Her True Form

Yvette slowly walked through the trees, trying to find the end. She didn’t know how long she’d walked through this realm, though. Days? Weeks? Months? Years?

Or it might have been hours.

Everything felt so strange and wild in this world. Time never seemed to flow right, it sometimes felt like she was starting things she’d finished ages ago. Then other times she’d be doing things that she wouldn’t begin trying for days.

It didn’t help that she still felt as if she was still of two minds, even if split between two bodies again. The phoenix was far smaller now, able to perch on her shoulder when she desired. But even still, they were intrinsically linked in a way she wouldn’t have imagined possible. It was only when they were near each other they could access the full breadth of their capabilities. But even apart they were now able to wield some of their magic. Yvette was no longer the mage she once was, a little weaker when alone, but so much stronger when with her other half.

She wondered if this felt at all like having a familiar. Being so closely tied to something that you could see through its eyes, communicate with it without a single word. Fortunately, both of her were able to work together and neither seemed to hold distaste for the other. They were one, even if they were separate.

It still felt so strange, though.

On top of that, it was nice that the Collector had made her body the one she’d chosen, rather than the one she’d been born with. She wondered if anyone back home would even recognize her. She didn’t have the mark of a fallen mage anymore. Then again, the reagents she’d had seemed to still be within her body, so perhaps that didn’t really mean anything. The Collector likely couldn’t have given her Tebaud’s body even if he’d wanted to. Tebaud was dead, long gone. Just like his name was.

There was only Yvette now.

Yvette let out a soft sigh when she came to the edge of a wide canyon. The opposite end was so far away she could barely see it, not that it mattered. They’d flown across to the opposite side before, only to end up exactly where they started. This wasn’t the way out. As far as she knew, there never would be a way out. This realm was her prison forever. Another item in his collection.

Yvette let out a light yelp when she felt electricity crackle off the phoenix and against her shoulder. “Sorry,” she said instinctively. One advantage of having two halves, at least, was that one of you could support the other when you felt down. “We’ll find our way out, I’m sure. One day.”

She began to walk along the canyon’s edge. She wondered if Gervas was looking for her as well. Was he trying to find a way into this realm while she was trying to find a way out? Or was she alone? When she escaped, would seconds have passed? Or would millenia? How did time work in this realm? Was she going to turn into another one of those stories of mages who attempted to leave the world they had known and ended up trapped in another?

No. She refused. She WOULD escape here. There were others waiting for her. Gervas was waiting for them. She’d found her way back to him once, she’d do it again. Besides, she had a spell to complete. People needed that spell. Even if she’d finally found her true form, there were others who needed the same.

She was rewarded with an affectionate chirping from her phoenix. It was soothing, at least. Better than the sometimes ominous silence of these empty woods. Or worse, the light giggles, haunting songs or strange sounds she couldn’t even define.

She’d tried finding the sources of those songs, once. But they’d eluded her for weeks before she’d finally given up. Perhaps it was because she was the Collector’s prize, but the other fae seemed to avoid her. Or maybe they just didn’t wish to draw his notice to them.

Perhaps that was why every path seemed to lead back the way she’d come. Was he always watching her? Amused at the roaming of the strange phoenix mage. It wasn’t as if there was much else for her to do. She didn’t eat. She rarely slept. All she could do was travel and--

Silence.

A different kind of silence than normal. Silence often meant just the sound of the wind, of branches moving, possibly rustled leaves. But this silence was almost deafening, a void where it was as if the sound had been torn out.

It took her a moment to find the direction it was coming from and started walking towards it. The leaves of the area were strange. Rather than the gentle, living branches of the trees throughout most of the realm, the closer she came the more brittle and crunchy the leaves were. Some of the trees were lacking leaves entirely.

She finally found the source of where the sound was seemingly being cut out. In the middle of the forest, a section of the forest looked as if it had been carved out and replaced by an almost exact replica, except that area was covered in ice and the trees in it were frozen over, snow drifting softly from above. A small chunk of winter in a forest of summer.

A way out.

For a moment she wondered if it was a trap. But she was already trapped. Could a trap house another trap? Perhaps. But it wasn’t as if she had another option. She walked towards the winter.

She stepped onto the snow and it crunched underfoot. After a few steps she felt hunger begin to gnaw at her stomach and her eyes began to feel heavy. Cold nipped at her body and she pulled the robe around her even tighter. The phoenix flew down to rest in her arms, the two sharing warmth as best they could.

Yvette turned back and saw no more signs of summer. The forest she was in was now cold, gloomy, a realm of ice and hunger. Falling snow was already filling in her footsteps.

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Yvette didn’t know how long she’d walked through this frozen forest. Days? Weeks? Months?

She was always tired, no matter how much she slept.

She was always hungry, even when she ate.

She was always cold, even if she held the flame to her body.

Winter in all, especially name.

But then, finally, another tear. This one leading into a strange forest covered in falling leaves. Once more she walked through.

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Yvette didn’t know how long she traveled through the forest of falling leaves. Leaves having fallen so thick that they came up to her ankles.

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Yvette didn’t know how long she walked through the heated plains, the light above so scorching even the phoenix could sweat.

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Yvette didn’t know how long she walked through the fields of driving rain, coming down so thick it was practically swimming. A storm so powerful it rivaled even the phoenix.

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Yvette didn’t know how long she walked through the fields filled with fruits so ripe they made her mouth water. Fields where she could have spent years just devouring the fruit, if she didn’t have somewhere more important to be. Somewhere to go. Somewhere to find. Somewhere to--

Then she heard it. Music. For a moment, she didn’t pay it any mind. It was just music. The fae often spread music. But it was rarely worth pursuing. Except, after a moment, she realized she knew the tune. She’d heard it, long ago. It was played on a flute. More, she heard laughter, excited cheering, yelling.

Yvette looked down at her phoenix and the two shared confusion for a moment. She then began to walk towards the sound.

Eventually she passed around some trees to see the source of the music. A celebration. Dancing, cheering, yelling. Pixies, satyrs, dryads surrounding a small group of humans. A woman amongst them was playing the flute, her head bobbing back and forth…

Then all of the cheering and dancing began to die down. Yvette could feel nearly every eye drawn to her. Soon, the only sound was the flute and even that began to die down after a few moments.

The fae fled, tearing off into the woods and leaving the three humans behind. Only one of them was staring at her, though. The one woman with the flute was sitting and the man next to her was staring. The third seemed to be almost hiding behind him,

“Listen, I know I’m not as good as the fae but I don’t think it’s that bad,” the woman said before turning to look right at her, brushing her short red hair back for a moment. “What are all of you staring at so intently?”

Yvette shivered when she saw the woman’s eyes. They were entirely blue, no pupil.

“Well?” the woman asked.

“Her,” a man with long auburn hair said, pointing towards her. “Is she fae?”

“Huh?” the woman asked. “There’s nobody there.”

“… What?” the man asked.

“Perin, you need the eyes?” the woman asked.

Yvette gulped and started to walk closer.

“Uhhhh, should we be worried? She’s coming closer? Gytha? Perin?” a third girl said, one behind both of them.

“There’s nobody there,” Gytha said. “It’s just an illusion, don’t--”

Yvette cocked an eye and stopped in front of them, her eyes locked on Gytha’s eyes. A spell. Magic sight of some kind. Perin looked confused and uncertain. It seemed he was a mage of some kind, judging by the mage’s bracer on his right arm. It wasn’t a style she recognized, though. It looked fancy, though.

Gytha, on the other hand, looked quite a bit tougher. Yvette could see the edges of a chainmail vest peeking out from behind her tunic and while Perin’s clothing seemed far fancier, Gytha’s looked wellworn. Something about her honestly reminded her of Gervas. Just less uptight. Definitely capable, though. Judging by the callouses on her hands and her muscles, she was an experienced fighter of sorts. Probably their leader.

“I’m not an illusion,” Yvette said.

“SHIT!” Gytha yelled before trying to get up, stumbling back and tripping over her chair. For a few moments her feet kicked the air until she managed to properly right herself.

Maybe Yvette was giving her just a little too much credit.

“I’m not sure what spell you’re using, but if it’s designed to see magic things, it won’t work,” Yvette said. “I’m currently invisible to them.”

“Good to know!” Gytha yelled. A moment later her eyes turned normal.

Both her and Perin had light green eyes. She wondered for a moment if they were siblings. Maybe even--

Any further thoughts were driven from her mind when her eyes locked onto the third member of their group. No longer hidden behind the other two.

The short blond hair, slightly curved and singed on the ends. The soft, red eyes. The apprentice’s bracer on her wrist.

Ermina. Her fellow apprentice under Betan. Neither she, nor her phoenix self, could move. All they could do was stare while the other girl just looked at her nervously.