Imago Ch11: The Grove of Xylia (Patreon)

<- previous"..." Soft, warm hands on her arms."...ra..." A crackle of branches."Lyra!" L opens her eyes, a roaring in her ears. spice in the cool air.her vision swims. The world is slippery. Hard to hold on to,but slowly, everything shifts intofocusShe’s tangled in golden branches, Astraea's concerned face slowly breaking into a worried smile. Her bark crackles and sloughs away until she's just herself again, gently lowering L to her feet."Are you alright?"L's legs wobble as she touches down. The ground is hard; not the forest floor she’d seen in her nightmares, but hewn and unyielding. Stone.She frowns, trying to clear her head."where…what…”The change in her voice clears the last of the cobwebs.“...oh." L steadies herself against Astraea's arm, and looks around.They're in a symmetrical ring of marbled tiles and gleaming pillars. Behind them the portal, once roaring with light and power, is already fading back to silent darkness.  Before them rises a glowing city of gnarled root and twisting vine fitting seamlessly among gilded structures and glowing canals. Beyond is a moonless sky of withered stars.  And over everything, dominating the landscape and claiming its apex, rises an awesome Tree.She towers over the world like a cathedral, claiming the sky for Her rafters. Beyond observation, beyond comprehension, all that one can feel in Her presence is awe at one's own insignificance. The ambient light of the city adorns Her branches as a crown, and descending below She is wreathed in balconies and shadow-dappled walkways, architecture glittering like jewels.L forgets to breathe. A word rises through her mind, slipping through layer after layer, hazy fragments of memories blending together into a meaning. A place. A name. "Xylia…" She whispers. "Yes." Astraea breathes.L crouches down, putting a hand to the tiles. The Holy Tree calls to her, the stone warming beneath her fingers, and with it a gentle pulse. Thrumming like a heartbeat. "Is She...alive?  Like us?"Astraea smiles serenely. “In Her way.” L shakes her head, trying to dispel the allure. Just because she recognises it doesn’t keep it from tempting her. She could give the rest of her life to gazing upon that Divine Tree, sink into the very foundations of the city, rest in the seasonal rhythms of Her heartbeat and lose herself to the flow of time. The prospect of drawing her hand back would be like stopping her ears to block out a beautiful song. The Call is almost too much to bear. Suddenly her antennae twitch, catching movement in the air. She jolts and rises, her wings fluttering. Footsteps, hard and heavy, strike against the stone in perfect synchronicity. A dozen figures, each a metre taller than either L or Astraea, clad in bronze armour and armed with leaf-bladed spears. Beneath the metal, L can make out gnarled, thorn-covered roots and heads that bulge like old tree stumps. They surround the open ring like rows of chess pieces, before striking the butts of their spears upon the ground and standing at attention.L's talons flash out. It’s a surprise to her, but she’s not questioning it. "Astraea?" She hisses, edging back. The dryad blinks at her, at a loss."What...? The spriggans?” L dashes a look, taking in the gnarled faces and matching them to the wizened, monstrously strong creatures of her stories. She gives her a curt nod. Astraea brightens. “They’re our escort. I mean... I had to write ahead to announce our arrival, otherwise Thiar might have attacked us."Astraea turns back to the portal, then up. L follows her gaze, and sucks in an alarmed breath. A suit of armour, nearly three stories tall, stands behind the portal. The helmet is slightly inclined, as if watching them, even without the benefit of eyes. Its visor has the same stylized shape as a nymph mask, and it’s lit from within, glowing gears interlocking and ticking rhythmically along. The mask technology making up an entire entity. An automaton.“Oh. Of course.” L croaks. "Astraea?" Rustles a weathered voice. A golden, graceful silhouette cascades through the ranks of spriggans and enters the circle, trailing slender branches and tapered leaves. She looks like a willow tree made of light, until the branches collapse into the trunk and the light dims. The newcomer is an older woman nearly as wizened as the guards, and yet standing almost three metres tall, clad in a long black dress and with golden hair that trails to her feet."Fili!" Astraea cries in delight, and runs to her, leaping into her arms. Fili catches her and hugs her close."We were all so worried about you, little sprout.” She says, smiling wistfully and caressing the side of Astraea's face. “Many thought you would not return, but I knew. Somehow I knew you would be drawn back to us."Astraea laughs and presses her face into the hand of her elder. L follows a pace behind her, wings and talons pulled tight against her body."I see you were successful in your endeavours." Fili says, darting a stony glance at L as she sets the smaller dryad back on the ground. "I... well, yes!" There’s just the tiniest hitch in Astraea's voice as she plods over to L, taking her by the hand. "It was... all very complicated, but we made it back in the end." "For your sake, little sprout, I am happy." Fili intones. A small ball of anxiety forms in L’s stomach as she clings to Astraea’s hand. She keeps waiting for an introduction, or an acknowledgement, but none comes. Is she really not supposed to speak at all? And why does Fili keep looking at her like that, if she’s so happy for Astraea? "Evander wants to cleanse you." The dryad continues, her voice tightening. "I was expecting it. As a child of Xylia I am honoured to be taken into his light."  Astraea answers. Her words rattle out automatically, as if by rote.  Evander... Father of the Grove.  Astraea had gone over it with L, but moreso L remembers the portrait of him she’d seen at Spencer’s estate.  The holy iconography. The feeling of tension. The whispers in the dark places of her heart. "We are to escort you there immediately.” Fili says. “He will also be pronouncing judgement on your nymph. He knows how much she means to you, so I doubt it will be anything severe, but the head of the Rookery will be in attendance to advise. A runaway, you know.""Judgement...?" The idea seems to catch Astraea off guard. That, L reflects, is extremely low on the list of expressions she wants to see right now. Fili nods, her eyes on Xylia. "Best to get it over and done with.""She’s tired from the journey." L says, wondering if she can get away with an interjection if it’s on Astraea’s behalf. "Can't she have a moment?"The elder dryad’s head whips back in a double take, truly focusing on L for the first time since she's arrived. Something like suspicion moves behind her eyes. "It isn't a request..." Astraea whispers, her eyes downcast.L drops her gaze and whispers back. "I shouldn't be talking, should I." Astraea gives her a quick jerk of the head. No. L nods and silently stares ahead. Her neck prickles at the march of booted feet behind them, and the waiting judgement ahead. It's getting easier to drop into Lyra's thoughts.  She's already feeling hunted.They walk in a loose column, striding towards Xylia in the distance. The paths, with their gilded pillars and overgrown ivy, are eerily empty. As they climb stairs and cross bridges, L takes note of the aetherway canals that carve up the city and their aetherfalls that separate each of the terraced districts. Strange golden fish like the ones in the Glade's fountain flash just beneath the surface, drawing a surprisingly sharp pang of homesickness.As they make their way, Astraea and Fili fall into natural conversation, Fili catching Astraea up on goings-on L is sure she isn’t supposed to be listening to. Instead she distracts herself with the guards and the sights. Only then does she realise there’s someone strolling alongside her - a small satyr with a winsome heart-shaped face, long brown curls and a pair of curving ram’s horns. L realises she's staring and looks away quickly, wondering just when the newcomer got here."Not going to say so much as a hello?" The satyr smirks and makes a face. "...did you get your tongue cut out in Annwyn?"Just how playful is the satyr being? Is this someone else Lyra knew? Did Lyra make friends? "Did you want me to?"  L offers, trying her best at Lyra’s cool, clipped speech. "Well, you haven't changed." The satyr says, sighing theatrically. "At least you still have that voice of yours. Let's be honest, your tongue would cut back, wouldn’t it?”Oh shit. She DOES know Lyra. L knows she isn’t supposed to be talking, but between the guards, Thiar, and Fili, this satyr is the only friendly face she's seen so far. "How have you been?""Oh you know, here and there, this and that." The satyr plucks a flower off of some of the ivy and picks the petals off one by one. "Everything has been so DULL since you left. Of course there was the immediate fallout, the drama, the tears." She holds her hand to her forehead, miming a faint. "It's a wonder we ever got on without you."The satyr plucks another pair of flowers, tucking one into L's hair and the second in her own.  "Look, we match!” L can’t help but laugh. She makes it short and curt, but the strange satyr’s cavalier attitude is hard not to find infectious.  “We do.”“Do you think anyone would notice if we traded places?"The satyr’s eyes twinkle. L raises a sceptical eyebrow."Would you want to?" L taps at the flower with an antennae, tasting something faintly like licorice mixed with cinnamon. "I am going to be punished.”“Oh most certainly, most certainly.”  The satyr nods. It’s unclear if she’s responding to the question or the statement. L sighs.  “I didn't intend to make trouble." She tries cautiously. It's probably true, even.  “... or to make you clean up my problems.”"Clean it up?" The satyr snickers. "I was lighting most of the fires. Metaphorically, mostly, and…oh, you know. The Council was so angry they threw me in the salt cellars for a cycle. A cycle, can you imagine? And Astraea was so pathetic." She draws the last two words into a long sigh, punctuating it with a plaintive eye roll. "She went dormant for an entire annual passage!"L's wings stir. She can feel herself bristle, even without Lyra's prompting. Maybe the satyr's not such a friend after all. "Don't talk about her like that." She says. "I didn't…” Her wings lower again. "I didn't want to hurt her."The satyr pokes her in the cheek. L twitches. "Hey! What - ""Of course you didn't! You just shattered her heart into a thousand thousand pieces for my personal benefit. And I’m grateful!" She rubs her hands together mischievously. "And now you're back. I can't wait to see what foolishness you drum up next!""That's not why I came back." L snaps, a little louder than she intended. The satyr's starting to get under her skin, something she suspects is the point. She frowns, trying to square the satyr against the remote dryad and silent escort. "Hang on. Are you even meant to be here?" The satyr chitters with laughter, casting conspicuous glances over at the dryads, before cupping her hands around L's ear. "Are you going to rat me out?" "Do I need to?""Of course not, Mistress Lyra." She says in a simpering tone, bowing in a curtsy so low her head almost touches her knee.L snorts, then looks away again. "Thanks for coming. Maybe I'll see you in the salt cellars." The satyr smiles, revelling in some small personal victory, then prances into a cartwheel that sends her tumbling ahead of the group. Astraea jumps, finally noticing her presence. "Ah... oh! Puck! What are you doing here? Did they invite you to the audience as well?" Her smile seems open and congenial, actually delighted. L does a double-take, choking. "Pu - " She catches herself, stumbling on the tiles. This can't be the Puck. She can't possibly. It would, however, explain the general direction of the conversation.Astraea smiles and pokes the satyr in the nose."When did you get here? Has he been giving you trouble, L.... yra?" He!  Of course… but he looked so feminine?   "Lyra was bullying me." Puck pouts. "She said she was going to tattle on me if I wasn't good and have Master Evander throw me in the salt cellars after plucking off my ears and turning me inside out!"  Puck casts L a wicked little grin. L’s eyes narrow. "I see he hasn’t changed." It’s a guess, but one she is absolutely certain about."I haven’t changed, but maybe Lyra has!” Puck says, poking L hard in the side. She barely manages to keep from panicking. “I say we hang her by her toes and shake her until her marbles tumble loose! Anyone who’s been in Annwyn that long has got to be mad as… well, me!" Puck grins, holding his hands up as if to grab her. L’s wings ruffle again, pulling tight against her back. "Puck." Fili interjects. All at once, he skips to the side, fluttering his eyelashes at the willowy dryad. She stares coldly at him before heaving a sigh. "Please. The last thing we need right now is more of your mischief. Are you trying to get banished from a second Grove?" The satyr draws a diagonal cross over his heart. "Perish the thought, Mistress Filandra! Titania, alas, has taught me of consequences. Trials suffered.  Burdens carried!" L lifts an antennae, but says nothing. She can't help but notice that Filandra doesn't seem to have a problem speaking with Puck. Then again, that might just be self-preservation. As the procession resumes, Puck scampers back and forth among them, occasionally walking on his hands. L does her best to keep her distance, letting her thoughts wander.   As suspicious as both Fili and Puck are already, her sole job at the moment is to make everyone believe she's Lyra. That's the key.  She just has to get through this audience and… …whatever punishment Evander settles on for her."Hey." Astraea bumps her shoulder against L’s. "You okay?"L opens her mouth to speak, but instead just nods and offers her hand. Without a word, Astraea takes it gently, the two glittering in the aetherlight. Fili pauses, watching. Her expression is still cool, but softening. She speaks slowly, enunciating each word. "Lyra, I am glad to see you return. You were missed."L keeps her eyes averted; but ducks her head, antennae bobbing in deference to the older dryad. "Yeah, yeah, you were missed, we all missed you so much." Puck drawls. "Do you know, I did genuinely miss that scowl. You don’t see that on most nymphs! Others just look so bewildered all the time, but you?” He cackles, then dances around the group. “Oh, but Lord Evander wouldn’t take her scowl. Right?  He wouldn’t do that would he?  What do you think he’s going to do?” The satyr pauses next to one of the guards, grinning breathlessly. As far as the spriggan’s expression can change, he looks decidedly uncomfortable. "Use her as a songbird?  Pluck off each of her wings and feed them to her?  Maybe gift her to one of the other dryads -” "She's Lady Astraea's consort." Fili huffs, interrupting the satyr as he’s about to rap on the guard’s helmet. "She isn't subject to gifting." “Just speculating, mistress.” Puck offers, grinning. They’re at the foot of a final series of monumental stairs leading up to the foot of the great tree; they stretch out in either direction with aetherfalls in the distance, up and up and up. And just like the rest of the city, they are utterly deserted. Without pausing, Puck begins to walk up them backwards. L pushes back against her own nerves and starts her forced ascent, fixing her gaze on the massive clock face set into the facade of Xylia. In place of numerals, stained glass has been worked into something like the phases of the moon. What does time even mean here? By the time they reach the top, she’s struggling for breath and her legs are burning. Apparently, she’s the only one. Ahead, an ornate bridge stretches over a wide lake of golden aether. It’s so bright it is difficult to look at directly, but L can’t keep her eyes away. She feels something giddy and exhilarating dancing up inside her as she does, and in the depths she can make out Xylia's enormous roots. The source of all the canals that cut into the city like veins. And at the far end of the crossing…Xylia Herself. "Well, it looks like this is where we part.” Puck sighs, clasping his hands behind his back as he comes to a halt. “Ta for now, good to have you back and all. If Lord Evander tries to vaporise you, don't forget to duck!"Puck snatches the flower out of L’s hair, eats it, and scampers away.Astraea gives her a worried pat on the arm, leading her along the bridge. "Don’t worry." She says, certainty coming back into her tone. "Brother Evander won't do that. He may do other things, but he won't do that.""Thanks.” L whispers, then hesitates.  “How worried should I be about 'other things'?"Astraea fixes her gaze ahead. "... we can't keep him waiting."The bridge comes to an end sooner than L would like. The double doors it leads to are massive, several stories tall, and attended by two more of the colossal sentries. Fili closes her eyes, elongating and twisting into the large willow tree she had arrived as. "I'll do my best to protect you." Astraea says, before she too closes her eyes, blossoming into her own tree form.And the automatons open the doors.On the other side is a cavernous amphitheatre that spirals up, higher and higher into the tree trunk. The inside has been worked into concentric rings, each seating dryads in their glorified forms. The lither, smaller dryads crowd the higher rings while the largest and oldest are nearest to the floor. Many of them have nymphs nestled in their branches. A living forest sitting in attendance.A dias at the very centre is lit with a spotlight, illuminating a mosaic of a brilliant tree encircling and containing a roiling dark forest. L eases closer to Astraea, not quite daring to touch her shimmering skin. Stepping under the gaze of the forest, all turning to stare at her.She swallows, willing her legs to move. Fili leads the way, settling a few steps in front of the mosaic, and as she does projections of her appear on large mirrors mounted on the walls. She is looking past the spotlight into the darkness beyond, but the light in the centre is so bright that it’s impossible to see what has her attention.L halts, glancing from mirror to mirror.  "Do we stand here?" She whispers.Astraea nods. "Here, to the right of me.”At least there L isn’t being flanked by strange fae. It's a small comfort. The spriggans follow in step, circling the mosaic and closing in behind. L’s antennae track the guards' movements. There's a solid wall of them now. Surrounding them.All three of them are now visible on the mirrors. L gives her head a shake. It's still disorienting, looking for her face and getting Lyra's scowl in return. She adjusts her expression, trying to get it right. A little more of a frown? A slightly higher tilt to her head? It doesn't feel quite comfortable on her. Nothing about this does."Sister Filandra." A voice echoes out from the dark, and L catches her breath, craning her head back at a slow movement. The entire far wall shivers, cracks and pulses, fragments of bark and flickering leaves detaching and tumbling to the floor as an outline takes light and form. It's a dryad as tall and as massive as a redwood, seated on a mighty throne grown out of Xylia Herself.L can see the vines weaving over his body in intricate fractals. A flock of nymphs shift and flutter in his branches, opening and closing their wings like the moths on her tree stump. Narrow wings and hooked claws. Glowing eyes stare back at her from within the golden lattices. Her heart starts to beat faster as her own wings stir in response."Brother Evander." Fili answers.Evander's massive head cranes to take in Astraea and Lyra. He blinks a few times, as though he had just woken, then leans forward with a noise like an overburdened trunk starting to split."Sister Astraea. You have returned to us! And with your consort in tow." He smiles, then reaches down. "Let us have a look at her."L draws back in momentary alarm, but there's no choice. His mighty hand hovers patiently in place, palm up. She awkwardly climbs up, using his fingers as handholds. They thrum, the same way the stones did. Light blooms underneath her, casting her magnified shadow against the ceiling high above. She sways on Evander's palm. Growing bolder. Feeling a little more confident. L flaps her wings once for balance and looks up to meet the dryad king’s massive eyes.He lifts her into the air, his hand rising with disorienting speed, only slowing when she’s just beyond his face.   His massive amber eyes blink open and peer down upon her."She looks in good repair." Evander tugs at her wings, pulling them to their full span but not a hair further. L lets out a soft yelp of surprise."She's suffered an injury to her right wing." He says. “One she's recovered with some aid from you. Is that correct, little sister?"L’s too far to see Astraea's expression directly, but the mirrors ensure her unease is as clear and magnified as can be. Were they holding her responsible for the scar? Is that some sign of weakness for dryads? Is Astraea even going to defend herself? "Lady Astraea went to great effort for me.” L blurts out. Lyra wouldn’t let her just stand there. “It's thanks to her that I'm still able to use my wing."Evander's eyes pulse, and a wave of warm aether moves through her, stealing her breath. The crowd below breaks out into a murmur of voices, some of concern, some of discontent."You would speak to me directly, child?" The dryad rumbles. L’s antennae crumple."I - I'm sorry - " She stammers, frantically trying to look away. The eyes draw her back each time, lifting her head up like a magnet. "I mean - I didn't mean - I thought - ""Sh-she's lost her memories!" Astraea interrupts. "She has no memory of you or this place or etiquette or-" "Sister Astraea." Fili hisses. Astraea's mouth snaps shut."No memory, you say?” Evander asks, turning his attention back to her. “Poor child." He cups his hands, almost protectively nestling them around L. There’s a rustle around his head, a dozen sets of eyes peering curiously down at her. "Is this true?"L nods, trying not to shrink down. He's so big that it's disorienting. "I meant no offence." She croaks through a dry throat. "But I think that's all I've done since she's brought me back."Evander nods gravely, but his eyes twinkle, and he’s smiling. "You have much to relearn. Do not fear, child. You were ever a quick study, even if you were not always eager to apply what you had learned.” There is a general chorus of assent, a little laughter. Evander’s smile turns thoughtful. "But then, if you do not remember us... why have you returned? Unless..." He leans forward and inhales. The force of it almost pulls her out of his massive hands, and she utters a very un-Lyra-like squeak."Conjugal union!" Evander declares, beaming. “We knew this is something Astraea and you struggled with in the past. Has that since been resolved?""Wh - " L's eyes widen. Her wings snap shut, her hands pulling her dress down and she risks a quick glance at the mirrors. Astraea looks totally at a loss, a flicker of pain."...Lady...Astraea has taken very good care of me, sir." She says, cautiously. "Even if I...don't remember, I know the things she tells me were...are real, and it... would be wrong not to reach for them.""And what has she told you, child?"Evander’s expression is unchanged, but the pressure in the air seems to tighten around her."What I was to her. What we meant for each other. That I belonged with her here. In Xylia." L's wings ruffle a little. He nods."I understand. Well, this changes things substantially." His hand lowers again, and L’s wings have to pull in tight against the wind. "Of course, we cannot punish you for running away. Not when you have no memory of doing so. In many ways, you are an entirely new person. Wouldn’t you agree?"L's stomach twists, but she manages to keep her wings still and steady. "Yes, sir. I understand that I've behaved differently before.""She even speaks differently." Evander says, fascinated, turning to the other Dryads.   There are more curious voices. The sounds of dissent have since vanished."D...do I?" L manages, stumbling back into Lyra’s phrasing. Knots. Her stomach's tying into knots.  A gentle thunder of laughter in the audience.He tips her out of his hand, and L's wings flutter as she touches down. Evander clears his throat. Dry wood in a high wind. "Let me be the one to teach your first lesson as a nymph in our Grove. Nymphs are fragile creatures, who thrive best when they are guided. The ultimate expression of what we, the dryads, have done our best to achieve. The Wilds were brutal, and so made you brutal. But here, among us, you can be MORE than what savage nature made you. It is good that your old, violent self has departed leaving you in this more open state. In service of that, you will be silent unless spoken to by one of your Keepers. Listen, and we will guide you. Both Sister Astraea in your daily walk, and our entire people, in your unfolding as a full adult nymph. Do you understand, child?" L's heard things like this before. She didn't like where they led then. She still doesn’t now.She gives a slow, silent nod.Evander nods back to her. "Now go to your Keeper."L eases back to Astraea's side, not turning away. She's not sure she can bring herself to turn her back on the giant dryad. His eyes follow her, but it’s Astraea that he addresses next."In light of all this, I have two commands for you, little sister."Astraea swallows and nods."First, and I know this will hurt, but I think all of us can agree that... taking into the current circumstances, changing the nature of society and writing a new tapestry would perhaps be unwise with one in such a fragile position as Lyra. With that in mind…Lyra's status as your consort will be revoked, and she will be reinstated as your Kept."L flinches, prickles running down her spine, but surprisingly doesn’t seem to be alone in her reaction.There is a slight murmur in the crowd. Fili's face twists in visible disgust. Astraea looks blindsided, wide-eyed and in shock. Evander frowns, steepling his hands in concern. "Do you understand, Sister Astraea?" He asks. Astraea doesn’t answer immediately.  L looks over at her with concern and sidling up next to her, takes her hand. Squeezes.  Astraea blinks, coming back to herself and squeezes back."Y-yes, Brother Evander." Astraea says, holding on to L’s hand like a lifeline. She can feel Astraea trembling, barely holding herself together"... very good. With this instated, she will go to the Rookery while we commence with your cleansing. I think we can all agree that her remaining here would be... antithetical to her adjustment." He holds up a hand, and something long and narrow and fuschia unfurls her wings and flutters to it. "Octavia will see to her in your absence." He lowers his hand and Octavia hops off easily, bowing low to him. L does a quick double-take, realising that the nymph before her must be over two metres tall. She swallows, her eyes lingering on the nymph’s sawtoothed talons, her calculating stare. It’s too easy to see the mantis in her. Octavia stalks forward, two spriggan guards breaking off as her escort.“Come now.” Octavia says, extending a hand. Astraea pulls L close. "W-what are you going to do to her-"“I’m okay.”  L whispers, withdrawing."-b-but..." Astraea says, blinking back her tears, then nods. "I'll come for you as soon as I can."L nods, creasing Lyra's face into an unfamiliar smile. "I'll be waiting for you." She says. And lets go, stepping back, heart pounding in her chest. She's on her own now, guideless and adrift. Alone in the light.continue reading ->

And just like that, L’s finally made it to fairyland! It may or may not be all she ever dreamed, but there’s certainly plenty of people who want to have a word with her, or at least who they think she is. We turn our backs for five minutes and our cast decides to grow on us. I guess that comes naturally for magical tree-people, though! Let us know if you’ve got a favorite/why it’s Puck! 

L returns on Friday, July 19th! Please come with her as she gets a taste of how nymphs spend their time in a Grove, and maybe even ventures into Lyra’s social life. 

-Hark

 Hey all! Rin here, you know the drill. Leave a comment requesting an illustration you'd like to see from this chapter!

Also, I'm gonna do a limit of two per person. These requests can also include illustrations from other chapters!THANKS FOR READING, and looking forward to seeing what you want illustrated!-Rin