Derrick jerked awake as a raucous din reached his ears. He frantically looked around himself and shielded his narrowing eyes. The rising sun gleamed and blinded his vision. No one else was in the glade besides the three of them. But a peculiar shiver kept him on edge.
It was the same feeling that crept over him in Lordôm as the fahltyrs encircled him from all sides. Someone or something was watching them this very second. He crawled towards Kiano and shook him awake. Artam was farther away, and as he was about to sneak up on him, a brilliant creature emerged from the gorse bushes. He froze up.
Kiano was rubbing his eyes and mumbling something indiscernible about being thirsty when he, too, saw the divine being and almost lost his footing. They exchanged quizzical looks.
It was a light elf. His pointy ears, porcelain skin, and platinum blond hair gave his race away. The elf took a gander at Artam, who finally woke up with a yawn. The elf’s radiant eyes then returned to him and Kiano.
Its eyes stayed there even as Artam pointed fingers at it and asked what it was with a loud stutter. The elf pondered on something at that moment, and whatever it was, it took several minutes for it to break the prolonged silence and acknowledge them.
“What are you kids doing here?”
Derrick looked at Kiano out of the corner of his eye as the sorcerer responded on their behalf. “S- searching for Druasdûr, sir.”
The elf scowled. “Druasdûr?” A hint of confusion was present in his voice. “How do you three know that place?”
“My deceased mum told me about it once.”
“A sorceress did?” the light elf asked. “You need to come up with a better lie to fool me.”
Kiano wet his lips and said, “She… wasn’t a sorceress, sir. My mum used to be a witch.” He pointed in the conical hill’s direction. “She lived her whole life in the woods and told me I would find Druasdûr in the Great Forest of Secrets.”
“And say, did she ever caution you against coming here, a sorcerer like you and that kid over there?” The elf peeked at Artam as he said the last four words.
“We had no choice but to come here,” Derrick said. “Kiano and Artam are not a threat to Druasdûr.”
The light elf dropped his head for a second and smirked. “Two sorcerers and a human – what a time to live! What brings you three to Druasdûr, then?”
Artam took a step forward. “We… we are looking for shelter, my lord. We did something we shouldn’t, and now—”
“Don’t tell me you’re the ones those sly things are looking for far and wide? Wait… you are!” The elf’s lustrous eyes grew wide. “What a pleasant surprise! I was wondering what could’ve hacked them off!”
“They’re still looking for us?” Artam asked.
The elf howled with laughter. “Looking!? Oh, you kids have no idea, do you? They’ve turned the woods upside down and gone berserk! I hardly made it out of there myself! You three wouldn’t stand a chance!”
“Then the more reason there is for you, sir, to help us arrive safely in Druasdûr,” Kiano said.
“How do you know where I’m headed, sorcerer?”
Kiano pointed to the forest trail on his right. “This path leads to Berstaan, and only a fool wouldn’t know that the elves and the dwarfs are not on good terms, which means you’re headed somewhere else.”
“Please, help us,” Artam said. “You said it yourself, kind sir! The trolls won’t let us—”
“It’s dangerous, even a foolish thing, to bring you three to Druasdûr,” the elf interrupted. “You’ll be better off anywhere else but Druasdûr.”
“Why?” Derrick asked.
The light elf drew a breath. ”You kids won’t understand even if I tell you.”
“Then show us where it is,” Derrick replied. “We don’t need to understand as long as you show us where we can find Druasdûr!”
The elf cracked a belated smile. ”You three won’t give up that easily, will you? Very well, I’ll tell you, but the moment you enter Druasdûr, you three are on your own. Do you still plan to come with me?”
They nodded in unison. There was no need to think about it. The elf heaved a sigh. ”Follow me then and be quick; I won’t look for you if you get lost.”
The light elf led them through a fading trail of crabgrass and willow moss. He was moving at breakneck speed. Forced into a necessary silence, they sprinted with all they had. Derrick peeked over his shoulder at one point and noticed that they were straying off course.
It was impossible to note down which direction they were going at this point. They ran several miles until the elf suddenly stopped. Derrick took a gander at their surroundings and gaped wide at the sight before him.
Ominously gnarled, hollow trees ringed them from all sides. They entered the only spot in this forest where the trees made a perfect circle around them. His heart was about to give in and jump right out of his chest.
His awestruck gaze landed on Artam, who looked just as baffled. Yet Kiano seemed unfazed by the breathtaking spectacle. The elf advanced to the heart of the bizarre spot without waiting for them to digest what they were seeing. He surveyed them before speaking his mind.
“Do you know why this place is called the Great Forest of Secrets?”
They shook their heads. Legends of this place were limited to a few scrolls. Scrolls that had long since been set on fire and forgotten. The origin of its name was lost along with those who were now deceased; their soulful laments could only be heard from Céinai, which meant only those gifted with the Speech of the Dead could hear their whispers.
This was exactly why he was taken aback when Kiano told them that his deceased mum was aware of this place. She couldn’t have been a simple witch to hear the dead. But Kiano was unaware of this. The light elf, however, had deduced just as much but feigned ignorance.
“It feeds on secrets, this place,” the elf said. “Secrets only known to your heart.”
“It can hear our secrets?” Artam asked, mesmerised.
The elf shook his head and said, “It doesn’t hear, it feels.”
“But how?” Kiano said.
The elf didn’t reply but changed the subject. “There’s only one way to find the hidden key that leads to Druasdûr.” They all held their breaths, waiting for the elf to continue. “You must feed the trees a secret unknown to them… and to yourselves.”
“But you just said they could feel our secrets,” Derrick said.
“Not all of them, not those hidden deep in the chambers of your hearts – secrets even you are unaware of.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Artam tutted. “How are we supposed to know a secret we’re not even aware of ourselves!?”
“That’s something you three have to figure out. You told me to bring you to Druasdûr, and I did my part, the rest is on you. I hope you succeed.”
The light elf passed from sight. Kiano rushed to the centre of the odd clearing and waved his hand into the chilly air. Shocked, he turned to face them.
“He- he’s gone!”
Artam scratched his head and grunted. “W- what now? That stupid elf, he—! Ugh! I can’t believe this!”
“So… do we return to the main trail or—?” Derrick tried.
“We already know what to do, he told us, didn’t he?” Kiano said.
Artam smirked. “Are you being serious!?”
“We have no choice but to do as the elf instructed.”
“How,” Artam responded. “Just how!?”
“Kiano’s right,” Derrick agreed.
“Not you too! This is just really, really… it’s just—this isn’t right! Are you two even listening to me!?”
“I’ll go first,” Kiano began. “Since he said this was the only way to Druasdûr, it means it’s supposed to be possible, at the very least. But we won’t know unless we try, will we?”
They observed in silence as Kiano shut his eyes and distorted his face. He was repeating indiscernible words. Several minutes passed like this, but nothing happened. Artam grew tired, plonked down on the wilted grass, and counted every blade of grass. He had totally lost heart.
Derrick was growing uneasy too; he squatted beside Kiano and was about to break him off when the guy flew open his eyes so suddenly that Derrick fell backwards in place and landed on his buttocks. Even Artam, who was fully concentrated on counting the grass, flinched from where he was sitting and wheezed.
Kiano stood up at the drop of a hat and helped him up.
“I’ve figured it out!” He said and repeated. “I’ve figured it all out!”
“What did you figure out?” Artam said, his heart in his mouth.
Kiano responded with a much more mysterious question: “What’s the secret you have but are not aware of?”
“What do you mean?” Derrick said. “You’re just repeating what the elf said.”
“You lost me at secret, not gonna lie,” Artam admitted.
Kiano shook his head and took a deep breath. “No, try to focus you two and listen carefully. The secret we are not aware of is the one we create, like, right now, do you two get it?”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Artam scratched his forehead. “So, what you’re saying is that… we have to come up with a secret?”
“Theoretically, yes,” Kiano replied. “That way, the forest won’t know our secret before we think of it, or rather, come up with it. I’ll try it first, and if I succeed, you guys do the same.”
Before either of them could reply, Kiano went up in smoke. Artam waved his hands in the air at the very spot where Kiano vanished and shook his head in disbelief. They locked eyes, baffled beyond words. It worked…? What were the chances, even? Before he could tell Artam to go first, that guy vanished, too.
They sure did come up with a lie in less than a minute, Derrick thought and shook his head in disbelief. Now it was his turn. Coming up with a secret was not a walk in the park, though. Fears occupied his mind. He had volunteered for the quest hoping to find his family.
But things didn’t work out in his favour. His bedridden dad and sisters could all, at this very moment, be deceased. Just like Kiano’s mum. Those fears only grew stronger as the seconds passed.
When he finally came up with a secret, he found himself still in the same spot. But something was not quite the same. There was a faint, shimmering trail leading away from the clearing and towards one of the gnarled trees that encircled him.
It felt like he was in another realm that ran parallel to the real one. Everything was blurry, yet not, like in a dream. It was an experience unlike any other. It felt like he was stuck in a bizarre, dream-like state.
He noticed a wooden key hanging by the trunk as he closed in on the gnarled tree and snatched it. The earth below him quaked. On four legs, he clung to the soil for dear life and saw a pit as deep as the Seven Seas emerge from nothing.
It was a blazing portal. There was no way he would leap into that pit of his own accord. But things took an interesting turn when the portal grew in size in a heartbeat. It sucked him into the abyss. He might have screamed, but he didn’t recall.
Kiano and Artam were stooping over him as he blinked. He recoiled and crawled backwards out of sheer surprise. His eyes darted from side to side, unable to comprehend how he ended up where he was, until he noticed the light elf behind the two sorcerers.
“I was losing hope, but I see all of you made it here after all.”
Derrick stood upright in a jiffy and almost lost his footing. His flickering eyes landed on the turreted castle in the distance – a splendid castle perched on a rocky outcrop only the elves could craft. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
They had to go along a cliff path for several feet, cross a high bridge between two jagged mountains, and follow yet another winding and steep cliff path to get to the grand castle. Even with hours of running, it would take a full day to arrive at Druasdûr or more.
The light elf must have sensed the sceptical look on his face because it approached him at that moment and patted his shoulder as if to comfort him.
“There’s not much time left, we have to hurry.”
The three of them blinked. What was the elf babbling about? Not much time left? Not enough time left for what? Artam spoke on their behalf and asked the elf what it meant by there being not much time left. The elf gave no response. He was in a hurry.
“I’ll explain as we go; come on, let’s get moving!”
Like that, they followed the light elf halfway up the first cliff path, which was steeper than they realised. They ran out of breath and gasped for air. Their legs ached like never before.
The elf was walking too fast. It felt like they were running away from a pack of wolves! They wouldn’t make it to the high bridge at this rate and just collapse! Artam could no longer bear it and urged the elf to tell them what it meant by there being not much time left. The elf lost speed but kept striding without glancing over his shoulder as he explained in a matter-of-fact voice.
“Issjia, the one who rules this vast land, summoned all allied kingdoms to an emergency council two days ago. I was supposed to arrive yesterday, but saving human lives delayed me more than I expected. The council will end in less than three hours.”
“Three hours?” Derrick repeated as his eyes landed on the faraway castle. “That’s hardly enough for anything. We won’t arrive until a day later, and that’s if we’re lucky!”
“That’s correct,” the elf said, then peeked over his shoulder with a glint in his eyes. “But only if we follow this path. I know a shortcut that’ll save us some time.”
“Even a shortcut won’t save us, sir,” Kiano said.
The elf abruptly stopped, which caused them to stumble into him. Artam hit his head right on the elf’s bony elbow and moaned, while he and Kiano noticed what happened upfront in the nick of time and avoided the collision.
“That’s where you’re mistaken, kid.” The elf pointed at the white-capped waves to their right. “The castle is connected to the seabed by a passage. It shortens our journey by several hours.”
“What’s the catch?” Derrick said, adding. “I bet there’s one since it’s hidden at the bottom of the sea.”
“An excellent observation, indeed!” The elf confessed. “To get to the passage, you see, we must overcome a tiny hurdle, that’s all!”
“Which is what exactly…?” Artam asked.
“Well, why don’t we find out together?”
The light elf jumped into the stormy sea, waving at them with a broad smile, without a care in the world. Kiano reached out to catch the elf, but it was too late. The billows devoured him; there was no trace left of him.
Artam took a step back and eyed the main cliff path, which would take hours to pass, not to mention several days. Shaking his head, the auburn-haired guy made it clear he wouldn’t take the leap of faith. Kiano stepped in to convince his fellow kinsman, but it was easier said than done. Artam was stubborn and refused to jump into the sea.
“No, no! Absolute not! He’s- he’s—that elf is bonkers, okay? Did you even see what I saw? And- and suppose it’s a trick, and he plans to kill us?”
“He brought us this far, didn’t he?” Kiano said. “Why would he do such a thing if he wanted to harm us?”
Artam shook his head. ”No! I don’t care and I don’t want to know! I’m not going anywhere, let alone jump!”
“He said the allied kingdoms were attending the council. If that’s true, then someone from Belzcakir must be there too. Didn’t you say you wanted to return to the royal castle?” Kiano said.
“I’ll find a way to Belzcakir on my own, thank you, whether through Berstaan or Lordôm, so don’t even try ‘cause it won’t work!”
Derrick could no longer stand idle and watch. “You’re being hard-headed for no reason, Artam! Kiano’s right. Getting to Gartâr through Berstaan will take days if not weeks, and you heard it yourself – the trolls are adamant about finding us!”
Artam cast a glance at the raging sea. “Seriously!? You two want me to—Gosh! That’s suicide! You two know that, right?”
“I’ll make sure nothing happens to you,” Derrick said.
“Count me in,” Kiano chipped in. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“You guys are…,” Artam closed his eyes. “Goodness! Okay, but you two better keep your promises, do you hear me!?”
They nodded.
With a firm grip, Artam clasped their hands and nervously nibbled on his lower lip. As soon as he mouthed he was ready, they jumped into the depths. Everything turned pitch-black, and they lost their grip on one another at one point.
But it wasn’t until Derrick got used to the darkness that he discerned a familiar figure swimming in the opposite direction and towards the surface. It was Artam. He swam after the sorcerer and snatched his ankle. As Artam, surprised, stared down in horror, he pulled the sorcerer down to the depths, inches from reaching the surface, and dragged him closer to the seabed.
Kiano was already way ahead of them and had found the light elf, who was waiting for him and Artam to arrive at the bottom. Artam fought to break free as they finally trod on the sand, and the elf waved at them to follow him to a small opening on what seemed like the lower half of an underwater outcrop.
The water level subsided as they continued to swim through the gap, which kept getting narrower until the salty water flat-out dried up. Lo and behold, they arrived at an ancient-looking passage several feet below the raging sea.
Artam punched him in the gut as soon as he caught his breath and was about to punch him again, this time across his cheek, when the light elf hushed them into an abrupt silence. His flickering eyes wandered from the three of them to the darkness ahead, which was strangely lit up by countless purple corals.
“What’s wrong?” Kiano asked. But the elf didn’t reply.
It was at this point that Derrick finally understood what the catch was. Bones and human remains filled the entire passage. This- this was a lair, not a passage! Artam noticed the brittle bones as well and clutched his arm as if he hadn’t just tried to punch him to death moments ago.
Kiano was the last one to notice the gruesome sight, but the only one brave enough to question the elf.
“What… is this place?”
“Have you three ever heard a spellbinding song while at sea and wondered what it was?”
“Sirens…” Derrick spoke in a hushed tone, more for himself than for the others to hear, but the elf heard him, anyway.
“You’re right. We’re in the lair of things worse than the fahltyrs in Lordôm – the sirens. Stay close to me and say not a single word. The sirens are blind, but no fools, they’ll smell and hear each one of you from miles away.”
“Shouldn’t you have said this when we could still—”
“I thought you wouldn’t follow me if I told you,” the elf interrupted Artam and continued from where he left off. “Don’t listen to their tempting whispers, don’t let them get into your head and lure you. Once they’ve locked you in one of their heinous traps, even I won’t be able to help you.”
“And who exactly are you, sir?” Kiano said. “You say you’ve been summoned to a royal council in Druasdûr, which means you must be someone of great importance. But we still don’t know who you are…”
The light elf stared at them. ”Will you three keep quiet for the next half an hour if I tell you my name, then?”
They nodded simultaneously.
“All right, then. I’m Julian, Julian of Reivenir. Now hush, no more questions.”
Derrick opened his eyes wide. Julian!? This person was the ruler of Reivenir, the land of light elves in the east! He was one of two brothers whose father ruled Druasdûr, and his brother was none other than the dark elf Hjarwa, who ruled Freyskul in the west! Both Julian and Hjarwa were well-known hermits.
Born as rivals, they remain so to date. They were very different, those divine brothers, physically and in personality, one more kind-natured than the other. He couldn’t believe his eyes! Was this real? On second thoughts, Julian reminded him somewhat of the inmate he and Kiano saw in the dungeon. The similarities were obvious upon reflection.
He met Kiano’s gaze. They must have thought the same thing.
“Keep close and utter not a single word – don’t even breathe if you can, or you’ll turn to slush. Do you three hear me?”
They stuck to Julian like scared kittens and didn’t dare to look at anything but the elf’s dancing shadow. Derrick thought he heard a whisper at one point but snapped back to his senses when Artam, unbeknownst to himself, dug his nails into his arm.
Without knowing why, he stared at Kiano not long after this. He noticed how glassy and unfocused his eyes had become. His pace kept decreasing as he dragged his feet through the rocky passage. Derrick wanted to alert the elf but figured he wouldn’t be of much help. So he nudged Artam and whispered that something seemed off about Kiano.
Before he could figure out a plan, Artam let go of his arm and pushed Kiano so that the sorcerer was forced to keep moving forward. Derrick followed suit and did the same. For the next quarter or so, they continued to push the boy through the dimly lit lair. As they closed in on the other side of the passage, whatever spell had got hold of Kiano subsided.
He stopped dead. The sorcerer glanced at them with a baffled expression on his face as they let go. There was no time for an explanation. Julian announced right then that they had arrived at their destination. But the passage led to a dead end.
The light elf hushed Artam, who was about to ask it something, and gracefully traced the wet rocks with his pale hands. He is looking for something, observed Derrick.
The elf then gestured for them to step back and then he pushed a slab of rock as if it were made of feathers, causing a blinding light to flood the lair. They got out, finally, but the danger was not over yet. A spellbinding whisper reached his ears, and he peeked over his shoulder.
His eyes grew wide and hollow. Thousands of hands shrouded in the choking darkness reached out for him. His feet moved yet again in the opposite direction, towards the whispers that called him over. It was so beautiful, yet so sombre, that it wrenched his heart and broke it into pieces. Was this what had bewitched Kiano? He reached out to them like in a mad trance…
“Geez! What’s up with you two!?” Artam shouted as he pulled him back. “Do you have a death wish!?”
Kiano cracked a smile as he met Derrick’s baffled expression. That was when Julian cleared his throat and snapped him back to the present. The castle, made of carved marble, arrested him immediately and he forgot all about what had just happened.
He gaped at the spectacular sight, as did Kiano and Artam. The light elf urged them to hurry as he turned his back on them in the twinkling of an eye and broke into a sprint along the winding path. They picked up the pace and followed the light elf as if their lives depended on it.
The magical sight before them was as harrowing as it was mind-bending. Their hearts thumped louder the closer they got and surpassed the raging billows down below on their right. He met Artam’s antsy eyes as the guy ran past him and turned into a raven with a deafening caw enough to wake the dead.
Leaving them all behind, the sorcerer took off into the crisp air; he hovered above the shimmering gate and waited for them to catch up. By the time they arrived, Artam was no longer visible in the azure sky. Derrick noted then that the light elf cast a glimpse at Kiano as the gate opened all by itself and invited them in.
“You’d be safer here, kid,” Julian said as he blocked Kiano from entering.
“But—”
“This council is only for the allied kingdoms. Even if you come, you won’t be able to take part. In fact, they’d probably kill you the moment they notice you.”
“I- I’ll only listen and—”
“That’s even worse, kid,” the elf said as the gate closed and came between them. “Wait here and stay low. If anyone asks you something, say you’re my guest and nothing else.”
“What if they notice Artam? What do I say then?”
The elf took a gander at the sky before he turned his back on Kiano and ushered Derrick through the flower garden. “They won’t. That kid’s smart enough to stay at bay.”