Three-Birgt

At noon the group stopped for lunch on a large clearing about halfway between The School and Tome. Everyone settled down gratefully and ate the sandwiches Mrs. Morris got out of the cooler they had brought. The cooler was, according to the four boys who took turns carrying it, heavy.

 

Amirra was the only one not eating. If Mrs. Morris had given her a sandwich she would have picked it into same pieces and left them on the ground for the birds. Elves didn't eat during Cahugvasmer. They also did sleep until noon the next day. The tour of the Tome normally didn't start until early afternoon, but with an elf present the time had to be adjusted. Even if she slept during the night Amirra would still be asleep by one, if not sooner.

 

It was while the other students were finishing up their food when Amirra spotted the tree again. The strange feeling was back. It felt oddly familiar, but she couldn't place it. She stared at the thick trunk as if she was in the middle of a staring contest with it. She was completely still, her breathing slowed, searching her memory for the strange feeling.

 

“Hey!”

 

The shoat shattered her concentration and Amirra looked around. James and another boy, Matt, were picking up the cooler. Mr. Grand had already started to lead the others away and Mrs. Morris was with James, watching me worried eyes.

 

“Come on, Mir,” James called, “that tree will win a staring contest every time. Lets roll.”

 

She nodded and joined them. Mrs. Morris tugged on her sleeve and pointed at her feet. It was then that she realized she was floating. Amirra grinned sheepishly and put her feet on the soft ground. Cahugvasmer was the hardest time of year to pretend to be completely human.

 

The two boys started after the rest of the class. The muscles of their arms strained with the effort of carrying the large and mostly full cooler.

 

“Put the cooler down,” Amirra said.

 

“Why?” asked Matt.

 

“Because I have an idea.”

 

The boys shrugged and set it down. Amirra placed her hand on the lid. The silver light that rolled out of her hand and onto the cooler was barely visible in the afternoon light. The elf smiled at the boys and started to walk away.

 

The cooler lifted a foot off the ground and followed her like an obedient dog on a leash. Mrs. Morris and the boys laughed.

 

“I wish you had thought of that a few hours ago,” James said with a smile.

 

After they had caught up with the rest of the group outside the clearing the tree gave himself a shake. The intensity and directness of the young elf's gaze had made him uncomfortable to the point that he had almost shivered. It was alarming that he had had to actually work at being still. After centuries of barely moving he had thought his act perfect.

 

Apparently he still needed practice.

 

 

 

 

 

They reached the meadow clearing as the sun was setting. It was shaped like an oval and large, about the size of The School's gym, which is roughly the size of a football field. The grass came up to Mr. Grand's waist and swayed in the breeze. Spots of bright color appeared where tall flowers mixed with the grass.

 

“I wish you guys could hear it,” Sara whispered as she stepped into the grass. She spread her tanned arms wide and her honey blond hair danced in the breeze when she tripped her head back. “The song is kinda sad, because they know the elves aren't coming here, but they are still happy.”

 

Amirra stepped forward to join her. Before she could reach her Sara spun around and stared at her.

 

“What?” Amirra asked.

 

“The song changed,” she said with a look of wonder on her face. “You stepped into the grass and it changed. There's no sadness now.”

 

Amirra closed her eyes and listened. She couldn't hear the songs as clearly as Sara could, but she could still hear them. The plants were over joyed by her presence. It had been so long since an elf had come here and they basked in silver shine of her power.

 

“Okay, lets clear the center of the clearing for our fire,” Mr. Grand announced.

 

Sara's face fell. Amirra saw the sad frown and turned to Mr. Grand, whose arm was already lit with flames.

 

“Ti Verst dy hysa lemt tryst, isham tasd. Zis lem zult os zasa ult.” a woman's voice whispered. “The Forest is under your command, little sister. What you ask it will do.”

 

The words were mixed with the song the grass was singing, but it wasn't part of the song at all. The voice sounded like the female elf she dreamed of on Cahugvasmer. Amirra remembered that the two elves from her dreams, which she thought was the Forest's memory of the last Cahugvasmer celebration, had asked the meadow to shorten it's grass for a night and a day. If they could do it, so could she.

 

“Wait,” Amirra said as she grabbed the teacher's semi-raised arm. The flames licked at her skin but didn't burn her. Mr. Grand raised an eyebrow at her. “May I try something, please?”

 

Mrs. Morris joined them and asked, “You have another good idea like what you did to the cooler?”

 

The teenage elf nodded.

 

“Then go for it.”

 

The three walked back to the tree line where the other students waited. Amirra took a deep breath. The dream elves asked the Forest to shorten the grass for a night and a day. They then asked for the meadow's center to be bare. Since the class was staying for two nights Amirra decided to ask for another night and day from the grass. She didn't know who well it would work, but it was better than seeing the meadow burned.

 

Amirra stood in the center of the meadow and raised her hands palm up before her. She straightened her spine and relaxed her shoulders. She took a deep breath to gather herself.

 

“Nysal, tavustd Verst,” she said in a soft voice that carried as surely as a yell. A silver glow covered her and started to spread, “ly zult ust hiama wamer mris eh hesi uglet du tymt wymerug ust bisg vasmer mris bisg remsav.”

 

A silver blast of light blinded the students and teachers. They felt the earth shift and only a few didn't fall over. When their vision cleared the gasped. The meadow looked as well trimmed and manicured as the clearing The School's buildings occupied. The flowers were still tall, but not as tall as before and there was plenty of room in between the patches from their tents. The grass also sparkled faintly, as if someone had dumped a jar of glitter all over it.

 

Amirra was standing in the now bare center of the meadow. She looked around at her handy work.

 

“Sorry. I didn't know it would flash like that.” She smiled sheepishly at the others. “It worked, though.”

 

“How did you know you could do that?” Mr Grand asked.

 

“Ti Verst dy hysa lin tryst.” Amirra repeated. “The Forest is under my command. The elves made this place so it will do as an elf asks.”

 

Matt nudged James and whispered loudly, “Remind me not to piss her off.”

 

Everyone laughed as they spread out to pick places to pitch their tents. Amirra wondered to the meadow's edge and set her bag against a tree. She knew she wouldn't get any sleep and that it wasn't going to rain, so she hadn't bothered with a tent. She told the teachers that she was going to collect some wood for the fire and promised to stay within calling distance.

 

On her way back with a pile of huge dead branches floating behind her she got that strange feeling again. She looked at a tree that seemed as familiar as the feeling. She could have swore it was the same tree as before, but that was impossible because trees couldn't move. She reached out to touch the tree's rough bark. Before her fingertips connected with the tree she heard Mr. Grand yell for her. She pulled her hand back and walked back to the others.

 

The tree sagged like he had been holding his breath and had finally let it go. If the young elf had touched him he knew his disguise would have been ripped away. She was powerful, more powerful than most of the elves he had known in the past. He would have sworn she was a full blooded elf warrior, but that was impossible.

 

The most dangerous part was that she lacked the strict control that elves learned in their first ten years of life. She had no idea at the extent of her power. He was surprised she hadn't burned The School to the ground the first time she got miffed.

 

The tree turned and headed for King Dominic's Tome. He needed to reread a prophecy and have a chat with Theme.

Author's Note

You see! I knew trees were up to something!! BEWARE THE TREES!!
Ah, I'm just messing with you lot. XD