The Blight of Muirwood
Page 103
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Lia thanked him for his advice and the two headed off into the woods where she could use the Cruciger orb discreetly.As she cupped it in her hands, she thought of Ellowyn’s face, how terrified she must be, and focused her intent on where they would be and if there was a path that they could safely take to head them off and away from Pry-rians who would challenge them. The orb was cool in her hand, then it started to spin and pointed clearly. Colvin looked relieved and secured his rucksack against his shoulders. His sword dangled from his belt. Together, they followed the direction and forsook the muddy road.
Pry-Ree was a wild and untamed land. The trees were different than the ones that grew in the Bearden Muir. They were taller, thicker, more ancient. The ground was rugged and mottled with boulders and stones. The greenery was sickly with weeds, and Pen-Ilyn’s warning about snakes was soon justified. There were snakes and voles everywhere. The serpents feared their passing and slithered away as they tromped through the brush, but their very presence made Lia shiver with revulsion. They crossed a wild lowload valley but on the other side rose an imposing crag of mountains with giant trees. There was a haunting familiarity about the land, like a song that had once been sung, its echo dying on the breeze.
About mid-day, they came across a small cabin in the midst of the valley. There was no smoke from the chimney and the fence was in tatters. They approached cautiously, but there was no sign of anyone living there. The garden was spoiled, there were no animals in the pens. All life had been scrubbed clean. After passing the property, they found other similar dwellings, abandoned or forsaken with no trace of fire or harm. As if the owners had simply abandoned them and walked off.
“It is strange,” Colvin muttered, looking at another abandoned dwelling. “Not a soul.”
Lia nodded. She searched for any sign of what had happened, but the homes had been abandoned for several months. Each step brought them closer to the shadow of the mountains. The ground became more rugged and the size of the boulders were enormous, as if huge slabs of rock had broken off above and tumbled down the mountainside to rest on the valley slope. The ground became steeper, the journey more difficult as they ascended into the region. The sky was clear of any cloud, but it did not make the mood cheerful as sunlight usually did. Lia felt oppressed by the stones around her. Their massive, jagged cliff-faces seemed to mock her with her insignificance.
The look of Pry-Ree began to alter before their eyes. The brush was thinner higher up, more verdant than down below in the valley. The trees were enormous, taller than a castle wall, tall enough to rival the stars. The mountains were thick with huge pine and redwood trees. The wind became more fierce. It was not like climbing the Tor. This was a mountain, not a shallow hill. Each step burned as they walked and pushed themselves higher into the crown of trees. The day began to wane, but they ate as they walked, trying to crest the mountain before the sunlight gave way. It was colder and Lia was glad to have brought a blanket.
“Do you see that one?” Colvin asked, his voice hushed in wonder. “I have never seen a tree so thick. It would take ten men to clasp around the trunk.”
Lia saw it and marveled. The redwood was enormous, so thick around the base it would take an axeman a year to cut through it. There were no branches lower down, but high near the top the brances grew as thick as trees she had seen. It was enormous – greater even than the Sentinel oak in the woods near her home. They approached the wonder and as they did, discovered that it was not the only giant living in the forest. More trees could be seen further off, some even bigger.
“I have never seen the like,” she whispered in awe. She rubbed the bark with her hand, wondering how ancient the tree was. Ferns grew thick in the area, but nearly all the other growth was stunted compared to the formidable trees.
Higher into the mountains they went, and the trees got bigger and bigger. One was so wide at the base it would have taken thirty men to encircle it. They also discovered the skeletons of trees that had been struck by lightning and eventually collapsed. She could only imagine the crashing noise they would have made when they fell. Surely the earth would have shaken with the impact. After falling, the roots were splayed and wide open, revealing black tunnels made of soot and charcoal. It smelled familiar, like the kitchen ovens after a heavy day of baking. That same smell of ash she had grown up with. The roots of the giants were wide enough to fit them both and then add more. At last they reached the peak and the ground began descending the other way. The peaks of the mountains extended on both sides still, but the orb had led them to a hollow in between a rugged pair and then led them down the other side, where numerous fallen giants littered the woods, along with boulders and a stream.
Pry-Ree was a wild and untamed land. The trees were different than the ones that grew in the Bearden Muir. They were taller, thicker, more ancient. The ground was rugged and mottled with boulders and stones. The greenery was sickly with weeds, and Pen-Ilyn’s warning about snakes was soon justified. There were snakes and voles everywhere. The serpents feared their passing and slithered away as they tromped through the brush, but their very presence made Lia shiver with revulsion. They crossed a wild lowload valley but on the other side rose an imposing crag of mountains with giant trees. There was a haunting familiarity about the land, like a song that had once been sung, its echo dying on the breeze.
About mid-day, they came across a small cabin in the midst of the valley. There was no smoke from the chimney and the fence was in tatters. They approached cautiously, but there was no sign of anyone living there. The garden was spoiled, there were no animals in the pens. All life had been scrubbed clean. After passing the property, they found other similar dwellings, abandoned or forsaken with no trace of fire or harm. As if the owners had simply abandoned them and walked off.
“It is strange,” Colvin muttered, looking at another abandoned dwelling. “Not a soul.”
Lia nodded. She searched for any sign of what had happened, but the homes had been abandoned for several months. Each step brought them closer to the shadow of the mountains. The ground became more rugged and the size of the boulders were enormous, as if huge slabs of rock had broken off above and tumbled down the mountainside to rest on the valley slope. The ground became steeper, the journey more difficult as they ascended into the region. The sky was clear of any cloud, but it did not make the mood cheerful as sunlight usually did. Lia felt oppressed by the stones around her. Their massive, jagged cliff-faces seemed to mock her with her insignificance.
The look of Pry-Ree began to alter before their eyes. The brush was thinner higher up, more verdant than down below in the valley. The trees were enormous, taller than a castle wall, tall enough to rival the stars. The mountains were thick with huge pine and redwood trees. The wind became more fierce. It was not like climbing the Tor. This was a mountain, not a shallow hill. Each step burned as they walked and pushed themselves higher into the crown of trees. The day began to wane, but they ate as they walked, trying to crest the mountain before the sunlight gave way. It was colder and Lia was glad to have brought a blanket.
“Do you see that one?” Colvin asked, his voice hushed in wonder. “I have never seen a tree so thick. It would take ten men to clasp around the trunk.”
Lia saw it and marveled. The redwood was enormous, so thick around the base it would take an axeman a year to cut through it. There were no branches lower down, but high near the top the brances grew as thick as trees she had seen. It was enormous – greater even than the Sentinel oak in the woods near her home. They approached the wonder and as they did, discovered that it was not the only giant living in the forest. More trees could be seen further off, some even bigger.
“I have never seen the like,” she whispered in awe. She rubbed the bark with her hand, wondering how ancient the tree was. Ferns grew thick in the area, but nearly all the other growth was stunted compared to the formidable trees.
Higher into the mountains they went, and the trees got bigger and bigger. One was so wide at the base it would have taken thirty men to encircle it. They also discovered the skeletons of trees that had been struck by lightning and eventually collapsed. She could only imagine the crashing noise they would have made when they fell. Surely the earth would have shaken with the impact. After falling, the roots were splayed and wide open, revealing black tunnels made of soot and charcoal. It smelled familiar, like the kitchen ovens after a heavy day of baking. That same smell of ash she had grown up with. The roots of the giants were wide enough to fit them both and then add more. At last they reached the peak and the ground began descending the other way. The peaks of the mountains extended on both sides still, but the orb had led them to a hollow in between a rugged pair and then led them down the other side, where numerous fallen giants littered the woods, along with boulders and a stream.
