The Road Home

They spent the next day asleep beneath Elindra’s anxious gaze. She changed their bandages and cleaned the wounds the potions had not fully healed.

A day and a half later, they finally woke. They had recovered well, though they were still sore from the battle. Yet there was no time to let their guard down. They had to prepare for the real threat: the dark spirits of Faelwenor.

Silas sat up in bed and looked at Leyade beside him. There was no other bed, so they had been obliged to share.

“We’re feeling better now...” he began nervously.

Still drowsy, Leyade nodded.

“I think it’s time I told you a story.” His smile was playful, but clearly a front. “Many, many lunar cycles ago, a village beyond the great forests faced a terrible danger. Its spirit had gone mad and was attacking the settlement. A young man went to seek help from a seeker who had arrived in search of promising pupils and chosen him as an apprentice.”

Silas paused briefly.

“The mage investigated and discovered that a dark spirit had corrupted the village’s guardian. The apprentice tried to reason with it, but that achieved nothing. Then he tried to fight it, but he couldn’t. His master explained that such spirits could only be fought with a ramal. The boy wanted to find one, but the mage stopped him. He said they had all disappeared, that no more could be made, and that the best thing to do was leave the village.”

He paused.

“But...”

His fists tightened.

Leyade laid a hand over one of them. Silas looked at her and took a breath.

“We weren’t quick enough. The spirit went on a rampage and destroyed the village.”

Horrified, Leyade sat up and covered her mouth, bearing the lingering ache.

“Very few survived. Three mages my master summoned from the capital eventually sealed the spirit away, but the damage was done.”

The ranger watched him sadly, stroking his hand with her thumb.

“That’s terrible, Silas...” she murmured. “That’s why you felt that way when you saw me.”

So much made sense now.

He nodded slowly.

“What did you do afterwards?” she asked.

“I went to the capital with my master. Studied magic in the Order...” He touched his medallion wistfully. “Became a seeker for the Crown. Well, I was supposed to...” He laughed.

Leyade looked at him curiously.

“Supposed to?”

“Yes. Technically, I set out to prepare for my appointment as a seeker. But while I was travelling in search of answers about the ramals, I found Kalneria, and with it...” He paused, glancing at the little bed where Elindra slept soundly with a first-aid kit clutched in her claws. “She found me while watching over the Veil. We became friends, and thanks to her, I entered Liarieth and learnt more than ever before. Together, we’ve travelled to extraordinary places. I’ve met spirits who taught me about their nature, how to deal with them and how to prevent it happening again.”

Silas was silent for a few moments before looking back at Leyade.

“At first, I only meant to accompany you and make sure the ramal was in good hands. If it wasn’t, I intended to take it from you,” he confessed, ashamed. “But after a while, all I wanted was to go with you and help you save what I couldn’t.”

Leyade watched him silently as he continued.

“I want you to succeed, Leyade. I want to see you destroy those dark spirits with my own eyes.”

His fists tightened in anger. Then he sighed and looked at her.

“I want you to count on us. On me. I’ll help you... always.”

His smile was sincere.

“This journey wasn’t meant to last so long, but I’ve learnt so much that I’ve lost track of time.” He sighed and glanced at Elindra. “Sooner or later, though, it’ll end, and we’ll each go our own way...”

With a tender smile, Leyade carefully slipped her arms around his neck.

“It doesn’t have to,” she whispered. “And even if it does, it doesn’t have to happen the way fate decides.”

She rested her head on his unbandaged shoulder.

“You’re persuasive enough to sell water to naiads. I’m sure you’ll find a way for the journey to continue. Just differently.”

Silas smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Thank you, Leyade...” He paused. “For everything.”

The days passed quickly. Silas and Leyade deciphered the book and trained together from dawn until dusk. Elindra contributed everything she knew and, alongside Silas, helped Leyade understand Kalindra better and learn to use its abilities.

Elindra also sparred with her, making the most of her small size and agility. If Leyade could hit Elindra, she could hit anyone.

Leyade improved quickly, driven by determination. She fell and got up again countless times, grew frustrated, gave up and returned just as often. But this time, she did not judge herself for it. She accepted it and, with Silas and Elindra’s support, kept going.

All three worked tirelessly. Silas spent sleepless nights deciphering the book. Elindra supported Leyade at every turn. And Leyade, of course, trained even when she should have been sleeping and thought nobody could see her.

Their friendship, their support for one another and the thought of returning to Faelwenor helped her grow until, at last, the day came when she was ready.

“Well, Leyade,” Silas began, watching her finish a training session with Kalindra. “We’ve officially finished deciphering the book.”

With great solemnity, he closed the volume and offered it to her along with the transcription.

Leyade sheathed Kalindra and approached him.

“Really?”

She took the book proudly and gazed at it for a few moments. Then she seemed to remember something.

“Silas, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. A while ago, I had a very strange dream.”

Silas looked at her curiously.

“A dream?”

“Yes. I was in a lake, and there was a golden light on the other side. It was calling my name, and when I finally reached it, it told me to open my eyes.” Leyade frowned slightly. “I don’t know what it was, but it didn’t feel like an ordinary dream.”

Silas was silent for a few moments.

“Where did it happen?”

Leyade thought for a moment.

“In Liarieth.”

Silas raised his eyebrows slightly.

“That makes sense.”

“It does?”

“Liarieth has a special connection to the dream world. It’s possible that, while you were sleeping there, you and Kalindra managed to attune to one another in your dreams.”

Leyade looked down at the sword.

“So that light was Kalindra?”

“I can’t say for certain,” Silas replied. “But if it was, that’s a good sign. It would mean your bond was already beginning to grow stronger back then.”

Leyade gazed at Kalindra’s hilt for a few seconds before smiling.

“So we’d been learning to understand each other for longer than I thought...”

Her smile widened, and she threw herself into Silas’s arms.

“At last! At last! I’m finally ready!”

Elindra flew straight out of the cottage window to hug her. The three of them remained in an excited embrace.

“So, when do we leave?” Silas asked, smiling as Leyade and Elindra spun around in delight.

Leyade stopped and looked at him.

“Tomorrow,” she declared with unwavering determination.

His smile broadened.

“All right. I’ll make the preparations,” he replied cheerfully. “But first, food!”

Silas spent much of the day out, buying provisions and everything else they needed. Meanwhile, Leyade leaned at the upstairs window of his cottage, contemplating the sunset.

Then she remembered something.

She took out the small metal box the tree creature had left behind. Until now, she had not stopped to open it. Training and learning to use Kalindra had excited her so much that she had thought of little else.

Carefully, she opened it.

Inside lay a seed on a small bed of surprisingly clean soil.

She examined it curiously, then noticed an inscription inside the box. It was so worn that she could barely make it out, but a few words remained legible:

“...the light of a new day...”

Leyade read them over and over, trying to understand their meaning.

She could make nothing of it.

Even so, she carefully closed the box and put it away. She did not know what the seed was or why the creature had kept it, but perhaps it would prove useful one day.

Then she looked outside again.

She could hardly believe the moment had finally come. The day she had longed for was just around the corner, so close she could almost brush it with her fingertips.

A smile spread across her lips.

At last, she could fight. At last, she could help. At last, she was going home to Faelwenor.

Determination shone in her eyes as her fingers closed around her pendant.

“Wait just one more day. I’ll be there soon.”

They went to bed early that night. Elindra had spent dinner asking about Faelwenor, the elves and Leyade’s family, until her excitement at visiting the elf’s home finally gave way to sleep.

Silas and Leyade went to bed a little later, once everything was ready. But one of them could not sleep.

Nervous, Leyade kept tossing and turning.

“Leyade, stop moving. You’re keeping me awake,” Silas complained drowsily beside her.

“Sorry,” she whispered.

He sighed and turned towards her.

“Can’t sleep?”

His loose hair lay tangled across the pillow as he peered sleepily at Leyade on the other side of the mattress.

She shook her head. Her white hair was equally tousled, spilling across the bed.

“I can’t drift off,” she admitted, meeting his eyes. “I’m nervous and excited. Every time I’m about to fall asleep, I start going through everything I need to do, or thinking about how I’ll make my entrance, or imagining the elders trying to remember my name, or...”

She continued, swept into one of the endless speeches that overtook her whenever her nerves sent her thoughts spiralling.

Silas watched drowsily with an expression that seemed to say, ‘I only asked whether you could sleep.’

He sighed and turned fully towards her, propping himself slightly on one arm.

“I could help you sleep, if you like,” he whispered, his voice rough with drowsiness.

Slight curls fell across his amber eyes, lit by moonlight from the window. His gaze held hers as he moved closer until only a few centimetres separated their faces.

“I know the perfect way...” he added with a mischievous smile, reaching out to cup her cheek.

His closeness made Leyade increasingly nervous. She could feel his warmth, their breaths mingling.

Nobody had ever made her an offer like that.

Her heart raced, and heat flooded her cheeks. Without looking away, she whispered his name.

“S-Silas...”

Silas gathered magical energy and stroked her cheek without a word.

Leyade, who had been on the verge of boiling over, suddenly felt exhaustion wash through her. Her eyelids grew heavier as sleep crept over her, until she could no longer resist. Her eyes closed, and she sank into a deep slumber.

Silas smiled tenderly, kissed her forehead and carefully tucked her in.

“Sleep well, little one.”

The next morning, Leyade was still confused about the night before. She kept casting thoughtful glances at him.

What had happened?

She should have stopped him, or at least made a joke. But she had not. Quite the opposite.

She had wanted it to happen...

Her cheeks flushed again. She shook her head vigorously.

“No. It can’t be!”

Elindra, sitting beside her at the table, watched with an expression somewhere between amusement and mischief.

“Perhaps you should think about facing your feelings for...”

Before she could finish, Leyade covered her snout with one hand and began tickling her.

“Facing what?” she asked, narrowing her eyes threateningly.

Elindra looked up at her with crocodile tears.

“I take it back! I take it back!”

Leyade released her and smiled.

“Good girl.”

She finished her breakfast tea and stood up to begin the journey.

Thanks to Silas teleporting them to a nearby city, the journey to Faelwenor took a week.

As they approached its borders, Leyade paused to savour the forest’s scent. She touched the trees, greeted the animals and smelt the dew-damp flowers.

Without rushing or lingering, she guided her companions along the winding, well-concealed paths. In Faelwenor, only those who lived in harmony with the forest could recognise the pattern and find their way through.

It was nothing like Kalneria.

There was no magic behind it.

It was botany.

As they drew closer, Leyade’s heart beat faster. A knot tightened in her stomach. She breathed deeply to steady her trembling hands.

Silas rested a hand on her shoulder and met her gaze firmly, offering his support. Elindra placed a claw on her other shoulder and nodded.

Leyade smiled and touched each of their hands before taking another deep breath and continuing.

A few metres further on, the smell of sulphur, smoke and fire filled her nose. Coughing, she took out a handkerchief and covered her mouth and nose.

She looked up.

Enormous black columns rose from the forest.

Horrified, she broke into a run. Silas and Elindra hurried after her until they reached a stretch of woodland that had been completely burnt. Where beautiful fields of flowers and ancient trees had stood, only devastation remained.

Leyade stared around her in disbelief.

This was the approach to the village.

Holding back tears, she ventured further. Her footsteps marked the ash blanketing the ground. Here and there, small animals—squirrels and birds—lay dead and burnt. They had tried to escape, but failed.

Her frown deepened.

“There are houses over there!” Elindra cried, pointing.

“The rangers’ cottages!”

Leyade ran to one and went inside to check for anyone trapped there. The outer walls were charred, but luckily, the interior was not too badly damaged. Best of all, it was empty.

She sighed in relief.

“No one’s here...”

Silas followed.

“The one next door is empty too,” he reassured her from the doorway. “They’ve probably evacuated everyone.”

Leyade nodded.

“I hope so.”

She looked around the empty cottage, tightened her grip on Kalindra’s hilt and stepped outside.

Against all expectations, the rest of the village was almost untouched, though desolate and deserted. Her neighbours’ houses, the meeting hall, the temple, her own home... Everything was just as she remembered.

Melancholy settled over her face.

She approached the meeting hall in search of someone, pushed the doors wide and hurried towards the elders’ chamber.

Then she stopped before its door, frozen.

Now that she was here, she could not enter.

All the doubts she had shut away in her mind burst out at once.

She breathed deeply.

Would they be there?

Would they be waiting for her?

Had she come in time?

Was she... ready?