Alesana stared at the bandages around her arms and legs. Confused, she thought back to last night, when she dreamed of a black-haired boy waking her up. Diaval, she thought to remember, who told her Maleficent had sent him with a potion.
With her fingertips, she stroked the leaves covering her wounds. Had it not been a dream? Had someone really came to her to tend her wounds?
Tearing her glance away from the bandages, she scoured her hiding place, but everything looked as it had done before she fell asleep. Again, her eyes were drawn to her arms. The substance rubbed on them felt like dried clay and tore at her skin at every move she made. It however was proof that her dream hadn't been a dream.
She was pulled out of her thoughts as the raven settled down beside her. "You can fly again!" With a shiny smile, she petted the dark feathers. "Did you see him too? The young man who claimed to be sent by Maleficent? Did he patch you up too?"
The animal croaked softly and jumped on her knee and moved to her shoulder. She might be imagining things now, but the raven also looked more cheerful than usual.
The idea that Maleficent still kept an eye on them, comforted her. The attack of the bats had shocked her, although she'd tried to prepare herself for the dark side of the Moren. Many scary stories were going round about these lands and they had to be based on something.
"This is going to be a good day," Alesana believed. She put on her traveling cloak and strapped her shoes. "I hope we can cover a lot of ground today. Are there villages around here?" She turned her head to face the raven ."Maybe we'll find my father there!"
Alesana realized the thought of a village might be a little too optimistic, but she could imagine there was some form of civilization in the Moren. Perhaps not a village or city that she was used to, but the boy she'd seen yesterday had to live somewhere.
Alesana's good mood didn't go away during the day. The wounds were still evident, but they didn't hurt as much as the day before. The road they followed led them past streams and lakes surrounded by flowers in so many dazzling colors they took her breath away. Birds and butterflies effortlessly blended in the rainbow of colors, as if they were all painted by an artistic hand. The raven on her side stood out with its somber plumage and she wondered if he envied the other birds for their beauty.
"It's so beautiful," Alesana sighed for the umpteenth time as they climbed a steep hill. Sweat beaded on her forehead, but there was a small breeze that cooled her down. Below them was a square lake, its banks so straight it looked like it had been dugout. Around it were high trees with no leaves; the branches were filled with perfectly round fruits that seemed to be dipped in liquid silver.
With every step Alesana took, she understood why the inhabitants of these lands tried so hard to keep outsiders away. She was sure these trees would be robbed of their silver fruits within the blink of an eye, to be sold on the market for a scandalous price. Only the rich would be able to afford them — those who weren't in need of food and would only want them for their aesthetics.
She aimed her glance forward to see where they were going to. Only then, she saw the green stones hidden between the trees ahead of them.
"A ruin," she whispered when they'd gotten a bit closer. It was still a few hundred feet away but Alesana was sure she was looking at the remains of a tower.
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