III - The Dark Forest

Justine fell silently into contemplation. Alex stared into the dark night sky – it was cloudless and the stars shone bright, clearly visible, but in spite of this, the night was dark and deep, for there was no moon to brighten it with its light.

The road they were following lead them to a gate on the other side of the city walls, where from beyond the pale stones one could see the black treetops rising against the night sky. The gate was nowhere as fortified as the one that barred entrance to the city – it seemed more of a formality than something meant to provide defense against an enemy; or perhaps a decoration, for its shape reflected great craftsmanship, its silver bars gnarled like branches of an aged tree, metal vines curling around every one of them, dynamic and yet so motionless, so dead, in their cold beauty. In the spaces between the bars, one could see the forest that lay on the other side. A sign hung on the stones above the peculiar gate, dark letters engraved on it forming the words DARK FOREST. Two guards in armour similar to the main gate’s guard’s bowed their heads as the two girls rode past. The gate was big enough for three to four shire horses to pass riding alongside each other, so Justine’s wyvern had no trouble getting through, either.

Apart from the two guards and themselves, there was no other living soul anywhere nearby and the dark treetops rustled menacingly. The forest in front of them was so dark that a few yards away from the torch-lit gates of the city it was nearly impossible to see anything.

“Not that I have something against the idea, but are you sure about this?...” Justine asked without confidence.

“Of course I am,” Alex replied without hesitation. “I thought you trusted me? I know these woods as well as anyone, you should know that. As long as you are with me, there’s nothing to worry about.”

That’s what I’m worried about, Justine thought, what I will do if I lose sight of you in this darkness.

The gate closed behind them with a crank. As they entered the forest, the darkness swallowed them whole like a wave in an ocean of shadows. There were no lanterns along the forest path, only a distant flicker of the city lights behind them.

Alex rode on without any pause and Justine wondered how she could discern anything in this darkness. She was almost expecting her friend to reach for her silvery wand, but instead, Alex simply snapped her fingers – immediately after she had done it, a bright, pale-blue flame burst into existence above her fingertips. It looked like fire at first sight, but its flames burned slower than a normal fire and had the consistency and smoothness similar to that of smoke. And in addition to that, it shone brightly and flickered like no other fire on earth. Alex remained silent as the flame swelled and grew larger, forming a great shining sphere, as if the flame of a torch separated from its handle, and a lot bigger in size. With a gesture of her hand, she directed it to the side of her horse so that it would illuminate the path before them.

“There’s no need for bragging, you know,” Justine grimaced.

“If I wanted to brag, I would’ve done something more spectacular.”

“Like what, for example?”

“I don’t know…” Alex thought for a moment. “For example, I would’ve lit the whole forest up like a candle if I wanted to.”

Justine laughed out loud.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to do that!”

Alex was not amused.

“Oh, and I’m sure you would?”

“Yes.”

She knew she shouldn’t do that, but she was also tempted.

“Show me, then. I want to see such a thing.”

Justine seemed taken aback a little. She must have realized she had uttered a few more words than she should have. Was she actually able to fulfil her side of the wager and light up the whole forest? She had never before tried anything of the kind, but it was too late for her to give up now and admit her bluff. Her pride, the pride of the whole Order, would not let her. She focused her thoughts as much as she could. If this was possible, it would take a lot of her power to accomplish, for sure.

Alex observed her golden-haired friend with visible curiosity. They halted, forgetting for a moment that they were to hurry. After a minute or two of silence, Justine flung her arms into the air, a wand of white gold in one of her hands, closed her eyes shut and recited loudly:

“Swirl, my stars, swirl at my plea; light up the darkness surrounding me!”

Nothing was happening. Justine thought that it must have sounded a little silly even. And then – with the suddenness of a missile golden star-like lights burst out from the tip of the wand and flew up high towards the heavens. The poor girl was thrown back in her saddle from the impact and she cried out in pain as it dug painfully into her lower back. The two girls watched then as a pleiad of golden stars hung high above the treetops, growing and swelling. When it finally reached the shape and size that reminded of a great fiery bomb, it exploded with a bang, scattering its pieces everywhere around the surrounding forest, like a gigantic starry fountain of light. Every part of the forest, every tree and every bush were lit and there was almost heavenly brightness surrounding them. It looked as if they suddenly found themselves between the branches of a Christmas tree.

Hessan reared, neighing wildly, forcing his mistress to desperately try to calm him down. They could both feel the stir that this all caused to the forest’s inhabitants, and Alex did not like it. Nevertheless, she could not help but open her mouth in amazement when she finally managed to retake control of her horse. Justine, who had been hiding her face behind her forearms since the starry ball’s explosion, now lowered them a little and was staring at the changed landscape around her. Everywhere in sight, golden flame-like spheres hung in the air, like some kind of Jack-o-lanterns on moors where unfortunate travellers met their miserable end.

“Beautiful! Splendid! I wouldn’t have done it better myself!” Alex in vain tried to keep her cool.

“T-thank you… I had no idea I could do something like this…” Justine was still dumbstruck and was looking around in disbelief.

A few memorable moments later, the stars began to fade and darken, and soon disappeared completely. Darkness retook the forest again. Once more, the only source of light was the silvery-blue flaming sphere that Alex had conjured earlier.

“That was amazing,” Alex praised Justine as they resumed their ride. “You’ve given me much to think about, Justine. I won’t be able to rest until I’m able to top what you have just done, you know.”

“Just… promise me that you will know what you’re doing.”

Because I didn’t, Justine thought.

“Don’t worry about it, it’ll surely take a long consideration. So, anyway,” she changed the subject, “what did you want to ask me about back there?”

“Oh, yes. Those two vaimares standing guard. What are their names?”

“This time the guard duty falls on Flier and Scalewing. Flier was the one to our right, Scalewing to the left.”

“So, the time for Flier has come finally? I’ve heard so much about him from you over time and the last time I was here he was but a pup. No wonder I didn’t recognize him.”

“The time comes for every vaimare to serve as guardians and, believe me, they really grow fast. But yes, this term the visitors to the city have a chance to see the Superior’s own vaimare.” Alex smiled.

“He looks very dignified,” Justine complimented.

The forest path wound its way among the trees, illuminated by the silvery sphere of flames casting a glow on the grim trunks the riders were passing. The silhouette of the Silver Castle drew nearer and nearer – they were not far from the entrance gate now. The terrain rose steadily under their mounts’ feet, leading them to the plateau on which the great structure was standing.

Chatting about the great welcome feast that was to come, the girls did not even notice when something black cut through the air above their heads. Only loud cawing that followed made them realize they were not alone. When the cawing sounded again, Alex directed the sphere of light in its direction.

A great black raven, almost undistinguishable among the darkness, swayed on one of the branches of an old, fallen tree, some few feet above the ground. Alex goggled her eyes, but Justine remained baffled by the sight. The raven flew from the branch and onto a large rock by the side of the road. A moment later, a tall, slim, black-haired man stood before the two girls. He bowed in front of them, but before he was able to say anything, Alex spoke instead:

“Did I not write that we do not require any escort?”

The young man appeared a little confused, but quickly regained his composure.

“Indeed, but the Highest Priest sent me nevertheless to inquire as to the nature of the fireworks from not long ago,” he answered. “Now, I would greet our distinguished guest. In the name of all members of the Order of the Half-Moon Servants it would be my honour to welcome you, my lady, at our humble doorstep,” he added, bowing before the representative of the Star Prophets.

“Justine, let me introduce to you Armand,” Alex broke in. “I assume we are to hurry then?”

“Yes, of course. I will not delay you and your noble guest any longer, my lady,” Armand said, glancing at Justine from time to time. “It is a great honour to have met you, my lady,” he added towards her.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Justine smiled back. In times like these, you could truly see the grace and majesty of her grandfather shine through her seemingly fragile disposition. “However, I must agree with my friend here – the forest is making me feel uncomfortable and I would much like to have this journey over and done with as soon as possible.”

“You can tell my father and the rest of the council that there is nothing to be worried about in what you saw. During our travel we had to entertain ourselves in some way and at one point mere words turned out insufficient in our debates, so a little magic had to be used. We are safe and sound, however, so deliver our apologies to whoever it might have been of annoyance to.”

“As you command, my lady.” Armand bowed before them once again and in the blink of an eye the sleeves of his coat darkened and became wings as his form shifted into that of a raven. Flapping his wings nervously, the bird took flight and soared above the trees and towards the castle, disappearing from the girls’ sight.

“A charming fellow. Is he French by origin?”

“I’m afraid not. Though his name is Armand, he does not have the same origins as you, Justine. If I remember, his mother was deeply interested in France and its magical orders, hence she named her son the way she did.”

“It’s a nice thing to hear. Maybe my grandfather has heard of her.”

“I doubt it, to be honest.”

In the light of the flaming sphere leading them, Justine looked at her friend’s face. The girl’s eyes blinked with a reflection of gold, as if reflecting the light, but before Justine could ponder this occurrence any longer, it was gone, as quick as it appeared. Seeing her friend’s facial expression, Alex turned her head to look for whatever surprised Justine so much, then turned back to her. The golden shine came back for a second, again, and then it was gone. Justine opened her mouth to speak, but Alex was faster.

“Are you okay, Justine?”

The golden-haired girl snapped out of her surprise.

“Yes, I’m fine. Tell me,” she hesitated. “You know, never mind.”

“You can ask about anything, it’s not a problem.”

Justine was silent for a moment, trying to think of what to say. Somehow, she didn’t feel like asking about something that might have been just a trick of her own mind. After all, she was tired from the long ride and in this light her eyes may have well been playing games with her.

“So that boy, Armand,” she said instead. “Is he a theriomorph?”

“Indeed. It’s not an easy thing to learn to become one,” Alex replied, “but once you do, it means you have a lot of potential.” The golden reflection, there it was again.

Justine decided to ignore it and not ask about it, but somewhere in her heart some kind of unnamed doubt appeared. What was that supposed to mean?

The line of trees was becoming scarcer by the minute. The road they were following had become wider and more suited for travel. They were approaching the castle walls. After one more turn the edge of the Dark Forest appeared. The wooden path shifted to a straight, cobblestone road leading up to a silvery entrance gate. Engraved with many elegant ornaments, the gate was tall and wide, suitable for any kind of creature, Justine thought, from a horse to a dragon.

Seeing the lights in the castle windows brought Justine relief; they had finally reached their destination. She was weary of riding in the saddle atop the wyvern’s back already, she wanted to feel the earth under her feet again. A welcome feast awaited her now – an astounding thought which she always relished in, whenever she visited this place, for she knew that there were few places in the world where there would be a greater feast prepared for her than here. She was a member of a great French order, more importantly yet, the granddaughter of its Superior, an esteemed guest by all means, so she deserved nothing less. Pride was an inherent trait of the Star Prophets.

They rode up to the gate. Alex knocked on it with the heavy rapper that hung from the jaws of a carved wolf head with sapphire crystal eyes. In the flickering light of the torches on either side of the gate it almost seemed as though the wolf’s head had moved in response. The gate opened with heavy, metallic creaks – and yet another sound, as if under the first layer of sounds, deep, as if muffled, and dark reached their ears. The two of them rode into a square with a fountain in the centre – three wolves that sat on their hind legs, jets of crystal-clear water flowing in three arches from their mouths.

In the corner of her eye, Justine noticed large, burly shapes moving slowly in the darkness, but before she could take a good look at what they were, a number of stable hands jumped to the girls’ sides, which distracted her. Bowing, they helped Justine dismount from her wyvern, while Alex swiftly hopped off Hessan and passed his reigns into the hands of one of the boys. The others tended to René and they all took their leave soon after to accommodate both animals. When Justine looked back, there was no sign anywhere of the shapes she had seen, or thought she had seen, before.

In silence, the two girls made their way towards the entrance. From between the open doors warm, golden light flooded onto the steps outside. Accompanied by the mages waiting for them outside, Alex and Justine entered the spacious Main Hall. Its size always amazed Justine, ever since she had come to the Silver Castle for the first time so many years ago. A wide, sapphire carpet covered the great stairs rising up at the back, while big and tall as trees stone pillars ran on both sides of the room, silently supporting the weight of the castle. Atop the wide stairway, five narrow-shaped stained-glass windows stood, each with a star above it. Justine knew these windows – they were the Windows of the Five Stars, whose beautiful stained-glass was known all over the magical societies. Now, however, there was nothing to be seen in their glass but for the darkness of the deep autumn night. To the left and to the right of the windows, there was another pair of stairways, leading to the upper floors.

On the walls of the Main Hall there hung numerous old paintings in thick frames that showed famous members of the Order of the Half-Moon Servants, and scenes of some great battles of legend where wolves mingled with silver-clad warhorses and swords shone with the power of magical spells; great sapphire banners with silver wolves and crescents hung from the pillars on each side, majestic and proud, all in the light of dozens of magical torches.

Many members of the Order had already gathered in the room to greet them. A sea of shiny, sapphire-and-silver coats waved and stirred around them as the younger wizards tried to get at least a glimpse of the long-awaited guest from behind the backs of their elders. Alex lead her friend all the way to the foot of the stairway, every pair of eyes following their every step, where the Superior of the Order stood waiting to address them.

He himself and the two of his most trusted guards looked just as Justine remembered them, though many years had passed since the last time she saw them. Clad in silver armour over dark garment, the two guards wore helmets that resembled menacing wolf heads, with two smaller lupine heads serving as pauldrons, their sapphire cloaks attached to their shoulders, falling loosely behind their backs, their hands in clawed gauntlets resting on the hilts of their sheathed swords, ready to defend their master at any moment. Battle mages, Justine thought, one of the fiercest and best warriors there were – able to wield both white weapons and magic, a deadly and extremely useful combination. By custom, the Superior of the Order of the Half-Moon servants had his own private guard of battlemages, ready to serve him in any way at his command.

The Superior stood in-between them, proud and tall as always, almost unchanged by the passage of time, only a few greying hairs on his temples, a confident and stern look on his face. Ezekiel Arian, who served as the Order’s Superior since the coming of age, was a warrior only when he was required to, however he still donned his masterwork armour on special occasions – similar to that of the guards beside him, plated silver, with snarling wolf heads as pauldrons, but much more beautifully ornamented, with jewels for the wolves’ eyes, his magnificently embroidered cloak attached to his shoulders, but in a way that it freely encircled his collar at the front, with additional two pieces of material hanging loosely from the brooches, the embroidery glistening in the light of the torches. Unlike his two guards, he did not have his wolf helmet with him.

Though he did not change much on the outside, the tragic death of his beloved wife had caused him to change greatly inside. He sealed his former self off from the outside world and, people said, didn’t talk longer than needed and on informal subjects with anyone but his daughter. Some claimed he had become very eccentric, some claimed he had gone completely mad, but neither was fully true. Even consumed by the desire for vengeance as he was, he acted consciously, with characteristic deliberation and meticulous planning, and was still a greater mind when it came to ruling his Order than many that would take up arms to try to overthrow him. But one thing, above all else, was certain for the entirety of the Order – the Superior did not smile as often anymore as he had used to.

Having approached the three, Alex bowed and Justine followed in suit. With a nod of her head, she left Justine with the Superior and she herself stepped aside and joined the crowd’s first row where other prominent members of the order were standing. With a gesture of his hand, Zeke, as he was more commonly known, ordered all those gathered to be quiet. Immediately, far and wide across the room there was silence, every rustle and cough clearly audible.

“On behalf of the entirety of the Order of the Half-Moon Servants, it is my great honour to welcome our long-awaited guest – the envoy of the Order of the Star Prophets, an order which we had waged war with for many years in the past, and whose member we now have the privilege to host in an atmosphere of peace and joyfulness!” Zeke spoke, his voice echoing among the walls of the Main Hall. “Thus I greet you, lady Justine Maud Artois, granddaughter of Victor Artois, the Superior! I wish you a pleasant stay within the walls of the Silver Castle, as well as beyond them. Welcome!”

The crowd exploded with applause and cheers when he was finished, while Justine thanked everyone with a smile on her face. Noticing that it was her now who wanted to speak, the Superior raised his hand again, silencing the gathering.

“Your Excellency, lords and ladies of the Order, all Servants of the Half-Moon who have gathered here today – please accept my deepest gratitude for such a warm welcome as this. I wholeheartedly believe that my stay in your hospitality will be splendid, as long as I am surrounded by such wonderful people as you,” she replied and her words were also rewarded with cheers of applause, even longer than before.

The Superior spoke once more.

“Now then, there remains nothing more for me to do than invite you to our great welcome feast which will be held in your homage when the bells strike eight in the Feast Hall. You must be tired from your journey; I will appoint you your handmaidens immediately, so that you can go and refresh yourself before the festivities,” he spoke to Justine. “To all others I extend my gratitude for coming to greet our esteemed guest and ask that you make room for the preparations.”

The younger and less-prominent members of the Order were then shooed away, while some of the more important ones and officials lingered in order to exchange at least a few words with the granddaughter of the French order’s leader. More guards like the two that had stood with Zeke appeared and surrounded Justine, reminding the other wizards that there would be time to talk later and that the lady needed rest.

Alex approached her father and bowed her head slightly.

“Go on with her, make sure that everything is done properly,” he told her. “I will see you later at the feast.”

The girl nodded in acknowledgement and watched for a moment as her father turned around and began climbing the great stairs. Unexpectedly, a guard approached her, which made her attention shift to him instead.

“My lady, it is said that Vincent was looking for you,” the guard said.

Alex appeared confused.

“I thought he knew that I’d gone to escort Justine?” she asked rhetorically. “Do you know what he wants from me?” she asked, but the guard shook his head hopelessly.

“I do not, my lady, but it is advisable that you seek him out. The maids have reported that he had torn the curtains in the Sapphire Chamber from his anger.” With a meaningful look the guard bowed and hastily took his leave of her.

Alex frowned and then rubbed her temples with her fingers. As if she wasn’t tired already, there always had to be more trouble. Standing at the foot of the stairway, she didn’t notice Justine had approached her.

“So, you’re one of my handmaidens then?” she asked in jest.

“Don’t be silly,” Alex snorted. “There they are,” she pointed at three women walking quickly towards them. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a matter to see to. I’ll join up with you as soon as I’m done, alright?”

“I don’t know who this Vincent is, but don’t hurt him,” Justine answered with a wink as she too began walking up the stairs, escorted by her three maids.

“Don’t worry, we’re pretty much immune to each other after all those years!” she said in a louder voice so that Justine’s ears would reach her and the golden-haired girl got the impression that her friend regretted a little that it wasn’t otherwise.

Justine, led by her maids, took the stairs to the right, which lead to the part of the castle called the Eastern Towers. Having climbed to the top and having passed a spiralling staircase to the side, they found themselves at the beginning of a long corridor of chambers. The first floor was taken up mostly by chambers for visitors. Hers was the largest and most luxurious one of all, situated at the end of the corridor, she was told. When they reached the window next to the chamber’s doors, one of the maids took out a key, but Justine’s attention was focused on a painting illuminated by the light of a torch of white flame that hung next to it. Like many other paintings found in the castle, it pictured an elderly man with a cautious look and white, unkempt hair. But what drew Justine’s attention most was that next to his silhouette there was the emblem of the Star Prophets – a golden star weaved in among violet petals.

“My lady?” one of the maids asked when Justine did not move even though the doors to her chambers were now open.

“What is the emblem of my order doing in such a painting?”

The maid who spoke earlier approached the canvas herself.

“It is one of the former Superiors of the Order, my lady,” she replied shortly after. “Aureus Arian. During his leadership, the great war with your noble order had ended, which is why he is usually depicted with your emblem by his side to commemorate his contribution to bringing peace between the two orders,” she explained.

“You know a lot,” Justine complimented.

“Thank you, my lady. It is a virtue of our Order that even the lowest-ranked members know who they serve.”

I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Justine thought, recalling what Alex had told her earlier. She smiled and entered the chamber without a word. Immediately, she felt the warmth emanating from a large fireplace on the wall to the right. The room was spacious, blue carpets covering the floor, a large wooden table with a silvery cloth and freshly prepared cutlery and fruit standing next to four slim windows with dark-blue curtains, and three big and comfortable sofas to relax on. On the far side of the chamber, stood a large canopy bed with pelts (Justine somehow doubted they were wolf pelts) and fresh linen. Next to it stood the few luggage chests brought in by the servants after they had been unfastened from René’s back. The Guest Chamber hadn’t changed a bit in its splendour over the years, she thought. This was where the Order accommodated its most prestigious guests.

“That will be all for now,” Justine said with relief. She wanted to rest alone. “I will call on you should I need anything.”

When, bowing, the maids left the chamber and closed the doors, Justine took one more look at her surroundings and fell onto the great bed. She wondered about where her friend was right now and about the mysterious man by the name of Vincent – was he her friend’s secret flame that she hadn’t told Justine about earlier? Her eyelids felt heavy from the fatigue. She mustn’t fall asleep lest she missed the feast, but a little comfort of lying her head down for a while wouldn’t hurt, she concluded.


2003-2005