Warm light hovered over my eyelids. A single song bird filled the frosted air with its song. I struggled to open my eyes. If I still had moments left to live, I wanted to see the green forest one last time. Wooden walls met my gaze. The sunlight that warmed my face entered the room through a window. It was just starting to peek over the mountain tops.

“You’re finally awake,” called a voice beside me. It was Aina, the village elder’s wife. I had met her briefly when I first arrived.

“What happened?”

“The healer found you in the woods two nights ago. He patched you up, and brought you here to rest.” She stood and crossed the room and slid open a paper door. After a moment of rummaging inside the closet, she set a neatly folded pile of clothes on the floor beside me.

After she left through another sliding door, I slowly crawled out of the covers I was under. The chill morning air tingled across my skin. I ignored the clothes and searched the room for my belongings. My sword stood in a corner of the room, and wrapped around it was my amulet. The holy relics were blessed by the first high priest of the order several hundred years ago, and was the only protection a knight had against the dread powers of darkness.

The loose robe style of clothing wasn’t difficult to put on, despite my bandages. My sword fit nicely into the black sash which blended into the dark patterns of the other fabric. The billowing sleeves annoyingly pulled on my arms, but surprisingly didn’t encumber them.

My hands slid the door Aina had left through, careful not to tear the delicate paper. Even though this village was technically part of the Holy Luvius Empire, it was far removed from the central cities. The architecture and customs were very unusual. The idea that paper and a thin wooden frame made the only barrier between me and the terrors I hunted was not a comforting one.

Strange scents drifted up as I slowly walked down the stairs. At least my life as a templar, however long that turned out to be, would be filled with exotic foods. The creatures of darkness rarely ventured into the heart of the empire.

“Glad to see you up and moving,” the gruff voice of the village elder called. Corann Quinn was well muscled for his age, and his skin sported more scars than most knights I had met. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to wake up.”

“I didn’t expect to. I was poisoned by the mystic venom of a cat sìth. I didn’t believe there was a cure. Thank the lady of light for miracles.” I took the seat offered to me, and waited patiently for the meal still roasting over the fire.

“Yes, the goddesses certainly blessed this village when they sent us the new healer.” Corann placed a sizzling hunk of deer meat on the plate in front of me. “Showed up just two days before the first attack. A lot of folks would be worse off if it weren’t for him.”

“I would very much like to meet him and convey proper thanks.”

“I think we should let your strength build up a bit more before that hike.” He smiled, scooping some steamed vegetables onto my plate.

“He doesn’t live in the village?” The meat melted on my tongue. I had no idea what they used to season the meat, but it was delicious. My teeth sank into the crunchy center of the vegetables.

“Slow down lad, or you’ll be sick. You haven’t eaten anything solid since you were brought here.”

Disappointment churned in my stomach as I forced myself to slow down. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until the first bite. My focus shifted to the situation. The village had reported many sightings of the aes sídhe in the forest. The fairies of dark gods were brave enough to attack villagers, surely living deep inside the forest would be dangerous.

“In light of the attacks, wouldn’t it be better to give him lodgings within the safety of the town? If nothing else, having the healer closer to tend to any wounded would be beneficial as well. Is no one willing to house him?”

“We surely offered him a place. The very room where you woke up in fact.” He paused for a moment and sighed. “He wouldn’t hear of it. He’s a bit reclusive and never stays in town for long.”

We continued to chat about the mysterious healer while I finished my meal. He always seemed to be around when he was needed, rarely did anyone need to venture to his hut. An orphan boy in the village was attacked by something dark two days after the healer first came to town. The boy was on death’s doorstep, but had fully recovered within two days.

Not wanting to alarm the village elder, I hid my thoughts behind a mask of tiredness. A memory that lingered just past recollection became ever clearer the more I learned. A haunting suspicion crept through my thoughts.

In the tomes of the order, I read a description of a powerful aes sídhe that lured in the sick and dying with promises of health. Able to bring people back from the edge of death or remove chronic ailments, this terrible fairy attracted dozens of humans to his abode. He took both the riches of the mortal world, and the souls of the living in exchange for his miracles.

Distrust festered in my mind. There was more evil in this forest than just a single witch. I was saved from certain death, with the removal of the incurable venom from my blood. My amulet had been removed from my neck while I slept. Who knows what manner of magic could have been performed with my protection removed.

“Perhaps you could tell me who paid for his services on my behalf. I would like to repay my debt.” I asked my host. I would find out what dark price was paid for my life, and use that knowledge as the foundation of my investigation.

“Nobody. The healer has never accepted payment from anyone.”