Wizard of the Wood

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28

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Essie stood there panting, completely and utterly exhausted. The moment the last teleportation sigil faded, banishing the last member of the five assailants who dared threaten her and her friend, Essie allowed herself to collapse to her knees and breathe a sigh of relief.

Rylir, numb from watching the entire encounter, mirrored Essie, collapsing to his knees and then leaning against her neck. He closed his eyes and felt the rate of her heart slowing with each passing moment.

When her heartrate slowed to her usual, rhythmic pace, Rylir glanced up from where he sat on her collar bone and smiled, more to himself than to her.

“You did it,” he muttered thoughtfully. Essie sighed, hand instinctually reaching up and grasping at Rylir’s boot.

“It certainly seems that way,” she replied. Essie coughed a few times before clearing her throat and spitting out a glob of coagulated blood and gathered snot. “Apologies. That was utterly repulsing and undignified.”

It wasn’t funny in the slightest, but there was something about the encounter mixed with Essie’s response that Rylir found absolutely hilarious. What started as a chuckle quickly spread to a raging laughter. Essie, confused by Rylir’s laughing, suddenly felt a chuckle of her own rising up in her voice. The contagion of laughter had taken them both by surprise, and soon both of them were laughing or giggling until Rylir broke first.

“I’m… I’m so sorry. I don’t know why that was so funny,” he said. “It’s just… we… we almost got beat by those five and then you oh so formally apologize immediately after. I don’t know what came over me.”

“Don’t be,” sighed Essie as she caught her breath. “It’s a… it’s good – to laugh I mean.” Rylir leaned back and gave Essie’s jaw, which was right above him, a playful shove.

“Since when did you think laughter was a good thing?” he teased. Essie, with delicate precision, reached up and snagged Rylir’s leg in between her thumb and forefinger and pulled him away from the safety of her shoulder, dangling him upside down for a few seconds as she held him up to her eye level.

“Just now,” she smiled. “And I couldn’t have done it witho-”

“BE GONE, BEAST!” howled a sudden voice from far down below. Essie glanced over her left shoulder and noticed a group of three dozen, give or take a few here and there, gathered together with none other than spears, torches, and pitchforks. Essie sighed and glanced at Rylir, who was still dangling upside down.

“What say you, Rylir?” asked Essie. “Should the both of us go?”

“YOU HEARD US! BE GONE SORCERER OF FANGED RIDGE! TAKE YOUR PRIZE AND LEAVE US IN PEACE!” One of the bold townsfolk shouted at Essie.

“Wait! Wait!” called Rylir to the people far below. “I can explain everything. Don’t hurt her!” Essie rolled her eyes and sighed as she rotated her wrist for Rylir to stand on rather than dangle upside down.

“They’re not interested in conversation, Rylir,” stated Essie quietly before turning her eyes to the crowd. She continued to speak as she rose to her feet. “It’s a pity, don’t you think? Here I am protecting them and then they come here accusing me of taking you as my prize. Very well, we’ll…”

“Essie! Wait, this might be the best chance we have at rescuing my friend, Ven,” reminded Rylir, clambering over Essie’s palm to steady himself against her thumb. Essie glanced at him, watching him curiously for a brief moment.

“You want me to ask for your friend for ransom for saving their town?” asked Essie as she kept her back to the crowd. The look on Rylir’s face could only mean yes, followed by a pretty please. Essie groaned and turned back to the gathered crowd while she examined the faces of the terrified townsfolk.

The moment her eyes fell on them, all of the people of the town flinched and stepped back away from Essie.

“You want me to take my prize and leave you in peace?” asked Essie, directing her attention to the individual who had dared to speak to her before. “Then I am going to need more than this.” Essie once again pinched Rylir’s leg and rotated her wrist, letting Rylir dangle upside down. “I require another tribute before I can leave. Do this and I will not only leave you town alone, but I will also endeavor to protect. Do this and I will not only leave you town alone, but I will also endeavor to protect your town from further evil as I did earlier today.”

All of their eyes widened as they attempted to scurry away from her gaze. The boldest, most daring among them raised his voice again.

“WE WILL NOT SURRENDER ANY OF OUR PEOPLE TO YOU!” he shouted.

“I don’t want any of you,” clarified Essie. “I need someone different – detached. I am not without heart. I know you have families, but not all of you do. Bring me a Nomad and I will leave you in peace and continue to protect your home from evil.”

Essie glanced at Rylir who wriggled convincingly as e pretended to struggle while he was upside down. The people of the town glanced at one another uneasily and discussed the topic among themselves before the one spoke to Essie once again.

“IF WE DO THIS, YOU WILL LEAVE US IN PEACE? IF WE DO THIS, GIVE YOU ONE OF THE NOMADS, THEN YOU WILL HELP PROTECT OUR TOWN? HOW DO WE KNOW WE CAN TRUST YOU?”

“My word is my bond. As your legends say, a sorcerer is bound to their word for now and all eternity,” replied Essie, who ceremoniously dipped her fingers into one of her wounds and, in an act of pantomime, drew a small “x” over her heart. “There. I am bound to my word.”

“AND… THIS NOMAD…”

“I want Ven. He owes me a debt,” replied Essie. The townspeople shuddered, fretting what it meant to have to owe a debt to a sorcerer, especially one who was a giant.

“SO… WE… GIVE YOU VEN… AND YOU LEAVE US ALONE?”

Essie nodded and rotated her wrist, so Rylir was once again upright. Three of the villagers ran off back to the town in great haste. They waited for what felt like an hour as Essie sat peacefully, Rylir sitting patiently in her hand. There were obvious mutterings among the people, and Essie could hear their obvious confusion as to why she wasn’t attacking them.

Perhaps one day they would all come to see reason, but now was neither the time nor place.

Essie and Rylir watched as the three returned with the Nomad, Ven, in tow. Ven, scraggly and unkempt, was panicked beyond words as he was dragged forward and then deposited in front of Essie. Essie carefully picked up the terrified Nomad before giving a nod of acknowledgment to the people and then retreating back to the tree line.

Essie placed Ven and Rylir together, allowing Rylir to explain everything that had happened and that he was not actually being sacrificed to the Sorcerer of Fanged Ridge.

While the two of them spoke, Essie tended to her wounds and breathed a sigh of relief.

Everything, for the first time in a long time, felt alright. Essie allowed herself to breathe as she listened to Rylir say his good-byes to his friend. He returned to Essie’s side and waited patiently for her to lower her hand for him.

“I thought you might want to go with your friend,” muttered Essie, to which Rylir could only give a sassy smirk.

“I am,” he said. “Now, let’s go home.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

With that, the two of them were off back to Essie’s home to have a well-earned rest.