Prologue: Nowhere Land of Faeldic

Nothing happens in the little town of Faeldic. A small village of farmers living in the middle of the Silvan Forest, far away from busy cities and kingdoms. Its people lived by nature’s law, their history no more than a few pages. Weary nomads once camped here and never left. Tents became houses, a bonfire became a community.

This is how Aster began the school year. Not because it’s a short story, but to remind the children to cherish the land they live in. After the lesson, she took them to forest where most of her teaching took place. They learned the moss that pointed north, the stars that guided travelers, which fruits can be eaten, and which animals to fear. Above all, she taught them that the forest provides and protects

But Aster herself had never gone beyond five kilometers from the village gates. When the guard tower was out of sight, she knew she had gone too far. But the children didn’t need to know that. She set her roots here, she always said. And they grew deep and strong.

Unlike her friend, Elswyth.

A wave of sadness washed over her, remembering the apparition she saw in the forest this morning with the children. Even under the shadows, she recognized her face. She looked at her straight in her eyes. Her dark brown eyes glowed and her face—she could’ve sworn there was blood smeared on it. It’s not unusual for Elswyth to come home covered in dirt and blood. In her last few weeks in the village, that’s how they always found her.

Knock! Knock!

The unexpected sound made her jump to her feet. Her heart was pounding so fast, it felt as if it was about to burst out of her chest. She turned to see Ren, leaning against the door frame with a boyish smile on his face.

“How long have you been standing there?” Aster said.

“About a minute,” he said. The smell of cigarette wafted in the air as he walked closer to her. It was a nasty habit he got from his father. “I was calling you, but you were somewhere else.”

“Sorry,” she sighed, picking up the books that fell on the floor.

“Are we still on for tonight?” he asked. “I’m going to the forest with father to gather some herbs and mushrooms. Do you need anything?”

“You know it’s been two months since mother died,” Aster said. “You don’t have to keep coming over. I am fine.”

“I know you are,” Ren said. “It’s the free food I’m after.”

She chuckled.

Ren studied her face. “What’s wrong?”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“Did something happen?”

“Daran and Emile got into a fight,” she sighed. “And I got an earful from Abelia.”

“Everybody gets an earful from Abelia,” it was his odd way of comforting her, she thought. “I saw her in the clinic yesterday and  told her she was in perfect health. She stormed out cursing under her breath saying I was lying.” Ren chuckled, waiting for her to laugh too.

“But that’s not what’s bothering you,” he noticed.  “Out with it.”

She bit her lips, hesitating if she should tell him. In the end, she resigned. “I thought I saw her in the forest today.”

Ren’s dark brown eyebrows furrowed. “Elswyth?”

She nodded. “I looked away for a second to check on the kids and then she was gone. Just like that.”

“We know she’s good at that,” he sighed. She was expecting this reaction. He might not show it, but Aster knew he took Elswyth’s sudden departure hard. His jaw clenches for a second whenever someone says her name.

“Look,” he continued. “Maybe you saw someone who looks like her. There’s been a lot of travelers in Silva lately.”

She pursed her lips and tapped her finger rhythmically on the wooden table. Ren knew she wasn’t convinced.

“She would’ve gone straight to Cassia if she was back,” he said. “And Cassia would’ve sung it in the streets that her daughter’s home.”

“I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately,” she admitted. “Especially about that night at the tavern.”

Ren said nothing.

“Had I known she was asking us to go with her—”

Ren raised an eyebrow. “You would’ve gone?” he finished for her.

Aster pouted.

“We won’t last out there. You’re too…”

Aster gave him a look, daring him to continue. But by the time Ren realized what it meant, it was too late.

“…bookish.” He finished, his voice trailing. He cleared his throat and scratched his cheek. “The only adventure you’ve ever been are the ones in your book.”

Aster folded her arms together. “And your lungs are too weak from all the smoking. You would’ve passed out after a mile of walking.”

“I never said I could do it.”  Ren argued. He sighed. “Elswyth has always strong, even Master Axton ran out of things to teach her. You became a teacher, and I became a doctor. What good would us do for her out there?”

Aster agreed, but she would never admit it to him.

“Look,” Ren sighed. “If you miss her so much, talk to Cassia. I saw her this morning and she asked about you.”

Guilt started to build up in her chest. When Ellie left, it was as if a big part of Cassia went with her. She had lost her brightness and spark. Nowadays, she would find her sitting on her front porch, staring at the village gates.

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She made a promise to herself to check in as often as she could, but recently, with her own mother passing, she too had chosen the silence of her home.

“That’s a great idea,” she said smiling.

Filled with excitement, she ran to the market. Her thick curly brown hair dancing in the wind behind her. By the time she was in the market, her face was red and sweaty.

“Hi there, Miss Aster,” the fruit vendor greeted. “In the mood for some lemons today?”

“Apples, Melia,” she said breathing hard.

“Well take your pick,” Melia said. “It’s going to cost you a copy of that story of Calean Islands.”

“I’ll give you the first five pages for ten apples,” Aster said. “And next week I’ll come back with five more for another basket of a different fruit.”

“Deal,” Melia shook her hand.

As she was picking out apples for her pie, she overheard old Flora and Ivy, gossiping. Their voices loud and high pitched—one was annoyed, and the other was bubbling with excitement.

“Lost travelers!” Ivy said, her face stretched in a wrinkled smile. Her dreamy blue eyes sparkled like a young girl in love. “Philip said he saw a couple of strangers in the forest today.”

“Another one?” old Flora commented, her thick brown eyebrows raising in surprise. “That’s too many this time of year. The monsoon will keep them in the village too long.”

“You lack hospitality for an innkeeper,” Ivy rolled her eyes. “And you forget! Your parents were outsider ones too.”

“And we adapted to the laws of the forest!” she said incredulously. “They didn’t bring shiny rocks on the table and demanded room and food.”

Flora’s voice dropped low. “Dark strangers bring dark news,” Flora used her raspy voice like when she tells stories to children. “Have you heard what folks say about the lands beyond the Silvan Forest?”

“About the infested forest?” Ivy waved her hand. “Those men have been smoking something funny in your inn. They don’t know what they’re saying.”

“Well one of them was too shaken up to sleep,” Flora squinted her greying eyes. “Caught him sitting on the porch and staring at nothingness. Said he wandered off alone in a forest that smells like rotten flesh. And trees uprooting itself.”

“He must be smoking something good if he saw a walking tree,” Ivy laughed.

Her companion’s steely grey eyes narrowed. “Laugh now. People say more Blessed are born the past years. that are too fast, too strong.  As if the gods are making soldiers for war.”

“With the Guardian missing for decades, perhaps the demons want to leave the Shadowlands and takeover Eardyn.” Ivy said shuddering. “We might need a blessed in the village too.”

Flora waved her hand as if she heard something ridiculous. “Silva is the strongest fort there is. We have three Heart of the Forest here. No Shadow or demons can enter our forest.”

“I bet Elswyth is blessed,” Ivy said.

The sudden mention of her friend’s name took her by surprise.

“Too bad she left. We need a strong warrior like her.”

“That girl is a strange one,” Flora said. “Like her mother! Who picks up an abandoned child in the forest?”

Ivy grimaced at her friend. “A decent one.”

“A crazy one, that is!” Flora retorted. “She’s always been. Telling people they look like each other.”

This made Aster smile. Elswyth may have been the strangest stranger that set foot in their village. Raven hair, dark eyes, the baby’s brown skin shone under the sun. It was a stark contrast against Cassia’s auburn hair, pale skin, and green eyes. And yet every day, she would say how much they look alike.

But oh how the men look at Cassia when she dances. Her long curly hair in the wind and her graceful moves—one can’t help but stare. But once she starts talking, that’s when they all went away.

Aster chuckled thinking about it. But her giggle caught the attention of the ladies gossiping nearby.

“You there,” Flora’s sharp voice made Aster flinch. “You were in the forest this morning with the children, right?”

“Yes ma’am,” she answered immediately.

“Saw anything unusual?”

She hesitated and thought it would be better not to share what happened with the children. She simply shook her head in response.

Flora clicked her tongue. “Maybe you’re not paying attention, girl.”

She waved her bony finger at her. “Don’t go too far into the forest or you may disappear like your friend.”

Ivy must’ve noticed the change in her mood and dug her elbow into her friend’s side.

“What?” Flora elbowed her friend back. “It was a joke! It’s been two years since Elswyth left—”

“Will you be quiet, you crone!” Ivy waived her hands in frustration.

Aster tried to sneak away but when she turned, someone slammed into her, sending the apples scattered across the dirt.

“Watch it!” she snapped, but the man didn’t even bother to glance back and kept on running.

She cursed under her breath as she crouched down to gather her fruits. More people ran by, their faces stricken panicked, clutching their children and dragging them off the streets. One by one, doors shut, and windows clattered close, sealing the town in a hush of fear.

“What’s happening?” she asked loudly hoping someone would stop and explain. A man almost tripped as he suddenly came to a halt. She recognized him immediately. It was the father of one of her students.

“A murder and a missing person” he said in between breaths. “I don’t know who it is but c’mon!” he beckoned her to come with him.

A murder in this small town is unheard of. She followed him down the street, and when the turns he made started to feel familiar, her body went cold.

‘Please gods, no,’ she prayed. She ran as fast as she could until she could hear her own heartbeat. Her chest tightened, begging for air.

But just as she feared, they stood before a familiar ivy-ridden house, where people usually avoid, now a crowd gathered. Gasps and murmurs filled the air.

The strong smell of blood filled her nose. Aster fought her way through the crowd, squeezing through the small gaps until she made it to the front.

The first thing that caught her eye was her auburn hair, laid carelessly on the ground. Twigs and leaves tangled in her curly locks. Her freckled face was pale, and her lips were blue and slightly parted.  And her white dress turned ruby, soaked in her own blood from the chest wound.

Aster’s knees buckled. The basket on her hand fell on the floor, spilling the fresh apples everywhere, forgotten.

“We found her in the forest, south from here,” she overheard one of the men talking to the guard. “Stabbed, bled to death.”

That’s where they were this morning. The memory of the Elswyth’s face in the forest came rushing back.

‘No, it couldn’t be…’

“Please!” a familiar voice screamed. She looked around and saw Dr Birk, Ren’s father, pulling the guard’s sleeve, begging. “Tell me where my boy is!”

“We have people looking for him,” the guard answered. “If his body isn’t found, then there’s a chance—”

Aster walked absent-mindedly towards them and when he saw her, his eyes widened.

“Aster!” He grabbed her arms so tightly they hurt. His nails dug into her skin and when the guards pulled him away, he left thin, red lines on her forearms.

“Please tell me, my son is with you,” he pleaded. He thrashed and pulled and kicked that the men lost their grip on him. Birk fell on his knees and screamed so loudly it pierced the heart of the villagers.

“You were in the forest this morning with the children. Did you see anything out of ordinary, Aster?” asked one of the guards.

Her eyes fluttered and her mouth shook as she struggled to speak. But before she could, someone yelled.

“I saw someone!” said one of Cassia’s neighbors. “Well, my child did. Emile. He was with her this morning.” she said pointing at Aster.

“Said he saw Elswyth in the forest” she said loudly, not to the guard but to the village who gasped and murmured.

“Elswyth’s back in town?” asked another.

“But why hide? Unless she killed Cassia—and Ren too!”

She felt her face go red in anger.

Aster said, finally finding her voice.

“No!” her voice silenced the crowd. “Elswyth loved Cassia! And she loved Ren too. She would never hurt them.”

Her words sounded more like a plea than the truth. The villagers looked at her as if she was insane.

“Then why did she not show her face?” said another. “Why come back and leave right away?”

Murmurs grew loud.

“You don’t know that,” she sighed, feeling defeated.  “None of us do.”

She fell to the ground staring at the crushed flowers in Cassia’s garden as crows gathered on the roof.

Nothing happens in Faeldic. But if someone was rewriting its history, today, darkness’s hands reached their small quiet village.