The Chronicles of Tenroha

Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-three

Jessie and Joel stood at the border to the land of the elves. From the road, it appeared to be just another forest like any other. With trees of different shapes and sizes, and the occasional woodland creature running through it. Standing at the edge, it felt different to them. Up close, there was a misty fog rolling through the trees and they could feel a different energy emanating from the forest.

They stepped into the forest and the hairs on their arms tingled, and the mist that was surrounding them seemed to breathe in and out as the light breeze went across them. The breeze was cold and unwelcoming and sent chills through them. The forest was darker than by the road and it started to feel ominous. Jessie wanted to turn back, but Joel urged her to continue further.

The deeper they went into the realm of the fair folk, the thicker the misty fog seemed to grow. It became harder for them to see where they were going. They bumped into trees and into each other. Tor-kenna, in her owl form, was perched on Jessie's shoulder. She leapt to the ground and took her human form.

"My owl eyes are of no use. I am blinded by this fog." She changed into her wolf form after giving instructions to hold on to her tail. They followed her through the mist, guided only by the sounds of the forest. They passed a tree that looked familiar to Jessie. It wasn't a very large tree, but it had a distinctive branch with three forks on it. It reminded her of a tree by her home that she used to climb.

They continued to follow Tor-kenna into the unknown. After some time, they passed the same tree as before. "I believe we are going in circles," said Jessie. "I am certain we have passed this tree twice before," she continued. Tor-kenna returned to her human form and said, "I have noticed that as well."

They decided to change the direction they were going, but after a short while, they were back standing next to the same tree. Frustration began to fill Joel and he took off running in a different direction, leaving the others behind. "We need to stay together!" shouted Jessie to her brother. After a few minutes, Jessie heard him scream. She and Tor-kenna started running in the same direction and for a brief moment the fog was gone. The forest floor fell from below her feet and they were falling.

She screamed out. She heard Tor-kenna howling as they fell. They hit the ground and started to roll down a long hill. They tumbled over and over, gaining speed as they rolled. Jessie screamed as she rolled. She could no longer hear the screams of her brother and the howls of Tor-kenna had stopped. She stopped suddenly with a hard thud into the side of a rock that was covered with soft, bushy moss.

She yelled for Tor-kenna and Joel. The fog was gone, but she could not see either of them. She was surprised to find that she didn't have a single cut or scratch on her after the long tumble to the bottom. She searched around for the other two. She heard them yelling for her in the distance. As she stood, looking around, she could see that she had fallen into a deep hole.

The hole reminded her of a well. The sides were too smooth to climb and too high for her to reach the edge. The only thing at the bottom of it was her and dirt. Joel began to answer her and she found out that he too was in a similar hole in the ground. Tor-kenna yelled out, "There is a magical barrier over the well. I am unable to fly out." Jessie began to think to herself, " This must be an elven trap," as she sat down next to the wall, trying to calm herself.

They remained trapped in the wells for hours. They had lost everything that they had brought with them in the fall. They had no food and no water. As Jessie sat in the bottom of the empty well, wishing that the elves would come and discover them, she began to get hungry. She hadn't eaten since before they left camp and she was also becoming thirsty.