Copyright (C) 2009 Jenna Elizabeth Johnson
All Rights Reserved
The Legend of Oescienne - The Finding is posted for your reading enjoyment only and not to be reposted anywhere else. Thank you and happy reading!
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CHAPTER TWENTY
THE DARE
"Hey Nesnan . . ."
The snide remark came from Eydeth, as usual.
Jahrra sighed and rolled her eyes. It'd been a month since the end of winter break, two weeks since she'd almost attacked him after being mocked about the mishap in Kiniahn Kroi. Luckily, after that incident she'd remembered a way to deal with it. The meditation exercises she'd learned from Yaraa and Viornen had done wonders in the field of ignoring Eydeth and Ellysian, but today they'd been more resilient than usual, actually speaking to her and not about her. In fact, she'd grown rather bored with the twins' redundant insults of late. Really, couldn't they do any better?
Jahrra was sitting in the corner of the schoolyard with Gieaun, Scede, Pahrdh and Rhudedth, trading stories about their various adventures over the break. That is, until Eydeth's grating voice interrupted a rather intriguing anecdote Pahrdh was telling about an unfortunate run-in with a skunk. Pahrdh stopped speaking immediately and waited tensely for Eydeth to continue, wondering what insulting thing he would say next.
As the horrible boy slowly strolled over to her side of the yard, looking like a dog ready to start a fight, Jahrra was determined to stay put on the lichen-covered boulder with her friends.
"Rumor has it you live in the Wreing Florenn," Eydeth continued once he was within ten feet of them. "That's worse than swimming around in a mud-puddle with the Dune People!"
A wave of laughter ensued and soon the rest of the class was drawn to what appeared to be another show put on to torture Jahrra. Jahrra tried to remain cool, desperately grasping in her mind for something smart to say. She hadn't even bothered with her meditation exercises this time, and she could easily detect the frustration and anger in Eydeth's voice. He'd been trying hard to break her for days, and today he seemed full of renewed determination. Well, Jahrra felt determined too. She decided to respond to him this time; she was tired of taking his verbal abuse.
Gieaun and Rhudedth tensed up beside her as she drew breath to speak.
"Actually, I lived on the edge of the forest, not in it. Past tense, Eydeth."
Jahrra slid off of her perch and stood in front of the glowering boy, smugly reminding herself that she still had to look down at him.
"On the edge of the forest? How could you bear to live there? Mother says that only heathens and robbers live near the Wreing Florenn!" Ellysian said with delightful disgust as she joined her brother's side, obviously paying no attention to what Jahrra had just said.
Eydeth and Ellysian were enjoying this far too much, and just as Jahrra was about to comment on how dim-witted they were, Scede slid down to stand next to her.
"I'd like to see you go within five miles of that forest, Eydeth. Jahrra lived there for eight years without being afraid, but I've seen the scared look on your face when Professor Tarnik describes what lurks in there."
He stretched himself as tall as he could and laced his arms across his chest, glaring at Eydeth as he continued, "You have some nerve standing there making fun of Jahrra for living near that forest, but let's see you go within a hundred yards of it!"
The whole class quieted down at Scede's sudden outburst. He didn't often speak so boldly in front of his classmates, but when he did it was to make a point.
Jahrra smiled broadly in his direction and noticed that he looked even more irritated than she felt. He glared at Eydeth and Ellysian, looking like he was about to bite if they so much as blinked.
"You couldn't go near the Wreing Florenn if someone tied you up and dragged you there. That's how afraid I think you are."
Suddenly the laughter of their classmates turned from Jahrra to Eydeth, whose eyes had darkened dangerously. Gieaun, Rhudedth and Pahrdh joined their two companions, all three donning a look of determination as if Scede's insult had recharged them.
Discomfited as he was, Eydeth wasn't about to back down.
"Fine, so you don't live there anymore, but the only reason you did was because your dead parents couldn't afford to live anywhere else. Besides, it's not like you actually went into the forest. Only someone brave would go in there, not a lame little Nesnan like you."
Jahrra was suddenly livid, so she missed the tiny spark that flickered and vanished in Eydeth's eyes; the hint of triumph that glimmered behind the hatred. She forced herself to calm down and drew upon her measly arsenal: Eydeth didn't know about her little escapade with Gieaun and Scede after the unicorns. She knew she should let the evil boy's accusation hang, but she couldn't resist making him look like a fool in front of the entire class.
"Oh, but you're wrong," she crooned, examining her fingernails in a bored manner. "I have been in the Wreing Florenn. It isn't so bad, unless you're afraid of trees, birds and butterflies."
A murmuring began bubbling around the crowd of children.
"You!? Going into the Wreing Florenn? A lie for sure," Eydeth spat venomously, his look of triumph vanishing as quickly as a dry leaf thrown into a fire. "You probably only went into Willowsflorn and thought it was the Wreing Florenn. The trees in Willowsflorn barely come over my head, what could be so frightening about that?"
"Trust me, Eydeth," Jahrra said with a sigh, her hands now placed squarely on her hips, "I would've noticed if I was taller than the trees."
Everyone suddenly burst out laughing, earning a poisonous glare from a red-faced Eydeth.
Scede took advantage of the opportunity of the horrible boy's moment of defeat.
"I've been in the Wreing Florenn too, and so has Gieaun!" he insisted. "We've all been in the forest, and Jahrra is right. You'd have to be a mouse to be afraid!"
The entire class continued sniggering at Eydeth while nodding their heads in apparent respect for the three courageous friends who had braved the Wreing Florenn.
Eydeth immediately overcame his embarrassment and snarled, "They're obviously lying! Remember how she lied about me pulling her down when we had the climbing contest at our Solstice party!"
It was right then that Jahrra realized what he was doing. He's trying to coax me into going back into the forest. Fine, I'm not afraid, let him challenge me then. Jahrra was partly eager to show the class that she wasn't afraid of the twins, and she partly wanted to let out all of her pent up frustration about everything he and his sister had done to her and her friends over the years.
Instead of just walking away like she should have, Jahrra glanced around and noted that the majority of the class seemed to believe her story and not Eydeth's. An overwhelming feeling of self-satisfaction overcame her, drowning out the tiny voice of caution in the back of her mind. For once she had Eydeth cornered, and she was going to milk it for all it was worth. Her enemy was vulnerable, and now was her chance to make him look like the buffoon for once.
"You just can't handle the fact that I, the Nesnan, am braver than you. That's why you keep telling everyone I'm lying. You're afraid and jealous, and I can prove it." Jahrra plowed on with a sudden burst of self-confidence, "Dare me to go into the forest, Eydeth. Go on. I'm absolutely sure there isn't one single animal or plant in there that could be even remotely dangerous. In front of the whole class I'll prove that you aren't as brave as a Nesnan."
Eydeth stood there speechless for awhile, everyone's eyes darting nervously between the Nesnan girl and Resai boy. Jahrra could feel her friends tense up next to her, but she ignored them. They would say she had been too bold, that she'd not thought this through. But what was the big deal? They'd been in the Wreing Florenn before, and it was perfectly peaceful.
After a while, Eydeth opened his mouth and said, disbelievingly, "Anywhere in the Wreing Florenn?"
Jahrra nodded. "I'll even travel to Edyadth, taking the scary road that passes through the center of it."
She wiggled her fingers spookily and exaggerated her voice, receiving a few more chuckles from the crowd. She smiled broadly, enjoying this far too much.
Then she saw the gleam of spiteful victory in Eydeth's eyes and the evil grin of satisfaction on Ellysian's face. Jahrra changed the expression on her own face immediately. She'd almost forgotten about Ellysian, who'd remained oddly silent during this whole confrontation. Why do they look so triumphant? she wondered apprehensively. I'm the one who's going to prove them wrong!
After awhile, Eydeth spoke up, his voice quavering with anticipation, "Very well, I choose for you to travel into the Black Swamp. It's within the borders of the Wreing Florenn, and you said anywhere. You can refuse if you want, but that just proves you were lying all along."
Gieaun grabbed Jahrra's arm tightly as if trying to prevent her from stepping off a cliff. Scede made a strange choking sound in the back of his throat, and Rhudedth and Pahrdh, along with the entire class, gasped in shock.
Eydeth was grinning like a jackal and Jahrra could feel her face fading to white. Oh no! she thought furiously, remembering how haughty she'd been. Oh no, oh no, oh no!!! You should've thought before speaking, you should've known they had something more devious planned! The Wreing Florenn is one thing, but the Black Swamp is quite another! she told herself, panic welling up in her stomach like a thick, oily bubble.
She now understood why Eydeth had looked so victorious earlier. It wasn't because he was sure she hadn't been in the Wreing Florenn, it was because he knew that if he kept at it long enough he could con her into traveling into the deepest, darkest, most fearful part of the dangerous wood. The entire time he'd been acting scared he'd really been baiting her. He wasn't as dumb as she had so complacently convinced herself. She gave herself a mental kick. How could I have been so stupid?!
Jahrra's internal battle was interrupted by a cold voice.
"The Black Swamp." The words rolled off of Eydeth's tongue like ice water. "I've heard that there are monsters living in there, and we all know the stories about the witch. The bravest of men won't go within a mile of it, and I heard from the most reliable of sources that even dragons are afraid of it. Who would've thought, a dragon being afraid of a witch? But you aren't afraid, Nesnan, oh no, you're brave."
Everyone started murmuring again, but it was a low, secretive murmur that suggested they were exchanging their own personal fears and terror tales of the swamp. Jahrra burned with humiliation and horror, coming close to tears.
No, I won't cry in front of them! she thought, her fury suddenly engulfing her mortification. She tried hard to focus on anything else but the children sniggering and whispering about her, but all she could hear were Eydeth's words repeating themselves in her head: I've heard that there are monsters living in there, and we all know the stories about the witch. The bravest of men won't go within a mile of it, and I heard from the most reliable of sources that even dragons are afraid of it. Who would have thought, a dragon being afraid of a witch? But you aren't afraid, Nesnan, oh no, you're brave . . .
For some reason or another, one line in particular rung louder than the others: Even dragons are afraid of it . . . Are dragons really afraid to enter the borders of the Black Swamp? Jahrra wondered, grateful for something, anything that would distract her from the fear, aggravation and shame she felt for snaring herself in Eydeth's trap. Her common sense told her that this was a lie invented by the twins, yet she couldn't help but remember the time she and Hroombra had visited the Castle Ruin and his fear of lingering in the woods after dark.
Jahrra suddenly pictured Jaax being afraid of going into the dreaded swamp, but as hard as she tried, she couldn't get a clear image of that particular dragon being afraid of anything. Has he ever gone into the Black Swamp of Oescienne? she wondered. No, she told herself with a slight tinge of bitterness left over from her last encounter with the dragon, he's never around long enough to stretch his wings let alone explore the haunted corners of the province. But this is something he would definitely disapprove of.
Eydeth continued to stare Jahrra down, waiting for her to back out, but she was feeling braver by the minute. How bad could it be? she wondered, I've been taking defense lessons and I'm much more prepared than I normally would be to face anything that might be in there. Jahrra shivered when she remembered the stories about the witch, though. Those frightening tales had caused her more nightmares than any of the others combined. But they are just stories, she reminded herself firmly.
Whether her face showed it or not, she couldn't tell, but Jahrra decided right then and there that she would accept the twins' challenge. If there was a monster or hag in the swamp she would just have to face it; there was no way she could back down after her overdrawn display of conceit.
She looked over at Gieaun and Scede and she could almost feel their eyes begging her not to accept. They'd be angry with her for her decision, but they didn't understand. She had to do this, she had to defeat Eydeth and Ellysian this time. As unfair as their dare might've been, she had to prove to herself she could be just as brave as she claimed.
"Well, Nesnan?"
The sudden question snapped her out of her train of thought. Eydeth gazed in her direction with a cold emptiness in his eyes. I can't let him win, she thought miserably. I've got to see this through.
"Do you think you're brave enough to go into the swamp?" he asked coolly. "Or are you just like all the other Nesnans around here, content with slaving away all day and giving into their superstitions? Do you think you're braver than a dragon?"
Jahrra shot Eydeth a fiery look, despising the way that he belittled everyone who was even remotely different or less fortunate than himself. She looked again at Gieaun and Scede, and Rhudedth and Pahrdh. She could see that even though their gazes begged her not to accept, there was a glint of knowledge in their eyes; they knew exactly what she was going to do.
Jahrra returned her stormy eyes to Eydeth and tried as hard as she could to look through him as he did her, and answered, "Name the time and the place."
The Resai twins bared their vile grins.
"Tomorrow morning," Eydeth said sadistically, "an hour after sunup, at the forest's edge on the bank of the Danu Creek. Don't be late."
***
Jahrra found it hard to sleep that night for a number of reasons. First, she was still bristling about how easily she'd fallen into the twins' trap. Secondly, she was nervous and terrified about what she was about to do the next morning, no matter how many times she tried to convince herself the witch didn't exist. And finally, she was feeling overwhelmingly guilty about the lie she had told Hroombra.
The old dragon had warned her so many times not to go into the Wreing Florenn, and not only had she disobeyed him once, but she was about to do it again. Worse yet, she was going to wander into the deepest part of the forest. It was a long time before she finally drifted into a restless sleep full of strange and dark dreams.
Jahrra rose early despite her grogginess, dressing in her usual leather pants and loose tunic, adding a vest to help fight off the chill of the morning. She paused only long enough to pull her long hair into a messy braid before grabbing her thick riding cloak on the way out of her room. She hastily packed a lunch, sneaking around the Ruin so as not to disturb the great sleeping reptilian mountain that was Hroombra.
She saddled Phrym just as quickly, looking mournfully towards the Danu Creek flowing peacefully out of the Wreing Florenn. The creek was fed by a natural spring, deep within the heart of the forest. This spring also filled up the basin between the two rows of hillocks in the center of the great wood. This soggy basin was the infamous Black Swamp.
Jahrra shivered and wondered if Eydeth and Ellysian were already waiting for her on the edge of the forest. Them and the entire school, she thought, a feeling of dread slowly filling her hollow stomach. She'd been too nervous to eat breakfast. Jahrra and Phrym walked gravely across the field, still gray in the early morning light. They met up with the creek and headed east towards the forest.
As they trudged along, Jahrra thought about her friends' offer to go along with her. Despite the fact that Gieaun was terrified out of her wits and still angry that Jahrra had actually accepted the challenge, she wouldn't let her friend go on such a dangerous endeavor alone.
Jahrra cringed when she recalled her friend's wrath from the day before.
"Have you gone quite mad?" the Resai girl had wheezed. "Jahrra, what's the matter with you? You can't go into that swamp! Don't you know what's in there? It's not just any witch but an evil witch of Ciarrohn that lives in the hollow of the hills, you remember the story. Jahrra! You'll most definitely be killed, and then Eydeth and Ellysian will have won for sure!"
Jahrra pushed Gieaun's voice and Scede's dark eyes to the back of her mind. In the end they had agreed to go with her, refusing to let their best friend go into dangerous territory alone. Jahrra had almost cried; she wanted to be brave, but she couldn't imagine doing this without them.
Phrym's rumbling whicker pulled Jahrra from her reverie. Up ahead, the towering trees of the Wreing Florenn were beginning to swallow the Danu Creek. Jahrra felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. She hadn't realized how far they had traveled. They came around one more bend of the shadowed stream and saw the entire school standing on the edge of the forest like a funeral procession. Jahrra thought she was going to faint. She spotted Gieaun and Scede off to the side on their own horses and she timidly led Phrym over to them.
"Am I late?" she whispered harshly, her mouth strangely dry. "I thought I left early enough."
"No, you're early, but they all got here even earlier," Scede said tensely, looking how Jahrra felt.
Jahrra gritted her teeth and fought the sudden waves of nausea. "I guess we'd better get this over with then."
She took a deep breath and led Phrym over to where Eydeth and Ellysian stood. Gieaun and Scede looked on in horror, their nerves slowly melting into pools of fear.
Jahrra addressed the twins, "Alright, what are the conditions, how far do I have to go in?"
She was no longer whispering, and she could hear her own voice trembling.
Eydeth reveled in her dread awhile before answering with a twisted smile, "You'll have to go all the way to the Belloughs, at the very end of the swamp, where the witch lives. Bring back some evidence that you've made it that far or else we won't believe you."
There was an audible gasp at the mention of the word Belloughs, but Jahrra forced herself to ignore it. The Belloughs was the worst part of the swamp. Going all the way to the Belloughs would be like diving into the middle of Lake Ossar where the lake monster supposedly slept as opposed to simply wading on the shore. Jahrra pushed the daunting comparison out of her mind and instead focused her attention on Eydeth's continued ridiculous suggestions.
"How could I possibly prove that!" she snipped, forgetting her fear for the time being.
"Oh, I don't know, bring back something that belongs to the witch."
Ellysian and a few of their friends snickered and Jahrra flushed with sudden anger. That boy is so evil! He knows I can't bring back any proof!
"Very well," she finally answered, straight-faced and unsmiling, "but if I do, I want something in return."
If she had to prove she made it to the Belloughs, then she wasn't going to do it for free. Something that looked like surprise flashed across Eydeth's face, and Jahrra felt her spirits lift just a little. He hadn't expected her to counter with her own demands.
"If I come back with evidence," Jahrra continued coolly, "then I want you, your sister, and all of your friends to stay away from Lake Ossar. Forever."
Jahrra sat up rigidly in the saddle and held her head up as high as she could. A mixture of annoyance, anger and defeat churned behind Eydeth's cruel eyes. He was obviously fighting the desire to deny Jahrra what she wanted, but he was also deciding whether he should sacrifice one small advantage for her in order to ensure she would still go through with his dare.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, he spoke, "That mud hole? No problem! If you come back with believable evidence of the hag, then you and your Nesnan-loving friends can have that puddle all to yourselves."
Eydeth crossed his arms and smirked, trying to hide the fact that he was annoyed his enemy might be getting something out of this. Jahrra smiled widely and glanced over at Gieaun and Scede, both looking somewhat cheerful for the first time that morning.
"You've got a deal." Jahrra nodded to the twins and trailed her eyes over the rest of the crowd, reassuring herself that they had heard the bargain. She pulled Phrym's reins around and guided him towards the tiny path that eventually led into the heart of the Black Swamp. Gieaun and Scede followed suit on Bhun and Aimhe, Scede looking three shades of grey and Gieaun looking like a wilted flower.
"Hold on, what's this?" Eydeth said suddenly in feigned amusement. "An entourage?"
Jahrra turned around on Phrym, bracing herself for what she knew she was going to hear.
"You go alone, Nesnan. No buddies to help you out, or our deal about the pond is off."
Eydeth and his sister crossed their arms firmly, glaring even more contemptibly than before.
A dramatic muttering swept the crowd as Jahrra looked nervously around, not quite sure what to do. I should've known he wouldn't want them coming with me! she thought miserably. She looked at Scede, dread building in her eyes, but he just stared back, a look of helplessness on his own face. Gieaun appeared to be paler than a ghost and seemed to be beyond speech.
"Jahrra!" she finally managed to whisper hoarsely. "You can still tell them no!"
Jahrra turned away and took a deep breath. She knew that if she wanted to win this battle, to win back her favorite place in the whole world, she would have to do this alone.
She released the air in her lungs and with eyes still closed she said, "I'll go alone."
The crowd gasped, obviously shocked at her decision. Eydeth and Ellysian had expected her to back out, but she wasn't going to give them the satisfaction. She opened her eyes and looked at her friends one last time. Scede looked frightened, but encouraging at the same time and his sister was cowering next to him, on the verge of tears.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. But don't you dare go and get Hroombra until the afternoon if I don't come back, alright?"
Gieaun and Scede reluctantly swore they'd give their friend plenty of time to complete her task. Jahrra hugged them both from Phrym's back and then turned and led him in the direction of the swamp once more.
"If any of you are expecting me to die today, you're wasting your time. I'll go to the Belloughs, but I don't plan on staying," she boldly shot behind her, guiding Phrym into a canter just before disappearing over the small rise in land that eventually dropped into the swamp.
After she crested the low hill, Jahrra let out a long sigh and slouched in the saddle. Her bones felt like rubber and her skin like jelly. No point in looking brave now, no one is around to see, she thought as her mouth became parched again.
Phrym walked tediously along the narrow trail stretching in front of them, his hooves making a sucking sound in the black, sticky mud. A sense of dread filled the air and the surrounding woods were oddly silent, the only noise, other than Phrym's feet of course, were his puffs of discomfiture. The air smelled woody, metallic and stale and it reminded Jahrra of the scent of blood. She shivered and tried hard not to imagine stumbling upon a massacre wrought by some horrific beast.
Despite her fear, however, Jahrra encouraged Phrym deeper into the darkening wood. Soon the tall, bright eucalyptus trees were replaced by black, crouching oaks and the first signs of the dark bog crept into view. The scent of putrid water filled the air, and Jahrra's restless mind unwillingly dredged up everything she had ever heard about the Black Swamp. At that moment her memory was recalling an excerpt from one of Hroombra's books:
The Black Swamp, as it is so called by the many elfin tribes that inhabit Oescienne, is a stretch of wetlands nestled between the two small rows of hillocks within the Wreing Florenn.
The swamp gets its name from the blackish mud that makes up its belly, not to mention the dreary and dank atmosphere it exudes from the knotty, sick looking ancient black oaks that guard its boundaries.
Not many a soul ventures into the Black Swamp and only a few brave its borders to collect the coveted mushrooms and rare herbs that grow within its dark interior. It is also said that the best mistletoe grows in the canopies of the black oaks there, but even fewer people venture in deep enough to collect it.
The dreary environment and unpleasant surroundings are not the only reason people avoid the swamp. According to local legend, many fearsome and mysterious creatures are said to live there, and in the past many children have gone missing.
Something splashed into the dank water only a few feet from the trail, stirring the cool, heavy mist that engulfed the landscape. Jahrra yelped and instinctively pulled on Phrym's reins, the disturbing thoughts resonating in her head quickly drowned out by the sound of her pounding heart. Phrym quickened his pace and made a few discontented noises of nervousness, but as Jahrra shakily coaxed him back to a slower pace, she noticed that the sound had been caused by a turtle taking cover under the water.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, laughing nervously as she released it. She reached down and patted Phrym.
"It's alright boy. It was only a turtle."
Phrym nickered and snorted, seeming satisfied with Jahrra's explanation. She encouraged him onward, and soon they were moving at a steady pace once again.
As they journeyed deeper into the swamp, Jahrra tried hard to be positive and not think about what might be watching her from the thick brush beyond the trail. She especially tried not to think about the legendary witch that may or may not live in the Belloughs, but the chilly woods conjured up memories of campfire ghost stories that kept the fear fresh.
She squeezed her eyes shut and tried desperately to repeat the words of meditation that Viornen had taught her, but all she could hear was Kaihmen's voice echoing in her head, "The witch came from the far east, fleeing from the Crimson King. It is said that she double-crossed the evil king and is now hiding out in fear of him . . ."
Jahrra shuddered. The idea of someone double-crossing the Crimson King terrified her; he sounded bad enough as it was without being angry. I'm just being paranoid, she told herself, there's no one in this swamp except maybe some frogs and leeches. But no matter how hard she tried, Jahrra couldn't get her mind off of the terror that had settled inside of her like heavy silt settling in a riverbed. Her hands were clammy and she could feel sweat trickling down her back, despite the cold.
Phrym nickered lightly, and Jahrra pulled him to a stop, hoping to recover her bearings and calm her mind. They'd been walking for about a half hour, and so far Jahrra hadn't seen anything to make her feel so nervous. She blinked and looked around at the surrounding scenery to distract herself. The swamp was tangled with a variety of plants ranging from tiny, almost luminescent toadstools of multiple colors, to the giant, dominating oaks that choked out everything else but the dark poison ivy that wrapped tightly around their trunks. The moss that hung from the twisting branches looked like thick, matted hair and was a dark, dry olive color.
Jahrra pulled her eyes from the thick canopy and glanced down at the path she and Phrym were following. The black tendril of soil stretched thinly above the bank of the wetlands before disappearing into the obscure, thick fog in the immediate distance. After several minutes, Jahrra took a deep breath and decided it was time to move on.
Regardless of the quiet atmosphere and the fact that nothing horrible had happened after an hour of walking, Jahrra still couldn't settle down. Phrym jerked back his head at the screech of a bird followed by a vigorous flapping of wings, and Jahrra had to take a few breaths to calm her racing heart. This was the first thing she'd heard since entering the swamp besides Phrym's horsey comments and the retreating turtle.
Phrym came to a stop once again and Jahrra took a few more deep breaths, the taste of the cool, mossy air calming her nerves a bit. The fog was thicker now; a result, Jahrra thought, of some dark, evil magic brewing in the hidden corners of the Belloughs. They had to be close now, she could feel it.
Jahrra shuddered and swallowed thickly. The Belloughs of the Black Swamp. Her stomach took another plunge at the very thought of the name.
"Phrym, you have to make sure I stay focused," she whispered nervously down to her strangely calm semequin.
Phrym merely turned his ears back towards her and kept on walking carefully past the brown ferns and oily green liverworts. A few minutes later the trail began to decline into the chill air of the belly of the swamp. The atmosphere not only grew colder and mistier, but darker as well, as if a premature twilight had begun to set in. It's only because of the cover of the oaks; they're growing closer together here, Jahrra told herself, trying really hard not to let the heavy atmosphere smother her.
A loud, sudden CRACK cut through the silence when Phrym stepped on a dead branch.
"Whoa!" Jahrra shouted, her entire body tensing out of instinct.
Phrym tossed his head and started to canter.
"Stop Phrym, slow down!" Jahrra pleaded as she pulled back on the reins which were easily slipping through her sweaty palms. She was trying hard not to panic and give in to her raw nerves as the cool air caressed her hot face. Phrym slowed after a few dozen yards and Jahrra slumped limply up against his strong neck.
"It's alright, Phrym, you only spooked yourself!" she breathed nervously, a little more loudly than she ought to.
She scratched his neck once more and his nervous snorting gradually calmed. But Phrym wasn't paying attention to her. He was standing stark still; his ears cocked forward, his stance tense. Jahrra froze. She was afraid to look up, but she forced herself to. She hadn't noticed the tall hills closing in on either side of them. She suddenly felt like a panicked insect rushing into a funnel spider's trap.
Jahrra blinked through Phrym's tangled mane, her blood freezing as she recognized the scene before her. The parallel rows of hills met up not too far ahead, forming the unmistakable crook of the Belloughs. She had made it, and she was still alive and in one piece.
Well, here goes.
Jahrra drew on every ounce of courage she possessed as she gently led Phrym down into the Belloughs of the Black Swamp.