Michrinor: The Fates of The Heirs

Chapter 38 - The Queen's Path

By the third day, Ava had descended from the mountains into a valley shrouded in thick mist. The air was heavy with moisture, and the ground beneath her boots was soft, almost spongy, with decaying leaves. Ahead of her lay the Forest of Shadows, a dense, dark wood that locals whispered about in hushed tones. The trees here were ancient, their twisted branches reaching skyward like skeletal fingers, interlocking to form a near-impenetrable canopy. The forest's reputation was as grim as its name; those who entered often did not return.

As Ava stepped beneath the shadowed boughs, she felt an immediate chill, as if the very air had grown colder. The light, already dim from the overcast sky, seemed to vanish entirely within the forest, leaving her in a world of perpetual twilight. The trunks of the trees were thick and gnarled, their bark rough and dark as if charred by some ancient fire. Only the faintest slivers of light pierced the canopy, casting eerie patterns on the forest floor.

It wasn't long before the oppressive darkness and silence began to weigh on Ava's mind. The deeper she ventured, the more disoriented she became. The path she had been following dissolved into a tangle of roots and undergrowth, and soon she found herself turning in circles, unsure of which direction to take. Every tree looked the same, their dark trunks indistinguishable from one another, and the forest seemed to stretch endlessly in all directions. The shadows played tricks on her eyes, twisting familiar shapes into monstrous forms, and the stillness of the air was unnerving, broken only by the occasional rustle of unseen creatures.

Ava paused, trying to calm the rising panic in her chest. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe deeply and evenly. This forest wanted her lost, wanted her to falter. But she couldn't let it win. She had already come too far, and turning back wasn't an option.

"Think, Ava," she whispered to herself, her voice minutely audible in the stillness. "You've got this."

She needed a way to navigate, something to keep her oriented as she made her way through the labyrinth of trees. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out her small knife, its blade glinting faintly in the dim light. With steady hands, she made a small, deliberate cut into the bark of a nearby tree, marking it with an X. It was a simple solution, but one that would help her track her movements and avoid walking in circles.

With each step, Ava made another mark, a trail of cuts that would lead her back to where she started if needed. The act of marking the trees grounded her, giving her a tangible connection to her surroundings. But she knew she needed more than just marks to guide her; she needed to find a way out of this maze before darkness fell completely.

The sky was invisible through the canopy, but Ava knew that beyond the trees, the sun was setting. Night in the Forest of Shadows was not something she wanted to experience. She thought back to her childhood, to the nights spent staring up at the stars, learning the constellations from her father. The memory brought a small smile to her lips, and with it, an idea.

If she could find a clearing, even a small break in the trees, she could locate the constellations she had studied as a child and use them to regain her bearings. The stars would guide her, just as they had guided travelers for centuries.

Ava pressed on, her eyes sharp as she searched for any sign of an opening in the dense canopy. The forest seemed endless, the trees closing in around her, but she refused to give in to the fear gnawing at her mind. She kept making her marks, kept moving forward, until, after what felt like hours, she saw a faint glow ahead—moonlight filtering through a gap in the trees.

With renewed energy, Ava hurried toward the light, emerging into a small clearing where the trees parted just enough to reveal the sky above. She tilted her head back, her eyes searching the heavens until she found them—the constellations she had known since childhood. The North Star shone brightly, anchoring the sky and giving her a clear sense of direction. Relief washed over her as she oriented herself, aligning her path with the stars.