Legends of Belariath
Salina Kyle
The Grove Of Guilt
The sunlight danced on the clear waters of the lake sparkling off the morning mist. The creatures of the forest greeted the new day each in their own way. The song of birds echoed with the laughter of the fey of the forest, their delicate wings fluttering in the breeze off the cool waters. The little ones danced on the smooth lake making patterns on the waters. Others sat about talking and enjoying the early morning sun. Without warning, a blast echoed through the brush. The fairies fled in all directions, three caught in a sphere of dark energy. Three human men came out of the shadows to look over their catch.
“Only three,” growled the one in black robes. He picked up the ball smiling at his frightened captives.
“There are more to be had, Magi Gregors,” the one in ranger’s armor said, as he glanced about. “This place hasn’t been hunted in quite a while…” The man at arms didn’t seem so confident staring out at the now silent woods. Suddenly, the solider spotted what looked like a wounded fairy trying to hide in the brush.
“There, my lord,” he said as the ranger caught sight of the fey.
“After them,” the death mage hissed sending his man and the ranger into the brush then following close behind. The ranger tracked the little creature to clearing where she huddled in the center behind a large oak tree. Her tears were like little droplets of light running down her pale cheeks. The men strode into the large clearing with little fear, taking note of the trees of differing sizes and spaced rather haphazardly. The magi looked at the frightened fairy frowning a little. It seemed like a waste to use his magic to catch one wounded little spirit. Suddenly, a feminine voice cut through the cold silence.
“You are not welcome in these woods,” the voice growled, as the men tried to find where she was speaking from with no luck. “Free your prisoners and leave now… while you can leave…” The dark mage looked down at the frightened fairy deciding the voice didn’t come from her.
“And who are you to tell us we aren’t welcome,” he demanded, his hand motioning his men to spread out and look for the speaker.
“I’m the keeper of this grove,” the voice said, seeming to float around the clearing. As the men looked around, fairies flew from the tree branches tossing what looked like acorns at the men. The mage growled a curse and tossed another capture ball catching two more fairies. The men didn’t notice the slight glow where they’d been struck by their tiny attackers.
“Ha!” he growled, as the sphere came to his hand. “Now… whoever you are… I suggest you reveal yourself if you’re not a coward…” In a moment, a shape began to glow in the shadowy arms of the largest oak tree, near the center of grove. Her body as only a couple of feet long, an exacting if more delicate version of her more known dragon kin. Her scales were a misty gray with lighter silver on her tummy. Her butterfly wings were black outline, silver and dark purple toward the center and a startling white at the very center. Her eyes were glowing gems of obsidian.
“A fairy dragon,” the ranger breathed looking quite awed by the small dragon.
“Coward? I’m not a coward,” she said, as her eyes took in where the three were standing. “I warn you now to release your prisoners or you’ll never leave this grove.”
“You’re going to stop us,” the mage growled, his hands beginning to glow as he gathered his strength for another capture ball. Nightmist could see the desire in the human’s evil eyes. He thought to capture her… the fool…
“I don’t have to stop you,” she said, as she landed on a branch, tucking her wings behind her back. “You’re already trapped…” That brought the men up short as they looked at one another. The ranger went to move closer to the little creature only to find he couldn’t move. His eyes went down to see his feet rooted to the ground. Seeing his ranger’s plight, the magi looked down at his own feet. Little roots came from his feet holding him to the ground as strong as any other tree in the clearing.
“What magic is this?” Gregor hissed. The other two men yanked hard at their feet actually hurting themselves. The roots connecting them to the ground was as much a living part of them as their feet. The fairy dragon smirked at the fear washing over the trapped humans.
“Its no magic of mine,” Nightmist growled, her eyes locked on the evil magi. “Free your prisoners.”
“No!” he snarled, holding the spheres before him. “Free us now or I’ll kill these…” A whimper went through the branches of the trees. Nightmist shook her head for a moment.
“That was a fool thing to say,” the fey dragon said. She got up from the branch and floated gently to the ground. “If you haven’t guessed these oak trees are those who have come to this forest to take the fey…” The little creature laid her paw, more a hand; on the base of the oak she’d been sitting on revealing the spirit of a human man held within.
“By the High Ones,” the ranger moaned looking quite ill. Nightmist flew over to a darker brown tree, the bark nearly black.
“This is the fate of you and your men should you do something so stupid as to kill those fairies you hold.” Seeming almost reluctant to touch the twisted, gnarled tree, she steeled her nerves to reveal the spirit. This spirit was female, most likely beautiful once but now little more then a shadow of her former self. Her eyes were wide, full of horror and pain. Small bits of light wiggled through her spirit looking for the world like termites.
“Free the fairies!” the man at arms cried, his legs stiffened into the beginnings of a trunk. “By the High Ones… free them you fool!” The mage looked quite horrified himself sweat dripping down his face. His body had begun to stiffen as well. His eyes went from the fairies he held to the tree holding the woman. Was she wearing robes? Black robes?
“Free my men and I… and I’ll free the fairies,” he said, no longer the haughty man he was when he entered the grove. Nightmist made a sweet thrumming sound, her eyes closed in concentration. In a moment, her delicate head shook back and forth in sadness. The men had begun to glow but instead of freedom they found small little lights crawling over their skins.
“No!” the ranger screamed, his arms hardening, littler branches sprouting. In an instant, the spheres holding the fairies disappeared letting the little ones disappear into the branches of trees. The spirit termites disappeared from the men, now frozen in the beginnings of their tree forms.
“Please free us,” the mage moaned, horror in his eyes. Nightmist looked up at the trees for several moments before nodding her head.
“I’m the keeper here,” she said to the mage watching as his arms stiffened. Bark had begun to show on the three. “You came to this forest to take the fey… They have decided your punishment to become trees in this Grove of Guilt. Be thankful you’ll only be trees and not to be ‘eaten’ for the coming centuries by the spirit termites.” They could no long speak frozen into the small trees they’d become. The fairies came down to look at the three new trees, some giggling at the terror that now claimed the humans. Nightmist shrugged a little then went back to her morning sunning interrupted by the stupid humans.