Tranquil Fury by P.G. Thomas

Zack’s lighter. Mirtza prepared the meal in quiet, not because he asked for it, but because everybody was trying to figure out what was happening. 
    After they ate, Eric spoke first, “Mirtza, what is happening? What is up with Lauren? The elves? Who were those two that tried to kill Lauren?”
    Mirtza held up his hand, “Those are easy questions to answer.” He reached into his pocket, mimicked pulling something out. “What I hold in my hand is a very special book, as it has all of the answers to every question in the universe. I will give it to you so you can look up the answers yourself.” He leaned over to Eric with his hand outstretched.
    Eric tried to grab the book, but there was nothing there, and gave Mirtza a dirty look, “What's wrong with you?”
     “Eric, I wish it were that simple. It appears that Lauren is receiving guidance from an unknown force, and I have heard her speak, as you have. It is not the distrusting little girl, with the timid voice that I met a few days ago. I have looked into those eyes, and they are not the eyes of a little girl. That staff she holds, there is something special about it. There is an order or sect here, they really do not have a name, and I do not know much about them, but they get direction from one called Mother.” Mirtza picked up a handful of earth and let it fall back to the ground, “As I understand it, this is Mother, but Mother is more than the ground you walk upon. She is some sort of divine knowledge or presence. Those who receive the gift from Mother, they are known as Earth Daughters and Earth Mothers. Maybe this is how Mother talks to those chosen, but in truth, I do not know how this communication works, have never met one, and have only heard about them in school. My best guess, that strange staff is somehow connecting young Lauren to Mother. Mother, in turn, is guiding her, and giving her knowledge that is beyond Lauren. That staff is three different trees, but I think one is Ironwood. That sword strike should have broken the staff in two, and she should be dead. When she used it as a weapon and hit her assailant, it should have broken, but she broke her opponent in two.”
    John spoke up, “Inside her jacket, where the sword hit her, there were leaves. How could leafs stop a sword?”
    “I do not need the book Eric ignores to answer that one, as they would have been Ironwood leaves. There was one back at the covered forest, where I found her, but I did not think it was possible to pick those leaves.” He then went on to tell them about the rip in the tarp, how the forest was growing at her little camp. How he thought the tarp was magic, and that when she caused it to rip with her strange staff, it reacted like the magic spell he had heard. He also proposed that was the reason for the riders, “As for the well, the song she sang, her eyes, the strange voice that she speaks. I think it all comes from the staff, though I do not know how. I don’t know why the riders stopped chasing us, and I have no idea what will happen next.” Mirtza went over and offered to help Ryan wash his wounds, who gladly accepted. Mirtza smelled the water and poured some into his hand, “It looks like water.” He then gave Ryan and Zack a mug, “Drink up boys.”
    Ryan pulled his shirt and pants off, and Mirtza looked at all of the scars, old and new, “Is this customary in your culture?”
    “No, I was involved in a bad accident. It seems that they were able to put me back together, after I fell off the wall.”
     “If I were you, I would avoid walls.”
    John noticed that Ryan was healing extremely fast, as seven days ago he could only walk a few feet. Two days ago, he could stand on his own, but not walk any distances unassisted. Today you would never know he once relied on a wheelchair. The same with Zack, two days ago, extensive burns caused him great discomfort every time he moved, but now he was walking without any pain. John was confused about all of this,