Chronicles of Ilandri - Volume 1

Across the Ocean (Pt.1)

At sunrise they all realised the grave situation they were now in, as the trees grew so thick and so tall that very little sunlight could reach the forest floor. This meant that discerning any direction was now very difficult. There was not even any moss or lichen on the trees to aid them, as not enough sunlight was present for them to grow. Realising the desperate situation they were in, Mutt started to climb one of the trees, up into the canopy. The branches higher up snapped under his great weight and he came tumbling back to the ground. As he fell though, his huge hands grabbed around for support, finding a small tree trunk and wrenching it from the top of the tree as he came down. This action had given them a small break in the canopy, allowing the sunlight through and showing them which way was east. With renewed direction they set off, marking the ground every few metres so they could see which way they had come.

The new direction gave them little hope though and Nathaniel began to doubt the path they were on. He decided that a better plan would be to head down hill in hopes of finding the river which ran into Yarbok Port. Grolt agreed with this new approach and Mutt just seemed to be happy to go along with whatever they chose. This was a more certain path as there was a distinct gradient they could follow. The forest began to show signs of thinning out slightly as they went, which gave them hope they were on the correct track. Eventually they came across a clearing, formed by a huge rock which jutted out of the ground and high into the treetops. Growing out of this rock was a very peculiar looking tree. It had bark which was gnarly and old looking, but pale like silver birch. The roots encased the bottom of the rock like a bird's nest, before delving into the earth. At the foot of this tree was a small pool of water, which seemed to fill from a gently flowing spring, emerging from the rock under the tree. It was a strange vision of beauty set like a juxtaposition against the dark woods. Nathaniel decided it looked like a good place to stop for a meal and refill their canteens. He set up a fire to boil the water and got out his rations of smoked meat and staling bread. It was also nice to stop and rest in the sunshine. Judging by its position they had been following the gradient down hill in a northerly direction. Nathaniel had high hopes that this would lead them back to the main road into Yarbok Port.

As they sat enjoying the rest, a cloud obscured the sun and all around it went quite dark, almost as black as night. Surprisingly the area remained light, illuminated by the glowing silver light of the mysterious tree. The next thing Nathaniel knew, there was a strange whispering sensation around his ears. Judging by the disturbed reaction from Grolt and Mutt, they were experiencing a similar sensation. He looked around but could see nobody else with them. Next he thought he could distinctly hear a giggle. "Who takes from our sacred pool without asking?" Came a whisper from behind, followed by another playful giggle. It was a woman's voice, tuneful and pleasing to his ear. There was then a bright light in his periphery which caught his attention. As he turned to look at it there was a flash and then it was gone. When he turned to look back, they were all shocked to see what looked like a child stood in the pool. As Nathaniel looked closer he could see something about this girl that did not seem childlike. A wisdom of many years of age. Slowly he could tell that this was no child at all, though he did not know what. She was dressed in a flowing white robe, which draped gracefully over her petite figure. Her hair was long, thick and blonde, flowing down her back as gracefully as her robes.
"You trespass on sacred ground," she whispered at them playfully.
"We are lost, looking for the road to Yarbok," Nathaniel answered. The girl giggled at him again. "You are far from that road," she remarked.
"Can you help us find our way there?" He requested courteously.
"Only those true of heart can we help. She will decide. One of you must follow me," she answered enigmatically.

Nathaniel and Grolt looked at each other, wholly confused by the situation and not entirely sure they should trust this peculiar creature. "I will come, but where are we going?" He asked, puzzled. The girl giggled once more, "Deep into mother earth, you shall be judged. To enter you must remove your shoes'' There was a pause and Nathaniel shrugged but obeyed the strange request. He knew there was nothing else for it than to place his trust in this childlike creature. The girl turned and walked toward where the roots of the tree met the rock. As he got closer he could see a small crack in the rock, where the girl disappeared into. He squeezed himself through too and followed on. As he looked at the girl he could see her skin appeared scaly, even more so on her legs. Her hands and feet in fact seemed to be clawed, with ridges of scales down her toes and fingers like a lizard.