Sprite Forest

Lontel didn’t like what he saw. The tree branches sagged under the weight of hundreds if not thousands of sprites sitting on them watching the pair as they approached the forest. There was no giggling. Today there was only muffled chatter. The air was alive with the small creatures. It also was weighted down with a morbid expectancy.

"Aren’t they beautiful?" Davlena exclaimed as she watched the sprites flit around. Lontel couldn’t understand her excitement. Couldn’t she feel the tension in the air? He cautiously followed her into the forest. She began singing and skipping along. A cloud of sprites joined her, separating her from Lontel. Lontel felt thousands of hate-filled eyes burning into him.

Suddenly the world became a chattering, swirling collage of wings and bodies. Small hands ripped at him, tiny teeth bit, and angry chattering assailed his ears. He fell to his knees under the onslaught. Frantically he crawled and squirmed out of the forest.

As suddenly as the attack began, it ended. He lay still for several minutes not wanting to provoke another attack. Finally, he hazarded a look around.

The trees still sagged under the weight of the little monsters. He sighed and sat up. No wonder Arlin had given him those looks. Who wouldn’t feel sorry for a man who was going to die at the tiny, vicious hands of the sprites? Lontel wondered why Davlena hadn’t helped him. Surely she could have helped. She was probably enchanted by the sprites now, he thought sourly. Anything magical could take over elves. No wonder man had gone to war… Lontel stopped himself. That was no way to be thinking. She had saved him from the goblin bite and had told Arlin that he probably needed help. If she had been enchanted by the sprites, it was probably because she was still weak from battling Oberon. He had been doing all of the physical work, but she had been waging an unceasing battle of her own. He needed only to look at her haggard appearance to know who was truly suffering on this journey.

Lontel stood to determine his next action. He couldn’t just turn around. He had to get to Shangri-La with Davlena so he could collect the reward and return to Sepultha and accept his new title. He looked east. No, that wouldn’t do. Arlin had said it contained more problems and monsters than anywhere else did. That meant west. Lontel started walking when he heard hooves.

Four riders were bearing down on him fast. "Oh, damn," he muttered and started running. He looked back and saw the riders were almost upon him. He dove under the sword of one lemonyx. Another’s horse leaped over him. A hoof glanced off his shoulder, and Lontel grunted under the impact. The lemonyx brought their horses around for another charge. Lontel pulled Wizbane and charged them.

His charge startled the horses that reared to avoid the flashing green sword. Lontel rushed by them and sprinted into the woods that were screaming with angry sprites. He heard the horses start after him, then he heard thousands of wings beating the air. A feline scream urged him to greater speed. Something hit him in the head, and he fell to his knees. Again sprites pummeled him with their fists and ripped out hanks of hair. Lontel tried to rise, but the sheer weight of his attackers pushed him to his stomach. He felt the pressure increase until he could only catch gasping breaths. He tried desperately to struggle away, but it only infuriated them more. The world began turning a dim gray and closing around him. Lontel gave one last heave and collapsed, knowing he would never again see Sepultha. Titarnaes would finally get his wish. Frog would no longer bother him. The apprentice thief who was better than any of his stinking master thieves was doomed.

Slowly the weight on his back diminished. Lontel didn’t move. He knew the sprites were just giving him breathing room so they could prolong their tortures. Well, he wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction. He wouldn’t try to crawl to freedom just so the vile little beasts could smother him again. He’d die here and let his rotting body stink up their lousy forest.

As he lay there, he felt a small hand stroking his eyebrows. Reluctantly he opened one eye. Standing on the ground next to him cooing sadly was the golden haired sprite. It giggled and chattered excitedly when it saw him open his eye. It kissed him on his cheek and playfully tugged on his bloody scalp. Only with the greatest of effort did Lontel restrain from swatting it. It chattered something to him and seemed to wait for a response. When Lontel offered none, it got on its knees and crawled. It then pointed to Lontel.

"What?!" Lontel shouted angrily. Chattering burst from everywhere around hem. Lontel gulped. Apparently he was being watched, and watched very closely. Hesitantly he scooted his knees under him and raised himself to a crawling position. He started to look around, but his small friend chattered warningly and tweaked his nose. Red suffused Lontel’s neck. He could only stand so much! The sound wings flapping all around him quieted his anger.

The sprite motioned for him to crawl towards him. Lontel did so. Overhead he heard giggling. Soon he felt passengers begin landing on his back. Slowly he crawled on following his guide. The twigs and small grasses of the forest floor felt like needles to his raw hands and knees. The load on his back slowly grew until he collapsed under the weight. His friend chattered angrily at its folk. Giggling, they flew off, but no sooner had Lontel resumed his crawl than they were again piling onto his back for the free ride.

After two hours, Lontel had to stop. He heard more sprites approaching. They landed near him, and he listened as they struggled with something. He felt a familiar weight as they replaced Wizbane. When their work was done, the sprites climbed aboard joining the already crushing weight of the others on his back.

The day seemed it would never end. Lontel left a bloody trail from his raw hands and knees. Doggedly he followed the golden haired sprite. Many times it dropped back and softly rubbed his cheek and cooed softly to him. He smiled wanly at it. Night came and still he crawled. It was nearly midnight when he saw a glow in an opening in the forest. An hour later he saw the glow was a luminescent rock. As they neared it he could feel warmth radiating from it. A shape moved beside it. Davlena!

"Oh, Lontel," she cried. His giggling riders spiraled into the trees as she approached. "What have these little imps done to you?"

Lontel didn’t answer. He didn’t even move his head to look up at her. There was no way he was going to do something to incur the little demons’ wrath again if he could help it.

Davlena felt his thoughts. "You needn’t worry about them here. You are under my protection. They won’t hurt you unless I tell them to." Cautiously Lontel stood on rubbery legs. Davlena helped him to the rock. Its warmth permeated his chilled bones.

Davlena inspected him. His pants were little more than a rag covering his groin. His scabbard belt was the only thing holding them on. His bloody hair had huge patches missing as did his scraggly beard. His back was a mass of small bruises and welts. His hands and knees were bloody pulps.

"Wait here," Davlena said. He slumped against the rock and slid down to a sitting position. His eyes had nearly fallen completely shut when she returned. She gave him a gourd of fresh water. He drank it slowly, savoring each mouthful. As he drank, she ripped away part of her pants’ leg and dipped it into another gourd of water. Very carefully, she bathed his wounds. Lontel fought to stay awake, the pain of her ministrations nothing compared to the exhaustion he felt.

She left him again and returned with mud, which she plastered over his entire body. "This should pull much of the pain and swelling from your body tonight," she said. Lontel nodded sleepily.

"Why did you leave me today?" he asked stifling a yawn.

"This forest is enchanted with elven magic. When we entered it, it flowed through me like intoxicating nectar. I just walked, drinking it in until I reached the Nexus, this glowing rock. I fell asleep in its healing warmth until just before you arrived.

"Now that I am healed, the euphoria is gone, and I am whole again. I feel wonderful. In fact, I feel better and stronger than any time since leaving Elysium."

"So you won’t be wandering off again leaving me alone with the sprites?"

"No."

Smiling, Lontel fell asleep before he could say any more.

He awoke the next morning with his head cradled in Davlena’s lap. Sleeping next to him was his small sprite friend. His stirring woke it. It tweaked his nose and flew off giggling. Lontel’s grunt woke Davlena.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Not too bad; although I do feel stiff with all of this dried mud on me," Lontel answered. She laughed and helped him to a small pond that had beautiful, pink lilies floating on it. After stripping him, she shoved him into the water.

Lontel gasped when he hit the cool water. Soon, though, he relaxed and floated freely in its buoyant friendliness.

After half an hour, Davlena said, "Come on out. We mustn’t overstay your welcome. The sprite elders still have misgivings about letting a man travel through their forest." Lontel needed no more urging. He didn’t want them angry, not when they had so many at their beck and call. Lontel started out of the water when he realized he was nude.

"Would you hand me my pants?" he asked.

Davlena laughed. "Surely you aren’t suddenly modest. I just saw you completely naked." Lontel blushed and held out his hand. Laughing gaily, Davlena handed him the remains of his pants. When he emerged from the water, she gave him his sword belt and boots. When he was dressed, they started their journey again.

The golden haired sprite returned with both arms full of oranges. It gave one to Lontel and one to Davlena who gave hers to Lontel. He ate them and continued eating as more and more sprites brought him every type of fruit imaginable.

Soon, his gut grumbled and he had to find a tree. Throughout the day he had to excuse himself as the fruit flowed through his bowels. Always there were giggling sprites darting around him as he grunted against his churning stomach. If they weren’t giggling at his diarrhea, the little imps were riding on his head and shoulders pulling on his tender hair. It was only with the greatest of efforts and Davlena’s soothing touch that Lontel kept from smashing his tiny hosts.

For five days they walked through the forest. Every night they reached a Nexus. Only then did the constant pestering of the sprites stop. On noon of the sixth day, Lontel almost cried with joy when he saw the foothills of Norelven Uu, the mountain range protecting Shangri-La. If Arlin was correct, they were through Sprite Forest and finished with the pestering of these juvenile creatures. He and Davlena were no more than a hundred yards from the forest’s edge when thousands of sprites descended upon them.

Lontel cringed. He started to make a break for freedom, but Davlena’s firm grip held him. The sprites filled the trees around them. Lontel gasped as he watched a small, beautifully wrought, golden chair set before him and Davlena. He followed Davlena’s lead and sat. When they were seated, a withered, white-haired sprite in a sparkling blue robe fluttered down into the seat.

"Lontel, you are a human, the forever sworn enemy of the sprites. However, you have moved the Elders to take exception in your case. Unlike your ancient brethren who tried for decades to annihilate us, you took one of ours and protected her from harm. You accepted the humiliation of our vengeful children after you invaded the sanctity of our home. You have controlled that vile human temper of yours with only modest encouragement from our elven cousin. Because of this, we hereby name you friend." Wings beating and giggling erupted around them. It stopped when the old sprite raised its arms. "Go from our home and know you are welcome should you ever wish to return." It fluttered up, pecked Lontel on both cheeks and yanked out a whisker from under his nose.

Water ran from Lontel’s eyes. As he watched the sly devil flying away holding his whisker high overhead, he burst into laughter. The forest rang with it. Soon the sprites and Davlena joined him.