Talon the Black (Dragonwall Series # 1)

Chapter 27 - Queen Jade of Esterpine

Esterpine

Claire trailed behind an envoy sent to escort them into the city. He had appeared shortly after their arrival at the large gate, almost startled them all as they gazed upwards.

"The Queen bids you welcome," he'd announced, surprising them. It was unclear how long he'd stood there watching them, waiting to be noticed.

He was not at all what she had expected. His midnight blue hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck. He wore nothing but a loin cloth and a sword, displaying luminescent markings that swirled and twisted across his pale skin. These elegant tattoos arranged themselves in all sorts of patterns, some similar to what she had seen across the walls of the gated doorway. A few crept up to his face, which was angularly shaped, framing two almond-shaped eyes, one blue and one green. The same shade of green as her own.

"My queen is most eager to meet you," he'd said, looking directly at Claire instead of the others. "Come, I am to bring you to her."

She had quickly closed her mouth and quit her gawking.

"This way," he added.

Jovari, Koldis, and Reyr said nothing as they followed behind her. She merely gave them a quick backward glance to ensure that they kept up, before returning her focus to the curiosities of the forest Sprite.

As he led them, she continued to watch him. It was a trial keeping her eyes where they belonged. He was far taller than was normal for a human, and he moved with effortless grace as his feet found all the correct places to step. Not a single sound came from his motions. Her companions, on the other hand, were louder. The dead foliage beneath their feet crunched noisily.

Her eyes closed briefly and reopened, expecting to see nothing more than cornfields, but the Sprite was still there, leading the way. The forest whispered around her, sending comforting thoughts. Everything was just as real as it had been moments before.

It was difficult to fathom. Things like this simply didn't happen. It was like she'd fallen asleep reading one of her many books and woken inside it.

The span of a few weeks was too short a time to digest the incomprehensible things that had happened. When she saw Cyrus fall from the sky, she didn't believe it. Dragons? Impossible. When she witnessed the Drengr shift, she thought she had seen everything magical that could possibly exist. But this? This forest was beyond comprehension. The Sprites who lived within were merely an extension of the vast ecosystem. Nothing was clearer as she watched her guide's markings pulse and glow brighter with each tree he recognized and every flower that greeted him.

She increased the pace of her limp, ignoring the fresh wave of pain it brought, and caught up with him. Just as she did, more Sprites appeared. Each was similar to the one leading them, but subtle differences were obvious. Few had blue hair, for instance. Yet they all had markings.

"Are your tattoos real?" The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop herself. What she really meant was, did he put them on his body, or were they something he was born with.

"My tattoos?" His voice was rich and musical.

"I mean...your markings," she said. More and more Sprites could be seen wondering the forest paths now. They all stopped to stare at the strangers moving through their midst.

"My markings are as real as the eyes I see with, or the feet I walk on." She frowned. He noticed. "They are my identity. Evidence of what I am. I am a Sprite of the forest. All Sprites bear their identities proudly."

"How do you get them to glow like that?"

"They glow of their own accord."

He seemed fond of short answers, and reluctant to give even that. So she slowed her pace and fell behind, gazing once more upon her surroundings. Only then did she notice the little houses that had materialized. These weren't normal, nor were they like the earthen cottages one might expect in a forest. They were adaptations to the world in which the Sprites lived.