D’rmas grunted his approval.
“I have heard of a seer near these parts,” D’rmas said. “But going to them would mean deviating from our current path. They live at the skirts of the forest, closest to Kleas.” D’rmas must have noticed the looks of uneasiness Siem and Eldana passed among themselves because he asked, “Is anything the problem?”
“No, nothing,” Siem replied. “You could have told us you knew a seer before now, though!”
Eldana wished there was some other way. She thought of casting a communication spell, wherein they could speak with the seer through a medium of communication – a bowl of water, or a mirror. However, whilst the communication spell would go through to the seer, they would still need to give her something of Mikko’s she could use to access visions about his whereabouts. That was the only way to operate because the seer did not know Mikko. Thus, the purpose of the communication spell was defeated. If they were going to get back Mikko, they would have to leave their path.
“Fine,” Siem said, finally. “We should at least get back to Hermon, and tell him what is going on!”
They were still deliberating among themselves when suddenly D’rmas picked up the sound of whistling in the air and commanded the others to hit the floor. Sure enough, a dozen arrows hit the trees with a thud. Without D’rmas warning, the arrows would have hit all of them.
“Ambush!” D’rmas was yelling.
Eldana quickly conjured a sphere of air over them as another hail of arrows flew in. The arrows bounced harmlessly off the surface of the shield.
“Do you think they are the ones who took Mikko?” Siem shouted.
“I cannot say for sure. We established that there were no signs of struggle when Mikko went along with whatever group had shown up here.”
“But if they all pointed arrows on him, that would be more than enough incentive to make anyone do anything peacefully.”
“I agree,” Eldana said. “But what I do not know is why they are not giving us a chance to come in peacefully if they are the same ones..” She said as another volley of arrows snapped and splintered on the shield above them. They shuffled deeper into the woods warily.
D’rmas looked at the two of them but said nothing. He had his ideas, his own theories. If Mikko went in with these people without a struggle, and the same set of people were not giving them any of that chance, it only meant that his suspicions regarding Mikko had been right all along. Whether he was right or not, one fact remained: right now they were being shot at by people they could not see. Fortunately, all he needed was a way to make their attackers come into visibility.
“We cannot just lie here and keep waiting for their quivers to empty. It might be a very long time.” D’rmas told Eldana and Siem angrily.
“D’rmas is right,” Siem told Eldana. “I want to get a piece of these bastards myself!”
One of Eldana’s arms was still maintaining the shield over them. “I have an idea,” she told both of them. “But you have to have your weapons on the ready.”
“What are you planning?” D’rmas asked.
Eldana looked from one to the other. “We cannot attack while we are still under this shield. So, in the second it takes them to restock their arrows, I am going to let down the shield and try to still the air, you know, to freeze any arrows they fire at us completely. Once I have done that, we try to flush them out of the forest.”
“Leave that bit to me,” Siem said. “That is more like my area of specialty...”
Eldana nodded. “Remember guys,” she said. “After the shield is lifted, you will be vulnerable...”
D’rmas chuckled. “I am not sure I have turned into an amateur overnight, have I?”
Eldana looked ahead towards the edge of the densely packed trees and hissed a breath through her teeth. This was the time. It was now or never.
With her arm still maintaining the shield, she got to her feet, waited...
The first hail of arrows came, slender and pointed, rushing towards them with a singleness of purpose. Eldana waited, taking one breath to prepare herself. The moment they hit the shield, Eldana let the shield go, and made a speedy step forward. Then she thrust her fingers into the air. She connected to the air around her, as a being of balance and chaos, she did not always need spells for this. She felt the air like a slight tingly sensation in her veins, and then she willed her intention into it...
At that moment, the unseen attackers let their arrows fly. Siem and D’rmas saw them come towards them. Defenseless against such a deluge of arrows, it looked to them for a moment, that the arrows would pierce through their bodies indiscriminately. But then the most amazing thing happened.
The arrows slowed in the air. At first, she had to blink to tell herself that she was not having hallucinations or anything of the sort. In truth, she was not, when she had opened her eyes, the arrows had frozen in mid-air.
“Siem, now!” Eldana yelled, turning back to look at her.
It’s my turn now, Siem told herself.
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them the area had grown taut. Her hair danced in the air like crazed snakes. Eldana had felt this before. Since she had known Siem, she had always known that her friend shared an uncanny connection to the spirits of the forest. No sane mage, no matter how great would try to battle Siem in the forest. Not alone anyway. Ordinarily, Siem was an impressively strong magician, but in the forest her power became mystical.
“Kitab mezah!” Siem muttered, whispering the spell with which she called upon the ancestors of the forests.
Without hesitation, they answered. Siem felt their ephemeral presence all
