Blessing Moon

Forty-One: The Cursed Tree

As the violet ribbons dissolved in transparent wisps, a dark abyss opened up at Oslac's toes, the vast emptiness disoriented him and he stumbled forward.

"Oz! Watch out!" he heard Beanni's voice echo and felt a strong hand drag him backwards. He landed in a heap on the dry and dusty ground of the wilderness.

Looking up towards Beanni and Ethan, he saw that their dark silhouettes were perfectly framed by the golden, early morning sky.

"Oz, are you alright?" Beanni asked.

"Yes, yes just fine." He got back to his feet, dusted himself down, and joined them. They were standing beside a mighty expanse of dark emptiness. Although it lay beneath the beautiful dawn it refused to reflect its warmth. Nothing but cold, black nothing reached deep into the ground. Its daunting size filled Oslac's core with overwhelming hopelessness. He let out a deep sigh as he took it all in. It was as though the Terran was ripped in two. The mighty crack stretched across the entire wilderness, he could not see either end of it. There was no way around it, it was so deep, you could not see the bottom and it was far too wide to jump over. This impossible trench in the Terran defied even their violet transportation magic.

"What is this?" Oslac asked, daring to tear his eyes away from the chasm to look at Ethan's terrified face.

"This was not here before, the corruption of the Terran has begun," Ethan said, his despair filled eyes not leaving the darkness that opened up at his feet.

"Was this what caused the Terran to tremble?" Beanni asked, her question managed to tear Ethan's gaze away from the chasm. He looked at her with a haunted look in his violet eyes. "It's really happening, isn't it? The curse, it's going to reach Natanstrelle."

Ethan shook his head, then took in a deep breath.

"No." Determination took a seat within his puffed up chest. "We mustn't let it. We must end it. Today."

"How?" Beanni expressed the exact same question that plagued Oslac's mind. Surely it was impossible. If they couldn't reach the Troll's land their whole endeavour was pointless.

Ethan said nothing and began to pace back and forth, then he suddenly stopped. He faced the chasm and got down onto one knee. He curled his right hand into a tight fist and made it glow violet, then thumped the ground close to the edge three times. The three distinct thuds echoed through the air as Oslac and Beanni watched him, not daring to make the slightest sound.

The three waited, holding their breath as the last thud's echo died on the still air. Ethan's efforts seemed to have come to nothing and Oslac let out an impatient groan. With a frustrated shrug and a shuffle of his feet he started to turn back, assuming that the others would follow him, but Beanni stopped him by grabbing his hand.

"Oz! Look!" she gasped. He returned his focus back onto the chasm and what he saw made him stumble back in fear. Three large, black vines reached up out of the darkness. They towered above them, whipping back and forth aggressively across the golden sky above.

"Beanni, help me," Ethan called out, and pulled his fellow ancient power wielder to his side. "Make your hands glow and follow my lead."

They both held their hands, outstretched towards the flailing vines. Ethan then began to wave his hands in intricate movements as if he decided to teach Beanni a dance of ancient times. She followed every movement precisely. Oslac could not help but get entranced by the sight, and it seemed to have the same effect on the vines, for their movements began to slow down and become more organised. They swooped and looped around each other until they were completely braided together, making an incredibly thick rope. Ethan and Beanni then bowed down and brought their hands to the ground. The woven vines followed their movement and lay across the chasm - forming a perfect bridge.