AMBER MENORA AND THE VIAL OF BLOOD (Slow Updates)

THE PORTAL

     The leaves scrunched under heavy, weathered boots of the four valiant travellers as they paced up the narrow winding path, heading deeper into the wilderness of the Amazons.

    Just like a giant with foliaged arms encaging them within, the dense forest surrounded them menacingly. Twilight prevailed-- the dark canopy not allowing even a speck of sunlight to penetrate in. Marshy mosses hung low, sweeping the Earth in their wake. They moved to and fro, almost as if warning the strangers to return to their peaceful habitat.
   An eerie silence had long captivated the entire woods, making the place seem hauntingly unwelcome.

      Yet, this did not deter these bravehearts from tracing the snaking green trail, steps quickening with the seconds ticking by.

    The flaxen haired explorer kept grunting a few directions now and then, from the gnawed paper held securely in his hand.
     None of the others talked or even paused for a breath. The steady excitement coursing through their veins was enough to keep their feet moving ahead, despite the pain or dreary tiredness that would often barge in as an exhaustive setback. They had not slept the previous night or eaten a proper meal, nor taken good rest. Moving-- they were walking faster, for their voyaging minds knew that they were close.

So close to achieving their target...

 
  If these adventure seekers could somehow manage to become successful in this expedition, the enormity of their gain would be inexplicable. They would be the first group of humans to ever lay eyes on something so fabled, enchanting and mysterious. With vast richness and creatures apparently beyond any fathomable human imagination-- it was hard to retain self-control in that place.

    "Hold on!" The blonde, whose name was Theodore, quipped up, "Fawcett's map says that the portal is here, somewhere near a Giant Oakwood that stands out amidst the rest of the trees."

The synchronised movement of their feet came to an abrupt halt, with the sounds of heavy panting presiding over the otherwise unmistakable silence.

    "Isn't that a bit...vague? I mean--" the brunette explorer looked around skeptically.
"Look over there!" she pointed to a giant Oak nearby. "That one stands out because it is an Oak tree almost bare while the rest here are simple ones covered with all these epiphytes. But then, on the other hand--" their eyes followed her finger as it swept to another Oak a few feet away. "That is another one different from the rest too. How are we supposed to know which tree he's talking about?"

    "Chrissy's right, What isn't vague about his findings anyway?" Talia huffed out,  twirling her raven braid slowly. "The fact that we've been trying to follow his map all this while is stupid enough, but to find an Oak tree that stands out from the rest of these trees in this ocean of plants, is absolutely ridiculous!"

    She breathed in deeply, clearly pissed off by this little piece of information. 

    Theo looked at the paper again. Fawcett* wouldn't leave it to that. He just wouldn't.

   "What are you even trying to find? That moron tricked us!" Talia's voice fell like a sharp blow, loaded with despair.

   "Language, Talia!" 

Kale, or 'mustakshaf shujae'** as his kins back in Cairo used to call him, wiped his brow and walked over to Theo who was frowning at the map. "There's something that's hidden here. You know how cryptically Fawcett had designed this map. We need to be patient."

   "Patient, for sure!" Talia snorted a loathe filled laugh, squishing the leaves under her feet in frustration.

    Chrissy leaned back against the tree she was standing next to and closed her eyes. A little rest after this hectic walk wouldn't hurt. At least she would be able to face whatever was going to come in the way, better. They had climbed mountains, scoured valleys, waded torrents and escaped those dangerous predators of the wild-- even stared at death right in the face after venturing eastward of the checkpoint, or 'Dead Horse's Camp'*** as the famous Sir Percy Fawcett had called it-- all in search of this.