Altered Destiny by Shawna Thomas Page A

movement, but there was nothing behind her save the shadowed floor and bone-white branches stretching into the mist. As she traveled farther, the sense of expectation decreased. The forest welcomed her. Despite the lack of breeze, or perhaps because of it, she grew lethargic and sleepy. The forest had an ethereal beauty that was somehow soothing.
    She relaxed, and her pace slowed. Free from debris, the springy moss made for easy walking. So the stories weren’t true. Interesting. But why were the trees, flowers, and limited foliage so pale? She didn’t know, but she’d seen stranger things close to the Wastes.
    Although the landscape varied, the uniformity of color and shape twisted her perceptions. As she walked farther, time stretched until it seemed she’d always been here and everything she remembered about life before was a dream.
    Beneath the trees she couldn’t gauge the sun, but her stomach rumbled. It must be close to midday. She found a tree conveniently lying on its side but had the impression it was no more or less dead than the rest. She ate some of the cold rabbit meat and a few bites of the stale bread, followed by a deep drink out of her skin. She’d heard no water of any kind, but then the trees could feed from an underground source. The S’ian wasn’t too far away.
    Though she hadn’t considered a fire, there wasn’t a single twig or branch on the forest floor. Selia gazed at the misty trunks. Myth or no, even if there was deadwood lying around, she wouldn’t burn it.
    Her meal finished, she resumed her walk. I could be going in circles. With no sun to guide her, how did she know she was still going north? Every tree looked similar. There were no boulders, no stumps, no distinguishing landmarks anywhere. Looking back, she watched her most recent tracks disappear as the moss regained its shape. I am alone with the White Forest . She swallowed a surge of panic.
    Selia turned in the direction she’d thought was north and continued walking, and though the light didn’t change and her stomach failed to tell her if she’d missed a meal, she knew, far to the west, the sun was beginning to set.
    She should have been out of the forest long before this.
    Gradually, the fragrance of the flowers deepened and the mists swirled in a pattern so familiar, she stopped to watch so she could remember where she’d seen it.
    Before long, she realized she’d sunk to her knees. She considered rising but the ground was soft and comfortable, and she was tired.
    Run.
    The thought was hers but it sounded far away and unimportant. She’d rest for just a moment. The cushioned ground felt warm, inviting. And she was so tired.
     
    The clouds hung low and heavy over the Telige Mountains, blocking out the stars along the northern horizon. Already the wind had picked up and would soon carry the storm south. Keldar thought it fitting that a storm preceded him. He gripped the stone balcony to gaze out over the rocky landscape. Ibelin, the southernmost of all Svistra provinces, boasted more arable land than all the others. Due east, darker patches of grey doted the landscape, crops growing in soil painstakingly freed of stone. Ibelin farmers sent their produce to the farthest reaches of the Svistra land and were the reason the province’s baron, Marik, was one of the wealthiest men in the Telige Mountains. He also had much more to gain from Keldar’s promised victory. His men would be the first into the flatlands, and the first to claim the land of their choosing. Of course, it would be more complicated than that. The Council of Barons would decide how to divide their newly won land, but if Marik’s people already dwelt in an area and already cultivated it, then chances were he’d get what he wanted.
    Keldar didn’t care for talk. He’d let the barons argue about the details. His job was to give them the land to parcel. As soon as they settled their necessary politics, he would travel south, slipping through the enemy’s