Dragon's Nest

12 - End Wood

After several hours of walking, Lief’s bubbling happiness had settled to a feeling of quiet contentment. The twisted, weed-choked trees of the Forest fringe had been left behind. End Wood was now a beautiful place, filled with birdsong. Golden pools of sunlight dappled the soft earth, and ferns clustered at the roots of the mighty trees.

All the companions knew, however, that the evil reputation of the Forests of Silence was well deserved. They knew, too, that within the greatest beauty terror could be lying in wait. So they walked in silence, one behind the other, alert for signs of danger.

Just before sunset, Jasmine chose a tree for them, and they climbed up to high branches where they could eat and sleep in some safety.

It was not a restful night. They dozed fitfully in turns as unseen creatures slid and prowled below them.

In the darkest hours, when the moon had set, a faint, chilling chorus of howls and screams began. It lasted only a few minutes, but after it had died away, the companions slept no more.

They welcomed the dawn gratefully, but forced themselves to wait until sunlight fell on the forest floor before venturing down from their hiding place and moving on.

As before, Jasmine led them, threading her way almost silently through the trees, brushing the smooth bark of each one lightly with the tips of her fingers as she passed. Kree fluttered ahead of her, a black shadow against a background of green and gold.

After a time, Jasmine began to move faster. Lief and Barda, their muscles stiff and aching after their night in the tree, found themselves struggling to keep her in view.

‘Jasmine, slow down!’ Lief called in a low voice. But Jasmine only turned with a frown, her finger to her lips, beckoned impatiently, and set off again, even faster than before.

At last Lief became aware that a new sound had begun to mingle with the bird song. It was the sound of trickling water—a stream, somewhere near.

It made him realise how thirsty he was, but he did not dare to stop and drink from his water flask. Jasmine was almost running now, and all he could do was follow.

The gurgling, rippling sound grew louder, and at last Jasmine stopped.

Lief saw that she had reached the stream he had been listening to for so long. Broad and shallow, the stream ran directly across their path, sunbeams dancing on the clear water that gurgled over its pebbled bed.

On the other side of the stream there were no trees, only a mass of giant ferns, rising like a feathery barrier that completely hid whatever was beyond.

Kree fluttered down to the water’s edge. Jasmine waited while he drank. Only when he had finished, and had flown up to perch on a branch high above her head, did she kneel to drink herself.

Filli scuttled down from her shoulder and began to drink also. His tiny pink tongue lapped busily, but all the time his dark eyes darted from side to side, so he could not be taken by surprise.

‘Did you have to go so fast?’ Barda muttered, as he and Lief at last reached the stream and crouched beside Jasmine to quench their raging thirsts.

‘The trees say we are being followed,’ Jasmine said shortly. ‘Someone has been tracking us since dawn, from the direction of End Wood Gap.’

As she spoke she glanced up, to where Kree kept watch. He was so still that he looked part of the tree itself. Only his yellow eye was moving, fierce and bright.

Lief had lifted a handful of water to his lips. Now he felt as if the icy liquid was trickling down his spine.

He glanced down at the Belt. The topaz still gleamed brightly, but the ruby had paled once more.

‘Who?’ he murmured.

Jasmine lifted Filli to her shoulder, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stood up.

‘The same enemy, I imagine, who tried to make us fall to our deaths at End Wood Gap,’ she said. ‘All the trees can tell me is that he is tall and fierce, and moving very much faster than we are. Where we have travelled above ground, he does also, swinging from tree to tree. Where we have gone on foot, he runs bent double, sniffing the ground like a beast.’

The words painted a disturbing picture. Lief’s scalp crawled.

‘How close is he now?’ Barda asked. Once, the big man had scoffed at the idea that Jasmine could understand the language of trees, but those days were long past.

‘Already he has almost reached the place where we spent the night,’ Jasmine said. ‘We must throw him off the scent. That is why I made haste to reach the stream. If we wade through the water he will not be able to smell our tracks. He will not know if we have gone left or right, and so we may escape him.’

‘Why should we try to escape?’ Barda growled. ‘Why not stand and face him? I would like to give him proper thanks for all he has done for us.’ Scowling, he touched his sword.

‘We took this way to save time, Barda,’ Jasmine pointed out coldly. ‘The forest edge cannot be far away now. Do we want to waste energy fighting a beast-man who has a grudge against us? Or do we want to reach Dragon’s Nest with all speed?’

‘We want to reach Dragon’s Nest,’ Lief said reluctantly. ‘Let us use the stream, as Jasmine says.’

He felt as Barda did, but he knew that Jasmine’s plan was more practical. To Jasmine, all that mattered was the task at hand. Pride, revenge, curiosity … to her, such things were not important, and could wait.

And they can wait—of course they can, Lief told himself. But secretly he sympathised as Barda grumbled in annoyance.

Jasmine stepped into the stream and waded a little way along it to the right. She touched the violets often with her hands and let her hair tangle with the ferns that overhung the water’s edge. Then she turned, tucked her hair beneath her collar, flattened herself in the water, and crawled back, being careful to touch nothing.

‘That should lead him astray very well,’ she grinned. ‘Now, follow me. Keep in the centre of the stream, and very low, so that the ferns do not brush your backs.’

She set off towards the left, following her own advice. Lief and Barda crawled after her.

They moved through the cold water for what seemed like a very long time. Lief’s hands were numb, and his teeth were chattering, when Jasmine at last called a halt.

‘I think we have gone far enough now,’ she whispered, getting to her feet. ‘And see here!’

She pointed at the bank beside her. There, to his amazement, Lief saw a pathway of large, rounded stones winding away through the ferns.

‘It must be the bed of another stream that once joined this one,’ Jasmine said. ‘If our luck holds, it will at least lead us through the ferns—and perhaps all the way to the forest edge.’

‘Anything to get off our knees and out of this cursed water!’ muttered Barda, crawling to his feet.

Shivering, the companions waded out of the stream and began following the mossy path.

Soon it was as if they were moving through a soft green tunnel. Great, arching fronds met over their heads so they could not see the sky.

The air was thick with the smell of damp earth and rotting leaves. There was not a breath of wind, and no birds sang. They walked with their hands on the hilts of their weapons, not speaking, barely breathing.

Lief glanced down. He could not rid himself of the idea that there was something very odd about the path.

He tried to convince himself that Jasmine was right, and it was an old stream bed. Yet the stones were so large and so evenly placed—almost as if someone had gathered them and put them on the path, one by one.

But who would have done such a thing? And for what purpose, in this wilderness?

‘Oh!’

Lief’s head jerked up as Jasmine gasped, and his sword was in his hand before he realised that she was not in danger.

She was standing stock still, holding a feathery veil of ferns apart, staring at something ahead.

‘Look!’ she breathed.

Lief and Barda crowded in behind her and peered over her shoulder … at something that was like a picture in a book of fairy tales.

Beyond the ferns, countless small trees loaded with golden fruits grew in a broad pool of still, shallow water. They were perfectly reflected in the water’s mirror-like surface, their graceful trunks rising, their broad green leaves spreading, their fruits glowing like tiny, floating suns.

Jasmine moved forward.

‘Wait, Jasmine!’ Barda called urgently. ‘Wait! We do not know …’

But Jasmine had already stepped into the water. It barely reached her ankles. She turned her head, smiling.

‘It is warm,’ she said. ‘Oh, and see the fruit! Can you smell it?’

Lief could indeed smell the fruit. It was a glorious, rich, sweet scent. His mouth began to water.

Kree flew from Jasmine’s shoulder and perched on a bough of the nearest tree. Greedily he dug his beak into one of the golden fruits.

Juice dripped into the water, making circles of ripples where it fell. The delicious fragrance grew stronger.

Filli began to whimper and chatter. Jasmine splashed to the tree and let the little creature leap up beside Kree.

The golden fruits were as big as Filli himself, but that did not dismay him. He clutched one with his paws and began nibbling it eagerly.

This was too much for Lief. He stepped into the water and moved to Jasmine’s side.

‘Do the trees say the fruit is safe to eat?’ he murmured.

Jasmine shrugged. ‘These trees speak only to each other, and keep their secrets,’ she said. ‘But Filli and Kree seem sure that all is well.’

Lief stretched out his hand and picked one of the fruits. It was shaped a little like a pear, but much larger and heavier. In places its smooth golden skin was slightly flushed with pink.

He lifted it to his nose and breathed in the delicious fragrance.

Then, almost without intending to do it, he took a bite.