The Dark Forest Read online

  “Wait, did you say ‘Crushmore?’” Ever asked.

  “Yes. Apparently it’s modeled after some monument on Earth. It’s four different famous people’s faces chiseled into stone.”

  “Presidents of the United States. Not really famous, as much as leaders,” Ever said, scratching one long black sideburn. “And it’s called Rushmore. Man, how did these humans screw things up so much? They’re ridiculous.”

  “That’s what I said when they imprisoned me. I think they’re all partially braindead from sugar overload,” Azure replied.

  “Which will hopefully make our job easier.” Ever pointed to a path at the back of the stage.

  “I’m sure there will be guards back there, surrounding the Duke,” Azure said.

  “Which means we’ll need to draw them away. Any ideas?”

  “Yeah, I think so.” Azure remembered the dog that had accompanied the Duke when he captured her. She held the tip of her wand against her finger, hiding it along her arm, and flicked it at the curtain bordering the back of the stage. A feline, small and black, appeared. It was of course an illusion, but it would work for their purposes. The cat looked at Azure before turning its green eyes to the curtain and disappearing behind it.

  Azure had only enough time to glance at the crowd gathering several yards away, all of them excited for the unveiling of the monument, before she was distracted by barking coming from the backstage area. A moment later, a black cat sprinted through the curtain with a brown dog on its heels. A flood of guards chased after the dog, all of them running but not able to keep up with the four-legged sprinters.

  “Do you think that’s all of them?” Ever asked, watching as the guards passed them.

  “Hard to tell,” Azure said, but she was cut off by yelling from behind the curtain.

  “Get him!” someone yelled, and another set of guards emerged from behind the curtain.

  “Okay, that’s probably all of them.” She had counted five guards edging out from behind the curtain. “Now what?” she asked, turning to Ever.

  He pressed his eyes shut and she could feel something warm flowing from him, but only because his Light Elves’ magic was so different from her own.

  “Okay, as soon as you enter the backstage area, no one will be able to go back there or leave but you,” Ever said.

  “You’ll create an enchantment on the backstage area?” she asked, impressed. That was an incredibly strong and specific spell.

  Ever merely nodded his head. “I’ll only be able to hold it for a few minutes, so you need to get in there and retrieve your mother’s soul stone, then get out fast.”

  “And then we’ve got to get the fuck out of Terran,” Azure said, unsure how they’d do that. She’d figure it out once she had her mother’s soul stone.

  “Go now, while the coast is clear.” Ever urged her forward.

  “Okay, I’m going,” she said, casting a glance at Ever. Symbols had started to appear on his arms and neck, a result of the spellwork.

  With a sharp nod, she entered the curtained area.

  “Did you find Rover?” the Duke asked, turning around. His eyes growing wide. “What are you doing here?”

  Azure tensed. This wasn’t a normal human. There was something completely sinister about Phillip, who bore only a small resemblance to her father. His eyes were beadier, his nose more slender, and his demeanor was completely intimidating. “I’m here to take back something that belongs to the queen of Virgo.” Azure held out a hand to him. “I want my mother’s soul stone.”

  The Duke smiled, an expression absent of any joy. “Oh no. She gave that to me to ensure that I kept you a secret. I did, so the soul stone is mine.”

  “You exposed me, and lost Richard his crown!” Azure realized she was yelling.

  Phillip simply shrugged, his brown trench coat hiking up on his shoulders as he did. “I’ll retrieve the guards so they can take you back to prison, this time without your wand,” he said, his eyes narrowing on the wand in her hand. She tightened her fingers on it.

  Phillip strode to the other side of the curtain and halted, nearly ramming into the material. “What have you done? I can’t leave!”

  “And you’ll stay here for eternity if you don’t give me my mother’s soul stone,” Azure lied.

  “Look, you little witch, you’re not getting the soul stone back, and you’re not going to ruin this ceremony,” Phillip hissed.

  “The way I see it, you’re stuck back here with a witch who has a wand. You’re kind of screwed,” Azure said, holding her wand high and preparing a combat spell.

  Over the loudspeaker someone cleared their throat. “Before the Duke starts the ceremony, we’ve got a special surprise for you. Please join me in welcoming our musical entertainment tonight, Lady Ga Goo!” the announcer said, his words followed by a deafening round of applause.

  When the noise had died down, Phillip leaned forward. “You may have a wand, you filthy half-blood, but I have something more powerful,” he said, slipping his hand into his pocket of his trench coat. From it he withdrew an oval amethyst. Azure had never seen it, but she instinctively knew the soul stone belonged to her mother.

  “Not only will you not get this stone, but, using its power, I’m going to take yours too,” Phillip said just as the music started to play much too loudly.

  “No!” Azure yelled, knowing she was running out of time. Her soul stone rose off her chest as it had when it pulled her to her father. However, this time it was being stolen from her. She clamped a hand on it as she directed her wand at her mother’s soul stone. The only way she’d have been able to steal it was by knowing where it was, which the Duke had made too easy.

  The soul stone tugged toward her in the air, taking Phillip’s hand with it at first. Then it broke free and raced across the space between them. Azure shot her arm in the air, fingers splayed wide. The stone flew straight into the palm of her hand, and she yanked her arm down to her side. Phillip lunged at her, but she stumbled back several feet, falling through the partition walls. She watched as the curtains moved in front of her, but the Duke couldn’t break out of the backstage area. Azure tipped her head in Ever’s direction. He had backed up several yards and was still enchanting the backstage area, by all appearances. But in the distance the guards were on their way back, one of them carrying the large brown dog over his shoulder.

  Azure peeled herself off the stage, her mother’s soul stone clutched in her hand. “We’ve got to get out of here,” she said, racing for Ever.

  He nodded, and pulled something from his pocket. Still muttering under his breath, he held out a small pink flower. Azure frowned, not understanding why he was offering this to her.

  Ever directed his gaze to her and finished his muttering. He shook his head, as if coming out of a daze, and thrust the flower forward. “Touch the petals. It’s a connecting device which will teleport us back to the rendezvous point.”

  His enchantment was broken when he stopped muttering. Phillip clambered out of the curtained area. The guards were nearly on them. Azure’s hand shot forward to the flower, and immediately the bright pink flower sucked her in. She disappeared and fell through a tunnel, spiraling around many twists and turns before being spit into a particularly dark part of the forest.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Azure’s body felt like it had been turned inside out. She hit the forest floor with a thud, her teeth slamming together as she landed. Unable to keep her balance, she fell to the ground, her palms encountering a patch of thorns.

  “Fuck!” she yelled as a vine slipped around her ankle. Azure rolled onto her back, pointing her wand at the noxious vine, which was seeking to strangle her. “Nestati!” she screamed, and a second later the vine disappeared. Azure hurriedly stood, brushing herself off of leaves and dirt. Ever stood a safe distance from the patch of vines and thorns. He was smirking at her with the large pink flower crushed in the palm of his hand. An identical pink flower grew in the patch of thorns where she stood.
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br />   “Transporting oneself using fairy flowers is always a bit tricky, since they have poisonous thorns and deadly vines,” Ever said, tossing the broken flower over his shoulder, to the ground.

  “Poisonous?” Azure shrilled, turning her palm over and pulling a thorn from it.

  “Yeah. You’ll be okay. Hella nauseous, but you’ll survive. They’re meant to incapacitate the person who transports into them so the vines can do their job,” Ever explained.

  At Azure’s feet, the pink flower Ever had thrown to the ground and the one in the patch of thorns and vines turned brown and shriveled in on themselves.

  “So let me guess—fairy flowers grow in pairs. You pick one, and it will transport you to the other when you need it,” Azure said.

  “Good guess. And yes, but finding them is nearly impossible unless you’re a fairy.”

  “But not for a rebel Light Elf who hangs out in the Dark Forest, huh?” Azure asked.

  Ever’s ears had returned to being pointy. She directed her wand at her face and changed her hair and eyes back to their normal shade of blue.

  “The princess returns,” a voice said at Azure’s back.

  She turned to find Gillian sitting on the branch of a nearby tree, which was about where she’d seen him when they’d first met. He was still wearing the same brown suit, and his bowler hat still had a red flower on it.

  “And thanks to your help, Ever and Monet were able to find me in the Land of Terran.” Azure smiled at the gnome.

  He grimaced, shaking his head. “You must never share that with anyone. Honestly, I was just tired of waiting around for you to return.”

  “Then why didn’t you simply leave?” she asked, amused.

  “I would have, but I feared that Monet would break rules on this quest if I left him without supervision.”

  “Right! I forgot that you’re simply along to keep us from doing anything illegal,” Azure said.

  “You have in fact not forgotten that,” Gillian said, disappearing and then reappearing a few feet from her. “Were you successful on your mission?”

  “Well, I was apprehended and thrown in jail, but yes, I was successful,” she said, and pulled her mother’s soul stone from her pocket. It twinkled at her, glowing slightly.

  “It has been used recently,” Gillian remarked, staring at the gem.

  “Yes, the Duke of Terran had it and used it for his own purposes. You can tell because of the glow, can’t you?”

  Gillian didn’t answer, but instead gazed at something behind her. A rustle of leaves drew Azure’s attention to whoever was approaching.

  “What is the emperor of Terran doing here?” Gillian asked.

  Monet and Richard walked through some tall plants several yards away. Monet’s hair had returned to its natural mint-green color, and he looked to be greatly winded. Glancing over his shoulder, he pulled the back of his arm over his forehead to wipe off the sweat. Relief flooded his eyes when he turned back and saw the group just ahead.

  “Did you just say the human is the emperor of Terran?” Ever asked, his gaze on the two approaching men.

  “Indeed I did. He’s been reigning for many decades,” Gillian said, his boxy chin held high.

  “Well, that ended today, when all of Terran found out at a press conference that he’s my father,” Azure said.

  “Whoa! That’s far out. Your mother is the queen of Virgo and your father is the emperor of Terran.” Ever shook his head in disbelief.

  “Interesting.” Gillian pulled his notebook from his breast pocket and scribbled notes.

  “Glad you made it,” Azure said, striding forward but then hesitating. Richard was regarding her with some intensity. His eyes roamed her face as if he were seeing her for the first time, and the fine lines around his eyes deepened for a moment. It was hard to say how old he was. Humans lived a long life on Oriceran thanks to the magic, but not as long as witches and wizards. He looked like he was her mother’s age, minus maybe a hundred years.

  “We didn’t really have a chance before, but I wanted to formally say it’s good to finally meet you,” Richard said, extending his hand to her.

  Azure eyed the hand and turned to Monet, who was checking them out. “Were you followed?”

  He had a wide smile on his face. “Not by humans. I might have insulted a herd of centaurs, but I think we lost them.”

  “Good thinking! You’re trying to escape a treacherous land and you create more trouble for yourself,” Azure said.

  “Actually, I was trying to help us escape. I simply asked them if we could get a lift. They apparently didn’t think giving us a ride was an acceptable idea,” Monet said.

  Gillian huffed. “Of course they didn’t. Centaurs are prideful creatures who would never give anyone a ride on their backs.”

  “Well, I know that now. They could have just declined, but instead they charged after us. I had just enough time to jinx them before we turned and ran.” Monet grabbed his mint-green robes from a tree branch where they were hanging. He pulled them on and removed a bag of Cheetos from an inside pocket. It was the supersized bag they’d bought him on Earth, now about half-full.

  “Hey human, do you know how to make Cheetos?” he asked Richard.

  “Emperor Richard,” Gillian corrected.

  Monet pursed his lips, nodding like he was impressed. “My apologies. Of course Princess Azure would be from royal blood on both sides.”

  “Princess?” Richard asked her. “I thought you… Your coronation was supposed to have taken place already.”

  “Well, kind of like your press conference, it was ruined when everyone found out I was half human,” she said, pointing at the soul stone hanging around her neck.

  His gaze flicked to the amethyst, and knowledge dawned on his face. “It’s blue.”

  “Yes. It’s the wrong color, according to Virgoans.” Azure still didn’t know how she’d win her people’s favor, but she had her mother’s soul stone and that was more important. Now she just had to get back to Virgo.

  “Man, one little kid fucked up everything for two royal families,” Monet said with a whistle.

  “Shut up, Cheeto Boy. And just so you know, I could probably use my human magic to make Cheetos if I had some sugar, but I’m not going to do it.” Azure thought about what she’d learned from Heidi while in Terran. They made most of their food by converting sugar into things like pastries or french fries.

  “Well, good thing you’re not the only human in our jolly band of misfits,” Monet said, turning his attention to Richard. “I’ll share if you make me some more.” He opened the bag of Cheetos and offered it to Richard, who held up a hand to decline.

  “What about you, Ever, my favorite half-Light Elf?” Monet asked.

  “I think we have more pressing matters. I need to return to Virgo. My mother needs her soul stone,” Azure said.

  “What do you plan to do with the emperor?” Gillian asked, his pad still in his hands.

  Azure threw a casual glance at her father, who looked discomfited.

  “He’s an adult, and can figure things out on his own,” she said.

  “It’s not safe to leave him in the Dark Forest alone. If the rogue dryads find him, they might punish him for what the people of Terran have done to the forest,” Gillian said.

  “I tried to stop the people from leeching too much from the forest,” Richard protested.

  “Well, then you’re an ineffective leader,” Monet said. “There’s no forest left around Terran.”

  “I know, but I authorized Phillip to work with Charmsgood to find ways to regrow the forest,” Richard said.

  “By ‘work with,’ did you mean kill him for a solution?” Azure asked.

  “What? No! I told him—”

  “We found Charmsgood’s body, and I’m guessing he won’t be the only wizard Phillip takes down to get what he wants,” Azure said, cutting him off.

  “But without a Potions Master, he’ll run out of answers,” Ever said.

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nbsp; “Phillip has probably figured out how to replicate the last potion, using the magic from Queen Emeri’s soul stone,” Richard said, cradling his head in his hands like he had a sudden headache.

  The sun sat close to the horizon, warm light filtering through the trees. Soon they’d be cast in darkness in the cold forest. “Ever, where will we be safest for the night?” Azure asked him.

  “North, on the coast,” he answered at once.

  “Okay, we’ll leave Richard there. He should be safe on the beach. I’m heading to Virgo first thing in the morning,” Azure said, taking the lead and setting off in the direction of the ocean.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “Do the people of Virgo know that Azure was imprisoned in Terran?” Sari asked her daughter.

  “Yes. I told my cabinet members to spread the news. It should be all over the land by now.” Queen Emeri took a seat in the high-backed chair next to the fireplace. Standing for any period of time exhausted her now. The virus had taken all her magic, and soon it would go after her very life.

  Sari stirred the basin of green liquid, which still was tinted with the image of Azure in the Dark Forest. “She has your soul stone. You’ll have it by tomorrow,” she said, sensing the fatigue in her daughter.

  “Yes. I didn’t know if she’d succeed in getting it back from Phillip.” The queen’s frail hands worried the pearls around the sleeve of her vibrant red dress.

  “This is Azure we’re talking about. She wasn’t leaving Terran until she had that soul stone. You underestimate your daughter,” the queen mother said.

  “I don’t, not at all. She’ll make an extraordinary queen. It’s just that—”

  “You didn’t want to get your hopes up.” Sari finished the queen’s sentence.

  “Yes,” she said with a long sigh. “Without my soul stone, I don’t have much longer. And when one is facing an early death, well, hope can be a fickle friend.”