Stolen Princess

11. Lost In The Woods

Despite being mid-day, it seems as if the forest has fallen into twilight as make our way on foot from the Gossamer onwards.

"How do you know this path again?" Leif asks warily watching the trees around us.

"I... got lost in here once, a few years ago," I explain, and I can feel Talon looking at me, can sense him wanting to ask more questions, but he stays silent beside me.

Soon enough we reach the edge of a gaping cliff that drops at least three hundred feet down into a tiny silver ribbon of river. 

The strange little hovel sits just on the other side of the ravine, appearing golden in the fading light of the day... we've been walking longer than I realized. A tendril of smoke comes up from the chimney and I imagine Endina just inside, probably warming dinner over her small wood stove. 

The sun hits the yellow crystals of the dried honey and straw that's been bewitched together in a hard kind of honeycomb structure. Only this little beehive has a straw that roof and windows. Small white paving stones lead up to her house as if she lived in a small village instead of on the edge of a ravine in the middle of the dark Shadow Forest.

"It feels too easy," Sosha says the words low as if afraid the fates will hear her complaining.

"That's the place," I answer with a shrug, pointing towards the little cottage.

"And how to do we cross?" Leif asks with a heavy sigh.

"We'll make a line," Talon answers, grabbing a coil of sturdy rope from the satchel on his back.

"I hate heights," Leif whines, but he does the same. Sosha and I stand together, watching them work together as Talon produces his crossbow and Leif begins making knots in various places.

"I thought they were mad at each other yesterday?" I whisper to Sosha. She shrugs, glancing back into the forest, and I suspect her mind is not really on my words at the moment.

"Can you hear that?" she asks quietly, and turn with her as she pulls her twin swords from the sheath at her back. Each one hangs with the charm of a peacock feather on the handle, the blades are curved and sharp, and thinner than any sword I've seen before. I haven't actually seen her use them, but I have no doubt I don't want to find myself on the other end of either one.

There's a definite sound of hoofbeats echoing through the forest, and I let out a disappointed sigh.

"Just had to make a path big enough for horses, didn't you?" Sosha complains, settling into a protective stance with her back the boys as they shoot the first length of rope. 

Talon is sitting in the branches of the tree closest to the edge of the ravine. My stomach does a little flip thinking of him falling, but then my attention is taken to the path of the arrow as it sails over the gap between us and Endina's house, landing true in the trunk of a sister tree on the opposite edge of the ravine. Talon quickly ties off his remaining end of the rope, then tests its security with a few good yanks.

"We're crossing... that way?" I ask with a gulp.

"Unless you're feeling up to sprouting wings and carrying us," Sosha answers in a dark tone. I turn back to hear the horse hooves coming closer as sweat breaks out at the back of my neck.

"Can I do that?" I ask, have for humor, have in earnest. I'm rewarded for my efforts with Sosha snorts.

"No, don't be stupid, whoever heard of a flying Orc, heh?"

"Oh yeah, because the purple flames were just so normal!" I hiss back at her, taking my frustrations out in our impending argument.

"I'll be honest, I've seen more impressive fire," Sosha goads me with a mean smile and shrug.