The Key to Her Mind

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

            The two girls woke the next morning to the trickling of a nearby brook that they had not been able to see the night before. They both sat up and rubbed their eyes. They were happy to see each other because they were very grateful that they had both survived the night.

            “We had better get going”, said Jillian.

            “I am so very hungry though”, wined Ara. “We must find some food”.

            “Look over there”, said Jillian pointing. “There are some berry bushes”.

            Jillian and Ara ran to the bushes and began picking piles of berries into their skirts. When they each had a good sized pile of them they began to walk towards the western wood once again. They feasted as they went and their hands and skirts became stained with the delicious berry juice. Now that they were not so hungry they were in high spirits and they began to skip along the path. Jillian enjoyed skipping and she could tell that Arabesque did too.

            After a long while of skipping they came to the edge of the western wood. It loomed, tall and dark, in front of them but they continued on into the wood. It was dark just like the other forests that they had been in but Jillian felt that there was something different. The way the rays of sunlight seeped through the holes in the tops of the trees was so enchanting. They seemed to dance about like they were alive. Everything seemed to sparkle and glint when a bit of sunlight touched it. It was like the whole forest was bejeweled. Jillian could have stayed and admired it all day but they had to keep moving. The forest was deep and it seemed to go on forever. Finally the wood started to get lighter. There was more light coming through the thick tree tops and Jillian could now see what was going on around her. Animals and butterflies could be seen everywhere. The forest was alive with little creatures jumping about.

            Jillian and Ara stepped out of the tall trees into a clearing. There were little huts and cottages everywhere and people wandered about doing chores and mumbling to themselves. The two girls walked up to a tall old man who was drawing water from an old well.

            “Excuse me Sir”, said Ara, “we need a little help”.

            “What kind of help”, asked the man gruffly?

            “Well”, answered Jillian, “two of our friends where captured. We think that it was the witch Loukraiza and we need to get them back. They are going to help us find queen Lorraliell.”

            “The Queen”, the man answered? “What makes you think that you can find her”.

            “Well to be honest”, said Ara, “we are kind of at a dead end. The book of lore was stolen and the cave keeper was not home and on top of that our friends are gone so we are in desperate need of assistance”.

            “Your silly goose chase is not really my problem”, answered the man.

            “Is there any one here who will help us”, asked Jillian?

            “I doubt it”, said the man. “The folks in this wood like to mind their own business. We don’t need any palace guards snooping around here”.

            “Oh please, you have got to help us”, are pleaded. “Our friend told us that you would help him”.

            “Oh yah”, answered the man in a mocking voice. “Tell me, what was this friend’s name”?

            “Rix”, said Jillian.

            “Rix”, said the man, looking stunned, “did you say his name was Rix”?

            “Yes”, said Ara.

            “Well I’ll be damned”, said the man. “I haven’t heard that name in a long, long time. Well in that case you had better go see Ciettak. He is the head of our little village and a very powerful wizard. He will be most interested in you”.

            “All right”, said the girls, smiling, “take us to him”.

            The man pulled his bucket out of the well and set it on the ground. Then he led the girls to a little cottage at the edge of the clearing. He knocked on the door.

            “Come in”, said a quiet voice.

            The man opened the door and the three stepped into the house. It was very dark inside and Jillian could only see silhouettes of things. There was a table and a chair and everything was covered with papers and test tubes. Jillian could just barely make out a figure writing at a desk in the corner. The figure stood and turned towards them. It was a very old man with a long white beard and a strange purple robe.

            “What can I do for you today my friends”, asked the old man? “Menko, where is my water”?

            “These ladies need your help saving some friends of theirs Sir”, answered Menko. “One of them should interest you”.

            “Menko”, Jillian whispered to Ara, “wasn’t that the name of Horrilen’s servant”?

            Ara nodded.

            “Who is this friend of yours”, asked the old man?

            “His name is Rix Sir, and our other friend is named Lezt. I am Jillian and this is Arabesque”, said Jillian.

            “Rix”, said the old man slowly, “Rix, Rix, Rix”.

            The old man sat down in his chair again and remained silent for a long time. The girls waited as he thought long and hard about their friend. Finally he rose and turned to them once again.

            “Menko, you will accompany these girls on their quest”, he said finally. “Take some of this magic dust”.

            He handed Menko a pouch of a glistening powder.

            “Ciettak, why me”, asked Menko?

            “You were closest to Horrilen and I think that it would be best if you went and found him”, answered Ciettak. “Now go”.

            The three walked out of the cottage and Menko pointed towards a path out of the wood. They all set off into the forest and by night fall they had reached the edge and they stepped out into the fields of Gantailzia.