were taken.

He wandered into the bedroom, his many legs clattering noisily against the hard floor. The primitive bed sat in solitude in the corner . The down-stuffed mattress lay open, its insides exposed like innards from a wounded beast. Blood was spattered near the head of the bed, dried and blackened. It wasn’t nearly enough to prove fatal, but enough was present to tell him that the wounds weren’t minor. But without the body, he could only assume that those who lived here were taken as well.

He moved into the next house and then another, finding much of the same in each one. It wasn’t until he reached the hunter’s barracks that he discovered something new. Bodies were inside, not all of them elven. Adorned in soiled, heavy winter armor, men lay intermingled with the nearly naked elves like lovers, arrows sticking from them in every direction.

The elven hunters’ bodies were mainly preserved due to the persistent cold; only subtle signs of decay were present. Their lustrous hair was dry and brittle, and their flawless skin clung tightly to their slender frames like too-small clothes. Their eyes gazed at nothing, clouded over with the vestiges of death, the rage still present on their twisted faces.

They had died fighting. Jagged wounds like gory chasms covered their bodies and wept dried and frozen blood, the desiccated skin stretching them open further than any blade could easily do. It was easy for him to see how they all had died, and delving further into the barracks only showed him more of the same. Many of the hunters had been caught unaware, something considerably difficult to do, but was devastating for them when achieved.

Almost all of the bodies he found were elven.

Having seen enough, he skittered through the village, his goal a small house toward the edge of the settlement. He feared what he might find, either outcome of his search something that he dreaded to know, but it was unavoidable. The door was broken, smashed open by a heavy boot or a wide shoulder; it was impossible to tell. The house was in surprisingly good shape, the chairs sitting on all four legs, and the table unmoved from where it had sat for years.

No valuables remained; the raiders had been thorough in their thievery, but no signs of struggle could be seen. Wherever his little one’s mother had gone, she had gone without trouble. He doubted it was willingly, but neither did she fight to stop it.

He stepped out of the house and took in the dead village around him. For one of the first times in his existence, he was at a loss for what to do.

Nia’s face was contorted with irritation as she struggled to free herself from the golem coiled around her, but as she spotted Mister Greeny walking toward her, she stopped immediately. “What is it? What happened?”

He looked at her, his mind awash with hesitation as he thought about what to say. There was no magic great enough to soften the blow that the truth would strike, no embrace with enough warmth to protect her against the caustic reality. No matter what he said, she would be in pain.

“Tell me, what happened?” Her voice held none of her strength and betrayed every bit of her fear and uncertainty.

Her form was so small compared to the wooden serpent loosening its coils around her, like the infant he had found within the roots of the tree those many years ago, and as he reached out for her with his arms, all he wanted to do was shield her like he did that night, but that was impossible. He knew that he wasn’t the source of her pain, that he was simply the messenger bearing the awful news, but as she collapsed to the ground after hearing of what he found, he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the guilt.

After some time, when Nia managed to catch her breath, she untangled herself from Mister Greeny’s arms and stood on shaky legs. She took a few steps toward the unseen village, her hands balling into fists before unfurling as if she couldn’t decide what to do.

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“I have to find her…” She said firmly, her voice brimming with the strength that had been missing.

Mister Greeny stood silently, proud of her conviction but hesitant to agree with her decision. It will be dangerous. Every step of the way may be our last.

“You’ll help me?” Nia asked as she turned around, her wet, red eyes meeting his glowing orbs of emerald light. “I—I honestly thought you’d stop me…”

It would be safer by far if I did so. He told her, his body morphing from his human-ish form into the bear he felt much more comfortable in. But I promised to walk alongside you on whatever path you chose, and that has not changed. Whatever it is that you decide, I will be with you.

“…right.” She breathed out, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Thank you… again.”

They stood there, looking at each other in silence. “What do we do?” She asked finally, almost sounding embarrassed.

We should follow the trail they left behind.

Nia nodded before turning on her heel to face the direction of the village. “Of course, that makes sense. If we hurry, we might be able to catch up to them.”

That is unlikely. Mister Greeny said plainly, his alien tone low and groaning. It has been too long since they attacked, and their tracks suggest a quick and unrelenting pace. Even with my magic, it would be difficult to close the distance between us.

“Then how will we save her?!” Nia’s heated voice echoed throughout the awakening forest.

It was a simple question, but one with no easy answers. Even if they did manage to catch them before they left the familiar trees of the Endless Forest, they would then be faced with a large force of clearly experienced warriors, something that she was woefully unprepared to face. Her magic had not come far enough to make a difference in anything more than single combat, and that was if she had any experience in the art of battle in the first place.

If their time together had shown him anything, it was that his little one was not a fighter.

We will follow them , he told her. They will leave the forest, I am certain. From there, it will be difficult, but as we understand more about the world outside the ocean of trees, we will uncover a path that leads to your mother.

She looked at him skeptically, her brows furrowed. “So, you don’t know?”

Mister Greeny paused for a moment before admitting the truth. I do not.

“Have you ever been outside the forest before?” She asked him, her tone almost accusatory. Although their conversations had covered many subjects over the months, Mister Greeny’s past had not been one of them. Although he had alluded to some things, the specifics had never been discussed, leaving her only with assumptions and deductions on her part that might not be true.

I have, he said. It was the truth, but his experiences outside the forest were so long ago to be absolutely useless, so he told her as much. But the world was so very different; nothing in my past can prepare us for what we might find outside.

She nodded, doing her best to hide the apprehension plaguing her. She was scared, that was for certain, but she couldn’t allow her fear to prevent her from finding her mother. She knew that they had parted on sour terms but wouldn’t let herself hold that against her. Mister Greeny had been right in saying that her mother had been hurting when she said those things, and grief caused one to say and do anything that might rid them of it, even if that caused pain in others.

She only wished to see her again, be held in her arms, and tell her how sorry she really was.

“Alright. Well, it will be an adventure for the both of us then…” Her voice trailed off as the meaning of her own words settled into reality. Everything had happened so fast that she wasn’t sure of anything at the moment. Nia looked at the towering bear beside her and placed her palm on its side, just below his shoulder. Her fingertips traced the crevices between the thick vines, feeling the roughness of the wood making up his body. “Are you ready? To meet other people?”

No. Came the truth. There was no hesitation in his reply, causing Nia to snort a laugh despite everything that had happened as she patted him lovingly.