Aveyond: The Lord of Twilight

Chapter 26

The party, which increasingly was looking like a long caravan, didn't tarry for long in Stormbend, the obvious reason being that they had absolutely no business there. The forest was more than a day's march from their location, but they hoped to make it before the next night. None of them were eager to go camping in the cold.

The sun was right overhead when they left and their hoods were tightly wrapped around them, for the sweat felt better than the raw heat. They rode more or less in line, with Eston their leader and Edward behind him. Stella and Mel were in the middle while Galahad was the last. Tei'jal, still unhappy for her steed, was beside Mel.

The road northwards of Stormbend was more or less like a foot beaten path, owing to the fact that few people from the shore town ever took pains to go north. For almost half of the time, it was dense with trees and making way through was painful, though it offered relief from the harsh heat. They spoke less, tired as they were, and it was Galahad and Eston who collected firewood when they camped, even when the former couldn't enjoy it at all. He later explained that it simply had been to make sure Eston didn't suspect he was what he really was.

The next day passed likewise, except that the trees had now thinned to a comfortable level and they could travel without having to worry about poisonous cacti. However, they started thickening again before they could celebrate, though the foliage had changed a lot. By midday, they got their first hint of entering the forest, judging by the fact that they felt pleasant though the sun was still burning overhead. A few hours later, the road widened as it merged with the bigger path from Thais.

'From here...' Eston called out. '...begins the forest of Istir. This junction is often considered the border of the Brightwood, though we still are in the Thial territory. There is no proper demarcation between the kingdoms, though, since there has been no war for centuries in the parts'

'I've heard that the kingdom has no army' Edward frowned.

Eston laughed.

'Istir does have an army and it used to be mighty once upon a time. Rarely do they cross the borders, however, and that's why there has developed this common misconception... Actually, I'd even argue it's army is as strong as Thais'

Edward didn't speak again, though Mel noticed him go slightly red. The weather had turned really cold now and water felt icy. It was almost dark when she saw the slight frost on the leaves.

'We should stop here' Eston said. 'Beyond this point, the snow thickens rapidly and it's useless to attempt something that cannot be done'

None argued, and soon, they were all sitting comfortably beside a bonfire that Eston had somehow started in the bitter cold.

'It's strange' Mel said. Everyone looked at her. 'Yesterday, we were sweating under the sun and tonight we're hoping not to be frozen... It's just ... strange'

'It's magic' Eston said. 'Magic is powerful and a boon in the right hands, but can be far more terrible than your dreams. The Queen is not evil and I know not why she is angry, but it affects us all... she controls the weather. Actually, I'm looking forward to finding out the reason behind this ice'

'But' Stella said. 'If it affects the people, why don't they do something about it? And how can the Queen be so selfish?'

'The people are no match for the royal guards and any of the royals themselves. They can't do anything about it... As for the Queen, the honest answer is that I don't know why she's doing this... The last time this had happened was when there an attack on the capital from the west. But later we understood that it actually was a way in which she used her powers to break the siege, even though it meant the people inside would suffer too. It paid off, however, as the invaders were left with nothing to eat and had to withdraw in less than a month'

He looked back into the fire.

'The Istir is cold, vast and mysterious' he said slowly. 'The forest knows you, it understands you... If you are welcome, it guides you... If you're not, it turns into a never ending maze. The streams are dangerous for some, and life for others. The land holds places you could never dream of'

He scratched his ear.

'What kind of places?' Edward asked.

'I found one long ago, when I thought I was lost. It was like ... a green valley ... with no ice. It was beautiful. I couldn't ever find it again, though there was something I found there'

He didn't speak, his hand hanging in the air like his words.

'What?' Mel said impatiently.

'I lost it' he said, looking at the dark sky. 'I ... can't know why ...'

'But what was it?'

'I lost it' he said again, his eyes unfocused. The others looked at each other, Tei'jal's eyebrows raised. Mel shrugged.

'So what else is there to the forest?' Edward asked, breaking the silence.

'A lot!' Eston said, returning from the trance. 'The forest leads to the mountains, where the cold really starts and it's cold for the entire year there.. The mountains hold caves so vast and caverns so mysterious, that none have ever ventured far inside. Those who did seldom return to tell the tale. The caverns are long and twisted, but beautiful and enchanting. I have to warn you: don't stray into any of them. Besides the caves, of course, is the capital, where we are headed, but I won't describe it now, for fear of you losing the wonder'

He laughed and went back to staring at the flames. Edward was fidgeting with a rock, Stella looking at Eston. The others were all looking at the fire, with Tei'jal glancing away every few seconds. She was seated at a good distance, though Mel didn't doubt she could hear everything. She heard something howl in the distance.

'There are animals here?' she asked, her hair slightly raised.

'Far more than you can imagine' Eston laughed. 'Hounds, wolves...'

'That smells like a wrant' Tei'jal said. Everyone looked at her, Galahad's face hardened.

'What are you, a dog?' Eston laughed. 'Well I don't expect it to be one, since wrants long ago abandoned this area since their great massacre in Caralen... We're still on the road though...'

Tei'jal sneered, but didn't say anything.

'Well anyway, I suggest we keep the fire well lit tonight, and every night since. The wild gets dangerous in these parts'

They nodded and sorted out the watches. Mel didn't hear anything howl again, but she could swear that she had heard soft footsteps in the trees that night.