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After a minute of the show, Rien opened his eyes, waved a hand, and everything returned to normal.
"Gods! I've never seen anything like that before." I finally managed to say. "How far away can you be while doing this sort of thing?"
He looked at me and shrugged. "Anywhere within this sacred forest, I suppose."
My lips curled into a smile as my mind raced. "Rien, I could kiss you, I'm so happy!"
The man's calm expression broke for a moment, but I barely noticed. An outlandish, risky plan was forming in my mind. But it just might work …
The sky was brightening with early morning light when we finally had everything in place.
Rien had leaned the trees away so there was a small clearing for us to work.
I'd removed the flare from Holden's belt and lit it, sending smoke out to alert Frexin.
The ship was fast approaching.
"Thank you for your help," I said, biting my cheek.
"If this ends the flood of intruders, it is but a small price to pay," Rein said, shrugging.
He lifted his hood and sank back into the shadows of the forest just as the familiar whooshing sound filled the clearing.
I looked up to see Frexin's ship stop overhead.
Panic filled me, but I pushed it away.
This would work.
Forcing a smile, I strode to where ropes were unfurling from the side of the airship. Lady Frexin slid down first, closely followed by Japhire and a dozen collared mages. Then several mechs leaped from the ships, landing hard but unscathed on the soft ground.
"My dear!" Lady Frexin said, wearing a wide smile as she strode to my side. "You survived! I truly am glad. Now, where is my relic?"
Chest pounding, I glared at her. "First, you said you'd free Tye."
She made a tsking sound, then nodded up at someone. Tye's statue was lowered down slowly with a rope, and I waited as collared mages untied him and carefully brought him to Frexin's side.
The bond between us throbbed, despite his stony state, and I rubbed the back of my neck.
Before Frexin could say anything else, a loud rustling shook in the forest, and a giant monster emerged between two massive trees … or at least that's what I hoped it looked like.
It was made of rock and wood, and was covered in patches of grass, bushes, and even small groups of flowers. Atop its head sat sets of antlers made of strange trees, and six stony emerald eyes looked down at us.
Fuck! Rien had outdone himself! When I'd suggested a puppet, I hadn't even dreamed of something like this!
Frexin's red lips split into a wide smile, and she walked past me toward the creature.
"Gods!" She sighed. "This is what the Forest God looks like? I'd never imagined. Even in the Mage Era, few had seen the beast, but the stories spoke of it as if it were humanoid … Though I suppose it could have taken a different form in this life."
"It wasn't easy to find," I said, voice cold. "Everyone else is dead."
Frexin turned away from the creature. "Yes, how unfortunate. But after nearly a thousand years, I finally have the last key. Now I can complete my work. Those lives lost were but a drop in the bucket compared to how many we'll save."
What did she say? A thousand years? I shook my head, confused.
"I — I don't think I heard you correctly."
She ignored me, taking in the Giant's appearance. "Impressive as always, Kaiya. I'd hoped you could find it, given your gifts. I wasn't sure, of course, but I was hopeful. Even the Mad Queen couldn't coax it out!" She looked at me and smiled. "What is that strange magic hiding beneath the bond magic of yours?"
