Chapter 1

Sylvi 

The forest was quiet and still, but I could feel its pain as I quickly walked towards the small stream that separated it from the open plains. It had called me in my dreams and I woke up when the stars still shone and left my village to answer its call. I didn’t take much with me even if the journey was long, longer than I normally undertook, but I trusted the forest would provide me with everything I may need. It always cared for us and protected us from any harm, and we cared for all its children who lived under the green canopy we called our home.

I sang quietly as I walked, admiring the beauty of the forest that never stopped to amaze me, even if I had grown up surrounded by it. I knew so many songs that I always had something to sing even though my journey was long, but this time my voice was not as clear and cheerful as it used to be. I could feel the pain of the forest in my heart and even if I tried to separate myself from it, it was difficult. Never before had I felt its hurt so strongly, and on a few occasions, it overwhelmed me so much that I lost my centre and let a thorny vine leave a bloody mark on my ankle. I fought against the feeling as much as I could, but the closer I came to the place where the forest wanted me to be, the more difficult it became. In the end, I just accepted it and started to cry as I walked, letting the thorns dig deeply into my skin with every step I took.

I was close enough to smell the smoke, and as I stepped into the groove, I saw the charred tree stumps standing where soft, white flowers used to bloom in the spring.

Fire wasn't uncommon during the summer months, but this one felt different. Somehow, it wasn’t normal, even if I couldn't say why. For the first time in my life, I felt fear entering my heart, bringing a shadow of doubt with it. Would the forest protect me this time?, I wondered as I stepped into the groove, the charred leaves crunching underneath my feet.

Was this the place where the forest wanted me to come?, I thought, feeling the dread creeping up my spine. How was I supposed to heal this? It would take years before this place would come back to how it used to be. There was so much death and destruction that none of my songs would bring harmony to this place. But what else could I do?

I gathered my courage to sing when a wave of hate and fear hit me so strongly that I almost fell to the ground. Only then did I see her. A white unicorn covered in blood, entangled in the branches of the half-burnt trees that had tried to deny her access into the forest. She was dying. I could see an arrow piercing her white body, tearing deep into her flesh. She felt me coming and looked in my direction. Her eyes were wide open and filled with flames as she called the last of her power, wishing for the fire to consume all the life it could touch, including her own. So that’s how the fire had started, I thought.

I called her in the language of my people, and she stopped and looked at me again, understanding that I was not her enemy and wished her no harm. She smiled, but it was not a pleasant smile you would use to greet a friend, it was a dark smile of triumph when you realize that against all odds you had won.

“What trouble brings you to me, my child?” She greeted me formally, as her race always did, and I recognized her voice as the one I’d once heard when I was a little girl.

“Sara, is that you…?” I asked, surprised, but she ignored my question and said, “Sing for me, my child, and heal my wounds. I come from afar to offer counsel to your people.”

I put my hands on her and sang quietly, wishing for harmony to enter her body as she stood there in silence, waiting for me to finish. I don’t know what she saw when I sang, but I will never forget the death and destruction that my song showed me. I could never have imagined that any living being could be so hurt. It was not the wounds that covered her body that scared me so much, but her heart. When I tried to heal it, she moved away.

“Thank you, child, it is enough. I am well enough to bring my counsel to your people.”

I was taken aback by her words, as no one ever refused to be healed, but I stayed silent.
Like everyone else, my people had a deep respect for the Peace Bringers even if they rarely came to our forest, and their wishes were considered an unspoken law that held our world safe.

We started to walk back, and I hoped I could sing for her again when we took a break in our journey and rested, but despite her wounds, she never stopped. I admired her determination, even if seeing her suffering made me sad. She really was as selfless as her race was believed to be, always putting the needs of others before their own.

I walked silently beside her, trying to ignore my own discomfort. The few cuts I had were nothing compared to how she felt. I had so many questions to ask, but something in her demeanor made me keep them to myself. She was so different from the last time I’d met her. Back then, she’d spent hours surrounded by all the kids, telling us stories and answering our questions, no matter how silly they were. But that time she hadn’t come to bring us her words of wisdom.

I had never heard of a unicorn coming to our forest with their counsel. Maybe it had happened before, and the Bards knew a song about it, but if they did, they had never sung it to anyone.