Eleven

I stood there in complete silence. The snapping of the twig made me ready for a fight. I was tense, but not rigid. It was never a good thing to let your body go stiff, it made you too slow to react. Learning how to take a hit and no longer worry taught me that.

Snock’s eyes darted everywhere. She was obviously nervous.

Nothing happened for a while, and I was beginning to wander if we had overreacted. Twigs snapped all the time in the forest. It was a perfectly normal thing to happen.

But, I was a human in Fantasy Park, all sorts of things could happen. And lucky for me, I was always on the ready.

A large creature covered in black fur leapt out of the undergrowth at me. I spun on my back foot and let the creature pass me. I took a hit at its head. Something I didn’t even have to think about doing.

The creature took a few steps and circled back around and looked at me. It was a panther. Something that used to be a rare sight, was now commonplace thanks to Fantasy Park being here.

A commanding voice called out in a language I didn’t understand. It had an airy quality about it.

“I mean no harm.” The voice spoke in a heavy accent now but was easily understood. A body stepped out of the forest. He wore a green, sleeveless tunic and brown leather pants. He had leather gloves that rose up to his elbows. His hair was a blend of blonde and green and he had the pointed ears of an elf.

“What about the cat?” I asked.

“Just out for a bit of exercise. Sorry about that.” The elf approached me with their hand outstretched. “Name’s Jayrell. It’s not often you see a human this close to the Elven Enclave. Who are you and what is your business?” He came across as friendly, but I knew he was wary.

“Vince Clay. Your sister hired me to investigate the murder of her fiancée, Heston Barclay. Sorry about hitting your cat, instinct.”

“Oh, so you’re the detective she told me about. Yeah, you do look a little rough around the edges. Don’t worry about her, she was only playing. If she was being serious, you would’ve been on the ground before you realised what was happening.” I could feel his judging eyes on me. I realised I hadn’t shaved for a few days and my hair was a mess. Hardly a professional image.

“And who’s that behind you?” Jayrell looked to Snock.

“I am Snock. A journalist here. I was just interviewing Mister Clay here before your lovely panther came along and interrupted it.” There was a fearful shudder to her voice. I’d noticed she’d taken a few steps back from the panther.

“I’ve heard of you. Mister Clay here is welcome in my home, but you aren’t. Be gone, little vulture.” Jayrell glared at Snock. She readied herself for a reply but ran off when the panther gave a low growl.

“Thanks for that, she was getting really annoying.” I said.

“Not a problem. Come, this way. We aren’t far from my home.” Jayrell turned and walked deeper into the forest, and I locked into step alongside him. The panther followed only a few steps behind.

It was a silent twenty-minute walk to the area where the elves lived, but it wasn’t boring.

I’d never seen such magnificent trees. They were huge. Twisting and winding around each other. They were ancient, living things, each one seemed to have its own personality. I caught sight of a colossal snake moving among the trees. It was brightly coloured with flecks of pinks and blues. I pointed it out to Jayrell. He explained it was a holy creature to the elves. It made the animals back home look ordinary.

When we approached the Elven Enclave, it wasn’t easy to miss. Between two of those massive trees, was a sheer wall made of interlocking vines. Two guards stood atop the wall with bows nocked. They watched us as we approached.

Jayrell paused a moment and shouted to them in elvish. One responded with a judgemental annoyance whereas the other seemed blasé about my presence. I wasn’t intimidated about any of it, I’d had plenty of weapons pointed at me.

With some more arguing, the vines retracted, leaving an arch shape to let us through. Once we walked through, I looked over my shoulder and watched as the vines grew back across, barring my exit.

The sight inside astounded me; it was like nothing I had ever seen. Trees of all shapes and sizes were almost jammed in next to each other. Elves walked in and out of these trees. Large, broad branches spanned gaps and doorways like they were bridges. Some entrances didn’t have branches but had rope bridges connecting them to the main pathways.

In the middle was the largest tree I had ever seen. The tree was a mix of brown and large patches of white. The trunk had a jagged split at the front on the ground that looked like a doorway. A pristine looking pool of water stretched across the grounds to only a few feet short of where we were.

Animals of all sorts swung along the branches. Some elves followed after them, as though they were racing. Elves of all shapes and ages walked about. Talking and trading. However, there was nobody in the pool.

I was certain I saw a tree close to two storeys tall walk near the edge of the enclave.

“That’s our Mother Tree. She was slowly dying before we came to your world. But since being here, her death has accelerated. We don’t know how to fix it, nor do we know what to do with ourselves if she does die.”

“Mother Tree?” I asked.

“She bears life to us all. We grow among the leaves, like fruit. If she dies, our species could very well die out.” Jayrell’s voice had dropped to a grave whisper.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be, there’s nothing you can do. Now come, this way to my home. Faelana is waiting for you.”