Ch. 4 The Song

Detric sat in one of the clearings out side the village. Several months had passed since he first arrived, and he was now free to go wherever he pleased within the forest, so long as he remained within the boundaries. He couldn't believe how much things had changed for him in the past year or so. He had left his home an outcast and a joke, now he had many friends and was learning how to use his music. He still did not know his true song, but Aloysuis had told him to be patient, his true song would come from The Source in it's own time, some did not hear their true song for years. He could do simple things now, charming children and small animals, but he knew this was not his true purpose. Even relying on The Source was new two him. The men in his homeland believed in nothing besides their own might, and worshiped nothing besides their own power, now here he was.
He had gone to some of the other settlements to the east with other members of the Forest, and had been surprised to see settlements of humans, halflings, a drawf mine, and many other things he once thought only myths. As he pondered the past few months, he heard a familiar voice through the trees.
“Detric?” Jaci called
“Over here”
He saw Jasmine first, running over to sit beside him. Who would have believed that one of his new friends would be a jet black panther? Jaci came over close behind.
“I'm to take you to Meadowbrook” Meadowbrook was a settlement three days journey to the east, a small city of sorts, of men, elves, and halflings.
“Why Meadowbrook?”
“I don't know, Anshelm said you would know once we got there..oh, and he said to give you this” Jaci handed him a small pouch, which upon opening, held several silver pieces. Detric was confused, and didn't bother to hide it
“Well” Jaci said “We may as well be off, according to Anshelm The Source will make all clear to you as we go”
Jaci threw his pack at him playfully and started east, and Detric decided he may as well go and see what would happen, if Anshelm was sending him, something was bound to happen, after all, he had yet to see a cleric of The Source make an error.
The journey did not seem to be three days to Detric, then again, time always flew when he was with Jaci, and he was almost sad to see Meadowbrook in the distance. Upon arriving with the city, he felt drawn to a peddlers cart in one of the street circles. He could not explain it, but he could not help feel that this peddler had why he had come. Looking at the different wares, nothing caught his eye. Surely he had been given the silver to buy something, and he could not shake the feeling that there was something here that was to be his...but there was nothing.
“Can I help ye lad?” The trader asked in a thick northern accent
“Are these all of your wares?”
“Well, yea, oh, theres a few odds and ends in the wagon, but nothing of importance really, what is it you seek?”
“I don't know.....”
“Ye don't know?” The man laughed kindly “well that makes trade rather difficult don't it?”
“I'm looking for a musical Instrument-” Detric proclaimed, surprising himself
“Ah, well, I have flutes, harps, horns, drums -”
“No...No...something different...”
“Ok, let me see...I have some Northern Pipes in the wagon, but few in this area are interested in them”
“May I see them?” Detric asked excitedly. The peddler pulled one from a crate in the wagon, and he knew this was what he was to buy...he had never seen an instrument like it, a bag with several pipes protruding from it, one looking like a flute, this was his new instrument. He eagerly payed the trader and turned to leave
“Thats why we came?” Jaci asked, not sure what she was looking at. Neither one of them noticed the dark hooded man who had been watching them since their entry into the city.
“Yes, it's my new instrument!” Detric declared “Though I have no idea how it's played...but I shall figure it out, Source willing”
“Right then, let's get back to the forest, I'm suddenly not liking this place...something is wrong”
Detric had begun to feel it as well, nothing major, but a definite chill had fallen over him, and the hairs on his neck were raised...something was wrong indeed.
As they journeyed back towards the forest, they could not shake the cold feeling that had gripped them in the village. In fact, it seemed to be growing stronger. Jasmine was on edge as well. Some great evil was nearby....and it was hunting them.
Detric looked over at Jaci, about to ask what could be wrong, but he stopped short. He saw two things he had never seen before, two very frightening things; Jaci, frozen in fear, and a tall hooded figure, cloaked in dark red, and nothing showing from his hood save two blood red eyes.
“E.....Emil?!” Jaci managed, the fear nearly choking her.
The laughter nearly dropped Detric to his knees....a deep, guttoral, dark laughter
“So you remember your banished cousin Jaci? I remember you!” As he spoke, Jaci collapsed, as if an invisible hand had thrown her down. Jasmine ran snarling at the hooded figure, but was thrown aside, once again by a seemingly invisible hand
Suddenly, Detric heard another voice, a friendly voice, though it seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere
“Play” he hesitated, frozen in fear
“Play your new pipes, you will be saved”
Detric pulled up the pipes, and though having never seen, let alone played anything like them, he suddenly knew them as if he had been born with them. He began to play, as he had never played before, from deep within his soul.
Jaci regained her senses, surprised to hear the most incredible, powerful music her ears had ever beheld. She was more surprised to see herself, Detric, and Jasmine encircled by a large host of Silver Clerics and monks....and Emil running in fear. She felt new strength coursing through her, in fact, she felt better than before the evil had struck her. Detric had found his song!
He did not cease playing until long after Emil was out of sight, and as he stopped, the host surrounding them disappeared, but the strength and courage remained. Jaci jumped to her feet
“We must get home quickly, the elder's must know that Emil has returned!”
“Wait, what just happened?!”
“I'll explain on the way, we must make haste!”