Falling to the ground and frantically rolling around crushed many of my foes, but the exertion and the accumulation of many small wounds soon sapped my strength. Before long I lay still and struggled simply to stay conscious. Just as the blackness was mercifully about to claim me and spare me from experiencing what was to come, the swarm of insects retreated.

Too tired to get up, peered through my fingers and confirmed that the murderous tide had lost interest in us and were returning to their clearing. Hovering above the mass of bodies was a familiar feminine form composed of light brown leaves. It drifted down beside me, shifting to convey a frown.

“I’m so sorry, I came as quickly as I could.”

Taking my hands from my face, I looked down at my body. There was quite a lot of my own blood amongst the colourful secretions left by the insects. “Am I going to die?”

“I, um, don’t think so. You do look pretty rough though, let me see what I can do.”

Glancing over at Elmidath, I saw that she was little better off than I and shook my head. “Help her first.”

“Are you sure? Isn’t she the one—”

“Just do it.”

I tried to stand, only to find that it was currently beyond my capabilities and remained on the ground, surrounded by tiny crushed bodies. At some point I must have drifted into unconsciousness after all, as I came to with the leaf girl standing over me once more speaking.

“I’ve treated her wounds, she’ll be fine. I also tended to you and the old man.”

“What’s your name anyway?”

It was the first thing that popped into my head. Besides, I needed something better to call her than ‘leaf girl’.

“Yuriel. What about you?”

“Cathal.”

She repeated my name back to me a few things, and I raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

The leaves produced an imitation of a shrug. “I don’t learn many names; I’m trying to make sure I remember it.”

“Uh-huh. Did that other guy we met tell you why we came?” I didn’t have the patience for chatting right now. Funny how nearly dying could damage one’s good humour.

“More or less. What’s this matter of grave importance or whatever?”

Looking over at Elmidath, I saw that she was still out of it. “I’d prefer to talk directly to Soarister.”

“That’s not going to happen, he’s very busy. Besides, you wouldn’t be able to speak with him anyway.”

“Why not? Isn’t this where he lives?”

“No, he’s never been to this world. It is not yet fit for his presence.”

He sounded rather arrogant then, though that came as no surprise, given that he was so intent on expanding his domain and that he seemed to have only servants rather than allies.

“How are we meant to reach him then?”

“You’re not, at least not directly. Explain what you want to me, and I’ll see what I can do.”

There was something a little off about that, it seemed too roundabout. “How do I know you’ll really contact him at all?”

“You’ll just have to trust me. We won’t get very far if you can’t.”

“Fine, I’ll trust you.” Yuriel had given me little reason to distrust her, but the forest’s recent assault had put me on edge. “Have you ever heard of the Ortisfel?”

“Where did you hear that name?”

I gestured towards where Tagath lay. “He was in contact with them, or at least part of them, and told us a little about them. What do you know about them?”

“I know little of them myself, but I have felt much regarding them. They are a blight upon this world like none other.”

Well this was shaping up well so far. “Exactly, that’s why we’ve come here to ask for help in destroying them. Or at least getting rid of them in any way possible.”

“I cannot speak for Soarister, but I want nothing to do with the Ortisfel.”

“What? Don’t you want to get rid of them?”

“I do. However, there is a wrongness to them. They are best avoided wherever possible.”

I shook my head; she was sounding a lot like Lord Yueryurn had. “I’m sure we’d all like to avoid them, but we don’t have that luxury. If we ignore the Ortisfel, they’ll only continue to grow in strength. Better that we deal with them as soon as possible.”

“What exactly do you expect I, or any of Soarister’s servants to do about it? We have no armies.”

I glanced meaningfully at the swarm of insects that had so recently been attacking us. “You could’ve fooled me.”

“They are only there to protect Soarister’s domain, nothing more.”

“Isn’t that exactly what attacking them before they can harm you is?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes, but I’m not here to argue semantics. None of Soarister’s servants can aid you beyond the reach of his domain.”

Was that it then? Were they really no use to us at all? It was starting to look that way, but I was determined to find some kind of aid here. This whole trip couldn’t have been for nothing, not after we were almost killed.

“There must be something you can do. Surely you see how much of a threat the Ortisfel pose to us all.”

“I do, I’m just not sure how I can help. The best I can think of is offering you all a place to stay. And even then, I’m not sure how many of your people could live here. Assuming they even wanted to.”

An offer of sanctuary was useful, but far short of what I was looking for. “There’s really nothing you can do to affect the outside world?”

“Um, not really. I could always offer advice, though I doubt that would achieve much.”

“Alright, so Soarister can only help us within his domain, right? Is there any way to expand it so that it reaches where the Oristfel are?”

Yuriel floated around me in a circle. “Typically his children require the suns’ light to grow. They can also survive off magic, but only in its raw state. The corrupted energy of the Ortisfel is poison to us.”

“Alright, so if there were another powerful source of magic then you could expand there?”

“That’s right. Do you happen to know such a place?”

“Um.” I went over what little I knew of the world in my head, but the only magical place I could think of was Elmidath’s former home and that was no use to us now. “I’m not really sure. Don’t you know anywhere we could use?” Yuriel had to know more of this world than I did.

“Unfortunately I have little familiarity with the lands beyond Soarister’s domain. One of the human cities might work, though I imagine that would be little help to your kind.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that won’t work.” The humans would kill us on sight for the simple crime of being demons. And even if by some miracle they didn’t, they’d never agree to let Soarister expand into their homes to help us.

Tagath, having awoken at some point, took the silence as an opportunity to interject. “I believe I know a location that would suit your needs. There’s an abandoned tower, not that far from Sarinknell, that houses a source of powerful magic.”

That seemed awfully convenient, was Tagath really telling the truth? “If there’s powerful magic there, then why was it abandoned?”

“The merging led to a terrible accident that rendered the whole place extremely unstable. Normally I would not suggest going there unless you have a death wish, but if Soarister’s servants can siphon off the power then it may suit our purposes admirably.”

“How would this work? Would we have to go into this death trap?”

Rather than answering, Tagath looked to Yuriel. The leaves composing her form hung still in the air except for her mouth. “I’m afraid so. While I could accompany you, I could not plant the seed myself.”

“What seed?”

“The seed from which Soarister’s new realm will bloom. If you can bring it close to the source of magic, then it will do the rest.”

While I was far from eager to plunge into danger yet again, it was a decent plan. Certainly better than any of the others we’d come up with so far. “If we succeed, how long until Soarister will be able to help us?”

“Not long, a few days maybe. Assuming what your friend says is true about this source of magic.”

Tagath met my gaze without wavering. “It should be more than sufficient for their purposes.”

It sounded more or less fine then, but I still needed to clear it with Elmidath before I made a final decision. I gently shook her, to no avail. She was clearly alive, just unconscious.

Yuriel drifted closer. “So, are we going through with this or not?”

“I think so, I just need to ask Elmidath first. Can you get things ready for when she wakes up? I assume she’ll say yes.”

Maybe not at first, but I was sure I could convince her. For all that she disliked Soarister’s servants, she was reasonable enough to see this was a good idea.

“I have everything I need already.” The leaves around her chest parted, displaying a small seed floating in the centre. “It seems like we’ve got some time to spare, so why don’t you tell me about what’s been happening out in the world? How did you end up fighting against the Oritsfel? They’re certainly not a foe I would wish on anyone.”

“They destroyed Lady Sarinknell’s home, my home, simple as that really.”

I’d never really thought of it as my home until now, but I suppose it was the closest thing I’d had to one in this world. Now we were little better than vagrants, forced to wander and depend on the charity of others.

“Can’t you just live somewhere else?”

I shrugged. “I doubt anyone would take us.” Remembering Yuriel’s previous offer, I appended my statement. “I appreciate your offer, but I’d rather not live here. There’s no guarantee we’d be safe from the Ortisfel here anyway.”

“You’d be safe enough, at least from them. And you’re right; you definitely wouldn’t like living here.”

I was tempted to ask why not, but I got the impression Yuriel didn’t really want to talk about it. Nor was I certain I actually wanted to know; I already had more than enough terrible things to keep me up at night.

“Do you like it here?”

“I…” Her leafy form whirled around in haphazard patterns. “I’m not really sure. I’ve never lived anywhere else.”

“You must have some idea. What do you usually do around here?”

“Mostly just ensure everything runs smoothly and help plan for future expansion. I suppose I like it well enough, it’s important work after all.”

It didn’t sound like the greatest lot in life, but it was still a lot better than the hand I’d been dealt. “That sounds fairly nice then. I imagine you’d rather be doing that than trying to hold off the Ortisfel.”

“Oh no, I’m happy to come along. They do need to be stopped if possible, and I’d like to see what lies beyond Soarister’s lands.”

“I’m afraid you’re in for a disappointment. From what I’ve seen, it’s mostly a wasteland out there.”

“That’s unfortunate. Still, I’d like to see it for myself.”

“You’re in luck then, assuming Elmidath agrees to this plan.”

“Now that I think about it, there was one thing here that I definitely like. Do you want to see it? You probably won’t get another chance.”

I glanced at my companions, hesitant to leave them here. “Will it take very long?”

“Not at all.”

“Fine, so long as the others will be safe here.”

“They will. Soarister’s servants know not to harm any of you now.”

“Then lead the way.”

With an exaggerated grin conveyed through leaves, Yuriel floated ahead of me. “I’m sure you’ll love it.”

As I walked, a question occurred to me. “I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but is that your real body?”

“Yes and no. I won’t die even if my body is destroyed, but this is also the only form I wear.”

Then she really was some kind of spirit, rather than just a person manifesting themselves here. It explained why she seemed odd compared to the other people I’d met.

“I see. Well, at least one of us won’t have to worry about whatever we find out there once we leave this place.”

“I would happily extend the same protection to you if I could, believe me.”

“It’s okay, I’m not jealous or anything.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m jealous of you all with your flesh and blood bodies that can actually feel things.”

That was a fair point, even if most of what I felt these days was far from pleasant. For example, the countless bites I’d so recently endured from Soarister’s servants.

“You should probably feel lucky you don’t have to worry about that, given where we’re headed.”

“You may be right. It would make for an interesting experience though.”

Interesting was certainly one word for it. I’d been through a deal of interesting experiences as of late. Never before had I wished so much for peace and boredom, but that still seemed a long way off.

We continued through the forest, Yuriel leading me unerringly despite the lack of a path or any landmarks. Compared to some of the others things I’d seen today, her infallible sense of direction scarcely seemed noteworthy.

Reaching a tree much like the others, except perhaps for being slightly larger, Yuriel paused. “Here we are.”

I looked around, not seeing anything of note. “Is that what we came here for? That tree?”

“Not exactly. It’s what’s inside the tree that matters.”

With a grand flourish of her leafy arms, the tree trunk split open and a shining orb of green energy emerged. It floated over to Yuriel and hung in the air above her outstretched palm. “This is Tun, she’s sort of like my other half.”

I was guessing she didn’t mean in the romantic sense, or at least I hoped so. Someone being romantically involved with a glowing orb was a little too much for me to process at the moment. “How so?”

“Well, we share a bond and she exists mostly in the spirit realm, where Soarister himself resides, while I exist here.”

She sounded disappointed when she spoke of her own position. “Is the spirit realm really that much better?”

“It lacks all the terrible imperfections of this world. The spirit realm is pure, free of selfish desire and suffering.”

It sounded almost like Nirvana or some other kind of heavenly state, though I wasn’t sure it was what I’d want. I suppose a sort of blissful oblivion would be better than just plain old oblivion, assuming that was what happened when you died. Though I’d believed that in the past, I wasn’t sure what to think anymore. I sure hadn’t thought all the magic I’d witnessed was possible, who knew what else might be real.

“What exactly does Tun do?”

“She allows me to receive Soarister’s commands, and generally commune with the spirit world. That’s generally how us servants communicate with each other; we rarely meet in person.”

It sounded a lot like the connection I had with Elmidath, though I was guessing that had nothing to do with whatever spirit realm she was talking about.

“Shouldn’t you bring her with you then?”

“Tun? Oh no, I could never expose her to whatever dangers we might find out there. If she were to die, then I’d be cut off. Maybe forever.”

“How are you going to know what Soarister wants while you’re gone then?”

Yuriel shrugged. “I won’t, whatever it is will just have to wait.”

“Is that a good idea? What if there’s an emergency?”

“If there is, I doubt I could do much about it anyway. I’m far from the greatest of his servants, I’m sure the others can handle it without me.”

It sounded rather reckless of her, but I suppose I shouldn’t argue when she was doing it to help us. “Why did you want to show it to me?”

“I don’t know, I thought it was pretty neat. It’s pretty much the only thing I own though, so maybe you’re used to seeing much grander sights.”

Hearing her dejection made my heart sink, I hadn’t intended any offense. “Oh, not at all, I was just struggling to understand.”

I peered at Tun like she was the most interesting thing I’d ever seen. “While I have seen a lot of things in my time here, I’ve never seen anything like Tun. How long have you two been bonded?”

“It’s impossible to say at this point, time in the spirit realm is strange. Many of this world’s years at least.”

How old was Yuriel then? It certainly sounded like she was a lot older than me despite her personality, though maybe neither of those things should be surprising for a forest spirit. If that was even an accurate description of Yuriel’s nature.

“Well thank you for letting me meet her.”

I turned to the glowing light once more. “Hello Tun, nice to meet you.”

“She can’t hear you, but I appreciate the thought.”

I coughed, embarrassed at having greeted something that couldn’t understand me. It was like I’d been saying hello to a tree, which might not be too far from the reality of it. While we were heading back to the others, I looked over at the leaves that made up Yuriel’s form. “Is there any particular reason why you’re made of leaves?”

“Not exactly, I just like them. That, and I’m used to them.”

I thought she might’ve had some special connection with leaves, but apparently not. “So, you could always use something else if you don’t have any leaves to work with?”

“Sort of. I don’t think I can work with any of the materials we’ll find beyond Soarister’s borders. Hopefully I won’t need to reform my body out there.”

“What happens if you can’t? Will you die?”

“Oh no, I’ll just reform back here instead.”

At least one of us wouldn’t be risking their lives, though I don’t know if that was much help. It’s not like Yuriel would be able to carry on what we were doing if we died.

By the time we returned to the bug filled clearing, Elmidath was up and about. Seeing us return, she came over. “Tagath told me what happened. I accept, let’s do it.”

I blinked. “You’re sure?” I thought she’d at least want to argue about it first.

“No, but we’ve come all this way, let’s give it a shot.”

Her trusting Soarister’s servants was probably too much to ask for, and quite possibly unwise anyway. That she was being positive about the whole thing was probably the best I could ask for.

“Great, then we can finally leave this forest.”

Yuriel took the lead and the three of us carefully picked our way through the trees behind her. As it turned out we weren’t all that far from the forest’s edge, not that we’d have found it on our own. The whole place looked more or less the same to me, no matter how much I searched for small differences or some sort of path.

Once we were past the trees and the lifeless earth beyond was in clear view, Yuriel stopped. “Wow, so this is what you were talking about.”

“Yep. You’d better get used to it; we’ll be seeing a lot of this scenery on the way.”

“I doubt I’ll ever get used to it, it’s so strange.”

Apparently uninterested in Yuriel’s revelation, Elmidath just kept walking leaving the rest of us to catch up.