Songweaver - Iron League Book 1

Tinker Town

Chapter 3

"Men are such despicable creatures. Don't you think so, Safir?" The horse made a whiny sound, "Safir, when we are rich, I think we'll buy a city. A city with no men allowed. Yes, that's what we'll do."

A silly notion, maybe. However, Shar's plan was still to gain enough wealth that she didn't have to sing to a rowdy drunken crowd of men every night.

The signpost read "Burrafirth - 57."

"Fifty-seven people. Small town, not likely any money here." Safir whinnied again. Shar understood that her conversations with the beloved horse were one-sided. Shariana believed Safir could understand the common tongue. The problem is that she couldn't speak horse.

A man wearing a religious symbol and carrying a censor waved in Shar's direction. "Ho there! Young... Um... Lady."

"Yes, priest?"

"Welcome to Burrafirth. Will you be staying long?"

"We're just passing through."

"We?"

"Safir and I," Shariana patted the horse on the neck.

"Oh, yes, of course. Headed to Tinker Town, I suppose."

"For now."

"Well then, I think—"

"Excuse me, Vicar. I must keep moving." Shariana urged Safir forward and led her into a trot. "Nosey little man, why aren't there more women clerics?" With Safir at a solid pace, the duo moved through Burrafirth within a few breaths. Once clear of the hamlet, Safir eased to a walk. After only moments outside the village, the two stood before The Great Forest. The road led down and into the trees. Its path looked like a giant brown snake slithering into the woodland.

The Great Forest is massive; it's how the forest got its name. Shar didn't think anyone knew for sure the size of the forest. She knew you could ride north or south for three days before exiting the trees. No roads headed east or west, but she was told if a road existed, a person could spend a fortnight in the forest before seeing the prairie again. Residents of the forest claimed every species of tree that grew on Xenkur grew in the Great Forest. Shar wasn't sure how anyone would glean such information, but since she made her living off stories; she kept that information in mind.

Whatever fable you believe or don't believe the forest is impressive. This time of year, the leaves are full. Every color shown, from red to green to blue. The leaves of the Boxrush Fellenwort, Shariana loved the most, with their bright blue leaves and white bark. This forest was full of them. The time to see them flower had passed, but she still remembered their sweet scent, like a mixture of honey and red wine.

Apart from the color of the trees and that Tinker Town lay within, little else was known about the Great Forest. Of course, rumors and folktales swirled around it like an eddy and Shar had heard them all.

"Let's see, Safir... There was the tale of Ebber Castle. It lies in the eastern part of the forest. A Lich commands the castle, and it is full of magic. And the rumor that Azure Elves survived the extinction event and now live in the forest." Safir puff out air as if she had heard that story one too many times.

"Oh, but my favorite. The one story I always wanted to know if true or not is the Gnomish tale of the 'Living Tree'. The story goes that one single tree, the Tinker Gnomes call it 'Gemspark,' lives at the heart of the forest, and it is from that tree that all the forest grew. The tree is guarded by a Druid and its magic keeps a person alive for all eternity."