Just then, two of the cloaked assistants stood quietly by the opening that led down the narrow corridor. Willow nodded to them. "They will take you to bath now," he told her. "When you are finished, I will come to visit you in your quarters."
With torches in hand, four of the assistants led Eunice down the narrow corridor which led to a pool of water, warmed from underneath the earth. The assistants kindly turned their backs to her as she shyly removed the dirty clothes she wore before easing herself down into the warm, soothing water.
Soon, she was finished and standing naked as an assistant handed her a purple gown to wear, making sure to keep his head bowed. Now dressed, she followed them back to an area that had been prepared for her. Here an assistant cleaned her hair of the dead insects from days ago with a brush, then applied juices from berries and other plants from the nearby forest. After some time, Willow came to take a look at their progress. He was speechless. The once frail young girl with the dirty, matted hair had been transformed into a beautiful princess, set aglow by the soft light of the candles that adorned her quarters. His look was the food she craved as she played with him with her eyes, slowly running her small hands through the silky main of hair that flowed to the center of her back. Taking a strand, she placed it underneath hear nose, sniffing loudly, bringing a warm smile to the face of the hardened Willow, which in turn inspired a rare smile from Eunice.
Yet, weeks later, despite having her own sleeping quarters, Willow would occasionally awaken to her tucked away at his side on his bed. She had become his shadow, matching his every step while helping his understanding of Sufti. But the time had come for them to part. It was the thirty-first night under the name of Naheem, one of the seven Warrior Priests of the House of the Warrior Priests. Legend had it that the Throne allowed each warrior Priest to have allotted to him thirty-one days and nights that would bear their name upon the earth. The other one hundred and fifty to complete the year solely belonged to the Throne. The following night would be a new moon and the first night under the name of Billum, chief among the Warrior Priests.
It had long been held by tradition that the Sayers were the agents of Billum, gaining his protection when they were upon the earth, which made their Ascension over the House of Kings nearly four thousand years ago possible. Willow was busy preparing Eunice for her journey to make offering in the Forest of Sorrows. As the assistants finished preparing Eunice, an impatient Willow paced back and forth through the cave. Suddenly, they appeared with Eunice behind them, dressed in a green gown that flowed to her feet. "Has she fed properly?" Willow anxiously asked. The assistant nodded. "Very well," he said as he waved them off to their quarters. She could see there was something odd about his behavior. He seemed visibly unsure of himself.
She was sure she understood why. There had been many things written in the scrolls, but curiously, nothing was ever found about what to expect next. The scrolls were silent about the offering or about whether the offering would even be accepted. Eunice knew it bothered him greatly that he did not know just what predicament he was sending her into. His hands fidgeted with objects of the offering as he placed each item on the table under the observant gaze of Eunice.
Placing a heap of incense on the table while Eunice was fully engaged he said, "Then you place the coin, followed by the pouring of wine.” Taking his dagger, he mimicked making an incision in his hand. “Just like this,” he reminded her. "It must be done in this fashion, do you understand?"
Eunice nodded yes. Willow gathered the objects back into a satchel, placing them next to the jar of wine, his hand gripping the jar tightly. She gently placed a hand over his, smiling up into his face warmly. She rubbed soothingly, attempting to reassure the meticulous Willow.
After all, he wasn't the one about to venture off into the unknown, if anyone should be under duress, surely it was her. But she wasn't. She wasn't mature enough to feign bravery, but just old enough to control her fear. Gathering her cloak from nearby, he lovingly placed it over her shoulders, softly stroking the hair of her head, not knowing what to expect, knowing this could very well be the last time the two ever saw each other. His eyes grew wide as something surfaced to mind. "Are you familiar with the 'lost trees of Gale'?"
Eunice smiled. "I have heard of them," she said softly.
"When you are ready to day slumber, there is a small cave a short distance away, heading east of the tallest tree. It is sufficient and safe before you continue forward to the Forest of Sorrows.” Grabbing the satchel and jar of wine from the table, Eunice placed her hood over her head before heading out into the cool darkness of night as Willow watched her form simply fade into the darkness amongst the trees.
She made the day long journey to the Forest of Sorrows where the offering was to be made. Legend had it that the forest was where all of the souls of Stellars came to mourn, never able to walk among the living again. The long branches covering the very tall trees kept the forest perpetually shrouded in darkness, even during the day.
Gazing up into the night sky, she was able to see the light of the new moon. Slowly, she went to stand directly underneath it, setting down the items she'd brought with her for the offering nearby. Crouching down, she cleared a space from among the dead leaves and shrubs that seemed to litter the forest with her hands. Standing, she carefully removed the heavy cloak that was draped across her shoulders, allowing it to fall were she stood.
Recalling the order of items Willow had demonstrated for her, kneeling down she started by placing the incense on the ground, followed by a gold coin. Reciting a prayer of the Sayers, she slowly made an incision in her hand with the dagger, allowing the blood to flow from her wound to pour over the offering. She then poured wine over it, and not sure what was to happen next, she stood off away from the offering. Slowly, a small puff of mist rose from the coin which seem to liquefy, smoldering as plumes of smoke began to billow into the air. Her eyes were wide as she found herself being lifted from the ground into the air, suspended high over the offering, near the top of the tall trees.
It was an indication that the Sayers were pleased with her offering. The smoke from the offering billowed into columns surrounding her feet, swirling around underneath her gown, continuing to twist around her hands. It was odd. As the smoke passed over her body, it felt rough against her smooth skin, like tiny stones of sand brushing against her skin up under her gown, along her right side, then twisting at the waist to her left side, around her back, over her neck, and on to the side of her face.
As she gazed into the brightness of the moon, she could hear the voices of many men singing her name. The song they sang to her was in the language of Sufti; with each phrase her young face beamed with excitement. Soon, the singing stopped as her body slowly made its descent to the ground. The smoke from the offering had long since passed. She stood mute for a few moments, trying to gather her emotions, which were all over the place. With only the light from the moon, she found her cloak, picking it up from the foot of a stump of a near by tree. Placing her cloak around her shoulders, a crinkle had formed between her eyes as she got a glimpse of her hands. She went to stand out further under the moonlight for a better look.
Her hands were covered in some strange type of dark writing and odd symbols, Stretching from her fingertips, covering the back of her hands and the palms, up to her wrists. Her eyebrows were lifted high on her head; she didn't know what to make of it. With her hair dangling wildly in front of her face, she lifted her gown to take a look at her feet, which also were covered in the mysterious writing, understanding it too wasn't Sufti.
Maybe Willow would be able to explain this phenomenon which she was sure he would notice as soon as she made it back to the cave.
