The Afterlife Academy Saga

Chapter 28

28

Under different circumstances, I’d be sick of the endless forest by now. But after being locked up for three days in a concrete bunker with grey on grey, being between trees was the best feeling ever. The greenery, the crisp air, the smell of fresh plants… The wind through my hair, the sun on my skin, ahh… Beautiful.

It was the perfect day for a hike, especially with a dust bunny in my arms and a wolf running circles around me.

Hyde was so excited to be outside, his tail was high in the air and constantly wagging. He ran to the left, sniffing a couple of plants and eating some grass. With a satisfied grunt, he raced to the right to bark at a tree.

What a happy life.

One day, I’d get to watch him in peace from the comfort of my own home. Maybe with a certain Dragon by my side.

Woah. That was a very intense and scary thought. We weren’t even officially dating and I was already thinking about moving in with her. Well, technically, I already lived with her… So…

But that was the Academy’s doing and we hadn’t had a choice in the matter. But the things I was picturing now, those were living arrangements set up out of free will.

I was getting ahead of myself. I shouldn’t be thinking those things when Ryoko was still firmly trapped in a bunker. Unless I succeeded in my mission and got her out, there would be no future together.

That grim thought turned my stomach. The idea of failure wasn’t a pleasant one and I’d do anything in my power to save them.

Determined, I readjusted my grip on my blazer so Pickles wouldn’t fall out and heaved it back on my back. I’d tied it up differently so it resembled a satchel or backpack, but it was terrible to carry.

I wished I brought an actual bag with me to hold the dust bunny, but that would’ve required some foresight and planning. Which I’d done none of that.

Stupid…

While my mission was time-sensitive, it would’ve greatly benefited from me taking a second and figuring out what was going on. Then I’d have realised it was a good idea to bring a bag with food and leave the bunny at home.

But hindsight was a beautiful thing and no matter how much I had of it, it wouldn’t change the fact I didn’t have a bag. I’d just have to make do without while I figured out how to find the Deep Mountains.

Var mentioned the Keeper’s mark when he talked to me about it, but it didn’t seem nearly as straightforward as he made it out to be.

No matter how much I thought about the mountains and tried to visualise them, the forest had no end. The leaf on my hip didn’t glow or tug me in a certain direction.

By all measures, I was lost. Plain and simple. And no matter how much imagining I did, the Forest of Illusions wouldn’t take me somewhere I hadn’t been. Which was a real problem in itself.

“Hyde, don’t run too far,” I called. He was loyal but young. If he wandered off too far, he might have trouble finding me again. Especially in a tricky forest like this.

Damn the Keeper and his Illusions. No wonder they called Wood Elves the tricksters of the forest.

“You called me?” a voice suddenly said behind me.

Quick as the wind, I turned towards the sound. “Who’s there?”

“When a tree grows, does it remember being a seed?” A dark man stepped from the shadows, his green robe dragging along the forest floor.

The Keeper of Illusions.

“I don’t have time for another test,” I quickly said, hoping he wasn’t going to conjure more imaginary people. “I’m in a hurry.”

“Ah, time… Such a fickle thing.”

“Yes, yes, riddle me this and that. Unless you can bring me to the Deep Mountains, I don’t have time to chat,” I said, not really expecting him to do anything about it. If he was happily trapping people in his illusions, he was probably not a great man.

The Keeper stroked his long beard, the green tendrils ristling as they moved. “Are you asking for a favour?”

“No, I wasn’t really… But you do that?”

He smiled mysteriously. “For a price.”

I sighed. “What price is that?”

I was quickly getting tired of everyone’s games.

The dark man followed the shadow of the tree to approach me. “Something you value.”

“That’s a little vague.” Why couldn’t things be straight forward? All these flowery riddles and cryptic messages… I missed the directness of Wind Children. No nonsense, just saying what we meant. That was the life.

The Keeper chuckled, disappearing from one spot and appearing on my other side. “I will take you wherever you need to go. In exchange, you owe me a favour I’ll collect at a later time.”

It sounded convenient, but why would he offer me such a thing? Did he grant everyone favours like that? Then why were there so many rumours and stories about him, and none very good ones.

“Why?” I asked, not able to keep the suspicion from corrupting my heart.

The Keeper walked a circle around me, the grass bending out of the way so it wouldn’t get harmed under his feet. “Why not?”

Ugh. I didn’t have time to mill around the topic and say the same thing five different ways. I missed the directness of my people. Straightforwardness got us somewhere.

I balled my hands into fists. “Why are you offering me this trade?”

“You intrigue me.” He held out his hand to reveal a small little flower. “What shall it be? A favour for a favour?”

“You still haven’t said what kind.”

“Does it matter?” He smiled, his white teeth flickering in the sun.

He made a good point. I was in his domain, with his blessing. If he didn’t want me to find the Deep Mountains, I wouldn’t. No mountains, no berries. No berries, no rescued friends.

I had no choice but to accept his offer, no matter how little I liked it.

With a fake smile, I turned towards the Keeper. “I’ll accept your favour, but only because I have no choice. I’ll accept to give you something valuable, within limits. But only if you keep your end of the bargain. I want to go to the Deep Mountains and be able to return.”

The Keeper smiled. “As you wish, Daughter of the Wind.”

With a wide grin, he stepped back into the shadows and vanished. The mark on my hip started to burn, tugging me forward into a random direction. I’d never have guessed that would be the right way.

At least, I hoped so. I had mixed feelings about the Keeper and his tricks. As long as he didn’t mess with my life, I had no reason to wish him ill.

I readjusted the blazer bag for Pickles and gave Hyde a little scratch on his head. Wherever I went, I had two loyal friends by my side. For now…