In the mystical realm of Kredaria, a malevolent curse spreads malice and discord among its inhabitants, believed to be the dark handiwork of a witch. Amidst chaos, two young elves, Xandria and Matthias, remain untouched by the curse’s reach. Tasked by the village council, they embark on a perilous quest to confront the witch and end the curse. Journey through treacherous forests, face ancient enemies, and forge unexpected alliances. With each step, they unravel the mysteries that could save Kredaria or doom it forever. “Curse of Kredaria” weaves magic, danger, and heroism into a tale of familial bonds tested against the backdrop of a world hanging in the balance.

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Prologue – The Stranger

 

It was late as the lone man finally came strolling upon a familiar scene. The night was rainy, and nobody was out and about in his hometown of Kredaria. It was a long journey he was returning from, and he looked forward to resting in his home. His quest had been lengthy but successful. He had to go up to the city of Mhea and help deal with a leanan sidth. A fairy called a leanan sidth was luring students from the bard school and helping them write poems and songs while becoming their lover. She would seduce them and make them crazy with love. However, when she would leave them, they would be so devastated that they would die from sheer misery. The lone man and several others built a small tower of rocks around her grave to trap and force her to remain buried.

Suddenly, as he drew his attention back to the present, he thought he saw a person run across the path up ahead. He wondered what a villager would be doing out on a night like this. His hand automatically went to his side as he grabbed hold of the hilt of his sword. It was a small, straight sword with a copper hilt. It was a light and very effective weapon he had used many times in battle.

He slowly walked closer to where he thought he’d seen the stranger cross. Over to the side, he saw what appeared to be a man with pointed ears like a horse. The lone traveling man tried to get a closer look without acting too obvious. He thought for a second that it could be one of the village elves, but upon a closer examination, the lone man decided that the figure was too big.

The figure emerged from the shadows and approached him. “Sir, I need a place to stay. Do you have a place I could sleep?” It wasn’t an elf. In fact, he didn’t know what species this strange being was. Except for his ears, he appeared human but taller than most. His nose jutted out of his lower face seeming as if someone drew it out with a pair of pliers. He kept his eyes well hidden beneath his dark parted hair.

The stranger pulled out several gold coins from his pocket, which gleamed in the moonlight. The lone man was surprised that the long-eared person would be offering so many. It was always dangerous to take in strangers, but the solitary traveler needed the gold. He wondered why the stranger didn’t get a room at the village inn, but he assumed it must not have a vacancy. “You can stay at my place,” he offered.

“Thank you.” The long-eared man joined the lone man to walk back to his home, which wasn’t much further. “By the way, my name is Vergos.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Vergos. You can call me Zadin,” the lone man replied, refusing to give his real name. Vergos shook his hand with a firm, powerful grip.

They soon entered “Zadin’s” home, and Zadin quickly went to work on starting a fire for both light and heat since the night was chilly. He used the flame from his lantern to light the fire. It wasn’t long before the fire turned into a big blaze, heating the entire room.

Both men removed their wet cloaks and shoes and sat by the fire. They spoke of adventures that they had been on throughout the land. It wasn’t long before Vergos fell asleep on the floor. Even though he was exhausted, the one who called himself Zadin decided that he would stay up all night just in case Vergos tried to kill him in his sleep.

However, Zadin was having trouble staying awake. With the heat from the fire and the rain rhythmically beating down, he drifted off to sleep. Nightmares soon filled his head. These unpleasant dreams continued on and on as if some spell was cast on him. Horse-like figures came into his nightmares, trampling him over and over, but he could not pull himself awake.

*          *          *

On the same night, a woodland elf named Xandria was casting a spell of protection over the village. Even though she knew that elves forbade magic, she decided to use the spell anyway. Something didn’t seem right on this rainy night, as she felt as if something evil had entered the village. When she went out to look around, the night was pitch black, and the rain was coming down hard. She quickly gathered the herbs necessary to perform the magic.

Kredaria had been a peaceful village for as far back as she could remember. By the age of seventeen, she had learned magic through a nearby druid just outside of Kredaria who taught her in secret. She couldn’t even tell her brother Matthias about learning it. He would have scolded her and told her that it was dangerous. However, the druid reassured her that it was okay, as long as she stuck with herbs. She believed that there would come a time that she would need to use it, and tonight was her second time.

After her brother had gone to bed, she went out in the rain, pulled out a bowl, and allowed the rain water to partially fill it. She then placed the herbs within the water and stirred them while chanting:

“The flame rises upon the plains of Femen;

Burning forever in our hearts.

May the winds of Brighid,

Come forth to protect.”

As she stirred the water and the herbs, she thought long and deep about the spell she was casting. She visualized a bubble of protection surrounding her village. As she ended her visualization, she fell to the ground. Dark thoughts consumed her mind of violence toward people in the town. She felt bloodthirsty to kill as the magic began to corrupt her soul. She knew the penalty of using magic but didn’t realize that it would be this hard.

She writhed on the floor for an hour, battling the nightmares from her mind. As the thoughts left her, she found herself breathing excessively hard. She tried to stand to go to her bed, but she felt dizzy. She was glad her brother was sleeping and wouldn’t see her in this condition. She wondered if magic was worth it. However, at the same time, she felt addicted and looked forward to casting a magic spell again sometime in the future.

 

 

Chapter 1 – The Curse Begins

 

It was noon in Kredaria, and passersby could hear a fiddle in the market square. A woodland elf named Matthias was playing the fiddle and telling stories to the people of the village. Soon after finishing his song, he launched into a story.

His narrow eyes pierced the villagers as he spoke with intensity. “A long time ago, during the Fourth Age, a prince was born in the land of Vernona. His name was Prince Arsidious.” Matthias noted that a few villagers were familiar with the name, but not many. Only those who took up a strong interest in history would have heard of this prince.

Matthias continued, “At that time, the Kingdom of Vernona had a system that prevented poor people from becoming successful. If you were born into a poor family, you would remain poor, along with your children and your children’s children. As Prince Arsidious grew, he was taught the sword, as all those destined to be king would need to learn. Being that he was born to royalty, he was led by the best of knights.

“As he approached the age of sixteen, he began to wonder about the system of which he was born. He decided to dress in rags and disguise himself as a lower-class person. He went among the poor and eventually made a friend named Vincent. Vincent was the same age as he was, and Prince Arsidious decided to teach Vincent how to use the sword in secret.

“A few years went by, and Vincent was able to handle the sword with ease. He was a very determined boy; however, he had no clue that the one who taught him was a prince. When Prince Arsidious was nineteen years old, his father passed away, making him the new king. Once there was a new king, it was a tradition that the new king could choose new knights for the kingdom.

“King Arsidious held a tournament, and a total of one hundred twenty-seven known swordsmen showed up. None of them were from poor families. The king snuck in Vincent, making it one hundred twenty-eight. The duels were intense, but the king paid close attention to how his friend was doing. Vincent made it to the final two. The final duel began, and the swordsmen faced each other, both with expert skills. It was an intense fight and lasted several minutes.” Matthias pulled out his sword and started to pretend he was fighting someone. His shoulder-length brown hair whipped in the wind as he swung the sword with intensity. “Eventually, the final opponent defeated the king’s friend, and Vincent was awarded second place.

“This proved that the lower class were just as capable. The king revealed his secret to the kingdom and had his friend train those among the poor. This caused controversy, and King Arsidious’s advisors caused problems. He ended up firing any of the advisors who held on to their prejudices, knowing there were people in the lower class who could fill the positions.

“By the age of twenty-five, he had built a powerful kingdom and was able to overcome an enemy that had been giving the kingdom trouble for centuries. His kingdom became feared, and no one dared to oppose it. An age of peace came, and there was a significant decrease in poverty.

“The moral of the story is that anyone can become someone whether they are rich or poor. Everyone has gifts and abilities,” Matthias finished.

Generally, the crowd would cheer; however, this time, they “booed” him. Some villagers even shouted insults at him, telling him that the moral of the story was stupid and that King Arsidious would never have accepted a poor person to become a knight. Matthias, who was thin and five feet and nine inches at eighteen years old, felt a little intimidated when some of the bigger people stepped in to harass him.

Matthias attempted to ignore the villagers’ insults toward him as he walked home. This had not been the first time that some of the other villagers had harassed him in the last few months. Villagers were telling him and his sister that they should leave the once pleasant village of Kredaria because they were elves, and elves were no longer welcomed.

As he was walking home, he was so focused on thinking about what was going on in town that the elf did not realize he was starting to cut through people’s yards.

Suddenly, a voice yelled, “Get out of my yard now, or I’ll have you arrested!” It was the village wiseman, Jedlin, who shouted. Jedlin was usually a good-natured person and rarely would have scolded anyone for something so simple as walking in his yard. People often went to him for advice. Matthias held his anger and got off Jedlin’s yard as fast as he could. He could feel Jedlin’s eyes beat into the back of him as he left. Fortunately, Matthias was able to calm down after he walked away from the confrontation.

He arrived home as Xandria was making dinner. The two elves had lived in the village most of their lives. He had always wondered where he came from and was told legends of the woodland elves, but that never answered his question.

Xandria hoped to travel and see the world eventually, and hopefully, meet other woodland elves. Perhaps Matthias would be a traveling bard, and she could travel with him. She was seventeen years old and almost old enough to travel by herself.

The two elves were astounded by how everyone was beginning to act in the town; neither of them knew why. The adults were giving them dirty looks. Animals in the village were slowly becoming more and more vicious. It was only a matter of time before the whole town would break out in pandemonium.

That night, Matthias and Xandria sat at their table while playing a game called Palace. The board had a hundred squares on it, and each player was allowed twenty pieces to perform various tasks.

“So, how was your day, Eolas?” Xandria asked, using the shortened version of Matthias’s spiritual name, Eolasclaidheamhthias, meaning “knowledgeable swordsman.”

Matthias looked down at the game board with a sad look on his face and replied, “Not good! The villagers ran me out of the marketplace for telling a story.”

As Xandria moved her jester on the board three diagonal spaces and then up one forward, she said, “I’m sorry to hear that. I don’t know what has gotten into the villagers lately. Everyone seems to have grown meaner.”

Matthias moved his knight ahead three spaces and cracked his knuckles. “It’s almost like a cloud of idiotism has come to the area. People are getting upset over the silliest things.” This only added to Matthias’s bitterness of having to grow up around humans. He was angry that he had not grown up with elves instead. On the one hand, Xandria was thankful that the humans in the village had taken the time to raise them. Other times, Matthias felt irritated by this.

Before Xandria made her next move, she asked, “Do you think magic is involved? I mean, you and I still seem to be getting along, and woodland elves are immune to magic.” She put her hand on her forehead and itched her eyebrows.

“I don’t know… that does sound like a logical conclusion. Besides, I’m not going to be the village bard anymore until this blows past,” Matthias said, as Xandria moved her pawn diagonally one space. He recalled going to bard school and constantly being bullied for being a woodland elf. Xandria had no idea that this had happened, as he kept it a secret from her. The bullying in the village wasn’t quite as intense as bard school, but it was getting much worse than Kredaria usually did.

Bard school had been so bad that it had sometimes affected Matthias’s nightmares. He’d almost walked out and quit a few times, but he felt like he was responsible for making an income for his sister and himself. There was nothing else that really interested him.

Matthias had made one friend at bard school named Thoman, who eventually became his roommate while he lived there. Even though Matthias had trouble trusting people, he trusted Thoman with all his heart. It seemed that Thoman was candid with him. One day, when Matthias arrived at his dorm, he noticed that Thoman was gone. As he was wondering where Thoman was, he saw that his game of Palace was missing, along with several articles of clothing. Thoman never returned, and Matthias knew that Thoman had stolen his stuff. Ever since then, Matthias refused to trust anybody other than his sister. Humans were so fickle and sometimes selfish, so it was difficult to tell their motives.

Matthias could feel anger course through his body at the thought of the villagers making fun of him at the marketplace. He could tell that Xandria also felt a degree of anger over what they had been going through with the villagers turning so mean. The two of them always helped people in the village when they asked for it, and neither thought it was fair how the villagers were treating them.

At last, Xandria said, “It just seems to be getting worse and worse. I remember a few months ago when it first started, and there were isolated incidents of bullying, but now it seems that everyone but us, and a few others such as Selene, have turned mean. I feel frustrated that there is nothing we can do to fix the problem.”

While she was speaking, Xandria moved her magician and trapped Matthias’s princess. “Checkmate!” she said, smiling at him as she won the game.

 

 

Chapter 2 – Fighting

 

The next day, Xandria woke up earlier than usual to beat the crowd when visiting the marketplace. The sun was coming up, and she was hoping it would be a peaceful day. Xandria peered into one of the windows to fix her lengthy brown hair, which fell almost to her waist. Since mirrors were banned, the villagers had to find their reflections elsewhere, like in windows and still water. It wasn’t easy seeing her almond-shaped brown eyes in the window, as the window’s reflection wasn’t clear.

She decided to wear her white blouse; she liked white because of the purity it represented. The blouse had a square neck with lace trim. To go along with it, she wore her yellow skirt. She fitted her silver necklace over her head, which held an even ended cross to represent Brighid, and put on her silver ring. She looked much like a gypsy.

While she loved her home with Matthias, she sometimes missed her larger home with Cassandra’s family. There were three rooms in their house, including two small bedrooms and a living room with some kitchen space. The elves’ house was built in a small log cabin fashion, with shiny wooden walls and wooden floors. The only carpet was a relaxing red throw-down carpet in the living room. Xandria had to get ready in the living room, as her bedroom was too small to move around in.

She got up to leave and noticed the day was quickly becoming overcast, with possible rain coming soon. She felt disappointed since the sun wasn’t going to shine for long. As she was walking down a path to the marketplace, she heard one of the villagers telling a story to some younger villagers. The man who was telling the story was named Joshua, and he was one of the village council members. Xandria decided to listen in and hear the story.

“Southeast from here, beyond the Great Frolm Forest—beyond the United Territories and volcanoes, lives an evil witch. She is known by most as Nora, and she is the most powerful witch in the world.

“One day, a village much like ours hired her to come help with healing the sick. Back then, witches blended among people, as they weren’t thought of as evil yet. Anyways, Nora accepted the offer and went around healing several people. At first, things seemed to go well, and Nora seemed to be getting along with everyone. She had become a hero in this village.

“However, the town was poor and couldn’t afford to pay Nora what she wanted. As soon as Nora found out she wouldn’t be paid enough for her healings, she stopped healing people. Then she placed a curse upon the village, and the people who she had initially healed came down with painful boils all over their bodies. They died a slow, agonizing death. Soon after that, the village ran her out of town.

“Since then, the witch has grown in power and can curse villages from afar. We must always be careful and never let a witch enter Kredaria, as we don’t want to face one of their curses. They are sneaky and crafty and don’t mind cursing the poor and helpless. One of the reasons why the council banned mirrors in our village is because witches can use their magic through mirrors from afar.”

So, that is the reason why they don’t allow mirrors in town, Xandria thought to herself. She was wondering why they recently came up with that law. She noticed that the bullying in Kredaria had started around the same time that the mirrors were banned. She wondered if it was merely coincidence or if there was something to it.

She continued toward the marketplace, as she wanted to buy some seeds for her garden and shop around a little. As she was approaching the fruit area of the market, a sudden fight broke out. It was between two children of the ages of fifteen and twelve. The fifteen-year-old was well-built and towered over the twelve-year-old. “Look, it’s our village brownnoser, kissing up to all the adults,” the fifteen-year-old said while giving the younger kid a shove to the ground.

The younger kid got up from the ground and pushed back at the older kid, who only laughed and pushed the younger one back down again. It wasn’t too long after that when fists began to fly, and they began wrestling around on the ground. Suddenly, there was a cracking of the bone in the younger one’s arm. He cried out in pain.

Some adults immediately rushed over to the young boy to assist him. His arm had been broken. Most people seemed to be irritated that this had interrupted their day. Some even blamed the boy for getting injured. Xandria was astounded at how bad the once peaceful village of Kredaria had become. She wished she knew a way to help the boy, but she didn’t have any experience with broken bones. They would have to take him to the High Priestess Selene for healing. Fortunately, Selene seemed not to be affected by whatever was affecting everyone else in the village.

Another shouting argument broke out between two villagers, which had to do with where they could put their tables to sell items. The loud talking quickly escalated to screaming as the Wiseman Jedlin came to break it up.

“How about you split the time you spend at this one spot? I know it is a good area to sell, and you both deserve a good area to market your goods,” he said, as he approached.

One of the merchants snarled at him, “He always gets this space! I’m always in the background selling over there!” He pointed to an area that didn’t have much traffic.

The second merchant wasn’t happy with this comment and shouted back at the first merchant, “That’s a lie, and you know it!”

The two went back and forth like this for a few minutes until Jedlin scolded both of them. “You two need to knock it off! In fact, neither of you are going to get this space! You guys are like children and need to go home!”

The two merchants gave him a wide-eyed look, amazed by how Jedlin was handling things. Jedlin continued to glare at them with his hands on his hips. “Well… go home now! I’m not dealing with this!”

They both began to quickly gather their things, afraid of Jedlin’s sudden wrath. The surrounding crowd looked on with amazement, and Jedlin yelled, “You all need to mind our own business and get back to what you were doing!” People scrambled to turn away and acted like they weren’t paying attention to the argument. That was the angriest Xandria had ever seen Jedlin.

As Xandria continued walking through the marketplace, she saw people that were once friends give her dirty looks. One even spat toward her. She felt irritated but didn’t say anything.

She decided just quickly to purchase her seeds and walk home. As she was walking, an argument broke out among two neighbors.

“Don’t you ever let me see your dog running in my yard again!” The first shouted.

“He is a dog! He goes where he wants, and he didn’t do any harm!” The second yelled back.

“He could harm at any time! Dogs are dumb; that’s why I don’t own one!”

“You’re the one that is dumb around here—getting worked up over every little thing!”

Xandria looked away so that they didn’t get mad at her for watching. It seemed like such a trivial matter to her.

She was almost home, and she saw Cassandra hanging out with her husband on the porch of their house. She waved, but she immediately felt a little sad.

Being an elf, she always felt out of place among the villagers, especially now that all her friends from when she was younger were all off doing their own things. She felt guilty for feeling this way. She should be happy for other people, but it was that feeling that she wasn’t a part of anything that made her feel sad.

She quickly walked the rest of the way to her house. Immediately, she grabbed her bow and arrows, went to the yard where she had set her target up, and fired away. She found this to be a healthy alternative to moping around. She felt sure of herself and in control as she fired arrows. She hit the bullseye almost every time.

“You should place the target further back, Fostuil.” Xandria turned around to find her brother watching her. Fostuil was short for her spiritual name Fostuilcaomhnoirthia, which means “Empathetic Guardian.” Selene had once told them the story of elves being given spiritual names, which would help direct them on the right path. Elven high priestesses usually gave out the names, but Selene had given them their spiritual names since there were no other known high priestesses.

After a minute, Xandria responded, “I should, but it makes me feel good to hit the bullseye. I’m afraid I will miss if I put it further back.”

“You’d get used to it, plus it will help with your skill level.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be practicing sword with Lucas today?” Xandria didn’t feel like being watched.

“Geez, what has gotten into you?” Matthias asked, not expecting Xandria’s sudden outburst.

“I just don’t want to be watched. I need some time to myself,” she responded, scratching her eyebrows in frustration.

“I take it that something happened at the village today. Perhaps I should skip sword practice. I don’t really feel like dealing with Lucas.” Matthias looked at the ground while thinking this over.

“I think you should go. If he gets mean, try to ignore him.” Xandria found a place to sit down, as she didn’t like standing when talking.

“Just like you ignored whatever happened in the village today?” The tone of Matthias’s voice made it evident that he was getting irritated.

“Just go! I don’t feel like dealing with this right now,” Xandria snapped back.

Without saying anything more, Matthias turned around and headed toward the village.

Xandria was relieved that she would have some time to herself. She was now irritated with Matthias, and she was in the mood to shoot even more arrows. That last sarcastic remark by Matthias was unnecessary. After practicing with the bow, she decided to work on her garden for a bit. The weeds were getting bad, and she wanted her healing herbs to grow up perfectly. She grew herbs for Matthias and herself being that Selene’s magic couldn’t heal them.

Xandria often made various teas from recipes out of her herbal, especially with her purple echinacea plants. She made teas with this plant during the fall to boost the elves’ immunity to sickness. However, to be more effective, she would go a month taking the herb and then avoid it for a month. It seemed to work better that way.

She watered the rest of her plants and flowers. Not only did Xandria have flowers with healing herbs, but surrounding the house were decorative flowers. Just like today, she would finish the garden after a few hours and wait for Matthias to return home for dinner.

She completed watering her garden, then wet the magical herbs that she kept hidden from Matthias. Even though she was immune to magic, Xandria could use magic in low dosages. If she were to use powerful magic, she would temporarily lose her immunity. She mostly learned healing, in case one day she had to heal the sick. She also memorized spells of protection and warfare in case Kredaria was ever under attack. She had only used magic twice, once for protection over Kredaria. The other time she used magic was because she was feeling sad and no matter what else she did, she couldn’t alleviate the feeling. She began to wonder if her spell of protection actually worked since things seemed to be getting worse.

Legend had it that elves were forbidden to learn magic, and if one learned magic, they would be considered a dark elf. Dark elves were outcasts to society, whether their intentions were good or not. From what she had heard, an elf would become cursed due to their use of magic. They would eventually turn sinister and have dark thoughts. Xandria remembered having dark thoughts when she cast her spells, but they didn’t stay with her. Dark elves would end up dwelling in dark places such as caves. Xandria figured that there was no harm in learning a little magic as long as she didn’t get too far into it. However, she couldn’t bring herself to tell Matthias about it.

*          *          *

Matthias met with Lucas that day to practice sword fighting. He always dreamed of becoming a master with the sword, although Matthias never really wanted to fight in a battle. Learning the sword made him feel more competent when it came to self-defense.

Lucas had been unusually harsh with him lately, but Matthias tried to stick with it because he wanted the best training one could have.

“You need to remember how to stand up straighter when wielding the sword and not lean forward!” Lucas’s harsh voice almost startled Matthias.

Matthias felt frustrated with himself as he fell out of balance. He knew not to lean forward, but it was the way his body wanted to go. That was his one flaw when using the sword. His sword was short and light. He had tried using long blades in the past but found them to be too burdensome. Most of the villagers kept a short sword on hand to be prepared if there was ever an attack.

He and Lucas had a few practice matches, and each time, Lucas defeated him. Matthias knew not to get discouraged, as Lucas was easily the best swordsman in town. In fact, even when Matthias went to bard school in the city of Mhea, he had not met anyone as skilled as Lucas.

After two hours of sword practice, Matthias wanted to go home. He felt that Lucas had been yelling at him the whole time, even when he did things correctly. It used to be that Lucas would search for something to compliment Matthias on, but since the village had changed, Lucas no longer offered him compliments. Matthias’s arms were heavy from practicing for so long. He was out of breath and just wanted to relax for the rest of the day.

He decided to skip going to the marketplace and went directly home. He wasn’t going to entertain the villagers anymore anyway. Instead of taking the main route, he walked through a trail that went behind the houses. This way, he could avoid the villagers and make it home without being harassed.

However, he was wrong. On the trail were three young adults who seemed to be looking for trouble. “Hey, look, it’s our famous bard elf taking the backway home!” one of them exclaimed with a mischievous grin.

Another looked at Matthias and said, “Don’t you know that elves don’t belong in Kredaria? You should go find where the elves actually live!”

Although the words hurt Matthias, he did his best to ignore them. However, one came up and grabbed him by his shirt. The young man punched him in the stomach. Matthias bent over in pain, while the three men laughed. Anger began to rage in his mind, and he felt like lashing back. However, the three kids together would likely overpower him, so he thought better about picking a fight.

“What a coward,” one of the men said, and they left Matthias in pain. He was thankful that they didn’t continue to hurt him. He used to be friends with the three men, as they used to play games together in the public meadow when they were growing up.

As Matthias was walking home, he overheard two villagers talking in one of the backyards. One was Cassandra, who was like a sister to him, and the other was Olivia, a member of the village council that he didn’t know much about. He heard them mention something about the recent changes in their village.

“Things seem to keep getting worse!” Olivia said.

“I know! At first, I didn’t think anything of it, but even my kids have been getting worse. They mouth off to their father and me as if we don’t have any authority. They have been rude to each other and have even bullied some of the other kids. I don’t know what has gotten into everyone.”

Olivia cast her eyes to the ground. “I even sometimes feel it come over me. It is like an unnecessary feeling of anger where I just want to yell at someone – anyone for that matter. The anger needs to be released somehow.”

Cassandra sighed. “Thankfully, that feeling hasn’t come over me yet, but I’m afraid it will soon. What do you think it is? Something to do with the position of the stars and moons?”

“I can’t imagine it lasting this long, though. Maybe a day but not a few months. The position of the moons changes every night,” Olivia responded while hanging a piece of laundry on her clothesline.

The world of Aztharian had three moons, a red moon named Ishtorth, a blue moon named Cadrone, and a golden moon which those in the land referred to as “the moon.” To the people of Kredaria and the surrounding area, the red and blue moons represented two opposites.

Since the blue moon was more challenging to see, it represented darkness. The red moon represented light, and the golden moon didn’t mean anything in particular, although it was generally the moon favored among the races of the world. Legend had it that the position of the moons determined behavior among the inhabitants of the continent of Zalonia. No one knew for sure if this was true.

“That’s a good point. There has to be something more to it than meets the eye,” Cassandra said, while helping Olivia hang up her laundry.

“Yeah, the village council is meeting tomorrow to discuss what has been happening. I just hope the meeting doesn’t go like it did last week.”

“That was just downright awful! Everyone just yelled at each other, and we got nothing accomplished. Selene broke down crying because of how everyone was acting. I can’t blame her; sadly, things are the way they are.”

“Selene is one of the lucky ones who aren’t affected. Jonovan doesn’t seem too bad either. Jedlin, on the other hand, has become a real grump. I almost don’t want to be around him.” Olivia shook her head in frustration.

Cassandra ran her hand through her hair, which she often did when feeling nervous or stressed. “Jedlin used to be so good at keeping it together. Out of all people, I would think he would be the least affected.”

“Same here,” Olivia said as she hung up her last piece of laundry.

When Matthias arrived home, he tried to hide from Xandria what had happened. He stood up straight even though the pain in his stomach was significant. Xandria was outside relaxing by her garden, and he said to her, “It’s looking nice around here. You do a wonderful job.”

“Thank you,” she replied. “How was sword practice?”

Matthias grimaced. “It was okay.”

Xandria looked at him with pity. “It didn’t go well, did it?”

“I just feel like I get yelled at for everything I do wrong. I know it’s this village and that something is getting to the people, but still, it is hard to deal with.”

“I know what you mean. I got many dirty looks when I went to town. In fact, I saw one kid bully another and break the kid’s arm. It was horrifying.”

“Wow, I never heard of that happening in our village.” Matthias was stunned. “I hope that things return to normal soon.” He was glad that his sister didn’t pick up on the fact that he was bullied on the way home. He needed to appear strong for her during this period, and he wanted her to feel safe.

 

 

Chapter 3 – Counsel

 

Selene felt worn out from healing a broken arm. She wanted to clean up the temple’s altar, but she was too tired. Being a high priestess wasn’t easy. She had to keep the entire temple clean, so people could come in and enjoy the presence of Brighid without having to deal with a mess. Using magic zapped her strength. Selene chose to be a healer. She loved people and had a fervent desire to heal a person’s heart, mind, body, and soul.

While she used magic for healing, it would darken her heart if she used magic for a different purpose. It was said among wizards and clerics that “To have power from magic is a curse.” Selene had to agree with this expression. Magic carried a darkness with it, almost punishing its users. If someone used magic for the wrong purpose, it would become addicting, and this addiction would eventually destroy the soul and harm anyone close to them.

Selene’s dreams were nightmares of the testing she had to endure to obtain the magic. The magic schools at Magdad were rigid and the tests performed in order to graduate were rigorous. As a result, she never got proper sleep. She would wake up screaming in the middle of the night as dark magical creatures attacked her dreams. To make matters worse, magic would quickly wear her out and make her crave sleep. All magicians who passed the tests had to trade their peaceful sleep for magic.

She had heard that some of the more powerful wizards had sacrificed their health and were not even able to walk. This would happen to those who sought out two magical gifts instead of one. Selene originally wanted both the gifts of healing and foresight, but she wasn’t willing to sacrifice more than she already had to obtain foresight.

She had been the high priestess of the temple for more than fifteen years after she turned eighteen, and she has enjoyed every bit of it, except for the cleaning and the curse. She had healed many people from deadly illnesses and was able to save many lives. People traveled a long way just to visit the magnificent Temple of Brighid.

She knew something terrible was happening in Kredaria, but like everyone else, she didn’t know what it was. The woodland elves weren’t affected, so she assumed it had to be magic. It was also not affecting her because she stayed and lived in a temple protected from harmful magic. People who entered her temple were temporarily relieved of the evil spell that had come to Kredaria.

A sound came from the entrance of the temple. Someone was coming in. From what she could hear, there was only one set of footsteps. She waited patiently for the newcomer to enter the sanctuary. As the person entered, Selene realized that she didn’t recognize this woman. She was dressed in purple rags, and her face was shadowed under a hood. From under the hood, her eyes seemed to hold a green glow. Selene was a bit startled by her appearance, and something about her seemed inhuman. “May I help you?” Selene offered.

“I have come to advise you,” the woman replied, in a deep crackling voice.

Selene was silent for a moment. She was used to people coming to her for advice, but it was rare for someone to go to her temple to offer her advice. Something about the woman was familiar, but she couldn’t put a finger on it. “I will hear your advice, Madam, and take it into consideration.”

“As you know, tomorrow the town council will be discussing what needs to be done about the problems in Kredaria. There will be a vote on whether to send the woodland elves named Xandria and Matthias to capture the Witch Nora. I want you to vote ‘yes.’”

Selene hesitated for a minute before saying, “That just seems wrong. First, I don’t know of any evidence that suggests that Nora is casting a spell on the village. Secondly, the elves are young and not ready to make such a journey.”

“I foresee the two elves playing a big part in how this all works out. You must send them. It is going to be a close vote, and your vote will make the difference,” the old lady stated in a firm tone.

Selene was baffled. Was this lady a prophet of some sort, or was she trying to guess how things would play out? She would at least give the lady’s words consideration. “I will think about it before attending the council meeting.”

“Please heed my words!” With that, the old lady ambled back out through the entryway and exited the temple.

Selene could feel her nerves get worked up at the thought of having to send the elves out. What did this have to do with Nora, the witch? Was the witch really the one placing a curse on their village?  Selene didn’t like to make negative assumptions about people unless she was provided compelling evidence. Night settled in, and the decision she was to make kept her mind awake until late into the night.

That’s when it hit her as to why the mysterious lady was familiar.

 

 

Chapter 4 – The Vote

 

The council gathered together for their weekly meeting. Tension filled the air, as there was a lot of rage among the council members. The committee contained six men and six women who were considered wise and mature. They were the ones that created and enforced the laws of Kredaria. They were all waiting for Ninian, who was always late. Eventually, he walked in, and everyone took their seats.

Jedlin, who always started the meeting, spoke. “Good morning, council members. I am glad that you all could make it here once again. Today, we must discuss how to handle the problems that have been going on in this town the last few months and what we should do about them.”

“I say that we start throwing people into our jail cells for breaking the law!” A member named Boudicca shouted out. She was known to be a stickler about keeping the laws and believed that jail was the best solution to fight crime.

“We’d all be going to jail then!” another member named Luigsech shouted back. Selene and Cassandra looked at each other, knowing that this meeting wasn’t getting off to a good start.

“I think you both have a point,” Jedlin said, with a slight snarl in his voice. He was obviously irritated that he had been interrupted so soon into the meeting. “We do make these laws to protect the people, and with the Council of Mhea’s agreeance, we enforce the laws. However, things are getting out of control, and all of us have been acting rather differently. We don’t have enough room in the jail to house everyone guilty of a crime of some sort.” He paused to let others speak.

“I think this is some kind of spell, cast by Nora, the witch,” a man named Brian suggested. “I mean, it doesn’t seem to be affecting our two resident elves. How about you, Selene? Do you feel affected by this magic?”

“I haven’t noticed anything different within myself.” Selene’s voice was gentle and held none of the agitations of the others who were speaking. “If it has been affecting me, nobody has pointed it out.”

Boudicca narrowed her eyes. “Maybe the elves are casting the curse.”

Cassandra wasn’t having it. “Elves don’t cast spells! Not only are they immune to magic, but they are unable to perform magic on their own. Unless they have a magical item like an herb, they can’t use magic at all.”

Jedlin rubbed his hand on his chin. “Good point! From what I know of magic, this isn’t coming from a magical item, as items alone aren’t used to cast spells. The elves are innocent in this matter, as far as I’m concerned.”

Boudicca folded her arms, obviously irritated from the response she was getting. For the last several weeks, she had been trying to pin the elves with a crime, but the council never seemed to agree.

After taking everything in, Jonovan spoke. “I say we send the elves to the witch Nora and possibly figure things out. They are immune to magic, so Nora won’t be able to use her magic against them.”

“But they are still young!” Cassandra exclaimed. “Xandria has never been out of this village; the world will be scary for her.”

“I understand your concern, Cassandra,” Jonovan said, with no hint of emotion. “But I believe this is our only hope. If we let this continue, people will end up doing worse. We have banned mirrors, which I believe has helped. A spell can be cast through mirrors with more potency than without mirrors. Plus, I think the elves are more resilient than you realize.”

“Yes, but the witch can still overpower them with her physical strength!” Cassandra retorted. “I just don’t want them getting hurt. We have raised them, and I grew up with them. They are very innocent-minded, and as I said, they are only seventeen and eighteen years of age. How are they going to get through the Great Frolm Forest, which is filled with shadow thieves? What happens if they run into frolm? They will likely kill them since frolm hate woodland elves? And who knows what is beyond that?”

“I understand your concerns, Cassandra,” Jonovan repeated, keeping his cool. “But I believe the gods will protect them from harm; plus, Xandria is skilled with the bow, and Matthias is pretty good with the sword.”

Jedlin cut in; “I also have a necklace that they can cast over the witch, which will subdue her magic. I say we vote on this matter. All who are in favor of sending the elves, raise your hand. All who are opposed, keep your hand down.”

Six people raised their hands, and five people kept their hands on their lap. The only one who was still thinking was Selene. The strange woman had advised her to vote for the elves leaving, but she also understood Cassandra’s point. She held her hand half raised to let the council know that she was still deciding. Many of the people shifted impatiently. Selene finally fully raised her hand. Cassandra looked at her as if she had been betrayed. Selene hoped that Cassandra would eventually understand.

“Looks like we send the elves,” Jedlin announced. “However, this will be hard news for them to hear. Cassandra, I know you are close to the elves, and you have a way of telling people news like this. Will you be the one to tell the elves?”

By this time, Cassandra was in tears and staring down at the ground. She didn’t want to have to tell the elves, but Jedlin was right. She needed to be the one to tell them. They would listen to her. They would also be required to meet with Jedlin and Selene before they left town. Cassandra looked up and told him, “I will send them off, but will you try and be nice to them when they come to visit you?”

Jedlin sighed in annoyance. “I will try my best not to be rude to them. With this possible spell, it is quite a challenge to be nice. However, I will give you my word that I will try.”

That seemed to satisfy Cassandra, and the council meeting ended. She could tell it laid heavy on everyone’s heart that the elves needed to be sent out—that is, everyone except for Boudicca.

Chapter 5 – The Quest

 

The next day, both elves were home when Cassandra came knocking on their door. The council generally chose Cassandra to give necessary news to others because she delivered upsetting news with compassion. If someone were upset by the news, Cassandra would be understanding and supportive. She was a motherly woman with six children of her own. Cassandra was a role model among other mothers in the village.

As soon as she knocked on the door, Xandria answered and invited her in. Upon seeing Cassandra with a grim face, Xandria prepared her heart for the worst possible news. They offered her a seat by the warm fire so that she could discuss matters.

Cassandra wore a brown dress that covered her whole body and wore an apron on top of it. Her dark blue eyes held compassion. Her distinguishing feature was that she wore a head covering wherever she went. It was usually pure white, and no one knew what her real hair looked like. She was a very plain woman.

Cassandra started off, “I am sorry to trouble you at a time like this, but the village council has sat down and met together to try to figure out what to do about the recent problems in this village. We have concluded that there is magic being used against the villagers.”

Matthias and Xandria looked at each other fearfully. They both had seen magic performed, but only magic for healing and protection. Whenever a villager was sick, they would go to the temple of Brighid. The high priestess Selene would work magic to cure the sickness. Unfortunately, the elves couldn’t go to Selene when they were sick since they were immune to magic. From legends that Matthias had heard, woodland elves could use magical items, but they couldn’t be hurt or healed by magical use. However, they still could be injured when hit with an enchanted object, such as an enchanted sword, because the blade itself would still be a physical item.

If the elves got sick, they had to find herbs to use for healing; however, elves generally didn’t get sick until they were past a hundred years old unless there was a plague present.

Cassandra continued, “The council is concerned because if there is magic being used, we might not be able to fight it. However, you two being woodland elves, might stand a chance against whoever is using this magic.” Cassandra’s eyes were soft, and she didn’t seem to like the idea of bringing the news to the elves. “We suspect the witch in the southern mountains has been using magic to try to bring harm to the village. Her name is Nora.”

Matthias and Xandria had heard several stories regarding the witch Nora. They were all scary stories the villagers talked about. They were told that she lived alone and would curse anyone who came near her. She lived in the mountains because no villages would accept a witch living among them. Legend had it that witches were evil and dangerous and that people, elves, the good fairies, and animals should avoid being around a witch. The southern mountains were very far away from Kredaria, practically on the edge of the continent.

Xandria felt shivers go up and down her spine and asked, “How are you going to stop this magic?”

Cassandra again looked sad and spoke directly to the elves, “This is the part which I didn’t want to tell you; however, it looks like we have no other choice. As you know, if any of the other villagers go to the witch to stop the magic, they will likely be cursed or worse. You two are woodland elves and immune to magic. If the witch were to try to curse you, the magic would not work.”

Matthias spoke up, “It’s understandable that you send us on this quest because we are immune to magic. However, there are many other problems. The journey to the witch’s mountain is full of dangers that we don’t know anything about. We have never been far outside the village, and the forest where the path begins is frightening.”

“I understand, Matthias,” responded Cassandra, and she did understand. The elves were still not quite adults in elf years and were unfit for a dangerous journey. Cassandra would have looked for it if there was another way, but there seemed to be no alternative. She had told the village council that the elves would have to face much more danger than the witch, and the village council had listened. However, Jonovan, one of the most respected men in the village, had stated that the elves were their only hope.

While the elves had known Jonovan as long as they had been alive, the village council had recently elected him. He was a nice man, renowned for his wisdom.

Matthias felt scared and intimidated by the journey, but he had a greater concern, “If I do decide to go, can I go alone? I don’t want my sister in danger.”

“You’re not going alone!” Xandria stated in a flat tone. “I will not be able to sleep at night knowing that you’re on a dangerous journey.” She turned toward Cassandra, “Is there no other way? I know the council has already discussed this, but this is quite a task.”

“We have tried to think of other ways, and there was no other suggestion that we could come up with.”

Xandria thought about it for a minute. Kredaria was getting worse making it more difficult for her and Matthias to stay. How much longer could they tolerate living in a town that was no longer welcoming to the elves? She had always wanted to travel when she got older and now here was her chance. However, she would rather travel in safety than take upon a dangerous journey.

She also thought about secretly using the magic she studied to help along with the quest. It felt like an addiction for her, and she wanted an excuse to use it. At last, she said, “We will go.”

Matthias gave her a firm but concerned look, but Xandria wasn’t going to back down. They sat in silence for a moment.

Cassandra spoke again. “I suggest you visit with Jedlin and the High Priestess Selene before leaving the village. They both can give you advice, and Jedlin is well experienced with the outside world. They both have gifts to give you, and Selene would like to give you Brighid’s blessing before beginning your quest.” Cassandra gave them a sympathetic smile.

“I don’t know about Jedlin. He has been kind of moody lately,” Matthias said. He wasn’t quite over the fact that Jedlin yelled at him for walking in his yard.

“It’s probably just the way he is being affected by the spell,” Cassandra answered. “He promised us that he would try to be decent with you two if you are to visit.”

“We’ll go, but we’ll need a lot of advice. Even if he is rude to us, Xandria and I will do our best to ignore the rudeness. I’m sure it won’t be too bad.” Matthias had to talk himself into going since he knew it would be in his and his sister’s best interest.

“Good,” Cassandra said. “I wish you elves the best of luck. May the gods protect you from evil.”

At this, the reality of the situation hit Xandria and Matthias since this blessing was only given when someone was going into danger. This was the first time someone used this expression in regard to the elves. They looked at each other with wide eyes.

Cassandra left the elves, so they could prepare to depart.

“I still think I should go alone,” Matthias stated soon after Cassandra’s departure. “I don’t even want to go, but I feel like it is an obligation.”

“You’re not going to talk me out of going with you. If you don’t want to go, you need to speak up.”

“There is no way I can talk you out of going, is there? I just think that it is better to put only one of us in danger and not two.”

Xandria sighed, “Two have a better chance than one because we can watch each other’s backs. Plus, the loneliness will be awful for you. Besides, I don’t want to stay here and deal with the villagers alone.”

“Well, I can’t tell you what to do. Maybe I should catch up with Cassandra and tell her that we have decided to stay home. This quest is much too dangerous for us.”

“I feel torn,” Xandria stated. “I’m terrified, but this curse seems to be getting progressively worse. If we stay, it might get to the point where we regret not going.”

Matthias thought back to the bullies taunting him and the one who punched him. “I think we should go. It won’t be easy, but we are the only ones who are immune to magic.”

As they were getting ready, an owl suddenly appeared on their back windowsill. Another gift that woodland elves had was that they could communicate with the animal world. Humans and animals could never understand each other, but woodland elves could understand both.

According to woodland elf tradition, the owl represented wisdom, but they also delivered mysterious messages. The owl spoke, “In a forest so dark and cold, seek the shelter of the onion. Where there is light, there is also danger. Injuries from the past will only return to haunt you.” With that, the owl quickly flew off.

Matthias looked at Xandria with a baffled looked and said, “I have heard of these frolm creatures before. To my knowledge, they are said to be frog-like and hate anything with elven blood. If we face them, we will surely die. I think the owl means they will assist in our death. We need to be careful.”

Xandria crinkled her forehead, scratched her eyebrows, and looked at Matthias, “I don’t know where you get that from. The first part is obviously about the forest. I don’t know what the owl meant by seeking the shelter of the onion. That seemed really bizarre to me.”

“Yeah, I didn’t quite get that either.” Matthias sat down for a moment to try to figure it out. “The last part about the injuries of the past returning to haunt us sounds like it could be referring to the frolm.”

Xandria was curious. “What exactly are the frolm?”

“They are sometimes referred to as the ‘frog people.’ They are basically half-human and half-frog. They have been enemies with the woodland elves for a long time. I’m not sure what the reason is. However, stories say they are good with the bow and, like elves, can move around very quietly.”

“So, you think they will overtake us?”

“I don’t know for sure. I’m not even sure if they exist within the forest. It used to be full of frolm at one time, but then something happened, and the frolm began to die off.”

Xandria felt sorry for them. “That sounds horrible. What happens if we run into them?”

“Let’s hope that we don’t. That would be one more thing we would have to deal with. They might attack us on sight. If we see them coming, we probably should head in a different direction. I’m not sure how many trails are out there that we can follow.”

“This whole thing is creeping me out a little. I don’t know how we are going to be able to capture a witch.” Xandria shuddered at the thought.

“I don’t know either, let alone bring her back to the village.”

The elves started to pack to leave. Xandria grabbed her bow and arrows, while Matthias chose a short sword to use for a weapon.

They packed a light supply of food, which would not be enough for the journey. Hopefully, they would be able to find berries and plants to eat along the way. Woodland elves did not eat meat because it made them sick. Some assumed that elves were part rabbit because of their long ears and adversity to meat. However, this was only a rumor and not necessarily true.

They left their house and sought out the wise man, Jedlin. Jedlin lived in the middle of town in a shabby little house by himself. He was not a wealthy man; his only wealth was his wisdom. He’d never married nor had children because he figured that his ultimate goal was to gain understanding and advise others; this alone would be his legacy.

 

 

Chapter 6 – The Wiseman

 

The elves knocked on the door, and Jedlin answered. He appeared to be in a grumpy mood, but from what the elves understood of magic, even the wisest of humans couldn’t escape a curse. Jedlin invited them inside. “So, Cassandra brought you the news of your quest. I don’t very much like this since it is a dangerous quest fit only for a great warrior. However, our village has only one great warrior, and he must stay here to defend the village in case of an attack. If he left, the village would likely be taken over.”

Matthias and Xandria knew the great warrior Jedlin spoke of. Lucas, Matthias’ sword instructor, was a fierce warrior who protected the village from harmful outsiders. No one dared challenge Lucas to a fight. In fact, since the curse, not many dared to go near him because he was so grumpy and temperamental. Even Matthias had considered ending his sword practice sessions with him.

Jedlin continued, his face grumpy, but he could still give them the advice they needed. “The woods you must enter will be dangerous. Shadow thieves lurk in the forest.”

Xandria shivered just at the name, and Matthias asked, “Sir, what exactly are shadow thieves?”

Jedlin responded, “No one knows exactly what they are, but if they see your shadow, they will steal it from you, and you will become one of them. They are cursed people from a long time ago, doomed for breaking their oath to protect the woods.”

“What did they do… I mean, what oath did they break?” Matthias hadn’t learned much about shadow thieves at bard school.

Jedlin appeared thoughtful for a second. “It has been said that they began to destroy more trees than allowed because they wanted to make extra money with the wood. The people in the forest’s village could take a certain amount of timber to prevent overgrowth, but when they became greedy, they brought harm to the forest.

“The great keeper of the forest became angry and cursed those who were greedy to roam the Great Frolm Forest as shadow thieves. They can only feed off the shadows of other living creatures. Once they have obtained enough shadows, they can be released from the curse and continue to their next journey.”

“That’s terrible!” Xandria exclaimed.

Cracking his knuckles from nervousness, Matthias asked another question. “Is there a way to fight off the shadow thieves or destroy them?”

“No one knows for sure. They are throughout the forest, except for the frolm realms. Rumors say that no weapon can harm them, and no magic can seem to stop them.”

“Do the frolm still exist?” Matthias wondered.

“No one knows for sure about that either. It has been years since anyone has seen any frolm. I would advise you two to stay clear of them if you see any. The woodland elves and the frolm have been enemies for a long time.”

It must have been a nasty conflict, Matthias thought to himself. Why would there be such division between the two races? Wouldn’t peace be the easier way to go?

Matthias wanted to ask Jedlin a question that he had never had the chance to ask him. “Do you know the origins of woodland elves?”

Jedlin snarled at Matthias, and Matthias immediately regretted asking the question. “I believe the woodland elves originated in the Kingdom of Lyria during the First Age. They were made by the Creatress without magic, unlike every other race in the world. That is why they are immune to magic. Now I can’t waste any more time with idle chat, as things are urgent!”

Matthias wished he could ask more, but he knew better. He had so many questions about his origins that it would probably take a lengthy conversation to get through everything he wanted to know.

Jedlin got up and walked over to an old table with nothing on it except for one item. He lifted this item from the table and walked over to the elves, holding it out for them to see. The elves’ eyes widened with curiosity.

It was a rustic orange amulet shaped like a diamond. In the middle of the diamond, there appeared to be a flame burning within.

“This amulet,” Jedlin said, “has the power to absorb magic. When you meet the witch, put this amulet around her neck, and this will make it so her magic no longer works. It is my hope that stopping this magic will save this town, and we can once again return to peace.”

Matthias was curious. “Well, once we put it around the witch’s neck, won’t she be able to take it off?”

“Excellent question,” Jedlin said, impressed by Matthias’s logic. “However, the amulet was created with ancient magic, and once it is put on someone, it cannot be removed unless the witch visits one of the temples of the gods and goddesses. The high priestess of that temple must agree to remove it.”

Matthias held the amulet in amazement. He had never seen an object with such power in his lifetime. The elf could not believe he was going on a quest and having the chance to explore the outside world. He had never been too curious about the outside world. He felt frightened since he’d heard many stories of the awful things that happened to those who’d left the village.

Xandria was the next to speak. “What happens if she prevents us from putting the necklace on her?”

“It is my understanding that someone powerful with magic will be physically weaker. Since you two are immune to magic, you will only face the physical strength of the witch. You should be able to overpower her and put the necklace on.”

Neither of the elves really liked this idea. They had to make sure that the witch didn’t get the upper hand somehow. What if she sneaks up on us with a knife? Xandria visualized numerous ways in which the witch could overpower them. More and more, she regretted going on this quest, even though they hadn’t left yet.

“What should we be worried about on this journey?” Xandria asked.

“Well, I mentioned the shadow thieves and the frolm. The best advice I can give is to keep beneath a shade while making your way through the forest. There used to be a friendly kingdom on the other side of the forest called the United Territories, but I haven’t heard any word about them in a while. I don’t know if it is still there.”

Jedlin paused to think of more. “There are the volcanos in the south just before you get to the mountains. Try to veer away from the volcanos. They say that there is at least one erupting at every moment. It’s my hope that there will be villages on the way that can help you with food and shelter but going through the Great Frolm Forest is your immediate concern.

“Why can’t we just go around the forest?” Xandria asked, scratching her eyebrows.

“That would make your journey much longer. Plus, there is the Asydrian Ocean to the south and going out on the water can be dangerous. They say there are strange things that lurk beneath the seas. From what I understand, no one has made it around the forest and lived to tell about it using the ocean. I have only heard rumors, but I wouldn’t risk it.”

“What about if we travel to the northern side?” Matthias asked.

“Unfortunately, a great wall was built by the United Territories hundreds of years ago that is virtually impossible to get around. I wish there were another way, but I can’t think of anything.

“Okay, I think it is time for you to go,” Jedlin said, going back to his cranky tone. “Do your best for this village before it gets worse.”