War of the Wisps

As Peter asked Jarnvaror to stay put, Anna turned to the gathered Elves. She couldn’t read their expressions. Where they curious or frightenend? She opened her mouth to speak. Then her throat seemed to seize up. There were dozens of Elves watching now, and her mind seemed to dump its contents. She blinked a few times, then looked over her shoulder at Andrew. “What am I supposed to say to them?”

Andrew stepped up next to her, looking out at the crowd. She saw him take a deep breath in, then he said in a raised voice, “In case any of you didn’t here our conversation, we’re looking for any information regarding the Wisps. If you can tell us anything, please, come let us know.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd. A few exchanged looks, then walked away. Others merely continued to gawk at the dragon. “What’s there to say?” a young Elf called to them. “They come and go on their own. Unless you want to hear superstitions.”

“They aren’t superstitions!” Another Elf snapped back.

“They’re assumptions,” said a third.

“Well, if you’d ever approached the Wisps, then you would—” the second began. The first cut him off.

“We’re not insane,” he said. A few of the other Elves chuckled, but most cast very disapproving looks at the younger Elf.

“Do you know what superstition they’re talking about?” Andrew asked.

Anna thought back to her research. “Maybe… Some Elves view Wisps as being good luck. They think the Wisps go out to collect peoples negative emotions.”

Andrew blinked. “Have they ever been near a Wisp?” Andrew asked.

Anna glared at him. “Not all of them are constantly raging. You’ve met Halcyon. Others are manic. But… yeah, most of them are still dangerous,” she admitted.

“Right. But the anger and terror Wisps are more common, right?” Andrew asked.

“Yeah,” Anna said. Predicting his next question, she continued. “Some of the Elves believe that’s because they’ve already collected those emotions. They think they deposit them in the wild parts of the forest, away from everyone else, so they can go and do it again.

Andrew nodded slowly. He looked back at the group of Elves, who were still arguing amongst themselves. “We’re just researchers,” he said. Looking to the first he added, “Even if it is superstition, it might help us. And if its not,” he turned to the older Elf, “so much the better. We’re most interested in a place they might congregate.”

The young Elf snorted, crossing his arms, and the elder huffed. The third, though, shrugged. “We’re not sure where they go after they pass through Kalliagair,” he said. “They’re usually going north, though.”

“Thank you,” Andrew said. “Anything else?” The Elves shook their heads. They began dispersing even more, their curiosity about the strangers satisfied.

Peter joined Andrew and Anna. “Jarn said he’d stay put. He’s not too happy about it, though.”

“As long as he can put up with it for a little while,” Andrew said. “Let’s see what we can find.” He lead the way into Elven city, and the other two followed from behind.

Growing up, Anna had imagined Elf buildings as being carved or grown out of massive living trees, with no way to distinguish them from the surrounding forest. Even when she’d learned that wasn’t the case, she’d thought the cities would still feel as though they were combined with nature, a series of places built to accentuate the natural beauty, without marring it and with the same sort of natural trails she might find in the mountains, rather than real roads.

Kalligair was something between those images. The buildings were all small towers made of a dark yellow brown wood that matched the trees around them, and topped with red tiles that no doubt matched the leaves in fall. They were an odd shape, which Anna couldn’t make out at first. After a few minutes, though, she realized they were shaped like honeycomb. Gravel streets wound around the buildings. Some were as wide as any road, but many were only wide enough for two or three people to pass at a time. Their borders were marked out by patches of grass and flowers growing throughout the city. More than that, the forest really didn’t seem to end within the city boundaries. Tree’s sprung up between the buildings, and the path ran around most of them. As they moved, Anna got the sense that each building really had been placed where a tree had stood before.

Andrew asked one of the Elves they passed if he knew where the Wisps might be going. The Elf shook his head but pointed them down the road. “Not myself. Young Talil and Valad might know. They’ve always been interested in the Wisp migrations. Run a shop down that way.”

“Thank you,” Andrew said.

It didn’t take them long to find the place. Anna looked up at the building. It was the same sort of hexagonal tower as the others, rising three stories. The windows on the second floor were draped with flowers like the ones lining the gravel paths of the town, and over the main door was a sign that read: “Lil and Lad’s Carpentry Shop.” On the door was another sign welcoming them inside. Andrew opened the door and gestured for the others to enter.

A bell rung as the door closed behind them. Inside, the first floor was divided halfway across by a wall with a long cavity, through which Anna could make out the workshop. The entryway itself was stocked hand carved statues on one side and various artistic pieces of furniture on the other.

A figure appeared in the workshop a moment later. She was a short, slim Elf with curly hair, the same red as Sol’s, and red Doe eyes that lit up when she saw the group. “Oh, my! Welcome to my shop. Are you here for some of our custom crafted furniture? No, I see you’re from out of town. You must be here for a souvenir. Well, my big brother and I are the best carpenters in the whole Crimson Wood, so take your time and let me know if you see something you like!”

“We were actually hoping to talk to you,” Andrew said. The Elf girl deflated a bit at that. “We’re from the capitol, here to research Wisps,” he went on, and she was all smiles again. Before Andrew could say another word, the Elf started bouncing, a broad smile stretching over her face again.

“Oh, they’re fascinating, aren’t they? I go out to see them whenever they start migrating around the city again. We don’t get too close, of course. Wouldn’t want to get in there way. Still, We always like seeing them. Actually,” she reached down, to what Anna assumed would be a desk or table next to the wall cavity and pulled up a plat. As she set it down for them, Anna saw it was filled with a dozen or so small pastries with bright red jelly on them.

“A friend of mine makes these whenever the Wisps come by. Try some! They’re on the house.”

“Oh, they look good,” Peter said, stepping forward. He took one and popped it into his mouth. “They are good!” What is this jam?”

“Several different wild berries. My friend won’t tell me all of them. Secret recipe and all that. Do you two want any?” The Elf girl held the plate out for Andrew and Anna. Andrew shook his head, but Anna took one. The pastry was flaky and dense, like a biscuit, and it went well with the little dollop of Jam, which was sweater than honey, and a little tart.

“Thank you,” Andrew said. “Like I said, though, we’re researching them.”

“Right, right,” the Elf girl said. “How can I help?”

“We’d really like to know where they’re going,” Andrew said.

Again, her smile vanished, and she took the plate of sweets away. “You’re not the sort of people who just think Wisps are a problem and bad luck, are you?” she asked.

“Not at all,” Peter said, swallowing the rest of his Pastry all at once. “We know for a fact that at least one Wisp is very good luck. But the King and Queen think somethings going on with the Wisps. Maybe somebody is messing with them. It’s our job to find out.”

“Oh,” Lil said. “What do you mean ‘messing with them?’” she asked.

“Some bandits and rebels have been using them to terrorize people,” Andrew said.

“We encountered some bandits who told us someone offered to sell them Wisps,” Anna said, and Lil gasped in horror. “We want to help the Wisps, too, if we can.”

The Elf girl nodded. “Right. Well, my brother and I believe that ever since the Great Catastrophe, the Wisps travel around taking all the hardship from peoples hearts. They carry it themselves for a while, then release it in places where it won’t hurt anyone. If you get to close to them while they’re traveling, you might distract them, and take some of that hardship back. That’s why we think they’re good luck. If you see them, they’ve probably been working hard to make things better for you! Aren’t they great?”

“It’s definitely interesting,” Andrew answered her. “So do you believe the Wisps gather here to take the cities woes?”

Lil shook her head. “Oh, no. There’s something deeper in the forest that we think is one of the places they leave everyone’s troubles.”

“A specific place?” Andrew asked.

“I think so,” Lil said. “We don’t go there ourselves, though. Not on purpose.” She glanced at Peter. “We do know it’s dangerous to get so close to them while they’re working. And who knows what would happen if you stepped into the place where they’ve been leaving all that negativity for generations?”

“Nothing good?” Peter suggested.

“Nothing good.” Lil agreed.

“So you don’t know where it is then?”

Lil grinned. “Well, we did go looking for it, once. And I think we found it! An empty basin north east of the city with a shimmering tree.”

“A shining tree?” Andrew said. Lil nodded. “Thank you. We should go and see for ourselves, while the Wisps are here.”

“Oh, no!” Lil said. “You might disturb them!”

“We’ll be very careful,” Anna said. “More than anything, we want to make sure they haven’t been disturbed.” The young Elf looked very nervous. But she nodded and wished them well as the left her shop.

Anna found herself relaxing a little once they were outside. At least until Peter said, “So, we’ve just got to find this dumping ground of human misery now, don’t we?”

“I don’t think that’s really what the Wisps are doing,” Anna said. “You’ve felt Halcyon, right? It really seems like the Wisps are pouring out themselves.”

“Either way, we need to take a look at whatever they’re gathering for,” Andrew said. “I’m not sure I can tell which was is which in here, though. Do you think Halcyon could lead us there?” Andrew asked.

“Probably,” Anna began. Then it struck her, like a blow, that Halcyon and the other Wisps might leave to be around whatever this thing or place was they were going to. She felt the Wisp respond to her worry with a soothing warmth. A close warmth, as if he knew she was worried he would leave. Relieved, she tried to formulate the request for him to help. “More Wisps like you,” she whispered, trying to feel the request itself.

Halcyon’s warmth faded, replaced by a mild confusion. Anna tried again, but the Wisp didn’t respond. “He’s not understanding me,” she told the others.

Andrew shrugged. “Let’s see if we can find a wild one, then,” he said.

Of course it wouldn’t work, Anna thought to herself. She followed behind the other two as they navigated the streets out of town. She looked up at their backs. For all the time she’d spent studying the last few weeks, she felt just as useless out here in the field as before. Andrew had explained her mission. He’d been able to talk to the guards. And Peter. Well, he seemed able to do whatever he wanted. She could barely talk to the Wisp. She looked at her wrist and wondered if she would ever be able to communicate with Halcyon. Well, to communicate when her life wasn’t in danger, since nothing else seemed to make it through to him.

“Talk to me,” she whispered to the Wisp. She felt a warm pulse return and she focused on it as they continued into the woods.

It only took the trio a few steps to leave sight of Kalligair. The trees and shade swallowed up everything in every direction. Anna looked around, and realized she wasn’t at all certain if they’d made any turns since leaving the Elven city. “Um, guys,” she began. “How are we going to get back.”

“Following the trail,” Peter said, pointing to their feet. Anna looked down, and at first didn’t see anything like a trail. She was about to open her mouth to ask what it was, when she realized that a thin strip of dirt was running between the trees. It was uneven and rocky, but it was clear of leaves and grass, and the same flowers of the city grew on either side of it, albeit not so many or so neat as in town.

“I didn’t even notice them,” Anna muttered.

“Yeah, it’s not marked well,” Peter said. “Hopefully it will continue to whatever the Wisps are heading for so we can get back from there.”

“What if it doesn’t?” Anna asked.

Peter shrugged. “I can always try shouting for Jarnvaror.”

“I don’t think the Elves will be too happy about that,” Andrew said. “Or the Wisps, for that matter.

“Well, it won’t matter too much if we can’t find a Wisp to lead us,” Peter said.

“We’ve only been out here for a few minutes,” Andrew told him.

“And they might all be there already,” Anna muttered. She touched her bracelet again. “Come on, Halcyon. Help us find them.”

The soothing warm pulse from Halcyon quickened, curious again. Anna tried focusing on him. In her head, she conjured up an image of Wisps floating some way through the forest, with Halcyon following after them, and her and the others close behind. She held the image in her mind, hoping he would pick it up.

Her bracelet flashed blue, and a smoky ball of light appeared between the three travelers. The brothers both flinched as they turned around to see Halcyon. Then Peter grinned. “So is he going to lead us to—”

Before Peter could finish, Halcyon shot off the trail. The three stood, blinking after him for a moment. Then Anna started running after the Wisp. “Come on!” she called back to the others.

They scrambled through the brush only keeping pace because Halcyon would pause every few hundred feet and wait for Anna to catch up. She fell behind the others a few times, but they would always stop for her. “Keep going! I’ll catch up!” she said.

“We’d rather you not get lost in the middle of the woods,” Andrew said, just before Halcyon flew off again. Anna clenched her teeth, and she could feel, even from here, Halcyon responding to her frustration. She noticed he slowed down, but that only made it worse.

Several minutes later, the blue Wisp broke into a wide clearing. The trio followed and stopped. They ran into a wave influence from nearly a hundred Wisps all at once. Dozens swirled around the clearing and up in the leaves, glowing red and yellow and orange. Even with Halcyon dulling the affect for them, there seemed to be a weight over the forest here. Anna looked around. The Wisps were drifting in a great circle, passing from the left to right nearby. All around the clearing, she saw a few Wisps come, and others would leave, but she couldn’t make out any pattern.

“What are they doing?” Peter asked. “Is this some kind of dance?”

“I don’t know,” Anna said. “But I think it has to do with that.” She pointed down. The clearing was a basin, large enough for a small pond. No grass grew on the edges, and as the dirt sloped down it ran over a long flat stone. In the very center was a wide fountain, which had a small tree growing out of its center. The leaves of the tree changed colors to match those of the Wisps floating close to it.

“I guess we found their special place,” Andrew said.