The Champion *ON HOLD*

Chapter 17- Shocking Revelations

A/N: Okay so this chapter has been edited somewhat, mainly to help things flow. Galen is now called Cian (pronounced KEE-an).  I hope you enjoy this chapter, I had fun writing it. 

The next morning Avery was woken up by the nudge of a boot. Groaning, she opened her eyes and looked up at Leovar. He nudged her once more and she sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Get up, Avery, we must leave soon if we are to reach Lake Voth today." Leovar stated, heating a mug over the fire. Muttering grumpily and not altogether inaudibly about mornings, she got out of her bedroll and shuffled into the bushes where she relieved herself. When she was done, she grabbed the mug that Leovar held out for her and drank. It was a type of tea, and although Avery wasn't much of a tea drinker, she downed it anyway, knowing it would help wake her up. God, she missed coffee.

It wasn't long before the horses were saddled and they had set out again. Her dogs had eaten the rest of the stag, entrails and all, last night and now they had a pep in their step, as if they too, realized they were almost at their destination. The unicorn was silent and solemn as usual and rode on her left. Leovar, silent, rode ahead of her, setting the pace to a swift canter.

They rode like that for the rest of the morning, not saying anything, switching from a swift canter to a fast trot, to a walk, back up to a trot, and then a canter. About noon, the road turned left and once they rounded the bend, the forest ended and a large lake stretched out before them. Leovar pulled up to a stop and she stopped beside him.

"Where's the tower?" She asked, confused. All she saw was the lake, cradled on one side by the forest and hills beyond it. She spotted Sila soaring overhead in the clouds.

"We have to follow the lake's edge for a while before we reach the tower. It should not take long." He stated, spurring his horse forward again, edging around to the left side of the lake. Avery frowned and followed.

She couldn't be sure, but he seemed different. He hardly spoke to her, and he hadn't looked at her once since this morning. It bothered her more than Avery cared to admit. After all, she barely knew the man, and she had known from the start that he would leave her once they found the wise man at Lake Voth. So why did she feel sad? She had to admit that despite the grueling pace he set for them, she had rather enjoyed his company and had gotten used to his presence. That didn't explain why the thought of him leaving had upset her. She knew plenty of people back home who she had felt comfortable around and had been perfectly fine with leaving. She didn't know why his leaving bothered her and that made it worse.

As they followed the Lake, Avery saw why she hadn't spotted the tower before. It wasn't really a tower at all. At least not like the one she had envisioned in her head. As they rode up to it, Avery could see that instead of stone, the walls were made of wood, or more specifically, the walls were that of a tree trunk. Literally, the tower was a giant tree.

Leovar pulled his horse up a hundred feet away from the tower/tree and dismounted. Avery did the same, careful with her shoulder. Her rescue last night had made her shoulder sore. She looked up and realized that the tower was indeed, a very large tree. She could see large roots coming up out of the ground around the large structure. The top of the tree towered over her, several hundred feet in the air. The leaves fanned out over them, covering Avery and Leovar even as far away as they were.

Movement drew her attention in front of her and she watched as a large chunk of bark swung outward. The sound of mumbling came to her ears as a large frame ducked through the doorway and out into the afternoon light. Avery glanced over at Leovar and she noticed he had a strange expression on his face. She wasn't sure what it was or what it meant, so she turned and looked at who she assumed was the wise man.