The Broken Forest (7 page)

I'm not going to kill it. This forest will snap entirely and take us down with it. I'm going to sedate it.

The only question was how. She could recall no tales of Huntresses sedating people that had turned into the poisoned, beating heart of a broken forest. Who used the life force of a human to sustain—

Great Queens, she was an idiot. Her
father
did something similar, on a much smaller, safer scale. The members of his family were always buried in the rose garden, and over the centuries the magic of the place and all those people combined to build a living bond between manor lord and the roses. When her father had been cursed to live as a beast, the roses had protected him until his mother had come along and figured out how to break the curse. The roses obeyed him, thrived and suffered with him.

When he had to leave the manor for an extended period, he put the roses to sleep so they would not suffer from his absence. Adamina had inherited her magical prowess from her father; it was part of what made her such a good Huntress. She was the answer to the problem; she deserved to be smacked for staring right at it but taking so long to notice.
I am hopeless.

You are frayed, exhausted, hungry, overworked—

Yes, yes, all of that,
Adamina cut in. Reaching into the small pouch she always wore at the small of her back, she pulled out a small velvet pouch. Undoing the knotted drawstrings, she opened it and tipped out the contents: a beautiful gold ring set with a red rose made of rubies, a single diamond dewdrop resting on the petals, and emerald leaves surrounding it.

Slipping it on her middle right finger, she crouched over the body and tore the bandages from her right hand, re-opened the wound. Grimacing, she clamped it over what remained of a pale, half-rotted arm, felt her blood seep into it.
I am the Huntress, sworn to protect the forests of the Great Queens. Forest, you bound me and so I bid you obey me.

The body shuddered but did not fight.
In the name of the Beast of Roses saved by the Beauty, in the name of the White Queen, the Red Queen, and the Woman of the Hood, I bid you fall into a sleep as deep as night, as heavy as winter, not to wake until I bid you rise. Be at peace, sleep well, dream of the morning to which you will soon wake.

She could feel it resisting, squirming and twisting to break her grip. Adamina held tighter, repeated every word, then began to hum the lullaby her father had sung to her nearly every night in the garden before he had carried her, fast asleep, to bed.

Bit by torturous bit the raging heart of the broken forest calmed and went still.
Did it work
?

At the doorway, the wolf chuffed.
You shall not have to fight your way through after all, and here comes your witch.

Stop that.
Adamina stood and went to the archway, sighed in relief when she saw all the plants had coiled in on themselves as though to guard against a storm or cold. Grete picked her way easily through them, smiling as she reached Adamina. "What did you do?"

"I put it to sleep. I am hoping you can do something to keep anyone else from coming along and waking it up. This way." She held out a hand, warmth curling through her body at the easy, trusting way Grete slid her own into it, and led the way back into the tower.

Grete gasped as she saw the figure, tears falling down her cheeks. "Oh, my Goddess. That's my aunt. Was my aunt." Wiping her cheeks, she strode over to the body and knelt above the head, slowly reaching out, but not quite touching. "She must have come back here at some point. I wonder if she meant for this to happen, or if something went wrong."

Adamina did not know how to say that it likely had not been her aunt's choice, that the transformation into the black heart of the forest would have been excruciating. She would have lived through the entire process, consciousness slowly merging with that of the forest. Any human part of her that might remain, and it was doubtful any did, would be so deeply buried and broken that it may as well not exist. "I would wager something went wrong. But she, and the forest, sleep for now. Can you make it so no one can undo my work, at least for a little while?"

"I can do that," Grete said with a nod. "It won't be more than that, what amounts to a wall, really, but I can do it."

"That's all I need. Thank you."

She stepped out of the way, hovering just outside the tower, wolf at her side, sword drawn—but in the end, all remained quiet as Grete methodically worked, throwing down salt and special herbs as she wove her spell. When it took, it was in a burst of green and yellow light that for a moment looked like a wall of ivy and climbing roses. Then it faded off, leaving only the faint thrum of magic. "That should do it," Grete said, brushing her hands together. "It's a two-fold spell: one part is to mislead, make whoever comes here look somewhere else, not see what is before them. The other part is a wall that requires a key, and in this case I made it a riddle key. It won't stop someone with powerful enough magic from breaking the wall down, but it will confound most everyone else."

"I hate riddle keys," Adamina said with a laugh. "Only once did I ever answer the damned riddle. Clever, witch, very clever."

Grete smiled and rejoined her, stepping in close enough it would be so easy to lean in and kiss her. "How are your hands?"

"Sore, but I'll manage." She did not protest, however, when Grete insisted on treating her right hand again. "Thank you. Shall we get out of this miserable forest?"

"Please," Grete replied. "If I never see this wretched place again I will count myself the luckiest woman on earth."

"Agreed." Retrieving her pack and settling it in place, Adamina led the way back into the dark and tangled woods.

They reached Edge Village a week later, too tired and wrung out to travel as quickly as they had going into the forest. Dusk was falling as they finally left the forest behind, and the smell of wood-smoke and roasting vegetables was most welcome.

No one was about as they walked, but that was hardly unusual. Since her arrival, Adamina had scarcely seen anyone. Superstition and fear locked doors better than any key.

It
was
strange, however, that when they reached the inn there was no one about except Victoria. "Quiet day?" Adamina asked.

Victoria snorted softly. "So it would seem. I've lived here sixteen years, my lady, and still sometimes this place makes no sense to me. But if the strangest thing happening right now is everyone being slow and lazy, I will count my blessings. At least you'll be left in peace, hmm? I'll fetch a couple of the stable boys to see a bath is prepared for you both. I bet you'd love a good soak after mucking about in those woods for so long. We can't thank you enough."

"I am always happy to serve," Adamina replied, biting back a whimper as a small pot of soup was set in front of them, along with bowls, bread, and a large pitcher of ale. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," Victoria said. "Leave anything you want washed outside your door and I'll see it's taken care of." With a parting smile, she bustled back to the kitchen, shouting for the stable boys.

Grabbing the ladle next to the pot, Adamina dished out soup for both her and Grete, then broke two rolls into pieces and dunked them in the broth between bites of the hearty barley soup. "Not as good as your pumpkin," she said with a wink.

"I do like flattery," Grete replied, "but I am not responding to it until I've had a bath and some rest."

Adamina opened her mouth to agree, but it turned into a jaw-cracking yawn that made her eyes water. "No argument," she finally managed, though the words were mostly lost beneath Grete's giggles.

When the laughter faded, Grete took another bite of soup, then asked more seriously, "The whole village is affected by the spell you put on the forest, isn't it? They really have been poisoned by the rapunzel. We probably are too, though to a very minor degree."

"Yes, but once we leave here, a few weeks should be enough to clear the rapunzel from our bodies." Adamina grimaced, because she would be returning to Edge in less time than that, accompanied by Huntresses, Sorcerers, and probably soldiers to remove the villagers. Edge would have to be razed right alongside the forest. She was tired just thinking about it. Maybe after it was done she could finally take a month or so off, though she did not dare get her hopes up. "Thank you again for helping me. I am sorry I dragged you into a situation that proved far more treacherous than anticipated."

Grete shrugged. "It is a problem that my family helped cause, it seems only fair that I help end it once and for all. Anyway, you are the one who took all the harm. Thank you for looking after me, Huntress."

"Thank you for looking after
me
," Adamina said, and winked. "Once I am properly rested and do not smell like a refuse pile, I will be happy to show my appreciation."

In reply, Grete smiled, slow and a touch wicked. Anticipation thrummed through Adamina, and she put her attention back on her meal, eager to get through the night and wake rested.

When they finally trudged up to their room carrying a plate of sweetrolls that Victoria had urged on them, a large bathing tub awaited them. Steam curled up from the water, fragrant with lavender.

"Merciful Goddess," Grete said with a groan, dumping her pack and shucking out of her outer layers. "That is the finest thing I have seen in an age."

Adamina laughed. "By all means go first. I would love a bath, but I want these sweetrolls more."

Shooting her an amused look, Grete then stripped off the rest of her clothes, leaving them in a pile just outside the door.

It was hard not to steal glances, because Grete was beautiful to the point of distraction. Adamina ducked her head and put her full attention on the sweetrolls, which tasted faintly of orange and cinnamon. How had Victoria managed orange this time of year, and with Edge such a remote village? Cooking was real magic.

"I am starting to think I could never compete with sweetrolls, or food of any sort," Grete drawled.

Adamina snickered and looked up, licking sticky icing from her finger and thumb. "I promise there is no question between these and you, witch."

"That makes good hearing," Grete murmured, and sat up in the tub so that her breasts were visible, the nipples large and only slightly lighter than the rest of her skin. The freckles that dusted her cheeks also covered her shoulders and the tops of her breasts, sprinkled along her arms. Adamina wanted to kiss every single one of them. Grete kept hold of Adamina's gaze for another beat, then broke it to wash her hair and scrub at her skin.

Biting back a moan, Adamina finished the last of the sweetroll she still held, reaching down to press the heel of her hand against her cock, silently ordering it to behave. She did groan when Grete climbed from the bath and walked naked over to the bed where they'd left towels and the worn, faded sleeping gowns Victoria had given them. "You're evil, witch."

"Your turn," Grete murmured, and sat on the edge of the bed to work on her hair.

Adamina licked the last few traces of frosting away, then bent and pulled off her heavy boots. Setting them aside, she stood and removed all her weapons, then her armor. Piece by piece she removed her clothes, leaving everything in a tidy, if rank, pile. Bundling it up, she walked across the room and left them outside with Grete's clothes.

Closing and locking the door, she then strode to the bath and slipped into the still-warm water. "This feels marvelous."

"Looks marvelous too," Grete replied, grinning when Adamina shot her a look. "What? A witch gets bored and lonely in her solitary cabin, what am I to do when a pretty Huntress comes along and asks me to go adventuring? Now we are warm, fed, and this bed is comfortable. A pity you have to leave so soon."

"I'll be back," Adamina replied, and began to scrub at her skin, starting at the top and working her way down, sighing as all the sweat and grime came away, leaving her skin the smooth, black-brown it should be. She was grateful all over again that she had decided to cut her hair as close to the scalp as she could manage without actually shaving it off. It had been done from necessity after a nasty dispute with a bog goblin, but she'd become fond of it—and it was infinitely easier to clean and keep that way.

When she was finally done bathing, Adamina levered herself out of the tub and took the towel that Grete held out—and oofed slightly when she abruptly had a witch twined around her, a mouth on hers, firm and eager.

Adamina was more than happy to comply, exhaustion momentarily banked by food, the bath, and the rush that always came after surviving a dangerous assignment. Abandoning the towel to the floor, she wrapped her arms around Grete's waist and hauled her in close, making a soft, rough noise at the feel of Grete's breasts pressed against her chest.

Fingers raked gently over her scalp, teased across the back of her neck. Adamina lapped at Grete's lips, enjoying the taste of beer and barley that lingered in her mouth, the earthiness beneath that seemed to be all Grete. She fanned her hands over the soft, warm curves of Grete's back, thumbs running along her sides, slid down to tease over her ass.

Grete returned the teasing laps with a firm bite to Adamina's bottom lip, then broke away to kiss her jaw, down her throat, hands moving so she could do some ass-grabbing of her own. "Bed."

"Yes, my lady," Adamina murmured, and drew back to lead her to the bed, laughing when Grete pushed her down on it and straddled her thighs. Shifting to rest against the wall at the head of the bed, Adamina ran her hands up Grete's thighs, enjoying the way the muscles bunched, squeezing her own thighs slightly. Sliding her hands up Grete's ample hips, she squeezed, dug her fingers in slightly, enjoying the simple pleasure of being able to touch, savor, another person. "You're beautiful."

"You are sweet, always giving compliments. I do enjoy women who like complimenting me," Grete replied with a smile, then wrapped her arms around Adamina's neck, drew her in for a hard, wet, moan-inducing kiss, rubbing their bodies together, making Adamina shiver. Drawing back slightly, Adamina loosed one hand. It vanished a moment, then returned, cool and slippery, between their bodies to wrap around Adamina's cock, stroking it teasingly.