Fear Among The Shadows

Chapter III - A Forest Of Dread

Their gallop slowed down significantly upon reaching the Forest. The stranger had taken care in the town to avoid the patrol and now Adilah was on her way across the Forest she had always been told was forbidden to cross.

From then on, you can probably assume that the ride wasn't very pleasant.

They both sat in a heavy, uncomfortable silence as the Forest trees began to thicken around them. Adilah did not know what to expect upon arriving West of the Forest; a land of magic and mayhem where this strange man came from. Expectedly, she was quite terrified at the prospect but a little exhilarated as well. She would never have told anyone lest they called her insane (well, more so than usual), but she'd always wanted to know what was in this deep, mysterious forest that kept everyone on edge. What was it like on the other side, in a land where magic roamed free? What was so terrifying about this forest that deterred anyone from attempting to cross it and find out? Well, Adilah was about to see the answer.

Towering over her, caging her in, were tall dark trees with gnarled branches that criss-crossed across the sky, clawing desperately at the fleeting starlight. They held leaves the color of a nightmarish purple and dark green. Hanging from them were bulbous fruits she had never seen before of all shapes and sizes that either looked absolutely scrumptious or horribly repellent. Next to them and laying all over the forest floor were some of the most dangerous parts of the Forest – the flowers.

They were nothing she'd ever seen before, ranging across all the colors of the world. Their scents spread over the entirety of the Forest, intoxicating and alluring, wafted into Adilah's nose and engulfed her body. She marveled at the sweet aroma and, not knowing any better, took a deep breath and let her mind and body drift in their essence. It muddled her thoughts and made all reminders of her current situation seem meaningless. Her mind felt detached from her body and it could see a hand reach out and pluck one of those dainty little azure ones to bring to a nose. Oh, it was her hand, she thought giddily, and her nose. All she wanted was a little sniff, just a deeper inhale to know what it truly smelled. It was her one desire in life. She knew that if she could just inhale its scent, she would be satisfied for the rest of her life. Trust me when I say that if she had taken that whiff our story would've ended much sooner. Alas, a hand snatched the flower from her and shook her roughly out of her daze. After she'd regained her thoughts, she angrily retorted,

"What was that for? It was just a flower!"

She felt the rider sigh dejectedly,

"If it was 'just a flower', then it would be a lot easier to cross the Forest. The flowers release powerful intoxicants. One deep inhale and you'll never want to leave and slowly rot and grow into the roots while your little mind remains in bliss."

As you can see, my dear reader, this place wasn't meant for the faint of heart. But one cannot blame the Forest for its precautions; it has been taken for granted before, cut down, uprooted, hurt. It had the right to protect itself, wouldn't you agree?

Adilah swallowed and could honestly admit to herself just how terrified she was. The casual way he talked about all this – magic and death – was unnerving. It was still dark and what she could see of him from the faint moonlight that slanted from between the trees wasn't much. Yet she could see that his features were marred by the way his brow was deeply furrowed in thought. She couldn't forget the abilities he had shown, or the unnatural fear that had gripped her witnessing it, or the power that still emanated from his body. Being so close to him was disorienting, like being next to a magnet that both repelled and pulled you to it. Who was this man?

"You know," she said, "I'm going to work for you forever and I don't even know who you are."

"Yes? And your point is?"