The Afterlife Academy Saga

Chapter 3

3

Out of a whirlwind of leaves, a thin figure appeared in front of me, cloaked in long green robes that ended in roots sprouting into the ground. His dark skin that resembled the bark of a tree was highlighted by his long white beard. Green tendrils curled up around his neck and were woven through his hair. He didn’t look intimidating, and yet, there was an undeniable power surrounding him.

With his hands behind his back, he studied me intently, as if he was examining my very soul and was trying to decide my fate.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and pushed through the haze of worry surrounding me. It wouldn’t do me any good to be paralysed by fear.

“Are you the Keeper?” I dared ask, never taking my eyes off of him.

The man’s expression never changed. “Are you a daughter of the Wind?”

“What?”

A gust of wind blew up some dust and I held up my hand to guard my eyes. My vision was only obstructed for a mere second, but when I opened them, the Keeper was gone.

“We are what we are.”

I turned to follow the sound of his voice and found him standing behind me, the roots of his robes dug deep into the ground.

How was this possible? He’d been standing in front of me just a second ago.

“How? You were just standing there—” I stared at the dark man, the cogs of my mind whirring at a million miles an hour, trying to figure out what was happening.

The Keeper stroked his beard. “But where is there? What is here?”

“What? Are you messing with me?”

A strange twinkle passed through his eyes. “Maybe I am.”

Ugh. Too many riddles and questions. I didn’t have time for this.

“I just want to get out of the forest. Var said you could help show me the way?”

Before I got my answer, a strange snap echoed through the forest and my attention diverted for just a second.

When I returned to the conversation, the space where the Keeper had just been standing was empty again. The ground undisturbed, no leaf harmed, it was as if he’d never been there.

“Riddle me this, young Wind Child.” His voice drew my eyes up to where he was perched on a low-hanging tree branch. “Why should I help you?”

“Because…” I paused, the answer alluding me. He was right, why did he owe me his help? What did I have to offer him in exchange? “Umm…”

As I looked up again, the tree was empty once more.

“Ugh,” I groaned, already annoyed with his weird disappearing act. Maybe some people found it impressive, but it was just irritating me. Couldn’t he just stay in one place?

“Riddle me this, young Wind Child. What’s the meaning of life?”

I found the man standing near a fallen tree and shot him a glare. “I don’t know. Why’re you asking me that?”

“What’s the meaning of death?” he continued, not answering any of my questions.

“Really? Is that your test? Philosophical questions?”

I probably shouldn’t be snarky towards this ancient Keeper-whatever, but he was quickly getting on my nerves and I just wanted him to get to the point.

The Keeper scratched his chin. “We’re just waiting.”

“Waiting? For what?”

“For Dagwood.”

I frowned. “Dag what?”

A branch cracked and a young man appeared behind the Keeper.

“Dagwood is a person?” I stared at the guy, surprised by the kindness in his eyes. They were a deep brown, laced with an enthusiasm I’d seen before. They reminded me of Aellyn.

I studied the two men, their skin dark as night and their eyes bright as stars.

Duh, of course, they reminded me of my friend. They were Wood Elves.

How had I not realised that sooner?

Wow. Oblivious much.

“So, is he going to guide me out of the forest?” I asked, gesturing at Dagwood. I shouldn’t just be trotting through the woods with strangers, but he seemed friendly enough.

The Keeper stroked his beard thoughtfully. “No, he’s lost too. You’ll take your test together.”

“Right…” I stared at Dagwood, unnerved by his chipper attitude. He didn’t seem very distressed for someone that was supposed to be lost. But if I had to put up with him to get out of the forest, then that was exactly what I would do.

I turned back to the old man and smiled politely. “So, what do we have to do exactly?”

The Keeper held out a small bottle. “I’m thirsty.”

I blinked slowly. “You’re thirsty?”

“Fill my flask with water from the Pond of Illusions and I’ll reveal the secret of the forest.”

“And that secret will allow me to leave the forest and go home?”

The Keeper nodded as he handed the flask to my companion. “Make haste, children. You have until sundown tomorrow.”

“Great.” I waved at Dagwood. “Let’s get going then!”

Stuck in a silence, the man nodded.

“Oh, wait. I don’t know where the pond is. Keeper?” I turned to the old man, but he was gone. “Great. I guess we’ll have to figure it out by ourselves then.”

Dagwood nodded again, his dark eyes flecked with a strange, bluish hue.

I stared at him. “So, are you not going to talk?”

“Talk wastes time,” he answered, his voice surprisingly deep. He had a thick accent, one I couldn’t place. He certainly didn’t sound like Aellyn.

“Alrighty then...” I muttered under my breath, turning away from him and walking into a random direction. I didn’t know which way to go, so any direction was good.

Dagwood quickened his pace to match mine. “You walk slow.”

I blinked in surprise. “Excuse me?”

“We make haste.”

Without waiting for a response, Dagwood started jogging. His muscles flexed under his dark skin like thick ropes or cables. He was ripped and certainly not someone to mess with. If only he wasn’t so unfriendly, I’d feel much more at ease around him.

In different circumstances, I wouldn’t want to keep up with him. But being left behind meant being on my own in the forest, and that was even less desirable than his company.

“Hey, wait up!” I raced after him, trying to keep up with his speed.

The young man had long legs that were clearly made for running. And I was out of shape. All the sitting and eating in the Academy hadn’t done me any good.

He chased through the trees, effortlessly jumping over bulging roots and dodging branches. It almost seemed like the forest bowed out of the way for him and he flew through the greenery with the elegance of a bird. Or maybe more like a gazelle.

“Can you… Slow… Down!” I called, trying to hide how much I was panting. The forest wasn’t very kind to me either. I caught almost every bump or root and got slapped in the face by more leaves than I could count.

I could taste them though.

“Keep up or get left behind,” he shouted, not slowing down one bit. On the contrary, there seemed to be a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Alright then,” I growled sarcastically. If only I had wings, I wouldn’t keep tripping over every root or uneven footing. “How do you even know this is the right way?”

“I sense it.”

“How?”

Dagwood shot me a look. “I just do.”

Great explanation… Must be a Wood Elf thing. They certainly were strange creatures and this felt like something Aellyn would say.

Compared to the grumpy man, her presence would be preferable. But if I could really choose, I’d much rather pick Flavia or Oda as a companion. Or maybe Ryoko, if we weren’t fighting.

Thoughts of the Academy helped soothe the building burn in my lungs and the sting in my chest. The prospect of being back between the safety of the walls was enough of a drive to keep going. Even if that meant running the legs from under my body so I could keep up with Dagwood.

After countless trees and mouthfuls of bugs, he finally paused. Not a moment too soon, if anyone asked me.

“We rest now,” he said, his deep voice rumbling through the trees.

“Here? Why here?”

The forest didn’t look any different than the endless other parts we’d run through. There was a bit of grass, some dense bushes, dirt on the ground, and trees for days.

“Flat ground and thick roof. No rain.” Dagwood shot me a confused look, clearly unsure how I missed that.

Well, we couldn’t all be bushrangers.

If he was so good at navigating through a forest, then why was he even lost, huh?

He stomped his feet into the ground, flattening the dirt. “We stay here for the night now.”

“We are?” The question escaped my lips before I could stop it.

I didn’t want to make camp. I wanted to find the pond, fill up that damn flask, and get the hell out of the forest. And as quick as possible too.

“We are.”

“Why? I’m perfectly happy to keep going and find the pond. I’ve got great night vision.”

Without looking at me, his deep voice echoed through the trees. “We make camp.”

Anger flared up within me. How dared he? Who did he think he was ordering me around? This was as much my test as his.

If I used this tone against Mamma, she’d have put her hands on her hips and shot me with lightning in her eyes. I feared that look my entire childhood.

I wasn’t going to be like her and let my annoyance get the better of me. “Would you care to elaborate on that?”

“Forest of Illusions is dangerous. We only travel during day.”

“What’s so dangerous about it?” I gestured around me. “It’s just trees and bushes.”

“You do not know about Forest. You are not a Wood Elf.”

I rolled my eyes. “Gosh, you’re observant. You’re right, I’m not an Elf. I’m a Wind Child and we don’t cower from danger.”

He chuckled darkly, his laugh deep and strangely ominous. “If you walk in night, Forest will change even more than during day.”

“Change? What does that mean?”

“It is all illusion. We make camp.”

Not wanting to trot through the forest on my own, I agreed begrudgingly. After all, the Keeper had tasked us with this test together and I was tired of the strenuous running.

Maybe a break wouldn’t be the worst thing. As long as Dagwood didn’t kill me during the night.