The Lost Forest

The story so far-1

THE STORY SO FAR

BOOK TWO

In the face of Stormaway’s avowal, Tarkyn declares he has no wish to be king; to drag Eskuzor into civil war. Stormaway tells him that there are already rumours of civil war brewing between his brothers and that the encampment is a recruiting station for vigilantes wishing to fight the lawlessness created by King Kosar’s incompetent rule, funded by Lord Davorad, one of Jarand’s cronies.

To the woodfolk’s relief, only a few sorcerers have seen the captured woodfolk but one of them is Stormaway’s erstwhile apprentice, Journeyman Cloudmaker, now Prince Jarand’s wizard. Woodfolk want Tarkyn to protect them against whoever is hunting them; Danton and Stormaway want him to protect sorcerers against his brothers. Tarkyn decides to prioritise finding Falling Rain and protecting the woodfolk before addressing the wider issues of the sorcerers.

Using his powers as forest guardian, Tarkyn tries to heal the rescued woodfolk’s mindtalking ability, an effort that goes disastrously wrong; destroying a swathe of forest and nearly killing him before he uses rage-driven power to burn out the infection. Tarkyn repels a squadron of soldiers by sending mental images of attack to their horses and subjugating the leader of the wolf pack that runs with them. But his use of power threatens to distance him from his woodfolk companions and Waterstone accuses him of breaking the wolf’s spirit.

Tarkyn wakes despondent about the damage to the forest and at the reactions of the woodfolk to his magic. However, the woodfolk recognise the extreme efforts he made to save the forest and celebrate with him. He discovers Tree Wind’s ongoing antagonism stemmed from the fact that she had intended to wed Falling Rain who was exiled as a result of King Markazon discovering the existence of woodfolk. Waterstone takes issue with Danton over the fact that Danton used to report Tarkyn’s actions to the king, angering him so much that Danton hits him. Sorcerer protocol demands that Tarkyn preside over a trial for Danton attacking Waterstone, now a member of the royal family. Waterstone is horrified. Tarkyn discovers he is sovereign lord of the forests, according to Stormaway, and as such, is able to commute the usual death penalty for such a crime to a lesser punishment.

As the woodfolk prepare to cross the Great West Road, a family travelling along the road are attacked by brigands. Tarkyn uses his magic to burn the arrows and place a shield around the family to protect them. The family are fearful of him at first, since he has been branded a rogue sorcerer by his brother. At Tarkyn’s request, they tie up the brigands and continue on their way as soldiers crest the rise and Tarkyn disappears back into the forest. The soldiers recognise the brigands as fellow soldiers. Stormaway breaks cover and acts as witness that Tarkyn protected the family. He then challenges the King’s version of events at the tournament asking how Tarkyn could have won a tournament he was supposed to have destroyed.

Tarkyn realises that Falling Branch is the only one among them who is unknowingly affected by the spread of the sorcerous oath. He sees him privately to tell him, endures his reaction and discovers he is Rainstorm’s father. Falling Branch goes off to talk to his woodfolk friends while sending Tarkyn off to talk to Danton. Tarkyn clarifies his expectations of Danton, as a sorcerer living among woodfolk.

When Tarkyn explains the spread of the oath and the concept of mutual obligations to the rest of his home guard, they offer to support him when they encounter the mountainfolk.

They travel across the open grasslands by night, with Tarkyn using his mind link to quieten the guard dogs. When two riders thunder through the night to arrive in haste at a homestead, Danton investigates and sees two young sorcerers lying mortally wounded, surrounded parents and farm hands. Against opposition from the woodfolk, he enlists Tarkyn’s assistance. Tarkyn and he enter the sorcerers’ house and Tarkyn heals the children amidst a mix of suspicion, because he has been declared a rogue sorcerer, and obeisance, because he is a prince. Lord Tolward tells Tarkyn that lawlessness is rife, that bloodhounds are now being recruited at the encampment and there is talk of a secret army. Tarkyn promises to return to them in the spring and leaves, feeling even more torn between woodfolk and sorcerers.

The mountainfolk appear friendly but drug Tarkyn’s companions before tying Tarkyn’s hands behind him. In order to check whether the mountainfolk are subject to the sorcerous oath, two thugs hit Takyn but continue to belt him when their blows do not cause damage to the forest, despite Dry Berry’s efforts to stop them. Tarkyn sends out a mental scream for help to which firstly a mountain eagle, then other birds of prey respond by fighting off the thugs and keeping the mountainfolk at bay until his home guard recovers. He then orders Danton to kill the two assailants. Remorseful, the mountainfolk offer to take the oath, but Tarkyn says he does not want them as liegefolk and would not to entrust the forest’s welfare to their honour. With help from Autumn Leaves and Rainstorm, Tarkyn bathes in an icy stream to clean his bloodied hair and talks to the woodfolk about his decision to execute the thugs.

Danton, Summer Rain and Rainstorm are then taken hostage by the mountainfolk and Tarkyn must use shields and eagles to protect his home guard and coerce the mountainfolk into returning his friends. Eventually, a compromise is reached and the mountain folk swear allegiance to Tarkyn without any sorcerous sting to the oath. However, Tarkyn still does not trust them and is unable to sleep. He gets up in the middle of the night only to find Waterstone and Autumn Leaves keeping watch over him. In the morning Rainstorm tries to teach Danton how to be less lethal with his magic and Thunder Storm demonstrates his mastery with a slingshot by making line of different sized rocks gently sway. Eventually Waterstone helps Tarkyn deal with the intrusive images of the attack so that he can concentrate on healing himself.

Tarkyn joins the target practice and makes the rocks sway by hitting the stump underneath them. The mountainfolk take Tarkyn and a few friends for a tour of their cellars. In the caves, they find a little neglected boy who is despised by the mountainfolk. The Mountainman, Blizzard, holds the boy down by putting his foot on his chest and does not release him at Tarkyn’s request. Tarkyn bellows at Blizzard who explains that he thought he was supposed to protect the prince. Tarkyn takes the tatty little boy, Midnight, under his wing and Midnight swears allegiance to him. Midnight is deaf and mute but can exchange images and emotions only with Tarkyn. Midnight is mistrustful of people, continually tests Tarkyn’s commitment and is ready to run at the slightest provocation.

Word comes through that bloodhounds are tracking Tarkyn from the encampment and his tracks will lead them to Lord Tolward’s house and then to the mountainfolk camp. After various suggestions and tensions, Tarkyn agrees to contact the lead wolf, only if Waterstone is linked in to check that he doesn’t damage the wolf’s spirit.

The woodfolk cover their tracks, travel south and spend the night high in trees. Tarkyn has trouble sleeping until Waterstone ties him to the trunk. Midnight realises he has left a bracelet he made for Tarkyn in the clearing and rushes back to find it, with the hunting party less than an hour away. Tarkyn and Danton translocate to the clearing, find Midnight and ensconce him high in a tree before outfacing the hunting party using Tarkyn’s ability to fire through his own shield as he clings to Danton’s back in mid-air. Journeyman Cloudmaker, the hunting party’s leader, realizes that Tarkyn is not a rogue sorcerer and says “This changes everything,” but does not explain why. Midnight is so upset that he refuses to come out of the tree. So Tarkyn levitates to grab Midnight from behind and carries him safely to the ground.

Tarkyn, Danton and a few woodfolk find shelter from a storm in a shallow cave. They decide to operate on Autumn Leaves’ injured nose but when Thunder Storm uses his slingshot to knock him out, Midnight attacks him, thinking he is trying to hurt Autumn Leaves. When Midnight realises his mistake, he cowers into the corner clearly waiting to be beaten. Thunder Storm reassures him while Summer Rain and Tarkyn continue the operation on Autumn Leaves’ nose. They debate whether there might be some sort of evil loose among the mountainfolk for someone to have mistreated Midnight so badly.

The woodfolk flick into hiding, instructing Tarkyn and Danto to raise their shields as two scruffy old trappers enter the cave. String and Bean are laconic, clever and love guessing games. Because Tarkyn uses the word ‘firesite’ and is dressed in woodfolk garb, they know that Tarkyn knows about woodfolk. So they eventually admit that they do too. Three woodfolk return to speak to them. When Midnight returns with some others, he does a double take and greets the trappers effusively. Bean tells them that Midnight’s mother Hail was caught in a landslide eight years ago and Pipeless, a wizard, rescued her. He felt in love with her but, frustrated by her not returning his affection, raped her. When String and Bean rescued her, she threw a knife at Pipeless, fatally wounding him. As the wizard died, he muttered an incantation that Bean carefully remembered. Hail always hated Midnight and was frustrated because he couldn’t hear. Since she wouldn’t allow String and Bean to adopt him, they talked her into giving Midnight to the mountainfolk but they too neglected him. String and Bean were the only people he ever saw who were kind to him.

After a mental debate with all other woodfolk, a faction wants to kill Midnight saying he is an abomination. Tarkyn says they are under oath and must protect Midnight. The woodfolk then agree to allow the trappers to live, as long as they reside with them for six months as surety.

Stormaway returns and explains that his care for Tarkyn comes before his care for Eskuzor. Meanwhile Waterstone and Danton lead a group of woodfolk in tracking down two members of the hunting party who are sneaking through the woods looking for Tarkyn. When they are captured, Tarkyn is not pleased that he was not informed of the threat earlier. He sends Journeyman’s sorcerers on their two day journey back to the encampment on foot, with their hands tied behind them, but exacts no other punishment.

Midnight is missing. Stormaway says that Pipeless’ last words are a curse: Midnight will breed resentment in his mother’s people and this resentment will slowly corrupt them all. He leaves to consult his books, admonishing them not to interfere without his direction. Tarkyn is worried that Midnight’s death may be needed to release the curse. A mental cry for help is received from Blizzard. When they arrive, they find an unconscious Midnight tied to a sapling with half the mountainfolk trying to attack him and the other half trying to prevent them from attacking. Hail arrives then verbally and mentally abuses the crowd. A brawl breaks out but Tarkyn merely stands watching them with arms crossed. Gradually they settle, stand straighter and look towards Tarkyn who has been sending waves of faith in their integrity. Tarkyn immobilises Hail who blocks his way with knives. He uses his power to heal Midnight, who vomits all over him as he regains consciousness. Stormaway says if Tarkyn had rescued Midnight, it would have further undermined the mountainfolk’s belief in their integrity but now they are temporarily better able to fight the curse. He adds that if Midnight had died, the curse would have been irreversible and eventually all woodfolk would become corrupted by the curse. The curse can only be lifted in the place it was created by the curser or his direct descendant, Midnight.