Chapter Twelve: The Unexpected

The pool was the size of a small lake or perhaps a large pond. The turquoise waters seemed to glow in the fading light. Surrounding the pool was a concave wall the stretched up into the heavens.

Melting snow trickled from the rocks into the clear blue water. Little ripples ran across the water, creating strange figures. Orla could have stared at it for hours.

"Kacien," Wren said, bringing Orla out of her thoughts. "Is this the summit?"

"It's as far as we need to go," Kacien explained.

"Where's Ombu?" Orla asked, turning to face Kacien.

For the first time in a long time, Kacien looked lost. He stared at the water in shock and awe as if suddenly realizing something.

"Kacien?" Wren asked again. She stepped closer to Kacien. Her dark eyes darting between the Elemental and Orla.

"So, it's true," Kacien said at last. "The time of Mortals is upon us."

Orla wasn't sure what that meant. She looked at Wren, who looked equally as confused.

"What does that mean?"

Kacien continued to ignore Orla and Wren. He knelt down beside the water and gazed into it.

"Where's Ombu?" Wren asked.

"She's gone, like the others," Kacien said. "She's joined our kin in the Great Silence."

"She died?" Orla stepped closer to Kacien. She felt tears beginning to form in her eyes. They had come all this way, seemingly for nothing.

"In a matter of speaking," Kacien said. His eyes still gazed into the blue water.

Orla felt her heart sink and the tears begin to trickle out of her eyes. She sat down beside Kacien. Her cheeks were soon covered in tears.

"If she's...gone, what are we supposed to do?" Wren said suddenly. "I can't stay like this forever."

Orla ignored Wren's comment. She looked over at Kacien. "Is Inkwell going to die?"

When Kacien's eyes finally met with her own, she saw tears beginning to form. "I'm so sorry, Orla," he said. "If I had the choice. I would have stayed here forever with you."

"What do you mean?" More tears began to flow from her eyes.

"For centuries, the Elementals like me have been leaving this world. Despite being practically immortal, we all have a limit."

"So, this is it? We failed?" Wren began to pace back and forth. "You said that Ombu could-"

"I also said that I hadn't seen Ombu in quite some time," Kacien said calmly. "There was never any guarantee that Ombu would help us."

Wren did not seem to be calmed by Kacien's words. She continued to pace in circles.

Orla wrapped her arms around herself. Her cheeks were wet with tears. In all the books she had read growing up, the heroes always won in the end. They never failed, not like this.

"Now what?" Wren asked, after several minutes of silence.

"I suppose we should go back," Kacien said.

Orla continued to peer down into the water. They had failed. It was all she could think about. Inkwell was going to die and so would Kacien.

Descending the mountain was far easier than it had been to climb up. Orla followed Kacien and Wren brought up the rear. It was silent as they journeyed along.

Together, the group traveled down from the mountains, across the alpine forests, past the little village of Kine'e, and eventually into the outskirts of Inkwell Forest.

Along the way they spoke very few words to each other. Occasionally, Orla would ask more about Ombu and why she was gone. To which, Kacien said very little.

"When it is time for an Elemental to leave, it is time. There is nothing more to it than that," he had said.

It was not the kind of answer Orla was looking for.

Out of all of them, Wren had the least to say. She walked along with her lips sealed. She seemed to have something on her mind but never shared it with the others.

At last, they had reached the outskirts of Inkwell. It was dark, so Kacien had decided it was best to stop for the night. In silence, Orla made a fire while Kacien and Wren gathered more wood.

They gathered beside the fire. At last, it was Wren who spoke up.

"I need to you all something," she said.

Orla and Kacien looked over at the wolf from across the fire.

"I lied."

"About what?" Orla asked.

"About why I've been transformed."

"It wasn't a Sprite?"

"It was a Sprite," Wren let out a shaky breath. "But that night I came into Inkwell Forest, I had...bad thoughts on my mind. I came there with the intention to kill. I told myself that I was doing it to save you, Orla. But that's not entirely true."

"Kill? Kill who?" Orla was confused.

Wren's dark wolf-eyes looked over at Kacien. Flames danced on the Elemental's face. "I wanted to kill him."

Orla felt her heart begin to sink. A combination of anger and sorrow overtook her. To her surprise, Kacien showed no emotion at Wren's declaration.

"Why?" Orla asked.

"Because I'm a Hunter. I was born and raised to hunt creatures like Kacien," she looked at Kacien, clearly waiting for a response.

Stoic as ever, Kacien stood up from his seat beside the fire. "You betrayed Orla's trust," he said quietly.

Wren stood her tail beginning to curl between her legs. "I'm sorry…" was all she could get out.

Orla stood beside Kacien. Anger flared in her chest. "You tried to kill him! You set our house on fire," the full understanding of what Wren had said was finally hitting her. "You burned down the heart of the forest and now you're the reason he has no magic."

Hot tears ran down Orla's face as she shouted at Wren.

Wren's ears flattened on her head, and she looked down. "I know."

"You've been lying to us this whole time," Orla shouted.

"And I regret-"

"No, you don't," Kacien said calmly. "You only regret it because now, you are trapped in a wolf's body instead of your own. You would have had us believe you were innocent if you were to get your maiden form back."

Wren said nothing. She looked at Kacien and then at Orla. "I'm so sorry," was all she said before she turned and ran into the darkness of night.

Orla and Kacien were left by the fire, standing. Orla turned to face Kacien. She still hadn't stopped crying, but she didn't care.

Kacien said nothing to her. Instead, he pulled her close, holding her tightly against his warm sweater. Orla hugged him tightly.

"How could she do that?" Orla asked as she and Kacien shared a pot of potato stew.

"Not everyone walks through this world with kindness in their hearts," Kacien said.

"Aren't you angry?"

"I am."

"You don't seem angry."

"Because I am not shouting or yelling does not mean that I am not angry. I have lived many years, Orla. And many things have happened in those years. I cannot say it was entirely unexpected."

"You knew?" Here eyes widened.

"No," he said. "But I did find it strange that she had an encounter with a Sprite right after our home had been burned down."

Orla looked back into the fire. The thought of the fallen tree and the smoldering remnants of her house crept into her mind.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"I'm not sure," Kacien said in a tired way.

Orla hardly slept that night. In fact, despite the travel, she did not sleep well until they returned at last to Inkwell Forest. Kacien had led her back to what remained of their house.

The tree had fallen, and the house had come crashing down. The walls were busted, and the windows were shattered. What little remained of the 'inside' was blackened from the fire. It was a haunting sight.

"There is little we can do," Kacien said. "But for now, you must rest."

Orla nodded. The trip had worn her out more than she cared to tell him.

"And Orla," Kacien looked at the young girl. "I still have plans for you in the south. Not all has been lost."

Orla said nothing in response as she laid down beside the remains of her house. She had found a few blankets that had been mostly untouched and pulled them over her. She stared up at the stars above her as she laid on the leaf-covered ground.

The stars twinkled at her. She let out a long sigh and closed her eyes. Orla hoped that the next day would bring her some clarity.

When Orla did awake, sunlight was pouring into the forest, through the pines. She stretched and looked around, expecting to find Kacien. During the night, he had gone through some of their belongings. A small pile of salvageable belongings sat beside the fallen house.

Orla stood and began to walk through the forest. She hoped that something would happen, anything. She needed guidance but she didn't know where to find it.

It was late in the afternoon when Orla found herself sitting beside a small stream. She poked at the swirling water with a twig. All she could think about was Wren's lies and the possibility that Kacien was dying. It was impossible for her to move past those thoughts.

As she sat there, feeling sorry for herself and those around her, something strange happened.

Movement across the little stream grabbed Orla's attention. She looked over to see a small, greenish man standing on the roots of a large oak. He had a long beard and pointed little ears.

Orla stared at him; eyes wide.

"He-hello," she stuttered, worried that she would scare the little man away.

"Good day, miss Orla," he said.

"I'm not sure I can call it that," she said bitterly. "Who are you?"

"My name is Seti," said the man.

"Seti," Orla nodded. "What are you, Seti? I've never seen you here before."

"Oh, I'm always here," he said. "Inkwell is my home. But I am not always visible to you, child. I am a Sprite."

"A Sprite!" She had spent endless days searching for Spites.

"Aye, child. There's no need to be so surprised. You've always known that I was around."

"Right," she said. "What are you doing talking to me?"

"I need your help."

Orla gave a small, sad, laugh. "I'm not so good at helping these days."

"Oh, I assure you that you are."

"I was supposed to help Kacien save Inkwell and…" she couldn't bring herself to finish the thought.

"Don't fuss," he said with a grin. "Many things cannot be fixed in the way we first think."

Orla looked up from the water. "Does that mean Inkwell can be fixed?"

"Yes, child," he said.

"How?"

"Save Kacien."

"How do I do that? The forest is dying so he is as well."

"You have it backwards. He is dying, so the forest is. To an Elemental, a home is a very important thing. His heart was in his home. Without that, he is drift less, like a ship with no sails."

"I still don't understand," Orla said.

"Build a house for Kacien and his heart will heal."

"Build a house!" She jumped up from the side of the stream. "That is it? That won't be hard."

"Build a house!" Exclaimed Alice, Wren's grandmother, who now ran the little bakery. "That is no easy feat, child."

"But it's possible. Right?" Orla said, sitting on one of the counters, swinging her feet around.

"I suppose," Alice laughed. "And you, Orla, are very lucky indeed."

"Why?"

"Do you know what my profession was after I quit being a Hunter?"

"Baking?"

"Not right away," Alice said. "I was a Woodsmith, a carpenter."

Orla beamed. She had been right to go back into Greystorm. While she had yet to see Wren, Orla couldn't help but think of her friend.

"So, let me get this right," Alice said, wiping her hands on her apron. "You came back to Greystorm to…"

"Learn how to build a house," Orla said matter-of-factly.

"Right," Alice chuckled. Slowly, her face turned serious, and she said, "Orla, have you seen Wren? It's been weeks…"

Orla looked down at her mismatched socks. Slowly, she began to explain everything that had happened. Alice was a kind woman and she deserved to know what happened to Wren.

"But I don't know where she ran off to," Orla finished her story.

Alice's mouth was in a tight line as she listened. "That foolish girl," she cursed under her breath. "She has too much of her mother in her."

"What do you mean?"

"Like me, Wren's mother, Arlena was a Hunter. A very good Hunter, at that. She was a strict and cruel woman. I don't think she took well to Hunting because she was skilled. I think she took well to Hunting because she was cruel and full of hate," Alice stared at the dough that was beginning to rise. "I still blame myself for Arlena's cruelty."

"It's not your fault," Orla said. "Kacien says that some people's hearts are frozen with hate."

Alice smiled at Orla. "Anyway, Wren spent much of her life under her mother's wing...she may have some of Arlena's tendencies, but she is not as cruel. I know that woman has a good heart...under it all. However, what she did to you and Kacien is inexcusable."

"Has she come back here?"

Alice shook her head.

Orla wondered just where Wren had gone off to.