Elegy of the Leaves

X | The Flamed God

Sunlight twisted between the evergreens, catching the dust that danced off the leaves of the underbrush and sweeping it into the forest's canopy. Evan stretched, trying to keep the sleep from his eyes. The cold ration of salted jerky that hung in his mouth did little to quell the ice that permeated through his veins. Or quell the fire in his stomach.

"Oh, Tahlia, take this. Since magic is a last resort, you'll need something to defend yourself," Claire said handing her a dagger.

Tahlia took it in both hands. Her heart was warmed by the thought that neither of the siblings wanted to push her to do something she wished not too. She knew the price of using her magic would mean the noble soul would find neither peace nor suffering, just cease in its existence, so it was too great a cost for her. Evan and Claire seemed to understand that without question.

The three walked in a file with Tahlia leading the way. Claire took the rear, leaving Evan to walk with his hands behind his head in the middle. He gazed lazily at his surroundings. Moss crept up most of the tree trunks and devoured all of the fallen logs. Dew sparkled like crystals and emeralds between its tender tendrils in the rays of sun that managed to make it to the forest floor. The shrubs and other low growing plants were the only thing with a lifecycle short enough that the moss couldn't devour.

As they pressed deeper, he noticed peculiar shaped rocks covered in the green creepage. They were perfectly circular on the edges but looked like shattered glass near their radius. They were hollow as well.

"What are those rocks?" Evan pointed to one poking from a bush.

"Relics of a world long forgotten. This forest used to be the source of all life for the world. Now it plays host to the trees and that which dwells within them."

Evan's mind filled with fantasies of what that world must've looked like. A world where the sky was unreachable, and oceans separated earth and rock. What kind of magic existed in that world, he wondered?

A rustle in the bushes to his left tore him from those dreams. He jumped, flinging his hands forward. Claire reached for her sword, and Tahlia's head shot over her shoulder.

All three froze. Evan's heart seamed to stop in his chest, and he held his breath. The fear of one of the beasts Tahlia spoke of hung at the forefront of his mind. Should they run? He wanted to. The cannons they'd offloaded back at the ship could kill these beasts; he was certain.

A fox of golden fur emerged, sniffing at the air toward them. Evan relaxed, sucking in a lungful of air. He heard his sister also release a panicked breath behind him.

Then the fox was no more. Like a blur of brown and red, it was torn from the spot where it stood. In its place was a beast covered in dark fur. It stood twice as tall as Evan. Its claws dug into the fox's body as it tore a chunk from it and swallowed. Golden eyes fixated on Evan, and the beast dropped the fox.

It swished its tail and showed its red stained fangs. A low growl came from deep within its belly.

Evan and Claire drew their swords. It was just as Tahlia had described—a Gnalicore—standing upright like a man with the body of a wolf.

"Over here, beast!" Claire shouted.

The monster's ears twitched toward her and its head followed. It rolled its shoulders forward and pressed its hands into the ground.

"Sis, watch out!"

The best flung itself at Claire. Evan could barely track it through the air. Claire raised her sword, catching the beast's mouth with it. She fell as the Gnalicore mounted her. It chomped at her sword and tried to rip it away with its claws, but Claire managed to keep her blade between them.