The Children of When (Complete)

Chapter 25 - The Forever Forest

Belle's heart skipped a beat as they stepped out from beneath the canopy of trees into a sunlit wonderland of lush, green grass surrounding a crystal-clear lake. Graceful old weeping willows grew around the lake's edges, their long branches creating ripples where they trailed in the water.

Small houses were set back further into the trees; in fact, some of them looked like they'd actually been carved out of the trees themselves. The inhabitants were all dressed in various shades of brown and green, making it hard to see what they were doing. They seemed to blend into the scenery, and then suddenly pop up somewhere else. Most of them had stopped what they were doing to stare, whispering to each other and pointing in their direction.

Belle was wondering whether she'd suddenly grown another head, when Lyricus walked up beside her.

"They're not used to seeing children. All children are removed at birth and when they graduate from the Fey Academy, they are apprenticed, according to their talents or Gifts, to an adult willing to take them on and share their knowledge." Lyricus chuckled at the look of shock on Belle's face. "How is it you are unaware of this? All students are told this at the Fey Academy, or at least they were when I was there."

"We only arrived in Florisia a week ago. We haven't even had time to learn how to control our Gifts yet. I guess I hadn't thought to ask what happens after graduation, but then we have had a few more urgent matters to deal with in the last week. How long ago did you leave the Fey Academy?"

"I graduated last year and was fortunate enough to be apprenticed to the Commander of the Forever Forest Rangers." He really had the most amazing green eyes she'd ever seen.

"So how far is it to where the Oracle lives?"

Lyricus pointed towards the end of the meadow. Belle's eyes followed his pointing hand, and widened. What she had assumed was a misty shroud hanging in the air at the end of the meadow, was actually spray from a magnificent waterfall. The water cascaded from somewhere behind the tops of the trees, plunging into the lake at its feet.

* * *

Belle's legs felt like they were made out of rubber. They had been steadily climbing since leaving the meadow, moving from one timber suspension bridge to the next. With a sigh of relief, she realised they had finally reached the gates marking the entrance to the home of the Oracle. The horses had been left contentedly grazing at the bottom of the bridge, following Lyricus' assurance they'd be perfectly safe.

She looked down and instantly regretted it, her head spinning and her stomach heaving as her legs buckled and she sunk to the ground. Combined with the voice still whispering in her head, Belle had to fight not to empty the contents of her stomach right there and then. Leah and Raff were beside her in seconds.

She shooed them away with a feeble laugh. "I'm fine. I just made the dumb mistake of looking down." Holding onto the guard rope, she pulled herself to her feet, willing her rubbery legs to behave and the voice in her head to go away.

They followed Lyricus into what appeared to be a large meeting hall. The walls were covered in colourful tapestries depicting elves at work, rest and play. Each one was big enough to cover the entire floor of her bedroom. She marvelled at the fine workmanship, wondering how long it must have taken to complete just one.

Sunlight poured into the room through the glass roof, reflecting off the smooth opaque tiles and lighting up the tapestries, giving the impression the characters were alive. Finely carved wooden chairs were arranged in random groups beneath the tapestries, as if they had only recently been vacated.

But it was the sight of the old man, sitting regally in the centre of the room, that rendered Belle speechless. She knew he must be the Oracle, from the deference those around him showed. The old man smiled when he saw them in the doorway, his eyes twinkling as they met hers. He beckoned to them to come forward, and Belle found her eyes fixed on the hand exactly the same colour as her own.

"Welcome to the Forever Forest my friends. Please, come and join me. I received a message from my dear friend, Madame Persimmons, only a short while ago, to say you were on your way. She sent it as soon as you had left the Fey Academy. Please know that you are safe here in my home, well away from prying eyes and ears." He spoke in a surprisingly strong clear voice. He looked so old and frail; Belle had expected his voice to sound the same.

The pounding in her head was getting worse, the whispering growing more persistent every minute. It was impossible to concentrate on anything. She needed it to stop, before she went insane!

"Can you please tell us what's going on? Who is Serena the Great Elf Mother, and why is her voice in my head?" She burst out in desperation, the stunned looks on everyone's faces making her wish she'd resisted the urge.

The Oracle was clearly agitated by this outburst. "What is this? What do you mean her voice is in your head?" To Belle's relief, Leah squeezed her hand and stepped forward.

"I'm sorry sir, Belle's a bit stressed at the moment. You see, we'd only just worked out the voice she'd been hearing in her head was actually coming from this book she always carries with her. And then Lyricus and the others came out of nowhere, and were rabbiting on something about coming in answer to the call. Anyway, I think maybe the voice in Belle's head, and the voice that sent out this call, both belong to this Serena person. Have you ever seen this book before?" Leah stepped closer and handed the Oracle the book.

"No. I have never seen this before." He opened the book and turned a few pages. He looked at them in surprise. "Why are there are no words written on the pages?"

Belle sighed, and stepped up beside Leah. "I was given the book as a gift over a year ago. There were no words in it then either, I just sort-of kept it as a good luck charm. But it's never spoken to me before today. In fact, it only started after we entered the forest."

The Oracle looked at Belle with understanding dawning in his eyes, and a smile hovered at the edge of his wrinkled mouth. "Aaahh. That would suggest to me that perhaps the book recognises the forest as its home. But how is it you can hear the voice, when no-one else does?"

Belle shrugged. "Maybe it has something to do with being able to communicate with animals? I only found out a couple of days ago I could do that too."

The Oracle stood up from his chair, his old face lighting up with excitement. "Blessings child, this explains why you can hear Serena's voice! We assumed the Gift had died with her. So it seems you not only have Serena's book, but also her blood flowing through your veins. Welcome home!"

Belle's legs were shaking so badly, she abruptly sat down on the ground. The voice in her head had lost its hysterical tone, and settled back into a gentle whisper. It was almost as if Serena had realised Belle was finally ready to listen. And for the first time, the whispering made sense.

This is the diary of Serena, Mother Elf of the Forever Forest.