The search party moved with caution. Thalos knew something was wrong. The group had become tense for a while, walking in tight formations. He couldn't keep his gaze away from the treetops. Every now and then, he thought he saw blue lights following them. Every time he'd try to look at it, it would vanish. He wasn't sure if he was just getting paranoid. That was until he looked up, and far ahead of them, he saw a fairy. It lingered in his vision for a second or two until it darted away.
"I… think they are above us." He wanted to warn the others. "Don't look, ignore them," Jorn said quickly. Thalos turned. "Ignore them? Why?"
"Come on! We are just scaring ourselves," Eirik said, forcing a small chuckle, but Thalos noticed that his eyes were darting between every tree.
There was a moment of silence until Hagan spoke.
"Like I said, they are playful creatures. They mess with your vision and use voices to talk inside your mind." Hagan made a large gesture to the trees around them. "They may not be real." He looked down at the tracks they were following. "Those could be illusions."
"Then what do we do?" Elara said quietly. Hagan looked upward at the sky. "Nothing to do. Just ignore them. They love attention."
Everyone, even Eirik, nodded. They walked forward, trying to keep their eyes ahead. Thalos turned his attention to his father. He was at the front of the group. Eryndor hadn't said a word, but he was scanning the forest carefully, his hand never leaving his sword. But he noticed, the deeper they walked, the less real the forest felt. In the corner of his eye, a tree bent and twisted, as he snapped his head around, it was normal. The path that he swore was straight, started turning in different directions. He tried to ignore it. He kept his focus on their footprints in the snow, but even they seemed wrong. He couldn't tell why, but as he inspected them further, he realized that they had been passed over multiple times.
Ahead, Eryndor slowed. the others noticed immediately, their hands grabbing their weapons. Thalos saw his father study the forest, kneel down, and inspect the path ahead of him. "We've been here before." Jorn and Hagan walked to the front of the group with Eryndor.
"That's not possible. The footsteps are a straight path." Torren motioned to the prints in the snow.
"We were all too scared that we just went in a circle!" Eirik yelled.
Elara tugged on Thalos's cloak. "What's happening?" He looked at her, and he could tell she was worried. Her eyes were wide, and her usual poise was about to break. "I think we were tricked." He said to her quietly so the others didn't hear.
"No, stay on guard," Jorn commanded. Torren swore. "We should have noticed!" Hagan stepped forward. He was concerned. "They usually aren't this subtle with their tricks. They got us."
As if responding to the party's realization, the humming started, the blue lights filled the sky, and Thalos saw Elara, who was standing beside him, collapse into the snow, her eyes rolling white. He ran to her side. "ELARA!"
She could hear his scream, but her mind went blank. When she opened her eyes again, the sun was high in the sky. She looked around her. They were back in Frosthelm, and the group was standing nearby. Thalos was the first to notice her wake and ran up to her. "Elara! Are you okay?" It took her a moment to adjust. She sat up slowly. "Yeah, what happened?" He looked down. "The fairies came, they surrounded us, and we had to retreat."
She thought for a moment and then remembered. "What about Orin… and… and Garrick and Brynn?" Thalos didn't respond. Instead, Jorn walked up and knelt beside her. "They were taken by the forest. There is nothing more to be done. They are gone." Elara walked home alone. Thalos, Jorn, and others offered to walk with her, but she declined. Were they really gone? I guess it was to be expected. They ran to the forest alone. She knew all along that there was only a small chance they would bring them back. Maybe she was too hard on Brynn. Did she drive her away?
She turned toward the Great Hall. There was someone she wanted to talk to. The moment she stepped inside and the doors closed, it felt colder than it should have, the lights weren't as bright, and there was no one there. She turned to the eastern wall and entered the study. There, sitting behind a finely carved dark-oak desk, was Nolen Halcroft. The lead professor at Frosthelm. He had a tired expression and had deep dark circles under his eyes. His face was thin and pointy, and his dark hair was short, pulled back and well kept. He carefully looked up from the book he had in his hands. "Elara, what are you doing here?"
She walked up to the desk. "I don't know what to do anymore. Everyone's gone." Nolen put down the book, moved his work to the side, and gave a tired sigh. "This is what happens when you don't follow the rules… They are in place for a reason." She looked down. And he continued, "Elara, You are nearing your sixteenth year. You have to stop playing games." He stood up slowly and walked toward Elara, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We are Halcroft's Elara. We have always and will always be the ones to teach the new generations. When I was young, I did a lot of stupid things, but we all have to grow up. Do you understand?" She paused for a moment. "Yes, Father, I am sorry." He gave her a small warm smile. "Remember, we have high hopes for you."
She looked down. She always felt guilty. Her family had an important role in Frosthelm. Whenever the group would get in trouble. She never did. Instead, the teachers and elders spun the story so it was mostly Brynn's fault. Her father never yelled at her, never hurt her. He would always smile and tell her one day she will have to take up the Halcroft's name. Her mother, on the other hand, hated her group of friends. Any time she would hang out with them, she would get screamed at with words that she dared not repeat. She could never tell her father. He worked so hard for her. She would smile and tell him how much she learnt. She was, after all, smarter than most young adults in Frosthelm. And even then, she was always unsure if she wanted to follow their family tradition "What if I can't be a teacher like you?" His eyes softened. "You are smart enough to excel at anything you choose." She smiled. That's right, her father would always support her.
"Now then, stay and join me. I am finishing a wonderful book." He turned and sat back down. Elara smiled. "Okay, I'd like that." And she sat on the chair across from him. Right before he picked back up the book, she noticed something. It got caught in her mind. The pages of the book were blank. She looked upward. There was an antler above, but she didn't notice it. the light wasn't coming off of it right. Actually the more she looked, the more she found. Through the Frostwidow silk, the objects in the distance looked blurry, and even parts of her father looked… wrong? In a way she couldn't point out, but it made her head pound. It was like she wanted to remember something, but it was just at the edge of her memory.
She noticed the light reflecting away at wrong angles. Was she getting paranoid? "What… book are you reading?" He looked up and smiled. "Oh this, I am reading one of the original books, The Frozen March. The first time humans came to the north." She knew that story. "How does it go?" She tried to ask curiously. He closed the book and placed it down. "Hundreds of years ago, there was a massive war. The humans were killing the beastmen like savages until the other races retaliated against them. The humans were left scattered and fled north, where we are today." Elara thought for a moment. No… That's not how the story went. Humans were caught in the middle of the war, defenseless, and driven to the north by relentless attacks. She knew something was wrong. She wanted to run, but why? What if she was wrong? What if she just wanted to prove something to herself? Her father would be disappointed in her again. She should just obey the rules…
She clenched her fists. No, the rules never helped her before. She hated following the rules. There was a reason she always followed Brynn. She was so envious of Brynn's free spirit. She wanted to be like that, to act, to do what she wanted to do. If she wanted something, Brynn would always make it happen. No, she wasn't going to let the rules stop her anymore. And without a word, she turned and bolted straight for the door. Her father was too slow to catch her, but she could hear him calling. "Don't leave. You can be happy here, forever!" She burst through the door and was preparing to sprint out of the Great Hall. But everything vanished, and she found herself on her hands and knees in the middle of the forest. She saw Thalos, saw Jorn, and saw the entire party. But more importantly, she saw all the blood.