Chapter 25: Succession

  Corin and Nanaua spent five days navigating the outskirts of the forest with the forest elves. During this time, they tended to their wounds and attempted to evade both Baltro and any remnants of the Zifors.

  Nanaua had healed quite quickly after their encounter. Corin's face was still swollen, and his bruises over his body ached, but he fared better.

  “Corin, Nanaua, come,” Geta urged the two on a cold morning.

  They followed the forest elf outside. He was gathered with the rest of the forest elves. Their silence was so pervasive that Corin could not help but forget that they were not merely moving trees.

  “We have news from the main camp,” Geta said with a slight hint of enthusiasm.

  “Are they safe?” Nanaua asked. “Is the Onsiel safe?”

  “They were attacked,” Geta replied. He did attempt to deliver the news with some tact. Corin's heart began to race.

  “But your friends all survived.”

  “Do you have more information on the assailant?” Nanaua followed up.

  “The description matches that of the one who attacked you. A dragoor in a large robe. This attacker was able to slip unnoticed into the camp in the dead of night. He reached the Onsiel and was able to restrain her. It seems he used a toxin to paralyze her body.”

  “What happened then?” Nanaua shouted at Geta.

  “Nanaua let’s finish hearing the story,” Corin tried to calm her down.

  “We are still being given details about the encounter. We have others in the camp we need to hear from as well,” Carella interjected. His tone was not very pleasant.

  “The assailant was nearly out of the camp with the Onsiel before your friend the ape-man noticed the doors to her wagon were open. He saw the fleeing figure and shot him. It seems your friend is very accurate,” Geta added.

  “But the Onsiel is safe?” Nanaua followed. “Is she still affected by the toxin?”

  “No, the forest elves were able to create an antitoxin. It took several days for the toxin to clear her body, but your Onsiel is no longer under its effects.”

  “Do we know of the other two? You mentioned that only eight approached the armed wagon. Do you know where the others might be? Do you know if any survived the encounter with Baltro?” Nanaua asked.

  “No, communicating with and through the trees is still difficult after Baltro's rampage,” Geta replied.

  “Damn,” Corin sighed.

  “These killers on your trail truly were fierce,” Galba interjected.

  Nanaua looked at him.

  “They are fierce.”

  ***

  Several days of maneuvers around the forest elapsed as the decoy caravan tried to meet up with the main group. Various attempts at making a straight-line approach were interrupted by outbursts from Baltro. Both groups were cautious not to attract attention from any surviving Zifors, and no contact with them came.

  It was on the middle of the fifth day that both groups reunited.

  Nanaua ran to Zhi, who did not seem too troubled by the fact that she was almost abducted.

  “I knew one of you would find me,” she said with a smile.

  The first thing that happened when Corin approached Livia was a thorough examination from head to toe to see if there was anything that she had to take care of.

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  “How is it that you keep getting into one-on-one fights with these trained killers?” Livia asked him, exasperated.

  “I might have an answer to that. This killer had a message for me,” Corin replied.

  “Really? What was it?” Livia asked with concern.

  “The killer told me, ‘This is what happens when you don't listen to your wife.’”

  “Oh, Corin!” Livia said as she nudged him in the ribs. She

  embraced her husband. The two of them held each other for long. Corin could not remember the last time he had been separated from Livia for this long.

  “I’m happy to have you back,” she said.

  “We'll weather the storm together,” Corin replied.

  “There he is!” Simeon said as he looked at Corin.

  The old ape-man and Corin embraced in a tight hug.

  “That plan of yours was really something.”

  “Yes, but it nearly cost us Nanaua and myself our lives. And Ciba…” Corin began but got choked up.

  “Corin, I understand his loss weighs heavily on you, but this is war. We have seen many dead, some by our hand. Casualties are a part of this,” Simeon added.

  Corin nodded as he tried to compose himself.

  “What about the other forest elves? How did they react to the news?”

  “Their reaction was unlike any I had seen. Before we even knew what had occurred, all the forest elves began to sing,” Livia said.

  “They sang?” Corin asked confused.

  “Yes, it was quite beautiful. We were later told that they sing so that the spirits of the forest are aware that a new member is joining them,” Simeon said.

  “Now that you are here and all the forest elves are together, they will hold a special ceremony tonight. The new leader of the thicket will be officially announced,” Livia added.

  “Really? I was not aware,” Corin replied.

  “But there is much to do before then. Tomorrow, we continue to Yranto, and many preparations are needed,” Simeon added.

  “How far are we from Yranto?” Corin asked.

  “Despite all our maneuvering, we actually ended up where we wanted to be,” Simeon replied. “Now we only need to continue northwest out of the forest, and we should arrive there within ten days. So, no time to waste.”

  ***

  It was dark. The only light came from a lit pyre around which all members of the thicket, including Corin and company, sat.

  Amidst the flames of the pyre was a solitary figure. Ciba's body, which had been recovered in the midst of all the chaos, appeared peaceful amidst the dancing flames. Ciba's exterior contrasted with the image that Corin had burned in his mind’s eye of Ciba's last moments. The look of horror as the Kishtro’s blade pierced him. All because he had agreed to a plan that Corin had devised.

  Still, Corin chanted along with the other forest elves. Their song, a celebration of the departed forest elf’s life, sounded joyful. There were no words, rhythmic joyful chanting was all that could be heard. It was the tradition of the forest elves not to show sorrow when one of their thicket members died. Corin had tried his best to abide by that tradition, but it was not easy. His heart ached for the death of the forest elf. He had only known him for several days, but through it all Ciba had been a gracious host to Corin and the others. He treated them with a kindness that is rarely reserved for strangers, and it had cost him his life.

  After the chanting concluded, Geta, Carella, and Oba all rose in unison. As they did, the forest elves began to rhythmically tap on the ground.

  Oba knelt in front of the burning Ciba, and behind her stood Geta and Carella. Oba reached into the burning pyre, to Ciba's hands. She did not react to the hot flames as she pulled from Ciba’s hands a burning object.

  This must be the seed from the elder tree.

  The elder tree, Corin had learned, was the oldest tree in the forest. He had been told that its seed was necessary for the ritual. He did not know its seed was almost as large as Corin's balled-up fist.

  As Geta and Carella chanted, Oba grabbed the fiery seed and ingested it. Once the act was complete, Geta and Carella put a crown of flowers on Oba’s head, and she rose.

  The forest elves’ rhythmic thumping on the ground continued.

  Carella addressed the crowd,

  “Let the forest know there is a new leader of our thicket.”

  He turned toward Oba. She nodded toward him and Geta, who both sat down amidst the crowd.

  “Family,” Oba began, “this forest has been home to our thicket far beyond what any of us can remember. Millennia before Ciba was born, those from whom we sprouted had already made peace with the land. The ground beneath our feet knows this. It recognizes us, knows our history, and guides us as we seek our place in this forest. The ground speaks to us in many ways. It does so directly, through the roots that touch our feet, through the trees that shape the path ahead of us, but also indirectly through the wind, the aromas that waft through the air, and through subtle changes. It is the responsibility of the thicket leader to interpret these signs and guide all of us in our response.”

  “Before the Onsiel and her kin arrived, Ciba brought me to the Xulte crater,” Oba said.

  Corin could feel the bodies of the forest elves around him stiffen. He did not know the significance but understood that something about this revelation was important.

  “Ciba said things I could not understand at the time. But now as I stand here, I see what he meant.” Oba said as she looked at Zhi. “‘The forest foresees many changes. A small ripple upstream is affecting many currents. A leaf caught in this current will come to us. Please help guide them, for its destination will impact all of us.’”

  The eyes of the forest elves turned toward Zhi and the rest of them.

  Corin looked at the burning pyre, at Ciba's body. Oba’s revelation produced mixed emotions in Corin.

  Did you know about your fate?

  “When Ciba said this to me, our guests were still far from us, and I could not understand the word’s meaning. Ciba was not just wise, he was enigmatic. I thought his words were the words of an aging tree elf, but I see it was not just that. I could not see it at the time, but Ciba knew the world had changed,” Oba said as she looked at Zhi.

  “Onsiel, will you and your companions join me?”

  Zhi looked at Nanaua and the rest of them and nodded. Corin got up with the rest and walked toward Oba.

  They stood facing the thicket. Corin did not know what was happening. All he had been told about the ceremony had been what had transpired. No mention was made of them asked to participate.

  “Onsiel, this thicket has provided you and yours shelter. As such, you are now considered to be members of the thicket. Do you accept our gift to mark you and yours as friends of the forest?” Oba asked.

  “What does that entail?” Zhi asked.

  “A small figure will be painted on the inside of your left wrist. The ink used for this will mark your skin for the rest of your life. The application will hurt, but this marking will show others that you are a friend of the forest,” Oba said.

  Zhi looked at the others, who all nodded.

  The first to volunteer was Zhi. She presented her arm, and Nurva walked up to her. He chewed on a black fruit and dabbed the secretion on the end of a small sharp stick. He began to puncture Zhi's skin with small pricks of the dabbed stick leaving behind small blots of ink. Zhi's face showed slight hints of pain at the procedure. It did not take long for him to finish. He then moved on to Nanaua and completed the same procedure. She did not show any reaction to the pain. Livia showed the most discomfort. Simeon seemed curious throughout the ordeal about what was being put on his skin. The fur on his arm made it difficult for him to see the design.

  Corin was last.

  He looked as Nurva effortlessly blotted his skin with the ink. The pricks were painful, but compared to what he had endured recently, it was nothing. The figure painted on him was a simple triangle with three lines originating from the center of the base spreading away from the triangle.

  “This symbol has been passed down to us by the forest. Anyone marked by them is recognized as a friend of the forest and as such is expected to help the forest when it cries out for help, but you can expect help from the forest in your time of need.”

  Corin looked at his wrist.

  How will I know when a forest cries for help?