Dreaming Red

Eletha and May darted between the trees, fallen leaves crackling beneath their feet as they hurried toward the orange glow in the distance.

As they ran, they sent tendrils of magic into the ground, warning their sisters of the danger and asking for the forgiveness of the saplings they stepped on during their rush.

As they got closer to the light, the thick scent of smoke began to permeate the air. They ran forward, their hearts pounding, and caught sight of tall, orange flames spreading through the undergrowth.

The fire hissed and crackled up to waist height, consuming the smallest and most vulnerable of the plants near it and slowly spreading to the larger ones. A birch tree was already burning alive.

Behind it, an old meat-man stood with his back to Eletha and May. He was holding aloft a burning stick. The two of them hastily stopped their frantic dash and found themselves stunned in confusion for a moment before they both simultaneously took up their bows and shot arrows at the meat-man's shoulders.

The old man howled and tumbled to the ground, his burning stick falling with him, spreading the fire further.

Eletha and May shared a quick glance, then ran towards the nearest trees, pressing their hands against them and sending out another cry to their sisters for help.

"There's a fire, near the meat-man camp! We need water, now!"

"Wait … Damn it!" May cried, her voice shrill. "Eletha, look!"

Eletha quickly glanced at her, then turned her eyes to the direction she was pointing at. In the distance, she spotted another glowing orange light. Another fire. "There's more?!" she shrieked.

May nodded, grabbing Eletha tightly by the arm and pushing her forward. "Go! I'll take care of this one!" she said.

Eletha darted off in the direction of the other fire, moving as fast as she could while nocking an arrow. Through the ground, she could feel her sisters begin to answer her and May's calls, running towards the stream where the water lilies grew.

They would supply the water to dowse the flames. Eletha would slaughter everyone involved in creating them.

She arrived at the second fire soon and found another gray-haired meat-man holding a burning stick. He was deliberately spreading its flame to a pile of dry wood lying stacked next to an oak tree. All the undergrowth around him was turning black, hissing and smoldering.

Eletha aimed her bow in a mere moment before letting the arrow loose.

It whistled through the air and hit the meat-man square in the stomach, just as she had intended. Fatal for an old meat-man with graying hair, but not instantly so. He rumpled down to the ground, groaning in pain.

Eletha nimbly ran up to him, fearfully eyeing the growing flames. The man locked eyes with her. He appeared terrified.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered. "We had to, they have our—"

"Shut up!" Eletha shouted, forcefully kicking him in the face. As he flailed around, she quickly bent over him and wrapped her arms around his back, then lifted him into the air. With her feet, she quickly scattered the pile of wood he had set ablaze, then dropped him onto it, using him as a smothering log to suffocate the flames.

The meat-man howled as the fire licked his back, searing his flesh and sending wisps of black smoke spiraling from his charred skin. The smell was awful, but the fires she rolled him over did start to shrink – if only slightly.

She kicked him over onto his stomach, making him roll onto the larger flames, then moved him around as was necessary to choke them. Around her, the undergrowth continued to burn.

I can't get to them all, she realized. There were too many little fires.

Even the oak tree behind the screaming meat-man started to burn. She could only watch in horror, calling to her sisters to bring water while trying to save what little plants she could with the charred body of the dying murderer.

Suddenly, she saw the familiar leaves surrounding her, and she realized where exactly she was. The oak tree in front of her was not an oak tree at all. It was Nelippe's heart tree.

More enraged than ever, she screamed and brought her foot down on the old meat-man's searing head. She held it down stiffly into one of the fires, watching his skin bubble and melt. He began to gurgle, losing his voice to the fire and the agony. His arms flailed around wildly, but it was of no concern to Eletha. She jumped into the air, noticing one of the lower branches starting to burn, and quickly plucked the acorn she saw there. Nelippe would want that kept safe … but it would have been best if she had come herself.

"Nelippe!" she screamed, forcing tendrils of magic into the ground again. "Come to your heart tree this instant!"

"What is it, Eletha? We've got a fire to deal with!"

"There's another, right here, at your heart tree! I've already taken one of your acorns, but get here now!"

Even through the distant connection, she could feel her younger sister's panic.

The meat-man groaned weakly beneath Eletha's feet, his attempts to move his arms growing weaker. Eletha grabbed him roughly by the waist and turned him back around onto his stomach, then laid him squarely onto the fire again. He was very nearly dead already, but it'd be possible to make him last a little longer. Nelippe would want him to suffer.

"Oh, no, no, no!" shouted a new voice out of the trees, that of one of Eletha's sisters. "The meat-men! There's more of them! They're hostile! It's those bandits, they're coming now! They're setting fire to their arrows!"

"Shoot them! Kill them all!"

More fire, Eletha thought. Her sisters wouldn't be able to put it all out if the meat-men spread it across the entirety of the forest. Those bandits meant to exterminate them.

With a burst of wind, Nelippe suddenly dashed in front of Eletha, eyes wide and breathing hard. She carried a large water lily on her back, its edges tied together with ivy vines. Quickly, she untied the vines and threw the water contained within onto her burning heart tree.

A flurry of sparks flew from the bark, creating a plume of black smoke that rose into the air. Green sparks of magic began to sizzle out of the tree.

Eletha grabbed Nelippe's shoulder. "It's not going to be enough, sister. I'm sorry."

"Then I'll get more!" Nelippe shouted. "Let – Let me go, Eletha! Help me! We need more water!"

"I will – but take your acorns first!"

"What?! No!"

"Do it, Nelippe! Take them, now! Before it's too late!"

"It won't be too late if we just get more water!"

Eletha shook Nelippe roughly, then jumped right in front of her and embraced her tightly. "Now's not the time!" she said. "It's probably already too late! You need to gather your acorns, Nelippe! Do it! I'll get the water!"

Her younger sister resisted for a few moments, trying to push her away … then started sobbing. Eletha held her tightly for as long as she dared, then quickly let her go.

"I'm sorry," she said.

She took the water lily from Nelippe's hands and dashed as quickly as she could towards the stream.