Raith smiled slightly. "I shall be careful. Just have a little faith in me, Kin-swit." She returned her attentions to the girl standing before them."Well," she said, radiating conviviality, "To be perfectly honest, the Firey's Forest really isn't the best place to just stand around talking. The inhabitants are . . . a bit over-much friendly, so what do you say we move on?"
Striding down the path, Raith turned her head to be sure that Xarra was following.
Xarra:
Xarra paused for a moment to check for any voices before following Raith. The silence was disconcerting. She had been hoping for some clue as to why she'd ended up in this forest and met this woman. Shrugging he confusion off, she smiled and caught up with Raith. She certainly couldn't go home now. Last time she'd ignored a prompt, the consequences hadn't been pretty. Besides, she really had no idea where she was and couldn't very well get home without help."So, where are _you_ headed?" Xarra asked.
Raith:
Inside Raith's head, Kin exploded into ringing, fitful giggles. Between breaths, she jibbed, **Oh, do tell her, Raith. Tell her where we're going, dearest!** Laughter overtook her once more."Ungrateful childling." Raith murmured to the voice in her head. Turning to Xarra, she ran a hand through her long hair, wondering how she might best explain. It seemed the direct approach was the only one that was availing itself of her at the present moment, so she said, "Actually, I'm trying to find my way out of this Labyrinth . . . . I've been trying to find my way out for the past eight years. You see, the Labyrinth keeps on changing. Any path, or corridor, or opening that you knew to be in a certain place one moment, can be completely vanished in the next. It's all very disorienting."
At this point on the lane, the path split in twain, one to the left, one the right, each forever extending, progression unending, the end points were well out of sight. "Hmmm . . . which way to go?" Raith mused.
**I get the feeling that we ought to go right.** Kin piped up, having recovered from her giggle fit.
"Strange, I get the feeling we should go left. . ."Raith returned quietly.
**All the more reason to go right.**
Xarra:
Xarra gasped and turned to Raith. Eight years? How horrible."By Gods," she whispered in shock, "Eight years . . . ."
***Maybe that's why . . . .*** They continued down the path, stopping at the fork. Xarra looked down both sides and furrowed her brow. There was no visible end to either. She closed her eyes and concentrated, listening intently.
Raith:
Raith scowled darkly. For the sake of her corporeal traveling companion, she cleared her expression. "Which way do you suppose we ought to go, Xarra?" she asked, deliberately ignoring Kin's promptings.
Xarra:
Suddenly, jolting her out of her demi-trance Xarra shook her head, she smiled indulgently and looked at the other."Give me a second, I'm checking," she replied. Concentrating again, she waited. And waited. She reached out and touched a tree, hoping the link would help intensify the signals.
***Nothing . . . .*** Xarra's temples pounded from the exertion. ***I must have unconsciously blocked something after the chaos earlier . . . the diamond won't even glow.*** Sighing, her hand dropped in defeat. Too tired to try any other techniques, she looked down both paths one more time. It was time for guesswork.
"I suppose . . . right?"
Raith:
**See, I told you! I'm beginning to like this girl.** Kin crowed."That 'girl' is much older than you, missy, and so I suggest that you speak of her with the proper respect." Raith returned. "But, right it is, then."
She began down the path to the right. All was quiet in the woods around them, a blessing at the very least, and soon the trees began to thin as though they were reaching the edge of the forest. But though the over-head cover was thinning, the light was rapidly darkening. Strangely, it was not the twilight fade to which she had become so accustomed, but rather a steadily increasing blackness descending like a shroud. Soon the darkness was nearly complete, and manifested a nearly tangible, oppressive weight.
"Something's wrong." Raith voiced, looking up at the starless, black sky.
Xarra:
Xarra nodded and bit her lip nervously. This darkness, whatever it was, was blocking sprits' signals. ***That explains the silence,*** she thought. Taking no comfort in her realization, she cast a cheap light spell for visibility. The pale glowing orb hovered just in front of them as Xarra surveyed the skies. There were no celestial disturbances or ethereal clouds to be causing it.Whipping around to face Raith, she asked urgently, "Do you hear that?" The light spell died abruptly once she was distracted, giving her a bit of a start. Collecting herself, she listened as the noise got louder. It wasn't speech of any kind, but a low humming, growing in intensity and volume.
"It's . . . this blackness, this dark. It's talking, in a sense," she murmured, absent-mindedly conjuring another light orb. "It's more than supernatural, but not quite divine. I think it's just a low-level spirit, but I can't be sure. They usually show up as a signal for something else, an omen of sorts. You're right, something is definitely wrong." Xarra reached into a small pouch resting on her hip and pulled out a series of small flasks. "However, we won't be able to tell what's wrong until leave this place. We have to get to the center of the Labyrinth." She paused a moment, realizing her liberal use of the word "we".
Smiling weakly, she added quickly, "Of course, I'll lead you out _immediately_ afterwards, if you like." The crystal flasks glittered in her palm. Picking up a pair and replacing the rest, she broke both in half and poured the cold liquids down her throat. "But to do that, I'll need to be able to listen to the walls for directions. With this blackness, that takes more energy than I have at the moment. Thus . . . power serum." She tossed the broken crystal aside and removed the cloak from around her shoulders, exposing the gold mark on her chest. After chanting a few cryptic words, it began to glow brightly. She felt the new-found energy pulse through her veins, power... and voices... rushing back to her. She smiled.
"Now, to get out of this forest," Xarra said, a bit giddy from the serum's boost. Pausing again, she blushed a little.
"Well, it seems we should have gone left, after all. No matter. This way . . . ." Moving a low-hanging branch, several trees pulled back and a hidden pathway revealed itself. She turned and began forwards.
"Coming?"
Back to the Firey's Forest
Back to the Library
