Mellody of the Trees

Chapter 2 ~ Escape

I woke up on the hard ground. This was not unusual as we all slept on the floor. Something was digging into my back, and I shifted to get rid of it. Katie slept next to me, and I didn’t find the foot in the back unusual ether.
As I woke up more, the sun shinning on my face, I could hear men talking. Then I could feel the cloth around my mouth, then the one around my hands. The day before came flooding back to me, and I stiffened, my eyes going wide.
The men that had kidnapped me were sitting around a fire, and had their backs to me. I knew a little of the enemy’s language, and I did my best to decipher a little of it.
“Ameldion mentara gres pentoli.”
“Dendress hepolid Senteras.”
I laid my head down disappointedly. They were speaking an old dialect, and I couldn’t understand a word of it. The only one I knew was Sentaras, and only because that was their country. I closed my eyes as I heard the crunch of gravel. One of the men walked over to me. He grabbed me by the arm, and made me sit up.
He pointed over to his friend who was leaning against a tree, and I leaned over to one side to see around him. His breathing was even more labored than before, and I could tell what this man wanted me to do for his friend. I sighed, and nodded, holding up my hands. He nodded, and cut the cloth tying them together. I stood up, and walked over to his friend, the cloth still over my mouth, and knelt down beside him. I looked at my hands for a moment, and hoped that my magic had come back. I touched my fingers to the edge of the wound, and little sparks burst from my fingers, and quickly mended the wound.
I sat back, and watched as the skin, and cloth were pulled together, and the blood was cleaned up. When it was done the man stood, and the two embraced. I took them to be brothers since they looked so much alike.
A thought popped into my head, and I quietly and quickly got up, and stepped behind the tree. Then I took off running. I didn’t know which direction to go, but anywhere I went I knew I would find something better than being with the enemy. No one came after me, and soon I was alone. I slowed to a walk, and looked around me. I was surrounded on all sides by trees as far as I could see. Somewhere there was a river, and I could hear the water rushing through the forest.
If I was right then this river was the Lenvia River, and it would lead me home. I walked in the direction that I thought it was, and eventually came to the river. I sat down next to it, and played with a stick. I was still a bit tired from whatever had been on the cloth, and I decided to take a rest.
I picked up the stick, and put the tip of it in the water. It made little ripples in the small pool that had sidetracked from the main river. I dropped the stick, and let it float down the stream. I put the tips of my fingers in the water, and felt the coldness of it make my fingers go numb.
This river ran through Lenvia, but I didn’t know which direction we had gone from it. I ether fallowed it down river, or go north, and fallow it up river. If I went north I would end up in one of two places, the mountains, or the city. If I went south I could end up anywhere.
I walked a little up stream where it ran crystal clear, and took a small drink from it. I decided to fallow it north where there were only two chances on where I would end up instead of numerous.
I walked for hours, but saw nothing of much interest. Eventually the sun began to go down, and the moon to rise. My light was running out, and I decided I would rest for the night.
My stomach rumbled, and I realized that I hadn’t eaten for almost two days. I had never been in the forest alone, and no one had taught me how to fend for myself before. This was all a new, yet horrible, experience for me.
I sat down at the base of a tree where the roots twisted, and made a sort of small bed. I curled up, and lay down. Tonight would get cold, but I had nothing to keep warm with besides my cloak, and the clothes on my back.
I began to shiver slightly from a cold breeze, and I slowly fell off to sleep.
I woke up to something licking my face. I shook my head, and sat up. It was a dog, but not one of the wild dogs in the south. This one looked quite tame.
“Wasn’t sure you were going to wake up,” said a gruff voice from behind me, and when I turned I found an older man standing there.
I stood up, and stepped out of the roots, backing away from him slowly.
“You can run if you like. I’m not going to make you stay.”
I stopped, looked at him a bit confused. “Who are you?”
“I’m Phlox. What about you?”
I thought for a moment. Should I really tell him my name? I sighed again.
“Mellody.”
He seemed a little surprised. “Mellody of the trees?”
I looked at him suspiciously, and nodded slowly.
He smiled. “Good, good.” he chuckled a little, and turned around. He was hunched over, and had a wooden walking stick. The dog that had been standing next to me ran over, and fallowed him. I stood there for a moment. Not sure if I should fallow this odd old man or not.
When he got to the top of a small hill he stopped, and turned around. “Well? Are ya goin’ to come with me or not?”
I sighed, and fallowed him. He was an odd old man, but he seemed kind.
We walked for a long time, and he spoke very little, and if he did it was always to the dog. Eventually we walked into a clearing where there was a small cabin. The river ran not far from it. It had gotten considerably smaller now, and I knew we had to be somewhere in the Tanvill mountains.
The cabin looked warm, and cozy. He walked, though it was more like hobbled, towards the house, and opened the door for me. I thanked him, and walked inside.
It was a small two-room cabin with a couch, and a few chairs. There was a fireplace in one corner of the room, and a sort of cushion in the corner for the dog. He walked in, and shut the door behind me. This place wasn’t much. I could tell that, but it looked like it would be more comfortable than the orphanage. He fed me, and gave me some blankets. I slept on the couch which was much more comfortable than the floor.
When I woke up the next morning no one was awake yet. I slipped on my shoes, and pulled on my cloak. The door opened without a sound, and I stepped out into the half-light of twilight.
The sound of wet needles beneath my feet was the only sound that broke the stillness of the morning. I fallowed the river north, further into the mountains. It was still a bit chilly in the crisp morning air, and I pulled my cloak tighter around me.
The river became smaller and smaller as I walked. Eventually I came to a bend in it where it went into a small fissure. The rocks around it were mossy, and wet.
I stepped carefully into the fissure to find a small, secluded pool in what I can only describe as a room. There was a fountain, and a small basin where the water came out of the wall, then it spilled out, and fell into the pool. A stone bench sat off to the side, and I guessed that this had once been someone’s private retreat. I walked over, and looked into the basin.
It looked old, and cracked, but no water spilled from it aside from where the spout was. There were small strands of moss that fell from it to the ground. In the bottom was a wooden box that I thought for sure should have rotted away by now. I pulled back my sleeve, and reached in. the water went all the way up to my elbow, but I finally reached the box. It seemed firm enough, and I gently pulled it out of the water. I sat down n the bench, setting the box carefully down beside me. It was unadorned, and the wood a dark brown. I slowly lifted the latch, and opened the box. There wasn’t much inside. In-fact I thought it was empty, until I saw the ring in the corner. I picked it up, and looked at it. It was a plane golden band, except for the inscription on the inside of it.
It was in some old language I hadn’t ever seen before. It was a nice flowing script, and had there not been what looked like letters I would have mistaken it for simple scratches.
I slowly slipped it on one of my fingers. It fit perfectly, but when I tried to take it back off it wouldn’t come. I stood up, and put my hand in the water, trying to get it off.
It happened suddenly. The water turned to the white sparks I knew only from healing, and I tried to pull my hand back. Just as it was about to leave the water something grabbed a hold, and pulled my hand back in. I pulled back, not wanting to fall into the water. The water began to grow hot, and I tried more franticly to pull my hand from the water.
I cried out as it reached boiling point, and a column of fire burst from the water. It twisted it’s way around the room, then wrapped around my waist, and I was pulled into what I thought had only been a foot or so of water. My head came back out of the water and I took a breath, but all I got was water as the thing that had a hold of my hands let go and took hold of my ankle.
I tried to take another breath, but all I got was water as my hands, which had been reaching for any edge, went under the water. I could see black beginning to worm it’s way into my vision for the second time in two days. The column of fire twisted in front of me in the water, and took the form of a woman. She had long hair, and a flowing robe. She was the sorceress Anariel. Anariel took hold of my left hand, the one with the ring, and put it to her right.
There was a burst of white light, and I was thrown back against the wall of the pool. As my head hit the wall I lost consciousness.