Trials of the Moonlight

Døende treet og Heksen

The woods were always known to be barren this time of year, but the emptiness felt considerable eerie with the task at hand. The trees seemed to murmur in the wind. Not even Jack and Elsa's own footsteps made a sound. Elsa read the words from the parchment over and over, although it was not easy to walk while holding it. Somehow, they sounded even more haunting underneath the bald trees.

Go to the rotted tree, see past the witch's illusion
Free those that have been trapped, so that they
May scream no more

"'Rotted tree...' That really narrows it down." Jack said dryly. He looked around, the trees were all dead. It was winter! Perhaps they should've tried this challenge in spring. Elsa didn't respond; she followed the rhythm of the words as if they were laying out a path for them.

Elsa read aloud, "See past the witch's illusion..." They both stopped at the foot of a hill. It wasn't terribly steep, but there was nothing there but an ordinary tree... though it was far bigger than the others they'd come across. Otherwise, it didn't stand out at all. The branches were dry and the trunk was twisted as if the tree was the oldest among all the others in the forest. The ink on the page suddenly began to vanish, surprising both Jack and Elsa. They watched as the ink formed a drawing of the tree right in front of them... except the sketch showed the tree split open.

"So... I guess this is the one." Jack trudged closer to the tree. "But where's the opening?" He circled it, but found nothing. Elsa was thinking to herself, illusion. The opening was hidden, and they had to reveal it!

"Is there some kind of puzzle?" Elsa guessed aloud. "Or... password?"

"I don't think it's gonna appear if we say open sesame." Jack replied with a smile. "It's gotta be something to do with our powers." That's what made the most sense, right? Elsa certainly thought so. She tucked the parchment back into her belt. "So... do we do it together?"

"I think so." Jack answered and he took one of her hands. At the same time, they shot a small blast of ice at the bark, which caused frost-patterns to climb up the tree, which began to crack and bend. The two backed away as the center began to split open, revealing a large, gaping hole that led to darkness, like one of the portals Jack had seen Bunny create. The wind hit their faces and they realized it was coming from inside the tree. Just where did it go?

Elsa's heart began to race with excitement as she stepped closer, but Jack held her back.

"Wait! I'll go first." He insisted, but Elsa pulled away.

"Don't be ridiculous." Right as she did, they heard a faint scribbling sound. Elsa pulled the parchment back out and it only read three words: One Must Go. "Just one?" Elsa was rather appalled. She'd thought they were to do this together! The words suddenly changed again:

One must wait and watch
The Witch will return from her harvest

"Shit...!" Jack hissed. Now came the difficult part, who did what? They looked again at the opening... now realizing a crucial detail. "I don't think I can even fit through there." Though slender, the hole just wasn't big enough to accommodate Jack's height... but it was perfect for Elsa. They both looked at each other—Elsa handed him the paper to keep just in case anything changed. As she did, he took her hands. He couldn't help but say, "Be careful."

Elsa just grinned. "You're adorable." She kissed his cheek. Elsa pulled her hair out of its braid and back into a ponytail so it'd be out of the way. Although she'd shown no fear up until now, she still gave Jack one last glance before she peered inside the darkness. The cleft was high enough for her to step through, but the tunnel beyond it was so narrow that Elsa had to get down on her hands and knees.