Fate's Woven Thread

CHAPTER FOUR

        Spending two more days travelling through the silver valley, Myra finally made it to the Elf forest just before the crack of dawn. She took Zit with her though. She was certain the creature wouldn't have been able to live for much longer if left to their own devices.

         The forest looked eery and daunting. No surprise there, the rumors had to have started from somewhere. The air was humid and covered in fog so thick you could barely see anything beyond two feet of you. There were trees so tall and horridly mangled they seem to give off the feel of witnessing the birth of time itself. It also smelled like ash in here and not the kind of ash that came from a fire, this was something else.

        Zit on the other hand, was a trembling mess behind her, clenching the helm of her cloak and fiddling with the embroidery.

     It felt as though there'd been travelling in circle for hours and her horse was beginning to feel spooked out as it neighed softly. Just then, Myra felt rather than saw the swift movements through the fog. Her hand reached for the hilt of her sword automatically. Ready to unsheathe and slash at the slightest manifestation of danger.

        "Leave." A voice that seemed to have come from everywhere and nowhere at once commanded hoarsely.

        'Now this seems familiar' She thought as she regulated her breathing and tried to listen, through the fog, to the breathing pattern and movements of the blurry shadows. "Intriguing. A rumoured haunted forest, haunted by naught but humans themselves. Don't be cowards, show yourselves." She spoke unhurriedly.

      A breezy scoff was heard. "What is a woman doing in these parts?" A different voice this time.

      Myra sneered in dissatisfaction as she glared at different spots in the fog that seemed denser than others. "You sound quite dismissive. Did no one ever teach you not to underestimate others, especially based on their gender?"

       "First you intrude on our lands and now you dare to lecture me. Do you not know fear?" The voice sounded testy and a bit closer too.

        Myra glanced about her again. They seemed to move unimpeded through the fog and it could only be one of two things. One, they'd lived here long enough to be able to find their way through the dense fog or two, there was no fog in the first place and the one before her was naught but a sorcerer borne illusion. She was more inclined to believe the latter train of thought. Call it intuition.

        Now the question was, 'what were they protecting?' If they wanted to just keep people out, then the fog alone was an excellent form of misdirection as it was relatively easy for normal humans and knights alike to lose their sense of direction in fog this thick but they were here, patrolling the area. Making sure that the ones who did not lose their way, lost their lives. She couldn't engage them in battle as there was no way of telling their exact numbers and she had Zit behind her to protect.

         She shook her head and tried again. Her voice soft but firm. "I come with naught but clear intentions."

        " A rather popular line amongst you trespassers."

        "There are at least fifteen of you. Two of whom, I am sure, are sorcerers. Tell me, how much trouble could just me and a frightened to stupor och cause?" Zit hummed in agreement with her at that moment. They must have felt guilty for leaving her to face these forest dwellers by herself. And while she was sure she could manage the situation perfectly, she was glad for their show of bravery. No matter how negligible.

      “Whilst what you have said is truth, I’d have wasted all these seasons breathing if I completely believed the words of a strange woman with a scarred and terrified och cowering right behind her. ”