"We discovered the tracks of two groups. Sierre believes them to belong to the Forest Folk, but he also considered the fairy dust of the Flower Fairies." The soldier reported emotionlessly.
His stance was stiff, his arms tightly pressed against his body.
Captain Sibert listened but his attention was elsewhere.
The earl was already waiting for them. They should have arrived at the meeting spot two days ago but they didn't dare to return empty-handed. Their prisoners had been killed, one had leaped from the earl's ship, and the others were useless. Even now, they were barely of any help. Keeping them alive was more draining than they would be worth in the future.
"Flower Fairies?" The Order's Wizard perked up. He'd joined them on the excursion into the Devil Forest. Not because he had to, but because he too wanted something from Captain Sibert.
"I want a Flower Fairy. The more the merrier!" The Wizard exclaimed, licking his lip excitedly. "The Forest Folk are interesting as well, but we studied them long enough. There is little research to be done with them. The Flower Fairies, on the other hand."
The smile on the old man's face disgusted Captain Sibert. It promised atrocities that were too cruel even for people like Earl Nuer.
"Follow the tracks and capture the Flower Fairies." Captain Sibert ordered the soldier.
"What about the Forest Folk?" The soldier responded.
"I don't care. Kill them if you feel like it." He waved dismissively. "Do with them whatever you want. If you capture enough Forest Fairies and other unique Fae to make up for our failure, the earl may even reward us. The more beautiful the fae, the more you will alleviate the earl's wrath."
They had to make up for their losses. Show the earl something of high value to apologize for their failure. Beautiful and exotic fae would be more than enough to do so. Dead or enslaved warriors of the fae folk would be even better in Captain Sibert's mind, but he was not one to question the earl's wishes. He was his lord and master.
"Half of the Forest Fairies will be mine!" The Order's Wizard declared, his eyes speaking of greed and violent lust.
"One. Two if you get up to help us." Captain Sibert snapped back.
"I am already doing more than I was paid to. Maintaining the spell of Illusion is no simple feat. It requires constant concentration. One mistake, and the camp will be discovered." The Wizard growled back, sweat peeling down his cheeks.
Energy swirled around the older man. It poured out of him in steady streams, concealing the camp.
Captain Sibert had a lot more to say to that old man, but the Wizard was not wrong. And the Wizard was also not weak. He was strong enough to maintain the Illusion and help them. For he was the strongest of the group…and the laziest.
The hours passed in silence. No more reports flooded in, which was odd, but Captain Sibert was not worried. Not until screams reached the camp. That was all they heard as the rest of the Devil Forest turned quiet. It was almost like the forest wanted him and the other soldiers to hear the screams.
Then a branch snapped. The shadows grew longer and nature awakened. The bushes rustled, the roots moved, and darkness crept closer all around the camp.
"No!" The Wizard gasped, blood running down the corners of his eyes as the flow of energy shattered.
"They're here…" He whispered, his face drained of all blood.
"In the Netherworld! Where did you bring us, you foul man!" The Wizard exclaimed, a golden gemstone manifesting in his hands. "I am not doing this! Why would you hunt in her territory?"
He turned around, his body dropping down to the ground. "If I had known that we would step into your land, I would have never joined them. This is their fault!" He pointed at Captain Sibert, his voice frantic, his eyes dilating in utter despair.
"Die alone, you madman!" He cursed, crushing the golden gemstone.
A burst of energy erupted from the crystal as it shattered. It enveloped the Wizard one moment, and in the next both the energy and the Wizard were nowhere to be seen.
In the meantime, Captain Sibert stared at the situation unfolding. He had no idea what had just happened, but something heavy settled in his stomach.
Turning around, his attention shifted toward the figures that peeled from the darkness. Shadows came alive all around the camp. They were surrounded and the pressure of real power descended upon them a moment later.
That was when Captain Sibert knew one thing for sure; they should have never entered the forest. Not this close to the Devil's Witch.
***
*[A few minutes earlier]*
Earl Nuer's soldiers had killed the fae men even before I arrived at the clearing, but they did not stop at that. They killed some of the women as well, their blades carving almost too easily through flesh.
I felt sick to my stomach. Bile traveled up my throat but I managed to swallow it with some difficulty. My hair stood up on end as the soldiers dragged a small girl through a bush and back into the clearing. She had small antlers and eyes that resembled a deer's. Tears poured down her face as she screamed and thrashed around, but it was to no avail. The soldier's grip was firm as iron.
That was until they reached the clearing's center where blood gathered. The soldier pushed her into the corpse of a young man with antlers growing from his forehead. His arm was covered in fur but his glassy eyes resembled the young girl's. Her screams grew louder, annoying the other soldiers.
One cussed her out and kicked her into the stomach, hurling her into a stash of pouches and baskets filled with berries and harvested plants.
None of them carried weapons.
The fae people had been harmless. None of the lifeless bodies carried a weapon, neither did the small girl. They were innocent, their only crime being at the wrong place at a bad time.
At last, my eyes fell on a group of soldiers emerging from the bushes, their hands clamped around fist-sized creatures. Humanoid, pale-faced creatures with features sharper than a human and translucent wings.
They had been battered, some even deprived of their wings. And the soldiers were laughing. They enjoyed themselves and salivated in the pain of their foes.
Their bright smiles made my blood boil. How could there be people like that? Not only did they attack harmless people, they got excited at their suffering.
They harmed others just because they could.
Just like they did with me.
If I had been stronger, they would have never dared to kidnap me, yet they did. Because I didn't have the power to defend myself.