With the deal made, I released the little fairies from the roots I’d used to bind them. I didn’t know for certain whether or not others would be capable of releasing them, and I didn’t specifically ask either. However, the looks I got from Sagle and Eirlathion when we discussed the subject made it quite clear they were expecting me to be the one to undo them.
The little sprites complained and stretched as they flew about, but they were polite and none of them directed any of their comments of irritation toward me. Soon after, they all flew off in the direction of the capital.
[That is all dealt with now.] I said and then turned my attention toward Sagle. [Now, I believe you might have more information than any of us on how we are to meet up with the Hidan.]
[Uhh… yes.] Sagle said as he tore his eyes away from the place where the fairies were tied up just earlier. [Well, I do not believe I really have anything to contribute that would be beyond what the elven magus would know. The Hidan are nomadic, but they do make a regular pilgrimage to this forest to engage in what they call the spirit “nimalune.” A sacred ritual for them in which they hope to meet with any among the fey who would grant them the honor of coming to the edge of the forest to meet them. This much is well known to everyone among the fey. Perhaps I could tell you of some of the common routes they use to take this pilgrimage if you hope to meet them at a distance from the forest, but the best chance you would have of meeting them would be to find one of the common meeting sites.]
More new vocabulary. ‘Nimalune,’ huh? Well, nim means to talk. Lu is the word for person. I think I am going to assume it means something like ‘communion’ and go with that until I hear something to the contrary. ‘Spirit communion’ does sound like it pretty well describes what Sagle was just talking about.
Well, anyway. As for what all this means for our next actions…
[If what you say is true,] I said, [then it really would be a better idea to meet them at a distance from the forest. If we meet at one of the meeting sites, then there is a good chance there could be some other elves or fairies of the forest. How do you imagine they might react to a pair of grey elves like us?]
[They would only react against the idea of having you at the village they live in.] Sagle said. [If they were to see you going to meet with the Hidan, they would likely conclude you are doing, well, exactly what you truly are doing. Going to seek protection from them until you have grown enough to use the demonic elemental powers and capability to act in the dark against those who come from the underworld. The woman who is mother to you and the elven magus would be respected for taking you away from the village, and the outworlder with the appearance of a Jinn will be seen with a great deal of respect. The presence of that man will have them believing you to be under the personal protection of someone in the high court.]
I glanced over at Eirlathion and mother. He had said exactly what the relationship between us and the two elven adults was. I suppose it might be possible for him to have deduced it somehow, but it seemed more likely he might have heard it in our home village. This man was attached to the envoy’s party then? He was most likely the very same changeling who that ‘Nier’ guy, who found us shortly after Mr. Adderson, said we should contact.
[Even with that being the case, I believe you can understand that, with what we have just been through, I am still somewhat distrustful.] I said. [I will ask for opinions though. Mother, Eirlathion, I would like to hear from you as well this time.]
[Huh?] Eirlathion reacted. [Uhh… yes, but… Asaren. You said before that you did not know much of magic from… from the other world you came from… right?] He asked cautiously in a manner that completely threw me off.
[Umm… yes?] I said cautiously.
Once I admitted this, something about him seemed to suddenly shift. In addition to shaking off whatever daze he had appeared to be under ever since I had arrived with these prisoners in tow, he also seemed to take on an old familiar teaching father-like expression.
[I thought not.] He said. [That would explain how you could be so callous with those spirits you seem to have forced to inhabit those roots. I suppose you must have done it without even realizing what you were doing, but you should not simply discard them like that after having them split off into those small plant structures.]
I was stunned by what he was suddenly saying. I did what now?
As he was talking, he had approached me and was crouching down and picking up the small roots I had removed from the fairies just a moment ago. Once they were all collected up, he held them out to me and forced me to take them in my hand.
[These roots are alive and filled with the consciousness and the power you have given them now, but they will die if you do not keep supplying them with spirit power. Honestly, I am beyond just amazed that you have managed to do something like this.] He said.
[She did not know?] One of the fairies who were still hovering about whispered as they were all looking down in a state of what could only be described as awe.
Sagle also seemed to look like he was shaking himself out of something at this sudden revelation.
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[Well, this changes a lot.] He said. [This is also more reason why I would suggest approaching one of the normal meeting places for the “Nimalune” (Communion.) You will likely want to find some trees willing to give up some wood to give those little independent wood spirits some more substantial bodies. I can assure you, Asaren, what you have done is no small feat. Once these subordinates of mine tell of what you have done, you will not face any further threat from any member of this kingdom. You will be treated as someone who must be allowed to grow and who must be protected.
[It is regrettable we have made such a bad first impression. I am certain the queen would like to assign members of the high court of the defense “nimandare.”] He said, dropping another new elven vocabulary word that started with the word ‘Nim’ (to talk or communicate.) But, I didn’t have time to really think about that.
I suddenly felt like my head was swimming. It felt a lot like learning about an unexpected pregnancy. I looked down to the delicate bundle of tangled roots in my hand. These things are alive and sentient? Wood spirits, they said? Suddenly, the weight of what I was holding in my hand seemed to increase as I learned of the significance these tiny things had. Perhaps it is a good thing I did not tie up Sagle in one of these as well. Five is enough to deal with.
Did I just create five more of Nymph? That realization had me ready to nearly faint as I began to gain a greater understanding of the true gravity of this situation.
That’s it. I definitely cannot risk dabbling in any more wood magic until I get some pretty significant instruction.
***
We ultimately did wind up returning to the edge of the forest. Eirlathion guided me through taking each of the five little root bundles and pressing them to the side of particularly large trees, a different tree for each of the root bundles, and drawing out some wood to merge into them. He had me take a lot more wood than I expected, enough to turn each of them into a strong and sturdy support beam for an average sized home back on Earth. Next to my tiny 2 year old body, they became massive.
He seemed quite satisfied with that size, and then had me command them to compress themselves. This got even more stunning results. The wood was able to compress itself far more than I would have ever expected, and soon I had five child-size bracelets that, despite being made of wood, had something closer to the consistency of solid steel.
This was the first time I came to really understand what Tia had always told me about how strong our bodies were now because of our powerful spirit energy. These things were condensed wood. That should mean that they did not loose any weight when I had them reduce in size. This means each and every one of these should have a weight the equivalent of a medium size birch tree, making their density something that would far out-strip even lead with them at this size. This is something I could never lift even with my full adult strength back on Earth, and yet here it felt like nothing to wear all five of them on the same arm as I am now.
[Those are called living wood weapons.] Eirlathion said. [You have to understand Asaren. Up until now, there was only one being in the world capable of making weapons of this kind. That is, the great land spirit who inhabits the great tree. The idea of any humanoid, let alone an elf, having the ability to enspirit a piece of wood is something I am still having trouble believing even though I just watched it happen in front of me. Even though I just guided you through the process of providing them with larger bodies.]
Eirlathion sighed and went silent, seemingly at a loss for words. I imagine he might be going through a painful mental process very similar to the one I had just hours earlier when I found out what I had done when I bound those fairies and Eirlathion had picked up and forced me to hold on to these things in order to feed them my spirit energy.
Sagle looked between me and Eirlathion and then decided to approach and pick up the explanation for the flabbergasted man.
[Living wood weapons are powerful allies usually entrusted to members of the war and defense “nimandare” in the fey court.] He said, dropping that word again I hadn’t even begun to figure out the meaning of. [They can act much like a lakira tree, able to warp and form themselves to the will of the one who gives them spirit energy and mana. Because they are made of such condensed wood, they have a strength that is greater than any metal weapon the humans can ever make. However, because they are not planted in the ground they must be kept on the person of the wielder at all times in order to feed on spirit energy and mana. Otherwise, they will die.]
I looked again at the five small bracelets I had placed on my fore-arm as I was repeating my way through the process of making these. Then, I looked up at Levin, Rolwen, Tia, and Mr. Adderson.
[So. Are they somehow attached to me, or can I give these to someone else?] I asked.
[They grow a preference for the one who wields them. However, these ones are young and have just been created. They will most likely get along with a new wielder at this age.] Sagle said.
Well, that’s just perfect then. Levin and Rolwen may not be able to do anything with them until they learn how to use mana, but I guess if these things act like Sagle says then it would be better for them to start wearing theirs now to get them used to their spirit energy.