Summoning Kobolds At Midnight: A Tale of Suburbia & Sorcery. 278
CCLXXVIII
Druidic Circle of the Amber Grove.
Syril entered the chamber of the Grove Wardens with Kevin and the Warden-General. Kerin's bee companion buzzing over and nuzzling her affectionately before being content to hover near her.
"Is there really nothing else that could be gleamed from the faeish accounts?"
"None. Most of it is riddles and double speak or seemingly completely unrelated. Some are just outright crude jokes and dirty stories. Suffice it to say, when you cross over, be ready for anything. We don't think the area should be immediately hostile. But be prepared all the same."
The Warden-General declared and marched over to a table of honeyed wood that had little bees buzzing around. Upon it was an ancient looking map of what appeared to be a mass of islands. One long and narrow with a smaller rounder one to the left of it and a smattering of smaller islands between them and above the larger long island.
"This is about the only reliable map we have of the place you're going to."
Syril and Kerin glanced down at the ancient map. Images on it moved as if alive. Primitive humans dressed in blue paint and druidic robes did battle with others garbed in red and metal holding a banner of a gold eagle.
"I'm guessing that is what the fae were referring to in their records?"
"We believe so. But the how's and why's, or even when is lost to the fickle accounts of the fae. These accounts could be days old or centuries. You could be traveling right into a settlement or a wasteland for all we know."
"So then what's the plan?" Kerin asked uncertainly.
"The plan is simple. Cross, determine the state of the other side, and return. If you don't end up in the middle of a settlement or volcano, then we'll go from there. If it's ideal or at least shows promise we'll send more forces to secure the a boundary before beginning the migration in earnest."
Before Syril or Kerin could respond a cry came from nearby. All three of them turned their heads towards the noise and found a pair of twins hurrying over. One was a Grove Warden like Syril and Kerin, the other was one of the Amber Druids. The two women hurried over.
"Sorry we're late Warden-General!"
The Warden-General rolled her eyes before continuing.
"Syril, Kerin. These are Risa and Morin. You two and Morin will provide security for Morin while she communes with the forest we hope is on the other side. The sooner we settle any disgruntled nature spirits on the other side the better."
Both twins were identical to one another save their clothing. Both had eyes the color of honeydew with hair a rich warm walnut and skin a earthy brown. While Morin was dressed in the same Warden garb as Syril and Kerin, Rísa was dressed in the warm robes of the Amber Circle and held a honeyed wood staff tipped with a cluster of amber that glowed a faint warm hue as a small glowing bee climbed out and flew around it before settling back in again.
"Assuming we don't end up in a volcano." Kerin muttered.
"Despite the joke, the fae gate wouldn't activate if something too drastic had changed on the otherside. So no actual risk of falling into lava. Immediately that is."
"Wait!" A voice sounded from the opening to the chamber.
They all turned and saw Anar running over with a heavy pack on his back. He gave a quick salute to the Warden-General.
"Tender Anar Tolavis reporting!"
The Warden-General sighed.
"And why are you reporting in, Tender Tolavis?"
"Well because you need someone to make sure the area is fit for the herd!"
"And I'm assuming you have leave to go on this expedition?"
"Or course!" Anar lied.
"Fine. Just don't wander off when you cross to the otherside and don't make more work for my wardens, clear?"
"As amber!"
The Warden-General sighed and turned to the rest of them.
"Pack any essentials and make ready. You leave on the hour."
The group all saluted and nodded and began packing. Well, everyone except Anar did. Syril took the opportunity to get close to him and whisper.
"Weren't you supposed to be looking for the herd?"
"Yeah, but then I heard about this expedition and figured that maybe being a part of it will buy me some good will... in the event we don't find the herd anytime soon."
"You do know that we might be going into danger right?"
"Oh nothing can be more dangerous than Head Tender Oril." Anar muttered with a shudder.
Syril rolled his eyes and gathered a pack of supplies, provisions, knives, rope, a roll of bedding made from giant bee fuzz and vines. Wax candles. Rope. Some honeyed water. More rope. He probably had more than enough rope, but his time as an adventurer proved that you could never have enough on hand.
"Hey!" A voice sounded right next to him that made Syril jump a little.
He turned and saw the druid Risa. Before he could say anything she immediately launched into speaking a mile a minute.
"So glad to be going on this expedition with you guys. It's my first real expedition since graduating into an ovate! I'm SO excited to finally do some spell work that isn't just general tending of trees and gardens and bees and–"
"Risa, was it?" Syril asked, stopping her from battering him further with words.
"Oh! Yes! That's me! I was a neophyte to Elder Therim for like FOREVER! But he rose me a rank higher just recently! Like the second he heard that they needed a druid to go on the expedition actually! Isn't that such a coincidence?!"
Oh he was sure it was more than that, Syril thought as she continued on almost seeming to talk at him than with him. So he just nodded along as he finished packing and made his way towards where the others gathered at the entrance of the chamber. Once they all gathered they made their way with the Warden-General down to the base of the world tree. Risa talking the entire time about anything and everything. In comparison, her twin barely spoke a word. Guess Risa talked enough for the both of them.
Before long the six of them, or seven of you counted the companion bee, stood, or buzzed, before a wooden gateway formed of faeish glyphs and molded wood that was as tall as a treant and as wide to fit a dozen abreast. They stood there and waited. Then waited. Then waited some more. Syril and the others not know what to do as Risa yammered on before the Warden-General turned and gave a cough and glare at the druid acolyte expectantly.
"Oh! Right! Sorry!" Risa apologized and went and stood before the massive faeish gateway.
She took position before it and held her staff up and before her and... just stood there. Syril could hear her mumbling from where he stood.
"What were the words Elder Therim said? Was it–. Or no, it was–."
He couldn't make out the actual Faeish words she was trying to recall. But eventually she perked up and held the staff aloft and spoke a language that sounded like the buzzing of wings, the rustling of leaves, the sound of a babbling brook. It buzzed the back of his mind and made his head fuzzy. When next he blinked the gateway shimmered with a honeyed yellow. The Warden-General turned towards them all.
"Remember, be careful. If it's too dangerous on the other side come back here immediately. Understood?"
They all nodded and began marching towards the gateway when it suddenly flared a red hue. They all stopped and watched but it was gone in a blink. Nothing remained to show it happened to begin with. Kerin and the others looked around, and back towards the Warden-General. But if she noticed it too, she didn't say anything. Then the rest turned to Syril and Anar spoke.
"Well, since you're the adventurer, why don't you go first?"
"Cowards." Syril muttered when none of the others made to step forwards either.
So he marched up to the gateway and with a deep breath, and a warmth spreading in his pouch where he kept the dragon scale arrowheads, he stepped through. His eyes were shut, but when he didn't immediately feel a blade or arrow pierce him, or the feeling of lava or anything else, he opened them. Where what spread before him was a forest that looked to be in the middle of winter. The ground covered in snow and fallen leaves that left the air feeling crisp and cold.
He turned around as he heard the others step through and join him where they all gawked at their surroundings.
"It's so... cold."
"Is anything even still living?" Anar asked as his boots crunched through the snow.
They all looked to Risa who seemed concerned for another reason. She cradled the amber crystal of her staff and muttered and gave soothing words. She looked up at them all.
"Sorry. My amber bee just got tired all of a sudden."
From the crystal came a soft sleepy chime.
"Sleepy. Cold. Heavy."
"Do you need it to commune with the trees and spirits?" Kerin asked as her bee companion buzzed around the area.
"No. But with her like this I won't be able to do much amber magicks." Risa said and crunched her way over to a tree and placed her hand there.
She closed her eyes and her lips moved silently as they all waited before she opened them with a frown. She turned to the rest of them.
"I'm... not sure what to make of this."
"What?" Anar asked with concern.
"The trees here are dormant. Not just for the winter, but from what I could coax from it, for centuries."
"Okay... and?"
"And they have no memory of the fae. At least the ones we're familiar with."
"That's not surprising though. Fae aren't exactly uniform." Syril stated as he kept his eyes peeled.
"No it's not that. They don't speak of fae. They speak of darker things. Things that haunt the darkness of these ancient woods. Things that are still here." She warned.
The Grove Wardens tensed up and made their bows ready for whatever might be nearby. Any sound or movement was scrutinized as a possible threat.
"Do they know what, or where exactly, this darkness is?"
Risa placed her hand on the tree again and communed with it for a long moment.
"They say... in the direction the sun rises and where the water cuts through the stone."
"And that would be?"
Risa pointed straight ahead.
"East of here. I can't get an exact distance though. It could be just through those trees or leagues away."
Syril grunted and turned to Kerin.
"Go back to the grove and inform the Warden-General."
Kerin and her bee companion turned around and reentered the faeish gateway. Syril only now noticing that it was different from this side. The gateway was between two dark trees that formed rough arch with their branches and the air shimmered like liquid glass between them.
Syril turned his gaze ahead of them. In the direction that this supposed darkness dwelt. At the very least they weren't immediately attacked, or ended up in a wasteland. Though from the snow and cold it may as well be one, he thought as he kept his ears pricked for noise. Maybe it'll look better when the snow melts. Or maybe it'll never stop falling like some places he visited during his adventuring. Either way, it showed promise. Thick woods. Clear air. The handful of game trails he could see in the snow showing it wasn't completely devoid of life.
Who knows, maybe this darkness will be a witch or something they could dispatch easily enough, Syril thought as behind him a small company of Grove Wardens, druids, and a few other tenders stepped through the gateway and into the clearing. Kerin and her bee came over to him.
"The Warden-General general wants us to continue on and find out what this 'darkness' is supposed to be and either deal with it or mark where it is for later."
Syril nodded and they, the twins, and Anar started making their way further into the woods as the area around the gateway was cleared so that they can begin moving more forces and the eventual migration through once everything was cleared.
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Posted Jun 13, 2026, 5:38 PM UTC