Marked, Chapter Thirty-Three

Stepping out of the portal from the Mansion is perhaps the scariest thing I've ever done. Nax is tightlipped with both Chalmer and I about the nature of the threat she suspects, only stating that it has unquestionably moved on, and that if Muckertown survived, it was solely because the attacker hadn't cared enough to kill them all. 

I'd guessed that there were things that were dangerous to dragons and apparently, I was right. A dragon's natural predator? A magical and/or biological weapon of mass destruction, for whatever shape that takes in a world full of magic? I can't begin to guess, but Eberron is becoming less and less attractive to me all the time. 

"Chalmer, have you fixed our destination in your mind?"

Chalmer nods, taking my hand and Nax's. "Are you ready, my Lady, Taylor?"

"I'm good," I respond.

"We are ready. Cast the spell." 

Chalmer says a few words gripping my hand tightly, and then the world turns inside out for a second. 

A few years ago, at Dad's insistence, I read a book called Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It described teleportation as feeling like being drunk like a glass of water. That's almost exactly not what the teleportation spell feels like; my stomach twists as the world distorts to something incomprehensible. For a split second there is only acoherent, shapeless light, and then we're in darkness. The air is warm, and humid, and I can hear water gently sloshing somewhere, distorted by echoes like we're in a cavern. I feel a moment of alarm as Chalmer releases my hand, and I wobble, eyes uselessly attempting to see even a shape in the pitch black. Then, a small light flares up from Nax's helmet as she tucks something away. 

"This cavern is one of several in the region that are carefully maintained for teleportation," Nax comments. "A few permanent magics were cast here centuries ago to ensure that this chamber remains exactly the same."

"It's a necessity for teleportation magics," Chalmer elaborates. "The caster needs a very precise mental image of the targeted location. Lack of clarity can cause the spell to fail in dangerous, even deadly ways." 

I have a brief mental image of being teleported partially to one place, and partially to another, and curse my imagination. "Oh." 

"This way. When we exit the caves, we will still have a half day's journey to reach Greenheart." 

"Do we fly, then?" Chalmer asks. 

"No," Nax says. "And unless you have memorized some travel magics, we will likely be going in on foot the whole way. But I prefer to not to advertise our arrival so dramatically by teleporting directly in; the Dragonmarked houses have a keen interest in keeping track of any spellcasters skilled enough to master teleportation magics. Particularly House Orien, and to a lesser degree House Lyrander." 

"... and attention from them is bad for you guys because of me, right?" I ask. 

"Less 'bad' than inconvenient and annoying, and a distraction I prefer not to deal with when they will wish to track where we have gone from here. Moreover because my local identity as Lady Nella has no ready access to such things, and I recently have been making inquiries as to buyers for clothing. But... yes." 

"But my mark is still visible, now," I point out. "If I understood what you taught me a couple days ago about dragonmarks, anyone who sees it is going to recognize it for what it is." 

Nax nods. "You would be well served to wear a mask. I would suggest something enchanted but unfortunately, I have nothing suitable at the moment." 

---

I create a Mansion portal, both to make travel more convenient for Nax and Chalmer, as well as to have a convenient place to use Clothier's Closet. I don't take much time to consider my options before selecting an owl shaped mask. Mom's little owl, indeed. After consulting with Nax and Chalmer, they agree that the design I pick is intricate, of impressive craftsmanship, and makes me look quite foreign, in keeping with the story 'Lady Nella' gave Eranil. It's agreed from here forward they'll only refer to me as Titania.

A few minutes later the three of us are walking out of a small cave, well concealed by foliage and an incline in the rockface. I'm not prepared for the sight awaiting me when I finally catch a view of the valley. 

I've only been at summer camp the once, and while there was a lot of trees and little critters all over, it had nothing on this place. Wide canopied trees of all kinds spread massive boughs like a sun speckled shade over the forest floor, the latter of which is covered by lush succulent plants, brush foliage, and dense, hedge-like shrubs. The hazy mists rising from the stream makes the beams of light seem vibrant, with subtle traces of rainbow tones hidden in the diffuse brightness. Between the larger plants rough boulders and rocks divert the stream cutting through the uneven, moss covered boulders clustered near the cave mouth. 

Not thirty feet from us, a wild pig looks up at us from where it's drinking to observe us with suspicious, beady eyes.  As I watch longer, small motions draw my gaze, and I realize that animals of all kinds are everywhere, here. Up above, I catch sight of a lazing, relaxed wildcat with wide, large ears and round pupiled eyes, its coat mottled in orange, yellow, and black. After a few seconds of mutual examination the cat evidently decides I'm boring and looks elsewhere, its tail flicking slowly and gently. 

"What... is this place?" I ask breathlessly. I've never seen a place that seemed so, so [i]alive[/i].

"It is a region with close ties to Lamannia, the Twilight Forest," Nax answers as she not so casually places her hand at the small of my back and starts me moving, while Chalmer follows us closely. "It is a place of unrestrained wildness and life, and its influence leaks heavily into this place. At the heart of this region here is, predictably, the city known as Greenheart." 

Although I cooperate with Nax's unsubtle hint to get moving, I can't help but continue to look around in fascination. Another slight motion draws my attention, and for a moment I'm confused, looking at a strangely shaped branch with hanging leaves like a willow on a tree only a few dozen yards away. Then, as I look a little closer, I realize it's not a branch, but a torso, seemingly of wood. Between strands of long, slender leaves I see a pair of dark, almond shaped eyes looking back at me. 

I glance back at Nax. "Na- Lady Nella, what's-" I stop as I look back, and it's just a branch again. 

"A dryad. She will not be aggressive unless provoked or her tree is threatened." Nax raises an eyebrow at me. "I am surprised that you noticed her, though." 

"Just looking in the right place at the right time, I guess." I'm trying and failing at not blushing. 

We don't get much closer, as Nax leads us on a slight detour past what I'm guessing must be her tree. I watch the branch until the angle obscures it, but I don't see the eyes again. Even so, before the branch is out of sight, I give her a little wave and a smile. Just in case. 

It becomes immediately apparent that, for where we are, the place we emerged is the rule rather than the exception. It makes sense, of course. If you want a secret arrival spot, the best place isn't a needle in a hay stack, but a piece of hay in a hay stack. Nothing to stand out and draw the attention, right? I almost bring it up with Nax to check my logic, but though she's less tense than before, she's still distracted, and I figure it's probably best to leave her to what she's thinking. 

Unfortunately, it makes our hike really quiet and leaves me stuck with my own thoughts. I absently use Second Wind on myself, more for something to do rather than being all that tired. Besides, if I make heavy use of my powers, maybe I can make them grow faster? As fast as they've been growing, I can't help but wonder if I can do more, because I have the feeling that Nax and Chalmer and maybe a whole lot more people are gonna need me. 

---

During the hike I use all the healing powers repeatedly, using them up, letting them renew, using them up again. Animals cross our path both in front and behind us, but everything seems to keep a wide berth. There's a tense moment where Nax halts us, and Chalmer points out a pack of wolves led by a wolf the size of a small horse. It looms over the others threateningly, and while it's not as spiky as the jaguar from near Muckertown, it's still got large, bony looking plates that seem almost like armor. At first, the pack starts to spread out and inch closer to us, but a splash of fire from Chalmer is enough to deter them. 

The intelligence in the eyes of the big one as it looks at me- obviously, the smallest and weakest one of us three- sends a chill down my spine. "Will they follow us? Wolf packs back home will shadow prey for miles waiting for a moment of inattention." Chalmer and Nax glance at me questioningly. "David Attenborough animal documentaries," I add lamely. 

"They might, but the dire alpha is smart enough to recognize that we're too great a threat for his pack to handle," Nax responds. "Most likely they will find something easier, that does not spit fire at them as a warning." 

Despite her reassurances, though, Nax remains facing backwards as we walk away from the pack, which barely moves as all their eyes track us leaving. It's another fifteen minutes before Nax is willing to face forward again. 

"So... you guys didn't want to hurt the wolves, huh?" I say after we've been walking a while. 

"It was unnecessary. They were only hungry, not malicious. It was simply a matter of convincing them that we were not food, and no further quarrel was mandated." 

"Everything's gotta eat, right," I say softly. 

"Precisely so, Titania," Nax answers. 

"How much farther, my Lady?" Chalmer asks. 

Nax looks up at the canopy, the beams of light close to vertical. "Given the elapsed time, I estimate another half hour. We should be seeing sentries soon, in fact." 

"Sentries?" I ask. 

"Never mind. You are secure... enough." Nax gives Chalmer a significant look. Chalmer, in response, clears his throat, and pulls out a rolled up paper from a tub tucked into his vest. He recites some words from it, tapping me on the arm. 

What surprises me, though, from what Eranil described on our first lesson, is that I recognize them. ""The spells you cast before, did you tell me them in the order you cast them? The ones from this morning?"

Chalmer pauses halfway through pulling a second rolled up paper from the same tube. "Yes, probably." 

I think for a moment, running the syllables he used past my memory from this morning. I'm almost positive they're the same as the last spell he mentioned after I asked him. "... That was Magic Circle again, wasn't it?"

Nax and Chalmer both look at me a moment. "An obvious deduction, given the Mage Armor and Arrow Protection should still be active, and that the dragonscales did not sprout from your skin."

"No, it's not that. I mean, yeah, there's that too, but it sounded exactly the same when he cast it this morning." I repeat the syllables, feeling a small tug somewhere in the back of my mind as I do so, but nothing happens as near as I can tell. 

"It takes a great deal of mental accuity to remember all the verbal inflections of a spell you have only heard once before," Nax comments. 

Chalmer, on the other hand, looks a little put out. "It took me six months to be able to reliably identify a standard cantrip when hearing it cast." 

"I think... maybe it's because of the way we're taught in school," I admit, remembering a conversation with Mom when I was twelve. "My mother was a teacher at a local college. She said the most important function of school was to teach us how to learn." 

Chalmer scratches his jaw a moment, and it occurs to me that however he normally shaves, he hasn't done so recently, because a fine dusting of brown stubble stretches across his cheeks and chin, a much lighter brown than the almost black of his short cropped hair. "I suppose we all have our advantages. I'm luckier than most, so I've got nothing to complain about, even if I am a bit jealous of that particular skill." 

"Both of you, be still. Hail, and well met, Wardens." 

Chalmer and I look at Nax, then around. I don't see anything, but that doesn't stop me from shrinking close to Nax all the same. Chalmer clears his throat and taps his staff on the ground. Abruptly, seemingly from the sky, although it must have been from the branches above, a massive gorilla drops down to the ground. It barely makes a sound as it lands aside from the rustle of the shrubs it lands in, before propping itself up on its knuckles as it stares at us. 

I get a good, solid look at it. Even hunched over so, it's enormous, taller than any of the three of us, and probably weighing as much as we do combined, even counting Nax's armor. It has russet toned fur, and a sharp, piercing gaze made all the more intimidating by the large, sharp canines pushing up past its thick, dark lower lip. I'm transfixed by it all the more when its posture alters, straightening, its features fluidly altering into the form of a wild looking, ruddy skinned, bearded man clad in leathers and furs. From his hip a bone handled club dangles, and his feet are bare. His coal black hair and beard are braided, with feathers carefully arrayed in the braids at regular intervals. 

He looks over the three of us. "Hail and well met, if you are friends. Are you familiar with our customs?"

Nax nods. "They are simple and fair; take only what is needed, and so long as it harms or robs none, do as we please." She gestures to herself, me, and Chalmer in turn. "I am known most commonly as Lady Ediras Nella, and these are my companions Titania of Brockton and Chalmer the Ember." 

"Carm of the Wardens of the Wood," he reciprocates. His eyes flick across us as he adds, "Your travels have been luxurious; you are well kept and clean for the distance you must have traveled." 

"Mostly my doing," Chalmer starts, but Nax nudges him not so gently, and he stops, looking at her.

Carm's nostrils flare, and he snorts in a gesture that's plainly scornful. "Your sweat stinks of lies as you say it, but it's no business of mine so long as you follow our customs. Keep your secrets as you please." He half turns, and gestures further ahead of us. "Yonder is Greenheart. Mind your manners as the Grove is beset by the celebrants." 

I look at Nax curiously, ignoring Chalmer's flustered attempts at salvaging his dignity. She supplies, "The midsummer solstice is six days from now. Greenheart is awash with those who revere and worship nature, including many orders of rangers, most of the druid sects in the region, and even a few members of various churches." 

"As she says," Carm confirms. "Also, be mindful when traveling the region outside the borders of Greenheart. Ashbound devotees have been wandering the area attacking spellcasters, harassing travelers, and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Keep that in mind when you leave." He gives us a short nod. "Merry part." 

"And merry meet again," Nax responds. 

Carm turns and takes a few quick steps before hopping high, his fingers and toes apparently finding easy grip on the bark of the nearest tree. He scales it with the sort of ease a normal person would walk up a flight of stairs, and in seconds is out of sight among the leaves above us.

"That was embarassing," Chalmer says with a sigh. 

"You should have known better." Nax's voice is disapproving. "Better to be silent than to be a liar caught." 

"Yes, my Lady," he says humbly. 

"There is no sense delaying here. Come, let us hurry on- we have almost reached our destination."