Chapter Eleven

On the Road

The overnight patrols were still out when Andrew and his team gathered to check their gear, supplies and brooms. The mist was thick as they waited for the sun to clear the hills.

"With any luck, the mist will take some time burning off and give us a little extra cover," Andrew said, noticing Lucky shivering. "At this temperature, it's likely to stick around."

"It may help keep us from being seen, but it will help them too. I'm not so sure we should stick near the road," Laura admitted.

"Leaving it would be very unwise, Laura. Staying on the road isn't simply for means of direction. The Thornwood is very wild and filled with dangers even without demons. Straying too far from the road while on broom would only increase the risk we're taking by flying," Andrew said.

"The Lord Andrew is correct, my lady," Greybranch said in support. "I believe you should fly above the road until you get to the second guard post where your escorts are waiting. Once you've joined them, they will also advise staying to the road. The woods are filled with different species that are either self-serving or simply do not tolerate being disturbed. They will not care if you are on a mission to save our land or not. You have many dangers that await you once you cross over the barrier; you need not bring danger upon yourselves now."

"I vote for less danger," Lucky put in. "I also vote for going on foot."

"We'll be on foot soon enough," Andrew said. "Probably too soon for everyone else's liking. Does everyone have enough water? You won't be able to trust any from now on unless we're with a guide who knows if it's safe. Since many water sources are enchanted, a purification spell isn't going to be enough."

As everyone checked through their supplies one last time, Andrew heard a sound like wind through a hollow log.

"It's the night patrol," Greybranch explained, and they all looked up as shadows approached from the sky.

Tavros dropped down on his broom and hovered near the ground, his face partially covered in a muddy substance.

"The demons are unusually active on this side of the forest. There have been several skirmishes and I don't think they've completely left the area yet," Tavros reported grimly. "We will lead you to the next guard post as soon as you are ready."

"I believe we are," Andrew said, glancing at Lucky who was frowning. "Cloak again?"

"No," Lucky said, her expression dark. "If we end up in a fight I'd rather know what's going on, flying or no flying."

"All right. Let's go then," Andrew said, taking out his broom and making it hover. Lucky got on behind him and clutching him tightly. "Loosen the death grip just a tad?" he pleaded before slowly ascending, the rest of the party doing the same.

"We will be riding fast. Follow close behind," Tavros said and darted forward, the rest of his squadron falling into formation.

Surprised at their pace, Andrew had to push his broom to catch up, lining his team just behind and under the patrol, but still well above the treeline. The death grip tightened again, but Andrew couldn't really blame her; they were going at a Seeker's pace. He glanced back worriedly to make sure the others were keeping up; but all the ex-Quidditch players were maintaining. Only Essie seemed to be having trouble, but someone… Danny perhaps… was next to her and keeping her steady.

"I changed my mind. I'll take the pocket," Lucky shouted desperately.

"Sorry, Sis, too late for take-backs," Andrew said, then notice shadows out the corner of his eye. "Seems we have company already."

"Dark elves coming in," Lunette warned just before Tavros blew his horn. His squadron began to pair off in groups, some going off to deal with the problem while a pair pulled up on either side of Andrew and another pair took position to the rear.

Suddenly there was a flash of light, and Andrew blinked several times to quickly clear his sight only to see that strands of light still seemed to bend around them like visible air currents getting out of their way.

"What the hell is that?" Lucky asked, gritting her teeth.

"We're under a dark magic attack," Lunette explained from beside them. "What you're seeing is our protection against it."

"Keep your bearings," one of the Danaan warned, careful to look back as Tavros and his wingmen chased one of the adversaries across their path and away from it. Something happened to the demon's mount and it fell. As curious as Andrew was as to what was going on, he knew it wasn't worth the risk to look. Instead, he knew he had to do what he could to make their escorts' job easier by following their instructions.

There was another flash but this time Andrew was prepared for it; it was as bright as lightning but lasted seconds longer. Hints of color danced within the light as it faded back into the dimmer streaks that bounced off the shield. Someone... perhaps Tavros, Andrew thought, had dove underneath them to take on a foe who had landed and sought cover among the trees. But the trees rejected him and tossed him back on the road, making it easier for the patrol to dispense of him.

The shield faded more; it was only a very faint shimmer now. Perhaps it was the rising sun blocking his view of it? In part, Andrew decided, but the main reason was that they had finally driven off their attackers. As if in confirmation, Tavros and his wingman reappeared to take the lead again.

"I doubt they will be on us again. It is too light out for their mounts to see well now. Even so, stay alert," Tavros told his men. "Just in case another is bold enough to try the road. Signal the guard post that we're approaching."

"Is it unusual? For them to try the road?" Andrew asked one of their escort.

"Yes. And it is unusual to be attacked so long after dawn as well," the Danaan replied. "Stay alert, we will be landing soon."

Andrew followed them down to what appeared to be a domed hut made entirely out of a reddish mud brick with jagged blades sticking out of its roof to prevent anything from landing on it. A small chimney to the back allowed pungent smoke to escape, making Andrew grimace and wonder exactly what they were burning in there. Trees huddled near, and Andrew, after catching the glimpse of a wispy face, was quite sure they were dryads standing guard outsides, while near the door stood two male faeries in full armor and four females wearing much lighter leather protection more suitable for flying and tiny leather caps that buckled under the chin and covered everything but their narrow faces.

"There you are! We were worried! We felt dark magic to the north," the male wearing a silver badge said.

"Yes, some Dark Fae caught up with us," Andrew explained. "You can let go now, Lucky, we're on the ground." Lucky shakily got off the broom and then let go.

"Lord Tavros reporting in," Tavros said as he hovered close to them. "I release these humans to your charge; they are the special envoy you were undoubtedly told about. I trust you have matters well in hand. My patrol is quite overdue and needs their rest."

"Of course, Lord Tavros. Thank you for your efforts keeping our northern borders safe," the faerie said with a bow. As the patrol took to their brooms again, Andrew listened to the rest of his team checking on one another.

"I wouldn't want a repeat of it," Essie admitted.

"Yeah, you and me both," Lucky agreed. "We're not really going to try flying again after that, are we?"

"I am Andrew Snape," Andrew said, introducing himself to the one with the badge.

"Sir Andrew," Minerva corrected, ignoring the dirty look Andrew gave her.

"I am Captain Finnwyn. This is my brother Fie, and some of Lord Minwyll's messengers, who shall also escort you through the next wing of your journey," Finnwyn said. "This is Tiri, the priority messenger for our area."

"Then it is you I should ask if it's safe for us to fly the next part of the journey or not," Andrew said.

"It is just as safe to fly as to walk, and much faster," Tiri said without hesitation. "Provided that you fly low enough. It is unwise for you to fly with the patrols as you did. The road is the only safe way through this part of the island, it is well guarded, and you must use its protection to your advantage."

"Does anyone not feel confident enough to fly low to the ground?" Andrew asked, glancing at the others.

"Pocket," Lucky said flatly.

"Actually, I think I'll do better low than what we were doing before, assuming it's not at the same breakneck speed," Essie admitted.

"We cannot fly as fast as the Danaan patrol," Tiri shrugged. "But we keep a fair pace."

"I think we'll all be fine, Andrew. Every one of us except Lucky is an excellent flyer," Laura said. "But I would like to know what our plan is if we get attacked again. What was that the dark fae launched at us, and how do we protect against it?"

"It definitely wasn't anything that resembled our magic," Danny agreed.

"We know many places to hide along the road, and there are many places along it where the forest denizens are unfriendly towards the Unseelie Court," Tiri explained. "Finding shelter will be the safest way to defend until you cross the Canyon Lift."

"I'm betting that's not an elevator," Lucky frowned.

"Never mind that. What do we do if hiding isn't an option?" Laura asked impatiently.

"Maybe Tavros is the key to that. His men put up a shield around us," Andrew said. "Perhaps the right shield spell would be strong enough to at least stave it off."

"You have a point," Lunette said before Laura could respond. "After all, Sonorous Shield is powerful enough to protect against a banshee, and they were one of the stronger fae races. We may be able to modify it to work."

"Maybe, but it might be better to develop an attack that works against them so we don't always have to run," Laura said.

"There will be time enough for that when we get to Caer Brenin," Andrew said.

"Assuming we get there," Laura added. "Don't you think it's odd that the dark elves happened to pick today to launch an assault on the north Thornwoods when everyone's been telling us it's been secure until now? I think they know we're here."

"If they knew we were here, we'd have faced a lot worse than that," Andrew said with a shake of the head.

"You're both right," Lunette said, causing them both to look over. "They may not know we're here yet, but they know that Danaan made some sort of move, and it won't take long for them to get word back that a patrol moved unidentified people through their territory. Laura, when you're thinking about what spells to attack with, remember this land only has two types of magic: life and elements, or as we know them, Wild and Ancient. Keep that in mind while you're thinking of what spells we may be able to use against them. But the best defense really is to get to the castle as quickly as possible."

"Then we're in agreement. We're ready to leave whenever you are, Tiri," Andrew said, picking up the fire lizard that had come up beside him.

"We'll go get our messenger bags," Tiri agreed, the four of them stepping inside the guard post.

"Do you suppose if we fly the whole way that we can make it out of the Thornwood by tonight?" Essie asked.

"I have heard of broom patrols managing it, yes, but there are likely to be delays. Tomorrow is more likely," Finnwyn said.

"We'll aim for tonight and hope for the best," Andrew said, mounting his broom again as the messengers came back out with satchels over their shoulders and small gleaming daggers at their sides.

"That's Elven silver, isn't it? Can you defend yourselves well with those?" Essie asked one of them with interest.

"We just call it silver," the messenger grinned at her. "It's not to defend, we use magic for that. We carry them in case we get caught, so we can kill ourselves." Essie stared at her. So did the rest of them. "One doesn't want to be their prisoner, especially if one is female."

"How about we just not get caught," Laura said dryly.

"Follow us," Tiri said, hovering three feet above the ground. Andrew and the others matched their height, keeping a safe distance back as they hurried southward.

It was a glorious day, and were circumstances different Andrew would have loved to have walked the length of it; through the patchwork of well-kept and overgrown road, and under the sunlight partially filtered through the large, iridescent green leaves. Sounds of strange birds and animals came from around them, silencing every now and again due to their presence before taking up their songs as they whizzed away from them. Few traveled the roads now; and none did so without an escort. Past an arching bridge they passed a couple more messengers going in the other direction; and just after noon, they had to work their way around several traders leading magic drawn wagons southward with several tall Danaan guards pausing to warily watch the messenger and humans fly around them.

A bit later they went over a second bridge built high over a wide river that curved back and forth in the distance like a snake. It was not long after that Tiri and the others seemed to get nervous, searching the foliage fervently.

"What is it?" Andrew asked, coaxing his broom closer.

"The trees are very agitated. We are near the first breach here," Tiri explained. "There is a traveler's hovel not far from here. It would be best if you waited there while we scouted around to make sure there is no present danger."

"All right," Andrew said.

"The well is safe to drink," Tiri added, then said something to the others in a different language before they broke off in pairs.

"Maybe we should have offered to help," Laura said, thinking Andrew agreed much too quickly.

"Perhaps, but it wouldn't have been wise for us to try and scout, since we don't know the area or all of the enchantments here. Besides, those cloaks aren't completely foolproof," Andrew reminded her, opening the door and peering inside. "I suppose I could have tried to look around, but Father warned me that he wasn't sure whether or not my invisibility talent would be useful here, since the fae sense auras and movement and don't rely as heavily on sight as we do."

"I agree with Andrew. Trying to scout would have be much too dangerous," Minerva said. "Besides, it's probably a good time to get something to eat, since it's likely the last break we get until we arrive at the castle."

"I'm not sure I feel comfortable sitting here eating when our escort just went to try and find out why the forest is on edge," Laura protested.

"Well, we have to eat sometime," Andrew said. "Laura, why don't you keep an eye on things outside in case we have to make a break for it, and then someone will come out to take over so that you can eat."

"Finally something that makes sense to me," Laura said, readily going back outside to stand watch. Andrew sighed and helped Lucky out of his cloak.

"I'm sure she's just on edge," Lunette offered, noting Andrew's annoyance.

"She has definitely changed since she was in school," Andrew said. "She had been a calm, model student, and an important advocate for tolerance. She spent hours helping other students and had more patience than most of the teachers. Now she has no calm, no patience, and an itchy wand hand."

"Wow, you're right. She was a lot like you were as a child, wasn't she?" Essie said in realization. Andrew gave her a dirty look. "And her changes are just as radical as yours! Funny, isn't it?"

"I don't see anything funny," Andrew said, digging in his pack for something to eat. "And I certainly don't see any similarities between us."

"No, no, I think Essie's onto something," Danny put in. "I was both of your teachers, don't forget, and I definitely see what she's talking about. You've both changed to the extreme from when you were in school. In different ways, though, I have to say. Laura's been changed by her job, you've just gotten more like your father."

"I am nothing like my father," Andrew said flatly. "Except for my looks, which I can do little about, thank you."

"I don't know, magical face alterations have gotten a lot better in recent years," Essie said mischievously.

"I would like to chime in on this as well," Minerva said with a thin smile. "As I knew your father quite well in his earlier years of teaching, and despite your different teaching styles, you do very much resemble how your father used to be. Perhaps not so much as he is now, it is true, but everyone here has seen your father before he became Headmaster, and there is a lot of that behavior in you. Which, I agree, is quite ironic, because as a student you were the least like him out of the four of you, and the most well liked as I recall."

"Everyone changes when they get out of school," Lucky said with a shrug, pretending to pay more attention to eating than the conversation. "I bet all of you are different than you were too."

"I suppose, but I don't think I've changed quite as much," Essie admitted with a grin. "I'm just not anywhere near as nervous. I'm more comfortable with myself."

"You were very nervous," Minerva agreed emphatically.

"I don't think I changed all that much either, except for maybe trusting my own judgment more," Danny said. "I'm just a grown up version of who I was, really, just much happier." Lucky nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, same here," Lucky said.

"Aha, you stumbled onto the answer, I think," Lunette said, tapping her finger against her nose. "You three are happy as adults; they aren't."

"Maybe not, but I hardly see what that has to do with anything. And it certainly doesn't have anything to do with our mission," Andrew stated crisply. "I'm going out so that Laura can eat." As he stepped out, Lucky shook her head.

"I think you all are too hard on him," Lucky said.

"Nah, it's good for him to get some criticism," Danny said, digging through her bag. "Besides, he started it."

"Perhaps now that he sees there is some common ground between he and Laura it'll help him find a way to make it work," Lunette said.

"I don't see him doin' anything wrong. Seems to me like Laura's the one being hard to work with. It's not like it's his fault," Lucky argued.

"Part of leading a team is to smooth out these sorts of clashes," Danny said.

"Well, you don't have to add to it," Lucky retorted irritably.

Andrew came back in, looking quite frustrated.

"I can't find Laura. She probably decided to go scout around on her own," Andrew said.

"I was afraid she was going to pull something like that…and despite our warnings to reel it in," Lunette said.

"It is a very foolish thing to do. Even under normal circumstances, I wouldn't recommend anyone going off the road if they didn't know the area well," Minerva said. "But considering our escort left to investigate some unknown cause, who knows what is out there?"

"Especially by herself. An Auror should know better than to go into unfamiliar territory without a second wand. Speaking of which, I am obviously going to need to go after her. Who else is going?"

"I can…"

"No, I'll do it," Lucky interrupted her and got up, daring her to object.

"The rest of you should stay here and wait for Tiri and explain the situation. If she recommends moving on, go ahead and move on and we'll catch up with you as soon as we can. Essie, do you have your contact mirror with you?" Andrew asked.

"Oh, yeah," Essie said, turning to dig it out of her satchel to be sure. "Yes, I have it."

"Lucky and I both have mirrors as well, so we'll try to contact you if something goes wrong."

"I believe Albus has a mirror as well, actually, although I'm not sure he'd think to use it until he's gotten the message that we're on the way," Minerva informed them. Andrew nodded at that.

"All right, we'll try it in a pinch. Come on, Lucky. Take care, send word if she turns back up here," Andrew added. Lucky threw on her cloak and they both grabbed their bags before leaving.

"Well, this is going to complicate things," Lunette said as she began to clean up.