Chương 12: A New Friend
Elements knew what he understood, but when Khoral came and stood near Aelanor and began nudging her face with his, she could not have been happier. Nimuel was safe, so were the ponies.
"I'm so glad we got through that. For a moment there, I didn't know what to do," she sighed.
Nimuel chuckled. "I knew you could do it."
The path ahead of them was clear. No visible shadows with riddles lurking in between them.
At least not any they could see.
Several pairs of eyes followed them as they walked through the forest, their paths unknown. The luminescent eyes would have glowed in the dark, if they were open. The shadow sentinels observed through their lids, trying to detect hints of deceit; the caravan moved on without any hinderance.
The forest came to an end, and they stopped. Nimuel took a swift breathe that dissipated into the mist.
In front of them was a city, surrounded by the same dark trunked trees as in the entrance, bathed in a glowing, purple light. Lavender, and violet and deep plum to heliotrope, the scenery in front of them looked like a bright amethyst display.
Directly in front of them was a wide path that emitted blue and silver glow, and lead to a gigantic tree-house. Even from this distance, Aelanor knew that the roots of the tree-house growing out of the earth and from the sides, would be towering well over them. The roots were topped with a simple house-like structure, and it was reddish plum. Thousands of branches twisted like ribbons to create the keep. Gigantic leaves sprouted from this to form a crown that covered half of the sky beyond.
The path in front of them was lined with massive flowering shrubs. The flowers glowed brightly against the night, illuminating their way ahead. The She-elves hesitated.
"We should wait for the sun to come up."
The minute Aelanor said this, she realised how silly she sounded. Sun does not come up in the shadows. But Nimuel understood.
With a slight smile, she said, "We should take rest before we approach the Princess. I have a feeling we are going to need our strength and wits about us."
They started searching for a comfortable place in the jungle to lay down their burden. That's when they heard a soft rustle near them. It sounded a little like a child's giggle, only too airy and insubstantial.
"Who's there?" Aelanor growled, pulling out her sword.
The voice giggled again, and Aelanor gave an involuntary shriek. Something had brushed past her arms.
Nimuel observed the darkness around Aelanor with her eyes. A small area was denser than its surroundings, and she ran a soft hand on it.
"Do you mind?" she whispered. "My friend here is not very fond of the dark."
"Then she has no business being in The Realm of Shadows if she is afraid of the dark," the voice said. "It is always dark in here."
"I know that," Aelanor's nostril flared, "and I am not afraid of the dark. If anyone is frightened, it's you, hiding in the veil of your comfort."
"Oh, Miss Aelanor. There is no lie to hide from in this Realm, no truth to be frightened of. But why not? I am very well prepared to reveal myself in front of you."
The voice stopped, and the air around the area went oddly still. It then started quivering in small oscillations, like the air around a heat source in the light. But here, there was no light, just darkness oscillating with a denser darkness.
Limbs started growing from the air- small, a child's. Then, a torso, and then the head. Blonde hair sprouted out from the head in shiny ringlets that flowed down the nape of its head, although every colour looked distorted on him, like viewing through a black and white filter. The child looked up with its hazel eyes, and smiled mischievously. He was a beautiful kid.
"I am Haz'th. I would be happy to provide you with a sanctuary for you to rest, Miss Nimuel and Miss Aelanor, if only you admit that you were afraid."
Aelanor looked daggers at him.
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