Forest of Spirits Read online

  The altar should have been right there!

  As she delved further among the trees, her a frown knitted her brow. Where was it? Diana panted as she broke through unfamiliar brush. Had she somehow become turned around?

  She could hardly think as she attempted to mentally backtrack the route she had taken. The sound of the jeep roared closer as she gasped for breath. Every branch on the trees quivered and trembled as if something monstrous was moving through them. Clutching her bow to her, her head whipped around as if trying to make sense of what she was seeing. The leaves quaked and shimmered, and tiny living lights bounced all around the woods in a dizzying swarm. A bulge in the brush raced in a line toward her, filling the air with savage, vicious snorts as it came closer. Diana shook her head in denial as she stumbled away.

  This wasn’t her forest!

  Chapter 2

  Something shuffled near her. Diana winced, bringing a hand up to her head. What had happened? She attempted to grasp at any memory. She had stumbled back, looking around the forest. Not her forest!

  Diana’s eyes snapped open as she jerked upright. Whatever had been beside her scurried into the bushes rattling to her right. She stared at them, her pulse pounding in her ears.

  “Hello? Is anyone there?” As she rose to her feet, her eyes never left the cluster of brush. She craned her neck, widening her field of vision. “I am lost. I don’t mean any harm.”

  “Carries a weapon but doesn’t mean any harm she says,” a soft voice whispered with a wicked chuckle.

  The brush snapped as if something raced suddenly around her. Diana froze in place. Swallowing thickly, she shook her head. She was tempted to drop her bow, but she knew that was a terrible idea.

  “I… I’m sorry. My bow is all I have to protect myself,” she called out.

  “Protect yourself? Ha!” the voice muttered with a sharp snarl as if speaking to itself. “Deceitful, lying humans.” She jumped as a gray face burst out from the bushes beside her, the grooved, horned brow wrinkling as the face snarled, baring wickedly sharp teeth. Long pointed ears popped up from the curling dark locks of hair at either side of its head. “Go away! We don’t want you here!” the thing snarled in a piercing shriek.

  Diana stumbled away from the bush as the face disappeared once again.

  The bush rustled and, faster than her eyes could track, bounded through the brush with the shrill sound of a raptor to settle in more brush behind her. She froze, slowly turning fully toward it.

  “Please,” she whispered. “I don’t know how I got here. I never go into the inner woods. I just go into the outer forest and always with appropriate gifts for passage. This shouldn’t have happened.”

  The thing hummed speculatively. Ever so slowly, it slipped out of the brush. It was short and lithe with the narrow chest and belly that reminded her of an adolescent, save for a heavy brow and bearded face. Hands were tipped with dark claws, and the body terminated into the hindquarters of a goat all the way down to his rough hooves. Horns twisted from his brow as he cocked its head and eyed her doubtfully.

  “What gifts do you have?” he inquired in a soft, snarling voice.

  Swallowing, Diana’s fingers fumbled nervously with her backpack. She still had the portion of food she had reserved for her own lunch. Pulling out the bread and cheese, she thrust it toward the creature. Delight crossed his face and he quickly snatched it away. Settling on a rock, he bit off a large mouthful of bread with frightfully sharp fangs before glancing up at her.

  “Drink?” he queried.

  With a mute nod, she removed the flask and handed it over. There wasn’t much honeyed milk left, but the creature sniffed the contents and tipped the flask back, swallowing the remaining few mouthfuls with a happy sigh.

  “What are you?” she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the unusual-looking being seated on the rock in front of her.

  He snickered, his eyes sparkling impishly as he bared his teeth in a cruel smile. “Do you not recognize what I am? So blind to not recognize a faun before you.”

  “A faun…?”

  He scowled, his brow pulling low and making his face look all the more horrible as his body tensed and coiled with aggression. “A faun, a spirit of the woodlands and meadows, guardian of herds so on and so on. A child of the god Faunus?” he tried again at her blank look.

  “Oh,” she mumbled, clenching her bow tighter in her hands. “You speak of mythology.”

  The faun growled irritably, making the tiny hairs on her arms stand on end. “Humans.” He growled as he stalked toward her, eyes glowing in the low light. “Would you like me to demonstrate how real I am?” he demanded with an aggressive rumble. As she stumbled back, her eyes wide with panic, he barked out a terrible laugh and shook his head. “I thought not. Be thankful you have purchased my assurance of safe passage in my wood.”

  “And who are you to guarantee me such?” she dared to ask, though her voice trembled on every word, her desire to flee warring with her natural caution.

  The faun chuckled, the sound menacing. “This part of the wood is mine. That is all that you need to concern yourself with—and how you will safely leave the great forest.”

  She paced back from him nervously as he continued to circle her like a predator seeking a vulnerable place to attack. “And how will you offer me safety?” she whispered as every muscle tensed.

  He gave her an amused look, a rattling laughter bubbling up in his throat. “By allowing you to pass through it without any harm coming from me or those under my influence. The oath is observed by the gods. You have been gifted with an opportunity to flee, my prey. Run home. You have no further bribes to give to other beings you may encounter. I do wonder how long you will survive… Such an amusing game.”

  Diana paled. “It is not a game,” she choked out. “I’m lost.”

  “I disagree,” he murmured as he circled her, his eyes glowing brighter in the shadows.

  Swallowing thickly, she gripped her bow nervously as she peered about. “Do you know which way to go to return home?”

  A jagged smile stretched his lips. “I know not such information. I recommend that you leave and make haste before something decides that you make a good meal.”

  She stumbled back, her heart pounding in her ears a staccato beat, making the faun’s lip curl with undisguised glee. His nostrils flared and he licked his lips as if relishing the flavor of her fear. She struggled against it, not wishing to bolt mindlessly once again. She was already lost in a nightmare. Everything familiar was gone, replaced by another world with creatures that would terrorize and eat her. Her legs shook with restraint, and her breath slammed out of her lungs in a frightened moan.

  The faun’s glowing eyes narrowed on her. He nodded, his gray face suddenly appearing darker as the sun moved, casting much of it into shadows. “As a kindness, I will tell you only this. Most beings will toy with you, give chase to sate their appetites for terror, and they may go as far as to take a bite of you to see how you taste before they let you escape. Some few might kill you and leave you dead to fertilize the ground if you truly offend them. But none dare to offend the will of Silvani Lucomo, King of the Eternal Forest who loathes senseless dances of blood and death. Beware the ancient being deep within the woods, beyond even the deep halls of the lucomo. In the darkest depths, in the caverns below the very heart of the woods, Cacus wakens.”

  “And this ancient being… eats people.”

  The faun’s lips pulled back from his teeth in a horrible snarl. “He consumes everything. Humans who trespass into our world are easy prey. You are slow with no defenses. The wiles of your race will do you no good here. You are weak. If you stay, you will feed his appetite.” A rattle echoed from his throat as he spun around to crash back into the brush, leaving Diana staring after him.

  Drawing in a shaky breath, Diana glanced around once more. Cacus. Why did the name sound familiar? Damn, she should have paid better attention to the mythology unit in high school English. N
ever in a million years would she have guessed that her survival in a world gone to shit was going to depend on dredging up knowledge she had barely paid attention to. Her life depended on the random facts her teacher took pleasure in quizzing them on. The kind of information that was likely going to kill her. She could practically taste the irony.

  A shiver of dread raced over her body as Diana picked a direction and plodded forward. One way was just as good as another when she couldn’t recall how she entered this part of the forest. Everywhere she looked was nothing but the endless, threatening expanse of the deep woods. Nothing recognizable or inviting.

  The Eternal Forest was thick with ancient trees, reaching to the skies with twisted limbs as leaves quaked and rustled, each sound setting her nerves on edge. The foliage was so thick that in some places it blotted out the sun, leaving shadows where anything could lurk and wait. Squinting ahead, she wondered about the fate of the men in the jeep. Recalling their screams made bile crawl up her throat.

  Shivering, Diana tugged the hoodie under her vest tighter around her. Never had she been truly frightened to be alone in the forest, until now.

  Chapter 3

  Sunlight filtered into the room from the numerous small windows cut into the rock’s upper walls. It fell upon the jewel-laden ropes of gold strung between the tall antlers of the massive male sitting on a throne created from living trees that had been twisted together as saplings. His bulk reclined on them as pearl-white eyes narrowed in his hard face. His lashes were thick and black so that his eyes appeared to be thickly outlined in kohl like some desert denizen, offsetting his glowing eyes against the marble hue of his face. He was the picture of menace as he shifted his weight onto the forearm braced on his throne and glared down at the male bowed before him. A nymph with long blue locks of hair spiraling down her back approached him hesitantly, but he waved her off as he focused on his supplicant.

  “What is one of the aelven court doing in the depths of the Eternal Forest?” he growled. “Do you not have enough with which to keep yourself occupied in the northern woods of your kingdom, Prince Bilban?”

  The prince stood warily, his shining armor almost painfully luminous. “It is not that we wish to disturb you, Silvas, but my sire thought it prudent to send word to you.”

  Silvas sank back into his throne and smirked, the adornment between his antlers clinking. Throwing up a graceful hand, his obsidian claws flashed as he gestured for the prince to continue. “What is it that King Emidoran thinks he knows of the Eternal Forest that I do not?” he asked silkily.

  If the male shuddered beneath his stare, it was slight. How disappointing. So little reaction. The tightly controlled aelven people always failed to be entertaining. Silvas sighed and waited impatiently as the prince bowed again.

  “I bring warning of disturbances in the northern wood.”

  “Disturbances?” Silvas interrupted, brow furrowing. “What do you mean by disturbances? I trust this is more serious than puckish fae… Surely you would not waste my time with such things.”

  “It is quite serious, lucomo. There are reported sightings of things unnatural within the woods. Things that have been long since buried in our world when they used our forests to enter the world of men. None of us considered that the expansion of the Eternal Forest might break old magics keeping them tethered, but we are afraid that this may be the case. They are venturing into the human world once more. There are… disappearances.”

  Silvas scowled. Impossible!

  “Clarify.”

  Bilban took a breath and met his eye. “Humans, lucomo. Whatever is coming out of our forests is taking the humans from their world. We find remains, at times near our kingdoms. They are terrible. We fear it may only be a fraction of the losses suffered in the human world. They are awake and feeding.”

  “What of Freyr, the lord who holds dominion over your world? Can he do nothing to preserve the human life at your borders?”

  “The gods are restricted by the Fates. You know this as much as we do. Perhaps more so, I would wager, as ancient as you are. He aids as he can, but ultimately this is in our hands.”

  A low growl rolled out from Silvas’s chest as his long, leonine tail flicked in agitation beside the seat of his throne. It cracked in the sudden stillness of his throne room.

  “So you come to me…”

  The aelven prince nodded, paling ever so slightly. “You are the oldest among us, the ruler of the Eternal Woods themselves. Although you do not interfere in the various domains that inhabit this world, it was only natural that we would seek your counsel. You possess considerable power to even pass easily between worlds. Did you not assist against the infernal creatures when they broke through into the human realm?”

  “My role in that was small, to say the least,” Silvas growled. He cocked his head, curious. “Are you not afraid that I will bring my terror through your sunlight, wood aelf? Is that not what your polite courts think of all silvani, that we are brutes of the wild woods who bring destruction and mayhem to any civilization we encounter? And I, the silvani lucomo, the king of all the silvani, am the worst of them all… Am I not?” he purred.

  The male stiffened and met Silvas’s gaze. Finally, he was able to catch the slightest perfume of fear from the aelf. It delighted his senses, feeding his pleasures. He inhaled slowly, drinking it in. Such sweet elixir.

  “The silvani are known to be… unpredictable… in behavior, but careful guardians when it comes to the forests themselves. As the threat comes from the depths of the Eternal Forest, we humble ourselves before you. As of yet, the creatures only prey on humans, but how long will that content such monsters? The aelven court beseeches your mercy.” He dropped his knees in full supplication, arms held out before him and palms upward in entreaty.

  A shiver ran over Silvas’s skin as he sat back once more and stared at the male, savoring the moment. He tapped one long claw on the arm of his throne thoughtfully. “So, the aelves come to me not out of concern for the human populations among their new forest borders, but to save their own lives from the jaws of the creatures once more roaming their woods. How typical,” he sneered.

  Bilban’s head shot up, his jewel-colored eyes widening. Silvas snorted mirthfully and waved a hand. “Calm yourself, aelf. I merely point out the more accurate details of your request,” he said, allowing his voice to drop into a purr once more. He traced a pattern with his claw on the wood beneath his hand. “But since you speak of truth, let me be direct with you now: I do not tolerate evil in my woods. I will search it out, but I will not favor your kingdom for the human world. If I must chase my quarry over the boundaries and leave your hallowed courts to whatever fate that might receive, I shall do so without hesitation or regret. My only interest will be in my hunt. Is that understood?”

  A quiver shot through the male, but he met Silvas’s gaze without flinching. “Perfectly, lucomo. With your permission, I shall return immediately to my father with your word.”

  Silvas flicked his fingers dismissively. He was done with the aelf, his thoughts turning already to the foul taint that had risen in his woods and yet had managed to keep itself hidden from him. “Go,” he rasped, turning to stare out of one of the windows.

  Several nymphs approached, setting food in front of him. One reclined against his throne as she removed her top. Her eyes sparkled at him with humor as his lust raged to the fore. It was all a game with the nymphs, to tease and torment him without any hope of relief. Their only interest was to feed off the sexual desires they stoked. His body pinched painfully, and he groaned as her delicate fingers slid toward the cloth draped around his hip. He caught her hand and pushed it away with a low snarl.

  “I am not in the mood for your games. Remove yourself,” he hissed.

  The nymph’s eyes widened before she giggled and pushed up to her feet once more. Tossing him a wicked grin over her shoulder, she strode away, her hips swaying enticingly. The others mercifully followed her, exchanging sly looks as they glanced
back at him. Silvas reached into his pants and shifted his cock into a more comfortable position as the last of them cleared the room.

  Fucking nymphs.

  His eyes trailed back once more to the window at the sound of wings. A pale dove landed with a flurry of feathers, its head bobbing with interest as it adjusted its position on the edge of the window. It cooed delicately, and he bristled.

  Wretched creature of Turan, Venus—or whatever name his mother, the goddess of love and desire was going by as of late. He wasn’t going to be a victim of one of her amusements.

  “That goes for you too, Mother,” he snarled. “I am in no mood for any lustful trickery. If you are looking to tease me, then leave.”

  The goddess didn’t materialize, but then again, he hadn’t really expected her to. She rarely showed up in person unless she had a specific reason. He should only be so fortunate that it wasn’t one of those times. Instead, he was left glowering at a bird as it fluttered down into his throne room. A low growl sounded in his throat.

  Oh, she wanted something though.

  Silvas clenched his fist. He didn’t have time for guessing games. If she wasn’t going to explain what she wanted, he wasn’t going to humor her by chasing after her messenger!

  Shoving off his throne, he stalked away, giving his back to the animal. He had other things to attend to—namely finding out what exactly was occurring in the Eternal Forest. Fauns and red-capped goblins scurried out of his way as pixies darted out of the bushes in surprise. The trees bent, reaching toward him in silent tribute as he left his cavernous palace beneath the great tree of the forest.