The Nextworld Invasion and the Death of Magic - 4. Chapter 4 - Into the Wilds

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to preparing more food for the trio’s upcoming trek, and as the evening set in, they sat down to eat a little of the leftover hare from their breakfast. They had eaten the entire dove earlier.

The next morning, the three began the first leg of their journey. The day was sunny, but the trees of the forest kept the travelers cool. They made their way slowly with Othri’s wound dictating their pace, and when they stopped at midday, he was exhausted. Tigath and Nuji were each carrying one of the heavy packs, and the travelers decided to take a long break at lunchtime.

“Should we just stay here for the rest of the day and camp out tonight in this spot?” Tigath asked.

“We haven’t made it very far,” Othri protested, even though he was feeling weak.

“And there are still many hours until sundown,” Nuji added. “We can rest a while longer, but let’s keep going until dark.”

Many hours later, when the sun began to set, Nuji stopped and turned to Tigath and Othri. “Stay here. I’ll go on ahead and cast the spells we need for our camp. Wait several minutes, and then follow me. It won’t take me long to set everything up, but I don’t want you two anywhere near me.”

Tigath took Othri’s hand and replied, “Okay, Nuji, we’ll join you shortly.” She headed off and Tigath turned to Othri. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m spent,” Othri said weakly.

“We’re almost done for the day. Take a sip of the whisperoot tea. Do you really feel like it’s helping?”

“I do,” Othri replied, taking a large swig from the flask. He groaned and said, “Help me sit down on the ground.”

They waited for about ten minutes before Tigath recommended they head off to see what Nuji had done. He helped Othri rise, and they began to hobble onward. Nuji was walking toward them.

“Good timing!” she called out. “I was just coming to get you.”

“Is that a fire I see?” Tigath asked.

“Indeed it is,” Nuji replied, “and I’ve constructed a temporary dwelling for the night. Come have some dinner.”

The mere mention of the word made Tigath and Othri salivate. A minute later, they were at the campsite. The two Urcai men were again astounded by what they saw.

“You made all this?!” Tigath blurted out.

“With magic,” Nuji declared.

A three-sided structure of plants was growing right out of the ground. What would have been its interior flooring was a thick blanket of soft, living leaves.

“We can sleep together in there tonight,” she added.

Beside the shelter, a small patch of earth was cleared of all the plants that had been growing in it, and soil-covered stones that appeared to have been forced to the surface from deep underground now formed a circle around a merrily burning fire.

“Stuffed radda roots are heating up,” Nuji informed the men. “They’re good.”

“Nuji,” Tigath exclaimed, “this is… it’s… I just… I’m apparently at a loss for words!”

“A rarity,” Othri sassed. The whisperoot tea had given him a little lift.

Tigath gasped at him in feigned shock, but he turned to Nuji and added, “I can’t even begin to tell you how breathtaking all of this is. Your magic is…” Tigath paused. “I truly can’t put it into words.”

Nuji was taken aback by the sense of wonder that the two men were feeling, and she felt a blush work up her sandalwood cheeks. “It wasn’t much,” she replied sheepishly. “I’m used to using spells like this, so it was, you know, no problem.”

“Thank you for coming with us,” Othri said, taking Nuji’s long-fingered hand. “What you can do with magic is nothing like anything either of us has ever seen before.” He nodded at Tigath.

“Yes, thank you, Nuji,” Tigath agreed.

Nuji was a little embarrassed by the attention and the compliments, and she did her best to change subjects. “Should we check on our food?” It was ready, and Nuji served them.

After the meal, they climbed into the enclosure she had magicked to life, and the three slept peacefully.

For five grueling days, they trudged through the forest, and each night, Nuji created a new protective structure made of living plants. She treated and redressed Othri’s wound, which was healing better than she expected, and on that fifth evening, the group came upon the first signs of other people. They saw the flickering of lights through the trees, and they could hear a murmur that was not part of the natural sounds of the forest. The travelers stopped before they reached the small habitation, and Nuji pulled out the map.

“Where are we?” she asked. “We’ve got to be around here somewhere.” She circled an area of the illustrated forest with her fingertip. There were no cities listed on the map in that region.

“Maybe it’s just too small,” Tigath added.

“Should we check it out?” Othri asked. He was feeling hopeful that they would find an inn, and the idea of a good night’s sleep in a bed was very enticing. “Maybe there’s a pub.”

Tigath nodded. “I want to check it out too. If there’s a store, we’ll be able to restock some of our supplies.”

Nuji was not thrilled about the unplanned stop, but she conceded.

The little group approached the edge of the town and found a sign with the word Edgedale etched into the wood. There was a smaller notice that read Rothians Not Welcome.

“Why on Earth do you suppose Rothians aren’t welcome here?” Tigath exclaimed in frustration.

Nuji did not need to be convinced, and she backed into the trees. “I’m not going in there, and I don’t think you two should either.”

Tigath and Othri looked from Nuji back to the sign and the village beyond. Both men wanted to see what Edgedale had to offer, but neither of them had ever heard of anywhere in which one of the three races was not welcome, and they were very curious about the place.

“Let’s head in,” Tigath said to Othri, and he agreed.

“Yeah, I’d like to see what we can find.”

Nuji’s wide mouth was in a severe frown when they looked back at her. “It’s a bad idea. Othri, maybe you should stay here with me. You can rest, while Tigath surveys what’s in Edgedale, but I still think we should go around it and never look back.” She crossed her long arms in front of her chest and shook her head. When Othri hesitated in replying, Nuji added, “Fine, do what you like, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She took another step backward and disappeared into the trees.

“How will we find you?” Tigath shouted after her.

They heard Nuji call back, “I’ll find you!” but they could no longer see her.

Tigath and Othri faced the town and entered. They passed a few rickety houses, and although they could hear what sounded like voices, they found no one in the weedy and overgrown streets. The clinking of cutlery on flatware accented the muffled conversations coming from what sounded like many people eating dinner together, and the noise guided them through the town. They walked by an old barn that sat slowly moldering into the earth, and they were surprised to see a well that was cordoned off with a sign that read Unsafe for Drinking. Tigath and Othri rounded a bend in the street, and they found themselves at the front entrance of an open longhouse. The building was decrepit, with a large hole in the roof and its doors barely clinging to the frame by their hinges.

However, what was inside drew the men’s attention. Two large tables were laden with several pots of food that smelled delicious to the weary travelers, but Tigath and Othri were surprised to see only green-skinned people who looked like them. There were no Rothians, and there were also no Noktar; there were only Urcai.

Life in Vuliburge before the invasion had included people from the three races, and neither Tigath nor Othri could think of a single moment in their pasts when there had been only Urcai present. The schools they had both gone to were multiracial. The spiritualities practiced in the city tailored to all the free peoples. The Noktar, the Rothians, and the Urcai also intermarried, even though the three races could not produce offspring with one another. Peoples from each were essential to the health of the city of Vuliburge and the forest that had supported it before the destruction.

Inside the longhouse, the conversations quickly died as the eaters realized they had visitors. Everyone looked very pleased to see the two new arrivals. An older man rose from the table and wiped his mouth with a napkin. Not only was his skin green, but his eyes and hair were also shades of green. He smiled wide at Tigath and Othri.

“Welcome, brothers, welcome to Edgedale. Welcome to a town free of the corruption by non-Urcai. Welcome home.”