A Nymph of the Ossian Forest

The Nymph

I found myself breathing in a scent so heavy it made me dizzy. It seemed like a pile of wild herbs was being burnt inside. Their sweet, spicy odor mixed with the scent of smoke. But the heavy mix wasn't able to hide another, more unpleasant smell, although I couldn't say where it was coming from.

To my surprise, inside the tent was richly decorated with animal skins and furniture of such quality I had only seen in the House of Gatherings in the Ossian Village. It could seem almost luxurious, if not the two guards in heavy armor standing by the entrance: looks of the Creones didn't coincide with the richness of the decoration. They didn't belong here. I tried to imagine what the owner of this tent might look like, but I didn't even have to make a wild guess. The next second my gaze rested on a silhouette in the golden armchair.

In front of me, a very old man was sitting. His hair and beard were of dirty gray color. He obviously had a trouble sitting straight, although he supported himself with a knotty staff, which he held tightly in his dry wrinkled hand. His back was bent low and his whole body was constantly shaking.

I didn't realize it at once, but the tent was deadly silent. The old man slowly raised his eyes to look at me. For a long moment, he observed me with an expression I could not interpret. Then he turned his head to Mina. Her bravado was gone; she was trembling, obviously afraid of the old man. And I couldn't blame her for that; the look of his pale blue eyes left me in such state of terror I could hardly move. Not speaking about the Creones, who were clearly horrified by his presence. Observing Mina for a beat, he raised the corner of his thin lips, revealing surprisingly white teeth. Then, he made a gesture for the guards to bring her closer.

"No!"

I could see Mina's panic when the guard's hand squeezed her shoulder, but I freaked out even more. Without thinking of what I was doing I broke forward and blocked the way for the guard.

"It's a mistake!" My knees shook as I stood in front of the guard holding Mina. My voice was loud; I looked straight into his eyes. He granted me a ruthless smile and pushed me off his way, so hard I couldn't keep the balance and fell on the floor. Luckily, it was all covered in furs, so I barely felt anything. However, I wasn't going to give in. I grasped the Creon's foot and tried to prevent him from proceeding towards the old man's armchair.

"We're not who you need, let us go!"

I tried in vain; the guard didn't even seem to notice my struggle. However, I still managed to succeed, although not in a way I intended. The old man raised his trembling hand, making the guard stop. I could hear Mina exhale with relief.

And then, the old man spoke.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone of you, children of the forest. It's not time yet."

It would have sounded encouraging if not the "yet".

"Who are you? We're not the ones you need, let us go! Don't touch me!" I yelled at the Creon who put his hands on my shoulders. He was ready to bring me to the old man's armchair but was stopped with a gesture of the trembling hand. The old man put both hands on his staff and made an attempt to stand up.

"Master, you're not strong enough!" I heard the voice coming from the deep of the tent. I was surprised, as I hadn't seen anyone inside whom this voice could belong to. While the guards rushed to help the old man to his feet, I saw a slim silhouette separate from the shadow behind the armchair and make a step forward.

It was a young woman wearing man's clothes. Her pale blonde hair fell on her shoulders in waves, but her face was true Creon's, with pale eyelashes that made it impossible to say what she was thinking of. This was the first woman I saw in the camp full of men.