The boy lay back admiring the way the leaves of the grand oak tree above him filtered out the glaring cast of sunlight, as he felt the gentle summer breeze stroke his body, and stirred the branch of the tree, making the leaves dance with the sunlight in an entrancing way. It was almost Midsummer, everything felt alive with fiercely serene energy, he could feel the tranquillity as the birds flew in the pale blue sky, and animals suckled their offspring. While plants of all kind grew in the blazing sunlight. But there was something different about this summer, he could feel something, like a shadow around everything, the winds, the trees, everything around him he could feel this darkening presence, it was as if they where warning him of something. But he shrugged it off, what could possibly happen to such a beautiful place as this?
“Jaden…”
He fell out of his whirlpool of thought, turned to that familiar face and smiled at his best friend Bryna, who he loved more then anything else in the world. She gazed at him with her mystifying violet blue eyes, which were defined by her long dark eye lashes. She was slenderly built and her skin a pale beige, with her almost black hair, which glowed purple in the sunlight exceeding past her shoulders. She was on the verge of womanhood; her figure was less that of a child and becoming that of a woman, her breasts and hips becoming more apparent and her slender body becoming curvier in its appearance. She was dressed in brown overalls; usually she wore blues, purples and blacks, but today was a hot day. They where both in latter adolescence at the age of around sixteen and had been best friends since as far back as they could remember, they had always been there for each other.
“Yeah… sorry I was just thinking,” answered Jaden.
Bryna gazed at him knowing that he was worried about something, but shrugged it off.
“Do you want one?” asked Kirsten, offering him a wooden pipe.
He sat back up and turned to the right to see Kirsten, his other best friend. Her skin was almost the same tone as Bryna’s, but slightly darker, which toned well with her brown hair which she always tied up. She was slimly built, but muscularly toned, and her breasts weren’t apparent as Bryna’s, but still evident. She was dressed in a brown shirt and a beige tunic, and her eyes were bloodshot red; one of the after effects of what was in the pipe
“Yeah, okay,” he answered with a smile on his face, as he put on end of the pipe in his mouth. Inside the pipe was hemp, which was used by witches, seers and sorcerers to create visions and recreationally by some, especially teenagers. Some disagreed with the use of it, while some smoked it themselves. Its being was spread throughout the outskirts of the village, and the locations where passed down from generation to generation of teenagers who would cultivate them to make sure the male plants didn’t pollute the female.
This was their place; it was at the top of a hill just outside the village with a great view of the descending hills of fields and trees surrounding their area. They spent quite allot of their spare time here, where they could smoke marijuana, and be as loud as they want without worrying about disagreeing eyes.
He inhaled the fumes of the pipe, and watched as a cloud of smoke emerged from his lips, each time feeling himself more relaxed and spaced out. He looked at Kirsten beaming with her bloodshot eyes, obviously trying to make him laugh. She succeeded. He was in the middle of inhaling at the time, which made him start coughing clouds of smoke between his unsuccessfully suppressed laughter.
The three of them where in fits of laugher and eventually Jaden got control of his lungs again, still clutching his recuperating chest
“Kirsten, do me a favour next time and just turn round while I do that,” Jaden announced with a smile in his face.
She glared at him, trying to hide the smile on her face, “What is that supposed to mean?”
“That’s for you to figure out for yourself.”
“Actually I think he has a point,” added Bryna who had just finished her pipe-load, grinning.
“Did I say you could speak? Wench!” replied Kirsten, laughing. Grinding the marijuana between her fingers, and letting the particles fall into the pipe. “Who wants the next one?” she asked looking at Jaden.
“Not as if I am going to refuse,” he answered.
“There you go, made it extra small so you can handle it.”
“Oh no, one of yours in small? Don’t know if it is even worth doing,” he amused.
“You know I love you really,” comforted Kirsten, putting her hand on his shoulder, with a grin.
“What about me?” asked Bryna.
“You?” she turned, her hand still on Jadens shoulder, “I am just using you,” she replied.
“What can I possibly have that you could use me for; I have no money and my possessions consist of…” she started emptying her bag which she carried with her everywhere, with an amused look on her face. “Matches… a compass… some herb… and some liners”
This was responded with hysterical laughter from all three.
“And if you want any of them then you can have them because; Jaden has matches, there are consistent amounts of marijuana growing next to me, I am not on my period yet and the village is that way!” she finished pointing down towards the hill.
They were all in hysterics after that, lying on their backs unable to handle all the laughter their lungs were putting them through. After around an hour of marijuana consumption, laughter, playful insults and combats of wit, they decided it was time to head back to their village of Jaladhar.
Jaladhar was a village nearing the south of Sharma; it mostly consisted of arable farming and looking after cattle, with the odd weaver and a blacksmith. Every now and then a group of volunteers from the village will travel to the nearest town of Nioam to trade products for other luxuries which the village didn’t provide. And occasionally a merchant would stop by, but other then that it was pretty secluded, and most of them liked it that way.
As they headed down the hill they could see the village with the familiar huts centred by a pathway just big enough for a carriage to get past, surrounded by lustrous, but slowly drying, green grass. The huts where built of mud and horse hair, with thatched roofs, most only consisted of one floor, but some had two.
They where just entering the village, and saw Namel, the village blacksmith stood outside his workshop. They nodded at him in acknowledgement as they went by, they knew him quite well, and went to him for repairs for tools every now and then.
As they carried on they passed a few members of their village, none of which they knew all that well, or even liked that much. The three weren’t approved of by some in the village for their lifestyles and appearance, but they were used to it, and didn’t waste their time communicating with the closed minded people.
The sun was setting slowly, and they could see a few of the village members heading home after a day of work, and they knew it was time for supper soon.
“POOF!” exclaimed a skinny youth with blonde hair, his face was scrunched up into a frown, which made his face even more unpleasant to look at. His name was Dareth, a boy of a couple of years older, who had always made a show of trying to torment Jaden for many years. Behind him where three other youths of the village, a little younger then him, and never seemed to open their mouths except to laugh at Dareth’s insult attempts.
Jaden turned around, unsurprised at the remark, and replied dryly “Save it for someone who gives a shit,” and turned away again, keeping the communication as short as possible. When he turned he saw the huge frame of Baird, which was probably the reason why Dareth had left without a word.
“Hi Baird,” greeted Kirsten.
Baird was a foot taller then even Kirsten who was the tallest of the three, he was broadly framed and had large shoulders. He had been a knight from the War with their neighbouring county of Gavendra, after that war their country of Sharma had taken more interest in training children to be useful if there was another incident, he was sent to live in Sharma to teach the boys of the village to fight, and outdoor survival skills, girls only spent a little time learning the basics with him. Kirsten was an exception to this, she spent most of her time learning with Baird and was just as good, if not one of the best out of the boys he trained, and her skills in archery and knives where ones many a man could envy.
“Hi, how are you three?” he replied, looking at Dareth’s direction. “Don’t let him get to you Jaden, he isn’t worth it”.
Baird’s friendliness often surprised Jaden, for he was the only boy in the village who spent little time training in combat due to his magical abilities, and he knew Baird was a little disappointed.
“Don’t worry, I know he isn’t worth it,” he replied.
“Are you coming tomorrow? We are practising archery,” he proposed looking at Kirsten.
“Yeah okay, time I gave my arms some exercise,” she answered smiling.
“How about you two, haven’t seen much of you for a while,” he said, turning towards Jaden and Bryna. “And Dareth won’t be there either,” he added looking at Jaden.
“Ummm… okay, I suppose it won’t do much harm,” Bryna answered, after a moments thought.
“I will, and Dareth being there or not isn’t going to effect my decision on that,” Jaden answered. In fact he was quite looking forward to it, routine could sometimes get painful.
“Okay, meet me just outside the village at about eleven o’clock, near the blacksmiths,” he informed pointing behind them.
They nodded their heads in both a way of understanding and departure, and carried on their journey home, they were just nearing towards Kirsten’s house when they heard a young girl’s voice. They turned to be greeted by Kirsten’s younger sister of six, Louise. Kirsten adored her; she had blonde hair just past her shoulder and blue eyes.
“Kirsten, look what I made!” he exclaimed holding a box sized piece of brown coloured linen.
Kirsten held it in her hands admiring it, it seemed to be some sort of little bag the size of a wallet, decorated at the front with a spiralling pattern.
“Oh, Louise… it’s beautiful, how long did it take you?” she exclaimed, still holding it.
“Since yesterday, Meredith ‘elped me, you said you ‘anted one the other week. Remember?”
Kirsten bent down and hugged her almost teary eyed, these was one of the few moments when Kirsten showed her feminine side “Thank you”
Louise grabbed her hand “Come in Dad has got a chicken on the spit!” and started leading her into their house.
“Well… I guess I’ll C’ya later then,” Kirsten parted, smiling.
Jaden and Bryna walked into the door of the house which had been their home for many years, it was one of the few houses in the village which had more then one floor. As you entered you could recognise the distinct smell of many assortments of herbs particularly jasmine and rosemary. It was owned by Meredith a witch, who was also the village healer using both magic and medicinal herbs. But Meredith wasn’t their mother, and Bryna and Jaden weren’t siblings, they were adopted.
Jaden could not remember the war twelve years ago between Sharma and their neighbouring country to the north of Gavendra. Which orphaned both himself and Bryna, neither knew anything about their parentage, and where selected to live with Meredith down south in Jaladhar because of their magical abilities. Meredith had been told that they, themselves where not siblings. And they didn’t really think about it much, it was something Meredith had always been honest with, so it was a fact they were brought up with. To them Meredith was their real mother, and they were in fact siblings, if anything the fact they weren’t real siblings made them closer.
Bryna was a witch and among many other aspects also had a strong ability with fire, and she could sense things about people and sometimes had visions. Jaden was also a witch, but while most used chants and objects to help them in their craft, he was one of few who could do most with his mind. He also was strongly gifted in the weather and since he was very young he could weave up a storm out of a clear blue sky, which Meredith had to spend a lot of time teaching him to control. He could sense things more clearly then Bryna, even their thoughts sometimes if he tried, but Bryna was more prone to visions which made her psychic side more unpredictable.
Meredith was also the females version of Baird in the village, she taught the girls of the village sewing, medicinal herbs and if they were Gifted, how to use it. Kirsten and Jaden where the two exceptions in the village to this; Kirsten spent most of her time with Baird and only learned medicinal herbs with Meredith. Jaden spent most of his time with Meredith learning everything except sewing, and only learnt basic combat skills and survival with Baird. This had met a bit of scorn from some of the village at first, but they felt more comfortable with Jadens powers more under control, and as a young girl Kirsten used to throw tantrums unless she could do “boy things”, eventually they gave up and let her please herself.
They walked into the kitchen and on a chair Meredith sat at the table, she was wearing a black cloak which was the full length of her slim body, with her black hair halfway down her back, with a streak of grey emerging, the only sign of her aging.
Next to her was Miles, he was a man from the village in his early thirties, about five foot ten, slightly stocky in a non muscular way, but not exactly overweight. He had green/blue eyes and brown short hair, Jaden and Bryna were very fond of him for his humour and he often came round at night. He was a bit of a mystery though, he used to live in Gavendra but escaped, but that is all people knew about him, and any questions where answered with jokes, so eventually people gave up.
“Hi, what have you been doing today?” asked Meredith, taking a sip from her tea.
“Meredith, do you really need to ask, all you have to do is look at their eyes to see what they have been doing,” announced Miles with a grin on his face.
Jaden and Bryna looked at each other and smiled.
“How dare you suggest I would do such a thing,” defended Jaden.
Meredith smiled and Miles let out a giggle, Meredith didn’t mind them smoking it but didn’t encourage them to do it too often, and they both smoked it themselves sometimes.
“How’s Kirsten? Haven’t seen much of her recently,” asked Meredith.
“She’s fine, she has been doing allot of training with Baird,” answered Bryna.
“So have you got any more of that stuff you have been smoking?” asked Miles with a glint in his eye.
They all looked at Meredith in a way of asking her if she minded.
Meredith hesitated, “Oh, go on then, but shut the curtains don’t want that silly woman next door telling me how to bring up my kids again,” answered Meredith inclining Jemmy, who didn’t agree with the way that Bryna and Jaden were brought up.
Jaden went to shut the curtains while Bryna tug into her bag and emerged a pipe and a cloth which she wrapped her herbs around.
They sat there for a couple of hours chatting and smoking, even Meredith inhaled a couple of pipe loads. Miles often came over for a night, but it wasn’t that often that he and Meredith smoked. But something was troubling Jaden, he could feel something different about Miles, usually he felt a darkness in him, which he thought was something about his past, but recently it had become bigger and bigger. And that night Jaden could feel that deep down he was deeply worried about something and that he was covering it up for them, but he said nothing about it, sometimes people got scared of him when they knew he could feel their feelings.
Eventually Jaden started to feel a yawn in him and as he cupped his mouth with his hand Meredith noticed and realised what time it was.
“Miles I think you have better go now, it is getting late and Jaden and Bryna need sleep,” she announced.
“Yeah, I suppose,” realised Jaden “We have training with Baird tomorrow,”
“Okay, good night,” parted Miles as he stumbled to the door trying to get his coat on.
“C’ya.”
Jaden looked at Miles as he walked to the door, and for a moment their eyes met. For a second he thought he had a look of sorrow on his face. He exited the room while Jaden sat in silence not know what to think, he had a horrible sinking feeling that that was the last time he would see Miles leave the house…
Jaden walked along the narrow dirt road with Bryna strolling beside him, it was a fair summer day, but not as bright as the one before. They both carried a bow around a shoulder, some arrows, stocked in a quiver, and some other weapons that could be useful for the day.
They met Kirsten on the way, who disgusted them with her liveliness, Jaden had only just got up and Bryna wasn't much of a morning person. As they strolled along Baird and a dozen or so other boys of the village stood around him came into view. They all turned their heads and looked at the unusual site of Bryna and Jaden joining them for the day.
“Hi,” greeted Baird with a smile, “Well I think that is everyone so, follow me.”
Baird led the group outside the village with Bryna, Jaden and Kirsten trailing along behind. They were joined by Giren and Jacelyn, two boys of the village who were a little older then the three. Giren had short ebony black hair, with grey blue eyes, he was just over six foot tall, towering over most of his age, and widely built with a muscular frame. He was probably Baird’s most elite pupil, which gave way to a friendly rivalry with Kirsten. It was also known he was being considered to be taken up to Sharma’s capital Cynara, to enter the trials to be trained to be a knight at the palace, there was little doubt about him passing.
Jacelyn was Giren’s friend, he had blonde jaw length sinewy hair and deep sea blue eyes, almost as tall as Giren, but not as largely built, he was the son of a farmer of the town. He and Giren were on fairly good terms with Kirsten, unlike most of the kids in the town. Although a certain amount of mockery and rivalry took place. To them Bryna was a girl so obviously they had the teenage hormones to be fairly nice to her, but Jaden was a mockery of maleness.
“What are you doing up at this time in the morning then?” asked Giren with a hint of a grin.
“Oh, the thought of waking up to the sound of your voice was enough encouragement for me to get out of bed,” Bryna replied dryly with a hint of sarcasm.
The combat of wit and banter carried on through their walk behind the group towards a field where Baird liked to practise archery. It was reasonably flat compared to most of the hilly landscape that surrounded their village and targets were set up at the other end. Baird lined them up along the end of the field setting them each up with a target to practise on, depending on their own skill, Kirsten was obviously placed at the target furthest away, with her strong arms and good eyes, she was probably the best archer of Jaladhar.
Jaden was placed a little lower the middle along the line to practise his target, Bryna was beside him on his left. Jaden turned to his right to see Aallen, scruffy hair, medium height, but petite build, for someone of his age. He and Jaden used to be quite good friends when they were younger, but he started being friends with Dareth, since then they had been on uneasy terms and Jaden had never really forgiven him.
Aallen looked at Jaden and mouthed a short greeting in the usual uncomfortable but friendly, unthreatening way, Jaden nodded his head to him in a way of acknowledgment.
The target practice started, and Jaden remembered the familiar strain on his eyes and arms from the last time he had been here. The rules were quite strict due to avoidance of accidents. They would all fire around five arrows depending on how many they owned, then after they had the all-clear that everyone had finished, they were allowed to walk to the other side of the field to pick them back up. On his first round, Jaden managed to get two of them to hit the target, one fairly close to the centre, which wasn’t that bad considering he didn’t do this very often. It was still considered feeble to the other boys of the village.
As the day carried on he was quite pleased with himself, Bryna managed to make a majority hit the target, but not quite as well as Jaden.
He turned to Kirsten who was at the outermost target to practise on, alongside Giren and another lanky boy in the village of who’s name Jaden didn’t know. She made it look so easy, to her it was not a question of getting the target, but to get the bulls-eye. She made it look so easy, as she cast her arrows swiftly across the field to the centre of the target, one by one. Jaden couldn’t help but feel envy as he watched her, she was going to be someone important someday, she had so many varied skills, and what could he do? Sure he was a good witch, but all he would probably end up doing is become a village healer, like Meredith, which he wouldn’t mind doing for it meant helping others. But Kirsten was probably going to end up doing something which she would travel around and get to really experience the world, he was probably going to grow old in Jaladhar.
The day carried on, they practised their archery and had Baird come to them each in turn to develop their skill, it was tiring on the arms, but not boring. They chatted together, and it was done at a paced and casual style. Eventually it came to an end, Baird told them that they could go back to the village by themselves, so most packed up to make their journey back.
Jaden found himself in a mist, all around him, he couldn’t see anything beyond it. Was he dreaming? This felt different to other dreams, everything was so vivid, and he felt conscious. But he knew he must be dreaming.
He was walking in a certain direction, he had no idea where he was going or why he was walking, it was just something he had to do. The mist cleared and he found himself in a wood, the most beautiful woods he had ever seen, with rich green grass all over, spotted with wide oak trees, and many assorted beautiful, even unnatural plants and flowers growing which he didn’t even name. There was something familiar about this place, he knew he could not have possibly been here before, but something innate with him knew it, every blade of grass, every alien flower or plant.
He then noticed a horse; it was white with grey shades in certain places, making it gleem silvery. As the horse turned around bearing a large silver horn on its forehead, he realised it was not a horse at all, it was a unicorn, he had read about them in legends, a species extinct long ago. It motioned its head to him mean for him to follow, then disappeared into the trees.
Jaden followed her as she kept appearing in the distance but vanishing from sight as he reached where she was last seen. He skirted around a tree to find unicorn was stood right in front of him. Deep down he knew her, even though he had never seen her before, but he nuzzled with her as if they where old friends. It was then he realised that it was his spirit guide.
“It is almost time…”
He looked at her surprised to see that she could speak, but it wasn’t coming from her mouth, he could hear her in his mind.
“Time for what?” he asked inquisitively. He looked around. The woods where slowly fading around him into mist.
“You will find out soon, it is almost time.” She whispered as the mist enfolded the woods around him until he was consumed around it. Next thing he knew he was falling downwards and he couldn’t see any bottom.
He suddenly woke up, and bolted up-right, breathing heavily. What a weird dream, but it was so vivid, and in colour, what could it mean?
“Did you dream it as well?” asked Bryna.
He turned in shock to see her sat on her bed awake.
“With the unicorn in the woods, and the mist?” he asked.
“No…” she looked at him surprised, “tell me about it,” she asked.
He told her all about it, usually he couldn’t remember every aspect of a dream, but this one was different, he could also feel, smell and hear things in this dream, which was unusual. She sat there listening in silence, nodding her head every now and then, deep in thought.
“No, my dream wasn’t the same, but it was still unusual, but, I don’t think I was asleep. I don’t know, I feel weird, I cant sleep tonight. Maybe I fell asleep without realising it, but I think it was a vision.
“What was it you dream about?” he asked.
“I’ll tell you…”
It was a dark purple sky, but it had been invaded, an island stood, clocking some of it out. Casting a shadow of towers ascending towards the stars, and the bottom had a flooring of black clouds.
It was as if it was an Island floating in the sky, and she could see her perspective gaining closer to it, she wasn’t flying, she wasn’t in the dream; she was a watcher of it.
Eventually she could see details of the towers which were spread along the island connected to each other. They where spiral in shape, like a lighthouse, but there was one which she was becoming drawn to at the edge of the island. This one had a faint candle light coming out form the window.
She gazed at the light, unable to tell if it was her will drawing her towards it, or the dream drawing her. She gained on the window and saw a woman inside sat at a desk leaning on her arm with a worried look on her face. She looked quite pretty despite being in her forties, and you could sense a wise ness past her years, she had a black cloak on which added to the whole mysteriousness of her. She resembled Meredith in many ways.
But there was obviously something deeply worrying the woman and she was staring at the window, she was tense, and waiting for something. Whatever she was waiting for had obviously arrived when she jumped up and opened the window. A gust of wind entered the room, flapping her cloak around, and to Bryna’s surprise a black bird flew in.
The woman caught the bird as she smiled, and shut the window.
She placed the shivering bird, on the desk and covered it with a blanket. The bird was still trembling, but the tremors where subsiding slowly as it adjusted to the warmth of the room. To Bryna’s shock, the lump that was the bird under the blanket, began to grow. It was when she saw legs pop out of the blanket that she realised it was human, she had never seen anything like it. She had heard of Shapeshifting which was a very rare gift for a sorcerer to have, but it was so rare for someone to have such ability, that to most people it was more of a myth.
He wrapped his naked body around the blanket trembling, and holding his head in his hands, Bryna guessed he was getting used to being back in human form.
“Oh I am so happy you came, there is finally hope!” the woman greeted.
“Yeah, it took a while to dodge the storm on the way in, the defences of this place are really strong,” he answered quietly.
“(name) defences are high; you are probably the first to ever get passed them.”
“When is it going to happen?” he asked.
“I don’t know… soon,” she replied with sorrow in her eyes.
“What about the crystals?”
“They are here,” she replied lifting a bag made of beige brown cotton.
“Well, I suppose I need to go now, or they will find me and then the world will definitely be doomed.”
“Yes… I suppose your right, I wish you had more time to recover, but it is for the best. Make sure you never touch those stones, you know what happens to the first who touch them with their flesh.”
“Yes I do.”
“Okay, be careful, and may the Goddess be with you,” she said holding his head in her hands and kissing his forehead.
He got up and bowed, and then he started transfiguring, black feathers started sprouting through his skin.
The woman picked him up, and placed the precious bag containing the crystals at his talons, in which he gripped it with his claws. She walked up to the window and opened it as a gust of wind entered the room, the bird took off and she shut the window.
As this happed Bryna’s vision was back outside the tower and she could feel herself gently drifting away, but as she was leaving she saw a flash of lightning, followed by a squawk, and she watched as the bird and bag fell down from the sky…
“What does this mean?” he asked.
Bryna shook her head, with worry and sorrow defined in her violet eyes “I don’t know, I hope it is just a dream.”
“But I can feel something.”
“What do you mean I can’t feel anything,” asked Bryna, averting her eyes towards him.
“I can’t describe it,” answered Jaden, resting his hand on his forehead “It is like a darkness, but it is not distinct, it is more a shadow, which keeps becoming a little more visible everyday.”
Bryna let her head lean downwards taking in what he was saying, after a moments thought she replied “Just don’t worry bout it, there is nothing you can do.”
Jaden was sat at the table in Meredith’s kitchen, with Bryna gulping a soup of tomato and assorted flavorous herbs, while Meredith was making herself some tea.
The bad foretelling feeling he had from the past few days had intensified, greatly, and he ate his soup while gazing into space in an uneasy way, he turned to see Bryna looking at him with an understanding look on her face. She touched his leg in a way of comfort.
Meredith sat back down on the table taking a sip of her tea, Jaden tried to appear comfortable and at ease, he didn’t want to worry her.
“Oh yeah Jaden, Miles told me yesterday that he is having trouble with sleeping again, so could you find him some skullcap, as you’re the only one of us who seems to know where to find it,” Meredith asked, and took a sip of her tea.
Jaden recalled last summer, where he was the only one of the three who could find this plant, even when he tried to explain where to find it to them, neither of them could find it. Miles had had a problem with insomnia since he escaped from Gavendra, he hadn’t complained about insomnia for about a year though cause he had seemed happier, this did concern Jaden a bit because Miles had seem to be allot happier in the last couple of years.
“Ok, I will go after breakfast.”
“Oh and Margaret is having problems with ulcers again, and it looks like the bistort I have been giving her before doesn’t work again, so do you think we should try camomile?”
“Yes I don’t see any harm in that,” Bryna answered.
Jaden rolled his eyes; Meredith already knew that she was just testing them as usual.
“Ok, can you get some for me as well?” asked Meredith.
“Sure.”
Jaden parted with Bryna as he headed north, and Bryna walked to the other side of the village. He walked towards the river and when he reached it and started ascending the hill. His bad feeling seemed to be increasing with each step he took and he wished that Bryna or Kirsten was with him, he didn’t know whether the bad feeling was increasing due to time or because the direction he was walking. But he knew he couldn’t stop.
As he reached about half way up the hill he recognised the natural path to his right and strolled along the side of the hill, he turned around to the village which was by now below him and tangential along the side of the hill. This gave him a very weird feeling, which he couldn’t explain even to himself. He turned around and shrugging his shoulders, he’ll be back there in a while.
By now he was descending the hill and saw the woodland down below, but this dark presence he had felt over the last few days had increased with every step, he wanted to turn back, but knew he couldn’t, besides, what would he say? He started walking faster, feeling the vibes of the hills, woodland, grass everything around him, which was a comfort but didn’t ease this feeling.
He started to walk faster telling himself to stop being silly, what is going to happen to him here?
By now he was in the woods, surrounded by trees, he sighed, almost done. He can head back and go home after reaching the place to find the skullcap, but that thought was quickly replaced by that uneasy, dark feeling which was increasing with every step he took.
He treaded along and started walking at a faster and faster place, almost a jog, wanting to get this over and done with and be back home.
He had just rounded a corner and saw a familiar hedgerow, and underneath was the sought after plant, with its oblong, pointed leaves, and vivid blue petals poking out in pairs between the leaves and the stem.
He bent down and reached for the plant, glad he could go back home. But just as his hand touched the plant he felt a sharp pain against his skull and fell to the floor.
