Spirited laughter echoed through the forest. Under the silver moonlight they travelled hand in hand, adorned in jewels, scents and silken robes. With every step forward they cautiously gazed behind, conversing softly among themselves. The lady and the two disciples. 

“ Now I did want to break his arm. . .” Lady Lilia lifted her fist. 

“ Is it not unwise to get into trouble lady?” To her left was timid Ara, she trembled with each step and looked behind them anxiously, then jabbed the person beside her, “ You ought to practice some self restraint”


Sarel rolled his eyes, “ Then you let the general grope you!”


“ Another one of your tantrums and we shall be ousted from the capital, before long we’ll be begging on the streets” argued Ara. “ Fine with me if you would prefer that”


“ Now stop fighting you two” Lady Lilia chided mirthfully. She held with a bejewelled right hand the hem of her red dress and with the other a bright opal lamp.

She turned  to the right and her hand paused upon the branch of a spruce tree. In the distance a flock of frightened birds flew to the sky and a broken wail rang through the forest. Their voices faltered.

The forest fell silent, the insistent rain subsided and the sound of footsteps paused. Then they heard it again. Intermittent and muffled,  at times heaving and choking, the sound of pained crying.

 In the Ahsaran boundary forest, inhabited by beasts and creatures of darkness, strange calls and anomalous phenomenon were not usual.

“ W-what- who was that?’ Frightened Sarel grabbed Ara’s hand.


“ It sounds like an injured person” Lilia whispered. 

“ Are you certain Lady Lilia?” Ara hugged Sarel worriedly. “ Could it not be a strange creature?”  

Lilia had travelled the east boundary forest since her childhood, and knew the calls of these creatures with the familiarity of her own voice. This. . . was not the sound of an  animal or beast, it was the sound of an injured  person. And she was sure of it.

They were no healers, animal nor human. But the lady carried with her the knowledge of herbs and medicine as was required of a perfumer. She looked behind her, the two disciples held each others hands and trembled akin to frightened mice. If it truly was an injured animal or person it would not hurt to help . . . but 

“ If it becomes too dangerous then you two return to the pavilion” 

Ara gasped but Sarel slapped her mouth, nodding slowly, “ Only if its too dangerous, but we would like to accompany the lady”


“ Alright then”  Lilia smiled affectionately, “ Be careful and keep close”

She handed the opal lamp to Ara and reached into her pocket to produce a small fire opal. Then she tied her skirt by her ankles so as not to stumble. Sarel and Ara also followed her lead and tied their robes to their feet. As they prepared to run in the direction of the cries, they heard the sound of frantic running and maniacal laughter. Sarel and Ara froze behind her. A few feet before them a man stumbled down the hill. His adorned robes glimmering even within the darkness. 

He did not seem frightened but rather. . . excited, his eyes focused on a small light emanating from his palms as  he ran in a hurry, blind to the dangerous forest paths he rolled over and the three strangers that stood in his way. 

The disciples looked at Lilia in shock. They could not see what he looked like nor the state of his being. But with speed with which he ran Lilia thought it impossible that this person was injured. So they tightly held their opals and walked into the deep forest. The ground was slippery, rain had collected in puddles and streams along the forest. They almost fell off its ravine like slopes many times before they could understand where they were standing or what they were seeing.

The dead air  of the boundary forest was chilling yet the wetness Ara felt by her feet was warm and pulsating with life. She lifted the lamp and held it against her leg. Stumbling back, she crashed into Sarel. Lilila looked at them threateningly and turned away. Fresh blood dripped all over them, and Ara even looked above in fear that a corpse may be hanging over them. It was collected in puddles and on trees, sprayed onto dew, flowers and leaves. All the colours of the forest were dyed a deep crimson. 

Sarel held the opal lamp higher and saw silver slip past his eyes. In the distance moonlight shimmered onto the ground, wisps of willow fire emerged from the shadows and brushed past them, From where they came from he did not know, deep in the shrouded forest, passing through abyssal vales and sleeping rivers their undulating flames circled a lone figure atop a hill.


“ Woah there” Ara leaned against Sarel’s shoulders, “ Now is that not the wisp of a siren?” 

“ The wisp of a siren?” Lilia turned around, confused. In these parts of the forest?


“ Yes I do think so . . .  it is so far from a river what is a merfolk doing in these parts?”


“ Could it be. . . that man from before attacked them and ran away?” Sarel pondered, frightfully looking behind them.


“ We shall see” Lilia sighed. 

They hurried towards the willow fire , yet the noise of their footsteps and jostling jewels evoked no response from the person lying atop the hill. As Lilia brushed the leaves and foliage that had fallen over their body, a white powder rubbed onto her palms, this she knew was the mist of death. She began to doubt whether it was still be possible to save this person’s life.

 What a tragedy. Even since the fall of Ahsara sights like these were not uncommon to see, many of those who wanted to flee the reign of the power hungry royal family and the tyranny of the Drugan imperial family had been caught and killed this way. 

She gestured for Ara to bring the lamp closer, and under its light, they saw blood and strands of black hair matted against a pallid translucent face. It was indeed a merfolk and one quite young. Their hearts ached.  

Lilia pressed her fingers against the cold bruised neck. The pulse was faint and fleeting but they were still alive. There was still time. It was difficult to assess the depth of the wounds but as she hovered the fire opal over the body a bloodied and torn midriff became visible. At first she had mistaken it to be the colour of robes but their chest which evidently bore a soul core had been torn apart, and pieces of shredded cloth string stuck thickly to the gaping wound. It was strange, Lilia hesitated. Only Nimyi bore soul cores, so . . . was this youth part Nimyi?

Something terrible had happened here, Had the man they saw earlier been the perpetrator? Whatever it was, they needed to leave this forest if there was to be any hope of saving this life. The attackers could return any minute and lingering longer would only bring danger to them all. 

“ Perhaps he had run away from the general’s mansions too” Ara pondered gravely, “ He is so pretty. .  .  I am glad he was able to run away”


“ Now is not the time to speculate Ara” sighed Sarel.

There were two arrows, one piercing the other, lodged deep into the glassy flesh of the siren. Lilia donned her gloves and as gently as she could, pried out the arrows. Then Sarel poured a healing draught onto the mangled flesh and bone. A thin film of protection formed around the wound and he did the same for the back, where the arrows had protruded from.


Having runaway from the general’s mansion, they carried very little supplies, so Ara and Lilia knelt on the ground and tore off strips of  their inner robes, binding the mangled shoulders and broken limbs together.

“ Now let us hasten” Lila wiped her brow staining it with blood.


The body was light as they carried him down the sloping forest and safely onto a clearing bright with moonlight. Under Sarel and Ara’s curious glances Lilia produced a small box from her dress pocket. Then she poured the ashes within onto the damp earth, she rested Asael’s weight on one arm and lit a match with the other, dropping it onto the hill of soot. 

Small flames began to smoke. Ara opened her mouth a few times to talk  but Sarel promptly shut her up. Strands of gold stretched upwards through the darkness and began to take form. Lilia carried Asael and retreated a few steps back. Ara hid behind Sarel and was dragged away by him.

The phoenix raised its wings, bathing the forest clearing in golden light. It was an unbelievable sight to witness. If the perpetrators still remained within the forest they must have been seen by now. Lilia quickly and gently placed Asael atop the phoenix’s warm glowing feathers. And when the watchful eye of the bird paused by his wounded figure, a small tear dropped from its eyes.

Lilia collected it in her hands and placed it gently into the torn core cavity. As the teardrop was absorbed a fist sized golden orb formed within the chest, breathing the phoenix’s life energy into Asael’s body. Lilia placed her ear by his heart and listened to the gradually steadying breath. 

Sarel and Ara exchanged an uncertain glance,


“ Now come on up” Lilia urged them, “ We shouldn’t tarry about these parts any longer”




The phoenix took to the dark foggy skies and flew sometime above the cover of clouds. And like this they travelled until the zenith of the night rose and fell.