The Forests of Silence

With a cry, Lief threw down the sword and leapt up. He ran to the patch of mud and thrust his cupped hands under the nectar flow. When they were full to the brim he ran back to Barda, pouring the nectar onto the wound in his chest, smearing what was left on his pale lips.

Then he waited breathlessly. One minute passed. Two —

“Perhaps he has gone too far away already,” Jasmine murmured.

“Barda!” Lief begged. “Come back! Come back!”

The big man’s eyelids fluttered. His eyes opened. They were dazed, as though he had been dreaming. “What — is it?” he mumbled. As color began to steal back into his cheeks, his hand fumbled towards the wound on his chest. He licked his lips. “Hurts,” he said.

“But the cut is healing!” Jasmine hissed in wonder. “See? It is closing of itself! Never have I seen such a thing.”

Overjoyed, Lief saw that indeed the wound was repairing itself. Already it was just a raw, red scar. And as he watched the scar itself began to fade, till it was nothing but a thin white line.

“Barda! You are well!” he shouted.

“Of course I am!” With a grunt, Barda sat up, running his hands through his tangled hair. He stared around, astounded, but quite himself again. “What happened?” he demanded, climbing to his feet. “Did I faint? Where is Gorl?”

Lief pointed wordlessly at the crumpled armor beneath the fallen branch. Barda strode over to the branch, frowning.

“This is his armor,” he said, kicking at it. “But there is no body inside it.”

“I think Gorl’s body crumbled to dust long ago,” Lief said. “All that was left inside that armor shell was darkness and … will. But once the armor was destroyed, even that will could not survive. It could not survive in the light.”

Barda grimaced with distaste. He looked up. “So a tree branch fell and finished him,” he said. “That was a piece of luck.”

“It was not luck!” exclaimed Jasmine indignantly. “I told the tallest tree what must be done, and at last it listened. I promised that it and the others would be rid of the vines, if it did what I asked. The sacrifice of one limb was small in return for freedom.”

Barda’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief, but Lief put a warning hand on his arm. “Believe me, what Jasmine says is true,” he said. “She saved both our lives.”

“You saved Barda’s life.” Jasmine objected again. “The sun made the Lilies bloom, and —”

She broke off and turned quickly to look at the Lilies of Life. Lief looked, too, and saw that already they were fading. Only a few drops of nectar still dropped from their wilting petals.

Jasmine rapidly pulled at a chain that hung around her neck, bringing out from under her clothes a tiny white jar capped with silver. She ran to the patch of mud and held the jar under the nectar flow so that the last few golden drops dripped into it. Then she watched as the Lilies bent their heads and slowly collapsed into the mud.

“Who knows how long it will be till they bloom again,” she said calmly, when at last she moved back to the others. “But at least they will bloom, because the sun will shine on them after this. And in the meantime, I have at least some of the nectar. It is indeed a great prize.”

“Will you drink of it, and live forever?” asked Lief. But he smiled, for he already knew the answer.

Jasmine tossed her head. “Only a fool would want such a thing,” she snorted. “And these few drops would not do the work in any case, according to Gorl. But the nectar will still be useful — as we have proved already today.”

“How?” asked Barda, bewildered.

“It brought you back from the brink of death, as it happens,” Lief murmured. “I will tell you. But first …”

He picked up Gorl’s sword. The giant topaz seemed to wink, then fell cleanly from the hilt of the sword into his hand. He laughed joyously as he held it up and the sunbeams lit its yellow surface, turning it to gold.

“What is it?” exclaimed Jasmine. “Is this what you have been seeking?”

Lief realized, too late, that in his excitement he had betrayed their secret. He saw Barda grimace, then nod slightly. Tell her a little but not all, Barda’s nod said.

“It is a topaz, symbol of faithfulness.” Lief put the gem into Jasmine’s eager hand.

“Some say that a topaz can —” Barda began.

He broke off, startled. The clearing had abruptly dimmed, as though the sun had gone behind a cloud. At the same moment a thick, billowing mist began to form. Kree screeched, Filli chattered nervously. The three companions froze.

Out of the mist, a wavering white figure appeared. It was a woman, sweet-faced and smiling.

“It is a spirit,” breathed Barda. “The topaz …”

The mist swirled. Then there was a voice.

“Jasmine!” the voice called. “Jasmine, my dearest!”

Lief looked quickly at Jasmine. The girl was standing rigidly, holding the topaz out in front of her. Her face was as white as the mist itself. Her lips moved as she stared at the figure before her. “Mama!” she breathed. “Is — is it you? Can it be you?”

“Yes, Jasmine. How wonderful it is to be able to speak to you at last. Jasmine — listen to me carefully. I do not have much time. You have done well, very well, since your father and I were taken from you. But now you must do more.”

“What?” Jasmine whispered. “What, Mama?”

The spirit stretched out her hands. “The boy Lief and the man Barda are friends, and their quest is just,” she said, her voice as soft as the sighing of the wind. “It is a quest that will free our land from the Shadow Lord. But they still have much to do, and far to travel. You must join them — leave the Forests and go with them — and help them as much as you are able. It is your destiny. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Jasmine whispered. “But Mama —”

“I must leave you now,” breathed the sighing voice. “But I will be watching over you, as I always have, Jasmine. And I love you, as I have always done. Be of good heart, my dearest.”

Jasmine stood, motionless, as the mist slowly disappeared. When she turned to Lief and handed the topaz back to him, her eyes were wet with tears. “What is this magic?” she hissed, almost angrily. “What is this stone, that it can show my mother to me?”

“It is said that the topaz has the power to bring the living into contact with the spirit world,” Barda said gruffly. “I did not believe it, but —”

“So, my mother is dead,” Jasmine murmured. “I thought it was so — I felt it. But still I hoped …” Her lips tightened. Then she took a deep breath, raised her chin, and looked at them squarely.

“It seems I am to go with you when you leave here,” she said. “If you will have me.” She put up her hand to the small, furry creature clinging to her shoulder. “But I could not leave Filli behind. And Kree goes everywhere I go. That would have to be understood.”

“Of course!” Lief exclaimed. Then, suddenly realizing that he was not the only one who had to agree, he glanced quickly at Barda. His heart sank when he saw that Barda was slowly shaking his head. But then Barda spoke.

“I must be growing old,” he sighed. “Or perhaps I cracked my skull when I fell. Things are moving too fast for me.” Slowly a grin spread over his face. “But not so fast that I cannot recognize a good idea when I hear one,” he added.

He put his strong hand on Lief’s shoulder and turned to Jasmine. “I did not want Lief with me when we began — I confess it,” he said cheerfully. “But if he had stayed at home, as I wished, I would by now be dead, and the quest lost. I will not make the mistake a second time. If Fate has decreed that we are to be three, so be it.”

The Belt burned around Lief’s waist. He unfastened it, laying it on the ground before him. He crouched over it and fitted the topaz into the first medallion. It slid into place and glowed there, as pure and golden as the nectar of the Lilies of Life, as warm and golden as the sun.

Jasmine stared curiously at the Belt. “There are seven medallions,” she pointed out. “Six are still empty.”

“But one is filled,” said Lief with satisfaction.

“The longest journey begins with the first step,” said Barda. “And the first step we have taken. Whatever the next may bring, we have cause to celebrate now.”

“I am going to celebrate by beginning to rid the trees of these accursed vines,” Lief said, putting his hand to his sword.

But Jasmine smiled. “There is no need,” she said. “The word has spread that The Dark is no more.”

She pointed upwards and, to his amazement, Lief saw that the vine-shrouded trees were thick with birds. He had not heard them because they were too busy to call or sing. They were gladly tearing at the vines with their beaks and claws, working furiously. And more birds were coming every moment — birds of every kind.

“The beasts are on their way,” Jasmine murmured. “The little gnawing creatures that like roots and stems. They will be here within the hour and they, too, will relish the vines. In a day or two the trees will be free.”

The three stood for a moment, watching the amazing scene above them. Already some branches were clear of vines. No longer bound and weighed down, they were stretching gladly towards the sky.

“This must have been a beautiful place, once,” Lief said softly.

“And will be again,” Jasmine murmured. “Because of you. It was fortunate that you came here.”

Barda grinned. “I must confess that for a while I doubted it,” he said. “But all has ended well. Very well.” He stretched his great arms wearily. “We should stay a day or two, I think. To rest, and eat, and watch the freeing of the trees.”

“And then?” Jasmine asked. “What then?”

“And then,” Barda said simply, “we will go on.”

Lief slowly clipped the Belt around his waist once more. His heart was very full. He felt wonder and a kind of triumph when he thought of what had just passed. He felt excitement, eagerness, and a thrill of fear at the thought of what was ahead.

But most of all he felt relief, and a deep, deep happiness.

The first gem had been found.

The quest to save Deltora had truly begun.