Eastwood

The party dismounted and led their equine companions into the wood. They went forward slowly, all three paying close attention to their eyes and ears.

The eastern wood seemed to contain every kind of tree. Tall, thin pines that looked like toothpicks standing on end. Oaks great and small. Cedar, elm, and holly.

Birdsongs filled the wood. Monarch butterflies danced in the air. The three of them walked through the trees, taking it all in.

After an hour or so, Quinn asked Zebulun, "How are we going to find your forest girl? This seems like a big place, and I ain’t seen one person yet."

"I’m hoping she’ll find us," said Zebulun. "She found me before."

"How can she know you’re coming?" asked Davion.

"Spend enough time soldiering," said Zebulun, "and you develop an instinct for when you’re being watched. It’s a survival skill. My gut tells me we’re being watched right now."

"Well, sure!" said Quinn. "There’s birds and squirrels all around us!"

Zebulun’s eyes showed mild amusement. "No," he said, tilting his head as if he were listening to the wind. "Something else."

"So," said Davion, "What should we do? Wait here? Move on?"

"Let’s explore further," said Zebulun. "My gut tells me to go east a little longer, then turn north."

"I suppose that’s as good a plan as any," said Davion.

They wandered, enjoying the sights. The quietude of the forest entranced them with feelings of calm and peace.

The day grew long. They stopped at dusk to make camp. Before they could build a fire, Quinn asked, "What is that?"

Zebulun and Davion looked in the direction Quinn stared. Through the maze of trees, they saw a faint, flickering light. Like a candle, but bluish. It seemed to dance back and forth around the trees a score of yards away from them. They watched in wonder as two more lights appeared and danced with the first.

"Whoever or whatever that is," said Davion, "I think they’re trying to get our attention."

Zebulun nodded. "We should follow them."

Quinn looked at them and smirked. He waved and called out to the lights. "Hi!" he said. "We’re here to meet the mysterious forest woman who disturbed Zebulun!"

The lights responded. They flashed brighter three times in rapid succession and emitted a series of unearthly tones.

Davion looked at Quinn with astonishment. "You can make friends with anyone, can’t you?" Quinn just grinned, laughter in his eyes.

The tones shaped themselves into the form of a human-like voice. "Follow the lights," it said, in a voice made of music. "They lead to something."

The three of them followed the lights through the growing darkness.

After half an hour, they saw the flickering of what appeared to be an ordinary fire some distance through the trees. The bluish lights vanished shortly thereafter. The men went towards the flame.

They emerged into a small clearing. A campfire burned in a fire pit, a metal pot suspended above it. The scent from the pot made all their stomachs rumble. Situated around the campfire were several logs acting as benches. Sarah sat on one of them, tending to the stew. She looked up at them with welcoming eyes.

"Welcome, Zebulun," she said. "I’m happy you’ve come."

Zebulun bowed. "Thank you for the invitation. These are my companions, Davion and Quinn."

"Welcome to you as well," she said. "Are you hungry? I’ve prepared a stew of rabbit and wild herbs in anticipation of your arrival."

"It smells wonderful!" chirped Quinn.

"You knew we were coming?" asked Davion.

"Not right away," she said. "I became aware the moment you entered the forest."

"How?"

Sarah looked at Davion with soft eyes. "It’s not simple to explain," she said. "We should eat something." She took a ladle from the pot and sipped the stew. "It’s ready."

They ate. The food was simple, but flavorful.

"Best food I’ve had in weeks," said Quinn. "Thank you, Sarah! Really, it’s delicious." Sarah smiled at him.

"Thank you for the hospitality," said Zebulun.

"It’s nothing," said Sarah. "Well…​ I don’t often eat meat, but I thought you men might need some after your long journey."

"Thank you again," said Zebulun.

"Yes, thank you," said Davion. "I’m very curious about you and the others who live here. I hope you won’t mind answering some questions." Davion paused a moment. "When you’re ready."

"Of course," said Sarah. "I hope for your help against the draconic politics of your kingdom. I’ll answer you as best I can."

"My help?" asked Davion.

"All of you. Anyone willing. We are few, here. We need all the help we can get."

"Well," said Davion, his brow furrowed, "can you begin by elaborating on draconic politics? What does that mean?"

Sarah nodded, clasped her hands as if in prayer, and leaned in Davion’s direction. "The most important thing to understand about dragons," she said, "is that their minds are as different from ours as their bodies. Human beings are pack hunters, like wolves. This means that we have a natural affinity for our own kind. We feel safety in numbers. Our animal instincts encourage us towards social behavior for our own good." She paused. "Most of us."

"Dragons are different," she said. "Dragons are not herd animals or pack hunters. They are solitary apex predators. They descend from creatures that felt no fear of anything in their environment. Creatures that met up solely to mate, then went their separate ways. They have no instinctive sense of empathy the way humans and canines do — not even for their own kind. They are without compassion. Ruthless."

"They developed society after obtaining intelligence, but theirs is a society based entirely on hierarchy and dominance. The only thing a dragon understands is power. They see the world as nothing more than an eternal competition for natural resources. They see us as livestock to be exploited."

"And," she said, "there is a small subset of humans who think like they do, and thus serve them."

Davion stared at Sarah for a moment. "You speak of the fair folk?"

"Not all of them," said Sarah, "but yes. And those in the lower classes who think like them. Poverty and want can lead to draconic personalities as easily as wealth and privilege."

Davion lowered his eyes, deep in thought.

Zebulun sat up and stared into the darkness behind Sarah. "There’s something there."

"It’s okay," she said. "It’s a friend."

Quinn sat bolt upright, his eyes wide, and pointed. "Kitty!" he shouted.

A huge black panther sauntered into the clearing and sat next to Sarah. She stroked the back of its neck. It looked up at her with happy-cat eyes.

"This is Kulth-Ing," she said. "He’s not tame, but he trusts me."

"Can I pet him?" begged Quinn.

Sarah smiled, amusement in her eyes. "Only if he wants you to." Quinn looked pensive. "Let him check you out," she said.

Kulth-Ing approached Zebulun first. He sniffed him, then looked up into his eyes. Zebulun narrowed his eyes the way a cat does when it says, "I love you." Kulth-Ing responded in kind, then rubbed the side of his face against Zebulun’s hand. He stroked it’s neck.

"You’re good with animals," said Sarah.

Zebulun nodded. "I understand them."

Kulth-Ing wandered over to Davion and sniffed him. Davion leaned away from the panther, a tense look on his face. It wandered over to Quinn instead. Davion let out his breath.

Quinn stared at the beast, his eyes sparkling with joy. Kulth-Ing sniffed him, licked his hand, and went back to Sarah to sit. She gave him a bowl of stew.

"He is so beautiful!" said Quinn.

The group sat quietly, for a time, digesting and looking up at the stars.

"It is peaceful, here," said Davion.

"Yes," said Sarah. "We hope to keep it that way, but fear that your kingdom will make war on us to take what we have."

"They intend to," said Zebulun. "The king wants to build a great navy to go and conquer other lands."

"A sad thing," said Sarah. "Such a waste of blood and treasure."

Zebulun said nothing.

Davion leaned forward, his brow slightly furrowed. "You told Zebulun there were others here?"

"Yes," she said. "The forest folk. I’ll introduce you to them."

"I would very much like to meet them," said Davion. "I’m curious about their origins and culture."

Quinn smiled at Davion. "You’re curious about everything!"

Davion shrugged. "I am."

Zebulun looked Sarah in the eye. "Why do I still feel like we’re being watched?"

"We have visitors," said Sarah. "Perhaps it’s time they showed themselves."

Pinpoints of light appeared above them, looking like tiny stars. One moved close to Quinn’s face as he stared, enraptured. The pinpoint expanded slowly into a translucent blue-white sphere. It was only light, at first, but then the sphere filled with static. The static slowly formed into a pixelated image of color — a tiny, naked woman with blue skin and wings like a butterfly.

Quinn stared in wonder for a moment. The minuscule figure waved at him and blew him a kiss. His face lit up, and he clapped twice. "What on Earth are you?"

Others expanded into spheres of blue light and formed humanoid avatars within them. Some were male, others female. Some had butterfly wings like the first; others had wings like bats or dragonflies. Soon they were surrounded by dozens.

Davion stared in disbelief. "What are they?"

"Men have called them by many names," said Sarah. "Angels. Fairies. Jinn. The forest folk call them the star folk."

"I like 'angels'!" said Quinn.

Sarah smiled. "Angels they are, then."

"Or maybe 'fairies'," he said. "I like both!"

Davion stared in fascination. "They can turn invisible?"

"No," said Sarah. "They’re simply too small for our eyes to see. This visible display they’re doing for your benefit takes some effort, on their part."

"They led us here," said Zebulun.

"Yes," said Sarah. "At my request."

"You have authority over them?" asked Zebulun.

"No," said Sarah, "they help me of their own free will. They love this forest and want to protect it. They enjoy the rhythm of nature. They don’t care for cities."

"Why not?" asked Davion.

"Too much metal," she said. "They don’t like metal. Especially iron, for some reason. They call it 'the bottom of the well'. I don’t know what they mean by that."

"Hm." Davion looked thoughtful. "Are they native to these woods?"

"No," said Sarah. "They come from the heavens."

Quinn whipped his head towards Sarah. "You mean up there?" he asked, pointing at the stars.

"Yes."

"Wow," said Quinn. "Cool."

"Fascinating," said Davion. "Why are they here?"

"They love to explore," said Sarah. "Our world is fascinating to them."

The star folk waved goodbye to them and faded from view.

"We should rest," said Sarah. "I’ll take you to meet the forest folk tomorrow."

They slept.