The Forest House

A Chapter by Kelly

Lya and Gyle are taken in by an enchantress living in the forest.

The forest was very dark and very cold.

It wasn't the same type of dark that I had woken in at birth. It was a darkness that hid things. The darkness of Gyle and mine's egg had promised things to us. It had promised light and sound, sight and smell. It offered more than what could be seen, but the darkness of the forest scared me.

I had done something very wrong. I could feel it like I had been tainted by it and the forest knew. Even with the darkness covering it, the forest knew and it frightened me.

I could not curl up next to a tree like my brother wanted me to, instead I was curled up on the ground. I was too afraid to touch the trees should they recoil from me. Like the living things of the earth could reject me. This fear tortured me.

Gyle tried to comfort me, he tried to reason out what had happened but he could not understand. He was not the one that had destroyed those people. I was the one, I was the one that had become the monster.

"Golden eye," they had called me. They had called me that name in fear and with hate. Children had fled from me. Now I knew why.

I was a Golden Eye now.

"Someone's coming," Gyle said, standing up and staring off in the distance. Someone's coming? I thought, How can they be coming?... They're all dead." When I could hear the cracking of sticks and snapping of leaves, I jolted up causing a deep pain in my back and shoulders. Gyle immediately came to my side, anxious about my wounds and nudging me to get up.

"Lya! Let's go," Gyle moaned at me and I struggled to get up but it was all too much. I was tired and weak, my shoulders hurt and my back hurt, and most of all my heart ached miserably from my own shame. So I fell back on the ground, my body laying vulnerable to anyone that may come. "Lya!" I cried and exclaimed with frustration, "I can't Gyle! Just go!"

Gyle roared with anger and his body once again grew in size. He stood in front of me, between me and a faint light that had begun to penetrate the darkness, "No!"

I was not afraid as the light came closer but I could feel Gyle's fear, his fear for me. He knew how feeble my body was compared to his but what could be done? I could not run and I could not do ... I could not do what I had done to those people before. No, never again would I do that.

Since I knew there was nothing I could do, my own vulnerability had purged me of fear. Why be afraid when you couldn't stop it? I laid quietly on the ground, my arms splayed out to cause only small amounts of pain to my shoulders and back.

I guess this is the end, I thought. I had lived for such a short time that it was hard to think I had really ever had a beginning. Only having Gyle as my brother made everything worthwhile, even if it was only a day in the world of air. I looked at Gyle, his shadowed starting to show a clear outline from the light and I hoped he would be alright. I hoped he would make it.

When the light seemed to shining in upon us like a star, a person pushed their way through the underbrush to us. Gyle growled and I covered my eyes from the light. "My, my, my; what do we have here?" said an aged voice. I peeked up from between my arms, catching a glimpse of wispy grey hair. Gyle growled louder when she tried to approach and she put down her lamp. "Now, look here young drake I'm here to help. No need for your cheek." Gyle was shocked and stopped growling, tentatively stepping aside for the woman to come to me.

She was not terribly old but age was settled in the corners of her eyes and around her mouth from frowning to much. She was dressed in layers of grey-green clothing and her hair was wild, pointing out every which way. Her hands were gentle on my wounds and she muttered to herself words I could not hear. After looking at my wounds, she turned my face up and looked at me. Her eyes were very focused now and she intently looked at me with her nose a few inches from mine.

"I thought so," she said after a few moments, "You're a pure line of Golden Eye." I jolt of fear went through me and I instantly pulled away, causing my back to throb in pain. "Purest line of Golden Eye I've ever seen," she added, watching me move even farther away from her. She looked around our clearing, seeing the evidence of my shame. The scorch marks that had been burnt into the earth and would never leave.

She frowned, rubbing her chin, "It's as I have feared. I wish I had found you sooner but you hatched so quietly compared to the others."

"Others?" Gyle asked with some curiosity but I did not relay his words to the woman. She stood up with a grunt and said, "You two better come with me, by morning the town will send out more men to search for you. They might even spark the interest of the wizards and you don't want to be found by them."

"Why should we go with you?" I relayed Gyle's words to her this time and she chuckled. "Do you have anywhere else to go? Perhaps you know of some hovel you can hide in? Hmm?" Gyle was not happy but he conceded defeat. The woman helped me onto Gyle's back and we began back the way the woman had come.

Gyle had so many questions he wished to ask. His voice felt like it was trying to burn a pathway to my mouth to speak but I was weak and tired and could hardly think straight much less talk. The witch had made a clear path through the forest to us and as we traveled back along the path I happened to see the undergrowth and branches fill themselves back over the path after our passing.

"She has magic in her," Gyle said, "It's not like ours but it's still magic." The people in the village had not have magic and had tried to kill us, could we trust this woman that did have magic?

"Ah, here we are," she said pointing to somewhere in the dark, "the Ole Hovel."

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