EverBright: The Darkness Pool

Interlude:

The Vorlox felt triumphant. It could not remember the last time it had relished in vengeance so thoroughly. It was a glorious feeling. It was certain now that there was nothing that could stop it from taking anything it wanted. This forest, meant as a barricade, these trees, standing sentinel against it were powerless now. The magic had leaked away entirely, and now the Vorlox would again take control. Everything was in motion.

But first...it needed to rest. That last outburst, beautiful in its ferocity, had taken its toll. The explosion had spread so many disconnected pieces. Now, it was time to rest while it waited to be whole again as those pieces returned. It would be at full strength when it mounted its next assault. It was only a matter of waiting.

However...there was one part of him. Not large, but not insignificant, that would be a long time coming. It had attached itself to the inside of the human that got away. It would have to eat its way out. It was small enough though, that it would be quite some time before that was possible.

So, it would rest. That life of solitude and fear nearly forgotten, replaced with the joy of freedom. So, it would rest.

Chapter 9- A Glimpse of Hope

It was a credit to the Mayor's resolve that she could hear the tale Harol laid out without the mask of her office breaking. Even having been there, Tiernan's guts roiled at the description as he thought of the helplessly lolling bodies on the ground. The Mayor, though, listened and nodded.

"I'm sorry to hear this, Harol. It's a blow to the city's morale and to the future of the city itself. You took a lot of brave men with you that would have been beneficial to our future here. If there's a bright side to the day though, Meister Ryland and his bride have just returned with hopeful prospects for defeating the...What did you call it, Ryland?"

"The Vorlox, Mayor," Ryland responded. "It's a word from one of the world's oldest human tongues. It predates any city or civilization that currently inhabits this world. The name was known by no one I spoke to. I dug it up from a tome so old that the pages creaked as I turned them the same way my back does when getting out of bed in the morning! Ha!"

As usual, Ryland's attempts at humor fell flat for everyone but himself, and he failed to acknowledge that the tale of horror he'd just heard was an indication that no one was in a joking mood.

"Anyway," he continued after his jest fell flat, "it's called 'the Vorlox', and the way that it was written of implied that it is perhaps the only one which is a blessing of sorts though it does us very little good in our current circumstances."

"Yes. The Vorlox. Thank you, Meister." The Mayor cut off Ryland before he could launch into a longer discourse. "If you are up to it, you can join the Meister on his quest."

Harol glared at Ryland. "What makes you think you can be successful?"

"You mean other than the pomposity which is common to my station?"

Ryland's tone made Tiernan blink. Was it a joke? Was it a dig at Harol? Neither? Both? Either way, Harol seemed not to take offense. He just looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

Ryland continued, stabbing his finger in the air for emphasis. "I found out how it was done the first time! Only a Meister can make it happen, so it's lucky I'm here! There's not another Meister within a month's travel of this place. We're a dying breed you know."

Harol sighed. "Then there was nothing I could have done? I led men to their deaths for nothing?"

"You couldn't have known," the Mayor attempted to sooth what looked like an impending downward spiral. "Now, you must make it right by doing everything in your power to see that the Meister succeeds. Can you do that?"

Harol didn't answer. Instead, he took a deep breath, then began coughing furiously just like he had done in the clearing. This time though, nothing came of it, and it softened on its own to a low wheezing.

"That doesn't sound good. You need rest." Ryland looked disconcerted.

"Yes. I do need rest. I will take my leave now, Mayor. We will be in touch in a few days. Meister," he said, turning to Ryland, "I will let you know soon what aid I can lend you in your endeavor."

With that, he made his exit. After he'd left, the Mayor spoke again. "He'll come around. He's got to. Now, Meister, I suggest you take Tiernan home and help Widdershins find his way as well. I'm sure Major Druse will give them some time off after this. I'll see to it."

Ryland nodded. "Yes. You do that. I doubt though that there will be much time off for any of us in the near future. If we're going to cage the Vorlox, the time to do it is now. It's already much more powerful than it was when I got here. We can't let it continue to grow unabated. We've got to confront it, but there's a myriad of tasks to complete before we're ready. Let's go, boys. You've both got mothers anxious to see you."

With that, they left the Mayor's office. Meister Ryland and Tiernan headed to the store, and Widdershins followed, deciding that he was more anxious to see his brother than anyone else. Tiernan thought again of the mystique that had always surrounded the twins in his mind and figured this was just another part of that. It made him feel good for them and lonely all at once. At that moment, he only wanted to see Cleal, but how could he go to her before seeing the mother that had been gone so long first?

So on he followed. As they neared the shop, the drag thump of his weary gait was juxtaposed by the sight of his bouncy-stepping mother bursting out of the door to greet him. She hugged him tight in the middle of the street, and as he hugged her back, he felt much of the melancholy recede and the deep weariness eased. They just stood still like that, holding one another as Ryland smiled and Widdershins headed inside to see his brother.

"Oh, son! I've missed you so much!" She wept as she smiled, and for an instant, Tiernan was too overwhelmed by her display of emotion to respond. Then, he realized that with her, he didn't need to respond at all. She knew, had always known, how much he loved and depended on her. Even grown, it seemed that hadn't changed. He just held her tighter.

The rattle and creak of an oncoming cart broke up their reunion as the cart owner halted in front of them close enough for his horse's breath to blow a breeze across Tiernan's neck. He turned, blushed, and immediately apologized.

"Sorry, sir." He stepped to the side, pulling his mother along with him, and the cart driver went on, not giving them more than a glance as drove past. "Come, mother. Let's go inside, and you can tell me all about your travels."

Together in the backroom, Tiernan, Melody, Ryland, and Widdershins sat. Clockwise stood in the doorway, one eye on the group and one eye on the front door in case a customer happened in.

"It was the most wonderful trip!" Once she began, Melody's enthusiasm for relaying the details made it impossible for anyone in the room to speak. "I saw things I never thought I would! Can you imagine a halfling like me seeing such strange and wonderful sights? I could never!"

She regaled the group with tales of what they'd seen, the things they'd eaten, and the adventures they'd had. Tiernan did his best to listen intently to everything. He was genuinely interested, and many of the things she told him about were captivating. However, the weariness from the day's ordeal won in the end as weariness often does. The last thing he remembered was her in the middle of a story about eating the tentacles of some creature which was supposed to be that land's delicacy. When he woke, he couldn't even remember if she'd liked it or not. He would have to ask her if he remembered.

When he woke, Tiernan was in his bed. He wasn't exactly sure how he'd gotten there, but he was certain that his mother hadn't carried him. It had been many years since she was last able to accomplish that feat.

He could tell by the light coming in through the window that he'd slept until the next morning even though it was still afternoon when he'd arrived. He was refreshed from the extra sleep but also famishmed. When he went into the kitchen to look for food, he found Cleal sitting at the table with Melody and Ryland.

"...wasn't too early this morning I hope, but when I never saw Tiernan yesterday, I got worried. Oh, thank you so much." Cleal took a cup of tea from Melody and barely touched it to her lips, blowing off the steam. It rose and drifted in swirls from the cup, and Tiernan just watched her profile and smiled. She really was exactly what his heart desired, and he could not get over the fact that she felt the same about him.

"Am I too late to get something to eat?" Everyone at the table looked up at him.

"Of course not." Melody rose to get him something. "We've got bread with cheese or jam."

"I'll take jam, please, and thank you, mother." It was an old familiar conversation. As far back as he could remember, she offered cheese, but he'd always chosen jam. The ritual was soothing to him.

"It's good to see you up and about." Cleal looked at him, her expression asking the question without words.

"I'm sorry. I intended to come by last night, but I fell asleep midafternoon and didn't rise again until just now." Tiernan took the bread from his mother and bit into it as he sat in the final empty chair.

"It's alright. I was only teasing anyway." Cleal sipped more deeply of her tea this time. "Your excursion into the woods was all the talk last night. I don't know how the story came out, but it was all anyone could talk about."

"It was bad. That's for sure." Tiernan started to engage in the conversation then realized that he might have to talk about his father, and he faltered.

Melody saved him. "Go on, now, eat your breakfast. Missing dinner like that, you have to be starving."

Tiernan took the invitation and dove into the bread and jam with gusto.

"What kinds of things were they saying, if I may ask?" Ryland picked up the thread of the conversation.

"Mostly, people were shocked that so many noblemen died all at once like that. They said it was the final proof that the woods were cursed. Many acted convinced that EverBright is headed to ruin. Of course, the more people drank, the worse their outlook became. It was ridiculous, but it wasn't surprising."

Ryland nodded along. "I could see how they might think that, but I can assure you it is not the case! The problem will be taken care of. It won't be safe, and some may not make it back, but when I lead the next group into the woods, I fully intend to take care of the whole mess once and for all."

"How can you be so sure?" Cleal asked the question that was on Tiernan's mind as well.

"Well," Ryland launched into an explanation, "on our honeymoon, Melody and I specifically headed to Malinet. The capital city is well known for its libraries, and one of those holds the largest collection of arcane histories in the world."

"Generations ago, when magic was strong and meisters were numerous, Malinet was the center of the meister's world. Yearly convocations were held there, attended by thousands of meisters. Some of those ancient, wise leaders had the foresight to build a library specifically for meisters to collect their stories as guidance and advice for other meisters in need.

From the moment it was built, it stood as one of the grand structures in Malinet. The grand central square of the city in those days had only the palace on one side with lush parks on the other three. It took several years of petitioning to convince the crown that the intended structure would be beautiful enough to compliment the palace itself.

Meister Dronn, widely considered the greatest Meister of all time, was the de facto leader at the time, and he was able to persuade the king that the magic arts could create something beyond his wildest imaginings. Once they had the permission, they did just that. It's a beautiful edifice. Each corner is an elaborately carved spire, buttressed by mural-filled supports. Each spire fashioned from a different precious metal. Each mural is dedicated to one of the primary elements of magic: fire, water, wind, and earth. These designations continue into the rest of the building as well, as their disparate colors are displayed on the marbled floor, meeting together in the very center to represent the unity of the elements." Ryland stopped briefly here to sip his drink.

"It was not only an aesthetic choice either. No, each of these 4 sections also house materials specific to their particular elements while those writings that concern a blending of the elements are stored in the center.

Funny thing, though. The building was so grandiose that it outshone the palace itself, causing the king to employ the Meisters in a designed reconstruction of the palace to match the library in grandeur. Even these days, with very little actual use by Meisters, the library stands as an important landmark for the city, and it is just as beautiful as it ever was."

Suddenly, Ryland seemed lost in memory, his eyes scanning a horizon that couldn't be seen from that kitchen table.

"Have you been there many times?" Cleal asked.

"Oh, yes. The convocations were still held every year when I was an apprentice. The Meister I was apprenticed to was based in a small village near Malinet, so we went all five years of my apprenticeship. After that, I lingered in the area for a few more years, but eventually, the convocations were only held every other year, then every 5. They stayed like that even as dwindling numbers became more drastic because the Meisters in charge still wanted apprentices to be able to experience the gatherings before they struck out on their own." I've missed the last three because the last one I attended was such a sad affair. Old men, bristling at the changing times, and decrying the loss of former glory. Most of them have stopped helping people and become insular, reliving their youths and telling tales to those who visit the library.

They make me crazy, truth be told. I was taught that my talents gave me a responsibility. Most of the Meisters living in the capital now use them only as permission to say and do what they want without repercussion."

Tiernan smiled slightly, thinking that this was the exact sort of behavior he'd always seen from Ryland as well.

"Well, needless to say, most of these ladies and gents are fairly worthless at this point, but several of them are quite adept at navigating the stacks in the library. Most of those don't take too kindly to me because I have no problem calling out their crap, even so, I was able to persuade Meister Unesta to help me with my queries.

"You're never going to find anything like that." Unesta's ever-pleasant tone completely broke my concentration.

"'What would you know about?' I said to her." "You probably don't know this about me, but I sometimes struggle with propriety." Even as he made this caveat, he took a large bite of bread and cheese without letting stop his story.

"Anyway, she says to me, 'I've been listening to you muttering for the past half hour. It's been too loud to ignore, but I'm not surprised considering I've never heard you being quiet.' I got her good though, 'of course you haven't, when I'm quiet, you can't hear me.'"

"I magnanimously left the insulting name I was thinking of calling her off the end of the retort though, since I was interested in whatever help she had to offer."

"I told you that the library was pristinely organized, and while that's true, the nuances can be hard to navigate. Usually, you categorize subjects based on the element used to interact with it. Since I only knew of fire having any effect on the Vorlox, I was naturally searching there. Unesta was more than happy so straighten me out though." The eyeroll that accompanied this last statement reminded Tiernan exactly of how the village girls his age acted when they were in their early teens, and he suddenly realized that pettiness probably knew no age or gender.

"Anyway, Unesta helped me. I described our beast, and she remembered reading about it. Turns out the most important information was in the combined section of earth and fire, and earth is an important part of the cage. When you think of earth, what comes to mind?"

"Dirt," Cleal said.

"Mud," Tiernan suggested.

"Growth," Melody responded with a smile.

"Ah, ah, ah," Ryland smiled and wagged a finger at his bride. "You cheated. You already know the story."

"You're dragging this out too long," Melody replied. "No one cares about your Meister in-fighting. Just tell them what we need to do."

"Oh, my beautiful, pragmatic wife. You're no fun." The light in his eyes as he teased her was undeniable. "But you might be right. Time is short. Anyway, in a tome so old and fragile that I wasn't allowed to touch it, the tale of the Vorlox was told. Unesta served as my page turner, as I read about how it was first captured.

We know, of course, that fire affects it. It can be briefly stifled by flame but only at the edges of its mass. If flame hits it in the center, there's simply too much ooze, and it's extinguished immediately."

"Yes," Tiernan interjected. "We saw that when we faced it. This, uh, what did you call it?"

"Vorlox."

"This Vorlox fears the fire when it hits around the edges. There must be something that makes it sensitive there, more likely to be harmed"

"Right," Ryland nodded along with the assertion. "The book speculated that as it grows, the edges are actually stretching by pulling themselves apart, innumerable tiny tears, making it constantly raw. Have you ever been poked in a newly opened wound? Imagine having it hit with fire. That's what the Vorlox is shrinking from when the flames hit it right.

Flame is only a deterrent though. Unfortunately, the writer of this account, whose name is lost to time, was convinced that the Vorlox could not be killed, though it could be trapped. This is where your mother's mention of 'growth' earlier came from.

The Vorlox must be pushed back into its hole, then the hole must be sealed. Tiernan, I remember that you told me the Vorlox avoided touching the wagons, but it lives in a forest. It clearly isn't affected by the trees. According to this ancient Meister though, the Vorlox's hole can only be sealed by a weaving of young saplings planted in a four-pointed star pattern then intricately twined through a special spell. Once the spell was complete, a single huge tree grew from the twined saplings and locked the entrance tightly beneath its root system. This is what we must do again."

"What do we have to do to prepare?" Tiernan asked.

"My preparations began the moment I read that passage." Ryland answered. "I knew I needed special materials that I could only get in a place the size of Malinet like manila rope."

"I've never heard of manila rope." Tiernan said.

"It's very popular on the seas. The salt water doesn't break it down. Most people can't tell the difference between it and hemp rope just by looking, but a Meister's wallet knows! Ha! Hemp is cheaper and easy to get. Manila rope is made from a rarer plant, and the demand is so high for it in the shipping industry that the price is ridiculous. However, it's the only thing that will do for binding the saplings. I have a hunch that the previous binding broke specifically because it was done with hemp instead. I don't intend to make that same mistake. I was to put that thing into the ground and keep it there!" Ryland's reddening cheeks displayed an anger toward the Vorlox that Tiernan hadn't seen before.

"What do the rest of us need to do?" Tiernan asked.

"I'm glad you asked. I've got jobs for each of you and more besides if you can bring more people who want to help." Ryland answered.

The other three at the table nodded at this.

"Good," he continued. "First, Tiernan, I need you to coordinate with Major Druse. I mustered 200 more soldiers to come help when I was in the capital. They will be here within the week. I haven't told him that yet, but he's been put in charge of them until we get this job done and send them back."

"Yes, sir." Tiernan's face visibly scrunched at the thought of delivering this news to the Major, who prided himself on always keeping things neat and orderly. An influx of soldiers that more than tripled the size of the contingent would not be easy to house, feed, or control.

"Melody," Ryland continued. "Go get widdershins. Gather what volunteers you can. Have Widdershins show everyone how to prepare arrows so they will hold flame and fly true. We will need to attack the Vorlox from all directions at once, and only fire will keep it at bay.

"Yes. I can do that." Melody seemed eager to help. "We've got a town full of people who've felt helpless for years now. I'm sure it won't be hard to recruit."

"Cleal, I want you to talk to Landor. Wait, before that, is Wise in yet." Ryland had taken to calling Clockwise just Wise because, as he said "life has taught him lessons of loss long before it should have. If anyone has earned the name, it's him"

"I think so," Melody replied standing, "I heard someone open the front door. I'll go get him."

With that, Melody left the room. As she did, Cleal spoke quietly. "Can we really do this? We've lost so much. I can't imagine losing more." Tiernan looked at her profile. From this side, she looked so innocent, but he knew when he looked her in the eye, she was not some uninformed girl. She had lived enough to know that life could be good and bad, and she chose to try and be happy in both circumstances. Apparently, she could tell he was staring. She turned to face him, and he saw that her eyes were reddening around the edges. She opened them as wide as she could and pointed them up to the ceiling, hoping the tears wouldn't fall.

"This has been going on most of my life," she sniffed, composing herself again. "I didn't think about it much when I was younger, but then people I'd met were hurt or killed, and I thought about it more. Then, people I knew and spoke to regularly died. It began to eat away at my thoughts like a worm with an apple. Then, it was just people I knew, it was people I loved in harm's way, and the thoughts burrowed deeper and became insistent. Now, the person I love most in this world has been in danger multiple times in those woods, and he's going out there again, and I have to keep myself busy just so I'm not worrying about him ALL the time. I am constantly thinking, 'Can this evil be stopped? Can we do anything about it'"

"Of course we can!" Ryland's response was quick and loud. Everyone at the table flinched back, as did Melody and Clockwise, who were just walking into the kitchen. Ryland's pointing finger got closer to Cleal than was comfortable, and she shrunk from it as he spoke. "We can STOP it! And you, little miss, will be part of it, so dry your tears if you're ready to get to work!"

"You could be more sensitive!" Tiernan tried to take a stand on Cleal behalf, but she cut him.

"No. He's right. It's time to get to work. But, Meister, I'm telling you, I will offer all the support I can because I trust you, but I need you to come back here alive with all the people I love. I need a break from grieving, and I've only been dealt glancing blows, losing friends but no family. I can't imagine how those who've lost sons or daughters or husbands or wives or fathers or mothers are dealing with this."

Ryland leveled a sober gaze at her. "I doubt they're doing well at all, but I think you and Wise can rally them under a banner of hope if you're willing."

"We are." Cleal responded as Clockwise nodded, moving the stand beside her chair.

"Good," Ryland replied. "Here's what I need you to do." He went on to talk to them about logistics, gathering food and materials for the volunteers. "Cleal, I need you to talk to Landor about using his kitchens. We're going to need more food than anyone realizes right now once we start getting volunteers. Wise, I need you to speak with the current owner of Narlix's old shop. We need to set up a system for preparing arrows, and his fletchery is the best spot. Once you're done with those things, decide together how to best divide the town and find your volunteers.

Here's the honest truth. We can do this, but we have to do it quickly. When the new troops get here, I want the preparation to be finished. I don't want them in town longer than they need to get their rest. We're going in full force as soon as possible."

"Let's get to work then." Tiernan stood and headed for the door. Cleal and Clockwise followed. Ryland stood, watching them go, and Melody came and put an arm around him.

Staring at the front door of the shop after the other had left, Melody asked, "What about me?"

Ryland looked down at her. "Nothing I've sent them to do means anything without you. We need materials. I need you to beg, borrow, and barter for food, wool, arrows, anything you think we'll need. I need the mind that got this shop running and keeps up with the details of it to put its considerable power into how to make this all happen. We've scarcely been married a month, and I'm already not sure how I accomplished anything worthwhile before you. I see where we need to go, but you're the best at catching the things that fall through the cracks of my vision. That's what I need now."

"Alright, then. Off to it then." Ryland looked at her, puzzled. "You've just set in motion a plan that could mobilize most of this town, and I think it would be nice if you told Mayor Linkston what's about to happen over the next few days. Off now, I've got places to go and people to see."

_____

The Vorlox rested. Content with the gluttony of its recent consumption, it reveled in the coals of its dying anger, remembering the way those flames doused the men who dared to cage it. They did not realize that it could not be contained by them. In fact, it was now certain that nothing could contain it. In that certainty, it rested. Letting its consciousness drift among the sensation of the wind and the tangible cold of the ground beneath it.

Its contentment was such that the Vorlox did not even let the normally irritating life of the forest bother it. While the birds and small animals moving noisily about did not escape its notice, it would not allow them to disturb its peace. It was getting stronger by the day, and it knew the days of the forest were numbered. It had been a long time since the Vorlox was truly alone, and it could feel the return of that imminently.

In its languor and longing, the Vorlox's mind drifted lazily back to the time before the woods. It remembered the wonderful desolation and serenity before the messiness of life. When the plants began to encroach, it was bad enough. The grasses and weeds were minor nuisances, but the trees, those unbearable trees. Even remembering the first one sent a ripple over the surface of the Vorlox's entire being.

It was something never before experienced of course, and at first, it seemed just another weed, though brown and sturdier than most. The Vorlox paid it no mind. Then, in what seemed like a blink due to the long life of the Vorlox, the tree was thick and tall. Unlike the previous growths, this one was no minor thing. It had established itself in a way that threatened the Vorlox and its way of life.

When the Vorlox ventured to investigate the tree, it found itself fearful. This was a new sensation. Something about the nature of the tree repulsed it. After innumerable days of observation, the Vorlox realized the problem with the tree.

The Vorlox itself was virtually immutable. It had not changed over all the time, even thinking back as far as its memory when. It simply existed. Its only variation was extension and retraction, stretching and shrinking, but never truly becoming something different or new.

This tree though! The tree was in a constant state of change. The Vorlox could observe it growing. From the obvious signs of its leaves growing, shedding, and growing again, to the nearly imperceptible growth of its trunk. The Vorlox could see it all happening, and it was appalled.

It had to be stopped. Repulsed as it was by the tree, the Vorlox was determined to destroy it. Its first tentative attempts to touch the tree were rebuffed even before it made contact. The aura around the tree was visceral. The Vorlox felt a nearly tangible sense of wrongness to the tree that forced it to retreat. It has never known fear. There had never been anything to challenge it before, but this tree, though immobile, felt like a threat to its very existence, so it decided that it needed to be done all in a rush. The Vorlox had never tried to pile itself and consume something so tall before. It was essentially an instinctual decision. So, it rose up. It piled itself up and up until it was twice the height of the tree, high enough to engulf it in one crashing wave.

The Vorlox pushed itself forward, gaining speed. It pushed through the wave of revulsion it felt from the tree's aura, and crashed into its side and over the top, coating it. The blackness swallowed and broke down the tree, but it was intensely painful the entire time. By the time the tree had completely disintegrated, the pain was so extreme that the Vorlox was completely paralyzed by it.

The paralysis ended in fits of spasmodic rippling all over the surface of the Vorlox. Tiny collections of concentric circles all over it at once, completely arresting its ability to move for a short time. Even once that had passed, the Vorlox could not think of the tree without echoes of that pain causing shudders throughout it.

It retreated then. It shrunk into itself and slept. It slept so long, burrowed into the underground of its home, free from the possibility of ever touching a tree again, that when it woke, it was not prepared for what it found on the surface.

Its barren land was gone. The ground was littered with various grasses, vines, weeds, and shrubs. Worst of all, though, was the trees. They were everywhere! It couldn't tell exactly how long it had slept, but it had been too long regardless. Now, as it spread and moved, it had to be careful not to touch the trees. It wasn't a difficult thing, but it was infuriating. The area near the entrance to its underground home was still empty in all directions enough that it could stretch itself, but dominion for the Vorlox was gone.

Its home was also now filled with sounds it had never known before. The sounds of insects and animals invited in without permission by the trees. The cacophony was relentless. Skittering, twittering, buzzing, whistling, whirring, life. It was sickening, and the Vorlox had no answer.

These new invaders, though. Their auras were not like the trees. Their constant motion meant that the auras were ever fluid. Their moods changing so radically from one state to the next searching for food or shelter or mates. It was too frenetic to offer the protection the trees were afforded. The auras were equally strong but not stalwart. Instead of causing fear in the Vorlox, they offered an invitation to destruction. They were tentative and ran from the Vorlox, but they were not always careful. It knew nothing of games, so it did not give chase. They posed no threat, so it felt no need to attack, but when a creature made a mistake that led to making contact with the Vorlox it was quick to cover and devour.

There was an immense satisfaction in stopping the frantic dance of an animal and breaking its aura down to nothing. It also learned far more about the creatures as it devoured them. It learned to shape parts of itself into simulacrums of the animals it had destroyed.

The invasion was too big. It happened too fast for any sort of response. None of it was intelligent enough for the onslaught to have been intended. The Vorlox had no outlet for its anger. It only knew that it needed to find something familiar, some expanse of clear ground beyond its hole that may remind it of its former home. During the search, it observed, mentally cataloging what is seen in an attempt to understand the nature of this new reality.

The search proved futile at first. Months and months of searching and observing, it found nothing it was looking for but continually learned more about its surroundings. It was nothing but grasses and trees, occasionally interrupted by bare patches too small to offer the Vorlox any sense of solace. Still it searched, longing to find the sense of familiarity in its surroundings, realizing that the bare earth was the one connection it had always needed, always craved, without noticing because it had never gone without.

When it finally did find ground that was clear, it was strange. The cleared area was narrow. It was not the lessening of plants as the Vorlox had encountered when they first encroached on its territory. This was abrupt. The grass and tree barely tapered off. Instead, the growth simply stopped, giving way to this barren, narrow patch that stretched into the distance in either direction. It was pock-marked with round indentations, and thin runnels of the morning's rain grooved it irregularly throughout like impossibly small streams waiting to be dried by the heat of the day.

Traveling up one direction and then the other, it was able to discover the source of the bare ground. It seemed that the Vorlox was not the only one that needed the dirt beneath it. Next to the long strip of bare earth, there was a larger round patch of earth, and it was populated with something new. The animals it saw now were unique.

They all looked similar. The colors of hairless flesh were various but not nearly as various as their fur. There was only a vague uniformity to its cover, and the colors were unpredictable. In addition, the Vorlox witnessed some of the creatures shedding their coats and then reattaching them later. It made no sense compared to what it had learned of all the other animals in the forest.

The way they chittered back and forth was different too. It wasn't the rudimentary call and response of the birds or the cries of fear or warning frequently on the winds. Instead, it was clear through their actions that the noises were more varied and specific in their intent. The Vorlox watched them take parts from a tree that had fallen and shaped it cooperatively into something new. Then, after making several of these same shapes, they formed them into a ring. In the center of the ring, there was a smaller ring of stones with smaller pieces of wood inside the stones.

While it watched, several of the animals perched on the forms they'd made while two of the animals stood near the circle of rocks with smaller rocks in their hands that they scraped against one another.

The Vorlox knew it had nothing to fear. Animals had always fled from it when it made its approach obvious. Besides, it was overwhelmed by curiosity at this point, and had to understand what these animals were trying to do. As it came near, one of the smaller pieces of wood suddenly burst into light. It had seen this happen once before when a streak from the sky hit a tree, and the top of it lit up this same way on a much larger scale. It was too far away then to learn anything about it though, and when it sought the tree out, it was a blackened mess of its former state. No green remained and very little brown. It was nearly all black and white and gray.

Even as it remembered this, the animals were using the lighted stick to light others as well, quickly turning everything in the stone circle into one giant light. Determined to know more, the Vorlox crept toward the light. It noticed fairly quickly that the light was giving off heat as well. Coming closer and closer, it became obvious that it couldn't hide itself, so it didn't try.

The animal panic the Vorlox anticipated didn't exactly turn out that way. Instead, only one of the animals cried out at all. That cry alerted the rest of the group, but instead of running, they approached. This was new behavior.

One of the animals approached, it knelt, and attempted to touch the Vorlox with one of its small digits. The Vorlox shrank back but only a bit. It came closer still, but this time the Vorlox was resolute and did not move when the animal reached out. The animal learned quickly that the Vorlox wouldn't offer any resistance, and so it sunk the digit entirely into the Vorlox.

The reaction was almost immediate. the Vorlox began to break down the offer. The soft supple outside gave way to a crunchy center that was satisfying to wear down to nothing. It all happened in a blink, and then the screams began. The animal withdrew, now trailing blood. The Vorlox was still curious though, so it did not move. Instead it crept forward again as the animal sought solace amongst its kindred. The Vorlox wanted to know more about the heat and light from the circle of stones, so it moved again in that direction.

It didn't have to go far before one of the animals took a piece of wood from the circle, covered in light itself on one end, and brought it near. The Vorlox assumed the animal realized what it wanted and was providing it. Instead, though, the animal thrust the light right at it, and it burned! Even as it reeled from that burn, pulling away, it saw that several others grabbed sticks with light from the fire and gave chase. Soon, five of them caught up to it at once and all of them burned it simultaneously.

The vorlox reacted then, lashing out at their legs with one large tendril, knocking three of them off their feet at once and causing the others to halt. It was no victory though. So intense was the pain, that the Vorlox retreated all the way back to its hole where it waited and recovered.

It later learned that these animals called themselves human, and that these humans were a threat to its existence. It now had a true adversary. It would be best to wait in its hole and watch how things might progress from there, but it also remembered the pleasure it got from absorbing that human's finger. Still, it could bide its time and see what these humans might do next. So far, they didn't know where the hole was and could not approach the Vorlox there.

Solace was a fleeting thing, however. It was only a matter of weeks before the humans tracked it down. They were incessantly loud tramping through the forest growth, so the Vorlox was well aware of their coming long before they got to its clearing.

Knowing them to be hostile, the Vorlox knew it must fight or try to remain undetected. Taking that man's finger had been a singular pleasure, but it was not worth the risk of feeling the fire again. It was resolved then to attempt to hide. There was no need for confrontation, so it sank into itself, pulling together tightly and fitting entirely into its hole.

Just an unassuming hole in the ground, or so it thought. In reality, the signs of its passage were everywhere. It could not tread on grass without devouring or trampling it. It had no way of moving itself without leaving a trail behind. Of course, leaving a trail wasn't something it had ever thought of before. Trails were not a concept it needed to consider, so it was oblivious to the mistake it made.

The voices of the humans grew louder, and louder still until they were right above the hole. The Vorlox was unsure of the human intentions, and therefore, did its best to stay hidden. It did not know its hiding place was obvious. The humans continued their movement near and around the hole, but the few times they looked inside, they appeared to see nothing, so the Vorlox thought it was safe.

The scraping sounds it could hear did not alarm it because they were beside the hole. Near, but not so near that it sounded like they were digging toward it. Likewise, the digging ended with rather shallow holes. They dug four times, and then the Vorlox saw trees. Four small, thin trees being handed around to four different people. It wanted to shrink away from the sight of them, but there was nowhere farther to go. It held very still, and what it heard happening sent ripples of fear throughout its mass.

The people were placing the trees into the holes, planting them there for permanent residence. Oh, how the Vorlox began to hate them then. It knew the pain it would have to endure to remove those trees. Suddenly, another human, wearing loose outer skin the colors of the fire stood over the hole. It held in its hands something long, fibrous, and twisted. It was unlike anything the Vorlox has seen before, but it soon learned that it was made for binding.

The human began a rhythmic speech pattern, far more regimented than anything the Vorlox had heard spoken before. As it did, the thing it held rose up and danced in the air to the rhythms. Suddenly, one end of it shot to the side of the hole, so its movements were out of sight, but it could be heard wrapping itself around one of the saplings they had planted.

FFFWHIPP....it darted around to another sapling, FFFWHIPP then another, FFFWHIPP then the fourth. Finally, it came back to the first, and it began to squeeze them together until all four were wrapped and bound as a single entity above the hole. Still, the Vorlox was unconcerned. It would hurt to remove this amalgam of trees, but it could be done.

Then, the human's speech quickened and intensified. The entire thing began to glow, but this was not like the burning glow the Vorlox had so recently experienced. There was no heat from it, and the light was not intense. It was the color of the sky, a soft muted tone, but it radiated the same aura as the tree but many magnitudes more intensely, and it became apparent that this may be more trouble that it had first thought.

That aura, which always seemed to indicate growth, was so intense, that the growth of these trees was not a thing of years but of moments. Even as the trunks of the trees grew into one above the hole, sealing it from the light and the outside, the Vorlox could hear the roots spidering into the dirt in all directions, covering the hole on every side and even growing thickly beneath it. The aura emanated from every direction, and the intensity did not abate.

Finally, the growth seemed to slow, but the aura was as strong as ever. While it had been a simple matter of absorbing a little pain to defeat that first tree and its aura, this was entirely different. The Vorlox could not even push against the aura, and it knew that the dirt on all sides was the only thing insulating it from constant pain.

The opening of the hole was now covered, but instead of seeing the insides of the tree, the Vorlox could only see that sky-colored aura pulsing above it to the rhythms of the tree as it grew. There was no pain, but it was also impenetrable. Any attempt to feel for an opening was futile as the aura constantly pushed back. It was trapped in a cage. A cage it had helped fashion through fear.

As it rested, the Vorlox remembered all of this. It was resolved to fight this time instead of fleeing. When the humans came again, as it knew they would, it would not be caged so easily. It was stronger now. It was slowly eroding the forest as it gained strength. It reveled in watching the growth around it blacken and die. That would be the final victory. When the humans were dealt with, it would continue to poison the woods until it all died away, until the growth finally ceased.

As it gained in power, it had learned that touching the trees briefly or in small ways, such as with the mock animals it fashioned and sent out, didn't hurt nearly so much as that first devouring did. Though it was uncomfortable, it was bearable. Momentary discomfort was a small price to pay for the possibility of eternal peace.

The Vorlox knew it would have its victory. It could be patient. Its power was greater than it had ever been before, so it could wait and rest and enjoy the calm before the war raged again.

_______

Tiernan stood next to Major Druse at the docks. The blue sergeant's patch on his uniform, newly placed, stood out brightly against the faded uniform that would have matched it a year ago. He knew it wasn't a real promotion. Major Druse never said that but he hadn't been serving long enough to put him in that position. Officially, it was made clear that the purpose of the promotion was to ensure that the new soldiers they were waiting for would immediately obey him when the time came. Deserved or not, Tiernan was given the authority because he had the most experience with the Vorlox, and the incoming soldiers were bound to underestimate the threat.

"These will be mostly privates," Major Druse was briefing Tiernan as the sailors moored the military vessel to the dock. "They will send a Major to lead them, but other than that, expect young recruits. This is the sort of request that the higher ups in the capital refuse to risk their best trained soldiers on."

"Why?" Tiernan asked.

The Major smirked. "I forget how young you are sometimes. The world is bigger and more complex than you can know never having left this small city. These men are very powerful, Tiernan. One important pillar of that power is the strength of the men under their command. They would never risk their reputation here. This situation is life and death for the people here, but it's inconsequential on the other side of this sea. Winning here provides very little return in terms of political prestige."

"And the Major they'll send?"

"It will likely be someone new to the position, convinced of the glory that awaits them and ignorant to the way they're being used."

As the Major was saying this, the soldiers began to debark with their Major at the front, and Tiernan's grin barely held in a belly laugh improper to the situation. He shook with the laughter he was holding back as he watched newly minted Major Tunny lead his men down the gangplank.

As much as he enjoyed the mirth of the timing, Tiernan thought that the appointment made sense. Tunny had been here. In his bumbling way, he was probably the most qualified Major available, especially if...

And as he thought it, he spotted her. Alika was just behind Tunny making her way to them. Tiernan felt himself breathing a sigh of relief as he saw her. It reminded him of his fear of freezing up, and his mind started to spiral down that path, thinking about failure, when Tunny's voice broke in as he saluted.

"Major!" Tunny overloud greeting causes cringes in everyone around them.

"Major," Druse responded as measured and reserved as always.

Tunny then bent down and squinted at the new rank on Tiernan's uniform. "Sergeant?"

Tiernan refused to hear the question in his voice. He saluted as if he had been addressed with the respect he was due. "Major. Congratulations on your promotion."

"Sure," Tunny responded. "You too. You will remember Sergeant Alika, I'm sure. He beckoned her then to the center of the gathering like he was showing off a prize horse. She smiled at them. Behind Tunny, Tiernan could see other soldiers in line rolling their eyes and he guessed that Tunny's tendencies toward favoritism continued unabated.

Major Druse took charge again. "Tunny, we've had temporary lodging prepared for your contingent while we are here, but we intend to engage the enemy in the next two days. If all goes well, you may be back on your way to the capital by the end of the week." The two of them stood there, next to one another, now the same rank, and Tiernan saw the gray at Major Druse temples and the crow's feet around his eyes. He wondered how much longer the man had until retirement and hoped he was out of the army before that time came.

"Tiernan will guide Alika and the soldiers to the barracks," Druse was saying, "and I want you with me in the planning room. Meister Ryland is there now with our mapmaker getting us all the information we can before making this offensive." Tunny nodded, and they were off in two divergent paths because there was no room for more barracks near the original site. At least, the two sites were only ten minutes apart, and once the soldiers were organized, Tiernan and Alika made their way to the planning room.

"How's married life?" Tiernan found silence around Alika uncomfortable and hoped she would fill the empty space.

"It's interesting. I knew nothing of how noble wives were expected to act, but I've been learning from Tunny's mother and sisters. He has a lovely family."

"Oh, so he's the only one like that then?" The jest came out harder and flatter than he'd intended.

"Hah," Alika laughed. "It's amazing how different he is at home. Someone got it into his head a long time ago that he had to act a certain way toward those under his command, and I'm still trying to figure out how to make him unlearn it. Serving with Major Druse is always good for adjusting his thinking though."

"Major Druse is a good influence on everyone I think. He's taught me a lot about responsibility and duty among other things." Tiernan was nodding as he verbalized this admission for the first time. "He's the kind of role model any soldier can learn from for sure."

He changed topics then. "He told me that only new soldiers and new majors were sent on missions like this that the capital thought were trivial."

Alika nodded. "That's true for the most part, and it made it easy for Tunny to volunteer. He wanted a promotion, and this was an ideal way to get it. Of course, we come as a pair." She smiled at that, and it was obvious that she was happy with her choice.

They arrived at the planning room then. From the doorway, they could see the two Majors and Meister Ryland standing around a table where widdershins was hunched and writing.

Widdershins was given the new rank as well, but he wasn't here because he was finishing an assignment from Ryland. When finished, Widdershins would have created the first complete map of the woods ever committed to paper. Back when they were first apprenticed to Jocnal, he and his brother began to sketch primitive maps of the places they'd hunted as a means of keeping track of where they'd had the best luck. Piecing these together, they'd already gotten a reasonable picture of the majority of the woods, so it was only a couple of days of exploring and sketching before Widdershins came back and shut himself away to focus on the task of putting all the pieces together.

During his brief survey, a troubling picture was taking shape. The blackening rot around the Vorlox's hole was growing at an alarming rate. Of course, there were bound to be inaccuracies in the map, but it appeared that the rot was growing in a nearly perfect circle.

Major Druse invited them in when he saw them, and they joined the group at the table. Tiernan could not believe the quality of what Widdershins was drawing. It was easy to underestimate him because he was always messing around, not taking things seriously.

"Widdy, this is amazing."

"Even though it acts intelligently, there are clearly aspects of its nature that it cannot or has not thought to circumvent." Meister Ryland was pointing to the circle on the map.

Major Druse picked up from there. "We will take our two contingents of troops and create a perimeter. This blackened ring gives us an ideal starting point."

A deep, uncontrolled cough interrupted him. "Not just you, Major." Tiernan looked up to see his father and several other nobles with him entering the planning room. The small room was quite crowded at this point.

"We..." Harol interrupted himself this time with another coughing fit. Trying and failing to clear his throat, he continued. "We must be allowed to avenge our fallen. We are the leaders of this city, and we cannot stand by and let someone else clean up our mess with no help."

Major Druse didn't object, but he tempered the conversation. "We can discuss it, but bear in mind, most of the soldiers in my contingent are from this city."

"Conscripts with no choice. We have to be better than that. Our honor is at stake as much as the life of this city is."

Tiernan laughed out loud then. He couldn't help himself. Everyone turned and stared except Widdershins who was still adding details to the map. "Honor? What would you know about honor?"

The way he spat the words made some in the tent look down at their shoes in embarrassment. The color in Harol's cheeks rose, but no one could tell if it was anger or shame until his words showed them it was both.

"I know what honor looks like. I've seen it from all the men in my family since I was a small boy. I know how honor acts. I have seen the bravest men I know sacrifice their time, money, and in some cases, their lives to ensure that this city was prosperous and safe. I may not yet know how to be honorable. You are proof that I've failed in that regard, but I do know how to spot it, and I am here because the nobles of this city deserve an opportunity to display it again in this matter."

The words, 'you are proof that I've failed,' were the only ones that rattled in Tiernan's head, banging themselves against all the hollow places he tried so hard to keep shut. He barely registered when Ryland rebuked Harol.

"If the only thing you see when you look at that boy is your own failure," Ryland's anger rose to meet Harol's outburst, "then, you know nothing of honor at all. You've seen only weak men parading in masks. That boy has survived more heartache than you will ever know, and YOU are the reason for it. Did he shrink from the challenges of poverty and discrimination? NO! Why? Because HE was determined to be a better man than his so-called 'father,' and if you've got nothing better to do than denigrate him then I've got no use for you. He will be out there giving orders while you're off somewhere whimpering and mewling about your wounded pride and your bruised ego. We do not need anyone in this venture that cannot respect the other people around them. Is that clear?"

Harol was not used to being yelled at, but he also understood that Ryland was in charge. If he wanted to be here, he needed to find a way to make amends quickly. "That's not what I meant. I know little of him. I only meant that his presence reminds me of choices I regret. I don't mean I regret 'him.' I just mean I regret who I was back then."

Ryland wasn't through with the dressing down though. "If you don't know him, you have no one but yourself to blame. He's been around. What stopped you getting to know him?"

Harol was about to say "propriety," or something like it, but the answer died on his lips. "My own pride. That's what kept me away." He turned to Tiernan then.

"This isn't a thing that can be fixed. I know that, but I do want to tell you that I'm sorry for not getting to know you. I hope after that, we can rectify that. I don't know how, but I want to find a way.

Tiernan, still holding the anger of a lifetime, felt betrayed by the spark of hope growing in his chest. He would not let this stranger see how much he longed to know him. He simply looked him in the eye and nodded.

Harol responded with a forlorn grin and turned back to Ryland. "Apologies, sir, I know you are in charge here. I simply wanted to let you know that there are still noblemen who want to be part of this endeavor." Again, he was taken with a fit of coughing. "There isn't a noble house in EverBright that isn't ready to lend financial support, and I have twenty men ready to face the woods with me even after the last debacle."

"Okay, then. Most of the supplies are already procured, but there are outstanding balances at several shops in town. If you could take care of those debts, that would be useful. Speak with Clockwise at Tiernan's shop. He's been keeping track of the ledgers." Ryland then gestured toward Major Druse. "As for your men, I'm sure the Major can decide where you would be best used."

"Yes," Major Druse replied. "It would be especially helpful to have a mounted force leading the lines as we create the perimeter. After that, any men who can shoot well from horseback will be most welcome.

With that settled, the group, with its new additions, rehashed the pertinent aspects of the plan for all to hear. Ryland closed the meeting finally as the sun was going down. "We are only days away now. Take care of what you need to do between now and then. I want everyone ready and single minded when the day arrives."

Before returning to the barracks, Tiernan walked home with Ryland to see his mother. When they arrived, Melody and Clockwise were organizing supplies. The store front had gone from open and inviting to labyrinthine with precarious stacks of everything the expedition would need. For some reason, Ryland, Melody, and 'Wise all agreed that they would do a better job inventorying everything than the soldiers. Tiernan wasn't so sure, but he was glad that they found a way to help.

There was still work to be done that night, so the two new arrivals pitched in, moving things where they were told, giving the other two a breather, and soon enough they came to a stopping point. "That's the last one," 'Wise told Tiernan as he put a crate onto a stack that was now taller than him. "Let's go sit for a bit."

The four of them settled at the kitchen table. Melody had already set out leftovers from lunch for any who were hungry, but only Ryland seemed to have an appetite. The other sat in silence for quite a while only listening to him chew. It was clear that even though what was coming had everyone else nervous, Ryland was excited.

When he'd finished eating, he rose, smacking his lips and declared, "Well, I've got more preparations to make, and he left the kitchen for the room he turned into his workshop and closed the door.

The other three just looked at each other, eyes widening at the curt exit. If they had been expecting a rousing speech of some words of encouragement, it wouldn't happen here or now it seemed. Finally, Clockwise broke the silence.

"I wish I was going," he said.

"Do you?" Melody asked.

"I do. I've got a personal grudge against that thing, of course, but it's more than that. It didn't just take my hand, it took my future." He gestured then to the front of the store. "I like this work. I've learned that I'm good at that. I like helping customers when they come into the shop, but every time I see you or my brother in uniform, I feel a tinge of jealousy. It was something I never told anyone, but ever since I had first seen soldiers marching in ranks during a parade when we were very young, it has been the definition of honor in my mind, and the highest calling I could think of."

"It's rarely parades and honor. It's most often drudgery, spiced with mortal terror for brief moments. It's mostly meant pointless duties and watching friends die in my experience."

"I know that," Clockwise responded. "I know reality never lives up to what you imagine, but that doesn't change how I feel about it. And I know I'm helping here. I know that preparations are important, but once you leave, all of us will be left waiting and wondering until someone returns. That's a hard thing to do when you know that you should be out there in the fight."

Tiernan knew that Clockwise was always a helper at heart, and this was just one more example of that. "You know," Tiernan responded, "if you are doing everything you can, then you can't feel guilty for what you're not doing because you've already given everything you had. There's no shame in that. Maybe I haven't told you, but what you've done with this shop is incredible. We are far more successful with you than we were before you became part of this team. Maybe that's not the same as fighting a monster in the woods, but it is something that lasts. This will be over and done within a few hours once we start, win or lose, but you've helped create something that can be generational. When we're gone, I expect our children will still have this shop to run, and all they'll have of the upcoming fight is a story and one that's bound to be exaggerated at that."

Clockwise smirked at him, "But that fight will have a hundred songs written about it, and no one's writing about a one-handed shopkeeper."

"Don't be so sure." Tiernan got up then and hugged his mother. "I don't know if I will see you again before we go, but I will try. I plan to spend as much free time as I can with my betrothed before then though."

"As you should," Melody said, hugging him back. "I love you, and I'm proud of you."

"I love you, too." With that, he turned and went out into the night, headed for the barracks and the fight ahead.