Myths: The Folklore Trilogy

Chapter 20- In Which there is Forgiveness and Tears

The tormentor suddenly dropped, avoiding my axe. I mentally cursed it.

Sophie shot an arrow at it, but it flapped it's wings, and the gust of air blew the arrow off course.

Then the tormentor dove underwater.
I groaned it frustration. We were never going to get it now!

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned. It was Magnolia. "Be glad it escaped," she whispered. "If you had killed it, you would have felt the guilt ten times stronger."

Oh. That would've been bad.

I knelt down to Audrey. "Are you ok?" I asked softly.

She looked up, tears still on her face, though she wasn't crying anymore. "Yeah, I'm ok." She wiped her cheek and stood up. "I'm fine."

I wasn't convinced, but I let it slide. It wasn't my business to argue about that.
"Thank you," Magnolia whispered, a tear sliding from her eye. "That tormentor...it's been following me for weeks. Trying to make me feel guilty for leaving, you know? The effects are lessened in the tree, but after a few more attacks, I probably would've given in." She smiled wanly. "You saved my life."

She turned around and plucked off a white blossom from the tree. Then she bent her head over it and breathed. As she exhaled, the flower shrunk until it was the size of the tip of my pinky. She smiled and held it out towards me.
"Here," she said, "wear this charm around your neck and the world will know that you're a friend of the dryads."

I took the charm. It was warm to the touch. I unhooked the necklace that Abigail had given me and strung the flower on next to the star. I stared at it for a moment, then re-hooked it behind my neck.

"And I can have the nereids take you to an island," she added. "You guys look like you need some rest."

"Thank you Magnolia," I said, astounded. "I don't know how to pay you back."

She smiled. "Oh Sierra. You're the one I'm thanking. I'm just not sure this is enough."

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The nereids were pretty ocean nymphs that were more than happy to take us to the nearest island. It was a lot bigger than the last one (though I'm not sure that counts as it was more a giant rock in the middle of the sea), so big I couldn't see the other side.

We thank the nereids and they swam away happily. Night had fallen, so Audrey set about making a fire using the dry wood scattered about the beach. "Set up camp near the bottom of the dunes," she instructed, "that way we won't have to worry about the tide."
Soon there was a nice crackling fire burning. We sat in silence. No one wanted to talk about earlier today.

Finally Audrey broke the silence. "Ask me," she said. "I know you want to."

"About what?" I said, confused.

"About the guilt tormentor," Audrey sighed. "Why it bugged me so much." She dropped her head into her knees.
I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Audrey, all of us felt the effects of the tormentor..."

"No," she protested, "I over reacted. I know I did." She hesitated for a moment, and then swallowed. "I can tell you why, if you really want to know."

"That's your burden to share," Sophie said quietly. "Just remember that it's easier to carry a heavy load with friends sharing it."

She lifted her head. "If you promise not to tell anyone else?"

"Upon my word and honor," I pledged. Sophie nodded.

Audrey sighed again and spoke in a very small voice that I've never heard her use before. "It was when I was about eight or nine. I told you I grew up in an orphanage right? Well we got a new headmistress almost every two months." She gave a sad smile. "Guess we drove them crazy. Well, one must have heard about how we didn't exactly listen to authority. Regardless, she came in and tried to seize total control. It was a mistake. We rebelled, I suppose you could say. Drew on the walls, yelled all night, and generally tried to prove that she wasn't in charge.