Part 2

iii

We parted the next morning, with a kiss, on the third floor of the Palace.  Galen to report to the Overlord about the forest, and I to process the previous day's gleanings.  I watched him walk from me, the spring back in his step and flushed all over remembering how he woke me up that morning.  I could still feel the bite marks burning in my shoulders…

My pleasant reminiscing was broken by a strident, shrill voice.  Like the whine of metal scraping on metal, my mother's voice cut through the warmth of my thoughts and left me cold.

“Daughter.  The priests at the Temple tell me you are neglecting your studies.”  Her disapproval slapped me, like a splash of icy water in the face.  “You are required to follow me in your training.”  She glared down her nose at me.  It has always fascinated me that she could look down on me and still manage to be several inches shorter than I.

“I've been busy attending to my other duties, Mother.”  I turned to enter the stillroom and she stopped me with an iron grip on my wrist. 

“That male is a bad influence on you.  You've left home and the marriage I arranged for you to be his …”

“That is enough!”  Our voices hissed at one another and my eyes narrowed dangerously.  We'd had this argument so many times, it was almost as if I could say her next words for her.

“He's far too tolerant.  I've heard rumors that he is friendly with those creatures in Qeynos!  And he doesn't have the proper reverence for the Overlord!”  I suppressed a sigh.

“Mother, I love him.  There is nothing wrong with Galen and the Overlord holds him in great favor.  That should be more than enough for you.”  Again, the same words as every other time we'd had this discussion.  If you could call it a discussion.  I pulled away from her and entered the still room, closing the door firmly in her face.

“He will ruin you, child!”  Her shrieked words were mercifully cut short by the door closing.  I stood for a few moments with my forehead pressed against the cool wood of the door, breathing in the soothing smells of herbs.  Shaking myself slightly, I took a deep breath and got to work.  The episode with my mother faded quickly from my mind as I went through the calming routine of making washes and potions.

iv

Galen's hands slipping around my waist and his soft kiss on my neck brought me out of my work with a start.  I'd been so absorbed that I hadn't even heard him slip into the room.  I turned and laid my head against this chest and slid my arms about his waist, just breathing in his smell. 

“How did it go, love?”  His hands stroked my hair as I relaxed against him.  I could feel his heart beating against my cheek, pulsing through my body and pulling my own heartbeat in time with his.  “And what time is it?”

His deep, rich laugh bubbled up and tickled my ear where it lay against his chest.  “It went quite well, pet.  Of course, it took a while for certain humans to comprehend everything I told them, but what do you expect?”  He kissed the top of my head and pulled me tighter against him.  “It's late afternoon, and I have some news for you.  I'm going back out into Nektulos in few days.”  He cut off my protesting whimper with a kiss.  “You're coming with me.  The Overlord wants you to gather your herbs and such in the Forest and discover what can be made from them.”  His eyes twinkled with mischief.  He'd enjoyed letting me think he'd be leaving again so soon.  Oh, the jokes I'd suffered at his hands in the past.

“Really?  I finally get to go with you?  How ever did you manage that?  I've never been out of the Commonlands.  What do I take with me?  How do I…”  Galen placed his finger gently against my lips stopping my babbling in mid thought.

“Shhh.  I'll take care of everything.  The only thing you must do is promise me that you will do exactly as I tell you.  Your safety will be my biggest worry going into the Forest this trip.  I don't want anything to happen to you.”

I promised him.  What else could I do?  Nothing was keeping me from going anywhere with Galen.  Besides, I'd always wanted to travel.

v

Three days later we stood at the entrance to Nektulos.  Galen murmured the spell to allow us to pass through the magical barrier that contained the forest.  I fidgeted nervously beside him, hitching my pack into a more comfortable position.

“Are you ready, pet?”  Galen squeezed my hand gently and smiled down at me.  All my nervousness fled under his gaze.  I would not be afraid.  Nothing would harm me as long as he was with me.

I nodded and we stepped through the opening he'd made.  I could feel the rush of magic tingling over my skin and raising my hair, like lightning.  As we passed through, the magic that fueled the ward pressed against us.  It was like being deep underwater; the pressure squeezed the air out of me.  Then, with a feeling like a pop, we were through and I could breathe once again.

I blinked in the sudden gloom letting my eyes adjust.  When I could see clearly, I looked about me taking in my surroundings.    I stood at one end of a worn stone bridge.  It was crumbling and cracked with vines trailing all along the rails.  Massive, ancient trees, whose canopies blocked out the sun and left the forest in perpetual gloom, surrounded us on all sides.  Rushing past under the bridge a wide river churned, the white, frothy water crashed against the rocks and ate away at the earth of the banks that struggled to contain it.  The soil beneath our feet was black and rich, full of life. I could smell the energy in the very air.

“It's beautiful.”  My voice was hushed and filled with the awe I felt.  It didn't feel right somehow to speak out loud in this place.

“Yes, yes it is.  But it's dangerous too, pet.”  He led me carefully across the bridge.  It didn't look like it could hold our weight.  I worried every time I stepped and heard it groan beneath me.  But it held and we reached the other side in safety.  Looking down into the crushing waters below me I was grateful.