Free Aurelius and I by Benjamin James Barnard

tone which clearly did not go unnoticed by the strangely-dressed girl, a notable element of fear having crept back into her voice when next she spoke.
    “Well, I was out foraging early this morning – really early, before daybreak, it’s the best time for it you see, before all those pesky squirrels have stolen all the good food. Anyway, I’d barely filled a third of my basket when I ran into Ernie, you know, the badger? Anyway, he was in a terrible state; he told me he had just been to visit The Great Raymondo who had warned him to get home quickly, as one of the bats with whom he shares his cave with had seen Captain Blackheart and his men right here in the forest earlier that night.”
    At least, I think that’s what she said. Well, the gist of it anyway, in truth the words fell from her mouth with such speed that they all ran into one another and I had found it very difficult to discern any of them, and even more difficult to believe any of those which I had managed to discern.
    “And did Ernie say where this anonymous bat had supposedly spotted Captain Blackheart, the most merciless warrior ever known, and lived to tell the tale?” asked Aurelius, a note of obvious suspicion having entered his tone.
    “Right in the very heart of the Forest, somewhere along the western bank of the river, over near the caves.”
    “And what else did he say?”
    “Nothing.”
    “NOTHING!?!” bellowed Aurelius. “ Nothing about what they were saying, or what they were doing? Nothing at all ?”
    “No, nothing. Only what I told you. I came and found you as quick as I could, honest,” replied Rain in what was little more than a whisper. She was clearly afraid of Aurelius’s sudden change in mood, as was I.
    “Okay then. Okay,” said Aurelius, his voice calmer, his face filled with an apologetic smile. “Thank you, young lady, you have been very helpful. Now, please don’t waste any more of your time here with me, you go and get on with your foraging, leave this to me to look into. There’s nothing for you to be worrying your pretty little head about, you can be assured of that.”
    Rain smiled and thanked Aurelius for his help before leaving, looking anything but assured. Indeed, she seemed to be more afraid now than when she had arrived. I suspected that this was largely due to the fear which had been clearly present in forest’s usually ever-calm guardian at the mere suggestion of the arrival of this Captain Blackheart character. I must confess that I too was somewhat perturbed by my new friend’s reaction; if somebody as experienced and confident as Aurelius was scared of this guy, how was I going to be able to protect anything from him?
    “Well, I suppose it’s about time that you and I were getting back as well, Charlie,” Aurelius asserted in a voice which echoed with suppressed fear. “We wouldn’t want your parents to worry now, would we?”
    “Was she mad? Talking about getting a message from a badger, who heard it from some bloke, who heard it from a bat?” I asked, ignoring Aurelius’s less than subtle attempts to part with my company.
    “No, Charlie, I’m afraid that Rain is quite far from mad, indeed she is usually a very reliable, level-headed young woman. You see, she is a tree elf, and tree elves are able to communicate with all animals.”
    “Like Doctor Dolittle?”
    “Doctor who-little?” he looked perplexed. “No, Charlie, I don’t believe so. Tree elves are a spiritual lot, they don’t give out titles. They believe that every tree elf should be considered equal to the next. I am unaware of this Doctor Do-Nothing fellow, but you should be very wary of him in future, Charlie, for I suspect that he may be a fraud.”
    I decided to move on with the conversation, rather than try to explain the realities of Doctor Dolittle to a Fernator.
    “So who is this Captain Blackheart anyway?” I asked.
    “Captain Blackheart is Professor Balzanfjoord’s right hand man. He is responsible for The