The Gods' War

Chapter 16

             THEY HAD LEFT the Capitol of the Witch Kingdom before dawn heading roughly north. Sarah did not want to spend any more time with her new-found family. She still thought of the midwife as her true mother. She wanted to go to some place quiet and just scream, to let her confused emotions leave her.

             They had been walking instead of riding for there were very few horses in the Witch Kingdom and the river did not take them to the place they wanted to go – even they did not know where they wanted to go. But the Great Magess had suggested they head north as the last person who had gone to the Great Seer for guidance had headed north, but the Great Seer often changed location so there was no certainty that they would find her.

             It was about midday and Druiden had called for a rest to eat lunch. Sarah sat down on a protruding root and gave everyone food from her pack.

             “This is getting us nowhere,” Adrian said between bites of dried meat.

             “Patience,” Druiden replied, “If I know the Great Seer, she’ll find us. All we have to do is keep heading in the right direction.”

             Lucas was still amazed at the size of the trees. Most were older than a century and kept growing as the entire forest had been enchanted by the witches. They needed tall trees to build their houses in. As he walked through the forest following behind Druiden, he heard a soft sound. It was musical laughter, the sweetest sound Lucas had ever heard.

            Lucas stopped walking and looked around, frowning, “Did you hear that?”

             “Keep walking,” Druiden and Sarah said together.

             “Why? What is it?”

             Sarah’s face was an expression of distaste, “Dryads.”

             Lucas knew very little about dryads except that they lived in forests. He didn’t know why Sarah didn’t like Dryads but he decided that if she didn’t like them then they were probably dangerous. He kept walking.

             It was late afternoon and the sun was low, so Druiden called for a halt and they set up camp. Around the campfire that night, Lucas decided to ask more on the topic of dryads.

             “What are dryads?” Lucas questioned.

             Druiden spoke, “Tree spirits; wood nymphs.”

             “Are they dangerous?”

             “To men,” Sarah answered.

             Lucas frowned with incomprehension and Druiden explained further, “They are all female.”

             “And?”

             “Lucas,” Sarah said, “dryads need mates. They’re also cannibalistic. They entice a man to their bed, and if she begets a child, they eat him. If she doesn’t, they eat him too.”

             “Oh,” Lucas blushed.

             “I suggest we sleep, tomorrow’s going to be a long day,” said Druiden.

             Trailers of mist crept through the woods that night, growing larger and larger. Soon it was impossible to see an inch in front of you. The forest was dark, for it was hidden from the light of the moon.

             Sarah awoke suddenly. It was morning and there was thick fog clouding her vision. She wondered why she had woken up. She heard laughter, that of the dryads, but could not see the source. She tensed. The laughter was close, but it seemed to be going farther and farther away. Sarah sat up, but she was blind to her surroundings – everything was obscured by the fog. What was happening?