B006T5JMRC EBOK (22 page)

“This does not look promising, my friends,” Thomas added.

They approached an array of twigs, dried wood, and small trees formed into standing figures with two arms and two legs. Instead of normal hands, they had long, claw-like fingers which looked as though they could rip a human’s flesh with ease. Their height was intimidating, easily towering over Illadar.

Kale and his friends stood frozen in place as they stared toward the wooden statues. The figures did not move—they didn’t shift nor make a sound. It was deathly silent as if no wind, animals, or other earthly inhabitants dared to come close.

“It’s possible these have been created by someone, or some
thing,
living within the forest to ward off intruders. It would be wise to find another route.” Thomas could sense a strong force, though he was too unsure if it came from the wooden statues to share this with his friends.

Kale and Illadar agreed without hesitation. There was something about the area that made them feel uneasy. Although the wood seemed to be lifeless, their appearance was daunting and caused the hair on Kale’s arms to prickle. As they turned to hike around the area, Kale could have sworn he heard his name being whispered. He quickly turned his head, glancing over his shoulder toward the wood figures, yet nothing moved. They remained in place—motionless and silent.

“
Hmmm-hmmmm
,” Kale softly hummed to himself as he joined his friends. Something was definitely not right within the forest. He began to wonder if he truly had been tricked into a trap, but he also knew they couldn’t give up yet.

As the morning passed, Kale began to notice that, although quite dark and chilling, the forest was also very beautiful. He had never seen such a prismatic display of flora. The moss ranged from grey to a vibrant orange and plants he never knew existed grew in their surroundings. The terrain was unique in its own way, with new features around every turn.

Just as Kale began to grow an appreciation for the natural phenomena, the trees grew scarce. Soon, the men found themselves walking upon loose rocks in a near-barren area. Although there were no trees in the vicinity, the placement of large boulders seemed to conveniently shadow the area.

As before, everything was all too quiet. The only sound to be heard was the crunching of pebbles beneath their feet, amplified off the surrounding stone. By the time they approached a large, jagged stone that towered above their heads, Kale began to wonder if they should have gone in another direction. There was no plant life around—therefore, he knew his goal of finding
the tree which rained gold
was not going to be met in this area. Kale was about to return in the direction from where they had come when he caught sight of a bend ahead near the farthest wall of a massive stone valley.

“Maybe that path will lead us back into the woods,” Kale stated as he led the way. He walked with a look of determination in his eyes as a black crow flew overhead. Kale couldn’t help but wonder if it was the same bird he had seen at the camp and within Braxle. He shook the thought away, knowing there were much more important issues at hand. “Stay close.” He motioned for Illadar and Thomas to follow him down the intimidating valley of rock.

Although neither man complained, Kale could see his friends grew discouraged. They now seemed even farther from their destination than when they first arrived at the shadowy forest.

Please be here,
Kale wishfully thought. He glanced up toward the tall bordering walls above their heads. In all reality, he had no idea what he was supposed to be looking for. His only notion was that it was going to be a unique tree—one which would stand out from the others. He debated whether it truly rained gold pieces, or if it had been used as a metaphor. Kale knew that either way he had to keep his eyes focused and his will strong.

The stones on the ground increased in size as they continued down the path and soon they had to exert a great amount of energy to press on.

Suddenly, Kale felt a strong tug on his tunic, causing him to stagger backwards.

“Wait!” Thomas sternly whispered.

Kale had been so focused on spotting the tree he hadn’t noticed the large, dark cave entrance. His eyes lit up, “Do you think it belonged to one of the dragons?”

Before Thomas could respond, the low echo of howling could be heard ringing off the stone walls.

“Red beasts!” Kale and Illadar whispered in sync.

“I wonder if they know we are here...” Kale’s voice was soft as he stood frozen in place.

“We must leave quickly, and with stealth. I assume they are not aware of our presence yet, but we must move as though they were. We cannot take any chances,” Thomas insisted, silently turning to leave the area.

The three briskly returned down the path on which they had come. They carefully stepped over each stone.

“Can’t we fight them? Wouldn’t it just be easier to get rid of them now? Then we can move forward without further worry.” Kale whispered as they continued down their exit route. “They’re only oversized dogs. With the three of us working together, I’m sure we could handle them.”

Illadar shook his head at Kale’s ignorance, reconfirming his suspicions that Kale was still naive when it came to battle tactics. “It’s not always standin’ to fight that makes a man noble—but now is not the time for a lecture. Just know we only saw a fraction of the red beasts. I’ve heard they come in massive numbers; and let’s not forget their master still remains a mystery.”

A loud thud, which sent tremors through the rocky ground, interrupted their conversation. They turned just in time to see a creature of considerable size leap down from atop a gigantic boulder. Its flesh was deep green with hints of grey. He stood much taller than Illadar and was incredibly muscular. The creature’s jawbone was high-set and well defined; his piercing orange eyes appeared dauntingly vicious. Two ivory-colored teeth protruded from fat lips and looked as though they were short tusks. Straight black hair trailed down his back in a long, messy ponytail. To the creature’s side was a huge morning star containing remnants of blood and meat on its massive spikes. He was no stranger to the weapon.

No sooner had Kale gripped his sword in preparation to fight the creature, than a chip of stone hit him on the top of his head. He glanced up to see dozens of snarling teeth angrily facing their direction. The red beasts had perched atop the bordering rocks—they were prepared to attack upon their master’s command.

“Their master—is the orc!” Illadar whispered. “The old loon from Mirion was telling the truth.” He swallowed hard, knowing that orcs were not known to show mercy.

“Run.” Thomas softly spoke.

“What?” Kale could not make out what he said.

“Run!” Thomas shouted, then pushed both Kale and Illadar in the opposite direction of the orc.

The large humanoid roared in fury as he slammed his weapon in the direction of Thomas.

“
Alaria
!” Thomas shouted while extending his arm toward the attack.

The spiked morning star slammed down upon an invisible force that protected Thomas from the blow. Thomas could see the intensity and speed of the orc’s attack send a shock up the humanoid’s arms—causing him to pause in confusion. Thomas took advantage of the moment. He ran to catch up with Kale and Illadar who had stopped to wait for him.

“Keep moving!” Thomas shouted as he approached where they stood.

The orc released a series of rhythmic grunts and Thomas could hear the pattering of paws behind him. The red beasts leapt down upon command and clustered around their master. Thomas glanced over his shoulder to ensure he had ample space between them. The ground surrounding the orc was now blanketed with red—there appeared to be over a hundred of them, trailing back as far as his eyes could see on the path. He knew it would only be a matter of seconds before they were at his heels. As Thomas continued to sprint away from the threat, the toe of his shoe caught beneath the edge of a stone. He collapsed onto his knees.

“Get him!” the orc bellowed.

Thomas felt a pair of hands grip him tightly in the pit of his arms, lifting him to his feet.

“Let’s go!” Kale yelled as the red beasts advanced impetuously in their direction. The creatures dripped globs of mucus from their bodies as they ran, leaving a trail of secretion in their wake.

Thomas knew there was no way possible to outrun over a hundred red beasts; he needed to come up with a plan—quickly. Thomas suddenly stopped and turned to face the beasts.

Kale’s eyes grew wide with horror as his friend halted. “Thomas!” He called out as he spun around.

“
Kruedia esonek
!” A ball of swirling flames shot from Thomas’ palm, exploding upon impact against the wall of rock.

Chunks of stone immediately tumbled downward, piling upon one another and creating a barrier between them and the beasts.

“It won’t keep them or the orc back for long. We must keep moving,” Illadar spoke as he motioned for them to quickly follow.

They could hear the savage orc grunting as he and the red beasts began to climb over the rubble. As they fled, the whimpering squeals of red beasts could be heard from behind. It sounded as though something was attacking the canine monstrosities.

“Do you think we should see what’s happening? Maybe someone has come to aid us,” Kale panted.

“Keep runnin’! It could be a trap—don’t be so naive, kid.” Illadar shoved Kale forward, causing him to quicken his pace to avoid stumbling.

The colorful vegetation began to thicken as they made their way back into the jungle of trees. They could still hear the daunting howls from the beasts and knew it was imperative to keep pressing forward. The three aimlessly ran through the forest, losing all sense of direction. They had no hope at this point of remembering where they first entered the Forest of Forgotten Whispers.

Sweat poured down their faces as they continued to push their weary bodies.

“I hear water!” Kale stated hopefully. “It sounds louder than the stream barrier; I don’t believe it is somewhere we have been before.”

They hurried in the direction of the sound until coming upon a wide, shallow river.

“We can use the river to conceal our scent and hopefully lose those ugly red fiends,” Illadar suggested.

Kale and Thomas thought the idea was brilliant and began to follow Illadar as they waded along with the river current. It felt cool and refreshing against their sore feet, despite the weighted sensation of water-filled shoes.

“Take a look at those.” Kale pointed to a beautiful row of blue and pink flowers that stood out in contrast against the dark green surroundings. “I think we should continue through the forest here,” Kale suggested.

Something about the delicate flower buds enticed him—almost as though the forest gave him a sign. “We’ve walked far enough and we are on the opposite side of the river. I doubt they will easily find us.” He could see the glares of uncertainty from Thomas and Illadar as they silently followed. Kale swallowed hard, mumbling softly to Pan for strength to make it through the situation. Daylight was nearing its end and they would be at the mercy of the forest once dusk was upon them.

“Orcs are said to have exceptional vision in the dark,” Thomas spoke as though he had read Kale’s thoughts. “I do hope you are leading us in the correct direction. If not, I believe it’s safe to say we are in for a rather rough night.”

As they walked past rows of flowers, Kale’s eyes lit up as he quickened his pace. “I see something!” He approached a thick mass of vines and immediately began to tug at a tangled clump to get a better view of what was beyond. A wide smile crossed his face, “I think this is it! I see a golden glow ahead!”

Relief swept over the three as they each peered through the thicket of vines. A massive tree—much taller than any they had ever seen—towered high above all else. Kale wondered how they had not noticed its leafy top when first heading toward the forest from Braxle. The bark wrapped around in an intertwined manner unlike any tree he had ever seen. 

The trunk was so large that Kale, Thomas, and Illadar could hold hands in an outstretched link and not even wrap around a third of its circumference. Kale could tell why it was given the name
the tree which rains gold
; tiny golden spheres which almost appeared dust-like gently floated around the tree. Each piece shone with a yellow aura, creating an illusion that the branches were raining down specks of gold. It was truly a mesmerizing sight.

“We have to get closer,” Kale stated as he pulled firmly on the vines. They were tougher than he had assumed and did not budge. “Stand back, I’m going to cut through.” He withdrew his sword from its sheath.

As the blade’s edge tore through the tender, intertwining, green web, an ear piercing squeal rang out. It sounded as though it came directly from the vines. The green cluster began to twist and maneuver itself around until a thick vine shot out toward Kale. It smacked him hard against his cheek, causing him to stumble over his own feet and fall backward onto the ground as he gripped the side of his face angrily.

“What in Pan’s name was that?!”

Before Kale had time to stand, the thick, and unusually strong, vines twisted and slid with amazing speed around the three men—trapping their limbs in an immobile position.

“Thomas, get us out of these!” Kale gritted his teeth as the vines constricted around his chest.