The Mountains Blade

Chapter Thirty Two

Chapter Thirty Two- Anger Is Never a Good Look

"How did you get here? Goldmoon is across the continent." Elwyn stated, placing her hands on her hips as she awaited his answer. 

Fern watched her shift, taking note of her bruised skin and busted lip. "You lost weight." He said taking a step forward, his sculpted face turning into a perfectly discontent expression. "Yeah, a lot has happened since I left. I don't even know how long I have been gone." Elwyn whispered the last part, not expecting the boy to answer. 

"A month, in two days." 

Elwyns eyes snapped up to Ferns blinking amber eyes. "What? How do you know that?" 

"I remember when my forest burned, it was a day after you were taken. I awoke out of my home, on the smoldering ground."

Elwyns expression softened as Fern looked sadly at his hands as if he was holding the memory. 

"I watched my friends burn and I felt their pain." 

Elwyns heart tugged at his pain and she slowly slide her blade into its small holster at her waist. 

"I'm sorry." 

Fern looked up at her and gave her a heavy smile. 

"How did you get here then?" 

"Every forest keeper has a person they watch over as well as the trees."

Elwyn waited for Fern to continue as he placed his hand on the tree beside him, the limbs seemed to stretch and wound themselves around him. The limbs were shaped like an embrace. Fern smiled and the tree let go, satisfied with the change. 

"I was assigned to the Goldmoon royals. I am placed wherever I am needed. The trees believed you needed me, I suppose." 

The warrior balked at the tree that embraced Fern as a bundle of leaves rained down on her as if to agree with the boy. 

"I guess so." Elwyn mumbled. 

"There are portals through the trees, only keepers can go through them. We can take one person with us at a time, anymore and  we die."

Elwyn gaped at him, her immediate thought to retrieve her sister leaving her mind.

"Could you take me to my sister?" Elwyn asked anyways.

Ferns eyebrows lifted as he tapped his chin. "I could ask." he offered to which Elwyn nodded. 

"Thank you, Fern." Elwyn said, dipping her head in thanks. 

Fern nodded and then the tree began to take him away. 

The trunk of the tree split open like an humans elevator and in walked Fern. 

Elwyn listened to the crackling of the wood and stared at the spot that Fern had been in. 

She had been gone a month. A week was to long, she needed to get home.

~

Inside the obsidian castle, a dinner for two was served. Elwyn had been instructed to eat what she pleased. She had passed the dining table loaded with plates and trays of more food than her eyes could look at. 

Elwyn opted for a tall glass of water and a chicken pie, taking both and leaving the room, still in her sweaty exercise clothing. 

Evander who had sat at the other end of the table, had not looked at her as she grabbed her plate and left.