Land of Light and Shadows

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Until Chamin was just a speck to the west behind them, Jai hadn't been even the slightest bit nervous. Now, though, his stomach was in knots and his hands would shake slightly unless he had them clenched into fists. Just from the tenseness in her back and shoulders, he knew Lyv was feeling the same, even after Kalla's 'briefing' that morning on what would happen.

"It's only about an hour's flight by dragon to the Wilds' border, but we'll have to go on foot from there," she told them as they gathered around the table in the kitchen, looking at the map they'd been following. She dragged her finger along their route to the edge of the Wilds. "There's a large tree that has to be older than all of us combined, even more. A spirit is said to possess it, the gatekeeper between the worlds. You round its northern side and the portal brings you to the shoreline of Laria. Its southern puts you out into the Cagny Forest to the west of Lake Iris."

"Which way will we be going?" Lyv asked, resting her chin in hand, and then glanced over at Elys, whose full attention was on his breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and juice.

"The forest is the shortest route. Everyone in Arloerin might be taken by surprise since I always take the northern route – I have a ship anchored there – so just expect to be surrounded once we enter their territory. Once they see me, though, we should be fine."

"Should be fine?" Gideon repeated, raising both brows.

Kalla huffed out a sigh as if she couldn't believe he was questioning her. "The people of Arloerin...they are very protective of what's theirs, especially when they fought so hard for it eighty years ago when they officially became a recognized Larian kingdom. It was a ruin before, with just a few hundred people trying to make do with what they were given. Now, under the queen's rule, they are the most prosperous, which threatens the others. They know this, which is why they keep their borders tight. The patrols will likely find us first since we'll be to the south of the city. That's where most of the lords and ladies' manor houses reside, along with its most profitable vineyards.

"If I remember correctly, there are other creatures in the Cagny Forest," Mik stated. "Beists, wyverns, wraiths, not to mention the pixies...then there's the Sea of Deliswell with the sea serpents..."

Finally, Elys looked up from his breakfast with a spark of worry in his mismatched blue eyes. "What are beists?"

"Yeah, what are those?" Lyv repeated.

"We'll be fine," Kalla said with a wave of her hand, completely forgoing an actual answer. "Once we're there, it's only about an hour flight with the dragons out of the forest to the lake border. We shouldn't come across anything."

"Except for the pixies," Allel interjected.

"Exactly. Except for the pixies."

Lyv muttered, leaning back in her chair. "Fabulous."

"We'll be fine," Kalla promised again, then consulted the map once more. "Once we're in Arloerin territory, one of the patrols will finds us. They'll escort us into the city and to the palace. I know pretty much all of them, too. I've trained with them for years and so has Cleo. They'll certainly be surprised by Roshan and Erly. Dragons don't exist in Laria other than Ollyn and Odanth. And the wyverns are wild. Anyone who's ever tried to tame one doesn't come back alive but rather dropped in the main square in pieces."

"Do we have to worry about Erly and Roshan?" Thia asked, clutching onto Gideon's hand.

Another dismissive wave from Kalla. "They'll be fine."