For the briefest of moments, everything was still. That moment when the shell hit the earth, right before the explosion.
Then—
"Well, I mean, we didn't really find him, but—"
The world was breaking apart.
Glass fragments shattering in her ears, cutting into her skin, sinking into her blood and turning it boiling.
"You piece of toad piss!" Jhade shrieked. She grabbed Erik's collar and shoved him against the wall. Every muscle in her body shook. "You..." Her breath was coming in gasps. She couldn't even properly insult him. "You mule's arse. Why would you say that? Why would you… why… liar… you… liar…"
They didn't really find him. It's just another dead end, not again, not again-
"Jhade, y-you just gotta let me finish! I-I—"
His own breath came in gasps, his eyes wide.
Breathe for me…
It sounded like Odell's voice, though spoken out loud or just in her head, she didn't know.
Breathe.
She didn't dare take her eyes off Erik, though she could barely see his face through the storm of emotions, but she could feel Odell's gaze on her.
She took in a shuddering breath and let it out, loosening her grip.
"Sorry. Erik. I'm sorry."
She was the one who was supposed keep a hold on her feelings, to be the one that spoke in even tones when everything was going wrong.
And yet, for the past couple hours, she had been anything but.
"Just… what do you mean you found him?" she said, fighting to keep her voice even.
"The archdruid… f-found a way to… unlock your memories," Erik said, pressing himself up against the wall and eyeing her. "She suspects that… your memory was wiped when Murdoch disappeared. That's why she wants to meet you in High Forest. So that you can finally know what happened to him… and stuff." He took a glance at Odell. "And, uh, it's technically an only-druids-allowed sort of meeting, so…"
"Right."
Jhade took another breath, glancing at Odell. His expression was difficult to make out, concern mixed with confusion, searching her just as she searched him. For a long moment she said nothing, her fingers working to tame the knots in her hair as her mind worked through the information.
She had always suspected her memories had been played with. She had heard tales of people who had no recollection of traumatic events, simply because their mind wasn't willing to take in the information, but… no. It had felt far stranger than that.
But what did this mean?
It was a thought she hardly dared to hope.
Such a dangerous thing.
Hope.
Distracting her.
Loosening that grip on her emotions.
"I—" Jhade's gaze jerked up to see Erik holding up a hand, as if afraid she might attack him again. "I know this is a lot for you to—"
She cut him off, cutting off her own stream of thoughts as well. "High Forest." It didn't matter what she thought. All that mattered was Murdoch. "We're taking the horses."
There was a certain magic in this place, one that hung in the air, one that crackled in the very blades of grass beneath her. Jhade let out a sigh and hugged her knees closer to her chest with one arm. With her other hand, she rubbed her thumb back and forth across River's reins. The dark colored mare let out a whuffling sigh and rubbed her wet muzzle against Jhade's cheek before returning to the much more serious task of tearing up the grass, scattering the tiny pieces of sparkling dew across the forest floor.
Jhade let her gaze drift upward towards the faraway branches of the Grandfather Tree. It really was aptly named. The lumpy roots felt like the embrace of a caring grandfather, twisted and gnarled though they were. Wisps of moss curled around the rough bark, like children begging for a bedtime story.
She couldn't help but smile at that thought.
Once there was a beautiful unicorn…
Erik had said there were over a hundred unicorns in this forest. He really should be back now. That is, provided he hadn't gotten lost. Knowing Erik, it wasn't too unlikely.
"So, this is the famous Jhade Galanodel."
Jhade jumped to her feet, feeling the rein jerk in her hand as River shied away at the sudden movement, and saw a woman walking towards her, every step graceful as a deer. Dark green robes trailed over the ground behind her. Deep wrinkles carved down the side of her cheeks, her white hair almost glowing as it tumbled down her back in its loose braid.
Beside her… oh… beside her stepped a real, live unicorn. The creature's body looked as delicate as a stag's, the muzzle small and dainty, the spiral horn curving slightly upward.
Jhade's felt her eyes grow wide, biting her lip to keep back a squeal. I told you, Murdoch, I told you one day I'd find a unicorn.
The woman smiled, the wrinkles around her mouth deepening. She raised one hand, bumpy with blue veins, and ran it down the unicorn's neck. "Erik told me how much you loved unicorns, so I asked my friend, Adon, if he'd be willing to come along."
The unicorn dropped his head, letting out a snort. You can stop staring at me now. I'm not that interesting.
Though his mouth didn't move, and no words carried over the air, his voice still sounded in her head. Telepathy.
"I think a certain Violet would disagree," the woman said, letting out a soft, dry laugh.
The unicorn's ears flicked back, his face pulling into something almost like a grimace. Sh-shut up you old hag! Besides, we've got more important things to be doing right now.
The woman's face twitched once more before she sobered. "I suppose you're right." She turned. "Jhade?"
At those words Jhade felt her mouth dry up.
"I—" She turned to River, eyes glancing toward the rein in her hand. "Just a second."
Jhade felt her fingers shaking as she slipped off the horse's bridle, replacing it with a simple rope halter, tying the lead to one of the smaller trees so River couldn't wander off. It was a simple precaution, one that she should have done earlier, but one that steadied her hands all the same. She turned back to the woman, clenching her hands into fists. "I'm ready."
"Come here, child," the woman said. "Now Adon, you just lay down, and Jhade you can sit down too. Put your hand on Adon's neck, yes, just like that. Now close your eyes and relax your body, your mind."
Her voice was soft and steady, the pads of her fingers pressing lightly against Jhade's hair. Jhade let her fingers tangle into Adon's mane, soft as corn silk, let the sounds of the forest wash over her.
"I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Muirna. I am the archdruid of these parts. I have lived here probably since the forest was first named. About fifty years ago, I met this stubborn young buck, Adon."
"Jhade, c'mere, look at this!" The small boy with cowlicked black-brown hair comes running up, his hands carefully cupping something.
Jade turns her attention from where she's gazing slack-jawed at the clear sky, to the boy. She raises an eyebrow, then giggles, lifting a hand to poke at the dirt on his nose. "Do you know what Lady Ondine would say if she saw you with dirt on your nose, young Murdoch?" she says, voice deepening into the tone of melodramatic only used when imitating royals.
"Yeah, yeah, 'a young lord should not have dirt on his nose; it's most unbecoming,'" He sticks out his lower lip and snorts, blowing a piece of hair out of his eyes. "Anywayyyy, I want ya to meet Sr Hopsalot." He opens his cupped hands just a fraction, revealing a small spotted frog.
"Hehe, nice to meet you, Sir Hopsalot," Jhade says, leaning closer to grin at the frog. Then her nose wrinkles. "Uh, Murdoch? I think he peed on you."
Murdoch's eyes grow huge, sparkling. "Sweet! I think that means he likes me!"
Jhade rolls her eyes. "You're so gross." She plops back down on the grass, watching as clouds gather in the sky. The temperature cools. The birds grow silent.
And two men step out of the trees. They are tall, impossibly tall, and their bushy beards make them look like bears instead of people.
"Well, this is interesting," one of the men says, raising a hand to scratch at his beard.
Jhade shrinks back, ready to run, but Murdoch simply stands there, eyebrows furrowed into a confused frown.
"Who are you?"
The second man clears his throat. When he speaks, his voice is so deep Jhade feels her heart vibrate in her chest. "We are servants of Malar, god of the hunt, king of werewolves. As it is, we are looking for strong young men such as yourself to join us."
"To serve Malar," the first man says.
"Murdoch, come on!" Jhade steps forward, trying to grab his wrist, but he pulls away. Something flickers in his eyes for a moment.
She knows that look. It's the look that says he's considering something really stupid. Something that he knows is stupid but he wants to do it anyway.
Then he blinks, and it clears, his hands cupping tighter together.
"Nah. Not interested in hunting. Sure, I like the meat, but I like looking at live animals, not dead ones." He turns away but can't help but add: "But I like frogs the best."
"What a shame." The men exchange smiles that make Jhade's blood run cold. She opens reached out to grab Murdoch, to run—
But then—
Everything—
Is blue.
And the screaming—
Sounding like someone is being ripped apart. Can't even speak. Can't form words, just letting that sound rip through the throat, stripping it raw.
And Murdoch—
Is gone.
Jhade jerked her hand off Adon's mane. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed the heel of her palm against her forehead, trying to slow her breathing.
"Now you know why I asked you to sit down." A soft tsk. "That poor boy."
Jhade's eyes flicked back open, one arm wrapping around her body. "You saw… my memories?"
"Now, don't worry, I only saw that one bit," Muirna said, a small smile on her face.
"Who were those people? Who's Malar? Where did they take him?"
Adon shook his head, his furry ears twitching back and forth. Not surprised, you being one of those "nice" druids. He's one of the crazy gods, obsessed with brutal hunting and death and blood and all that. His followers aren't much better. They sometimes do this thing where they send out a humanoid into the woods and hunt him d—uh, but that practice is pretty rare.
"No," Muirna said, shaking her head, "it sounded like they wanted to recruit him more than anything. And if you haven't seen him after all these years, it's quite possible he's with them still."
"Held captive," Jhade said. "He wouldn't join them. He's not like that."
"As a protector of this forest, and the animals in it, I have been keeping an eye on those Malarites, as they call themselves," Muirna said. "There is a certain group of Malarite cultists who have been growing in numbers. They leave High Forest alone, so in return, I leave them alone, but if your brother is with the Malarites, he'll be with them. I've a map back at my home that'll point you in the right direction."
Jhade nodded. "Thank you. I—I've got a group of friends that'll probably be wanting to join me on this… quest." She strode over to River and pulled at the knot connecting the mare to the tree. "Hopefully this place is near where we're staying."
"If you could tell me where they are, I could easily relay the message to them," Murina said, her eyes twinkling. "I am a bit more… skilled at teleportation than our dear friend Erik, and I'm sure you're eager to set off on your quest."
There it was again. Quest. It was a was a word that made her heart skip a little. A noble quest, like the ones the knights and wizards would set out on, to bring a little good about in the world. Not to find treasure, or to wipe out a civilization, or even to kill an evil baron.
To rescue a brother.
Finally.
