Alana's Trail

Chapter 6

Where Pine Glen was out of the way for the average traveler, Oaks Knoll was merely inconvenient. It was nearly a full three days' ride from Pine Glen. Most of the route passed through the dense evergreen vegetation that characterized Pine Glen's foothills location that eventually gave way to a forest of more lightweight trees that offered as little camping space as its neighbor. Rangers throughout the region had discussed setting up some sort of lodging they could rely on while traveling this stretch, but had never actually done anything about it.

The quakes and tremors seemed to be accompanying her, jostling her and her companions as they went.. As she reached a bridge that crossed the first of the three small tributaries she knew fed into a larger river a day south of Oaks Knoll, she wondered why no one had tried to establish an inn somewhere along the way, either. She imagined the time and money involved in clearing such a space was more than most people were willing to invest in such an endeavor, but she was also positive they'd get enough business to make it worth it. She made a mental note to speak to her father about it when she and Aidan returned home.

For the time being, she needed to find a place to make camp. The second tributary was just within reach, so she led Celadine and Senna off the road a short distance and found a space that would suffice for a night. She set up camp amidst another sizable tremor, made dinner, and curled up in her bedroll with her back against a couple of trees that had grown intertwined.

At sunrise, she caught a couple of fish from the tributary and she and her animal friends had breakfast before taking off again. The ride felt longer, colder, even though the fog seemed to be thinning a bit as they continued south. It reminded her of the ride home through the earthquakes and tremors: Something in the land was off. When she stopped for lunch, the wolfhound paced and barked. "What is it? What do you smell?"

The wolfhound ran to the edge of the road, sniffed, and then whimpered. Alana followed her. "Is there someone here?" She started to step off the road, but the wolfhound barked sharply and Alana stepped back and looked down, expecting to find she'd stepped on her companion. But Senna was fine, and Alana looked out into the trees. As the wolfhound was still shifting from paw to paw as if waiting for Alana to give him a command, Alana started off the road again. The wolfhound caught the back of her pants leg and sat. Alana tugged against her companion for a moment and then gave up. "What's out there?"

The wolfhound pointed, and then walked back to the horse. Alana scanned the trees, and then followed the wolfhound. "Are we okay to go on?" The wolfhound started walking down the road. Alana, back on the horse, followed. As they approached the third tributary, Alana started scouting for a good camp site for the night. Senna hadn't settled down during the trip, and Alana couldn't ignore the growing sense of dread wrapping around her. If there had been any way to press on, she would have done it. But the horse needed a rest, and the wolfhound wasn't tireless.

Just before she reached the tributary, she found a small grove, created by other travelers if the remnants of the fire pit were any indication. She tethered the horse, started a fire, and fished for their dinner. No easy task as another quake rolled through, scattering the fish. The wolfhound sat near the edge of the firelight, making noises that Alana found unsettling. When she went to unroll her bedding, she looked at some nearby trees and a fallen log. All of them were beyond the firelight, and for the first time in her life she was contemplating being afraid of the dark.

She finally settled for a spot near the dwindling fire, even though it went against every instinct and experience she had. But sleep was slow in coming, and by the time it won, the fire was too low to reach her.

She was awakened by a low whistle. She called out for Senna, but the wolfhound was nowhere to be found. She steeled herself, drew her dagger out from under her sack, which doubled as her pillow, and crawled out of her bedroll. A fog had settled over the area, and she struggled to make out the edge of the clearing. She called her wolfhound again, and listened as nothing happened. She couldn't even hear her horse breathing.

Dagger at the ready, she made her way over to where the horse was tethered, but there was nothing there. She swore under her breath and walked back toward her camp. The fog thickened with each of her steps, and it seemed to be whispering something but she couldn't make it out.

"Hello?"

No answer.

"Is someone there?"

The whispering grew louder, cacophonous. Alana crouched near the fire pit, looking for some embers to reignite while trying to make out what the voices were saying. The more she listened, the more it sounded like a different language. The voices were chanting. The air around her became colder, and she started chanting a counterspell of her own, hoping her goddess could find her in the middle of the fog. She felt her rib cage being compressed, forcing the air from her lungs and keeping her from drawing in sufficient breath to replace it. Her eyes closed as she felt herself becoming more and more lightheaded.

The whispers became a whine, and Alana felt the fog moist against her face. She opened her eyes.

Senna was standing with his front paws on Alana's chest, whining at her and licking her face. Beyond him, Alana could see the morning stars. She sat up, the wolfhound sliding down her chest and sitting next to her, head tilted in a question. Alana scratched the creature behind the ears, "It was just a nightmare. We should get moving early today."