CITRINE'S MONSTERS

A PREQUEL TO LEGEND OF THE NAMELESS ONE

ANGELA J. FORD

Copyright © 2018 by Angela J. Ford

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ALSO BY ANGELA J. FORD

The Complete Four Worlds Series: Books 1-4

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The Five Warriors

The Blended Ones

Myran: A Prequel to Eliesmore and the Green Stone

Eliesmore and the Green Stone

Eliesmore and the Jeweled Sword

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CONTENTS

1. Quarrel

2. Betrayal

3. They Might Be Dead

4. Save me from the Monsters

5. White Beings

6. Lemon Yellow

7. Wreak Havoc

8. Master of the Forest

9. At the End

Afterword

About the Author

1

QUARREL

The foul wind slammed the door behind me. The hinges growled as if they would suddenly develop fingers, reach out, and eat me alive. Shaking off the looming six sense something bad was about to transpire, I spun around and drew up short, nearly dropping my basket of goods.

“Hansel,” reaching up I struggled with the knot of the scarf that concealed my vibrant hair. “You gave me a fright.”

“They warned me about you,” my lover, Hansel, confronted me as if some outwardly being had invaded his body and held it hostage. His bare arms trembled and his chocolate brown eyes were red rimmed. “They warned me about you,” his tone hollow as the repeated words buzzed in the suddenly thick air.

“What are you talking about?” I waved my hand in dismissal, more frustrated with the stubborn knot than what Hansel was agitated about.

“I was in the garden,” he went on.

A sudden flurry of alarm flittered through my heart like the panicked wings of a butterfly, stuck in a spiderweb. Save me. Words whispered through my mind. Save me. Blinking I straightened my shoulders, dropping the basket and hugging my middle. “I told you never to go into the garden…” I lifted my chin, reminding myself to stay calm and confident. He knows nothing. We can figure this out as long as I don’t lose my temper.

“I know!” his words bit the air as he snapped at me, a wave of anger passing over his face like a flash of lightening. “I found this.” In his right hand he held up a three-foot-long black and white patterned snake skin. “What kind of dark creature has a skin like this? And this…” he held up a peacock blue feather, twice the size of my hand.

“What do a snake skin and a feather have to do with anything?” I cooed, taking a step towards him, holding up my hands in reassurance. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting? We live on the outskirts of the boundary line forest, wild beasts roam the meadows from time to time, which is why I told you not to go in my garden.”

“Don’t be coy with me,” he snapped. “Don’t beguile me with your words. I know what I saw in the garden, what are you hiding back there? Whatever it is, it’s not natural. The villagers warned me. You are too bright and snappy. There’s something odd and enchanting about you.” He pointed a shaking finger at my face as his face sneered. “You with your strange eyes and odd plants and herbs and potions…”

“Sometimes you see things you don’t understand. I’m sure it’s nothing,” I cocked my head at him, amused by his anger. He was frightened of a snake skin and feather. It did not add up.

“I know you’re hiding something,” he tossed the snake skin at my feet where it curled into a ball. He leaped backward as if he’d been stung, his tone rising. “I heard voices and saw eyes watching me, eyes like yours. There are strange beings in the garden and the more I think about it, the more I fear what you are doing. Don’t you know how the Changers and Monrages rose up? It started with something as simple and seemingly innocent as this. I think I’ve been blinded by love. I think I made a mistake.”

“Changers? Monrages?” I shouted, waving my arms, anger surging through me like a wave. Suddenly I had no remorse and the threads of control slipped away from me. “I resent that! You claim to love me and yet you go to my garden and get frightened because you saw a creature from the forest most likely eating my herbs! And you go to such a drastic measure to compare me to evil immortal beings? How dare you! Maybe you’re the one who isn’t trustworthy!”

Hansel dropped the blue feather, and it swooped back and forth, drifting to the patched floor of the cottage. Crossing his hands over his wide chest he frowned, his face growing stern. “Will you tell me the truth? Who are you? What have you done? I know what I saw. I went out there and I saw...I saw it shift and move. There were horns… tell me.”

I glared at him, fuming. I tapped one foot against the ground while fixing him with my wide eyes as I raised an eyebrow in defiance.

“I know what I saw,” Hansel resulted to blubbering and repeating himself. “Are you the reason? Tell me. Things are disappearing. Crops. Livestock. That child the other day? Tell me it’s not true. Tell me you have nothing to do with this.”

I have nothing to do with this. I wanted to repeat the words, to calm him down, but he’d stroked my anger. Instead I opened my mouth and out flowed the words I swore I’d never tell another living soul. As soon as I finished, I wished I’d never spoken. His face turned white, and he stumbled away, reaching for the wall to hold up his trembling body.

“Why have you never told me this before?”

“Because,” I shot back, “I thought you might react like this and I was right. I never should have told you.”

“You lied all this time. I thought we had something. I thought you loved me,” his face twisted with contempt, but it was his eyes, those deep chocolate brown eyes that made me feel as if I had ripped his heart out and boasted about it.

“We do have something,” I waved my arms as I tried to prove my point. “I love you, which is why I didn’t tell you, I knew you would not understand.” Love was not the emotion I felt in that moment, there was something deeper, some reason I would not relent.

“It isn’t natural,” his eyes narrowed as he hissed at me, and for a moment he seemed like a venomous serpent, ready to strike. “You aren’t natural. This must be reported.”

“Who are you going to report me too?” I crossed my arms, rolling my eyes as I mocked him. “Who are you to decide what is natural and what isn’t? You’re with me, remember!”

His hand came up and for a moment I thought he would strike me. All the same I stood unflinching.

“You are wicked,” his face contorted. He held up his hands as he backed away as if I were the snake who would strike him.

“Hansel,” I dropped my tone although I had no reason to apologize. “I thought we could talk through this, like adults.”

“You thought wrong,” he pointed a shaking finger at me as his back crashed into the door frame. His fingers fumbled for the door as he shook his dark head, his eyes glazing over in shame, fear and, perhaps, heartbreak. “I should have known. Someone as bright and snappy like you is too good to be true… I should have seen the signs, but I didn’t want to.”

“Where are you going?” I shouted as he slid out the front door. “We have to talk about this!”

“I need time. I need to think,” he shouted back and slammed the door.

2

BETRAYAL

A smell woke me and I bolted upright, involuntarily reaching out a hand to pat the other side of the double bed.

Hansel.

It was empty. A stiff anger rose within my body as I realized Hansel had not returned after our fight last night.

Wrinkling my nose, I sniffed again and a sudden frenzy gripped me. Thoughts of Hansel dropped out of my mind. Sleep fled from my brain as I recognized the charred smell. Something was burning. Tossing back the quilted blanket I leaped out of bed and ran, forgetting the scarf I wore over my bright hair and the shoes for my feet. My heart thumped in my chest in a way that made me feel nauseous as I stumbled out of the room, through the narrow hall and down the five stairs into the kitchen. My square kitchen was my peaceful haven. Each morning the yeasty smell of fresh bread and cinnamon wafted through the air before I stepped out into my garden to gather plants. Now, the back door that led to my herb and flower garden was ablaze. Bright yellow flames leaped high, encouraged by the greenery. A smoldering rage smoked through my veins as I froze, staring at the wicked flames, jeering at me with tongues of red and blue fire as it ate my garden. Pure terror struck me and a silent cry shot through my brain like a comet through the skies. My pets.

They lived in the garden, coming and going as they pleased. A desperate prayer rose within me and I pleaded to the unknown Creator. Please let my pets be safe. They never would have let a stranger enter the garden and set it on fire. Someone I trusted must have done this which meant… I let the thought trail off as a fireball blasted into what was left of my smoking kitchen. A whimper of fear escaped from my dry lips and instinctively I covered my head, ducking from the flickering embers. The sudden heat made it impossible to breathe, and I inhaled. A billow of thick black smoke floated through the air, taking its time like searching fingers, winding its way into every nook and cranny. My heart constricted and a painful cough burst from my lungs. I bent over at the waist, wheezing, fully intent on taking a step forward to find my pets when another blast of heat surged through the kitchen and the door collapsed with a shudder. The roar of heat, the lack of oxygen, and the haze made me feel weak, heady and dizzy I fled from the room, my eyes streaming with tears on their own accord.

Thick smoke had spread throughout the entire hut by the time I burst out the front door. Turning I covered my mouth while I watched the straw thatched roof cave in. Fresh air filled my lungs, rushing in to chase out the smoke and I took a deep breath, feeling strength return to my body. A fury like I’d never known blasted through my body and my eyes narrowed. I folded my arms across my generous chest and turned around.

I was bold, confident and always sure of myself and my decisions. In the years past life in the village made me feel comfortable. I’d forgotten about risk and allowed myself to live and love as if I were one of the normal mortals, happy to do nothing more than farm, love, and make babies to inherit their land. I wasn’t lucky in life, just smart, and I’d let my guard down with Hansel, let him see my true self and he ran.

My accusers stood a safe distance away from my hut, watching the fire turn my livelihood into dust. A deep seething boiled within me as I eyed the villagers. They stood armed with farm tools, pitchforks and shovels, as if I were a powerful immortal who could blast them away with my words. If I wasn’t so angry I might have laughed. I had one unusual ability which led to a swift betrayal.

“Look!” a voice shouted, and I could make out a hand waving in the distance. “She left the hut, she’s alive.”

“Stick to the plan, we have to bring her in,” another voice ordered. “Follow my lead.”

They marched towards me, faces set, and even though the mob was silent, I could almost hear their thoughts floating through the air like poisonous arrows. They called for my blood. They wanted me dead. Solely because I was different from them. They did not understand. How could they? Ignorant scum. Turning on my bare feet I ran away from my burning hut, heading west towards the boundary line forest.

3

THEY MIGHT BE DEAD

“Kill her!”

“Burn her!”

“Capture her!”

Hateful cries buzzed around my head like vultures over a kill. My lungs ached as I gasped for breath and my feet tore over the mixture of dark brown soil and yellow-green grass. A slope rose before me and my body slowed down. I jerked my head around to see how close the mob was.

“You are wicked!”

“You are evil!”

“You deserve death!”

The cries blasted into my ears as furious faces moved toward me, desperate to catch me since I’d eluded them back at the burning hut. A group of males and females ran towards me, shouting curses and waving torches. One lifted a hand, and something hurled toward me. It flew past me and landed with a thunk on the hill. A round gray rock, perhaps one of the rocks from my herb garden.

My lips trembled, and a surge of anger rocked my body forward. Balling my hands into fists I willed my legs to move faster, driving my heels into the ground as I fought my way uphill towards the forest.

“She’s one of them!”

“She should be condemned to die!”

Words drove me onwards as tears pricked my eyes, but I wasn’t worried about myself. My pets. They might be dead.

My thoughts turned to his dark chocolate eyes and the stubble of a beard on his youthful face. He’d held me with such care and love, but that was before he found out what I’d done. The riot was his fault. He’d stood before the villagers and profaned my name, my art, and my life. They believed him because he had a solid reputation and I knew my personality caused dissension especially among the females. They were jealous of my looks and abilities. I snapped my fingers, impatient with my thoughts. My pets. Where are they? I could handle losing my home, losing him, but not my pets, they were everything.

A stone slammed into my back and I bent over at the waist, grabbing my heaving sides. A sob caught in my sore throat. After inhaling smoke and fleeing across the countryside I desperately needed refreshment. Despite my predicament, I stumbled up the hill, sweat pouring down my back. I wiped at my face as I reached the top of the hill and the dark forest swayed before my vision.

Another stone flew past my face, but the shouts of the mob faded as I stared at the old wood. The villagers thought I was evil, but in truth, the old forest was what they should be afraid of. I’d never been more than a few feet in the forest, gathering firewood and the strange violet flowers that grew near the outskirts of the wood. Slender birch trees with white wood perched near the forest, a last warning for those who would venture in. Tangled vines heavy with age stretched across treetops, choking out the greenery with their deathly grip. A deep musky aura hung over the forest, and my keen senses detected the smell of vile creatures, death and destruction. There was nothing for it. I had to go in. I had outstayed my welcome in the village. I had to take a risk and escape before they caught and killed me.

Jerking back my head one last time I eyed the village in the distance with the smoking chimneys and children playing in the dirt without a care in the world. A heavy scent of herbs hung in the air from my burning garden with the vines, roses and great bushes of healing plants. They accused me of dealing with immortal powers. They would never understand. They would never forgive. My eyes fell to the villagers standing at the bottom of the hill, frightened of the forest, their superstitions allowing them to come no further. They jeered at me, raising their weapons in a threatening manner. I’d never seen faces full of such a deep loathing in my life. If only I had my pets. They would be sorry.

Tossing my vibrant hair over my shoulder I defiantly turned my back on them and ran into the woods. The jeering faces faded. I recalled the females, jealous of my prowess, although the males never complained about my presence. They were usually too busy ogling my large breasts, the curves of my wide hips and the way my shapely thighs moved when I walked. They were jealous of the one I’d chosen, the male with the dark chocolate eyes. Yet, what he told them turned them against me. I was admittedly flirtatious to a fault, because it allowed me to have my way with everyone in the village, but now the tables had turned, and it seemed my past rose before me and demanded punishments.

Branches slapped my rump, a punishment for the sins I’d committed to bring my pets to me, to heal others, and, above all, to study the ways of nature which brought power. They lashed out at me and with each branch I saw a villager’s angry face rise before me, fists ready to smash into me, hands outstretched to rip my clothes from my body and beat me into the ground.

The twigs caught in my long hair, pulling and twisting, holding me back for another whipping as I fought my way through the forest, following an invisible path into the depths of wickedness while my heart fluttered in my chest. My breath came in great grasping gulps, and a tree root purposefully stuck out in my path. Leaping I misplaced my landing and fell flat, hands out to stop my fall, my palms skidding through rock and mud as I collapsed. The root caught my foot and twisted it, and a sharp agony of pain ripped through my leg, like the fire that consumed my hut. My pets. I held out a hand, reaching into the unknown, begging for salvation for those innocent beasts. My eyes were dry, the tears would not come. I spit into the mud while I perched on all fours, turning my face to the tree. “A thousand curses on your roots,” I spat at it, my viciousness coming out in all forms.

The tree shuddered as if it had heard me, and my naked eyes saw it shiver and whimper, branches hanging out as it recognized who I was and begged for forgiveness. “That’s right,” I rebuked it. “I am a lover of nature, I am on your side.”

Scolding the tree gave me confidence, and I stood, shaking the dirt off my hands and brushing the dew off my bare legs. I wormed my way through the mud, wishing I were wearing shoes. If I could see myself in a looking glass, I would appear like a dirty, vagrant. My long light hair lay tangled to my waist, while my ample chest was on full display with the torn sleeve of my dress hanging down and the thin, dirty material scratched by burrs and tree limbs. Scratches covered my long legs and mud caked my feet. My lemon-yellow eyes narrowed in the darkness.

Citrine. That’s what they called me. My born name. My eyes were the same color as the jewel, an odd light color, giving me the appearance of a wild cat, and my ability to see in the dark was feared by some. I knew when twilight came my odd eyes glowed, giving me an outwardly appearance. I was no immortal, just a mortal, one of the people groups called Tiders. At least, that was what I knew of my heritage. My parents lived in hiding until the days of Eliesmore, the Great Conqueror who saved the South World from the rule of the immortals and their vicious armies of darkness. It was a tale of heroes, fantastic powers and weapons beyond belief. I paid no attention to the tale, for it did not concern my small life in the small village where they slandered my name and cast me out.

Not more than a quarter of an hour passed when I stumbled over a beaver. The beast leaped off my path, hurling curses as it dashed towards the nearest tree. “Watch where you are going. Mortal.”

“Watch where YOU are going,” I retorted back at it. My throat stabbed me and I added. “I am looking for water, in which direction lies the closest stream?”

The beaver wrinkled its nose at me, dark eyes blinking as if considering whether I was serious or joking.

“I don’t have all day,” I grumbled. “Please, speak up and let me continue.”

The beaver grunted and pointed an ambiguous finger further into the woods. “You shouldn’t go there, though. They eat mortals. You should only go there if you want to die.”

“Don’t be daft,” I mumbled. “They want to kill me out there they want to kill me in here, I’ll take my chances.”

4

SAVE ME FROM THE MONSTERS

Save me from the monsters. Please. Save me from the monsters.

Twilight brought me to a clearing in the wood and I drew up short, recognizing my mistake. I froze, hoping no one noticed as I put one foot behind the other, slowly backing away. The thick thickets were my friend, not the wide-open spaces of the forest where enemies lurked. Save me from the monsters. The phrase danced in my head along with the dark chocolate eyes, love turning to hate, trust broken as the shock and loathing took over. My bare feet brushed over strands of sticky grass, stabbing and snatching at my heels like tiny hands.

“Not so fast pretty one!” a booming roar shot over the clearing like a fox bounding towards a rabbit desperate to escape.

Lifting my eyes, I faced a twelve-foot-tall giant with wide leering eyes and a white, fungi infested tongue lolling out of his mouth. A misshapen nose protruded from his flat face which looked as if it had been smashed in with a rock. One glassy eye was grossly larger than the other red rimmed one and his bald head dripped with what looked like bird poop. A thick club swung from one hand, large enough to smash my head in a bloody pulp with one swing. In fact, I saw the club was stained a dark maroon on one side, the blood of his victims. Without missing a beat I stepped forward, widening my eyes and pulling the torn sleeve off my shoulder to allow more tanned skin to display for his pleasure. The giant grinned, showing me every other tooth in his mouth was missing. “Please!” I shirked, gesturing wildly behind me. “Save me from the monsters. Save me!” Right on queue a howl rose, giving my heart a thrill. Wolves, coyotes or some feral beasts roamed the forest. Even as my heart rose in hope, three more giants appeared, curved hunting knives in hand as they glared from their leader to myself, the lost female. “Save me from the monsters,” I cried again in desperation, wringing my hands together and eyeing the giants with distress while making calm calculations in my mind.

“Monsters eh!” the first giant roared, slapping his club against his meaty hand. “Do you know who I am?”

My face wanted to frown and sneer at his confidence, yet I brought my hand down to pinch my thigh, trying to keep the damsel in distress look on my face. “Someone who can help me?” I kept my voice soft and high.

“I am the Olgla Man!” the giant bellowed, slapping his hand with the club again. “This is my forest. My territory! Tell me, little trespasser, why should we help you?”

“If you don’t, the monsters will eat me,” I begged, clasping my hands together and lifting them like a prayer.

“Bita. Bong. With me. Bongo. Watch her,” the Olgla Man ordered and lumbered past me, two of the shorter giants following him toward the sound of the howls.

A shiver ran through my body as the rotten stench of body odor and death touched my nostrils. I tiptoed toward the one called “Bongo,” the giant left to guard me. He was handsome in an ugly way with giant ears that stuck out from his head and a mop of unruly thick black hair. His dark eyes lit up as he examined me, a prize for him alone to exploit while his comrades fought monsters in the forest.

“Come here pretty,” he beckoned.

“You are big and strong,” I cooed at him, moving closer, pulling at the strands of my wild hair and sticking out my chest. “Will you protect me?”

“Aye,” he leered, “I’ll do more than protect you.”

Moving closer I reached for his arm, both of my hands closing around his wrist as I lifted my eyes to his. “You must be rewarded for your compassion,” I told him in a sing song voice, watching his eyes darken with lust and violence. “I will reward you.”

He grunted in approval, but before he could open his mouth, I pressed down hard on the fragile bones of his wrist. They made a sharp snapping sound under my fingers as they broke, and the giant howled in rage and pain. “You little vixen!” he shrieked, dropping his knife to cradle his broken wrist.

Dropping to a knee I snatched up the knife and leaped up. In one motion the knife sliced open the skin of his neck and a river of blood flowed out from the neat cut. Both of the giant’s hands moved to his neck as he fell, first to his knees, eyes bugging out as they glared at me, even as his life force drained out onto the ground.

“Thank you for the weapon,” I whispered, twirling the knife as the giant fell face down on the ground. “You saved me from my monsters.” I stood on his back, inspecting his death, waiting for the last breath to fade. “I give you to yours.”

Pushing his heavy body, I untied the belt from his middle and used it to tie the knife to my waist. Shaking back my ragged locks of hair I stood up straight. A sharp pang of hunger struck my belly and a wave of exhaustion passed over me. One breast fell out of my torn shift and I tucked it back inside, shaking my head. Surely the giants had a hideout. Crossing the clearance, I searched for food or water, rushing lest the other giants return and find their comrade dead. A sigh of frustration left my lips when I found nothing, but my heart hardened. My past would not predict my future. I would survive the forest and begin again. All the same, a sob of anxiety fluttered in my heart. My pets. Where were they?

5

WHITE BEINGS

“We should use her,” a whispered voice, soft as velvet woke me.

I squinted in the dark, lifting my head from the crook of my arm. Earlier that evening I’d dragged my weary feet to a halt and crawled into a mossy, hollow log to hide. My restless wandering through the woods was not helping, and I needed to think. Now, lifting my heart-shaped face I peered out, hoping to glimpse the voices, yet they remained hidden.

“She has suffered but is she sorry, will it be enough?” a second voice asked out loud, not bothering to whisper like the first.

“Aye, if we send her to him, he will help shape her future,” the whispered voice continued in a sing-song manner, as if words of poetry were not far behind those words.

“Careful,” a third voice, thick and scratchy, added. “We decided not to meddle in the four worlds long ago. The mortals never listen to us.”

“This is not meddling,” the loud voice reassured the scratchy voice. “There is an imbalance between good and evil, her actions will help keep the balance.”

“What about him?” the scratchy voice sounded agitated. “His purpose is to keep the balance.”

“Aye,” the sing-song voice danced across the night air like a dream. “What if he diverts from the plan? All beings have free will. Nay, we will use her to keep him in check, lest the four worlds fall into folly again.”

“We are not usually in disagreement,” the loud voice seemed to frown. “I think we should set a test and leave it to the mortals.”

Holding my breath, I crawled forward, straining my neck to see who was speaking. They continued to speak, weighing their thoughts as if consulting a great scale for what choice they should make.

My right eye could see outside, a mere blur of darkness. I could faintly make out a grove of weeping willow trees in the distance, and a wave of hunger and thirst passed over me. From the blending of shadows, I assumed it was the midnight hour.

A white tentacle caught my eye. My hand flew to my mouth before I gasped aloud, afraid the movement would scare the creatures away. Three white beings, unlike any mortal, stood a few paces from the log where I slept. It seemed as if white light clothed them while the beings stood with their backs to me. Their height was impossible to tell, for they floated in the air, and I saw nothing more than their long hair which looked like the bodies of snakes, waving in an invisible breeze. So, there were monsters in the wood.

“Quiet!” the scratchy voice ordered. A white hand went up and slowly the faces turned.

A numb horror sat on my chest, making it difficult to draw breath. I ducked down, burying my head in my arms as fear made its way through every fiber of my being. My fingers locked around the handle of the knife I’d stolen, and I squeezed, as if it would protect me. A pause followed, so long and deep I wondered if the beings had gone. Just as I was relaxing, the whisper came again.

“Well… our work here is done. Let’s go.”

I heard a click as if a door had been opened and closed again. When my heart beat slowed, and I dared poke my head out, they were gone like a nightmare.

I wormed my way out of the log and stood, eyeing the woods with uncertainty, knowing I had to press on. It was not safe to stay in a place where the monsters dwelt, and a cry rose within me. Save me from the monsters. Turning my back on my temporary haven I made my way deeper into the woods, searching for sustenance.

6

LEMON YELLOW

A bird squawked in the darkness and the sudden hoot of an owl made the hairs on my bare arms stand on end. Hungry, thirsty and sore, I limped to a stop beside a grove of crooked trees, noting the way the weeping willows hung their long hair over their wooded faces. It seemed as if they hid their faces from the nocturnal activity of the murderous creatures of the night.

“Water.” I whispered to the listening air, for it seemed as if it cared about my plight. “I need water before I perish in the dark and gloom.”

A glimmer of white light appeared, and I lifted my hands, palm up to catch them. The lights came to rest in my hands and I saw them for what they were, tiny seedlings of the willow trees, blowing off to find a new grove. Each seed looked like a glossy teardrop and the inside pulsed with a white light, the soul of the tree. They were an answer to my plight, for the seeds generally landed around water. I followed them, ignoring the constant pain in my complaining foot.

Before long I heard the soothing trickle of water and picked up speed, moving out of the thick forest into a river. My heart rose in my throat and I gasped in astonishment, surprised such a deadly forest could hold such beauty. The moonlight revealed what looked like a glass stream, pouring down a riverbank towards a tiny waterfall that trickled into a pond. I stood at the base of the pond among the rocks, staring down at the cold waters that splashed up on the bank. The white seeds floated down and settled onto the rich dark mud near the bank, disappearing with a poof into the ground. I imagined they were like squirrels, tunneling into the ground, seeking mature ground to grow upon. A new grove of weeping willows would rise and start the cycle all over again.

Threading my way through the thick bulrushes I flung myself to my knees in front of the shimmering mirror of water, unashamed of the thick mud accumulating on my bare legs. It felt cold and sucked at me, sliding me closer to the riverbank. Cupping my hands, I lapped at the cool waters like an animal, slaking my thirst. The fog of exhaustion disappeared from my mind and sitting back on my heels I thought about what I would do, where I would go. “I have no home,” I mused aloud to the waters, watching as another batch of white seeds disappeared into the mud. “They treated me like an outcast… I’m not sure where to go. I need to lie low, but I need to be safe, and more than anything, I need to find my pets.”

A roar shattered the calm surface of the lake and a beast rose from the depths. A gray head with sharp white horns appeared, and I froze as a massive head, twice my size, reared up. Vines hung out of the beast’s mouth as if it had been chewing whatever lay beneath the lake. A long graceful neck, like a swan, but thick as a tree trunk swung toward me and I saw its eyes. A blend of lemon, yellow and gold, the same color as my eyes, like dancing orbs in the moonlight. The lake shook as it walked toward me and surprise forsook my body as I stood.

Fear. That’s what one should feel when a monster rises from the lake… yet fear wasn’t something I felt, only admiration and respect. I held out a hand, a sign of reverence as the monster bent its graceful neck over me.

“I am Morag,” it whispered, and even the whisper shook the waters and a wave lapped up near my feet. “I heard your request and have come to give you counsel.”

I watched the water slide off Morag’s scales, dancing back to the waters like the seeds to the mud. “What counsel do you give me?” I leaned closer, captivated by its size and strength, like a wave of doubt through my mind as I wondered what a creature of the water could tell me. How much knowledge did it understand, there under the waves in a dark forest. My feet squelched in the mud and I took a step closer to the bank until my toes touched the cool water and I slid under the surface to be near the monster.

“You have the eye…” Morag began and then paused. In one sudden movement the beautiful monster dived, and a wall of water rose high into the air, watering the mud where the seeds planted themselves.

A sudden feeling of terror swept over me and I crouched in the mud, shaking fingers moving to grip the handle of the knife. A beast slammed into my back with a snarl, toppling me over. Despite my hard demeanor I let loose a shriek of surprise and kicked out, struggling to free myself. Sharp claws swiped near my face and the pale moonlight reflecting off the waters allowed me to see sharp fangs, a pink tongue and snarling dark eyes as the panther leaped over me, mouth wide open for a bite.

I swiped out with the knife, forcing the beast to dodge away at the last moment, although I knew it would not scare it. Snarling and snapping the panther backed away, its tail twitching as its sleek black body disappeared into the darkness. I cocked the knife, ready for its advance, standing firm even though I wished to flee. Turning my back on such an adversary would sign my death warrant. I’d been lucky to escape already today, I did not want to press my luck anymore.

The panther returned on muted feet and leaped, claws scraping my shoulder as it toppled me over on my back. I lashed out with the knife, gritting my teeth, forcing myself not to cry out in fear and egg it on. I kicked at the tough body of the panther in vain, for it was bigger and stronger than me, and if one of its teeth locked around my neck, I would be dead. The panther dodged away from my knife and pinned my arm down. I waved my wrist while griping the fur of its neck as hard as I could with my free hand, yanking the snapping teeth away from my soft flesh. The mud pulled at me, attempting to bury me as I struggled in vain, my eyes flashing in fury, I would not go down this way. I refused.

My hand cramped in agony from keeping the panther away from my face. Its spittle drooled onto my neck as it growled deep in its throat, frustrated with my resistance. Perhaps it was as hungry as I, exhausted after a day of hunting, in need of a tasty morsel to give it energy. My stomach would have growled if I hadn’t been so exhausted, and I could feel tears of distress gathering in my eyes. If I threw back my head and screamed, more of them would come. As I struggled my eyes glimpsed royal blue, a bright feather and then a hurricane of wind.

Something struck the panther from above and it gave a shriek of pain, wiggling off me as it turned to attack whatever had struck it. The same strike came again, a dark blur in the air and I sat up, brushing blood and mud off my filthy clothes as I stood, dropping the knife at my feet. The panther turned tail and dashed into the thicket while my eyes peeled towards the sky, daring to hope when I knew I should not. Please. The whispered prayer left my lips. Is it you? Another flash of blue and there they were, crawling, slithering, and trotting towards me. I opened my arms, and a sob shook my heart. My pets.

7

WREAK HAVOC

“Where have you been?” I asked them, weaving my way between them, my fingers stroking fur, sliding over scales, rubbing wet noses, and touching feathers. I checked for burns, my concerned eyes examining them one by one. “I worried the fire had captured you in its wrath while you slept. This is my fault, I will never talk about you again, I will never open my mouth, even if it is to one I think I can trust. He betrayed us all.”

I murmured and cooed as the beasts danced around me, seeking attention, staring at me with their reproachful eyes. They never said a word, just stood, letting me know they were there.

My pets were not full grown yet, which gave me reason to fear for their survival. I bent down to stroke Zaul, a lizard-like creature with green scales and a row of long teeth like a crocodile. He’d come from the river, the first beast in my collection.

I touched the thick, sharp fins of Ava, my fingertips sliding off her slick scales. She had a neck like a serpent and a face like a wyvern while the rest of her body curved into a mix of scales and feathers like an eel. She had four clawed legs and stared at me with large reproachful eyes.

Their eyes were all the same color as mine. Lemon yellow. I didn’t know what brought them to me, but our similar eyes bound us together and allowed me to ask them to serve my wishes. Never harm another was the motto I taught them, and as anger boiled through my veins, I realized that motto failed me. Do no harm, but allow yourself to be burned and broken, driven out into a nasty forest with a temper bigger than my own.

Reaching up I patted the fur of Grift who stood as tall as a horse with the body of a lion, and the face of a great eagle-like bird, the Xctas. He had great wings folded on his back. I cursed myself to restricting my pets to my garden. Perhaps with freedom and plenty of pasture, they could roam free. A fierce determination to protect almost overcame me and a lump in my throat made my eyes prick with tears which would never be shed.

Ava, who was the smallest, slunk around my legs, giving off a sweet keening sound, her grumpy thoughts filtering through mine. You could have warned us. What happened?

“Hansel,” I whispered, the red-hot anger of betrayal vibrated through my body. “Never you fear,” I told them, locking my gaze on each of them. “I have a plan. I do not forgive the villagers for what they did. You should never fear what others will do to you. From now on, you will wreak havoc in my name.”

Grift pawed the soft dirt near the riverbank, causing streaks of mud to flicker out behind him. Swishing his white tail back and forth he bent his head toward mine. “Is this forest our home now?”

“No, I will find you a home,” I whispered.

The lull of the river and the sound of splashing made me turn back to the bank.

Zaul, Ava, and Grift growled, readying themselves for combat.

“Wait,” I held up a hand, watching the waters flicker. “It might be a friend.”

Morag rose out of the water, droplets dancing around his scales as his long neck hung over the water.

“Where were you?” I demanded. “A panther attacked me, something a quarter of your size. Where is your bravery?”

“It was a test,” Morag hummed, his great voice coming from the depths of his being, like a hypnotic song on a breeze.

My anger did not recede, but I took a deep breath before I explored. “My pets came to my aid, no thanks to you!”

“Nay,” Morag slung his long neck back and forth like a lullaby rocking a child to sleep. “It was a test to help you find your beasts, which you have, and to prove who you are.”

“What do you know of who I am,” I snapped, accidentally biting my tongue and cursing as the sudden jolt of pain swept through my mouth.

“You are the one who tames the beasts, we come when we feel you are in great need.”

“We…” I trailed off as my anger receded and I examined Morag.

He leaned down, bringing his monstrous face closer to mine, and I saw the sheen of his wide eyes, bright as the Green Light in the sky.

“If you will have me, I will join your collection. I heard you call my name in your heart, I have been searching.”

“Searching for me?”

“Aye. Will you have me?”

My limbs trembled as I lifted a hand, reaching up to touch the great snout of the beast. When my hand reached his nostrils, I felt a familiar stir and click within my body, the alliance I swore to each one of my pets. My beasts. “Morag.”

My heart was thumping when I turned to my beasts. “This is my promise to you. I will find us a home, and we will add others to our number. In the meantime, go through this wicked forest, look for others, and wherever you go, wreak havoc.”

“Wait,” Morag cautioned. “I must take you to the Master of the Forest. Follow me.”

Studying his eyes, I nodded in agreement to the odd request.

A hiss. A growl. A roar. My beasts scattered into the underbrush, the forest shaking under their movement.

8

MASTER OF THE FOREST

Morag led the way down the shining river, glowing with a green luminosity in the dim lights of night. Beasts growled in the underbrush but dared not approach us. I followed, my beasts and I leaving odd tracks in the mud which pooled with moisture and melted back into the bank, as if the river were cleaning up after us. I watched the scales of the water monster as an aura of grimness settled on my shoulders. Heated anger rose in waves combined with a deep curiosity.

We followed the bank until it closed upon a deep hedge, and there the waters dived into a steep waterfall, leaving us stranded on the shore.

“Here is where I leave you,” Morag spoke, his deep voice almost blending into the velvet wisps of night. “Follow the path up the bank. There he will wait for you.”

I took a step, my beasts following at my heels.

“They will not be welcome,” Morag arched his neck high in the air. “They must stay here with me.”

Words of protest rose on my lips, but instead of speaking I glared at the water monster. “I thought you belong to me.”

“Aye. But the Master of the Forest must speak to you alone. We await your return.”

I climbed the hill, the pitch making it difficult to see until I noticed the lights under my feet. Glow worms stood out in the mud, forming a path upward, among dead brown branches and broken bracken brush until I could no longer hear the roaring shout of the falls.

A sanctuary of interlocking branches rose before me, difficult to see with only the cast of the glow worms. I held up a hand as I entered, taking a step back as the monster on the throne stood to his feet.

He had the body of a tree, clothes in garments of black ivy and blood dusted feathers. A long white bone was held in one clawed hand, three fingers curving around it. The creature’s head was only a skull, yet not that of a mortal, but of an animal. It seemed to belong to a deer whose head was looped off and rotten to the core while antlers stuck out from the skull. Black slots for eyes turned in my direction and the head reared up, acknowledging my presence.

“Hello Enchantress.” The creature greeted me, staring in a way that made my blood run cold.

“Are you the Master of the Forest?” I focused my eyes on the creature’s snout. Looking into those dark eyes made me think it was dead.

“I am.”

“You know who I am. What do you want with me?”

“I will give you safe passage through my forest in exchange.” The creature tapped its bone against the forest floor, a hush of fear stealing the air away. I smelt something dead and rotten, a deep huskiness rising up from the buried dirt.

“Exchange for what?” I dared ask, confusion mounting.

“You must do something for me.”

“Must I?” I wanted to laugh but the oddness of the situation kept my emotions in check. “What do you want?”

“Death and destruction.” The creature turned its head, the dark eyes moving closer to me. I shivered as it continued. “The world rejoices. Peace is too much. I need riots and chaos and confusion. Wherever you go, there must be an imbalance. You must cause it.”

“Chaos happens whereever I go, regardless,” I admitted, shrugging my shoulders.

“Then you accept?” The creature leaned forward in a semblance of eagerness.

“I do,” I added hastily, since I had nothing to lose.

“Then the paths of the wood will open before you and lead you to paradise. There you shall begin.”

“What of my beasts?”

“What of them?”

“I need a home, a haven for them?”

“Then you will need to fight for it.”

“Will I win?”

“The future is not mine to see, only yours to create.”

“Is there anything else?”

“No. Go.”

“What if I need to find you again?”

“If the time comes, perhaps. Now go. Before the ghosts of the night capture your soul.”

I backed away, unwilling to turn my back on such a strange creature as I left. When it disappeared from my vision I turned and fled back to the river bank, back to my monsters.

9

AT THE END

Three days later I limped out of the dark forest. Brilliant sunshine streamed into my eyes, making me squint as moisture rolled down my smudged cheeks. I looked like a sight to scare any creature to death or drive them mad, running circles of surprise. Reaching up, I placed a hand on a stunted tree trunk, leaning against it for support as a new vibe raced through my veins. Glancing north and south I saw nothing but rolling green hills, with vibrant grass waving over them as if in worship. The sun reached down its rays to bless them and a captivating song murmured past my ears in the breeze.

I left my creatures behind, to run in freedom through the eerie, wild, woods, yet their spirits were close to me as I stepped into the light. The bitter aftertaste of dark and hollow memories faded as my instructions to my monsters in the dark forest. Whatever fog of gloom and despair the boundary line forest had cast over me melted away in the light like ice in the sunshine. Closing my eyes I lifted one hand, leaving the other for balance, and drank in the purity, letting it wash away my sins and the bitterness I held tight to. His dark chocolate eyes rose before mine, a final reminder of what I had lost. Hansel. I suppose it was never meant to be for very long. We were happy for a time, and although I do not forgive you, I can forget.

Cheerful birdsong drifted to my ears, and I stood up straight, sniffing the sweet air, captivated by its kindness. Hobbling forward I walked into pure light and breathed in, while the last of the dew droplets kissed my feet, cleansing me from my journey through the forest.

“Who owns this land?” I mused aloud for I could hear a voice, calling, shouting, telling me over and over, yet it was not in a language I understand. “I know this cannot be the legendary land of the immortals. Nay," I shook my head. "Who owns this land?”

Suddenly the wind fell to a hush, and the grass stood up straight in attendance. I shivered, but not from fear, merely from anticipation, for I felt as if my request was granted. A few moments later, over the rolling hills, with a jolly grin smacked on his face, a bearded giant walked towards me. His hair was chestnut brown and his skin tanned from what I supposed was hours in the sunlight. His bushy beard hid his thick neck, but it was his eyes that paused my breath. They twinkled at me, as good and kind as the boundary line forest had been dark and evil. He carried an ax over one shoulder and when he saw me, standing in my dirty shift with my wild hair, he threw back his head and a deep genuine laugh roared out of his belly.

“You called?” he bellowed when he finished laughing, his eyes dancing merrily at me.

I gaped in astonishment. He was brash and strong, bold and kind, and I sensed nothing but goodness in him, purity without wickedness, mischief without sin. There was something else, something that made me take another step towards him. It was the lure of power. Anticipation beat at my breast as ideas rose in my mind and words spewed out of my mouth. “This is your land?”

“Aye!” he roared, slapping his knee. “You must be new here.”

“Eh,” I pointed back at the forest. “I came through this morning. Who are you?”

“Welcome,” he nodded at me, eyes winking. “I am Novor Tur-Woodberry.”

Despite myself, I winked back at him, a sure feeling of safety gripping me. “Hello,” I held out a hand as a riot of mischievous thoughts collided in my mind. “I am Citrine.”

Dear Readers

Thank you for reading this short story.

Citrine will return in the full length epic fantasy series: Legend of the Nameless One

Read the series that began it all:

The Complete Four Worlds Series: Books 1-4

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The Five Warriors

The Blended Ones

Myran: A Prequel to Eliesmore and the Green Stone

Eliesmore and the Green Stone

Eliesmore and the Jeweled Sword

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Angela J. Ford is the International Bestselling Author of The Four World Series. Brought up as a bookworm and musician, she began writing at the age of twelve. The storyline of her books are largely based off of the imaginative games she played with her sisters. Inspired by fairy tales, high magic, and epic fantasy, Angela knows you’ll enjoy your adventures within the Four Worlds.

If you happen to be in Nashville, you’ll most likely find her at a local coffee shop, enjoying a white chocolate mocha and furiously working on her next book. Make sure you say hello!

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