"The Untouchable War" by Corrine ´Princess Muffin´ Hunsher

There was no moon out tonight, which suit me just fine. The
cloak of night that shrouded my small frame would be a great ally for
what lay ahead of me. The naked trees shivered in the cold, howling out
warnings to turn back and flee in their dry, raspy voices. I paid them
no mind. After all, I had a mission to complete. Hugging my bulky cargo
closer to my body, I trudged forward towards the devil’s fireplace.

The devil’s fireplace isn’t the real fireplace, of course;
it’s just what the locals call it. It’s really nothing more than a
strange rock formation in the middle of the woods. There’s a myth
floating around that the evil sprits that inherited this forest used to
kidnap villagers and livestock to sacrifice to their evil god, and when
their blood hit the ground, it would be so tainted with evil magic that
the grass would stop growing in that spot completely. I’ve never
believed these silly tales. After all, I’ve grown up in these woods for
the whole of my young, sixteen-year-old life, and I have yet to see any
evil sprits lurking about. Though it is strange that no grass ever did
grow around its base.

I stopped walking when I heard strange animal calls emit from
the surrounding trees. I already knew these sounds weren’t made by any
demonic specters, so I wasn’t scared in the least. I half-heartedly
returned the calls and watched silently as three figures dropped down
from the trees, looking much like birds of prey swooping in on a poor,
helpless creature.

The only difference was that they were definitely not birds
of prey- no matter how much some of them might like to be- and I was
definitely not a helpless creature about to get eaten in any way, shape
or form.

“Took you long enough,” The closest shadow said in a very
rude manner. I stared coldly at him. Tach and I never were on good terms.

“Be happy I’m here at all, pixie boy.” He snorted and stepped
into the moonlight. He was- almost as always- in his favorite form: his
auburn hair sculpted into perfect little spikes, ivory skin, and dark,
exotic-looking eyes. His usually goofy expression turned down into a
scowl.

“I’m not a pixie, don’t confuse us with those imbeciles,”
Sokoya gave a sharp laugh and crossed her arms, coming up just behind
her brother. The wind whipped around her tall, slender frame, battering
her blue braids around like limp noodles at the back of her neck. She
reminded me of the Greek goddess Athena. She acted like her a lot, too.

“‘Us?’ I did not hear her include me in her insult, dear
brother. Do not try to hold me in places where I am not,” See what I
mean?

“Shut up Sokoya! She knows what I meant,”

“Ah, but do you know that she understood?”

“Enough!” Jáken’s voice boomed over the rising wind. Both
twins fell silent. He gave us each a piercing look before he continued.

“Let’s stop arguing and get to the shelter of the camp
before we’re all blown away by this wind,” That’s my cousin for you,
always the bossy leader type.

When we’d reached the shelter of the refugee camp it felt
like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I’d always felt
more at home here than within my own walls. I would always be so jumpy
and skittish around my house. I wouldn’t feel right again until I was
back here in the company of my friends and others like them.

“You can put the supplies over here, Aerala,” Jáken informed
me as he pointed to a tent on the far side of where we were standing.

“When you’re done with that, I’m going to need your help
with some of the wounded,” I nodded and walked silently over to the
supply tent.

Spying an empty cargo box, I flipped it over and set my bag
on top of it. I took out the supplies one by one and put them in their
right spots. Water containers… clean bandages… dried food goods…
something was missing.

“Where did the blankets go?” I asked myself aloud. I scoured
furiously through the bag, but came up empty. Huh.

“But I could’ve sworn-”

“Aerala? Are you in here?” Phär called, poking her head
inside the tent. She smiled when she noticed me. I smiled back.

“Hey Phär, what’s the matter?” I asked, getting to my feet.
I almost toppled over by the surprise hug she gave me. Though, I guess I
shouldn’t really call it a ‘surprise’ hug, since she would do that to me
every time we saw each other.

“When Jáken said you’d be coming today I was so relived! I
missed you so very much!” she cried. Her wide brown eyes shown up at me
with such radiance, I couldn’t help but smile.

“I was here recently,” I replied and moved to put away the
rest of my supplies. Phär huffed and went to help me.

“Yeah, like, ages ago!”

“More like a week,” I corrected her. It had slipped my mind
how impatient wood nymphs could be.

Suddenly, Phär crinkled her nose. I looked up at her, puzzled
at her expression.

“I smell smoke. Something is burning,” she informed me. It
was then we heard the screaming.

Expecting a freezing wind, I was surprised when a wall of
heat blasted through us on our way out of the supply tent. My eyes stung
from the wall of smoke that clouded over the camp. Fire consumed
everything it touched. All around us were the shrill cries of panic and
fear, that could only just be heard over the crackling flames that now
engulfed our safe haven. I suddenly heard the sound of hoof prints, and
they seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. As fear washed over me
like a sudden tide, my only thoughts were to get far, far away from here.

“This way!” I cried, grabbing an unsuspecting Phär by the
wrist and leading her towards the safety of the forest. At first she
resisted, crying protests about finding the others, but after awhile her
words died on her tongue, choked by her own fear. As we ran, the sound
of slaughter died down to low murmurs, like the remnants of what I wish
was only a dream. I could now hear the sniffling of Phär’s silent sobs,
and I knew she must be in great pain. Being a wood nymph, she was
connected to the earth, and even now she was obviously feeling her
beloved forest being burned to the ground.

When I felt we were sufficiently enough out of harms way, I
slowed my pace to a tiring walk and let go of Phär. I turned to face
her, my face a carefully constructed emotionless mask.

“Phär, I have to go back to get the others,” I said evenly.
Phär looked up at me, her face tear-streaked and gaunt with fear and
worry. She shook her head vigorously.

“N-no!” she choked out, her voice thick and raspy from
crying. I sighed and placed my hands on her thin shoulders.

“The others need my help. I’ll come back when I feel it is
safe enough for you to return. Promise me you won’t come out until you
hear me use our call,” I instructed. Phär continued to shake her head
and was now shaking violently from a fresh wave of sobs.

“Please don’t leave me Aerala. I’m so scared!” she hiccupped.
I put two fingers under her chin to forced her to look me straight in
the eyes.

“Promise me, Phär.”

“Promise,”
Satisfied, I nodded and started running back towards the chaos at hand.

When I’d reached the end of the forest, the heat hit me again.
I hunkered down into one of the thicker bushes that marked the border
and watched our beloved refuge be engulfed in flames. I noticed a few
grotesquely misshapen black stumps scattered about, and my stomach
lurched when I recognized what they were.

The sudden braying of a horse sent me recoiling into the back
of a tree. Shrinking ever so slowly so I would not be seen, I saw a man
on horseback approach. In his hand was a burning torch, and his chain
mail glinted under the fire’s glare. I could just barely make out the
insignia of my family’s crest placed over his left breast. My heart
filled with both rage and sorrow at the sight of it. How could my father
do such a thing?
Simple, anyone who opposed this war was considered useless, and such
trash was to be gotten rid of.

I began my slow retreat backwards when two strong arms
wrapped themselves around me. One hand clamped over my mouth, while the
other moved to restrain my flailing arms. Whomever it was pulled me
deeper into the shelter of the trees and out of the soldier’s sight. I
began to struggle.

“Shh, Aerala. Calm down,” my captor said. I stopped when I
recognized the voice it belonged to.

“Oh Samuel!” I buried my face into his chest and began to
cry. This night was becoming a bit too much for me to handle.
After allowing me to cry in his arms for awhile, Samuel finally
let go of me and grasped my shoulders tightly.

“Aerala, do you know where any of the others are?” He asked
me. His voice remained clam, but I could see the fear and anger that
raged in his black eyes. I shook my head.

“I left Phär in a part of the woods where I knew she’d be
safe, but I haven’t spotted any of the others. I just came back to try
and find you all.,” I replied, stumbling over half of my words as I went
along. Samuel pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes.

“You should have stayed with her. If you’re spotted out here-”

“And what about Jáken?” I retorted before he could finish. “If
anyone spots Jáken out here they’ll ring him up for treason! They’ll
kill him, Samuel,” my voice was hoarse from crying and the smoke
that had invaded my lungs.

“I know, but it will be even worse for him if they find you
out here as well. They’ll most likely pin him for kidnapping and-”

“I won’t let that happen,” I interrupted again. “I’ll just
talk to my father and tell him I’d gone of my own free will and…” I
trailed off, knowing it was useless. Since when did my father ever
listen to a word I say?

“Listen Aerala, and this time don’t interrupt. I want you to
go back to Phär- I thought I said not to interrupt me? I want you to go
back to Phär and wait for me. I’ll start bringing out whomever is left
alive here so we can get them all to safety and treated. I need you
waiting for me so I know you’re safe and no longer in harms way, do you
understand?” he ordered. When I didn’t answer right away he squeezed my
shoulder. “Do you understand, Aerala?”

“…Yes, I understand,”

“Good,” he nodded, obviously pleased. With a shove into the
thick of the trees he sent me on my way back to Phär.

As I ran the sounds began to die back down to nearly nothing.
I couldn’t hear the screams anymore, but I could still smell the smoke.
For a moment I stopped to catch my breath. Looking back I could still
she the glow of our precious camp going up in flames. It made me want
to start crying all over again. I jumped when I heard an ear-splitting
cry of agony cut through the thick air. I let out an involuntary scream
of my own when I recognized the pained cry as Samuel’s. Heart pounding
in my ears I began to involuntary run back from whence I came. The only
thing running through my mind was Samuel. They got Samuel!

I could see them up ahead. Two soldiers had cornered Samuel
and were tormenting him relentlessly. I could see blood glistening on
one of his tanned cheeks, and his one eye was already starting to swell.
My heart was breaking at the sight of him. Oh Samuel.

Glancing up to see me staring back at him through the brush,
Samuel’s eyes registered shock… and then fear. With what little strength
he had left, he reached out to me with his mind.
Get out of here, Aerala! he pleaded. His face strained in
concentration. There is nothing more you can do here. Run, now-
our link was severed when one of the soldiers jabbed him in the gut with
his spear. Samuel let out a choked gasp. I had to cover my mouth to hide
my own.

“Onto your knees, scum,” the other ordered and kicked him
above his right temple. This time Samuel said nothing. He had fallen
unconscious. I parted my lips and uttered a horrified scream.

This time they heard me. Looking up, they did not recognize
my soot covered face.

“Hey, you!” one bellowed. They began to charge towards me.
Frightened, I took one last, final look at my dear friend and fled. They
didn’t hesitate to take off after me.

I ran and I ran until I could no longer hear their labored
breathing. Even then I refused to slow down. I wished to put as much
distance between them and myself as possible.

But as I ran, a new sound had joined in the symphony of my
own breathing. Hoof prints. They had gone back to get the horses. I let
out a terrified sob as I heard them get closer. I knew I would never be
able to outrun them.

I suddenly heard a whooshing sound, and it was getting closer
by the second. I hadn’t realized what it was until it made contact with
me. I fell down onto the hard earth with a thump as the net enveloped me.

“No!” I cried and struggled to get out of it. The soldiers
were on top of me in a matter of seconds. One reached out for the net
and the other for the knife I had just wrestled free. I gasped and
dropped the knife as he hit the pressure point in my wrist. The severity
of it would have brought me to my knees had he not thrown me up against
a tree first.

“Search her,” the one holding me grunted. As the other
soldier advanced I lashed out at him with my feet.

“You will not touch me, less you wish to lose that hand,” I
warned. They laughed.

“You’re not in much of a place to be making threats there,
missy,” the one retorted. They had not recognized me, even from up close.
I didn’t bother correcting them on this fact, seeing as how it would be
the best for all of us in the long run.

The one guard unpinned me from the tree, but held me roughly
by my wrists behind my back while the other tied them with a rope. I
tried to wriggle myself free, but found them too strong.

“Now, now, it’s either this or we hold you by your braid. So
be a good little girl and lead us to where the others are hiding,” one
of them ordered. My knees almost gave way out of relief. I decided to
play dumb instead.

“O-others?” I stammered. “No sir only I escaped,” that
earned me a blow to the back of my head, causing my ears to ring.

“Don’t be stupid, girl! We saw a whole bunch of you run into
the forest area as we set your little make-shift camp on fire. Now, tell
us where the others are,”

“I…I don’t know! I didn’t know any others had escaped with
me. I thought I was the only one!” I cried, the tears coming naturally.
I really didn’t feel like getting hit again, but if it spared Phär from
a fate like Samuel’s, I’d take it. As I expected, another blow was
delivered to me, this time it sent me sprawling to the ground.

“I thought we told you to be smart,” one growled and went to
kick me. I recoiled. But the other soldier- he looked younger than the
other- put a hand on the elder’s shoulder to calm him.

“Maybe she’s telling the truth,” the younger offered. The
elder lowered his foot to glare at the other.

“And maybe she isn’t,” he spat.

“But look at her, what could she gain from lying? We’ll
catch them later. They know they can’t hide. We were given orders to
burn down the whole forest if we had to, to find these traitors.
They‘re as good as dead anyhow,” he replied. My heart stopped for a
moment. Burn down the forest? No! They can’t do that! Oh father, what
have you done?

I looked to the two soldiers to see them still conversing
over my present torture and abuse… and not paying a lick of attention
to what I was doing. I slowly got into a sitting position to see better.
Nope, not paying any attention to me at all. The were even
starting to move away from me a bit. Very slowly I began to scoot my
butt to where I noticed a sharp rock jutting out of the ground. I
reached it with success. Carefully I began rubbing the rope against it,
hoping to fray it enough to wriggle my hands loose from it. Every once
in awhile I would glace over in the soldiers’ direction. Still nothing.

I stopped rubbing when I felt it was loose enough. Very
minimally I released my hands from the rope and let it fall to the
ground. Eyeing my surroundings, I noticed the horses were not too far
off from where I was sitting. Softly I clicked my tongue to see if one
would respond. I was in luck.

The bigger horse of the two- a black beauty I’d had the honor
of naming Naomi as a small child- looked up. At least she had
recognized me through all of the grime and soot. Slowly and silently I
made my way towards her. She snorted and began tossing her head this way
and that. I grabbed a tight hold on her reigns, and she stared stomping
her front hooves.

“Shh, Naomi. Be still,” I whispered to her in a cooing voice.
I carefully ventured my fingers to behind her one ear, closer to her neck,
and began messaging small circled into her skin. She began to grow
calmer and eventually quieted down. Without hesitation I mounted her.
Clicking my tongue again I urged to to start moving. She obliged.

By this time, the two guards finally noticed me and began
yelling out warnings and curses full of anger and surprise. Now that
they only had one horse, they would have to fight amongst themselves
for whom would claim it and come after me. It would have been too
awkward for both of them to ride it together. I would have laughed if
my heart wasn’t already so overwhelmed with fear. Eagerly I dug my heels
into Naomi’s sides and coaxed her to run faster.

When I’d reached the place where I had left Phär I gasped
out the bird cry desperately. When no answer came, I tried my actual
voice.

“Phär! Phär, answer me!” I pleaded, panic rising as bile in
my throat. What if I was too late? What if someone had made it here
before me? Naomi whinnied beneath me and began pawing at the ground. I
tried again.

“Phär! Please come out!”- more bird calls- “Phär!
Phär!” I made Naomi go farther in, hoping she had only moved her
location deeper into the woods so as to escape the heat and flames.

After more searching I came up empty. Phär was gone. My only
hope was that Phär had merely ran away and had not been captured. Just
the thought of seeing her in chains, covered in blood and bruises like
Samuel… I had to cover my mouth with my hand to stifle the panic-filled
sobs that threatened to overcome me.

So with a heavy heart I left my beloved burning forest and
headed towards the last place I wished to be: Home.