“Please, we need—”Abraxaslaid his hand on my shoulder.Ididn’t need to see him to know he was telling me to have patience.
“Ok, we will pack up.”
* * *
Inthe pitch black,we packed extremely slowly.Nowthat the torches were out, those of us who were full-fae found that we could see, if just a tiny amount.Everyoneelse was relegated to either packing next to the small amount of light emitted by the small blue path or working on folding tents in the dark.
Iworked on loading whatIcould into the one wagon we still had that hadn’t been smashed by the trees, whenOryxran right into me.
“Sorry,Ican’t see anything.”
“It’salright,Ineed you anyway.”Ipulled him aside, not that we really needed to hide in the dark, but hopefully we were out of earshot.
“Youcan talk to the trees?”Iasked him.
“Well, so could you.”
“No,Icould because you could.”Ihadn’t known the answer untilIspoke it, but it was true.
Hesighed, “WhenIwas young,Ialways felt most at home in the forest.Mymother always talked about how it was alive.Asa youngling,Ithought that was just a story, but asIgot older,Ifelt it.Ifelt it like it was my oldest friend.Iwas always safe there, no matter what creatures lurked around me.”Helaughed, “Althoughthe forestIgrew up in wasn’t as…verbose…as this one.”
“Weneed to get to the ruins.Isthere anything we can say?”
Hewas silent for a long time. “Forestsaren’t like you or me.Thedeath of one tree, that’s nothing in the forest.Justpart of the cycle.Thecycle of something that has existed for millennia.Now, many trees?That’sdifferent.Thisone was afraid of the swords.Faemust have been cutting lumber from its edges, taking the trees away.”Hesighed again.
“PerhapsIcould talk to it.”Weboth jumped about a foot in the air.Abraxaswas so damn quiet when he wanted to be.Hechuckled, “Sorryto startle you.”Hegrabbed my hand, andIgrabbedOryx’s. “Comewith me, both of you.”
Chapter54
Abraxas
Iled them away from the camp.Toriclutched my hand, andOryxheld her other.Icould just see him shaking in the darkness, but he held his head high and followed quickly.
Istopped them whenIcould no longer hear the camp.Torigave my hand a gentle squeeze, all the encouragementIneeded.
“Youhave felt it, haven’t you?Ourworld is no longer the same.Magicis dying.”Fora long time, nothing happened.SolongIalmost wondered if this was pointless.Butthen a soft gust ruffled the leaves around us, and just like before,Iheard the voice of the forest.
Yes.
“Youknow why?”Thetrees around me shook as if in irritation.
Faegreedy.ToriandOryxshifted uncomfortably next to me.
“Yes.”
Yougreedy.
Ilaughed then, “Yes,Iam.”
Expected.Whycome?
“Toofew have hoarded magic too long.Almostall theGreatConduitsare gone.Wemust find a way to release it.”Theforest hung silent for a long time.
Youdo this?
IsqueezedTori’shand. “Wewill do this.Weneed to reach the ruins.Willyou help us?”
Yougo.Faestay.
