Notes:
While I try to keep revising my work to avoid annoying typos, I tend to miss some. If you spot any, please let me know.
And please don't be shy about leaving a comment!
Enjoy!
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The fresh moss crunched under Nessa's boots as she climbed up the hill.
Despite it being daylight, the shadows in this part of the forest were oppressive, it's canopy closing over her almost like a wooden cage.
Shiny eyes, colours and even what appeared to be voices murmured from beyond her sight, disappearing into the background almost as soon as she could focus on them.
It made her feel as if something was about to pounce on her at any minute.
And yet, everything was absolutely stunning. The dim light pushing through the thick branches of the trees reflected on the flowers, leaves and moss of the woodland, reflecting it like the inside of a kaleidoscope.
Nessa could not even recall how she got there, she had been following the instructions on the ancient scroll in her possession, bizarre as they were, and after meandering the forest for a while she had found herself here.
It was almost dreamlike, not unlike a morning haze.
This had to be the place she was looking for.
Carefully, she pulled out from the case hanging from her belt the withered old scroll that had been guiding her.
It had been the care of her ancestors, for as long as anyone could remember, and with it came the warning that while it could be used to get power, this would always come with a price,
But right now, the young woman didn't care about the price, for she was desperate for the power to save those dear to her.
As she unrolled it again, she could feel a myriad of gazes peered at her from the forest. They were inhuman eyes of unlikely colours, embedded on figures sporting horns, diaphanous wings and nebulous shapes.
With a blink, the figures vanished, giving Nessa a cold shiver down her spine.
A few more steps, she thought to herself, looking for the next indication she was going in the right direction.
She finally spotted what she was looking for, an old gnarly tree, with huge twisting branches that almost interlaced themselves with the surrounding canopy and a trunk so thick you could build a whole house from it without chopping it down.
Carefully, she went around the tree leaving its trunk to her right, like the instructions said, and as she was about to completely circle it, she spotted what she was looking for.
Illuminated by persistent sun rays that refused to be blocked by the canopy, an ancient stone circle stood.
Its dolmens were withered and cracked, vines overrunning their mass as if hugging them.
No trees grew inside the circle, through a scattering of flowers bathed in the sunlight that seemed to stubbornly cling to this area.
Nessa took a deep breath, this was it, and for what she was going to do next, there would be no turning back.
She found a small flat rock nearby the circle, barely bigger than a book. Carefully, she knelt in front of it, and grabbed the knife hanging from her belt.
A deep silence overtook the forest, making her shiver for a moment.
With a long breath, she composed herself and unrolled the scroll next to the rock, the words on the spell she needed to cast looking clearer than under the brightest of lights.
Clenching her jaw closed to avoid any moans of pain, she made a deep cut on the palm of her right hand, only stopping when the grass below her was stained crimson.
With a swift move, she placed her wounded palm on the rock, pressing hard against it, her blood seeping into the small cracks on it's surface, giving it the appearance of having flowing veins.
Her mouth started intoning a short verse in an ancient tongue, it's words resonating all around her, as if the very trees were listening to them.
Again and again she repeated the verse, feeling her life pouring into the very ground she stood on.
Until she felt her throat cramp and air leave her lungs for a second, the verse stopped with its final word on her lips.
Once again, a deep, unsettling silence devoured the forest, only broken when the soft sound of hooves came from beyond the stone circle.
A stunning white stag emerged from the shadows slowly, it's gorgeous fur shining under the dim light.
Its head was crowned by the most magnificent set of horns Nessa had ever seen, firm and strong like the branches of the oldest tree, with veins of gold hewn onto their very substance.
As it moved towards her, its most striking feature became clear, it's eyes. Looking into them was as if looking into a starry sky, and Nessa could feel herself being sucked into them, incapable of looking away.
By looking into the eyes, she also immediately understood something, the stag was a he, and he knew her.
She felt almost rooted to the ground as the stag crossed the circle, walking towards her without rush yet without slowing down. Somehow, sometime while crossing the circle, his appearance changed, or perhaps it had always been like this, and she didn't notice, as impossible as that seemed.
He now walked on two legs, rather than four, and his body was like that of an inhumanly tall and well-built person, with broad shoulders, shapely chest and strong arms and legs.
His head remained like that of a stag, but it was somehow more human and expressive, and Nessa could catch the glimpse of a grin on his lips as he stood in front of her.
She could feel the colour draining from her skin. Here he was, she had summoned him, there was no turning back.
The fae lord shoot an inquisitive look at her, she could feel her power flowing all around them, digging into her like meat hooks.
Slowly, she lowered her head, giving him a respectful bow.
"Who are you, summoner?" his voice was deep, like the low howling of the wind under the trees, "and why have you called out to me?"
Nessa raiser her head and looked at the powerful being in his eyes, trying to hide how much she was shaking.
"My lord, my name is Nessa Haldir, and I have called you because I have need of your power," she said, trying to look firm. "May I know the name of the one who has answered my call?"
The being shot her a smirk as he placed one of his big hands on his hip, clearly amused by her fake bravado.
"You have not yet earned the right of my full name, but I shall give you something you may call me," he said, his starry eyes making her feel as if she was drowning in them. "Bastinor."
He crossed his arms, and Nessa felt a jolt on her knees that almost knocked down.
"But you will use proper honorifics when talking to me if you wish to earn my respect," he said in a stern but not rude tone.
Nessa slowly nodded to him and bowed again.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my lord", she said with the politest tone she could muster.
Bastinor nodded and gestured for her to raise her head.
"Tell me, summoner, why is it that you used such an ancient spell to call for help and power?" he inquired again, clearly impatient to know, "for your sake I hope you know that there will be a price to pay, even if I cannot assist you."
Nessa nodded to him and lowered her head.
"I am aware, my lord, and I am willing to pay whatever you set as price," she took a deep breath just after uttering those words, and carefully she pulled a piece of fabric from her satchel, presenting it to him.
He picked up the fabric carefully, his hand dwarfing hers, and inspected it with an emotionless stare.
"My town was attacked by... someone," she said, fury returning to her mind as she recalled the events, "a figure in a purple robe who floated gently above the ground".
"They entered unannounced and started attacking everyone on sight with mysterious magic," she said, as the scenes of the massacre dashed through her mind, "the robed figure made a beeline towards my mother's house and blasted it into a crater."
Bastinor noticed that tears were forming on her eyes, and with surprising gentleness he used a finger to clear them for her.
"Continue," he said in a dispassionate tone.
Nessa took a deep breath and clenched her fists, ready to proceed.
"My mother survived that attack, somehow, a shield of green light flowing around her," she continued, "and both her and our attacker argued about something."
"I could not understand their words, my ears were ringing, and they were far for me to hear." "Regardless, my mother refused whatever she was asked, and a duel of power ensured."
"I got the impression my mother had the upper hand, but the robed figure countered this by doing as much collateral damage as possible."
Nessa gritted her teeth before continuing.
"As my mother tried to protect those still reeling from the attack, the robed figure blasted her with... something, and in a flash my mother was... turned to dust," she said, tears now flowing from her eyes in long streams.
"Before she died, my mother must have done a spell of some kind, for I saw her do a gesture towards me and I blacked out."
"When I came to, the town was silent, and all the people sans me, including my best friend, had been frozen in place, as if turned into trees, their skin and bodies the colour and texture of bark."
Nessa looked back at Bastinor, her teary eyes full of determination.
"I wish for you to lend me your power, so I may avenge my mother and restore my people," she said, committed, "name your price, powerful lord, I will pay it."
The mighty fae lord looked pensive for a moment, and then gave her a wicked smile as he cleaned both her eyes of tears.
"I do not know who you seek, but I have... some ideas about how we may find them," he said, before crossing his arms, "but you must know, to achieve this you ask a big boon of me, and that will accompany a high price."
Nessa clenched both fists.
"Name it," she said, without doubt in her voice.
Bastinor smiled at her.
"Very well," he said, extending his hand and pointing at her with a finger, "I want you."
Nessa looked confused for a moment.
"Me... my lord?" she asked, puzzled and nervous.
