Chapter 374: Sylvan Emissary

Dozens of goblins rushed to move out of the way of the large grey wolf as it stalked its way to the village square. A pair of guards escorted the wolf and her rider through the village, though neither guard tried to step too close. They had seen how quickly a wolf of Vulture Woods could rip apart a bone and flesh. The late Third Mother’s death was still fresh in their memories.

Over a hundred goblins were already at the village square by the time the rider and his wolf arrived. They were all sitting by several bonfires, waiting for dinner if the scent of sizzling meat in the air was any indication. They all seemed ready to fight, but as soon as they spotted the wolf they lowered their claws.

Bloodthirsty as ever, thought the rider with a disgruntled frown, though his expression was hidden underneath his helm.

His wolf noticed his displeasure and growled at the goblins nearby, much to their dismay.

The rider patted her head soothingly. “There, there,” he muttered quietly. “Let’s just get this over with and be on our way.”

One of the guards cleared his throat and shouted, “A messenger from the Lunar Elect has arrived!”

~~~

“A messenger from the Lunar Elect has arrived!” the guard repeated once more.

First Mother glanced at the young outsiders behind her and whispered harshly, “Hide!”

Plum’s eyes shot towards Stryg, “Library, the first time we met.”

His eyes lit with recognition and he nodded.

Tauri, still sitting on Stryg’s lap, hurried to run behind a nearby cabin, but he held her tight. “Stryg, what are you doing!?” she whispered angrily.

Plum raised her hands and channeled purple mana into her veins.

The air around them suddenly blurred and their bodies suddenly disappeared as if they had never been there, or at least it seemed so to everyone around them.

Tauri marveled at the faint purple sphere swirling around the three of them. “What is this?” she whispered.

“Plum’s cloaking spell,” Stryg whispered.

“Cloaking? Like invisibility?”

“She’s casting an illusion shell around us. The outer shell mimics the area around it, effectively making us invisible, while the inner shell allows us to maintain sight of what’s happening outside.”

“I didn’t know illusion spells could do that…” Tauri muttered.

“Their niche spells. Most purple mages can’t cast cloaking spells like this due to their inherent complex nature, not even me,” Stryg admitted. “But Plum always had a knack for this sort of thing.”

Plum grinned proudly, “It’s one of the first spells I ever mastered. Of course, I've improved on my spells over the years. Still, they came in pretty handy back in my days at the academy.”

Tauri narrowed her eyes, “What exactly were you using this spell for?”

“Let’s not talk about that…” Plum said sheepishly.

“She used to spy on people,” Stryg said.

“Will you all shut up!? I can still hear you idiots,” First snapped at them quietly.

“...and other things,” Stryg whispered into Tauri’s ear.

She suddenly remembered how close the two of them were, but she felt oddly comfortable in his embrace as if they were still back in the gardens of her family’s villa.

Jahn strode into the village square with his usual quick pace and spotted the wolf rider immediately. The other goblins bowed their heads in deference as Jahn walked past them and made his way to the forefront of the square.

The rider looked the sturdy goblin over, noting the taut muscles hiding underneath his simple linen shirt, and the heavy iron spear in his tight grip. His beard was well-trimmed and more silver than black. A single golden ring tied the beard together at the bottom of his chin.

The rider took off his helmet, revealing several scars etched across his pale green skin. “You must be the chieftain.”

Jahn didn’t lower his spear and only stared at the rider, “I am Jahn, chieftain of the Blood Fang Tribe. And who are you exactly?”

The giant wolf turned her head towards the chieftain and snarled with a low growl.

Jahn didn’t flinch and instead hissed at the wolf.

“Shh, shh,” the rider ruffled the grey hairs on his wolf’s head. “I’d be careful, chieftain. She can be as aggressive as your people.”

Jahn bared his fangs, “I doubt that.”

The rider leaned forward with interest, “And what a fight that would be. Alas, we are here for a different purpose. My name is Otley of the Iron Spine Tribe. I am a direct emissary of the Lunar Elect.”

Jahn’s eyes widened and he lowered his spear, “Otley? Your name precedes you, troll slayer. Why has the council sent such a famed warrior here?”

“I have come with a message.”

“Then could the council not have simply sent a messenger? Why send one of their personal emissaries?”

Otley’s lips curled in a faint smile, “The three Elects thought it best to send me after the last messenger that came here suffered an… ‘unfortunate’ accident.”

Jahn grimaced, “Yes, well, accidents do happen. The woods are dangerous after all.”

“Clearly,” he said dryly.

“The last messenger threatened one of our younglings after a small altercation,” First Mother called out and walked over to join her brother. “I personally slit that messenger’s throat and watched him die; he clutched at his neck helplessly and thrashed on the ground like an animal. Now that I think about it, he was an Iron Spine too.”

Otley noticed the black-scarlet wreath on her brow and smiled grimly, “And you must be the matriarch.”

“I am the First Mother,” she answered calmly.

“Oh, I know who you are. Your name precedes you as well, Favored of the Moon, Aurelia the Blooded.”

First narrowed her eyes, “That is no longer my name.”

“Your extreme dedication to the priesthood of the Mothers is admirable. But if I have learned anything in my life it is that names never die, they endure through time and death. People still whisper your name with fear in the Silver Hall.”

First’s yellow eyes grew cold and her wrist twitched. Otley’s wolf suddenly turned on her and snapped her jaws in a show of force. First did not flinch, nor step back, she simply stared at the beast.

Otley pulled the wolf back by her reins until she stopped growling. He smiled wryly at the chieftain and Mother, “I’m sorry about that. My companion grows agitated when she senses my life is in danger.”

“I am running out of patience,” First said with a quiet icy tone. “Tell us why you are here.”

Otley bowed his head in acquiescence, “The Lunar Elect has called a Tribal Moot at the mountain in one week’s time. They expect all the tribes to be there, including Blood Fang.”

Jahn frowned, “The summer has only begun. The Tribal Moot isn’t due for another several months.”

“I do not question the Elects’ decision,” Otley said. “Times have changed, the Scarlet Moon was only the beginning.”

“The Blood Fang will be there. Anything else?” First asked with a curt tone.

“From the council? No. From the chieftain of the Iron Spine Tribe? Yes,” Otley said.

“And what does your chieftain want?” Jahn asked defensively.

“As you are very well aware, my tribe is one of the four greatest in all Vulture Woods. Our armies outnumber yours by several fold.” Otley broke into a thoughtful smile, “But our chieftain wishes to assure you, that he holds no grudge over the unfortunate death of our messenger. These are desperate times and the Sylvan people must stay together if we are to weather the dangers ahead.”

“It seems the Iron Spine’s wisdom and forethought are as true as they say,” Jahn bowed his head. “We will not forget your chieftain’s decision to overlook this matter.”

“Oh, no. My chieftain wanted the head of whoever was responsible for our messenger’s death. I convinced him otherwise,” Otley smirked, though the scars on his face made it seem more terrifying than disarming.

“Well, then it seems we have you to thank,” Jahn said.

Otley shook his head, “No need to thank me. I didn’t do it for your gratitude. I did it because I was there that day, 22 years ago. I was there when you earned your title, Aurelia. I’ll never forget what that meant to everyone, what it meant to me.”

“Enough, leave our village,” First snapped.

Otley turned his wolf around, but he glanced back one last time, “The Sylvan could use your unyielding will, Aurelia, now more than ever.”

“I told you, that is not my name. Now go before my brother’s spear finds your back.”

“Farewell,” Otley nodded and left quietly with his wolf.

Jahn watched the emissary leave and shook his head, “I told you, you shouldn’t have killed that Iron Spine messenger.”

“Shut up, Jahn.”

“What was that all about?” Stryg called out. He stepped out from the illusion shell and glanced at the tribe’s two leaders. “Your name is Aurelia?”

First sighed, “You deal with him.” She turned around and walked away.

Jahn watched his sister leave, then turned to Stryg, “She gave up that name many years ago. If you have any respect for First Mother I’d advise you not to repeat it. The past is behind us for a reason, best not to dig it up.”

“Oh… right,” Stryg said slowly. “So, um, are we really going to the mountain of Moon Fang?”

Jahn grinned, “So it would seem.”

Stryg broke into a bright smile and shouted in excitement, “Yes!”

Tauri grabbed Stryg by the arm and frowned, “What are you talking about? We can’t go to some mountain.”

“It’s not just some mountain. The Silver Hall is there, the last and greatest fortress of my people,” Stryg said excitedly. “That mountain is where the Lunar Elect resides and our most sacred temple stands. It is the heart of the Sylvan people. I’ve always wanted to go ever since I can remember!”

“Stryg… we can’t go,” Tauri said.

Plum nodded regretfully, “She’s right.”

Stryg’s expression fell, “What?”

Tauri pulled him away from the other goblins, behind a cabin in the distance, Plum followed behind.

“We can’t go, Stryg. We’ve already been gone for too long,” Tauri said.

“I know we’ve been here for a while, but you don’t understand, this is it,” Stryg said. “The Tribal Moot is the final rite of passage. Only those who have been fully accepted as an adult and part of the tribe are allowed to go. This is my chance…”

“I know,” Tauri said sympathetically. “But you have people, your people, waiting for you back in Hollow Shade. And they don’t need you to prove yourself to them, they accept you for who you are.”

“Don’t get us wrong, we’re glad you came and sorted your stuff out,” Plum said. “Which is why you can come back later, you're not an exile anymore. But Lady Thorn has declared war on Hollow Shade. Need I remind you, they tried to kill us. We need to get back to the city as soon as possible. We’ll be safe there.”

“We’re safe here, aren’t we?” Stryg said.

Tauri frowned, “Do you think I would be safe on your people’s mountain? Me? An orc? What about Plum? Or did you just plan to leave us here?”

“No, of course not. I just didn’t…”

“You just didn’t think this through.” Tauri sighed, “Stryg, I know you’re happy here, but your friends are waiting for you back in Hollow Shade.”

Plum nodded, “Feli is waiting for you. And Callum and Kithina.”

“Freya, Rhian, and Maeve. Think about them,” Tauri urged. “…Think about Nora and Kamilo.”

Stryg stared at his hands and sighed deeply. “...Do you know why I became a mage?”

“Not exactly,” Tauri admitted.

“I was weak. I was a coward who had abandoned my teammates and barely escaped from a poacher who was going to sell me. I wasn’t worthy of anything. When I found out I had magic I thought I could change things. I thought I could become strong, strong enough to come back to this village and prove myself worthy of them…”

“Oh, Stryg,” Tauri placed her hand on his cheek, “When will you see? You have always been worthy. It is they who are not worthy of you.”

Stryg frowned in confusion.

“They ostracized you, they shunned you, an innocent child, over delusions that you were somehow a cursed child, a bad omen,” Plum said.

“But you never stopped striving to be better.” Tauri bit her lip, “When I had a chance to kill the person who I thought had killed Aizel, I took it. I chose my anger and my desire for revenge and countless lives were lost because of it. I made the wrong choice and I can’t take that back, no matter how much I want to… But you, you knew the odds were against you on that cliffside. You knew what was at stake and you made the hard decision to stay behind anyway. You put your friends before your own desires.”

“…I lost everything that day,” Stryg muttered.

Plum looked between them, unsure of what they were talking about.

“Not everything,” Tauri smiled softly. “Freya, Callum, Nora, and Kamilo are alive because of you. You and Clypeus did that. And when I get back to Hollow Shade I will make sure everyone knows the truth about what happened at Widow’s Crag. Politics be damned.”

Tauri raised his chin and looked him in the eye, “Your power isn’t what makes you worthy of respect. It's one’s actions when times are difficult that make someone worthy. This is one of those moments, Stryg. You have a choice to make, right now.”

Plum smiled, “So what’s it going to be, Ebon Aspirant?”