Whispers of the Forest : The Last Priestess

The sun was rising as Alice Collins entered the temple and knelt before the statue of Eluin. The face sculpted in gold made it seem as though the god of healing was staring at her. She gazed at the short hair molded in golden metal and the tunic that fell over his shoulders, as if he were truly there. Then she lit the blue candles in front of the statue, her long auburn braid sliding over her right shoulder and touching the navy blue dress, accentuating her bent knees. The scent of Aloe Vera in the air calmed her.

The woman prayed to Eluin, asking the god to assist her in her role as the healer of the village, to heal the sick of the day, or at the very least, if not possible, to guide her in words of comfort for those who remained.

Alice blinked a few times, disturbed by a supposed noise, felt the wind move the fabric that covered her, but heard nothing more. She looked at the golden image again and remembered an old story her mother used to tell her when innocence still covered her childlike eyes, about the emergence of priests in the world and how they were extinguished. She closed her eyes and could hear her mother's voice soothing her to sleep.

"Seven Gods, Diax, his wife Lunits, and their children: Eluin, Tunian, Páris, Auritem, and Temenis. All responsible for the origin of creatures.

Some people were born with the gift of feeling the energy of the Pearl Forest, the sacred home of the gods, and using it for good. They were called priests.

However, Eluin was not pleased with this creation; he believed that if there was a god for healing and another for nature, such common beings should not serve this purpose. Lunits in her wisdom smiled at her son with each curse, affirming that nothing happened by chance.

Another God shared Eluin's ideals about the priests. Temenis, the youngest, tired of living in the shadow of his siblings and hated by mortals, used to walk among them in disguise, enjoying their company. However, the young one could not accept the fear that all, except the elves and fairies, had of death. While the brothers were adored, he received only terror from mortals.

Thus, consumed by anger, consumed by envy and hatred, Temenis turned against the other gods, using the energy in the Sacred Forest to his advantage. He imprisoned them all, except Eluin, who being his opposite, could not be bound by the power of death.

Both fought for days and nights, until the elder triumphed and managed to imprison the brother as well. However, he had arrived too late; the forest was dying, and with the gods imprisoned, nothing could be done. A priest was needed, but the youngest was cruel and vile, and he slew every one in the world.

Hopeless, the god of healing waited for the end. With the death of that which originated everything, all life in the world would vanish. And in the end, only the gods would remain.

Eluin had never felt so powerless in all his long life, but centuries later, a thread of hope emerged. The god could feel a life being born, and it was not just any life, he was certain he felt the birth of a new priestess. It was ironic how the last hope lay within a species he had so despised."

Alice snapped out of her trance. The woman still held hope that the gods could one day walk the earth again and that the world would be saved. Perhaps the last priestess was closer than she imagined. She thought of her daughter, and in that instant, she clenched her fists, fearing the possibility of the girl being the last existing priestess. And the dangers that would bring upon her.

"Are you Alice Collins?" asked a deep, gruff voice.

Behind her stood a group of men in black armor, alongside massive creatures resembling wolves with white eyes. The black fur that shifted to gray caught her attention, and the silver claws and teeth were as imposing as their paws, aglow with blue lights.

"What do you want?" the woman asked, her jaw tense.

"By order of the Emperor, you will be taken," they replied.

"Taken? Under what accusation?" she inquired seriously. She couldn't show fear, even though her heart raced at the sight of such strange creatures.

The guards didn't answer. She tried to fight, but it was in vain. They were strong. They took her to a black carriage pulled by horses of the same color. Inside, there was a slender man with silver hair, much like the fangs of the beasts. His fine black clothes with golden details and the mask of the same color highlighted his deep yellow eyes.

"Good morning, Miss Collins, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said, nodding his head slightly in greeting. "I am the Emperor, and I do not intend to harm you."

"What do you want with me?" Alice replied, chin raised, staring at the Emperor defiantly.

"Do not worry. You are just bait for your daughter."

"Mira? Why?" She tried to step forward, but the guards stopped her. "Do not dare..."

"Stay calm. I will not lay a finger on her. She will come to me of her own free will. After all, family should always stay united." The man smiled and gestured with his fingers, a silent command to proceed.

Alice thought about her adoptive daughter. Her friend Liam had told her things about Mira's past. About the fact that Mira was special, that someone was looking for her.

He had also told her that someone was watching, the Emperor paying attention to the man's actions. This someone could come to the girl's aid in times of need.

The woman looked at the village receding behind her, hoping that this person could help her child.

That day was being very strange. First, it started raining heavily, even though it had never rained like that in that place. Second, you could hear wolves howling outside, even though such creatures were common in the western part of the kingdom. And finally, Kendra was awake, watching her friend tossing and turning as if having a nightmare.

"But how is this not considered normal?" you might wonder. The thing was, the roles were usually reversed. Kendra was the one who dreamed, and Mira was the one who stood by her side when she had her dreaded visions.

A thunderclap outside muffled the howls of the animals. Mira's mother, Alice Collins, hadn't returned. It was normal for her to leave before sunrise and come back when it was dawning, but it had already been at least an hour. Kendra was worried. Had something bad happened?

"Mira, what's going on?" she asked her friend in vain, knowing she wouldn't get an answer.

Meanwhile, Mira's dream showed her something very different from what was happening in reality:

A desperate woman ran through the forest, carrying a child in her arms. Her red hood covered her face.

The forest was vast, with tall green trees. It was bright, the morning sunlight embracing the leaves, giving them a gentle glow. Amidst the woods, there was a trail. That was where the hooded figure fled. If she were in the heart of the forest, she would have had no chance.

The girl in her arms squirmed, not knowing what was happening.

Men dressed in black were chasing them with creatures resembling dogs that hadn't eaten in days. The creatures were skin and bones, with silver teeth and red eyes, and they were tall; their height was almost half of the woman's.

They snarled and were almost catching up. She seemed desperate, kept telling the little girl that everything would be fine. Her voice was sweet and gentle, but she couldn't hide the fear. The monsters caught up with her and dragged her to the ground, tearing her dress skirt and causing her to drop the little girl. The girl cried.

"Run, Mira! Run!" the woman shouted.

The child ran. A flash of blue light enveloped her, and the scene changed.

Mira found herself in a forest, not the same one from the previous scene. It was dark, but not a sinister dark. It was a twilight kind of darkness. The wind blew gently, making sounds as if there was someone else in the area. But that idea was an illusion. There was only her there. The trees had pale leaves, as if something had drained all the color from them. Faint glimmers touched the woods, but they were weak. The dark and lifeless shades prevailed.

The girl walked through the area, passing by a trail like in the other forest. But in this one, there were colorful flowers on the ground, though dry and lifeless.

As she walked, a light appeared as if there was a tunnel, an exit. But there was no exit. The light wasn't from a tunnel; it was from a huge, crystalline lake with pink, green, yellow, blue, and purple lights touching it.

Suddenly, the lake started drying up. The trees withered, and their leaves turned to dust. Mira heard a shrill scream, as if the forest was in pain.

"Mira!" someone called her solemnly. The young girl searched for the source of the voice, but there was no one there. "Mira!" the voice called again. "We need you. We need you to awaken."

"Awaken? What do you mean?" Mira asked, perplexed.

The voice continued chanting her name.

"Mira, Mira, Miraa..."

"Mira! Mira!" Kendra was calling her urgently.

The brunette opened her honey-colored eyes and looked into Kendra's green ones.

"What's happening, Kedy?" she asked, alarmed.

That had been her friend's nickname since they were little. The brunette couldn't pronounce "Kendra," and all that came out of her mouth was something like Kedy. The name had stuck through the years.

The sun was already rising outside, as if the rain had never been there.

"Right when she woke up," Kendra thought.

The illumination seemed to fill the house. The girls' room was of medium size, as healers had a slightly higher rank than the villagers. The walls were a light yellow color. Alice Collins, Mira's mother, used to say that dark colors didn't bring good dreams.

The shorter girl's bed was neatly made, obviously, as Kendra was super organized. The plain white cover covered the mattress, with only a beige pillowcase as decoration.

Mira's bed was still messy. The brunette wasn't as organized as her friend, and she rarely bothered to make her bed properly. But this time, there was an excuse: she was still in it.

"First of all, happy 18th birthday!" Kendra exclaimed, hugging her friend.

"Thank you. Was that why you woke me up? I appreciate it either way. I was having a really weird dream."

"No, it wasn't because of that," Kendra affirmed, while picking up some coins from the large table with books and flowers in the room. "Miss Miths is looking for you. It seems your mother is gone, and they need a healer."

"How come? I'm not a healer yet," Mira replied, surprised.

"And the way things are going, I might never be," she thought.

Mira's dream was to become a healer like her mother. She wanted to help people with their ailments. However, there was a problem: the girl was very clumsy. Even though she knew the names of all the plants, she got distracted easily and became nervous, causing her to forget the steps she had learned. Because of that, she faced serious problems, embarrassing herself and probably disappointing Alice, even though the older woman always smiled at her, saying everything would be alright.

"Let's go, stop daydreaming and change your clothes. I'll go to the market to buy something for when Miss Alice comes back," Kendra informed her while counting coins and putting them in a small handbag.

"My mom hasn't come back yet?" Mira asked.

"No," Kendra replied, sounding worried.

"Let's wait a bit longer. Maybe someone asked for her help on the way, or maybe she's preparing something for my 17th birthday!" Mira exclaimed, hopeful.

"I'll be going. Later, I want to hear about that dream. Don't forget my present on the table," Kendra said.

When her friend left, Mira removed her light pink nightgown. Her tan skin was exposed, and her slim, graceful body was too. She put on a red dress with long sleeves. It wasn't made of the best fabric, but it wasn't the worst either.

She brushed her wavy brown hair, then put the brush on the small round table next to the larger one. She accidentally bumped into her friend's gift but didn't open it. She would finish getting ready first.

She braided her hair into three thin braids, then intertwined them and fastened them on the left side of her head with a silver clip she took from the jewelry box next to the books.

Finally, she put on brown shoes and looked at the gift.

Mira finally opened the small blue package her friend had given her. It was a delicate, thin necklace with a leaf pendant.

"It's beautiful. As expected from you, Kedy," she whispered to herself.

With the necklace around her neck, the girl with honey-colored eyes hurried down the stairs.

Downstairs, she saw a chubby woman, around 40 years old, with light brown hair tied up in a veil. She was wearing a simple dark green dress with brown details and seemed irritated, as she compulsively tapped her right foot on the ground.

"Good morning, Miss Miths."

"Good morning, Mira. Is your mother around?" the kind woman inquired.

The younger girl looked at her apprehensively and answered, "No, it seems she's gone. What do you need?"

She felt uncomfortable. It was very strange for her mother to leave without saying anything.

"My son is sick, and I need a healer. Can you attend to him in her place?"

"What?" Mira asked, coming out of her thoughts. "Me? I'm not qualified yet, Miss."

"I know you're knowledgeable. Your mother always praises you."

"Because she's my mother," Mira thought.

"Alright, I can take a look at him."

Mira followed the older woman to her house. The village was as tranquil as ever. She headed to the eastern area where the residences were located. Miss Miths' home wasn't much different from the others in the village, made of bricks and wood, small but cozy. There was a wooden sign on the door with the family's name.

"Excuse me," she said upon entering.

The red-haired boy was lying in bed, sweating and burning with fever. His skin was red with small black spots. It was Pritine, a very common disease in children. After rechecking the patient's condition, Mira reassured the worried mother:

"Don't worry, ma'am. Everything will be fine. I just need to get some herbs, and I'll be right back."

The young healer-to-be rushed to her house's garden and picked the required plants: arelva, primrose, and dragonweed. She mixed them in a container and mashed the mixture. She wondered if the recipe was correct. What if she was mistaken and ended up doing something harmful to the boy? Well, there wasn't time for that now.

The girl quickly returned to Miss Miths' house.

"Do you think it will work?" the mother asked.

"Yes," the girl replied, not entirely sure.

"I hope it works," Mira thought apprehensively.

Seconds later, the black spots began to disappear.

Relieved that the remedy had worked, the young healer instructed the woman on how to administer the medicine to her son.

"Give him this mixture twice a day, and he'll be better soon."

"Thank y..." the lady tried to thank, but she was interrupted by someone's screams.

Miss Miths opened the door and saw chaos outside. People were running around in panic amidst an unusual fire. Different from anything Mira had seen before.

"Mira! Mira!" Kendra's voice called her.

"What? What's happening?" Mira said, opening the door and stepping outside.

Kendra stopped next to her, out of breath.

"There's something in front of the house," she said.

Mira rushed out quickly and impulsively, her hair flying as she headed toward the western area, where the market was. She absentmindedly passed through the flames, not feeling any burn. They were cold like ice.

When they got close to their house, Kendra said, "Mira, look!" and pointed to the door.

Above the doorknob was a beige paper that looked old. In ornate letters, something was written in a strange language that the brunette didn't understand. The only decipherable word was her mother's name: "Alice."

"We better go inside," Mira said, worried. "It's dangerous to stay here."

"Why is my mother's name on that paper? Did they do something to her?" She thought tensely.

Upon entering, Kendra seemed pensive. She sat down on the kitchen table's chair. Everything was neatly arranged, as dishes were on the shelves, and utensils like pans, knives, spoons, forks, skewers, and spatulas hung above the stone fireplace used for cooking.

The only thing out of place was a knife, probably the one Mira used to prepare the boy's medicine and left hastily to clean and put away.

"Get me ink and a parchment, please," Kendra requested.

"How?" the confused girl asked.

"I think I can translate this," Kendra said hastily. "Get what I asked for, please."

Mira hurried upstairs. Everything was so confusing. She thought again about why her mother's name was on that note. Moreover, what was that strange fire from before? Her heart started to tighten.

She passed by her room, where the bed was neatly made with a red cover and a white pillow, the wardrobe was closed, and the desk had the extinguished candle and a piece of parchment with an inkwell beside it. Everything was normal, as if Alice could come back at any moment.

She continued to the third room in the house. She took what was asked from the desk drawer, leaving behind the shelves filled with books, parchment, ink, and feathers; the desk cluttered with open books that were always neatly kept; and the light blue walls with peeling paint in the middle.

When she reached the ground floor, she handed over what was requested and asked her friend, "Can you really read this?"

"My mother taught me this language when I was little," Kendra replied, with a distant expression.

Mira knew that her friend was reminiscing about her parents, who had passed away some time ago.

Kendra started working swiftly. She sat on the wooden chair and placed the items on the table. Her brows were furrowed, her eyes focused on the paper, and her fingers of her right hand tapped the wood, as she often did when she wanted to concentrate. She began translating the note hurriedly.

Mira, already bored, took the opportunity to look out the window and noticed that the fire had extinguished. The situation couldn't be stranger.

"Here!" Kendra exclaimed loudly, pulling her out of her reverie. She read the translated text aloud, "'Dear Mira, happy 17th birthday. I've come here to take your mother Alice, as a gift for the long time we've been apart. I hope you're pleased with the flames left in your peaceful village. We'll see each other soon, after all, family should always be together, don't you think? Don't worry, your dear mother is in the hands of the best person possible: mine.'"

Exasperated and confused, the taller girl blurted out, "What? Who is this? I don't know any Emperor. And the only family I have is my mother. Who's this lunatic, Kendra?"

She sat down on a chair, her hands trembling.

"What's going on? Why did they take my mother?"

Mira wanted to scream and cry, but she knew it wouldn't help. Still, her hand continued shaking as she clenched her fingers.

Kendra looked at her and held her hand, responding to the previous question

, "I don't know, Mi. We could call the guards."

"The guards won't be very useful in this case," a cold voice said behind them.

The stranger had a secure and imposing appearance. She walked in light steps that could not be heard. Her gray eyes stared at them coldly; she had silver blonde hair, with blue streaks, fastened in a perfect ponytail. The glasses fit perfectly on her face and the pointed ears were adorned with silver earrings.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Asked Mira, pointing the knife at her that she had picked up quickly on the table.

"I don't think we have time for conversation, Miss Collins." replied the elf. "They're after us, or rather you."

The invader looked at the knife pointed at her and laughed.

"That kind of weapon is not something that can stop me."

"Want to see?" said the girls.

You could hear the back door being scratched and the sounds of the howls entering the house.

"Do you want to save yourselves or would you rather stay to die?" the woman said, ignoring them.

The strange observed the place, curious as she dragged her navy dress from one side to the other.

The howls were getting closer and closer, the noises of the door and windows being scratched already made his ears squeak.

Mira tried to attack the intruder for answers; however, the elder only move her hand and threw the gun away.

"We don't have time for games, girls. Are you coming or not?"

Mira stared at her for a while. I didn't know if I could trust her, but when she saw a huge black snout with silver fangs go through the door, she knew there was no other option.

"We'll go with you." she replied.

"Are you sure? Do you think we should trust her?" Kendra asked, still undecided.

"No, we shouldn't. But she seems to be our only chance" sighed the healer.

The elf smiled and appeared with two suitcases in her hand.

"That's what you can take. Then we'll come back to take the rest."

No one said anything. The girls followed the woman in the back door, not understanding what was happening. But the animals had already entered the place.

Outside there was a carriage that was "almost" invisible. The vehicle was transparent, being able to see the other side of the street. Its shadow only recognized its location. They entered and as they moved away, they saw strange wolves, sometimes black, sometimes gray, with blue lights on their paws entering the house.

The locomotive was camouflaged by every passing place; however, the interior did not seem to change at all.

Upon seeing the teenagers' confused expression, the elf exclaimed:

"The chariot and all in contact with it, camouflage themselves, so we deceive the enemies."

They passed through the healing temple, where the god Eluin was worshiped. Alice prayed every day in the temple for wisdom to help the sick. And according to her, he always answered her. Mira did not use to be very attached to the gods. The girl only believed in them and point.

When the black horses took the carriage out of town, Mira looked at the stranger in her glasses and said:

"I think we have time for explanations now."

"You are determined, Miss Collins. That may be useful to you in the future." She settled into the seat and continued, "My name is Astrid Betwein."

Her gray eyes stared at her with curiosity.

"I am the coordinator of Lumnus Theorys. You will stay there for now. It is the only safe place away from the emperor."

"Miss Betwein, how did you know my mother had been kidnapped?" asked Mira, curious.

"We've been following in the footsteps of the king of Harlisze for a while."

"King of where? I've never heard of." Kendra said.

"King of Harlisze, the kingdom of the magi. It is a closed kingdom controlled by the successor of King Neelas. Nobody knows the way there, just a citizen of the kingdom of the fairies. He's been stalking you for some time, Miss Collins, but something was keeping him from finding you."

"Right. And what do my mother and I have to do with it?" asked the brown-haired, impatient.

Astrid looked at her annoyed.

"It's not her, silly girl. It's something your mother or you own. Your house has something he needs to access a place in that village. Besides, there's something about you."

"We have nothing. We have no money that is precious to an emperor, no jewels, nothing. I have no idea what this man is looking for, much less do I know him. He chose the wrong person." the young lady exclaimed.

"He does not pick wrong. Especially if he knows her." replied the elf seriously.

"But... " the girl tried to argue, but was ignored.

"And how come we never heard of this kingdom?" asked Kendra, breaking the silence.

Astrid stared at them and sighed.

"Long ago, the world of magic and humans lived together. But the gods lost some of their power for a mysterious reason, and so their influence on mortals diminished. Humans were very young at the time and were lost without them. So, they moved away from the other species out of fear."

"Afraid of what?" Mira asked.

"There has always been the supernatural, yet prejudice has always existed. The powerless found others strange and vice versa. So, those who had no magic and were younger were afraid. Besides the fact that without the influence of the gods, some humans became greedy and selfish, and desired the power of the magical world. To avoid wars, one moved away from the other. Over time, each species was forgotten by the other and a division was created between them. A barrier so strong that only the specials could cross it.

"And will we come back here? To our world?" Kendra asked.

"In a week. It's the maximum time the Dowykais stay in one place." explained the coordinator." However, we'll have to go back to school. You won't be safe here for a long time.

The rest of the trip was quiet. Mira ended up sleeping on her friend's shoulder. But this one wasn't as easy, Kendra couldn't. Now everything had changed. She wanted to avoid sleeping so as not to find out that the worst would happen. As the blonde had prophetic dreams and visions since childhood, she thought again about how strange it was that day she slept so quietly. Maybe her dreams passed to Mira, who said she had nightmares.

"We arrived." Said Astrid, coming down from the carriage with elegance.