I’m awake now and dawn is showing.
We may as well grab some food and head out.” She shot a sideways
glance at him, wondering if the nightmare was about the attack. She
had woken up with a nightmare too, just without the screaming and
sword waving.
Breakfast was quick and simple. As the sun
rose, they mounted the horses to continue their journey in silence.
Liselle had never been this far north in the valley and spent a
good deal of time looking at the scenery. The rugged eastern
mountains were closer, still capped with snow. Liselle loved
spring. It was striking how green the grass and trees were.
Brilliantly colored flowers opened and bloomed as the day went on.
She smiled happily and pointed them out to Tathan.
“Hmm? Flowers? Yes. They are very nice. It’s
like a rainbow barfed all over the grass,” he said. She stared at
him slack-jawed as he went back to riding, lost in thought.
With a shake of her head and a chuckle at
his careless disregard for beauty, she continued to look around.
Green forests covered the east and west slopes up to the frost
line. The mountains were lower in the north toward the Willden
Forest.
They reached the edge of the forest in the
middle of the afternoon, just as thunderclouds were beginning to
gather. Thunderstorms every single afternoon became tedious after a
while. When Tathan put on a hooded cloak to protect him from the
rain, she slipped into her jacket and put its hood over her head.
They turned east at the tree line and Tathan began to search
intently for his path.
It was well hidden. Had someone been looking
at the trees straight ahead, or traveling to the west, they would
have missed it. The path opened to the side with underbrush
covering the entrance. They carefully made their way through. From
there, it curved to the north, going deeper and deeper into the
forest.
Tall trees bordered the path, but never grew
directly on it. Drizzle pattered the leaves of plants and
wildflowers covering the ground along with old fallen tree trunks
and moss covered rocks. The smell of moist wood was strong. A deer
watched them ride by, completely unafraid. Squirrels, rabbits and
various other small woodland creatures darted everywhere. Birds of
all types flitted from branch to branch singing a myriad of
songs.
“This is about as far as I was ever brave
enough to venture,” Tathan said. “It’s an awe-inspiring forest and
a little intimidating too.”
“If this is the farthest you’ve ever been,
how do you know where the path goes, or that it goes anywhere?” she
asked suspiciously.
“Well, I don’t know.” he said
sheepishly. “I always had the feeling it went somewhere. It’s an
instinct I suppose.”
“So we’re traveling on a path through a
dangerous, possibly haunted, forest because you think it
goes somewhere.”
He looked up the path ahead. “I know it goes
somewhere. That’s not enough for most people, but I have a good
feeling about this.”
Liselle rubbed her face with both hands. It
wasn’t much to go on, but she didn’t have any better ideas.
“Alright. It doesn’t look like we have anywhere else to go, so
we’ll find out one way or another.”
He nodded his head and continued. “I don’t
think it’s haunted if that’s any consolation. It’s just a big,
scary forest with standard violent beasts like dragons, bears and
that sort of thing. I doubt there are many ghosts.”
Liselle rolled her eyes. “Oh, that makes me
feel much better. Thanks, Cousin.”
“No problem, any time, I’m here for you.”
Tathan grinned when she playfully glared at him.
A pleasant clearing with a stream running
through it made a nice camp for the night. Tathan took care of the
horses while Liselle gathered wood to set up a fire pit. Once
everything was set, she sat down on a small log and debated whether
to light the damp wood with flint and tinder, or use her magic.
Tathan hadn’t said much about the spells she had cast yet, so she
wasn’t sure how he felt about
We may as well grab some food and head out.” She shot a sideways
glance at him, wondering if the nightmare was about the attack. She
had woken up with a nightmare too, just without the screaming and
sword waving.
Breakfast was quick and simple. As the sun
rose, they mounted the horses to continue their journey in silence.
Liselle had never been this far north in the valley and spent a
good deal of time looking at the scenery. The rugged eastern
mountains were closer, still capped with snow. Liselle loved
spring. It was striking how green the grass and trees were.
Brilliantly colored flowers opened and bloomed as the day went on.
She smiled happily and pointed them out to Tathan.
“Hmm? Flowers? Yes. They are very nice. It’s
like a rainbow barfed all over the grass,” he said. She stared at
him slack-jawed as he went back to riding, lost in thought.
With a shake of her head and a chuckle at
his careless disregard for beauty, she continued to look around.
Green forests covered the east and west slopes up to the frost
line. The mountains were lower in the north toward the Willden
Forest.
They reached the edge of the forest in the
middle of the afternoon, just as thunderclouds were beginning to
gather. Thunderstorms every single afternoon became tedious after a
while. When Tathan put on a hooded cloak to protect him from the
rain, she slipped into her jacket and put its hood over her head.
They turned east at the tree line and Tathan began to search
intently for his path.
It was well hidden. Had someone been looking
at the trees straight ahead, or traveling to the west, they would
have missed it. The path opened to the side with underbrush
covering the entrance. They carefully made their way through. From
there, it curved to the north, going deeper and deeper into the
forest.
Tall trees bordered the path, but never grew
directly on it. Drizzle pattered the leaves of plants and
wildflowers covering the ground along with old fallen tree trunks
and moss covered rocks. The smell of moist wood was strong. A deer
watched them ride by, completely unafraid. Squirrels, rabbits and
various other small woodland creatures darted everywhere. Birds of
all types flitted from branch to branch singing a myriad of
songs.
“This is about as far as I was ever brave
enough to venture,” Tathan said. “It’s an awe-inspiring forest and
a little intimidating too.”
“If this is the farthest you’ve ever been,
how do you know where the path goes, or that it goes anywhere?” she
asked suspiciously.
“Well, I don’t know.” he said
sheepishly. “I always had the feeling it went somewhere. It’s an
instinct I suppose.”
“So we’re traveling on a path through a
dangerous, possibly haunted, forest because you think it
goes somewhere.”
He looked up the path ahead. “I know it goes
somewhere. That’s not enough for most people, but I have a good
feeling about this.”
Liselle rubbed her face with both hands. It
wasn’t much to go on, but she didn’t have any better ideas.
“Alright. It doesn’t look like we have anywhere else to go, so
we’ll find out one way or another.”
He nodded his head and continued. “I don’t
think it’s haunted if that’s any consolation. It’s just a big,
scary forest with standard violent beasts like dragons, bears and
that sort of thing. I doubt there are many ghosts.”
Liselle rolled her eyes. “Oh, that makes me
feel much better. Thanks, Cousin.”
“No problem, any time, I’m here for you.”
Tathan grinned when she playfully glared at him.
A pleasant clearing with a stream running
through it made a nice camp for the night. Tathan took care of the
horses while Liselle gathered wood to set up a fire pit. Once
everything was set, she sat down on a small log and debated whether
to light the damp wood with flint and tinder, or use her magic.
Tathan hadn’t said much about the spells she had cast yet, so she
wasn’t sure how he felt about
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