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Over the next few days, the Alphas and Shannol had to travel by foot.
The large falcons deteriorated to the point that they had to land. They started to lose their feathers and eventually became transparent. Cindy told them she had to wait for a while before they could conjure any new animals, as she had used a lot of her magic during the fight. Lazarus explained that they could give her their magic, but she declined his offer. She needed to rest. Cindy explained that even with their combined magic, she needed her rest and to refresh her own essence. Cindy couldn't explain it well, but she knew.
She was more than a mere vessel used to create the falcons. Part of herself was merged when she created the creatures. When the falcons finally disappeared, they changed back into water orbs, and those spheres merged back into Cindy.
Lazarus noticed Cindy looking more and more tired as they walked in the forest. She stumbled a few times and he had to help her stand. They stopped in the afternoon under the shade of the tree canopy. A noxious scent spread along the ground and bushes. Lazarus couldn't pinpoint which plants were imbuing the air with the foul scent.
Grace said, "What is that smell?"
Royce nodded, but didn't say anything. Lazarus coughed. He sat next to Cindy; she was resting her head against his shoulder.
"It's the Wilden Woods," Shannol said.
Lazarus didn't like this, and hoped they could fly above the woods. But he remembered what Grace told him when she was leaving Las Vegas, that she had once levitated herself and two other people. He hoped that with their combined magic, they could levitate all the people there in the clearing. He had to ask.
"Grace, do you think we can levitate everybody here with our joint powers?"
"Yes, I think so. It was a while ago I did that, and I was testing my growing powers," Grace said. "But it should be simple."
Lazarus said, "Shannol, how far until we pass the Wilden Woods and reach the waterways."
Shannol bent down and took the map from her leather sack. She looked up and turned around. "I think we are right here."
Lazarus looked over her shoulder. They were very close to the Wilden woods.
"If we fly this way and turn around right here by this ridge..." She shook her head. "But it's hard to judge accurately without my scouts."
"I can levitate you. Will that help?" he asked.
Shannol nodded and moved closer to him. "Do you have to hold me close?"
"No," Lazarus said.
He focused his will and power. Lazarus lifted from the ground, and Shannol floated up alongside him. It was easy, and they soon levitated past the tops of the high trees. A current of wind buffered against him and he smelt the noxious scent coming at them almost in waves.
"How far do we have to go?" Lazarus asked.
"Keep going," she said.
The sun was warming his face and hands, as Lazarus noticed where the regular forest changed into the Wilden Woods. The plants and trees transformed into a dark, winding path with stunted bushes growing close to the ground. He spied bogs of water dotting the black ground and waves of gas escaping upwards from the water.
"Okay, you can stop," Shannol said. The elf was looking around. She took out her map and checked everything. "Yes, I know where we are. The person who will take us up river is close by and at the edge of the large lake. Do you see it, over there by the horizon?"
"I don't have your eyesight, but I do see something that looks like water," Lazarus said.
A gust of wind struck them and the map flew from her grasp and fluttered away.
"Oh no, the map!" she said.
Lazarus almost dove for the leather map, but he didn't because he wasn’t sure if Shannol would fly with him or fall. He was not well practiced at flying with another person. He saw the map fluttering toward the forest below, and then the wind picked up and the map floated over the edge into the Wilden Woods.
"We can retrieve it," Lazarus said. "We just have to fly over there and pick it up."
"We need it. It’s the only map that shows where the secret entrance of the Caves of the Dead is located."
"We need to get the others first. I don't know about going to the Wilden Woods by ourselves," Lazarus said.
They floated downwards to the others. When they landed, Lazarus told them they knew where they were, but that they needed to get the map.
"Are the Wilden Woods dangerous?" Grace asked.
Shannol looked at Grace and didn't say anything for a while. Lazarus thought Shannol was going to laugh or smirk.
"Mistress Grace, Elves and orcs stay away from this forest because it is very dangerous. But with your powers you could defeat the ancient evils inside the woods," she said respectfully
Lazarus shook his head. "We are not going into the Wilden Woods. We will just go far enough to get the map, and then fly over or around it. I don't like that forest."
The toxic smells became more overpowering as the sun peaked in the sky. It reminded him of ammonia and bleach, and he gagged at the scent.
"Let's get this over with,” he said. “Are we ready?"
