Arthurian Cultivation

The glamour of the fae realm was so thick it was akin to falling into a lake of honey. The air felt dense and heavy, and the world was coated in the golden sheen of an autumn sunset, the sky a medley of reds and oranges. The climate was crisp and far warmer than the realm we'd left. The entire space smelled of nature's bounty.

The shock of the change in temperature surprised us all. Compared to the frigid mountain, the air was sweltering. It had that feel of the beginning of autumn when the burning heat of summer was gone, leaving a crisp coolness.

To my back, there was an impenetrable wall of ferns. Before us, towering oaks loomed over us. The trunks were as wide around as Ursul and stretched skyward, their leaves all the hues of fall, melting into the sky. With breathless wonder, I realized the leaves were the sky. Compared to these trees, Ursul would’ve looked like the average bear.

We were all rendered speechless, even Gawain, who'd seen the realm before and was caught up in the fervor of his duty, wasn't immune. His eye was more critical than ours.

“The seasons have turned in the few days since I was gone,” Gawain said as he examined the trees.

“It’s nearly spring outside, though. How is it autumn here?” Bors asked.

“The rules of time and space out there have little impact on this place. It was spring when we entered a month and a bit ago, and that only lasted a week before it became a long summer. For all we know, tomorrow it could be bitter winter.” Gawain looked worried at that.

“All right then, you said you had a plan?” I tried to put the sense of awe and wonder behind me. The realm was beautiful, but we had princes to save, friends to find, and possibly Harkleys to kill.

“We had a rendezvous point. We should head there immediately. If all things are well, then we should meet back up with them, and then we can take stock of whatever the remaining forces here are up to.”

“Bet you five crowns that it's not that simple,” Bors said, nudging me.

“I'm not taking that bet,” I grunted back at Bors. I had faith in Sephy to be able to handle most things, but my current run of luck, or rather manipulated fate, told me that nothing could ever be simple.

We prepared to set out, beginning by shuffling out of the layers of furs we'd been swaddled in. A minute’s work and we were all far more comfortable. My new cloak was more than ample to keep me warm. I noticed it was the perfect length for a traveler’s cloak, coming just to my heels. Either I was lucky, or more than likely, it was a trick of the magic that it fit me so well.

Gawain had got his bearings and was plotting a course. I listened in to the explanation of the various monsters and threats to look out for, but found myself lost at sea without a paddle. I knew next to none of the names, and what names I knew, I didn't have images to go with them—only descriptions in dry tomes.

I was only ever permitted to hunt to oversee the monster lure I'd made, and after the fiasco with the Quilvern princess and my ‘cousin’s sudden disappearance,’ I'd not even been allowed that. My skills were the bare minimum for safe forests like the ones near Fosburg, but for these dark woods?

I decided to just not touch anything—a foolproof plan!

“Lance, you and Gring should fly with me and Archimedes. There are a lot of predators in the forest that'll try to attack lone flyers. Together, we should present a less appealing meal. They are fast, so we can't be slowed down by passengers. We'll act as scouts and spotters. The three of you, stay alert; there are plenty of beasts that'll take an interest if you make too much of a disturbance.” Gawain's voice was commanding. Here was a man raised to serve as the right hand of a monarch.

“How are you going to navigate?” I asked, even if I feared it’d expose the full lack of my skill. There was no north, no stars, and the forest was the sunset, so east and west didn't apply. We knew the edge of the ring, but in those trees, we'd eventually lose sight of it. Looking in, all I saw were trees and their branches.

“We need to get to the river that cuts through the middle of the realm. From there, I can take us where we need to go. If we head forward, we should hit it in a matter of hours.”

“Sounds good.”

We began to walk. The forest floor was littered with leaves, almost as long as I was tall. They coated everything. Despite this, the underbrush was remarkably easy to navigate. Huge tree roots formed bridges and roads that we could walk along, helping us move through the dense bushes and tangling vines.

I felt an uncomfortable worry settle in as the scale of the place got to me. Was Sephy actually going to be okay? It felt wrong to doubt her. I'd seen her tenacity in court, in duels of blade as well as word. Bors and Gawain both seemed to trust she'd be all right. It didn't help that right now I was out of my depth. The forests in the Chox realms were the domain of humans, maintained and cleared out of the worst. This was something else entirely.

Then there was the chance that a Harkley was in here. There had been a ruined tent with the crest on the outside, so there was a chance that one or more of my captors were in there. Just the thought of them sent the death glamour in my heart bubbling like an untended cauldron left over a raging flame. I'd so far avoided using such power in anger, but if I met a Harkley?

It wouldn’t be ‘if’ I tried to kill them; it would be a matter of ‘when.’

I needed to shift my thinking. Lance and Gring circled overhead, and I found the topic I needed. “So, Bors, I'm a little surprised by Ursul's offer. I didn't realize you and Gring were so at odds.”

“We get along fine, but we were never meant to be in a pact, and we both knew it. The offer surprised me too. I had heard it could be done, but everyone seemed to make it sound like I was a failure for doing so. That, if we just waited, our souls would align, or some such nonsense.” Bors sounded shockingly bitter. I regretted my selfish request instantly. I didn't mean to salve my worries by adding to my friends.

“That sounds like the height of foolishness. I mean no offense, Bors, but I don't believe I've met two less compatible souls,” Gaz chimed in before I could switch the topic.

“I know, right? Ursul, well, he understood. Saw it right away. Look, you know I mentioned that Gring was meant to bond with Gawain?” Bors said as he carved us a path through the underbrush.

“I didn't know this,” Gaz responded, while I nodded, remembering him mentioning it when he'd introduced me to the beast.

“Oh, right, yeah. Look, it's not something Gring likes me to bring up.” Bors ran his hand through his hair and took a breath. “See, he's the son of another bonded beast, so he's always been smarter than the average pegasus. He’d been told all about this noble knight he was pledged to.”

“We were all still kids then. I was still basically the tag-along, the scruffy extra. Gawain, well, despite being like eleven, he looked the part of a knight, like he just radiated decorum and duty. He'd already awakened his wind gift when we were nine, a proper prodigy. Gring's mother was his aunt's steed, and it had all been set up and decided.” Bors guided us over the tree roots. I was in the middle with Gaz behind me. Occasionally, they'd pause and watch some patch of greenery and then move on.

“I'd just awakened my earth gift as well, and Arthur had his. We all were going to the stables with him for this special ceremony.” The casual mention of awakening at eleven highlighted just how talented Bors was. Even those supported by Orders or the Houses didn't tend to awaken till their teens. True, it wasn't nine, but that was a near impossibility to be comparing himself against.

“So there we are, approaching this small foal, and don't let Gring hear I said this, but baby pegasi are adorable. Gring's looking at him, prancing about a bit. It's a lovely moment.” The big man paused, taking a long breath. “It all went to hell. Assassins trying to take out Gawain's aunt didn't even realize that we were there.”

I felt for them. Experiencing cultivation that's so far above at that age? It was terrifying at the best of times. Mortals didn't have the senses to understand it, but as a kid, you could feel exactly how small you were before it.

“That's when I got my first real taste of how dangerous the lives of the nobility can be. The air is full of fucking glamour. Gawain, of course, immediately abandons Gring, and as has been drilled into him since he could walk, grabs Arthur to try and get him to safety. Poor Gring, having no idea what's going on, sees ‘his knight’ leave and tries to follow. Only to get blasted into me, and then both of us get sent through a wall by a rogue technique.”

“To make a long story short, Gring wouldn't have survived without someone binding him then and there. So I did what I thought was best. It took Gring a long time to forgive me, and we’re friends now, but we never clicked. It doesn't help that he's stuck hanging around Gawain and Archimedes, seeing what could've been.”

“That's unbelievably rough,” I added. I hadn't anticipated feeling such empathy for the preening pegasus, but I did. “You know, you have a habit of summarizing a lot with a few words—good at ‘making a long story short’—though this was more informative than when you said ‘one thing led to another’.”

“I do. I don't like thinking about it, if I'm honest. On the theme of honesty, I feel like I've not been the best rider for a long while now. I try, but I never expected to ride a horse, let alone be pacted to a pegasus. No matter what I learn, I've not got the mindset of a cavalryman.”

“How do you feel about Lance stepping in?” I asked.

“Oh, I'm ecstatic. They are the perfect match. Gring dreams of being a steed for a knight in shining armor, and Lance, well, she cares, which is all I could ask for,” Bors said, and I didn't detect any lies.

“I feel like it's a poor reward for you though. I still can't even believe this wand.” Gaz had been examining his new toy every few minutes as we walked.

“What are you talking about? It's an amazing gift! Ah, of course, you wouldn’t know. Our bond was taxing my cultivation to no end. Part of making a pact requires you to share aspects of your cultivation. Even without our personal issues, earth and crystal did not play nice with Gring's wind gift. We were both struggling. I'm pleased. Honestly, if Gring gets his knight in shining armor, then I'm happy.” He was smiling, but his tone was melancholic.

“You're just glad you don't have to fly again,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“That too.” He laughed and gave me a good grin.

We saw several beasts as we walked, though we managed to avoid them through a combination of mine and Gaz's senses. The creatures here were odd. I cursed my often specific knowledge of monsters. If they weren't part of alchemy or something the Harkleys had expected me to know, I was in the dark. We paused to let one pass—something that reminded me of a mundane hedgehog that grew to the size of a bear and coated its spikes in steel.

I was stumbling as the time wore on. My will dragged me on even as my body sagged with exhaustion. It was lucky that I didn't tumble, but there was little threat of that. There was no real darkness here. The night was lit by a ‘moon,’ the leaves turning silver and radiating a thin light that filtered down from above, painting the world in blacks and whites.

My exhaustion fueled the demons of my mind. I frequently got the sense I was being watched. Occasionally, I'd look around to find myself watched by what I would swear was a pair of glowing eyes that faded to nothing more than the glimmer of silver leaves once I focused.

My mind wandered over Sephy, the Harkleys, and the Lady's plans for me. I was too tired to get really worked up about anything in particular, so it all pressed upon me as a generic burden of worry.

We hacked over the tree roots for an hour more when the trees began to thin, and I could hear the rush of water in my ears.

Finally, we heard the sound of the river—a ribbon of silver that cut through the trees. The rushing water was broad and swift. On the other side, the trees were thinner; beyond them, I could see a mountain that rose up unnaturally swiftly. There were no hills; it just went from forest to stone crags.

The tip of the mountain was a touch taller than the trees but couldn't escape the dome of silver leaves that made up the sky. It was as if the mountain itself was holding up the world. It stood as the center pole across which a tent of sky was draped over. From the way the trees grew out of it, part of my mind was insisting the trees were growing out of the sky into the ground.

Perhaps that was true. This was a fae realm, after all.

Gawain circled down and told us it was good news as we were far from the cultivator camp but close to the rendezvous point. We were all flagging; despite being cultivators, we'd been going all out for the last few days. I was particularly feeling it—my stamina was still weak compared to my peers.

I wasn't about to be the reason we stopped, though. I was getting increasingly aware that around the next corner could be Sephy. It didn't really seem real.

For me, she was a beacon of light during some of my bleakest times. A ray of hope that drew me in. My spying had taken form over the years, a sort of background behavior I used to keep myself sane. Other people wrote journals, and I documented weaknesses. It was a desperate promise to myself that I'd find a way to use that knowledge.

Sephy had given me that chance, and for that alone, I could never repay her.

So it was with some trepidation that we approached the rendezvous. My heart fluttered as Gawain and Archimedes flew up into a dense nest, big enough for Archimedes to fit in three times over.

I did my best to center myself, to breathe and find some energy. We were all tired and quiet. Lance and Gring were the most animated; I could see Lance talking to the pegasus animatedly. Ursul clearly knew his business of soul pacts well.

The attempt to calm me was a waste. Gawain returned with a grim look on his face, something clutched in his hand, and my heart sank, the flames within barely flickering.

A few seconds later, he showed me what he'd found, and even those flames grew still. Then he spoke and the dull sparks exploded into a raging inferno.