The Forest of Cigam (VII)

Incase you missed Part One, Two, Three, Four, Five or Six.

As the tavern cleared out, Bromina poured me one last ale.

“Rumour has it Jasen got you into a fair bit of misfortune,” she began with an air of unease.

“Who told you that?” I inquired with a glare into my mug before taking a long gulp.

“Oh, just a little bird,” she commented with a nod to something over my shoulder.

I followed her gaze to see Jasen. He wore a pout as he sat slumped over in the corner. His pale skin looked waxy, as though he were on the brink of death, or at least he would be after I was done with him.

“That son of a-“

“Listen, I can help ya.” She stated as she grabbed my arm, “But ya can’t beat the pulp out o’ him.” She explained with a look of warning.

“I’m listening.” I agreed through gritted teeth.

“I’m assumin’ ya have some kind of plan that involves losin’ the extra weight. All I want ta do is help ya make thin’s right.” She continues, “All I will ask ya for is yar cloak and ta lock up the tavern for me.”

“Done.” I agreed, then pulled my cloak off and handed it to her.

“What are you going to do?” I asked, out of curiosity.

“I won’t answer that. The less we know about the other’s plans the better off we are.” She replied with one last playful wink before she blew out the candles in the rest of the tavern, “Enjoy the drink.” She stated and tossed the keys beside my fresh ale.

I watched as she walked over to Jasen and they exchanged words I couldn’t quite make out.

She then flung my cloak over his shoulders and guided him out of the tavern. On their way out, she tossed me one last look as though to wish me good luck.

They disappeared, and I took my time to finish my ale, while I hoped that Bromina’s plan worked in distracting the guards.

I peeked out of the door and saw the empty moonlit streets of More Bay. I sighed in relief as I stepped into the chilly night air.

An anxious shiver ran up my spine as I locked up B’s tavern and hid her keys in our agreed-upon place, as usual.

Sticking to the shadows, I made my way to the back of the tavern.

For a single second, I forgot that the forest had been burned to a crisp. So the sight that met me made my breath catch in my throat. I froze as I was awash in shock while I took in the devastation. Not a blade of grass remained after the fire.

With anxiety, I searched my pockets for the last vial of Life Serum, hoping my plan would work.

The only trouble was that I needed to figure out which pile of ashes was the Tree of Life.

As the night grew darker, I did my best to retrace my steps from previous travels. To where I hoped its location would be, but didn’t have faith in myself to find it.

Just as I was about to give up, I heard a singular low hum and turned just in time to catch a small golden sparkle as it landed on a very large pile of ash. Something in my heart told me this was it. This was the ruin of the Tree of Life.

Tentatively, I walked up to it and knelt before the ashes. I hoped my gut was right in this instance. I uncorked the vial and poured the last of the Life Serum over the ashes, praying this would work.

The golden elixir mingled with the top layer and then melted out of sight.

I dug down into the ash to see where it had gone but was disappointed to find nothing, not even a drop left. That was my last hope of making things right and it failed me.

“What have I done?” I mumbled and cupped my face in my hands in shame.

Then I heard it, the low hum again. This time it was more than a whisper, and it stayed consistent.

I looked up to see a small sapling that had sprouted before me; it glowed and pulsated like the original Tree of Life. I smiled in relief as I watched it slowly continue to grow before my eyes. Other trees and bushes sprouted around us. I half expected wildlife to come trotting through the forest any minute, but my moment of joy was cut short.

A vine had made its way around my ankles and slowly crept up my body until I was in a full bind, without realizing the danger. Once it made it’s way up to my throat, it was too late. The vines pinned my arms to my body and I had no way of defending myself. They slowly cut off my air supply as I struggled for my life, to no avail. I was fighting a losing battle and my vision darkened as I began to lose consciousness, but not before a familiar form passed before me.

The guardian of the forest stood in the clearing, looking down upon me as she watched me die.

“If only you knew the true cost.” She muttered and a faint smile formed on the corner of her pale lips.

The End

 Author's Note:

Thank you so much to everyone for reading this series, I appreciate you taking the time to do so! Unfortunately this is the end, but please stay tuned for a prequel series that I am currently working on!

Prequel Series: