The Forest of Lights

Chapter 8: A New Plan

A couple of hours later the two sisters were walking to the western side of the town till they reached the Forest. There, they turned South and walked along the tree border. Soon, they met the whole town in a meadow, just inside the Forest. The clearing was so big you could hardly see its end. And since the small town only had about 1000 inhabitants, they all managed to find the shelter. Thana stood tall as people turned towards her in wonder.

"My sister, princess Khalida, will lead you all into the Forest. She has been there before and knows the Forest well enough," said Thana loudly, giving her sister a sidelong glance. The princess just bowed her head, worry sparkling in her eyes. She knew it made no sense to argue with Thana. She had to obey.

The people moved deeper into the Forest with Khalida at the head. Only whispers could be heard from them. The men had their weapons with them, just in case.

After a while, they reached the river called Evethiria. Rare knew that the river was there even, for no one went to the Forest, ever, and the river flowed from the West, entered the Forest, and then changed its course towards the North, so it silently passed the town. However, there was another river, called Cawrilie, that flowed from South to North-East, and it only just touched the town's most South-Eastern side. That was the main source of the town's water.

Well, Evethiria really was something special. It was crystal blue in colour, quite shallow, and about ten meters wide. The touch of it was refreshingly cold. There was a rumour going around in some families that stepping into the river would clean you of every sickness. There the people stayed.

The men built some kind of small camp, and the women took care of the water and made sure all were warm and comfortable overnight. They built a special wooden house for Khalida, where she spent the night alone (though, every time she met Ellisar, she waved at him, but she didn't dare to chat for too long). Thana obviously hadn't joined them. She didn't like forests much, and she had her personal business to do.

During the night, many gasps could be heard as people noticed the eerie, but also beautiful, glow of the trees. Khalida was awake, still, long after the sun sank behind the mountains and left the world in shadows. She thought of Thana's sudden change and it didn't take her long till she realized that Thana's changed because of the sudden power she had gained. It was obvious that she now wanted more.

The princess paced back and forth in her little wooden house, trying to think of a way to make Thana realize what she's become. And truly, soon after midnight, she has finally found it.

As soon as the first rays of sun showed through the green leaves, the princess rushed out of the camp on her white horse and galloped through the Forest at her full speed, jumping over the thick tree roots and bushes, past the old tree trunks. The horse couldn't even be heard on the soft green grass, the only sound was Khalida's shallow breathing as she rode on through the Forest unseen.

No more than a few minutes did it take her to arrive to her lands. She stopped on the courtyard, unsaddled her horse, and ran over the wide white staircases to the queen's room.

Thana was inside, watching her servants training the Claytons' horses, all grey, black, or white, some young, some older, but all very beautiful. She flinched at her sisters's sudden break into her room (without knocking) in the middle of a peaceful morning. Wait. Khalida was supposed to be in the Forest, what is she doing back in the palace? Thana frowned. She was supposed to obey her orders while her plan was finally coming true.

"Thana," Khalida said despeartely. "We must talk. Please," she begged, almost going down on her knees in front of her sister. Thana looked at her wide-eyed, her lips pressed into a thin line, an expression of deep thinking drawn on her face.

"Then let it be so," she declared at last, her voice cautious. "Sit down."