Twilight had come to the forest and several hours had passed since Harrod joined Ashlynn and Ollie. With guidance from the horned soldier, they changed direction and headed toward the top of a nearby hill.
The slog through the rough terrain clearly took a toll on Ollie, but Ashlynn found that the more time she spent in the forest, the stronger she felt. Despite going the entire day without a meal other than thin porridge at breakfast, she barely felt hungry.
When they did stop to rest, she found that leaning against one of the trees provided much more comfort than sitting on a fallen log or boulder. It was as if she could feel the roots of the living tree stretching down into the earth, drawing upon the rich soil for strength and offering it to her in her time of need.
She'd felt similar things after crawling out of the grave that Broll and Tommin left her in. Like the earth itself was offering to help keep her alive.
