IV

Unfortunately, the woods began to transition into a birch grove. They looked no different from Icelandic birches, but Elanor was so anxious that their slim silhouettes were uneasy on her eyes - like bare bones sticking out of the ground. Their leaves just started to sprout as if in these lands it was the season of spring. Elanor could not stop feeling tense walking deeper into the grove; it was known that even in a regular human birch woods, it was easy to lose your way. Here, in this foreign world, she anticipated danger from any direction.

I can see the skies now. I should climb another tree and look around again.

Birches were too short for that purpose, so Elanor decided she would keep walking until she could find something taller, with branches low enough to reach and pull herself up. Her feet hurt from walking for so long, her heart was heavy, but it took a long while until she saw, rising among the ghostly birch crowns, stood a massive ispolin of a tree. 

Many human minds succumb if left too long without a goal or without understanding when their struggles may be nearing an end. Elanor could almost cry from exhaustion, and the endless wandering with no aim was especially torturous. She ignored defeatist thoughts once again, simply because there was absolutely no time to entertain them. 

There was no way to tell if the tree could be reached tonight, but inspired by having an objective, she ventured forth. Whispers were flying around from time to time, the wind was bringing various scents, like the common aroma of fresh grass, notes of melting snow, and sometimes peculiar ones that Elanor could only try to describe using colours or sounds. 

Gentle ringing was reaching the girl's ears, as if crystal bells trembled from a different area every time. When the sweet singing of the fiddle joined in, Elanor slowed down and hesitantly came to a stop. 

If this is what I think it is, I'd better stay away. The Elvish fiddle is said to make you want to dance forever, not stopping until you fall dead. Maybe, if only I look from afar...

Later, she would try to excuse her decision to search for Lumi, but deep down, the girl knew her curiosity got the best of her, as it always did. Elanor closed her ears with her pointer fingers and headed to where the lantern lights danced in tune with magical music she could no longer hear. Very pleased with herself, Elanor closed the distance with the lantern-lit area, staying rogue behind some hazel bushes.

As soon as she peeked from her hideout, the most vibrant scene bloomed in front of her eyes, and all sorts of colours and smells overwhelmed her senses. Multiple figures, elvish and human, spun and whirled while galloping at scary speed. They formed a ballroom-like circle and surrounded a quartet of musicians. On the edge of the clearing stood a couple of tables with whimsical dinnerware, glasses, and many carafes with drinks.

One of them, a female-looking fae dressed in what looked like shadows with long arms covered in scales, was playing flute. Next to her, a massive toad with a necklace of golden bells was ringing them by inflating their vocal sac. To their left, a sad-looking long-faced creature with a button in place of one of his eyes was playing the fiddle, while a dwarven-sized individual was banging a small drum with their solid workman hands.

One of the dancers, who was now so close to Elanor that she could see he had a beak of a bird on an otherwise human face, swung their partner in a passionate, wild spin, and sparks exploded from the rock caught underneath her hooves. 

Startled, Elanor flinched aside and pushed into the bush, disturbing the branches. A massive amount of moths spilled out of it and into the air. Elanor could not resist the instinct to cover her face, and the second her ears were left unprotected, she lost the ability to control her limbs entirely. 

It was grotesque: she was still fully aware and lucid, having to helplessly witness her own legs carrying the rest of her to join the bacchanalia. Young-looking human woman danced nearby, her smile wicked and her pupils so dilated, there was no chance to say what colour they were. 

Probably drunk on faery wine... Stupid, how could you possibly let yourself get caught in this trap that you guessed a kilometer away?! Think! Please, think!-

Elanor frantically tested idea after idea: reaching the ground to grab some soil with the intent to plug her ears with it was impossible due to uncooperative hands; continuing dancing and trying to control the direction of movement failed for similar reasons. Praying, yelling how she would like to bargain, and begging the ensemble to stop playing didn't work either. She even checked if maybe any other mushroom rings were in this clearing.

If only I had some iron on me-

The terrifying rhythm of music was as irresistible as being in the thick of a flood; saving her mind from diving into it required some desperate effort. It's been Elanor's sixth lap around the merry band, her eyes met the empty stare of the same drunk woman; her movements so rigid, so human in contrast with the fluid motions of her partner. Human...

Elanor bit into her tongue so hard that pain exploded in her mouth and began pulsating, distracting her from the music, but, most importantly, she could taste blood, welcoming its iron flavour. Immediately, not losing any time, Elanor plugged her ears as hard as she could and lunged as fast as her shaking legs allowed away from the meadow. 

Dashing past the food corner, something white caught her eye, and in disbelief, unable to stop running, she turned back to see her dog tied to a tree with his leash. Fueled by adrenaline, fear, pain, and triumph, Elanor returned at full speed and almost whailed, realising her predicament. She needed her hands to free Lumi, and opening her ears to the music was too risky, especially after she noticed with the corner of her eye a tall moss-covered fae with wings walking in their direction.

In a desperate gamble, Elanor freed her hands, grabbed a copper fruit tray and the closest copper goblet, and slammed them together above her head, trying to produce a bang loud enough to make her temporarily, she hoped, lose hearing. Lumi jerked away, startled, but Elanor, through the ringing in her ears, untied his leash and tugged him to follow; they both broke into a run.