The Enchanted Path (Book 1 of the Dreamfarers' tales)

Chapter 26 - A Shadow Looms Overhead

The hut was an interweaving of ancient petrified roots that probably hadn't seen water in a century or two. Dianthus and the others slowed down as they neared the entrance, a massive rip at the base. The unicorn wondered how big that tree was once. After glancing around for good measure, Dianthus took a few steps closer.

"Be careful," Cassidy couldn't help but warn him. Dianthus nodded and tilted his head in, illuminating the area with his horn. Despite his light, it was still hard to tell one thing from another; a preliminary look was enough to say that everything in there was wrecked and forsaken.

"There's no one here," he declared afterward.

"That's a good thing, right?" Cassidy quivered, sending rapid glances about.

"What's the matter, Cass?" Birch said teasingly. "Have you finally embraced your inner chicken?"

"Shut up, Birch," she shot back tensely. "I don't like it here. Something bad happened here, I just know it."

Birch rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Anyway, Cassidy's right," Dianthus said. "We'd better keep it as quiet as we can. Let's search for anything suspicious and get away from here. I'm tired of this wasteland." Thus saying, Dianthus disappeared into the opening, and Cassidy followed forthwith, not wanting to stand alone in the open. Birch hesitated. The young deer eyed the rotten tree-hut suspiciously for, despite what he'd said to Cassidy, he wasn't eager to get himself into that trap of rotten semi-fossil wood; at the same time, he wouldn't remain outside alone either. Finally, he entered, catching up with the others.

The single, circular room proved to be bigger on the inside, although the same curious objects Dianthus had seen from the outside were actually scattered as if someone did break in with the sole purpose of wrecking the Sphynx's belongings. Several old books lay torn, page by page, on the floor, which was littered with broken glass, bone splinters, feathers, and whatnot; Dianthus recognized a few healing herbs, now more dust than else, swept in a corner.

Birch halted before a wall and studied what looked like strange scratches etched in the wood.

"Do you think the Sphynx left willingly?" Cassidy asked, gazing at the mess around them. "I mean, she was a magician of sorts, uhu? Perhaps she did this herself..."

"I don't get it," Birch said, turning away from the carvings. "What does being a magician have to do with destroying your own stuff?"

"Queen Dora mentioned that the harpies came over around her departure, and the griffins call them 'witches.' Perhaps the Sphynx meant to protect her secrets by destroying her nest?"

"I find it very unlikely, Cass," Birch said. "Why leave in the first place if not because of the harpies? And if she meant to prevent her things from falling into the wrong claws, why not burn the entire thing down? There's no forest here, nay, there's not a single blade of grass or hay, nothing that could catch fire easily. Even more so, this place is distant from the Canyonlands, so there's no risk to —eek!" Birch jumped away at the sight of the upper part of a massive bird skull gleaming at his hooves.

"What's that?!" he blurted, horrified; immediately Dianthus and Cassidy were by his side and looked down at the glaring skull.

"It's huge for a bird," Cassidy gulped. "Is it...a griffin skull?"

"I don't know," Dianthus said. "Each griffin is different from the other...it could as well be a griffin skull, but I don't know."

"Could it be the Sphynx's?" Birch ventured.

"No, either Commander Flint or Ajax would have known if this was her," Dianthus countered.

"Well, they told us that the Sphynx left on her own, too, when something worse has clearly happened here," Birch reminded him, gesturing at the mess. "What if it was them to oust her? Or even murder her?" Birch glanced at the ever-scowling dark eye-sockets again and his face twisted in disgust. "You heard them, she wasn't that much popular."