"Song of Elves Chapter 1" by Bri Marie Smart

Prologue

A young woman ran through the forest. She looked around, stricken. They can’t have all just disappeared! She thought franticly.

She whistled, hoping for the return call, that the game that she and her brothers and sisters were playing would end, and that they would show themselves to her. But there would be no return answer for her. Starting to panic, the young woman started running again. She leapt over fallen trees and plunged through the undergrowth. Animals hidden in the foliage of the bushes and trees scattered as she burst through their hiding places. Stopping in a clearing with a circle of rocks in the center, the girl looked around. All she could hear was the silence of the forest. Silence, she then knew they had truly left. Her brothers and sisters had left, and the silence of the forest was its way of morning there loss. She had already noticed the disappearances of her friends, but her family to? She just couldn’t believe it.

Suddenly, she felt very tired. “No! Not now! I need to find them….” She stumbled forward, and grabbed onto a rock for support. But her strength ebbed away, and she collapsed onto the forest floor.

As she lay there, many forest animals came and laid around her, guarding her as she lay unconscious on the forest floor.

Chapter 1

2,000 years later

“Har? Har. HAR! Where’s that little lay about? No doubt off playing adventurer somewhere. He needs to get his chores done. Jaybird, darling, have you seen that brother of yours?” A kindly looking woman swept out of a cottage at the edge of a forest with an exasperated look on her face. A little girl playing in the mud looked up from a castle she had begun to build and shook her head.

“I no see Har round here, Aunty Aspy, but he said he going to play wif Dran win I dids see him affer breakfas. But he say not to telly you for some reason I fink.”

Aspen shook her head, frustrated. “ Oh! Jaybird dear! Your getting your new smock all dirty, and just after your bath to! Go inside so your sister can clean you up again, and I’ll go look for your naughty brother. Oh, nothing good ever can ever come out of Har playing with that troublemaker Dran. Well, I’ll just have to find them before they cause any damage.”

Aspen was a lovely, medium height, middle aged, skinny woman with soft brown hair and bright green eyes. She was wearing a light brown dress with green embroidery on the edges in the patterns of leaves. Aspen lived in a small, three-room cottage at the far end of their village. She lived with her husband, Rison, and their dog, Rain.

Aspens sister, Withry, who also lived in the village, had come down with a serious fever, and her husband, Jok, had to take her to one of the larger villages so that the healers there could cure her of her ailment. But since it was a long way off, and the road was dangerous, Jok had thought it better that he only took his oldest son Brock, and leave the rest of his children with Aspen.

Aspen agreed of course, and now she was taking care of her nieces Willow-Wisp and Jaybird, and her nephew Har. Willow-Wisp and Jaybird were very compliant in doing what their Aunt and Uncle asked them of them, but Har was a whole different story. He made rude noises to others and refused to do what he was told. Aspen and Rieson had little choice but to put up with him.

Aspen ushered her little niece back into the cottage and then turned to look for Har. She would have asked Rieson to look for him, so she could personally clean Jaybird, but he was out hunting with the other men. She also couldn’t ask any of the other women because they were either out foraging or looking after the children who could not help the hunters and foragers. This season had been a particularly dry one, and the rains had not yet come to help the crops grow, so the food and game were becoming scarce. She knew that if she asked for help, all she would get was glares.

Walking toward the woodpile where many of the more disobedient children liked to play, she heard a crash coming from near the potter’s house next to the woods. She slunk over to go see what had made the noise. She knew that if it was Har, the moment he heard someone coming he would take off. As she turned around the corner of the other side of the potter’s house, Aspen grimaced. Two of the drying shelves where the potter put his still wet pots and jars were on the floor, and two boys were standing in the middle of it all. One boy, clearly the older of the two tall, stocky, with short blond hair and blue eyes, was holding a hand menacingly up in the air, threatening the other boy with it. On seeing Aspen though, he quickly put his hand down. The younger boy, about four feet high, had mousy brown hair, and was very thin and wispy. He had his back to Aspen, but when the older boy put his hand down, he turned to face her.

“What’s this all about? Why are you threatening Brulice, Dran?” demanded Aspen.

Brulice, the younger boy, blurted out, “He was mad at me cause I said I wanted to tell Miss Triel that he told Har to… um he told… he...well, I’ll only tell of you promise not to punish me about the pots! Uh…please, Miss Aspen?”

“ I wont punish you about the pots Brulice, but ONLY if you tell me where Har is now. And I mean NOW!” Aspen’s stern gaze made the two boys cower.

“Dran told Har to go into the woods and come out again, but Har said he didn’t wanna, but then Dran called Har a chicken, so Har got really, really mad, so he said he would go all the way into the forest to where those Jumbine mushrooms grow and bring one back so he went in and he hasn’t come out yet! And I know he went in to get them because he got that funny look on his face that said he would rather eat slugs than be called a chicken. And I said that Har mighta hurt hiself so we needa go tell Miss Triel, but Dran said that if I tell her we all get in trouble, but I said I would tell her anyways and Dran said he’d hit me if I dids.”

Brulice spoke so fast that it took a moment or two for Aspen to register what he had said.

“He WHAT! You know the forest is dangerous, yet you go tell Har to waltz right in there! Oh! You two go tell the others to organize a search party!”

Dran’s eyes widened. “What are you going to do, Miss Aspen?” Dran asked timidly.

“What do you think? I’m going to go in there to find Har!”

“But you just said it was dangerous Miss Aspen!”

“If I don’t find Har soon, Dran, he might get hurt, so go tell the others!”

Aspen quickly looked around for something that she could use as a weapon just in case a wild animal attacked her. She spotted a staff leaning against a wall and grabbed it, she then sprinted of into the woods.

Running as fast as she could, Aspen listened for any signs of life. She heard the howl of a wolf and its pack, telling others that they had just taken down their prey, and Aspen hoped that it was not Har. Aspen stopped to look around, looking at the ground she found trampled flowers and branches, clearly made by a human. She studied them, following them in the direction they headed. Soon a scream filled the air, followed by the yowl of a wildcat. Aspen sprinted toward the sound. Aspen had to halt suddenly, for there in front of her the ground opened up. Down in the crevice, a young boy with short red hair was trying to push away a rock that was over his legs. Only a few feet from him was a large wildcat crept slowly towards him.

“Har!” yelled Aspen and the boy looked up, “Stay still! I’ll chase away the cat, just don’t move!”

Har, clearly terrified, did what his Aunt asked him and stopped struggling. Aspen knew she had to act fast, otherwise the large wildcat would maul Har, or maybe even kill him. Aspen laid down her staff and started to throw rocks at the beast. It immediately turned its attention away from Har and toward its attacker.

Seeing that Har was safe for the moment, Aspen grabbed her staff and slid down the side of the crevice. She held out her staff in front of her to protect her from an attack.

“Har? Honey, everything’s going to be ok. Just stay still, I’ll get you out once I get rid of this cat.”

Har whimpered as he tried to pull his legs out from under the rock again, but he quickly stopped when the cat’s ears perked up. The sound of Har’s whimpering had attracted the wildcat’s attention again and it turned. Aspen saw Har’s brief reprieve of danger was gone, so she lunged at the cat, bringing her staff down hard on its head, the cat gave a screech of defiance, but quickly jumped up the walls of the crevice and fled.

As the cat jumped out of the crevice though, it jumped on some loose rocks, which fell and struck another rock, causing sparks to fly off. A few of the sparks landed in some dry brush and started to smoke.

Aspen did not see this, and she went over to help Har out from under the rock. She nelt down and tried to lift the rock off as she scolded Har.

“Oh Har! Why did you have to come into the forest? You know it’s dangerous. And what would I have told your poor mother if that beast had eaten you? Well I hope you’ve learned your lesson. And… what’s that smell?”

Aspen stopped trying to get the rock off of Har and looked around. Her eyes widened at what she saw. Where the sparks from the rock had landed there now burned a small fire. She rushed over to try and put it out. Har, now seeing the fire too, squeaked in fright and began to struggle anew to get out from under the rock. Aspen was trying to stamp out the fire with her feet, but the fire was starting to burn holes through her boots. A gust of wind blew the flames toward a dead, dried out vine that was hanging into the crevice, the flames licked around the vine and then it caught in fire. The flames spread as fast as fire burns through paper.

Suddenly the brush around the crevice seemed like a flaming inferno. Aspen, seeing that if she didn’t hurry their escape route would be cut off, grabbed her staff and stuck it under the boulder and used it as a leaver.

Putting all her weight on it she lifted the rock just enough for Har to scramble out from underneath. A few seconds after Har was out the staff gave out a creek and snapped in half.

“Go Har, go! We need to get out of this crevice!” Already, Aspen could feel the intense heat of the flames as some of the brush inside the crevice caught on fire close to them. Har scrambled to the sloped wall and started to climb out, Aspen dropped her staff and hurried after him.

Once Aspen and Har finally climbed out of the crevice they felt the full extent of the blazing heat. Looking for a way around the fire, Aspen saw an opening between to rocks were the fire had not yet reached the dry foliage.

“Har, follow me!” Aspen quickly took charge of the horrifying situation.

Aspen ran between the walls of fire on either sides of the rock, with Har close on her heels. Har and Aspen were making their way through the flaming woods quickly, sometimes running into a wall of flames and having to change direction. It seemed to both of them that the forest had just become an endless maze of fire. Both of them where running as fast as they could, narrowly dodging falling branches and burst of flames. It seemed to them as if they were going no where, and that they were just running in circles.

Finally they arrived at a point were Aspen saw no exit at first. Aspen then glanced over to her left again and saw a space where the flames had briefly moved away from. She then shouted to Har so that her voice could be heard above the roar of the flames.

“Har! There’s an opening there out of the woods, let’s go!”

Har nodded and ran toward the opening. Aspen started to go too, but her foot caught on the log she had stood on and her foot broke through. Aspen tugged at her trapped foot, but could not break it free. Just before Har reached the exit he turned back to see if his Aunt was following. Seeing that she had not followed, he turned back to help her.

“No Har! Go, I’ll be fine, just get out of the woods, and I mean now!”

Har’s eyes betrayed his intentions of helping Aspen, but he gave a quick nod and headed out through the gap in the flames to the edge of the woods.

Aspen turned her attention toward her trapped foot. Aspen saw that there was something holding her shoe inside the log, so she struggled with the straps and finally slipped it off and got up. Turning toward the exit Aspen cried out. In just those few moments of time that it took her to free her foot, the way out had closed up. Aspen looked around franticly. She then heard a noise in the bushes close to her. Aspen turned around to see what had made the noise. What she saw made her gasp. A tall animal, with legs like a wolf, the body of a horse, a tail of a fox, and the head of a lion stepped regally out of the brush.

“A Kinspritna,” she whispered, the awe apparent in her voice.

Kinspritna were creatures out of the old tales, said to have once been guardians of a great race. They also were very rare, and even believed not to exist. The legends said that when you see one, your hearts desire would come true.

Aspen didn’t know what to do. The Kinspritna turned and started to walk away. Aspen hurried to follow, thinking that it might know the way out. The Kinspritna walked past walls of flames and burning trees, and seemed to go at an incredible pace though it seemed only to walk. Aspen had to run to keep up.

Ducking under trees and burning branches, Aspen ignored the pain in her foot, as it protested at going so fast without something to protect it from the searing heat and sharp rocks. Finally, the Kinspritna reached a clearing in the woods where it just disappeared.

“No! Don’t leave me!” cried Aspen, but she knew that it would not head her words. Looking around, Aspen noticed a circle of rocks, maybe it went behind those, she thought to herself. Walking toward them she noticed what looked like a small bundle. Ignoring the immediate danger to her, Aspen went over it see the thing. Picking it up and pulling away the cloth Aspen cried out in surprise. In side the bundle was a little baby girl fast asleep.

“What are you doing here?” she said in a soft voice, “Were you what the Kinspritna led me here for?”

A sudden burst of heat reminded Aspen of the danger, and she turned around to look for a way out. Aspen noticed some motion out of the corner of her eye, and turned just in time to see the tail of the Kinspritna vanish behind a tree.

Positioning the baby the so that she could carry her more easily, Aspen sprinted after the Kinspritna. Running as fast as she can, narrowly avoided falling branches and sudden bursts of flames. Many times she stumbled over rocks stumbled. Once, while passing an area of sharp rocks, Aspen tripped over one and the rocks stabbed into her side and her bare foot. Aspen cried out in pain. She didn’t dwell on it long though, she made sure that the baby was unharmed, and pushed herself up to follow the Kinspritna. After turning around a corner of large rocks Aspen suddenly lost sight of the Kinspritna, and cried out. Whipping her head around, she searched the area for any sight of the creature. Aspen suddenly stopped. She thought she heard voices. Were their voices? Yes, she did hear voices, and the way toward the voices was clear of flames. Running as fast as she could toward the voices, Aspen burst through the undergrowth and almost ran head first into Rieson.

“Aspen!” cried Rieson, Rieson was a sturdy built, tall, twenty three year old man with immense muscles and a heart to match his size, “I was so worried about you! When we saw the smoke and Har ran out of the woods and said you were in there, oh, I’m just glad you alright!”

Rieson gave Aspen a giant bear hug.

“Rieson be careful! You’ll crush the child!”

“Child? What child?” Rieson looked at her quizzically.

“This child,” Aspen replied as she pulled away the cloth covering the baby’s head.

“Aspen! Were did you… I mean… how? Were did you find him?” Rieson stuttered, his face a mask of shock. The other hunters with him were gathered around to look at the child.

“First of all, the baby’s a she, and second of all, I found her in a clearing in the middle of the woods, the Kinspritna lead me there,” Aspen cooed at the tiny bundle.

“Kinspritna? What Kinspritna? I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“The Kinspritna that lead me to the clearing and then out of the forest.”

“But the Kinspritna aren’t real! There just legends!”

“Then what lead me to find this little girl, and what lead me out of the forest?”

Rieson was too stunned too speak.

“Let’s go back to the hut and get this baby cleaned up. She is a very good child, no matter how jostled and hot she had gotten she never cried, she slept through the whole thing.

The little baby gave a yawn and stretched her arms out. Aspen started to walk back toward their hut.

“But what are we going to do with her?”

“We’re going to keep her of course! That Kinspritna didn’t lead me to her just for me to give her away! But before we go, lets giver her a name.”

“A name? Right now? I don’t know, how about Granneen, after your grandmother.”

“I don’t think so, she was a gift from the flames, and look at her, and she doesn’t look like a Granneen does she? How about Embyr, because she came out of the embers. Yes, Embyr Jyralien FireChild. Hello my little Embyr.” Aspen rocked the baby back and forth, absolute adoration in her eyes.

“Ok I guess. But Jyralien? What type of name is that?”

“Jyralien means “A gift from the Elves” in old tongue, because the Kinspritna of old were supposed to have once been guardians of an ancient race of elves, not worthless like those elves nowadays, but full of magic and power. And I know that it was a Kinspritna who led me to her. And don’t even try to change my mind!”

Aspen started back toward their hut, totally unaware of the flaming forest near her, utterly absorbed in her new baby girl.

Rieson stood there in complete shock. He then heard the roar of thunder, and as he looked up rain started to pour from the sky above.

Rieson felt like bashing his head against a tree. Everything was happening so fast. It all seemed like it had been planned out, it had happened o perfectly with no one being seriously injured.. Har getting lost in the woods and the fire seemed all apart of a plan to have Aspen find the child. He then sighed and ran to catch up with Aspen.

At the very edge of the woods, the Kinspritna looked after Aspen’s retreating form, with her husband running after her. It looked down at the creature next to it, a large wildcat, and growled its approval for a job well done. The beast gave a nod, and then vanished into the forest.

The Kinspritna gave one last look of longing toward Aspens now far away figure, and walked away into the forest. It wound it’s way through the charred remains of the forest, looking sadly at all the homes that now have to be rebuilt by the animals, it would be a hard year this year, but it was well worth it to see the child to safety. It finally came toward the charred spot where Aspen had found Embyr, and collapsed. It gave one final growl of happiness, and died.

Far away in her new home, little Embyr gave a whimper and turned restlessly in her sleep. Aspen, who was next to her, felt a sudden sense of loss, but shrugged it off and tucked in the blanket around her new baby girl. That night the wolves howled a sad song of mourning, for the last Kinspritna had died.