“Treated with what,” Piers demanded, standing still at no further sign of the aggressive rodents.
“I know a medicine,” she said with a nod. “We must make camp. We need fresh water, and I must hunt for the vine.”
Falling silent to listen, they could hear the run of a brook in the distance, and their leader sighed, “Well, then we go that way,” he commanded, pointing with his sword. “Pick up our gear and bring a few of their bodies. If Zae thinks they won’t poison us, at least we’ll have dinner.”
Ami wrinkled her nose at the thought of consuming the creatures, but she did not voice her doubts. She could remember a time when she would have gladly eaten the smelliest, filthiest of vermin, and she had no desire to ever be that hungry again.
“So sorry, Rey Daye,” Lin’s small voice cut through their chatter as she offered him the cover she had hidden beneath, which was now splattered with blood.
“It’s all right, love,” he soothed, accepting the article and rolling it into a loose ball. “We’ll wash it if we can. At least you were safe.” Scooping her up, he carried her as they followed the Mate through the thicker greenery.
It took the better part of an hour to reach the sound of the running water, but when they did, the sight of it stole their breaths away.
“Oh my,” Amicia whispered, taken in by the small water fall that spilled over about four feet above the ground, which gathered into a pool. Fifteen feet long, it then fell away onto a steep slope, cascading into a frothy torrent as it was swept away into the brook. “This is magnificent!”
“Aye, and we never would have noticed it if we hadn’t been attacked,” Piers agreed. Locating the axe, he began clearing away the area around the edge so they could gain access.
“You don’t suppose animals use this pond,” Rey suggested in a concerned tone.
“Doesn’t look like it,” the Mate replied, still stripping away what he could. “The foliage is too thick. Let’s get the drinking water from up top, and we’ll use this in the lower pool for the baths. The rocks down below will be good for the wash.”
“I can climb it,” Animir offered, locating a few handholds he could use for the task and making it up to the next level with minimal effort. Pivoting, he accepted the elvish wine bottles and their cook pot to be filled.
Below, Zaendra wandered around, in and out in a slow circle. Her eyes sharp, she gave a happy shout when she had located their cure. “Bally, come come!”
Following the sound of her voice, he joined her, then grunted, “This one?”
“Yes,” she confirmed with a nod. “Cut it down and bring it to the camp.”
Thick juices coated his fingers as he separated the dense strand from the limb of the tree. “Oh, dear God, this thing smells horrid!” he announced at the top of his lungs. Carrying the long strip, folded so both loose ends were up, he used his free hand to pinch his nose.
“Oh,” Ami agreed with a small belch, “I’m going to be sick.” With quick steps, she darted out of the camp the Mate had been clearing.
“Oh, no,” the elder intervened, “we’ll have to cut that up outside of camp. Are you going to cook it? Maybe that will remove some of the smell,” he offered.
“No, we crush it,” the nymph informed him, grinding a fist into her palm to demonstrate.
Holding up his hand, he stopped her. “Ok, I don’t want to know. Just… make the medicine and be sure all the wounds get treated, no matter how small. We can’t afford for anyone to get sick, even if we have to spend a day or two here… dealing with this,” he finished with a small scowl.
Returning to the group, Ami suppressed her urge to gag. “Everyone, peel off your clothes, and I’ll get on with the wash. Zae can whip up that remedy, and one of you guys can get a fire going while the other makes dinner,” she suggested.
“Sounds like a plan,” the Mate agreed, only marginally pleased with it, but what else could they do?
“I need a knife,” Zae requested meekly.
“Here, use Ami’s dagger,” Rey offered as he slipped off his shirt and pants, presenting them to the blonde and the blade to the nymph. Standing in his undergarments, he shivered. “Hey Bally, how’s the fire coming?”
“I’m on it,” his best friend replied, blowing the sparks into a small flame. He had gathered a small stack of loose wood, and announced, “Ok, I have enough to get us going but we’re going to need…” His voice trailed away as Piers added a few more logs to his reserve. “Ok, fire’s good.”
By the time the sun had set, the group had managed to remove the blood from their clothes the best they could, and the outfits all hung from vines stretched between the trees. Wearing only their undergarments and wrapped in their blankets, they had washed and sat waiting for their nurse to apply her salve.
“Eww,” Bally observed when the girl dipped her finger to taste the mixture she had been crushing in one of their bowls with a rock.
Giggling, she stepped towards him, offering the creamed vine. “It’s ready,” she announced. “Hold out your hand.” Wiping the pale jade-colored goo over his scar, she coated the new wounds carefully. “Any more?”
Presenting a few other scrapes and cuts, he made his best effort not to vomit as she treated him. “So, are we eating them?”
“Aye,” the Mate laughed, presenting himself next for coating. “Think of it as justice served for attacking us,” he mused as he handed Bally a bowl.
Making the rounds, each member of the group received their ration of vine ointment followed by a fresh bowl of vermin stew. However, their pleasant mood was gone, as they had come face to face with the danger that had awaited them outside the peaceful glen.
“Do you think we should go back?” Bally asked when they had settled into semi-comfortable positions for sleeping.
“Go back?” Ami repeated, as if the thought had not even occurred to her. Glancing around at the others, she could see that Baldwin was not the only one with doubts. “What do you think, Mate?” she asked when her gaze fell upon their leader.
Taking his time, he stoked the fire, then relaxed into a reclined position. “I think we need to be careful,” he stated firmly with a nod. “But, we won’t ever get out of here if we go back.”
The correctness of his observation sinking in, the group fell into a few minutes of deeper thought before Bally agreed, “Ok, so we don’t go back. I just hope we don’t have to fight off any more giant rats,” he sighed, turning his back on the fire and closing his eyes to get some sleep.
Watching the Mate, Amicia shivered. “Is everyone going to sleep, or is someone going to keep watch?”
“I’m keeping first watch,” Rey advised, giving her a small wave. “When the moon sets, I’ll wake the Mate, and he’ll take second.”
Smiling at their plan, she snuggled deeper under her blanket. She hated the thought they weren’t safe when they slept, but it would have been folly to try and do so without a guard.
Foreboding Forest
Sitting alone in the darkness while the others slept, Rey selected a thin strip of vine to toy with. Picking off bits from one end, he tossed them at the fire, enjoying the small pop that each one made as it was incinerated. Peering through the dancing flames, he stared at the girl who slumbered straight across from him.
His heart skipped a beat when he recalled they had shared a moment that morning, albeit brief. She had seemed deeply happy that he had remembered her things, and brushing out her hair had been a true labor of love. Fond of many of Amicia’s attributes, her golden mess of frizz had to be his favorite.
Restless, he climbed out of his bedding and stretched, then carefully stepped between their bodies and scaled the rocks to fetch himself a drink. Peering upstream, he could see the water glisten at each level as it cascaded down the mountain, forming small pools between sections of rocks where the water tumbled to the next level below. The waterfall amazing, he grinned at their luck at finding it before the memory of the rodents wiped the smile away. They were no lon
ger on the rim of mortals, and forgetting that fact could at some point cost them their lives.
Pushing his way through the brush, he found a spot to take a piss before he made his way back to the fire. Stoking the flames, he checked the moon and then gave the Mate a shove. “Hey,” he whispered, “your turn.”
“Umph,” the older man grunted, pushing himself up to sit. “Anything going on?”
“Nope.” Rey reclaimed his seat and pulled the blanket up to cover his bare legs. “You think our clothes will dry? It’s not exactly warm here.”
“They’ll dry,” Piers assured, stretching and searching for his bowl to fetch water. “Get some sleep, son.”
Leaning back against the tree behind him, Rey didn’t argue. Closing his eyes, the next thing he knew, Lin was bouncing on his chest.
“Happy Rey Daye,” she sang.
“Yes, happy day,” he laughed. Sitting up, he looked around, finding that they had let him sleep longer than everyone else, and he was the last one awake. Standing, he located his clothes and felt them tentatively. What do you know, they are dry, he mused, pulling them from the line and shoving his legs in the stiff bottoms. Tugging the shirt on, he asked, “What’s for breakfast? More vermin stew?”
“Bally caught some small fish upstream,” Ami replied. “I saved a few strips for you if you would rather have them,” she offered.
“Thanks, I’d definitely go with the fish,” he laughed, then countered, “not that the stew was bad.”
“Yeah, I know. Desperation dinner,” she agreed, presenting the thin slivers of meat. Looking up at him with her large green eyes, she smiled as he took them, then turned away to continue her packing.
An hour later, they had regrouped, with all their gear stowed once again, only this time Bally didn’t carry all of the weapons. Instead, he carried the bedrolls, which had been folded into one large bundle, and each group member brandished a weapon. That way, if they met any more undesirables, they would be ready for the fight.
Leading them out, Piers didn’t bother with any speeches; they all knew what was expected. They didn’t need reminding what would be at stake if anyone got careless. Behind him, each reclaimed his or her position, and they trod along through the thick brush well into the afternoon, when they came upon a wide clearing that resembled the meadow they had left behind.
“Well, this is an odd place,” Rey observed once they had gathered on the edge, with the open expanse before them.
“Indeed,” Piers agreed, staring at the woods on the far side. “Is it just me, or does that remind anyone of the Shadowlands?” he asked, only half joking.
“It doesn’t look pleasant,” Ami agreed, fishing out her magical trinket. “If we can have a break, I just realized I have left the glen, but Uscan might expect to see me there.”
Scowling, the Mate asked, “Can you reach him at this distance?”
“I won’t know until I try,” she replied with a grin.
“All right,” he approved. “Let’s spread out and see if we can find some water. If so, we’ll make camp here tonight and take on the next foreboding forest on the morrow.”
“Foreboding forest,” Bally parroted, laughing as he did. “Come on Mate, it’s not that bad. Just a bunch of trees, you know.”
“Aye, and giant rats,” Rey corrected, also disturbed by the woods they would enter next.
Choosing a large rock, Ami climbed up and sat, pulling her knees to her chest. Holding her merdoe within her right fist, she squeezed the left around it and closed her eyes.
“Uscan,” she called, her thoughts echoing his name.
“Amicia,” a voice replied, causing her heart to beat faster.
“Is that you?”
“Who else would it be?” She could hear his deep laugh.
“I’m so glad I could reach you,” she confessed. “We’ve left the glen,” she informed him hesitantly. “A couple of days ago, in fact, in case you wanted to pay me a visit.”
After a long pause, his voice asked, “Have you reached the desert?”
“No, we ran into trouble with some large vermin. We handled it though and have put another day in of walking.”
“So, you are safe.”
“Yes,” she agreed with a nod, forgetting he could not see the gesture. “We are spending the night in a clearing, I think, and will enter another forest tomorrow. It looks like the Shadowlands from here,” she informed him with a laugh.
“Dark?”
“Yes.”
“Dense?”
“Very,” she agreed.
“Be careful, Ami,” he warned.
Her breath growing shallow, she opened her eyes and stared at the trees across the way. “Do you know this place, Uscan?”
“Perhaps. There are places in Eriden that have been cursed, like the Shadowlands, and others where the trees trap the light and steal it from the ground below. Nothing grows there, save the haunted trees.”
“Oh my,” she gasped. “Is it safe for us to enter?”
“Carry a light,” he instructed her.
“I wish you were here,” she whispered, fear causing her to tremble.
“You must ask,” he replied.
“I must ask?” she repeated. When he didn’t answer, she pushed, “If I ask, you will come and travel with us?” she clarified.
“Yes.”
The others had searched the clearing and discerned that no water could be found. Gathering around her, they were watching her come out of her trance and return to them.
“Wait,” she requested, softening her grip on her shell. Locating Piers, she stared at him with wide eyes. “I think the forest is cursed. Uscan says he will come and travel with us but only if I ask him to do so.”
“Did you?” Rey intervened.
“No, not yet. I wanted to discover your thoughts before I did.”
“And what difference will it make if he comes?” Piers questioned.
Blinking, the girl’s mind raced. “He’s strong, and he knows this land,” she tallied. “He could fight for us and carry us if he needed to.”
“He would be our servant,” the Mate clarified.
“No, of course not,” she denied. Closing her eyes, she pictured him there with them. “Yes, I think he would. We have to do this for ourselves, don’t we,” she sniffed, looking up at their leader with emerald pools of sadness.
“I think it’s better if we do,” Piers quietly agreed.
Lowering her lids, she lifted her chin. “Uscan.”
“Yes?”
“I cannot ask this of you. We will carry a light, as you have instructed.”
“Very well,” he agreed.
Her eyes fluttered, “Goodbye, my friend.”
“Ami,” he called.
“Yes?”
“Be sure to seek out our cousins, the great white wolves of the north. Once you have crossed the desert, they will help you on your quest.”
“Thank you,” she sighed, smiling as she rejoined those around her.
“Ok,” Piers said in a loud voice, clamping his hands together and giving them a good rub, “the only water is that in the wine bottles. So, we either go back until we find some or go forward until we do.”
“There’s no water in the forest,” she informed him. “Uscan says the trees here are haunted, and that they devour the sunlight, so nothing else grows.”
“Oh, brother,” he groaned, catching his head with his hands to squeeze it.
“He also said we need to carry a light.”
That gave him pause. “What kind of light?”
“He didn’t specify. Torches, or lamps, would be my guess.”
Sighing loudly, Piers turned and sat against the rock next to her. “Well, that makes two things we don’t have. Ok, we make camp here tonight. We’ll divvy up the water from the flasks and decide which way to go from here in the morning. Probably the way we came to find another way around.”
None voiced their disappointment, but they all felt it. Without
water, there would be no stew, and they would be forced to dip into their desert stores. Seeing the discontent on Ami’s face was almost more than Rey could bear. “Hey, while you set up camp here, let Bally and me back track. I bet we could find some kind of water back the way we came,” he suggested.
Glaring at him, Piers was still considering the option when Ami sighed, “You might as well let them try.”
At her approval, their leader gave a single nod, stipulating, “But not too far. If you don’t find anything within half a mile or so, just come back and we’ll dig into the pack for tonight.”
Each eager to go on the errand, the two quickly disappeared down the trail they had just come off of with the pot for stew in hand. The rest gathered their packs and carried them over to a decent spot to lay out the camp.
Arranging a circle of stones, Piers prepared to build the fire while Amicia and Zaendra spread out the blankets to make the beds. Each night since they had left the glen had been a bit colder than the last, and they would certainly need both if the pattern held.
While they were doing that, Animir gathered the weapons and placed them against a tree. He then set out to stock the wood for the fire to keep it burning through the night.
Following him, Oldrilin skipped along, singing his name in a silly song. The third time through, he stopped, turning to face her. “Can you not bother someone else?”
Looking up at him with sad blue eyes, her bottom lip quivered. “Animir is not a friend of Lin?”
“Honestly, no. Why would you think that I would be?” he asked grumpily as he started to walk away. He could see the hurt on her small features, and it occurred to him that Rey might be upset if he made his siren cry. “Wait, you know I didn’t mean that,” he teased as he knelt before her and offered her his hand.
Grasping it, she gave him a shake and returned to her singing while she hopped in circles around him. Sighing, the elf went about gathering the wood and doing his best to ignore her. Reminding himself that Rey looked after her most of the time, he guessed he could do it until the other man returned with their water.
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