"I asked them to come," said Luan, raising her chin and staring at the older elf.
"What? But, why?" he asked, obviously more confused than angry.
"Your son scares me," she said, her voice breaking on the last word. "He's always mean to me when I come by and I don't want to marry him."
She set the potion back down on the counter and stepped back next to Gia and Vonn.
"He is?" asked the elf, turning to the younger elf behind him. "Is that true?"
"I have no idea what she's talking about," said Sylvan, shaking his head. "I treat her the same as I do with every customer. These humans that have shown up, have her convinced she doesn't need the potion.
"Not wanting to marry my son is one thing, but not taking the potion can be very dangerous! Luan, do you remember what happened the last time you were late for your medicine?" he asked, turning back to her.
"Yes," she answered meekly, ducking her head and staring at the floor.
"We still haven't figured out how to get the vines that have grown all over the village to withdraw or shrink. And two of the shopkeepers have still not reappeared. We think they may be dead!"
"They're not," she whispered, her words so soft, Gia could barely hear them.
"What?" the old elf asked sharply, eyeing her with disapproval.
Gia frowned. They were bullying her. Poor Luan was stressed enough! Grabbing Luan's hand, she wrapped her hands around it and gave her a warm smile of encouragement to remind her she wasn't alone. Vonn did the same on the other side.
"You shouldn't yell at her," said Vonn in a loud commanding voice.
"Who are you, boy? Have you even reached twenty winters yet? It's all the same with you humans! You live such short lives and yet you're willing to risk so much on such faulty beliefs!" complained the old elf.
"I don't have to live as old as an elf, to know a bully when I see one. Why can you not talk to her as an equal, instead of a child?" Vonn countered.
"Because she is a child! An elf isn't an adult until they reach their hundredth year," explained the old elf in exasperation.
"The missing shopkeepers haven't shown back up, because they are the vines," broke in Luan loudly. "They were druids who answered the call when I lost control and sent it out."
"The call?" asked the old elf.
"You wouldn't understand," she said, straightening her back and looking him in the eye. "I am not going to take the potion. I need to learn to control the powers I was born with rather than suppressing them all the time. I will head north east to the section of forest where the walking trees are, and will not return until I am certain I can be around others safely."
"But Luan, that's…" began the old elf, before shaking his head. "If that is your decision, I will notify your father. He has paid us in advance for the potions, until the day you turned a hundred. Had you married my son, the potions would have been free from that day forward, but if you insist on not taking them, then I will reimburse your father."
"Father?!" exclaimed Sylvan, looking at the older elf in shock and surprise. "Does this mean I will not be marrying her?"
"Probably not, Sylvan. You only wanted to marry her because of how powerful the children would be, not out of any interest in her. Finish your work," said the old elf, moving back to his desk in the back of the room.
As they left the alchemy lab, Luan was grinning ear to ear and giddy with excitement.
"I did it!" she exclaimed. "I always dreamed of telling them no, and now I've finally done it!"
"Good for you, Luan!" beamed Vonn, patting her shoulder.
Gia gave her a hug. "When are you leaving?"
"I will need to leave soon, before my powers start acting up, but I should be fine for another couple of days. I was hoping to stay with you guys until you left. I think Mayor Soliana was having Elisen escort you to the border. I haven't seen her in a long time, and wanted to tell her what I'm doing. She's one of the best druids in the forest. I really like her!"
"I wonder how long it will be before she shows up?" murmured Vonn. "I would like to buy some more rations before we left, so I don't have to hunt on the way. The twins didn't seem very pleased with us shooting a deer."
"They wouldn't. All of the animals in the forest technically belong to the royal family, which means you killed one of their animals. Since they ate some of the meat and then left, I think you're fine. I can take you over to the merchant's store, if you would like? Nakisha is really nice. She's been there for the past 500 years."
Vonn nodded, and they followed Luan along the path, having to carefully make their way over the vines growing on the path.
"When I lost control, the shopkeepers heard the call I sent out, and became these vines. No one can get them to move, because they are blocking the doors to their stores. Only those who are willing to actually buy from them can enter, but no one knows how to communicate with them, other than me," Luan told them once they got to the other side.
"What did they sell?" asked Gia curiously.
"Spices in one and fabrics in the other. I haven't bothered to try and get them to move because neither of those things would last very long," explained Luan.
The next store down from the vines, was the general store. Stepping inside, the scents of a variety of seasonings and items hit Gia's nose, making it twitch and threaten to make her sneeze.
"Ah, Luan! How good to see you again! Here for your next potion?" asked the elderly elven woman behind the counter.
"No, Nakisha. I'm not taking the potion any longer. When I leave the town here in a few days, I'm heading to the walking trees. I'm going to get control of my powers before I come back. I don't know how long that will take, but I thought you should know."
"Well, take care dear. Everyone needs to find out who they are sometime. Do you need anything, before you leave?"
"My new friends were hoping to get some rations before they left. I think Elisen is going to escort them to the border."
"Humans? What are you doing so far from your own lands?" asked the old elven woman with a look of shock.
"We fled an army that was coming to destroy our city. Some good luck saw us past the mountain, but now we need to get back and the only route has us going through your forest," explained Gia.
"Why don't you just go back the way you came?" asked Nakisha, genuinely curious.
"We traveled through the mushroom forest, and the dwarven city," said Vonn.
"Ah, no going back that way. Isn't the magical forest there too? Very dangerous for humans. The path ahead of you will be dangerous too," she cautioned.
"It would be easier if we had some food. My father is blind and my little brother doesn't hunt very well," said Gia.
"Blind?! Traveling on this journey?! Wow! I am impressed! Here, take these rations and good luck!" said Nakisha, shoving a whole bag of ration bars at them.
"We have coin," said Gia as Vonn took the bag and looked inside.
"No! I will not charge travelers who are with someone so handicapped! I am even more amazed you have made it as far as you have! How did you ever get past the giant deer or the troll?"
"The troll had just eaten a mermaid, or nessie?" said Vonn.
"And I saw the deer, but it disappeared very quickly afterwards," said Gia.
"Amazing! That deer has been known to stomp people to death if they see it, and sometimes if they don't! And the troll just let you get away? Simply amazing! You must have some impressive luck!"
Gia glanced at Vonn, to see him glancing at her and they both smiled. They did have some good luck, in the form of amulets from the tree.
"Let's get back and show your parents all of the food you have," said Luan, looking outside.
No sooner had they stepped outside, then a series of elves appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Luan by the arms and pushing Vonn and Gia off the edge of the path.
With a scream, Gia grabbed at anything that was nearby, catching hold of the giant vines and stopping her descent. Glancing down at Vonn fearfully, she saw he had also grabbed the vines. Resting her cheek against the side of the plant, Gia closed her eyes and focused on breathing. Her heart was beating so fast!
The sounds of screaming could be heard from the path above, as the elves dragged Luan away.