Serena's POV:
I stood close to Darien as we waited by the waygate. Despite my excitement, I was still a bit nervous about passing through that waygate. Saphira was close by, as well as five other heavily armed Dranek. I was pretty sure that they were the same guards from before.
Dozens more Dranek were in the trees around us. I jumped a bit at the low swooshing noise that came from the gate as the empty arch now held what looked like rippling water. Darien put his arm around my shoulders in reassurance.
A brighter light appeared as a Dranek came through the gate. He nodded in our direction, "The area is clear and the weather is good. Please feel free to cross whenever you are ready."
Darien watched him closely, but was relaxed. The reading ability gave Darien an edge, and he had told me that he would know if someone was planning an ambush, as long as he was close enough to get a read on them.
Darien looked down at me, "Ready?"
I nodded and we started walking forward as we went towards the faintly glowing arch. I had a feeling that it was going to take several more times before I got comfortable with the thought of walking through the waygate.
You couldn't see through it, and you had no idea what was on the other side or even where you were putting your feet. Darien kept his arm around my shoulders as we stepped through. It was like entering a walk-in freezer for a brief moment before we had passed through.
One step, and I was on an entirely different planet.
"Wow..." My involuntary words were soft, but I had no doubt that most of those around us had no problem hearing me.
Saphira smiled with faint pride as she quietly responded, "We have visited hundreds of planets throughout our history, but none are like this."
The waygate was in a large clearing, but all around us gigantic trees towered into the sky as their branches and leaves formed a dense canopy that blocked most of the sky. In the shade, the undergrowth was still dense as it reached for whatever light it could get. The humid air carried the scent of plants and growing things.
I now knew how a mouse in a forest felt. A dozen humans could have circled the smaller trees and still been unable to touch fingers. Even Darien looked surprised and impressed, and that was saying something.
Darien and I slowly walked away from the waygate as we gazed at the dense foliage. My surprise faded, and I became aware that something in the forest wasn't quite right. It was more of a feeling than anything, in much the same way I knew if a plant wasn't doing well even if it looked healthy enough.
Saphira had been correct, the entire forest was in decline. I wouldn't know more until I start singing though.
Half a dozen Dranek were waiting ahead of us, and I had no problem identifying them as the elders Saphira had spoken of. Their hair was much lighter with age, going a lighter blue instead of grey.
An elderly woman greeted us once we got closer, "Welcome to Drashna. Thank you so much for coming."
I walked forward to shake her hand while Darien followed behind me. "It is our pleasure. It looks very beautiful."
"Thank you, may we guide you on a walk through the forest?"
"Please." The best way for me to hopefully figure out what was wrong was to sing, but it would be better if I was further inside the forest. They likely knew it as well.
They guided us towards the trees as Saphira walked beside me. The other five guards were further out, but clearly visible. I caught glimpses of blue higher up in the trees as more Dranek travelled with us.
Darien walked on my other side as we both looked around. Birdsong and insect calls were prevalent as we walked down a path while trees soared high in the air all around us.
Saphira pointed upwards, "All Dranek homes are built in the trees since the storm season often results in waist deep water for several weeks. Several types of trees become hollow as they mature."
It took me a few seconds to realize that there was a well-hidden door on the side of a large tree. The only reason I had spotted it was due to the windows beside the door and the fact that the door was open... I was fascinated. "That is so cool..."
She gazed upwards, "Most places are not in the open, so they are hard to spot, but there are about a hundred homes in this village."
I was walking right through the middle of a village and I hadn't even been aware of it...
Darien inquired, "I assume most are for fighters who would guard the waygate?"
"Yes, although other families also reside here."
There was so much to see and I wasn't sure where to look first as we walked. The huge trees above often had large flowers or colorful birds, while foliage further down often had fascinating and unusual looking leaves. Some vines were liberally decorated with smaller flowers. We had already passed a couple of tiny trickles of water not even as wide as my hand that added their gurgling sound to the choir of the forest.
The Dranek higher up were also distracting as they easily moved across the huge branches or even launched themselves into the air between branches. Their ability to easily climb or move through the trees almost defied belief.
The elders and Saphira kept pointing out small things along our tour. Darien looked at the flowing waterfall, "How much rain do you get here in the storm season?"
One of the elders responded, "Quite a bit. The heavy winds, lightning, and torrential rain last for several months. Most animals here are able to climb into trees or they migrate to very high ground near the mountains."
Saphira added to the elder's reply, "No larger animals here burrow. Creatures like the scrat would drown in the first hard rain. In some lower areas, there are deep mud pits around the base of the trees all year round."
One of the elder's pointed and I saw what looked like a waist-high deer with fur that was almost an orangish color. It wasn't that far away either. It watched us warily, but continued to nibble on leaves.
Saphira spoke quietly, "That is a small grazer that is quite common in the forest. They can swim well and climb like goats. We call them faulia."
The faulia decided that having a dozen people staring at it was too much and it ducked beneath some vines as it disappeared into the undergrowth. We continued walking and I was amazed at the large number of birds and other creatures around. Some were vaguely similar to creatures found on Earth, but others looked like they came out of a science fiction movie.
Well over half of the 'birds' actually had thin scales instead of feathers, which made sense if they got so much rain here. Some had four legs as well, which made them resemble lizards more than birds, although they still had a beak. We saw a few more faulia and a couple of smaller creatures that reminded me of squirrels.
The scenery was spectacular though, and if I hadn't known that the Dranek were happy to show off their planet, then I would have felt a bit guilty about enjoying the sightseeing so much when they knew I had come here to sing.
Saphira spoke quietly, "There is a rest area ahead. If you wish to continue walking afterward, there is another rest area an hour away."
They had clearly prepared for my visit since I knew that they wouldn't need rest areas an hour apart at my slow walking pace. Their thoughtfulness also touched me, they had made it easy for me to keep enjoying the sights without putting any pressure on me whatsoever while waiting for me to help the very forest that I was admiring.
We had been walking for about an hour already and my heavier breathing showed that I was clearly out of shape, so I was ready for a break. I knew my song would exhaust me, but I was pretty sure that the Dranek would have no problem with me coming back to admire their forest later on.
I replied to Saphira, "I would like to stop at the rest area for a bit, and, if no one objects, I wouldn't mind trying to sing."
One of the elders responded, "None will mind, and there are refreshments waiting for us." His voice was quiet and easygoing. I was used to being a waitress, so it was odd to have people willing to shift their schedules and plans around my preferences.
It wasn't that long before we came to a small clearing. A few Dranek must have gone ahead of us since they had trays of fruit and cups of water ready for us. Several thick colorful squares sat in the grass and I realized that they were to sit on.
Darien sat down on one and held his hand out to me. I took it as I sat on his lap since he had something against me sitting on any sort of furniture if I could be in his arms instead. None of the Dranek found it unusual, and they took a seat on a mat of their choosing. Saphira claimed the one beside me and put a tray of fruit between our seats.
I was a bit self-conscious while humming my routine purification song, but, once more, the Dranek had picked out foods that didn't require it. I nibbled on the sweet fruit as I gazed up at the trees around us.
This forest was a beautiful place, but Saphira had been correct, I could feel that there was some sort of rather large imbalance that was somehow affecting everything to some degree.
"What can you tell me about the imbalance? How long ago did you notice it?"
One of the elders responded, "We first started observing it about six centuries ago, but it became rather noticeable about three centuries ago. Half-grown trees suddenly start rotting and there are far fewer saplings than there should be, and we are not sure why."
Another elder commented, "We have been sprouting seeds and planting seedlings with success, but we cannot do this for every true tree species throughout the entire forest. It also does nothing to stop the early rot."
They fell silent and I knew from earlier conversations with Saphira that they really had no idea what the cause was or how to fix it. Planting trees was just a bandaid as they tried to buy more time.
I looked up at Darien, "This is going to take an actual song to even attempt to figure anything out. Songs use a lot more energy than just humming or whistling. Feel like packing me out of here once I am done? Forewarned, I will probably fall asleep on you."
His somber eyes looked down at me and I knew he wouldn't leave my side until I recovered. "Carrying you is never a burden. I prefer it when you are in my arms. I do appreciate the warning; otherwise, I might have worried if you suddenly fell asleep."
I took a deep breath as I gazed once more at the forest around us. The forest had been fading for centuries, and although it would stand for centuries more, something had to be done. An hour had not been enough for me to really glimpse its beauty, but now I wanted to save it even more than I had before.
Emotion played a large part in my songs. I had admired the forest's beauty and I couldn't bear to see it disappear forever. I leaned back against Darien and opened my mouth to let the first soft notes of song come forth.
My magic stirred and the sense of the imbalance became stronger as my magic rose from its dormancy. I had to find out how to save the forest... My voice rose slowly and shifted through the scales as I tried to push my senses to the trees around me.
I could feel the premature rot already weakening the nearby trees. The vast majority of the trees were older, with a few younger ones numbering among them. My voice rose higher yet as I tried to get a sense of the forest as a whole.
My magic rippled and, like a mirage, I could suddenly sense the forest that stretched on further than I could truly comprehend. There were many small things wrong... All of them needed fixing. I could feel the tug of my magic as it wanted to carve its own path without me trying to hold the reins.
The power needed for this would not come if I tried to hold onto control. Like the song I had sung for the Queen, this song was going to be a powerful one where I had no ability to control the outcome. In such a song, I wouldn't even be aware of what was truly happening.
My heart was focused on helping the forest and nothing else really pulled at my mind or my heart since Darien was with me. My magic rose higher and my voice got louder as I focused on what the magic wanted.
I dropped all of the control I had over the magic.
I was once more lost in the song.