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The forbidden wood was a neutral territory in the realm of Elloryon. No one regulated the land, and no one had authority over it. It was a perfect place to hide prisoners so no one would stumble upon them. Not that anyone was looking for us. From what Sybil had told me the land was bordered by the Crimson Kingdom and the Kingdom of Cerithia, two of the five Kingdoms in Elloryon. According to her, monsters lurked in these woods, creatures so vile that no Kingdom wanted the land for themselves. Most fae refused to enter the forbidden wood in fear they would be slaughtered.
The town I was headed for wasn’t far from the boundary, but darkness had fallen hours ago making it difficult to navigate the fallen trees. Far in the distance, the City of Crimson, which sat below the castle, illuminated the dark sky.
The Crimson castle loomed in the distance with a sense of mystery surrounding it. Its exquisite beauty made it hard to look at anything else. My eyes always drifted to it because of its impressive height and beauty. It sat on top of a green hill, overlooking the city beneath it. It was crafted of black stone that exuded power amidst the green landscape. My eyes gazed at the dark red lights that illuminated the outside of the castle, and despite my feelings about the King of Crimson, it was truly a sight to behold at night.
Curiosity of the city flitted through my mind, but I would never dare to go there. It was too close to the Crimson King and that was a risk even I wouldn’t take. It was a shame that my favorite view belonged to the man who was to blame for imprisoning elite magic holders in Exile. It was too pretty for a monster to live there.
So, I would stick to these small nameless towns where I could steal from on a rotating system. There was always a fear of being recognized as a prisoner, although I wasn’t sure they would be able to tell just by looking at me, not when I hid my elite magic mark. These towns were small enough in size that my stealing was noticeable, so I tried to not steal from the same town twice in a row.
The snap of a stick had me freezing. My eyes shifted to the direction of the sound, but I saw nothing other than the darkness that was there.
Then a light blue glow caught my eye. It moved silently in the darkness of the woods, floating a few inches off the ground. It didn’t matter how many times I had seen this creature lurking; it always mesmerized me. The soft light it emulated glowed brightly around it.
The blue flame was shaped like a fae would be, but it didn’t have any distinguishable features. It Wisped in the wind, which was how I came up with its name, Wisp.
As if it sensed me looking at it, it stopped and turned to me, and I hazarded a step towards it. The Wisp moved slowly leading me farther from the trail I had been following. It never let me get too close to it, and on some trips out of Exile it wouldn’t even show itself, but I sensed it lurking by all the time. Like it was waiting for me, watching me. The creature was not something to trust, but it had yet to lead me astray. There were others around too, each one slightly different, but I couldn’t quite place my finger on how I was able to tell them apart.
Cautiously I walked forward, gripping my bow with a loaded arrow in my hand. My numb fingers rested on the string of the bow as the wind blew freezing gusts around me. Monsters always lurked in the woods, but I only had a close encounter once and it nearly killed me. No other creatures ever seemed to be lurking around Exile except the Wisp, but I couldn’t let my guard down.
It was difficult to avoid the broken limbs and chunks of fallen trees that littered the forest floor as I crept silently. After I moved far from the trail something behind me let out a loud breath. I dropped down into the bushes at the base of a large pine tree and waited for whatever created that noise to step into the moonlight.
A dark figure stood on the trail, but it was too tall and thin to be a fae. My breath caught in my throat as the creature sniffed the air as if it smelled me nearby. Suddenly, the monster turned towards me, its eyes glowing a faint red. The noise it bellowed curdled my blood.
It took one long step toward me, but I didn’t dare move.
Then it took another and another.
My heart pounded so loudly that I thought all the monsters in the woods would find me.
The Wisp moved quickly to distract the creature from my direction. The monster's eyes drifted to the Wisp, just as mesmerized by it as I was. Thankfully, it started following the floating blue orb as if in a trance. The flame of the Wisp flickered farther into the woods away from me, taking the dangers of the monster with it.
This was not the first time this orb saved me, and I was sure it wouldn’t be the last. There was no reason I could think of for the Wisp to help me, but I was thankful for it.
The lights of the town I was planning to steal supplies from glowed faintly through the thick trees. Mentally I ran through my list of needs. The first thing I needed was medication for Sybil. That was my sole purpose for leaving. After that, I could gather more things like food and clothing. The town was nearly dark when I finally reached the edge of the forbidden woods. Waiting at the tree line, my eyes scanned for fae that might be lingering on the streets. The wind blew the apothecary sign and made the chains it hung from creak in the eerie silence as it rocked back and forth. Taking a deep breath, I darted from the woods and sprinted across the dirt roadway.
The doors of the apothecary were bolted shut with thick metal bars.
Shit.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t break through the bars that had me worried. I could do that easily. However, it meant I had to summon my forbidden elite magic to do it. Using it out in the open would leave me open to being discovered. My fire was a welcome reprieve from the numbing cold. Sybil had stressed to me that our elite magic should not be used unless it was necessary. If anyone saw elite magic being used, they would know I escaped from Exile.
I still remember the way Sybil comforted me after coming back from getting us supplies the first time. I had been so terrified because my fire magic exploded out of me without warning. She had been so worried that someone saw my magic, exposing my secret. That was when Sybil explained to me that elite magic was different from regular magic. Regular magic was not held by all fae and those that had it were severely limited in its powers. They could sustain the abilities for very short periods of time and most had similar magic that manipulated elements, nature, or conjuring objects.
The shattering of glass echoed in the dead silence of the night, pulling me from my thoughts. I hurried through the doors and into the small shop. It smelled of herbs and dust. The shelves were lined with things I didn’t need. I had to find valuable medicine and those were always kept safely in the back of the apothecaries. We didn’t know what I needed for Sybil because her condition was unknown, but any valuable medications I brought back seemed to work. Sybil had elite healing magic before the king exiled us, but she didn’t need herbs and medicines to heal others. The way she described it, the magic flowed from her and fixed injuries. Once she had been thrown into Exile, she not only became a prisoner but was stripped of her abilities, as well.
Herbs and vials filled my small leather bag to the top. Once I was satisfied that I wouldn't be able to fit any more in, I snuck back out. Lingering for long in one spot was dangerous, and the next items would be trickier to steal.
I hurried towards the first house and rejoiced internally when I discovered the door was unlocked. I’m sure the Crimson King had told everyone that with us locked up, they were safe. The monsters couldn’t hurt them.
It made stealing a lot easier for me. I hurried into the kitchen, flicking my hand so the flame from my magic illuminated the room. Grabbing a bag that lay on their table, I filled it with flour, yeast, eggs, milk, and anything else I could find that would benefit us.
Stars above, I wished there was a way I could carry more, but this would last us a long time. Smothering the flame, I headed out of the house and into the next. Tonight, I will push the limit of what I would carry. Crossing the boundary was not something I could do too often. My luck would run out eventually so I would use it all up today if I needed to.
I took what food items I found from their home, too. These fae can afford it, I told myself. This town was full of nice homes, and it made taking from them all the easier. These were the king’s followers, the fae that had stood aside as he ransacked every town and village looking for marks of elite magic so he could banish us, so he could make us the villains in his story.
My fingers curled into fists like they did every time I thought of the Crimson King. Killing him was my top priority if I ever had a chance to do it. If he were killed, then maybe everyone in Exile would be freed. All the other fae in the Kingdom of Crimson might not like us, but I’m sure there was refuge in other Kingdoms. We would all be better off with the King of Crimson dead.
My feet slowed as I headed for the door. A child’s blanket caught my eye, and I took it for the mother with the starving child. I strapped the bags across my back and shoulders. There was no way to carry more even if I wanted to. Slipping from the home I moved towards where I emerged from the forbidden wood.
