-The seventh Gospel: The Lord, Humans, and Demi-Humans all shared a love of the land. They faced adventures and challenges. The Lord worked through many travels with the people and experienced their imperfect lives in an imperfect land. He was happy. One day however he had to leave to watch over a new land. And he contemplated what to do.-
For'Ten got up from his seat and walked over to the door. He opened it and shouted down the hallway, "Someone fetch me Loran! Yes, I know who I'm asking for. Shut up and just get her!"
Ed laughed under his breath. It was comforting to see people in their normal environment. He hated seeing all the stuffy pomp and circumstance of so many people trying to flaunt themselves. He wasn't that kind of person and with every time he died and came back, he lost a little more patience for it. He was certain all this resurrection would catch up to him one day.
Shortly after a female knight walked into the room. She had black leather armor, the only thing that gave away her position as a knight was the sash she wore across her chest that bore the same symbol as the one For'Ten had etched on his armor.
"You called for me Commander?" the woman said. She looked entirely human, which surprised Ed because up to this point he had only seen a half handful of other humans besides Priya. Ed looked and noticed a slightly green tint to her hair and unnaturally golden-colored eyes. The only unsettling thing about her was the complete lack of an iris. Her eyes were just white with a golden orb in the middle.
For'Ten motioned for her to sit down. "Ed, please ask for her name."
Ed got up from his seat as a sign of respect and put out his hand. "Hello, I'm Ed. What's your name?"
She looked at her commander and scowled. "Really? Why must you always do this."
"Because dealing with adversity is important as a Knight," For'Ten said covering his mouth with his fist like he was going to cough into it.
"Ugh, fine! My name is Loran Lovelass. Member of the forest folk, and proud servant of the Knights of Clear-Glass."
Ed shook her hand firmly. The fingers and hands were slim. Outside of her striking eyes, you would absolutely assume she was human. It was a dangerous mix because she could blend with both races at this point.
"Why did you call me?" She asked politely.
So Ed started explaining the situation as best he could. He described who he was and why he was there. And that he needed his belongings back. This wasn't the kind of situation where he could simply walk into their camp and ask for them politely. If he asked Rennish he was certain he could convince him to abscond with them but having the bard abandon his post would raise undue eyebrows.
A plan was fleshed out. She was going to use a tribal art called forest walk that allowed her kind to walk silently over long distances. This would allow her to sneak up and retrieve the items while they were traveling and get out before anyone knew. Ed had expected her to resist. The stories he had heard of Knights all led him to believe that a simple raid to steal would be frown upon. Instead, Loran was excited.
Her enthusiasm for the mission was evident all over her face. She had all kinds of ideas on how to get in and out quickly. She asked for descriptions of the occupants, the carriage, what it was carrying, where it was normally stored. Ed filled in with as many hazy recollections as he could. His brain was still foggy. Something was eating at the back of his brain. His divine powers and magic were also slowly coming back. He was getting tingles in his body where power was building up where it had been before. It was a little overwhelming at times.
When all parties felt satisfied that they had a plan Loran excused herself from the room to go prep. She was planning to leave that night and head south along the river towards the ocean. Her face nearly glowed with anticipation.
When she was gone For'Ten cracked his knuckles and stamped one hoof to the ground. "Sorry for putting you on the spot about her name. She hates her name. She thinks the last name Lovelass makes her sound like some kind of burlesque girl."
Ed replied, "I really didn't notice. I could tell it made her uncomfortable. Why can't she just change it?"
For'Ten smiled. "She's already knighted. Once that happens your name is permanent. It gets added to the roster and that is very literally carved into stone. It's a huge obelisk of basalt down in the city square as a matter of fact."
Ko'Loss nodded and spoke for the first time in hours. "A knight should have pride in their name. Her shame in it would normally keep her out."
"True," For'Ten agreed. "However she has excellent skills and she comes from one of the last surviving tribes of her kind so having her here makes sure they are represented in some way."
"What happened to her people?" Ed asked.
"Many of them chose to convert to divine energy to guard the land. Many of the spirit ancestors had Fay blood of some kind. They were very in tune with nature and therefore it was easy for them to change over."
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Much farther south Rennish sneezed. He never sneezed. He was a divine being and therefore immune from any disease. Even allergies were not a problem for him, which was good as they traveled through the damp marsh and along the river headed towards the Ice Mountains of the south. They had been traveling for quite some time and he had forgotten what a sneeze felt like.
Rennish was driving the cart right now. The two lovebirds were asleep in the back covered by a tarp. They had driven together through the night. He was alone with his thoughts. The fact that Erust had not had his full divine powers come back as of yet was concerning but not surprising. He had faced a mortal wound, and scars often had effects not only on the body but the soul.
He had hoped that since Ashra had been cured their reunion would help bolster his spirits. It had lightened the mood significantly, but not increased his abilities at all. Erust was relying on him for certain chores. Even though Rennish was still cobbled by the curse that Ysennia had put on him for failing his initial task.
Rennish led the two Lloras around bends and through the land. He watched as spirits came out to keep an eye on them. He waved to the little sprites and nymphs that tended to the health of the trees and plants.
His mind wandered as the scenery seemed to just repeat. The same tree over and over. A left turn, then a right turn, then straight, then a left turn, then the water on the right, then on the left. It was numbing his senses.
"Awful dreary isn't it?" said a small voice beside him.
"It's beautiful, but it also repeats a lot along the way. I see how people get lost in the woods so easily."
"The woods don't give up their secrets easily my friend." said the voice. Rennish looked over, still drunk from road hypnosis.
"Cai-Pel? Gods, it's been a long time. What are you doing this far south?" he said in an excited whisper.
Cai-Pel smiled and nodded, "It has been a while. I came to check on you. Something seems different. Everything okay?"
Rennish explained the situation. He told the story of meeting the oracle. The attack afterward and the escape south after Erust had healed.
"Sounds harrowing. Doesn't look like anyone is chasing you this time. I will keep an eye out for you. Just be safe and call me if you need me."
"Thanks. I will make sure to leave an offering outside the next city we come to." Rennish smiled. At least that seemed normal to him. The road hadn't changed but it felt welcoming now knowing that Cai-Pel was around. He no longer kept his guard up and enjoyed more of the scenery and waving to the little spirits as they watched them pass.
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Cai-Pel smiled to himself and took a step. He had forest walk also and one step for him would take humans a week to cover by wagon. He headed to a clearing used by forest people. The center of the clearing was filled with an ancient tree. It fed its life force out to the younger trees around it.
The roots of the trees touched underground and they passed messages to each other. The doctors would have said it resembled a brain. Each tree was a cell in a larger organism. And this is why the forest felt alive. It was one whole living breathing being. The tree's talked to the plants who would then report back to larger, older, smarter trees.
When other animals were in tune with the life force of the forest they could use this network of energy to commune with nature. They could also use the network to find trees long distances away. This is how forest walk worked. When Cai-Pel felt out into the forest for one particular tree he could step towards it and the forest would carry him to it immediately.
When he stepped out of into the clearing he smiled and clapped once to announce his arrival. He heard a clap from up in the tree to acknowledge that he had arrived. Down from the tree fell, Loran. She had summoned this old friend of hers to help her with the task at hand. When she found out that Cai-Pel was already familiar with the target she smiled. This would make the job that much easier.
"So, what did you find out?" Loran said to the spirit. They had become friends when she was little. Cai-Pel was a much older being than her but they had become friends when she got lost the first time in the forest as a child. She had brought him back a present of dried fish and wine later and won him over. Cai-Pel had a soft spot for food still, even as a guardian spirit.
"The Forest is walking them in circles. The bard, Rennish suspects nothing. I have minions and spirits keeping an eye on them to make them feel secure. I will show them a clearing tonight and with any luck, they will stop for the night."
"Can we ask for a change in the weather?" Loran asked while kneeling down to admire a flower.
"Possibly. I will see what I can do." Cai-Pel nodded. "I will let you know when it is approved."
"Thank you, old friend." She said.