A Forest of Secrets

Chapter 10

The scenery slowly started to change as they went farther and farther to the south, getting closer to the dreaded Faradian Forest. The woods began to look thicker, and the weather was getting colder- she thanked the creators for her warm boots. Wyn had proven herself very useful to have around, as she knew a lot about herbs and edible fruits, and was very decent at making traps- more than decent, truth to be told. She still hadn't opened up though, as much as Jo tried to pry information out of her: whenever she asked the girl how she'd learned to recognize so many herbs, Wyn snapped and didn't talk to her for days, staying a few steps behind her, occasionally disappearing into the wilds only to return later with a basket full of something nice to eat, or supplies to make salves with. Jo learned not to ask about those things anymore. She took comfort in knowing the girl would open up soon enough, when she felt ready and safe. She was like a scared forest creature, rushing to get something out of her would only make her go further away.

One day, after much deliberation, they decided it would be better if Laurentius remained near them for the rest of the journey: they could use the mage's abilities now that they were nearing the forest. They'd reach their destination in a week, maybe two. The group had successfully evaded every single town and village on their way there, wading through the forests.  Wyn proved very savvy in the matter, she had a keen sense of navigation and was great at reading animal tracks- but the further they went, the more dangerous it got.

There were savage tribes living in the wilds, outlaws, and beasts that could kill you with a stare... and they got bigger and meaner as they approached the Faradian forest. Together, they were stronger. Even so, Gerald insisted on scouting ahead, alone. Jo didn't argue, someone had to do it and she wouldn't risk her skin any more than she already was. She was there unwillingly, and she had to make it alive to the forest for whatever reason. She wasn't being selfish, was she? Jo tried not to think much about it: deep down she was worried about Gerard, and thinking about it would make her change her mind. She rationalized: who better than him to scout? Alaric would get eaten by a giant snake on his way there, or even a wyvern, he seemed too clumsy for his own good -- she knew he wasn't, but still.

Jo walked softly on her toes, trying to be as quiet as possible, catching any unusual sound: Wyn told them she'd found fresh wyvern droppings nearby a couple of nights before, when she was looking for a sparkling variety of mushrooms to make a healing concoction. The information put Jo on edge. She tripped with a root as she thought about the wyverns, and being eaten by them. Laurentius caught her fall, she had been just a few centimeters from hitting her face. She cursed under her breath.

"You should be a little bit more careful. How embarrassing to die from tripping over a poor old root, when there are far more interesting ways to die out here, tsk, tsk," the mage was amused. Jo rolled her eyes at him and brushed the dead leaves from her clothes. Her hands felt raw and were encrusted with tiny pebbles.

"Now that you mention it, I can think of a couple of interesting ways to kill you, mage," she used a sardonic tone. She was embarrassed and in pain, and there he was making light of it.

"I sense a tad of animosity towards me, or was it the wind?" he chuckled. Jo glared at him. "Now, now- let's see what we can do here, huh?" he grabbed her hands before she could do anything about it. A warm light passed from his hands to hers... they were healed right in front of her eyes. She had to blink a couple of times; she then inspected her palms with the tips of her fingers. "It wasn't that bad, was it? Don't tell me: you'd never had a mage heal you before? By the Creator's flying pants, you're a magic virgin?" he gasped.

"Shut up, mage," she wasn't mad anymore, just very astonished, mesmerized by her newly healed skin.

Jo didn't look up from her hands. She couldn't shake a strange feeling in her stomach, coming from all the way down her spine and up to her brain, like cold water running up and down. Her body remembered the sensation of magical healing. She stroked her scar up and down, absentmindedly. She tried to remember how she knew the feeling, was she ever healed as a kid? Maybe her mother... did she try to heal the wound that left her scar?... she could feel the tug inside her brain harder than ever, it was quickly turning into a headache. She let it go. The tug stopped.