The Dark Elf

Chapter 6?

Lymerra coaxed Honey onto the path that descended from the hilltop into the forest. The harsh line of the forest consumed more and more of the horizon as they moved closer. The trees stood together so closely a single passenger on horseback could not cut through anywhere but the lone, formed trail.

Honey became increasingly reluctant to move forward as they got closer to the trailhead until she decided to stop altogether. Lymerra tried to convince the horse to continue in any way that she could. She tugged Honey's mane, patted her on the neck, and even swung her hand against the horse's backside, but the old mare did not move.

With a great side, Lymerra swung down from the horse's back. She reached into her pack and pulled out a handful of feed, it was all that remained. Honey pretended to be stubborn for only a moment until she crept forward to nose at the food in Lymerra's palm. She closed her hand into a fist and continued ahead into the forest. Lymerra repeatedly checked from the corner of her eye to see if Honey was still following, and she was.

A few steps into the trees Lymerra found that she no longer was squinting at the ground, hiding from the sun. The pines of this forest grew tall and ancient. Layers and Layers of branches intertwined far above Lymerra's head, they shut out the direct sunlight and cast a subtle green glow on the forest floor below.

When her tears finally dried up, and all that remained was a dull headache, Lymerra dared to take time in studying her surroundings.

The path through the woods was narrow and dark and reminded Lymerra of the corridors in the underground palace. Unlike the palace, the air of the forest seemed to buzz with energy.

"It is almost as if I have entered the body of one enormous living creature," Lymerra thought. The aged trees seemed to watch as she walked by, Honey trailing behind. The feeling did not scare her though, instead, it made her feel as if she was being judged.

"Perhaps these trees will decide if I am worthy of this grand escape," Lymerra said aloud to Honey. "One thousand years and no one had escaped, Honey. No one who ran made it past the barrier. I saw it, you know. There are many skeletons, that they lay against each other and stacked on top of one another.

The king sent soldiers out, and the same soldiers always came back. No one ever even dared to flee when they were already beyond the walls. That is how much they feared.

But I made it out. And if there is one thing I am certain of, it is that I fear just as much as they did. Why am I the only one who gets to walk freely, off into the forest?"

Lymerra hoped that if the horse did not answer her, the trees would, but they did not.

The Drow had never seen a place so green. Plants with large fan-like leaves spread out across the entire forest floor. They grew their stems tall to compete for the few rays of light that streamed in from about. The trunks of the pines were dark and addled with moss, each with its own distinct personality. No tree was gnarled in quite the same way.

The rays of sun that did creep through highlighted the mist that hung in the air and the hundreds of tiny bugs that flitted about from plant to plant.

That buzz of energy that hung in the air, Lymerra realized, was all part of the song of nature that she had never heard before. The birds, the wind, and the insects all played their part in an unaware ensemble.

She opened her palm and allowed Honey to finally indulge in the feed that encouraged her all the way into the depths of the forest.

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