Sophie rolled over, muscles sore and joints stiff. With a groan, she forced herself to sit up and stretch, then wiped her face, her sleeve coming away with sweat and dirt. She looked around blearily. Blankets were spread around and under her, tangled from her tossing and turning throughout the night.
The sun was already high in the sky. It must have been close to midday. She’d walked through the night until she could no longer stand. By the time she’d finally settled down behind a clump of bushes by the riverbank, a thin band of light had appeared on the horizon.
Sophie sighed, wishing for nothing more than a bath. Washing her face in the river would have to be enough.
Within a few minutes, the blankets were put neatly back in her pack and she made her way to the river. As she ambled down to the water’s edge and dipped her hands beneath its gently rippling surface, she couldn’t help but marvel again at what she’d done. Yes, she left behind the world she’d grown up in—not to mention a promising future as a wizard in a powerful family—but what would the cost of that future have been? A seductive power that she’d almost lost herself in, a magic that would consume her, that would make her—
Sophie abruptly shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Focusing on the past would not help her with the problems that lay ahead. She had to keep moving and couldn’t let her mind get caught up in those memories.
The water felt good against her skin and helped to clear away the last traces of sleep and half-remembered dreams. She took her sandals off and let her feet soak in the cold water while she ate a few pieces of dried fruit and cheese. Then she fastened the shoes back on her feet and stood up to look around, getting her bearings by daylight.
At night, it had been hard to tell, but the dark shapes in the distance were now clearly mountains. At their base, she could almost make out the deep greens and reds of the forest canopy. Sophie had been walking for the past four days, resting by daylight and walking mostly at night. This far from the capital, there were only sparsely placed villages and farms, but she still tried her best not to be seen. That had been more difficult on the first day. Sophie had never traveled outside the city on foot, and, judging by the number of new blisters on her feet, her sandals had not been made for walking long distances. Sleeping on the hard ground was also something she decidedly never wanted to experience again once this journey was over. The food she’d packed was simple and magically preserved so that it wouldn’t go bad, but she was tired of dried meat, cheese, and fruit. She longed for a soft bed and a hot meal.
Along with the items she’d packed, she’d found two pouches full to bursting, one filled with coins and the other with small canisters of spices. After adding up the coins, she was staggered by the amount. There was enough to buy a small kingdom. Zephan must have slipped it into her bag without her noticing. Sophie smiled to herself. He was still looking out for her, even if he couldn’t be there with her.
It would take at least another day of walking to reach the forest, and then she would need to find the arch that Zephan had described. Head south along the tree line. Eventually, you’ll reach an overgrown wooden archway... Take the path that runs through it into the forest.
Sophie was desperate to get this long walk over with. If she started now, she thought she might be able to reach the tree line before nightfall.
Steeling her resolve with the hope of sleeping in a real bed that night, Sophie slung her pack over her shoulder and continued following the river west, toward the mountains. There was no road here, not even a footpath, so her progress wasn’t as quick as it could have been on even ground. While she realized she was less likely to stumble upon anyone unexpectedly, roads were a necessary byproduct of civilization, and their absence reminded Sophie just how far she was from anything familiar.
The day turned hot, making the humid air almost unbearable. With the sun shining down on her, it didn’t take long for Sophie to become uncomfortably hot, and soon she was wiping more sweat from her brow. If she could’ve used magic, she could clean her clothes, make herself practically invisible, and bathe in the river. She could have conjured something more comfortable to sleep on or made the ground softer. But if she used magic here, in the middle of nowhere, it would certainly be traced, and she would be right back where she started. But that didn’t make the thought any less tempting.
She arrived at the tree line a few hours before sunset. It was surprising to her how distinctly the tall grass ended and the trees began. It didn’t seem natural. The valley was suddenly cut in half by the wall of massive tree trunks that rose high enough to block the sunlight and cast deep shadows within a hundred feet of the forest. The late-afternoon light had difficulty penetrating the thick canopy. Only the first few feet of the woods were visible from the outside, leaving the rest obscured by shadows and foliage.
Sophie had heard stories of men and women entering the forest and being attacked by shadows that seemed to melt into the trees. An exaggeration, she was sure. Someone accustomed to using the terrain in their favor would be able to pull off such an illusion as that, she reasoned, but the thought still made her shiver. Never having met an Anai in person, she didn’t know what to expect.
Non-human races were considered an oddity in Zo’rahn. On the rare occasion that one was seen, it was usually as some traveling merchant’s slave or in a menagerie.
There were Anaiian courts to the south and the far west that traded with other countries. From what she had read about them, they were reserved but generally had peaceable intentions. Perhaps their smaller numbers and being so removed from others of their race made these Anai more hostile. The dark woods loomed ominously in front of her, and she faltered.
They know I’m coming. It will be fine. It might not be safe, but she continued on anyway.
Deciding to keep a cautious distance from the forest, Sophie began walking parallel to the tree line. She watched the trees as she walked, looking for any sign of movement, but the coming darkness and thickness of the brush prevented her from seeing anything, save for vague shapes behind the trees.
The forest was vast and stretched in front of her as far as she could see. Sophie knew that it spanned the entire mountain range, starting near the northern coast of Zo’rahn and south for hundreds of miles. If she got lost within its borders, there was a good chance that she would not come back out again.
By the time Sophie found the old wooden archway that Zephan had described, it was well past dark. She had almost walked past it but noticed the irregular shape out of the corner of her eye. She was tired of walking, and her stomach was cramping. The food she had wasn’t enough to sustain her with all the energy she was expending, and she mentally debated finding a place to sleep for the night, but the inviting thought of sleeping indoors pushed her to continue.
The archway blended into the trees around it. It wasn’t nearly as tall as the surrounding trees, but it was still enormous. Vines twisted around the sides, and leaves sprouted from the branches growing at the corners. Moss draped over the top of the arch, giving the illusion of a curtain. It appeared to have grown out of the ground and was formed while keeping the roots intact. From what she could tell, it was very, very old—an archway of living wood.
What caught her eye was the carvings. As she drew closer, they became more distinct. She could see them at the top where the moss did not cover the wood and extended down the sides of the structure.
Forgetting her fear for a moment, Sophie reached out and gently moved a few of the vines to reveal shapes etched deeply into the wood. It was hard to see in the dark. If she had a little more light, she might be able to read what was there.
Sophie barely caught herself before muttering the beginnings of a light spell, quickly dispersing the energy with a flick of her wrist.
She shook her head to clear it. “What am I thinking? I must be tired.” For Sophie, magic was like breathing, a necessity. It was part of her.
There were many times in the past few days when she had been tempted to use it, and others when she had almost cast a spell unconsciously—starting a fire to keep warm on a chilly night, regaining some strength and foregoing sleep, healing the aches and pains of her body or at least making them less noticeable. After honing her talent for her entire life, not using it was the hardest thing she had ever done. She could feel it under her skin, itching to be released. So far, she had stopped herself every time, but it was becoming more and more challenging to remember not to use it.
Aeris and Thaera were both out and mostly full, but the light couldn’t penetrate the forest canopy any better than the sun had. Magic or no, she needed light. She was more likely to break her ankle stumbling blindly through the woods than to be harmed by anything else. Fortunately, she had prepared for this.
Sophie set her pack on the ground and reached inside, pulling out what appeared to be a brass lantern, only it had no wick, oil, or holes for ventilation. There was a small lever on the bottom of the housing. Sophie pushed it up a notch, and a little golden flame sputtered to life behind the lantern’s windows. The lantern had been enchanted to hold firelight, and while technically the object itself was magical, its energy field was self-contained and would leave no trace of its use. The flame floated in the center of the glass panels, emanating a dim glow, no more than that of a single lit candle. She pushed the lever up another few notches until the flame glowed as bright as a torch. She held up the lamp, illuminating the carvings closest to her on the archway.
The carvings looped and curled in intricate designs up one side of the arch and down the other. Unable to help herself, Sophie traced a few of the runes with her fingers. They looked familiar, but she couldn’t read them. The script was similar to Anaiian and could have been an ancient dialect. Each symbol was inscribed perfectly and as pristine as it probably had been the day it was made. From what she could see, she guessed that someone with great skill had carved these runes.
She sighed and let the vines slip back into place. These carvings were intriguing, but not the reason she was here, and it probably wasn’t the best idea to linger.
The path that began at the archway was rough and narrow, just big enough for two people to walk shoulder to shoulder. Judging from the grass and the roots growing in the middle of the path, it was not traveled often. The only difference between the ground here and the ground around the trees was the distinctive lack of rocks and bushes. Thin beams of moonlight pierced the forest canopy here and there, but even with the lamp she held, it was impossible to see more than a few paces from where she stood.
The forest was quiet and black, the trail disappearing ahead as if into a yawning mouth. She shivered at the thought and stared into that darkness with a dizzy feeling, as though she were looking down from a great height. From this point on, she knew her freedom and safety were in the hands of others.
With a last glance back, Sophie took a deep breath and started down the path.