26. Amber

Chapter twenty-six

Amber

I had died. That was the only explanation that made sense.

Waking up tangled in Eldrin’s arms was wonderful to the point of disbelief. At first, I thought that the whole thing had been a dream, until I opened my eyes and saw his silver hair and his angular face. His skeleton arm was draped over me possessively, the bones pressed into my skin. The arm twitched as he slept, just like a normal arm. When I trailed a finger over the bone of his forearm, his fingers jerked, as if the bones were connected with muscle and nerves and not some strange enchantment from the Woods. The two of us slept naked, but it was warm enough with his body against mine that I didn’t notice the cold. I sighed. I could’ve stayed with him like that forever, as if we were one of the forest trees, our limbs forever entwined. The dawn had cast everything in a dim glow, making the world around us have a rosy sheen.

Unfortunately, all dreams end.

“I always meant to ask,” I said to Eldrin after he woke and we were relishing the last moments of rest, “how did you manage to get to Minneapolis from here, and then bring me back, so fast? It takes around an hour by car.”

“The Woods,” Eldrin replied, his voice muffled by my hair. He nuzzled my neck, planting soft kisses. “It is one of the results of our gift. It can help us move outside the forest—with effort—and it takes only a thought and it brings us back. Like an arrow string snapping back into place.”

“Can you travel anywhere, then?”

He shook his head. “The farther we go and the longer we stay, the harder it is. The Woods holds on to her children. Forever.”

“How long are you able to leave?”

“Days. Maybe a couple weeks at most. It depends on the distance.”

“And it will take you back, no matter what?”

He thought for a few moments before answering me. “There’s…some situations where one of us can stay away longer. But trust me, Amber, you do not want to consider them. I would no longer be the man you know.”

I’d take his word for it. He couldn’t leave for good? No wonder these elves were so protective of their lands—the Woods wasn’t merely a part of their home. This place was their only home. As I had seen time and time again, it was a part of them, even responsible for granting them their long lives. They weren’t the only elves in existence, or even in the United States, but they were the only ones bound to something like the Woods in this manner. That I knew of.

There was a lot I didn’t know.

“Eldrin?”

“Hmmm?” He nuzzled my neck.

I swallowed. “Before the worlds shifted, I had a friend. She is now in your world, where the Woods used to be. Do you…do you think she is alive?”

Eldrin moved so that he looked me in the eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you, but you had nothing to do with this—it isn’t your fault.”

“That doesn’t mean I want you to grieve.”

Words danced on my tongue. I wanted to tell him about Anna, how she loved campy horror movies, cheap macaroni and cheese, and seemed to have a sixth sense on when things were on sale. I loved nothing more than to walk small town streets with her, talking about our crushes, our fears, and what we would do if we ever managed to leave Grand Rapids. Turns out that we both left, in very different ways.

“It would help to know if she is alive,” I said. “I’ve seen how the elves treat humans. And to have a city of them suddenly appear? ”

“They won’t kill them unless they attack, if that’s what you’re asking,” Eldrin said. “The Woods are in chaos, no doubt. But we have records of this happening before—our people will know what happened and they will do what they can to manage the disturbance.”

“That ‘management’ isn’t to kill them?” I stifled my thoughts that some humans wouldn’t survive—take tens of thousands of people and someone was bound to do something stupid.

“No. We don’t want to live with any others, but we usually don’t wish to harm them. They will probably want them gone—they would help them leave the Woods and go to where there are other humans. Either the human kingdom, or one of the groups that are in other lands.”

“Oh? How many such colonies are there?”

He smiled solemnly. “Enough that I wouldn’t worry for your friend. If she was a friend of yours, and treats my people with respect, they will help her find a home. Do not fear.”

I nodded, blinking back old tears. It was not an absolute answer, but it was more of one than I had before. It would do. I wanted to talk leisurely with him all morning, but we had a king hunting us, and no time to waste.

Eldrin gave me a long kiss before we went on our way to start another day of rough travel, taking only a few moments to wash off in the lake. The day chilled as it went on, and I hugged my cloak against me, the exertion the only thing keeping me comfortably warm. The two of us barely spoke, mostly since I was too winded, and it seemed to be some unspoken agreement between us that it was for the best. No point in distracting us.

But Eldrin did more than walk and listen. He was skilled at picking out edible plants as we went, including ones we used to freshen our breath, so that we didn’t have to stop for any meals, though only Eldrin would’ve been able to get me to eat a blood-red mushroom. It tasted like a mushroom, but, like, extra mushroom-y. Or maybe eating anything the color of fresh blood had that effect. Whatever it was, it was spending the rest of its prominent existence safe in my stomach.

A branch broke behind us. I whipped my head and my heart rushed into my throat. But Eldrin just curtly shook his head. It wasn’t Vanir—we were still safe. This morning, Eldrin had told me what he had eavesdropped from Vanir, and I couldn’t say I was terribly surprised that he planned on killing me. He did seem like a Bluebeard in the making. But some questions still remained.

My pained steps went easier today, after Eldrin removed the extra fabric from my dress—if i ignored the blisters. Unlike me, he kept all the items attached to his “robe,” which I definitely appreciated. It was an attractive outfit, and it would’ve been a shame to destroy.

“Where are we going?” I asked after the sun was high in the sky. I had realized that we never spoke about the ultimate plan since we were interrupted by…other things .

“Gold Glen,” he said. “It’s as far away from Vanir as we can travel while still staying in the Woods, and I hope there are answers there. Or at least knowledge of where we can go to find them.”

“…You’re not sure?”

A pause. “No.”

“That seems…unfortunate.” We walked on what were technically paths, but they were little more than slightly trodden areas that wound between the trees, as opposed to maintained and smooth roads. The wooded paths were overgrown, leaving roots and brambles that required deft navigation and focus. Neither of which I had, as I ran straight into a low branch for the second time that morning, my throbbing head adding to my raw feet.

“Stay closer to me,” Eldrin said. “I can help.” He had taken a break from disguising the trail behind us, opting instead to do it only every half mile or so. Any more and disguising the trail would slow us down far too much to make it worth it, or so he explained.

“No, it’s fine,” I said, wiping the bark dust off my face. “Maybe one of those branches has magic and they’ll give me powers.”

“What?”

“What was it that Oristan said? Two wrongs make a right?”

“Life and death feed from the same hand. ”

“Yes, that.” I took a few more steps, sniffling and rubbing my nose. “That’s an odd saying. Do you know where it comes from? You mentioned that it referred to the veinwart, but how?”

“Actually, I do remember,” Eldrin said, his expression determined. “I think. There’s an idea that…” He stopped walking, his lips pursed. He looked off at the distance, at something I couldn’t see.

“What is it?” I asked, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, setting aside the budding fear that lurked under my skin.

He shook his head and turned to me. “It is likely nothing. There’s a legend. A myth associated with this tale.”

“A story? I love stories.”

He took my hand in his. “This one involves a hero who slayed a monster. A monster whose bite was poison, but the poison’s cure was enduring a second bite.”

“That’s it?” I asked.

“No.”

“Well, come on, I need more than that. I want elven stories.”

He grinned. “Whatever for?”

“Because I’ve never heard them. Because it sounds like you grew up with them. That sort of thing is important to me.”

He kissed my head and his lips lingered there. “Very well,” he said, lowering our hands. “A long time ago, when the gods bothered to walk amongst us, there was a god who became angry with an elven city. See, he had heard that someone within boasted that he was a better craftsman, and that offended him.”

“Ah, yeah, we have some legends like that. Wait, there’s gods? They’re real?”

“Unfortunately,” Eldrin muttered. “But as I was saying, the god cursed the city by having the giant spider hunt anyone who left the city. The spider was larger than a horse, its skin was as hard as rock, and its poison deadly to everyone who tried to kill it.”

“Sounds lovely,” I said.

“It would be lovelier if you let me continue,” Eldrin said, faux scolding me. I nuzzled against him, taking in his scent.

“Well,” Eldrin continued, “many tried to kill it and failed. A young elf volunteered to kill the spider. He was so young that everyone mocked him for thinking that he could do what the most experienced warriors could not. But this elf paid more attention to what the god had done and said, and guessed what the god truly wanted—humiliation and subjugation. As you may have expected, those from the city did neither of those things.

“So, the hero left the city to hunt the spider, and when he found it they fought. And was poisoned.”

“Bitten?”

“Yes. Fatally, according to the story. After he was bit, the elf fled just far enough to sneak around back to the spider and be bitten again and given more poison. After that, he was cured, and the spider was nothing but another animal—easy to kill.”

“Is this true?” I asked. “An elf decided, while dying, that he wanted to be more dead? That makes no sense. Why would anyone do this?”

Eldrin shrugged. “I cannot say. I think that maybe he was dying and wanted his death to come quicker. Or the venom made him hallucinate. Or this story is just a story. But all myths tend to have a basis in truth—this one we use to explain why the veinwart poison does not harm us. It’s a reward from the god, who changed his mind after he saw the elf’s heroism.”

I thought about what he said for a moment. It was true that myths and legends came from somewhere. And elves had long memories. But I was getting a horrible idea. “The spider. Do you think a second bite from the veinwart could cure me?” I frowned. “That seems like a stretch. And I have enough sense not to go back for a second time.”

“The monster was a giant spider, and it is said that this was the first veinwart.” He took a few steps forward along the path once more. “I told you it was nothing. We cannot consider doing it regardless.”

“No, it’s not nothing,” I said, scampering up to him. “Could it work? What if I was bit again? What would happen? ”

“You’re not being bit again. I refuse to allow this.” Eldrin’s jaw clenched. “If we’re wrong, it would likely kill you immediately.”

“And if we don’t find a cure, I’ll be dead soon anyway.” I pointed at my shoulder, where my veins near the bite were starting to be rather puffy, like nightcrawlers under my skin. The constant cold lurked in my veins, to the point I had accepted it as a part of myself. “And your other plan is, what, going to a remote village and asking for help? For a cure that didn’t exist in Great Glen?”

He crossed his arms and resumed walking. “It is more elegant than that.”

“Legends come from somewhere—you being here is proof of that.” I grabbed his arm and he turned to me, letting me look him in the eyes. “This is my decision—my life. I want to try it,” I said sternly. Yes, another bite was reckless, and painful, but what did I have to lose? It didn’t seem like there was any medicine available that could cure me, if it existed at all. Eldrin’s other plan seemed to be to beg a healer who would probably rub leeches or powdered maple leaves on it or something. And what was the spider going to do—make me more dead?

“No, you’re not,” Eldrin said, bracing his hands on my upper arms, careful to avoid my injuries.

I sighed. It seemed we were going to be doing this the hard way. “So…where do we find another spider?”

“Amber, no. I cannot let you die. ”

“You’re not letting me,” I said. “This is my choice. I will be doing this. You can either help me, or not. If we do nothing, either Vanir will kill me or the veinwart will. I want to decide what happens to me. Give me that. Please.”

Were my words fair to him? No. It broke his heart, as evidenced by his despairing face. Eldrin wouldn’t let me risk myself, no matter the reward. But I had to do this. There was something in that legend, I was sure of it. At any rate, it was better than waiting for something else to kill me.

“Please, Eldrin. Help me.”

He paused. “You truly want this?”

“Yes.”

He closed his eyes for a long moment, and then opened them. “I do not want you to do this, Amber. If you’re harmed, I may as well cleave out my heart. I will have nothing.”

I took his hands in mine—both of them. “I know,” I said softly.

“There is a den,” he said, resigned. “Near the border.”

“That’s good. Right? We’re heading in that direction…right?”

“We are. But it will take us a week to get there. At least.”

My eyes widened. Just how large was the Darkening Woods? The size of a couple counties. Around fifty miles across. And how fast could I walk? In these little cloth slippers, in this terrain? …Eight miles a day was pushing it. And we had to be careful, and couldn’t take the direct paths. Yep, it would take a week. Easily .

Now, Eldrin—he could’ve sprinted and been there by the next breakfast. But unfortunately, I wasn’t an elf, able to run across counties in a morning. No, the contented soreness between my legs reminded me that it was definitely a good thing I was not an elven man.

“I can’t lose you,” Eldrin said.

“And that’s why I’m doing this,” I said. “Because I truly believe that this is our only option.”

I gave him a smile, even though my heart cracked. Even if I was cured, there was no way that we could be together. I couldn’t stay in these woods, not with Vanir, and it seemed that Eldrin was unable to go far from them for long. There was no possibility of him coming with me and starting a new life.

My heart was going to get broken, again. And this time there wasn’t anyone who would be able to pick up the pieces.