Chapter 2

Wild flowers bloomed all across the mountainside as winter released its cold grasp. The ancient oak trees began sprouting new buds and the great snow drifts high in the peaks poured an eternal rain down through the rivers and the streams. Spring has finally come.

I heard the chickens herald the morning but I was already up, as I had many chores I needed to take care of. My name is Elias and I am an elf. I lived on this mountain with my brother, though we have different parents. Brother Isayah says that my parents have already left this world and I behind, but it didn’t really bother me; I don’t remember them anyway. Isayah said that he brought me here when I was still a baby so I don’t really know about anything outside this forest.

Our house consisted of three main rooms as well as the loft which used to be a sort of secondary storage area, but more recently has been my room. The largest room was used for cooking, eating, and a variety of activities from crafting to studying. Brother Isayah’s room was on the left side of the house and the pantry/main storage occupied the right side of the building. Despite there being only two of us living here, it tended to get cramped in the winter.

Of course, I had a good amount of free time to explore the area, so I’d argue that regardless of my age, I know more about the woods and surrounding mountains than anyone else.

I’m going to turn 13 this summer and then I will be allowed to hunt with Brother. I’ve asked before but he would always say, “Not until you’re twelve” in his dumb elder voice he sometimes used.

After making breakfast of two large omelets filled with wild greens and mushrooms, I inhaled one and left the other on the table for Brother. I wanted to hike up the peak and collect some ‘first spring blossoms’ so I made sure to rush through my morning tasks.

I had to first let the chickens out, then work on the garden so that we can sow new seeds as soon as the weather permits. After that was done, I’d collect firewood for the day, mostly for cooking since it was getting warmer out. I grabbed the rucksack on my way into the woods, I figured I might as well check to see if my snares had caught anything. Isayah wouldn’t let me hunt, but he did teach me all about traps; where the best places to set were, what kind of twine I could make based on the tree, and also how to butcher an animal in the field to lessen your load as well as keeping monsters away from our house.

I dropped by and saw a few that were triggered, but hadn’t caught anything. I just shrugged, most of the game would be too thin from winter anyway. Still, I wanted to show off to Isayah. I continued my hunt for good branches and sticks. We’d been living here for a long time so I always have to go a good distance from home to find enough.

I did have a dagger entrusted to me, so it made cutting the smaller dead branches of the older trees a simple task. I’d collected quite a lot after an hour and decided to head back. The sun had been up for almost 2 hours by the time I returned, and Brother Isayah was working on his hobby of late. The carving he was working on was easily 20 feet tall and made of lodgepole pine cut from high in the mountain and transported here via the river.

Isayah spotted me from his perch atop the massive totem and called, “Elias, bring me the spoon gouge would you.” This wasn’t the first time I had to fetch something Isayah forgot before crawling up there. I offloaded my firewood and ran over to his bucket of chisels and a variety of similar gadgets. “You must have gotten up early today, you’re just finishing the chores aren’t you?”

“Yup, I was going to go get some first spring blossoms.” In fact, I should probably hurry before they wither, they’re a special flower that blooms at night only once before drying up and usually getting carried away by the wind. Brother Isayah’s collection of books was not vast, but he had still taught me to read and he brought home new books every so often. I’ve already finished all of them several times over.

One of the volumes described in detail a large amount of common to rare plants and their medicinal or practical uses. First spring blossoms are rather rare not because they are not plentiful, but because it was difficult to harvest them correctly. I figured out a couple of years ago though, if you simultaneously cast ice magic on the roots while feeding it raw mana, it emulates the frozen early spring ground enough to keep it from withering right away. Although this trick doesn’t last for long, if you crush it into a fine powder leaving said roots intact, the essence doesn’t escape and you end up with a reagent needed to create some pretty high level healing potions and salves.

“Well, be careful on your way there, even if I keep the monster population down, there are still a few that might be bold enough to hang out near the trail.” Even though he says that, I’ve never run into a monster let alone seen one. Isayah takes his hunting very seriously and that's why I’m not allowed to enter the lowlands as his hunting range didn’t reach that far.

“Why wouldn’t I be careful? I know my way around.” Isayah cast me a forlorn look and I added, “I’ll be careful.”

“Good.” He went back to chipping away wood, “Will you also pick up the rest of the fish we froze for winter on your way back? It won’t do for it to go to waste.” I inwardly groaned at the extra task.

“Alright, but I might not be back till the evening.” The hike was two hours one way on a clear day but it was still snowy near the top, so travel will be even slower. Whether or not I’d make it back for dinner depended on how long it took to collect enough flowers to make the trip worthwhile.

I handed him the tool I’d finally fished out. “I’m going to go pack lunch, did you want me to make you anything?”

“Nah, I’ll just get something when I’m hungry… Come here and tell me what you think.” Isayah repelled a bit from the top and gestured toward the section he’d been working on.

“It looks... good?” The truth was it looked quite ugly. Isayah was no master woodcarver and it showed in his work. The totem was uneven and rough on top of being asymmetrical, the opposite of a totem’s staple appearance. Brother had carved a large face near the top resembling a creature I’d seen in an illustrated bestiary. I think it was called a monkey, they were primates that were one of the only humanoid animals not classified as a monster.

Isayah let out a laugh, “You don’t have to spare my feelings you know, I’m aware it looks awful.” He studied his work for a minute before cutting off my departure once again, “You know, I always looked down on craftsmen, but I’ve learned these past several years that their job was just as difficult as my own.” He didn’t speak much about his previous life and I didn’t pry, every time I brought it up, he would avoid answering.

Of course I was curious, I’ve lived with him as his younger sibling for my entire life and yet he still remains a mystery. I barely know the only person I’ve ever known.

He must have noticed me fidgeting so he just shook his head and waved me off, “Don’t ask questions that don’t concern you. I’m sure I’ll tell you one day, but,” His face became scrunched with sorrow, “I’m not ready yet.”

I nodded, expecting that result. And so, I only smiled stiffly, “Umm… I’ll go pack lunch now.”

It didn’t take very long and it felt awkward to just hang around, so I hurried out the door and found myself on the path a short while later. There was a brisk wind and the cold from the mountains forced me to pull my robe tighter. The further I traveled, the more snow showed underneath the trees and the fewer signs of life I saw.

The path was quiet as it was too early in the season for insects to be out, and even birds were scarce. The air was cold and fresh, the day was clear skies, and life looked great. Or at least that was the case, until I saw the blood.

It was newly spilled judging by its bright color. I immediately figured out more or less what transpired. There was a lot of disturbance in the snow, and I could tell there was some sort of battle. There were many splatters of blood around the clearing and even a small puddle of it near a tree. Though what concerned me most was the fact that there were smears of blood showing very definite evidence of a body being dragged away.

I wished I could overlook it as two wild animals fighting, but the glint of a sword caught my eye from where it lay. I couldn’t delay, it would take at least half an hour to run back and get Isayah. I pulled my knife out and started following the tracks. I followed nearly a mile through the woods before I really started to worry. Whatever it was, it must have dragged them pretty far. Maybe the victim is already dead.

But still, I had to make sure, Isayah would have been able to save them. I could just imagine the look on Brother’s face when I tell him about this, but I had to get results first. I sped up to a near sprint, icy air burning my lungs. The trail led to a cave I explored last summer, it wasn’t very deep so I stopped to catch my breath before entering. It became dark right away but I used a torch spell Isayah showed me.

The light hovered in the air for a moment, illuminating the small cavern and the body inside. It was a teenage boy, a few years older than me. He was a human.