Chapter 3: Chapter 2

Charlie

 

"Are we there yet?" Charlie's older brother Joris snorted. "I'm cold, it's raining and I'm hungry! At some point, we have to find our way out of this forest! Or at least find the path again!"

"We shouldn't have followed that little light", Lucas grumbled.

"And whose idea was that?" Molly gave him a sharp look. "Yours, if I'm not mistaken, my hero! You are the oldest, but not the wisest!"

"Did I ever say that?", muttered Lucas.

"Yes! When you discovered that willow-o-wisp", Charlie reminded him. Lucas was two years older than Molly and he had claimed he should know best. After all, he had two years more life experience.

Gentle rain pattered softly through the thick leaves of the strange trees. Sometimes Charlie felt like they were moving. The group had been hiking through the forest for several days now without having found their way out. They hoped to find a new home in the steppe, but a willow-o-wisp led them deep into the forest and off the path. Lucas had run after the little light, convinced that it wanted to help.

Apart from this one, cheeky little light they had only seen animals so far. Strange, colorful birds. Rabbits with horns growing on their heads. A white deer, and pink deer. Joris had managed to chase one of the rabbits. That provided them with a hot meal the night before. Charlie was skeptical at first. Was this rabbit really... edible? Otherwise, they ate only a few sweet and juicy berries, which they found every now and then. Charlie's stomach growled incessantly.

"The little light was so cute", Lucas grumbled. "How can such a sweet creature be so evil!"

"It’s a willow-o-wisp!" Molly rolled her eyes. "If this continues, we will have to live here in the forest..."

They followed a thin stream, hoping to find the river. If they followed it, perhaps it would lead them to the steppe. Charlie didn't care where he was, as long as he was far away from the Queen. He did not want to spend his life in prison because he had rebelled against slavery and other atrocities. Or even have to pay for it with his life.

His older brother had a harder time.

He dreamed of starting his own library. A library that did not belong to the queen and the nobility. His own library. He had to leave his dream behind him when they ran away. Charlie had no such dreams, but he was also only seventeen. Just out of school and not smart enough to go to university, as his mother had wished. He was also not smart enough to finish school successfully. And the money was also missing.

Most of those who attended university were noble or rich. Witches and wizards. No mortals.

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Joris, on the other hand, had wanted to go to university, but he didn't get a place. He wanted to finance his studies through hard work, but he didn't get that far.

They also left their parents behind. They did not want to start a new life in the steppe. Charlie didn't know how they were doing now. Had they been arrested? Or were they left alone?

"There's the river!" Lucas pointed to a shimmering spot between the tall trees. Until a few seconds ago, he had been arguing with Molly. But this new discovery distracted the two. It actually looked like water. So they went towards the iridescent and soon stepped on the bank of a wide river.

This find came in handy. It was already getting dark and they were thirsty. They drank from the river water, Molly struggled to stop Joris and Charlie from a water fight, and then set up a halfway dry camp between the trees. A wide tarpaulin protected them from the rain, which was now getting heavier.

In the rain, they could not light a campfire, so they moved close together under the tarpaulin. A cold wind was blowing, even though it was still summer. Autumn was approaching. But the fairy forest did not seem to know this. Here it was usually warm and it smelled of summer.

Lucas watched the water restlessly. "Do you feel watched too?"

"Hm... Yes", Molly agreed. "All sorts of wondrous creatures live here. Maybe it's just a fish."

"Or a pretty siren!", said Joris. "A beautiful, curvy mermaid with long hair and a noble body!"

Charlie beat him. "And a fishtail, you fool! What do you want with a siren? In addition... I once heard they were dangerous."

Molly nodded. "No one goes to the water alone. Sirens drown people for fun."

"Will they be able to leave the water?", wondered Charlie. "We are very close to the river."

"With a fishtail?" Lucas shook his head. "They belong in the water and not on land. Here, we’re safe!" He kissed his wife on the cheek. "And if a siren shows up, I'll drive it away!"

 

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