Sylvan

Chapter 16

Noah's brows furrowed. If he was surprised, he masked it well. "Did Silas already talk to you about it?" He asked and I detected a hint of anger in his tone.

I shook my head no. "Silas didn't say anything to me. I guessed it."

He leaned forward. "You have a very good guess. Want to tell how?"

I sucked in a nervous breath before starting. "Last week Gabriel ran out of school to go to the woods. I went after to search for him. I was looking for him when suddenly... everything changed. There were colorful trees, a bird with large wings... a waterfall." I shook my head. "There's no waterfall in Easthallow, that's when I realized something wasn't right."

"Razorrock Cascades," Noah said, making me look up at him in question, "that waterfall you saw is called Razorrock Cascades." His green eyes were studying me curiously as though I was a mystery to be solved.

He didn't speak further and it was my cue to continue.

"Soon I found Gabriel there too. He was there with someone. All I saw was a shadow, I didn't see their face. The guy, or whatever he was, vanished as soon as he saw me. Later Gab told me his name is Gorrie and that he was his friend..." I told him everything that followed, including us being chased by a giant boar. I felt my hands shaking as I relived that near-death experience.

"Giselle." I felt a warm hand over mine, bringing me back to present. I hadn't realized when Noah had moved. He was now sitting on his knees in front of me. "It's alright. You are safe now." His touch was calming.

"I was so scared that if something happened to Gabriel," my voice was tiny and shaky, "he's been going to that place for weeks. What if something like that happened when I wasn't there? What if we hadn't crossed over back to our world in time?" I couldn't even bare to think about it.

"Nothing happened. Your brother is safe, you're safe" Noah said, cupping my face and making me look at his vibrant eyes. Behind the concern was pride and adoration. "You're so brave Giselle Martin. You single-handedly saved your brother and yourself from a tezek."

"Tezek?"

"There's a big vocab for you to learn about Celestial Realm." He smiled when my face scrunched in confusion at the change of name. "Goblins who live in this world coined the term Magic Realm or Realm of Magic for obvious reasons. From what it seems Gorrie lives near the edge, so he has picked up some common terms from the Goblins who are regulars in your world and pass by the edge. Another term is Celestial Realm." 

I nodded, trying to soak in what he was saying.

"And that tezek is the animal who chased us," I more stated than asked.

"Yes, they're wild beasts, hard to domesticate. Only prime Goblins and some spirits can control them." A mix of anger and guilt took over his features. "You and Gabriel weren't supposed to be there, let alone face a wild tezek. I feel so stupid for not taking care of you. You're right, if you hadn't crossed back to this world in time then-"

"It's not your fault. You did warn me to not go to the woods."

"You don't understand. It's my responsibility to protect you." He let out a sigh, before looking back at me. "Why didn't you tell me about it earlier? You lied to me about Gorrie." He sounded offended.

I lowered my eyes, feeling conscious. "The whole incident sounds crazy to my ears, how could I expect anyone else to believe me? I was afraid you'll think that I'm a freak. I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone." Though now getting it off my chest helped. 

"I would never think something like that about you Martin. Besides, if you're a freak then what does it make me?"

"I don't know, a freaking goblin," I snorted and he chuckled. It was still hard to grasp everything he was laying. Tezeks, spirits, Goblins, Celestial Realm. I wouldn't be surprised if I woke up to find all this was some silly elaborate dream. But Noah's touch reminded me it wasn't.