Chapter Twenty

The heavy sound of axes cutting away stubborn branches filled the forest with a symphony of progress. Men and their beasts of burden worked tirelessly at the edge of the Endless Forest, nibbling at the sea of trees and hauling away what meager scraps they could. Recently, their jobs were made easier by a large expedition pushing into the forest, using magic only heard of in tales sung in the taverns by boastful bards or whispered on drunken lips.

It was a sight none of them would forget. A handful of mages, lured from their gilded towers by promises of wealth, stepped up to the indomitable trees and spoke their words of power, rending the forest like a scythe through wheat. Trees toppled and fell to the ground, shaking the earth and sending peels of thunder miles across the land.

The mages pushed on into the Endless Forest, continuing their magnificent work. Several dozen wagons followed closely behind, outfitted with metal bars and feet upon feet of chain and shackle. The noise they made as they trundled by was deafening ; only the rattle of the armor worn by the men escorting the wagons could compete for the workers’ attention.

The forest returned to silence with their passing, and the men returned to work. Although insanely curious about what had transpired, they all knew better than to speak up with their questions. Men with steel on their hips and violence in their hearts were not ones to trifle with, and that is saying nothing about the mages who commanded the very forces of the world.

No , they wouldn’t even look them in the eyes if one wanted to live .

Years of cleanly cut timber were enough to quell any questions they might have had. The amount of work that saved them was priceless, and they sang the mages’ praises each day they roused from their beds.

Then they returned.

The mages rode on horseback, exiting the forest, their powerful spells unneeded. Behind them were the same caged wagons surrounded by armed and armored men ; this time , they were full. Filthy and frail but still ethereal in their beauty , the cage’s occupants gazed through the iron bars with blank, defeated eyes.

And the workers watched them pass in silence.

Work was slow to pick up ; the men’s insatiable curiosity, inflamed further by what they had seen, made it difficult for them to focus on anything else . But hushed conspiracies and salacious rumors didn’t earn coins, so they returned to work.

Weeks passed , and the weather warmed. Spring was just around the corner, and the men were eager for the day when frostbite would no longer be feared. The mages and the men with their bursting cages were still talked about often, but the tale no longer held the sharp edge of now . Time had dulled it against days passed, becoming just another strange thing that had happened at the edge of the Endless Forest.

Then, the great stag walked out of the forest, the Witch of the Woods by its side.

Nia looked down at a woodsman, her brows furrowed in frustration. “Do you hear me? I’m looking for wagons filled with elves…”

The man kneeling before her refused to meet her eyes. He kept his head bowed, and his body trembled like a leaf caught in a storm. For such a large man, his constitution was like a frightened lamb. She didn’t understand it.

She had suggested that Mister Greeny take on a less intimidating form. Although she was used to it, the bear was vicious and terrifying to anyone else, and the wolf was only slightly less so. His human form had the fewest claws and teeth, but looking upon it caused her no small amount of discomfort. It was too close to being human but without the details that would make it completely so.

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So, they had agreed on a stag. It was tall and lissome, Mister Greeny’s vines laced together to create a magnificent and daunting form , producing a regal air that demanded respect. A broad crown of branches adorned his head, its hundreds of tines sparkling like a distant galaxy of stars even against the light of day, and its coat was a meadow of deep green interspersed with golden flowers that echoed the shimmering galaxy looking down on them.

To see him move from the forest was an awe-inspiring sight, and the woodsmen were absolutely terrified.

She had only wanted to make a statement —to say that she demanded respect and was too powerful to be taken lightly. There were too many unknowns outside the forest, and she didn’t want to appear weak; the risk to her was much too great. She also knew that she couldn’t appear too threatening either ; if she did, someone might take it upon themselves to remove her altogether out of fear. It was a balancing act, and she had fallen.

Perhaps we should have been more subtle? Mister Greeny offered, slowly looking down at the man kneeling before them. His otherworldly voice must have frightened the man even further as he noticed the acrid scent of urine wafting from him. And I should only speak when necessary.

They left the woodsmen behind, cowering amongst the signs of their labor. Nia was frustrated, to say the least . If only they had been willing to talk, they would have definitely been able to tell her about the abductors . But not all was lost ; there was only one path they could have taken from here, and it was laid out before them in a winding route of compacted dirt and deep ruts of mud.

The worn road split the landscape in two, like a jagged scar that blemished the otherwise picturesque scenery. Running from the edge of the Endless Forest, it snaked over rolling hills of prairie grass and climbed ever downward until it reached a wide river that flowed to the south. The woodsmen used the road to transport the hewn logs from the forest to the river, making the many-mile trek only once per day. And when they were done with their work and their day came to an end, they would all move into the town of Bolin, where they would carouse and tell tales until the small hours of the night.

It stands to reason that they would have stopped here for a time.

“It’s so… dirty.” Nia commented as the town of Bolin stained her vision. It was still some distance away, saddling the river with long, wooden bridges knitting the two sides of the town together. Coal-fires produced long columns of smoke that stretched from the countless buildings, adding to the yellow haze that smothered the entire area, all without a tree in sight. It was very different from what she was used to.

She shook her head, focusing on the task ahead. “Do you think they’ll actually talk to us?”

To you, alone? Yes. Mister Greeny said as he shook his crown of branches. With me beside you, perhaps not.

Nia’s face scrunched up in thought, the light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose adding a sense of innocence to the action. “Well, I’m not comfortable going there alone…”

Neither am I. He thought for a moment before shifting his body, his vines constricting tightly into a wolf, who’s shoulders were even with Nia’s hips. We will move carefully, and I will not speak. Treat me as if I am nothing more than your servant, a pet and companion.

She looked down at him. As he was, he looked like some strange breed of wolf, neither overly large nor small by any means. He had smoothed out the rough vines making up his body, giving him a nearly biological look, and the grass growing out of him was thick and brown, like a meadow in the midst of drought, a shaggy coat that helped to hide his features even further.

It was a good disguise. Although, his eyes still gleamed a nearly fluorescent green. Nothing could be perfect, after all.

“I suppose.” She said as she ran her fingers through his coat of grass admiring the softness. “We have to do something. I just don’t know what the best thing to do is…”

We will do what we can, that is all. Overthinking will only lead to indecision, and indecision is no better than doing nothing at all.

“ Yeah, you’re right.” She said, retracting her hand and using it to smooth out the wrinkles in her dress accumulated through their travels. “You’re right… C’mon, let’s get going.”

Mister Greeny chuckled at her abrupt eagerness to move, and was proud that she had taken charge so easily. She would need to become comfortable doing such things in the future.

He padded alongside her silently, his emerald eyes locked on the city quickly approaching them.